The BIG day of the year at the fish hatchery, Catch a Rainbow Fishing Derby, is now only a memory plus tents still standing, chairs stacked ready to be picked up, trash waiting for trash cans, and still hopeful fisherpersons trying to get the large fish that were stocked but went uncaught. Anyway, you get the idea: there was a big event, people showed up, the weather was nearly perfect, most had a memorable time, and the organizers and volunteers now are soaking their feet, resting their legs, and breathing a big sigh of relief.

By the time we arrived at the visitor center before 8 a.m., people were already in a line and registrations were on-going. The line came by the front of the visitor center, and the bathrooms were a big draw. At the end of the day 1,850 people had come into the visitor center. On a typical weekend day we probably get between 200 and 300 visitors. There were 8 volunteers and contrary to my earlier worries, we kept busy and no one was maimed from bumping into and tripping over each other. Shannon rotated among the gift shop, counting people, stocking bathrooms, and washing windows. I mostly stood outside of the front doors and greeted people and held the doors open. Actually it was a fun job to talk and jive with both kids and adults.

We understand that 1,400+ kids registered, and we were told registrations were more than last year and less than last year, depending on who you talked to. There were lots of people and although they had different age groups fishing at different times, people seemed to stay around and enjoy the day. There was free cotton candy, hot dogs, pop, popcorn, and lots of stuff given away. All kids got some type of prize, and ones that actually caught a fish got a gold medallion on a ribbon to hang around the neck much like at the Olympics. The stream was freshly stocked in the morning before the derby started, and among the fish stocked were 10-10 lb. rainbow trout. We are aware that two of them were caught; so, there are still big ones out there someplace. Y’all come down and bring your fishing gear. Ya’hear?

All this past week the fish hatchery and grounds have experienced a bevy of activity. Getting the fish hatchery to look nice was a priority. There have been lots of trees and shrubs planted on the grounds, but the care would not pass muster for an ol’ Master Gardener. Last weekend when we were on duty, we did a lot of pruning of stuff that probably wouldn’t normally get pruned at this time of the year but having been neglected it probably didn’t matter much. Here is Shannon working on the rhododendrons doing what she loves to do. And, it was on her birthday. That’s about as good a birthday celebration for Shannon as it gets. On my birthday, just being able to get out of bed and move around passed any of my expectations. So, life still remains good.