By TomL
Some years back I went to a senior fishing derby to take pictures for my Seniors Voice of Ocala newspaper.
It was being held at Lake Tuscawilla and seniors were out in force. Every body had a spot and they would maneuver to get where they wanted to fish. Here is what happened. The lady that was coordinating the fishing Derby back then was Mary Filer one of the Parks and Recreation employees. I started taking pictures and went to interview Mary Filer and as I ask questions she said this might be the last Senior Fishing Derby My sponsor for the Derby said they will not be doing it any more. I ask how much does it cost to put on a fishing derby. She explained different ways of feeding the seniors. I went out and priced a few things. I went to a restaurant supply place and price the big all beaf hotdogs, chips, drinks, worms for bait. Then I find out that the Florida Game Commission loaned the fishing poles over a hundred. The price fit my budget!
I called Mary and ask do you still need a sponsor? She said yes I said thats me! The first one we had I had so much fun that I ask how about having two per year. She got back to me and said as long as you want to sponsor it YES! I ask the members of Ocala Business Leaders for door prizes. BJ Trophy’s came in with three trophy’s, I would go to Walmart and buy three to six fishing poles for grand prizes We bought the fishing worms there also. After that I sponsored 17 Senior Fishing Derby. Dianne Leaf was the supervisor for thee Senior Center, she is also known for her work with Charity’s. When Mary Filer retired her super took over with the help of Grace Huff on the fishing derby.
First the Assisted Living people loved us. They came by the transport buses. They got the seniors out in the sunshine, some were in wheel chairs, so Ocala City Parks and Recreation built a badly needed dock so family’s could enjoy it all year. The Seniors had fun, we fed them, they won prizes for fishing and just for drawings we had. Door prizes galore! Here are a few of the stories.
I was watching a guy with a big Cowboy hat on and a woman was telling him to pull. I took their picture then, I ask the lady what was going on? She said he is blind and wanted to fish. WOW! Wheel Chair people fished mostly off the dock and they had first choice to use the dock. All of them had helpers from the home that they came from and some caught fish, when they caught a fish they would holler FISH and they got a ticket for a drawing for door prizes and volunteers would take the fish off and measure it. After the first hour the fish would wake up and you could hear people hollering Fish. The prizes for Biggest fish, second the most fish and the oldest fisherperson, always in their 90’s. We went over a hundred once or twice. The next year as time went on they would bring the fishing pole they won. We had one lady who fell in the lake, well she actually slid in the lake on her butt. Two or three of us were there to get wet also. There was a volunteer Life Guard on duty also. When the lady fell in twice on the same day. We went to the person that brought her that they had to make sure they watched her. She like the attention she was getting and we could not take chance of her getting hurt. In other words keep her out of the water or don’t bring her back.
For years Clay Electric would bring a cooker from the plant and cook hundreds of hotdogs and hamburgers. They got a quality meat hamburger and a good beef hotdog and and most ate both with chips and a drink and you can have a picnic without beans. By the way the Ocala Star Banner came and took pictures 17 events and mentioned that I was the sponsor once! Petty petty petty!
It was not unusual for someone would say thank to the City Parks and Recreation, the Fl Game Commission and the Seniors Voice. One day I was shopping in Wall Mart and a little Korean lady came up and hugged me and said I remember you from the Fishing Derby. It made me feel good!
It got to the point that I could not afford it. Two weeks ago a lady came up to me at a craft show and said hi she was part of almost every event. She is now 95 and has Race horses. I hope she goes past 150. I still go when I can and take pictures. It is a fun event.
