After the Mineral Lake Lions Den Campground was given a major facelift by volunteers ahead of the fishing season’s opening day with the town’s annual fishing derby, members of the Mineral Lions Club were excited to begin hosting events for children of locals and campers alike.
On Saturday, the campground was host for an inaugural “Freedom and Fishing” event for families, which included fishing, games, live music by the lake and a front row seat to the town’s annual fireworks show.
Beginning at 9 a.m., dozens of children flocked to the lawn at the campground for a fishing contest from a large tub filled with over 600 rainbow trout from an Aberdeen hatchery. Kids who caught a fish earned the prize of a fishing pole. Some fish were specially tagged and kids who reeled them in earned a tackle box to take home.
Over 75 fishing poles were given away before noon, yet kids were still fishing well into the afternoon. After a catch, volunteers were around to clean and cook the fish.
“You hear the kids catch one and go, ‘I got it, I got one!’ That's so cool to hear. And they've never fished before, some of them have never fished before and now get their own pole,” said camp manager Tina Moore.
Volunteers at the camp kept track of where everyone came from throughout the day and noted that one family was visiting all the way from Colorado. Many others came from Tacoma, Graham and other parts of Washington, and others still were from right there in Mineral.
Moore said the Lions Club members were excited to increase opportunities for safe and fun activities in town.
The same motivation came from a partnering club, the Mineral Community Club, which was holding a hot dog cookout and games for kids throughout the event. Led by new-in-town pastor Jeffery Robertson, the nonprofit has been helping out with community events the last two months, tagging along with the established clubs to get acclimated to the scene. Including a Saint Patrick’s Day event and the fishing derby in April, this was the club’s third event.
“This has been a great event and especially since it's bringing the community together, I mean it can't go wrong, right?” Robertson said on Saturday.
In the evening, Shore Lane band performed next to the lake ahead of the fireworks show at dusk. The Lions Den Campground will continue hosting music throughout the summer. To keep up with events, follow @minerallakelionsden on Facebook. Reservations for campsites can be made at https://minerallakelions.com/.
