Summer Fun Day
On June 9, 2012, Crowder State Park held an event called Summer Fun Day, during Free Fishing Weekend. Many adults and children came out to enjoy a day filled with fishing, hiking, face painting, crafts, and games! There were frogs, turtles, and snakes available to been seen as well. The Midland Brown Snake seemed to be a traveler around the event and was held and touched by many.
The Missouri Department of Conservation was kind enough to let the park borrow fishing poles for the public to use. There were about 16 poles, and at one time only 2 were still available, and many people even brought their own. Everyone was fighting for the prize of first fish of the day and biggest fish of the day. The first fish of the day for the children's side was brought in by a little girl named Danielle, and not long after her mother brought in the first fish on the adult side. There were some brothers who brought in the second catches of the day, which they caught at the same time, but one of the brothers was coming back every 5 minutes with another fish it seemed. The biggest fish of the day for the children was brought in by Mackenzie and she ended up with a 19 and a half inch bass! She even beat the adults! The biggest fish for the adults was brought in by Brad Harrison and he had a 13 inch bass. There were prizes for the first and biggest fish for both the children and adults. The children were awarded a certificate and a $15 cash award donated by Bill's Bait and Tackle. The adults had a choice between a hummingbird feeder and an oriole feeder. Bill's Bait and Tackle also donated the worms for the event.
There were hikes at 1:30 and 3:00 on the River Forks Trail, leading to the river where you can see an eagle's nest just across the river. I got the opportunity to tag along during one of the hikes led by Daniel Pierce. This was my first time on this trail in the few summers I have worked here. I followed at the back to make sure everyone was keeping up. There was an eagle's nest built by park staff along the trail for everyone to get an idea of what we were looking for, as well as a good stopping point to talk about the nest. There was a lot of good information given about the nests, which are usually about 6 foot in diameter and 3 foot tall. There were also some visuals along the way to show the wingspan of eagles. Once we got to the river everyone used binoculars to look over the river and into the trees to see the nest. There were a few eagles sticking their head's out of the nest. It was a very cool experience.
It was a great day and there was an incredible turn out! For more information on events like Summer Fun Day you can visit mostateparks.com. For more information on events at Crowder State Park you can visit the Upcoming Events link. Crowder State Park also hold events every weekend at the amphitheater in the campground. You can call the park at 660-359-6473 to see what events will be going on during the weekend.
Published: 06/11/2012
