Fishing lines, hockey sticks and darts

February 6, 2018

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The Equity

The annual Otter Lake Fire Department fishing derby took over the recreation association grounds on Saturday, where folks could drop a line, play some ball hockey or compete in a darts tournament. Pictured: Nathan Dubeau rushes the opposite team in the final game of the ball hockey tournament.

The Otter Lake Fire Department held their annual fishing derby fundraiser, complete with ball hockey and lots of darts to have a bit of fun for everyone in the community. Front row, from left: Some of the fire department and volunteers for the day included Virginia Belland, Hailey Richard, Lee Vadneau and George St-Pierre. Front row, from left: Melanie Dumouchel and Miranda Kluke.

The ball hockey tournament saw a close game between teams Overrated and Storm, but the former came out on top. Pictured, Tyson Richard goes for a big save in the final period.

Those fishing had the choice of anywhere on the ice that they’d like to fish, allowing for lots of opportunity to bring home the big haul. From left: Some of the younger anglers out that day included Darien Kenny, Jaeden Kenny, Allisha Kenny, Rianna Perriard, James Flood, Raymond Perriard and Devon Kenny.

Though the ball hockey tournament only saw three teams compete, a fierce rivalry took over in the final game before Overrated emerged victorious. From left: The winning team included Bradley Dubeau, Hailey Dubeau, Kayzer Lavigne, Sylvain Menard, Candis Miljour, Brady Dubeau, Nathan Dubeau, Ralf Presly and goalie Tyson Richard.

A darts tournament ran inside the recreation association, keeping all the local shooters focused on achieving that perfect game. Pictured: Peter Lacelle aims for the bullseye.

Donald Teuma-Castelletti
OTTER LAKE Feb. 3, 2018
There was something for everyone in Otter Lake on Saturday, as expert anglers dropped lines through the ice with the help of ambitious amateurs by their sides, the sharp-eyed shooters took their shot at dart boards indoors and those that were looking to get the blood flowing a bit quicker hit the rink for a ball hockey tournament.
That’s because the Otter Lake Fire Department held their annual fishing derby on Saturday, in support of the crew and some extras they need to provide for the staff.
“By putting this on, we buy our own clothes, uniforms, stationery, and can also make donations to diabetes and cancer funds,” said Lt. Lee Vadneau, of the Otter Lake Fire Department. “Last year we bought coats for all the firefighters.”
That’s not all they look to provide for their team, though, as money raised will also benefit the firefighters by extending their life insurance coverage beyond working hours. Vadneau explained that while everyone was covered while on the job, if anything happens to them outside of that, their coverage wouldn’t extend for that.

By putting on this derby, they’re able to cover the costs of extending the life insurance for the firefighter and their family around the clock, if the employee needs it. It works out to be a nice bonus for the men and women that the community relies on, especially when considering the crew responded to nearly 30 fire calls last year and over 115 emergency calls, too.
With close to 200 people registered in the derby before noon, it’d be okay to assume that there’d be plenty of fish to fill frying pans for the following week, but that’s not the case at all.
“Anyone is allowed to register, even if they don’t fish,” said Vadneau. “The large prize is for anyone registered, which is why we get a lot of people who just enter.”
He explained that many who register do so just to get their name in a draw for some prizes, as the group always has something cool to give away. While an auger and an underwater camera were some of the grand prizes for actually catching fish, anyone registered had the chance to bring home a 55” television.
Alongside the fishing, a dart tournament took place inside the recreation association and a few teams organized a small ball hockey tournament on the outdoor rink. As well, breakfast was cooked and sold till 11 a.m., when the lunch shift took over the kitchen and ran right through till five in the afternoon.
New this year was the opening of the bar a bit earlier, for those that got a little thirsty early on. Though Vadneau said there wasn’t much interest by many, there were a few who thought it a nice addition to the weekend.
Vadneau said that the weekend wouldn’t be as successful as it was were it not for the crew and everyone’s families helping out.
“None of this could have been put on if it wasn’t for the help of all the firefighters and their families,” said Vadneau.

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