The Municipality of Shawville’s 25th annual fishing derby at Mill Dam Park on Saturday featured a special recognition of the community efforts that have made the park what it is today.
As keen young fishermen and women cast their lines into the park’s creek, representatives from local organizations including the Shawville Lions Club, the Shawville Rotary Club, the Parents’ Voice and the Municipality of Shawville gathered to unveil new commemorative plaques in the park.
The plaques recognize the longstanding dedication and contributions of these community groups and others to the park’s development, highlighting, in particular, the Shawville Lions Club’s contributions over the years.
One of the park’s founders, Dr. Earle Potvin, accepted the recognition on behalf of the Lions Club.
In 1983, when the Lions Club secured a $5,000 federal grant for the park, Dr. Potvin led a group of six students in clearing brush, planting trees and getting water and electricity to the site.
Potvin shared a lighthearted memory from the early cleanup days, recalling the discovery of old bottles that were unearthed from the site’s past life as a local dump.
“When you’d dig down about four or five feet, all of a sudden you’re hitting all beer bottles, some that go back to the turn of the century,” he said. Since then, Mill Dam Park has evolved into a vibrant, multi-use space featuring amenities such as a splash pad and RV camping spots. Community organizations, alongside the municipality, have continuously supported its transformation.
“Mill Dam Park continues to be a treasured gathering place and a source of pride for Shawville,” read Mayor McCleary from the closing line of one of the plaques.
“It’s always busy, whether with kids or adults, during the week or on weekends, the park is always being used,” he added, noting people come from near and afar to participate in the decades-old event held on Saturday.
The morning’s fishing derby offered ample evidence of the park’s success, as local kids spent the morning reeling in fish from the creek, which had been freshly stocked for the occasion.
Successful fishers would take their catch over to the measuring table, where, with the assistance of volunteers like councillor Richard Armitage, their fish would be measured and cleaned for the catcher to bring home.
Each participant could catch as many as they wanted, but only three fish counted towards the combined length competition.
This year Zoey Richardson won the girls’ division with a total combined length of 25.25 inches, and Archie Beattie won the boys’ division with a total length of 27.25 inches.
