The 5th annual Lake Brownwood Community Development Council Kids Fishing Tournament – originally slated for May prior to COVID-related postponement – will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 29 at Flat Rock Park and Camp, located at 332 Flat Rock Road at Lake Brownwood.
“This event is a lot of fun,” said LBCDC board member Jessica Hardy in a Thursday morning interview with KOXE. “It’s short day and it happens in the morning when it’s cooler. Some of those families, it’ll be the first time the kids have gone fishing. And for some of the parents bringing their kids, it’s their first time to fish. It’s an experience for all of them and we have as much fun out there working it as the families do.”
Sign in time is 8 a.m. the morning of Saturday, Aug. 29, the fishing will begin at 9 a.m., weigh in follows at 11 a.m. and prizes will be awarded to the top three weights in each of the three age groups — 4 and under, 5-8, and 9-12 — beginning at 11:15 a.m.
The entry fee is $10 per child, which includes includes a keepsake rod and reel, tackle and bait, plus a hot dog and drink. Registration is available online at brownwoodlake.com/events or registration forms can be taken to Flat Rock Park, Innovation Wellness and Health Spa, the Early Visitors and Events Center, or the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We like pre-registration because that helps in buying hot dogs and picking up all the equipment and having it ready to hand out,” Hardy said. “We get it all ready the night before so if we know a number we can at least have the pre-registeration ones ready to go.”
Sponsors for the event include Visit Early, Texas; Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce; Lake Brownwood State Park; Bishop Distributing; Magic Bait; Pure Fishing; Zebco; Pecan Valley Kiwanis Club; Brownwood Kiwanis Club; Innovation Wellness Health Spa; and Early Key Club.
“Without those sponsors we couldn’t have a registration fee as low as $10 for this event because we would have to pay for all of it on our own,” Hardy said. “And the Pecans Valley Kiwanis Club comes out and cooks the hot dogs for us.”
Social distancing measures will be enforced, according to Hardy.
“We will be social distancing at this event and actively patrolling to make sure families are staying together and not mingling with everybody,” Hardy said. “We want this to be a safe event.”
The Lake Brownwood Community Development Council, according to board member Wanda Ferguson, “was organized in 2006 to help businesses and commerce out at the lake. They weren’t getting a lot of attention out there so we got together and had a big conference with 35 attendees from interested parties all throughout the area and formed an organization. If you’re interested in joining give us a call at 325-642-5072.”
