Hackensack mayor continues his father’s legacy Fishing contest has touched the lives of thousands

By Travis Grimler

Marking 27 years in 2024, Hackensack just wouldn’t be the same without the weekly Children’s Fishing Contest on Tuesdays on Birch Lake.

The tradition has surpassed its founder, Bob Kennedy, who died in 2013, 16 years after co-founding the event. Kennedy’s son, Bill, took over the contest after his father’s death with no signs of stopping.

The only year without the weekly contest was 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We couldn’t even congregate outside five feet from everyone,” Kennedy said. “Other than that, there’s been a contest every year.” to Approval

Kennedy said it’s basically an icon of the city of Hackensack, like the Longville Turtle Races or the former Pine River Duck Races.

The Hackensack park and pier are jampacked whenever the Hackensack Children’s Fishing Contest comes to town on Tuesdays through summer. Contributed

“The contest is a staple of Hackensack,” Kennedy said. “The town has an identity and part of Hackensack is the fishing contest. People look forward to it every year.”

It’s also proven a popular way to draw people to town and get children interested in the outdoors.

“We just want families outdoors and having fun,” Kennedy said.

That is what the contest is all about — giv - because they needed volume. His buddies were all avid sportsmen and fishermen, so they decided to make up this fishing contest.”

The first one was not very successful.

“They put out the flier and got the word out and nobody showed up,” Kennedy said. “That’s when they realized school was still in session.”

After a little regrouping and replanning, they tried again to much better success. The contest started out very small.

- Bill Kennedy

ing children in Hackensack something productive to do in the summer.

“Dad and his buddies were all sitting around at the Legion talking about how there didn’t seem to be very much for the kids in Hackensack to do during the summer,” Kennedy said. “We aren’t big enough to have a Little League or organized sports. They’d normally have to go to Walker and join there

“From then on, it was a success,” Kennedy said. “And it just kept growing.”

Since then, the event has grown. The event regularly attracts up to 220 anglers and over 400 others, and all that bait and those hot dogs come with a cost. Luckily, businesses from Hackensack and abroad are as determined as Kennedy to keep the program running.

“My dad always got donations from the VA Hospital in Fargo, because he’s a vet,” Kennedy said. “He had a lot of contacts in Fargo, one of them being Scheels, specifically in Fargo because they can all do their own donations.”

In spite of that, participating families are not bombarded with a lot of advertisements at the event, as only one sponsor is advertised at the pier each week, often a local church or organization.

“They are invited that Tuesday to promote their business, church or whatever,” Kennedy said. “Many of them find it very fun to come and do that and they wear their logos and bring business cards. It’s the only advertising that’s allowed.”

The contest is a great option for almost any family. There is bait, some loaner fishing rods, free hot dogs and, of course, prizes.

“Hot dogs are sponsored, so they’re free,” Kennedy said. “Coffee is free. Then, as prizes, everyone gets a goodie bag with candy and a ticket, and they get a coupon book.”

Each week there are lots of prizes to go around, but only for the children, including a grand prize ticket drawing for a large tackle box with tackle. There are three age categories: 0-5, 6-9 and 10-15.

There are events that don’t require dipping a line in the water.

“Anyone can participate in the minnow race one time each week,” Kennedy said. “That gets a tackle box with some tackle.

Contributed photos

Left: There are four prizes awarded to three different age groups every week during the Hackensack Children’s Fishing Contest.

Above: Free hot dogs have been a constant at the Hackensack Children’s Fishing Contest. They are paid for by sponsors.

And then we have a casting contest, which is a bit harder.”

There are four prizes in each age category — for the first fish, smallest fish, biggest fish and most fish caught. The smallest fish is good for a shirt that reads “I caught the smallest fish in Hackensack at the Hackensack Children’s Fishing Contest.” meetsgreattaste!ThisiswherepassionWhenserving upthebestisyourpassion,youinsist onthebestbeef.Youknowthereis nocuttingcornersonquality, becausetheproofisalwaysgoingto beontheplate. That’sexactlywhyweinsistononly thehighestquality,vettedbyour strictChairman’sReserve®Certified PremiumBeefcertificationprocess. Welookatmarbling,gradingandthe maturityofourcattle,alltomake sureyouhaveadeliciousmeal— becausewhenyouhaveapassionfor greatbeef,nothingelsewillsuffice.

The angler who catches the first fish gets a free piece of tackle from a grab bag. The child who catches the most fish wins a tackle box with tackle. The angler with the largest fish wins a rod and reel.

Of course, part of the fun of the event is coming together at the city’s fishing pier, which Kennedy helped to have renovated with state-of-the-art materials around 2016.

They raised approximately $80,000 to renovate the deteriorating retaining walls around the park and pier space with materials that should last for more than 50 years.

Donations came from all over, but they also received funding from a charity concert, the Hackensack American Legion and Hackensack American Legion Auxiliary. They also got a huge boost from a little-used Cass County fund.

They also renovated the old hot dog shack at the pier and made general improvements.

Overall, the program is a huge draw for the city. Of course there are locals, but in the height of the summer, anglers come from all over the world.

“We’ve had Japan and Australia,” Kennedy said. “You don’t get much farther than that.”

The fishing contest provides a limited number of rods and reels to participants who cannot bring their own, as well as personal flotation devices, which are required for participating anglers.

Going into the 27th year, Kennedy said there isn’t much to change about the program. They may look into building new storage for spare rods, life jackets and more equipment, but the contest is otherwise a fairly smooth operation.

“I don’t know what you would add to it,” Kennedy said. “I thought about it before, but without adding overhead or too much work for anyone, I don’t know what we would add.”

Now that the pier is in ship shape, what more could they ask for? As they say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

TRAVIS GRIMLER is a staff writer for the Pineandlakes Echo Journal weekly newspaper in Pequot Lakes/Pine River. He may be reached at 218-855-5853 or travis. grimler@pineandlakes.com.

Gull River

Location: The Gull River flows south through Cass and Crow Wing counties into the Crow Wing River southeast of Sylvan Lake.

Length: 14.2 miles

Deepest point: At least 15 feet

Fish species: As a tributary to Sylvan Lake, the Gull River may have the same species of fish, including: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, burbot, crappie, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, golden redhorse, greater redhorse, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, white sucker, banded killifish, blacknose shiner, central mudminnow, common shiner, golden shiner.

Public access: At the Gull Dam Recreation Area on the southeast side of Gull Lake.

Interesting fact: The Gull River is a tributary to the Crow Wing River and part of the Mississippi River drainage basin. For kayaks and canoes, it is approximately 20 miles from the Crow Wing River to the Mississippi River at Crow Wing State Park.

Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, USGS 1974 Hydrologic Unit Map and the Brainerd Dispatch

RIVER