The Seekonk
Reporter
May 2013 Volume 25, no. 5
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Serving the Residents of Seekonk, Rehoboth and Surrounding Communities Since 1989
Summer Fun Guide see page 58...
Prom & Wedding 2013
Seekonk Lions Host First Annual Doug Allen Memorial Fishing Tournament
By Jim Chandley Nearly 100 Seekonk children gathered around the Old Grist Mill Pond on Patriots’ Day for a day of fishing and fun. The Seekonk Lions hosted a fishing derby for the first time in recent memory in the town, and there was barely an empty spot on the banks of the small pond. Children from 2-15 tried to pull out the biggest trout they could find. “I caught two fish!” Evan Dunn said as he ran to get the bucket where the captive trout swam. His friends Austin Gamboa and Camron Correia continued to fish as the youngster showed anyone who walked by the catch of the day. “The Lions club has always wanted to do something like this but we didn’t have a place,” says Lions Membership Director and event organizer George Poli. The Lions were met with enthusiastic support from all those involved. “Greg Esmay who owns the place was all for it, he wanted people to skate here in the winter and all that,” says Poli. Esmay owns the pond as well as the Old Grist Mill Tavern, which is currently being rebuilt. The problem with holding a fishing derby in Seekonk in previous years was not only the lack of a good location, but a relatively bare fish population. Ponds in Taunton and Rehoboth have long been preferable fishing spots for their robust populations and state stocking. This time around, Poli and the Lions asked Mass Wildlife about stocking some local ponds. “Mass Wildlife agreed to put trout in the place. They put 150 in here and they put 150 in Burrs Pond down below,” Poli said as he stood on the bank of Old Grist Mill Pond. The trout are there for the catching and can be brought home, since the pond is not a place they will survive beyond winter. continued on page 4...
see page 87...
SEEKONK Memorial Day Parade
Saturday May 25th at 10 am Starts at Seekonk High School and traveling up Arcade Ave and then down Rt. 152. More info on page 7
Seekonk children gathered around the Old Grist Mill Pond for a day of fishing and fun.