Rain didn't stop the second Badges & Bobbers

Over 20 in three hours.

That’s how many fish Lonsdale Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Shanna Gutzke-Kupp said 25 local youth reeled in Friday, June 21, at Rezac Nature Preserve Fishing Pier during the second Badges & Bobbers kids fishing event with the help of local police officers and firefighters.

“The excitement when they caught a fish was priceless,” Gutzke-Kupp said. “Badges & Bobbers Kids Fishing Event was a little wet but definitely didn’t stop the kiddos from fishing or catching perch, bluegill, bass, crappies, sunfish and bullheads right here in Lonsdale.”

The event is a three-hour fishing trip for Lonsdale youth age 7-14 to fish alongside local authorities, like police officers, in hopes of fostering a positive relationship between them.

Several sponsorships helped make the event free, and Fishing For Life CEO and Founder Tom Goodrich gave a brief lesson for youth just learning how to fish.

The event promised to be held rain or shine, and Mother Nature tested that assertion with record-high flooding throughout the county. But the group of youth who Gutzke-Kupp called “future pro-anglers” remained determined to fish, throwing on ponchos and keeping at it.