By Kelly A. Shue
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

The almost 200 participants of Riderwood’s annual fishing tournament may have been reeling in small fish, but the event raised more than $1,200 for the Meals-on-Wheels in College Park and Colesville, Md.

Supporting a good cause
While anglers spent the day waiting for a bite, members of the Meals-on-Wheels organization were on hand staffing a 50/50 raffle to raise funds. Additional money came from free donations and the sale of fishing equipment.

“The fishing tournament is a tremendous activity that helps us meet the growing demand to provide meals to those in need in the local community,” says Peggy Davis, vice president of the Colesville Meals-on-Wheels.

And as usual, Riderwood community members were more than happy to help. “The tournament is a great opportunity to give back to the community,” says Riderwood community member and tournament volunteer Milt Feldman.

His neighbor Earl Davis agrees: “The mixture of residents with our neighbors from the surrounding community was nice to witness.”

For the event, nearly 300 fish were placed in the Riderwood pond. Fishing equipment was available to everyone on the condition that all fish would be caught and released. After a busy morning of fishing, participants enjoyed a delicious lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs at the food tent.

A prize catch
Excitement glowed in the eyes of children gathered around the Riderwood  pond. “There were a lot of grandchildren at the tournament,” says Martha Bowler, whose five-year-old great grandson Alexander Hoot participated for the second year in a row.

“It is a wonderful event for families,” she says.

Alexander again caught a goldfish, which he promptly returned to the pond. “He was so excited,” says Bowler. “He was even awarded a trophy for catching his goldfish. That made his day. In fact, he still proudly talks about that trophy. I have little doubt that he’ll be back at the tournament again next year.”