Ephrata Youth Fishing Derby Saturday

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Lions Club will host its annual Youth Fishing Derby from 6 to 8 a.m. this Saturday at Ping Pond, formerly Oasis Park Pond, according to Lions Club member Bill Sangster. 

The event is free for all children 4-14 years old. No registration is necessary; kids can just show up and fish. A fish farm is stocking the pond, Sangster said. 

“They (said they’re) going to put some big ones in, six- or seven-pounders,” Sangster said. 

There will be prizes for the biggest fish in three age classes, plus a grand prize for the largest fish overall.  

This is the 54th year the Lions Club has put on the derby, and Sangster said it usually draws 300-400 young anglers. After more than five decades, it’s become a family tradition for some fishers, he said.  

“Every time I talk to somebody about it (they say) ‘I went there as a kid and now I’m bringing my kids or my grandkids,’” Sangster said.