Cal U and the California community again will collaborate to present the 21st annual Pike Run Youth Fishing Festival, set for 8 a.m.-3 p.m. April 23 at Rotary Park, off Route 88 (Third Street) in California.
The free event is open to boys and girls ages 15 and younger. A parent, guardian or other responsible adult must accompany children younger than 13.
Registration begins at 7 a.m.
Participants may bring their own fishing gear, or they can borrow equipment from a Cal U student volunteer as part of the state Fish and Boat Commission’s Borrow-A-Rod-and-Reel program.
Expert fishing guides will be on hand to answer questions or help young anglers learn how to catch trout.
The Pike Run Fishing Festival Committee will stock the stream with nearly 600 rainbow, brook, brown and golden trout, some as long as 24 inches. As it has done in the past, the committee will provide entertainment such as games, activities, face painting, a bounce house, Happy the Clown with balloon animals, fishing contests and many other activities.
Vendors will sell bait, tackle, food and beverages at the park.
The festival closes with a weigh-in, prizes and the awarding of trophies.
Youngsters are encouraged to help stock the stream at 2 p.m. on Earth Day, April 22.
Dr. John Confer, faculty adviser for the event, said this successful collaboration between the University and the community has attracted 160 to 200 young participants in each of the past nine years.
The festival is organized and programmed by the University’s Parks and Recreation Management program, the Parks and Recreation Student Society, the Recreation Program Planning class, and the Cal U Eco-Learning Community, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, California Rotary, the Borough of California and the California Borough Recreation Authority.
For more information, contact Confer at 724-938-4211,confer@calu.edu; visit the Pike Run Youth Fishing Festival website at http://workforce.calu.edu/confer/PRYFF/; or search for “Annual Pike Run Youth Fishing Festival” on Facebook.com.