John Columbus: 43rd Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby was very successful

To The Daily Sun,

We recently concluded our very successful 43rd annual Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby, which is a premier winter event for our community each year. We had plenty of ice and a beautiful day on Saturday drew many ice fisherman and families and to Hesky Park in Meredith to see the event firsthand. Our grandprize winner was Kayla Robinson who is the first female to win the award in our history, landing a 11.4-pound lake trout from Lake Winnisquam.

We want to recognize all the people across our community who volunteered many hours to make the event a success. First to our wonderful rotarians who collectively spent hundreds of hours with various activities leading up and through the weekend. Our rotary motto of “Service Above Self” certainly rang true.

We also wish to thank the members of our community who contributed including Town Manager Phil Warren and team, Mike Faller and the DPW, and the Meredith Police Department. We also want to recognize Tanaya Call, Kevin Kelly and the Lakes Region VNA staff for providing COVID testing, supplies and professional guidance to make the event as safe as possible. Additionally, NH Fish and Game officers and volunteers who served as judges, ran the kids ice fishing clinic and looked after safety on the ice, AJ’s Custom Products for the fishing jig kids gifts, Body Covers for their merchandise designs, Meredith Station for catering, Verrill Trucking for trailer transportation, the energetic Pat Kelly from Frank FM for hosting the awards ceremony on Sunday, and the many others who pitched in.

Last but not least, thanks to the thousands of ice fisherman who purchased tickets and participated. The derby is our largest fundraiser each year, enabling us to support many deserving charities, scholarships and community projects throughout the year.

John Columbus

43rd Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby Chair