The conditions were a far cry from the low 20s, minimal wind, and 21-inch thick ice the event had last year. Conditions were in the high 30s, slightly colder than the 50-degree temperatures reached the week before the event.

Sportsmen’s Club President Lynn Krenz said many were disappointed by the lack of ice fishing competition. Even so, he knew that the show had to go on.

“We wanted to have it somewhere and do something,” Krenz said. “We thought, let’s just have it done at Sportsman’s Park out here, it’s right next to the lake. Everybody’s familiar with it from over the years and it’s working out pretty well.”

To make up for the lack of ice fishing competition, several new additions were made to the event. Fire pits were made, with the opportunity to roast your own marshmallow and make a s’more for free. Several beanbag courts were set up for a bit of friendly competition, and those who had a song in mind could sing on karaoke.

Laney, Landry, and Blair Folkens (L-R) enjoy some cheeseburgers and Mountain Dew at Sportsman’s Park during the 42nd annual fishing derby Sunday. Several attendees said they enjoyed being able to socialize and meet new people at the event.

Even though all of this had to come together last minute, Krenz said volunteers helped make sure everything came together smoothly.

“It wasn’t that bad,” he said. “The volunteers stepped up and said, ‘Hey, we’ll come out and do that for you.’ We had some women whose husbands are in the club. They offered to cook the smores. We’re thankful for that. Everything stepped into place fairly quick and went pretty well.”

Tony Schultz has attended the Fishing Derby for the last 10 years. He said the news of no ice fishing competition saddened him, as he feared it would drive down attendance. Schultz said there was a silver lining.

“[We got the] food, fire, beanbags,” he said. “People can socialize and not have to be on the lake. I’m meeting people I’ve never seen before.”

Krenz said he knew attendance was not going to go over 1,000 people as it had in recent years. But with the new events provided, he said they hoped to bring in a large amount of area families.

“We’ve got a lot of people coming with their families and little kids,” he said. “They’re getting something to eat, maybe cook a s’more. We hope people have fun, come out, see what we’re doing, socialize.”

Chad and Amber Bynes were one of those families, bringing their two kids out for the day. The Bynes moved to the area a year ago from Iowa and found out about the event from their kid’s friends. They said they thoroughly enjoyed everything the event had to offer.

“We love outdoor s’mores,” Amber Bynes said. “That’s a fun thing for the kids to do for sure.”

“[We’ve been] talking with other fishermen and their stories about other years,” Chad Bynes.

The family agreed that the coolest part of the day was being able to walk out on the ice, which was still thick enough to do so. A few even did some ice fishing. Amber Bynes said the family had never walked on a frozen lake, and the experience was both surreal and slippery.