By Dave Ongie, News Editor
Johnson City’s annual fishout celebrated its 30th anniversary this past Saturday. Legion Street pool was stocked with rainbow trout, and youngsters had the opportunity to catch a fish or two and maybe pick up a new hobby as well.
The popularity of the fishout was made evident by the line of kids waiting to get their turn to haul in a fish. Event organizer Heather Breck said the longstanding event now spans the generations.
“I’ve talked to several individuals who remember doing this,” said Breck, in her first year of organizing the fishout. “Maybe they caught their first fish here. Now they’ve brought their kids, and their kids have caught their first fish here. It’s just one of those events the whole community gets excited to get behind.”
“It was very easy to walk into,” Breck said. “This is our 30th anniversary, and there are so many community partners, volunteers and other agencies that help out with this, it’s a very easy event.”
Breck said her first time organizing the fishout was relatively stress-free because of the tremendous support the event gets from the community.
Among those helping the kids learn the ins and outs of fishing were police officers from the Johnson City Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff’s office. Firefighters and EMTs were also there to lend a helping hand to the community.
“It allows them to interact with their community in a way that takes them outside of that emergency situation,” Breck said. “It allows them to serve our community, which is what we’re here for.”
