AMENIA – Along Vinchiarello’s Pond’s crowded edge, more than 100 people cast their lines, hoping with each one for a nibble. Bobbers floated on the glass-like surface, each tick or wobble noticed by the enthusiastic anglers on shore. They only had three hours until the annual Kids’ Fishing Derby ended, and to get an award, each cast needed to count.
Each year, the Amenia Lions Club, in concert with the Vinchiarello family, hosts a free fishing derby for children ages 15 and under. Starting at 10 a.m., children from the area could come to Vinchiarello’s Pond, located on Old North Road in Amenia, and participate in a friendly competition.
The club also provided food, drinks and plenty of free worms for the young anglers.
“It’s not a fundraiser for us, it’s just for fun. It’s something for the kids to do,” said Lori Hale, an 18-year member of the Amenia Lions Club and former co-president. “To reconnect, put down the electronics and reconnect with their families as well as with nature. It’s probably one of the most fun events that we do.”
The 48 children who entered the derby on Saturday, July 16, were broken up into four age groups: ages 0-4, ages 5-8, 9-12 and finally ages 12-15.
At 1 p.m., when the derby concluded, an award for the biggest fish was given out to one child from each age group. An award for the most fish caught was given out regardless of age.
The first fish of the day was caught by Hannah Avery, 11, from Millerton.
Soon after, Mitchell Lansing, 15, from Wassaic, caught a 15.25-inch bass, which would be the largest fish of the day and win him the biggest fish award for his age group.
Evan Hart, 2, from Amenia, won the biggest fish for the 0-4 age group with a 9.25-inch blue gill.
August Jones, 7, from Wassaic won the biggest fish for the 5-8 year olds with a 14.25-inch bass and Kogan Lawrence, 12, from Amenia was just a quarter-inch short of the biggest fish of the day, winning his age group with a 15-inch bass.
The angler with the most fish brought in was Brook Klain, 10, from Salisbury, Conn., who caught 16 fish in three hours.
While the derby’s main purpose was to host an engaging community event, it also served to memorialize Ralph Vinchiarello, a well known community member who died in 2014.
Vinchiarello was a World War II veteran, serving from 1941 to 1945, before coming back to the area where he was a charter member of the Chestnut Hill Rod and Gun Club, a lifelong member of the Amenia Fish and Game Association as well as being a member of the Wassaic Fire Company for more than 50 years.
“I get enjoyment from the fishing derby because [my father] built the pond for the enjoyment of his grandkids and the fishing derby, which he came up with [along with]the help of the Lions Club. I’m going to keep it going as long as I can,” said Ralph Vinchiarello Jr. “It’s all about keeping the kids happy.”
