A few week ago, our blog featured an upcoming event in the Staples area, put on by the Central Minnesota CEO class. Myself, along with several other Stern members, including General Manager and CEO Board Chair Bob Jackson, Purchasing/Inventory Supervisor Connie Krueger, and Aitkin Plant Lead Sam Vipperman, had the opportunity to attend the event hosted on Dower Lake.
Things kicked off at 11am Saturday morning, with just shy of 75 fishermen on the ice. Although the day started out slow, the first fish made its way to the weigh-in table around 11:30. The event offered prizes for the top three pan fish, and top three game fish, with door prizes being drawn throughout the day. In the pan fish category, perch dominated, with several weighing in at a whopping .03 pounds. As for the game fish category, the northern pike was the common fish being brought in, ranging from 1-2 pounds. Fishermen all across the lake used several different techniques, from jigging to tip ups, and even a guy with a deep-sea rod tried his luck. The students made and sold lunch for participants, and worked hard to keep everyone informed throughout the day. By the end of the event at 1pm, several fish in each category had been brought in, and it was a tight race for first right up to the end, with the winning pan fish being rushed to the table right as the final buzzer went off.
Although myself, and my Stern companions had no luck when it came to catching fish, not all of us went home empty handed. The students worked hard to gather nearly 100 raffle prizes, and 6 prizes for the top fish, which included a guided fishing trip with local guide Walleyedan, a 2 night stay and a day of fishing in an ice house on Lake of the Woods for first place, $100 cash for second and a Vexilar gift set for third.
Overall the students sold nearly 200 raffle tickets, and put on an event that was well organized, unique, and most of all a lot of fun. Although this is only the 2nd class to come through the Central Minnesota CEO program, this event will be hard to top. All of us in the area, look forward to what next year’s creative minds are able to develop.