|
|
Venango County Youth Field Day
at the Izaak Walton League
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saturday, June 20
The 17th annual Youth Field Day was
held for nearly 300 rain-drenched kids
and volunteers at the Izaak Walton
League in Oil City. The event was free
and open to local youth ages 8-18, and
provided an outdoor experience that
included fishing, canoeing, archery,
skeet shooting, a muddy woodland
obstacle course and much more.
The event began in Venango County in
1992 at the old Izaak Walton grounds,
(now the Sandycreek Conservancy) and
since then, similar Youth Field Days
have sprung up in 52 counties across
Pennsylvania.
Mike Eismont (below) of the Fish and
Boat Commission, gets ready to
release a rainbow trout back into the
pond after one of the kids caught it.
The Commission brought fishing
equipment and canoes to the event and
taught the basics to the participants.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
The canoes provided hours of fun and learning for the kids, including (from
left) Chandler Daugherty, Devin Chapin, Noah Borland and Brendan Zerbe.
The pond was a central feature to the former Monarch Park (sign below),
which once boasted a roller coaster, a tower of lights, a carousel and a
ballroom. The Izaak Walton League now owns the land, using it for target
practice and other sportsmen activities.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Heavy morning rains
turned the creek into
raging rapids, as a
workshop went on
alongside it.
|
|
|
|
Franklin firefighter Dan Anderson (left)
provided archery instruction to Nathan
Hricsina. Anderson's sons, Dan and
Jack, and other members of the Ike's
Junior Rifle Team will compete in the
National meet at Camp Perry, Ohio, in
late July.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Oil City Skeet Club instructor
Dick Buzzard (left) taught
shotgun safety to Chris Courson
(center) and others before taking
them skeet shooting. The skeet
was launched going straight
away from the shooters, allowing
many of them to hit the moving
target. The club has a skeet
range in the Izaak Walton woods,
and ten of their members turned
out to help instruct local youth.
|
|
|
|
|
For slideshows and print
orders, click for the West PA
photo library.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Matt Moore of Oil City threw a
tomahawk with guidance from retired
Game Commission officer Jim Deniker
during the woodland obstacle course.
The wet, muddy trail and challenging
tests of skill along the way made for
an exciting adventure for the kids.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Lon Fink (top), treasurer of
the Oil City Skeet Club,
taught how to reload
shotgun shells in the group's
clubhouse. Afterwards, he
asked how many of them
wanted to shoot skeet,
eliciting a weary but excited
response from them near the
end of the day.
|
|
|
|
Desi Hawke (left) of Polk
showed impressive technique
during the archery station.
The Rainbow Bowmen
provided the equipment and
volunteers for the activity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Rifle instructor
and coach Mike
DeLong (left) of
Franklin taught
the basics to his
grandson,
Dawson Beach
(4). Although
Youth Field Day
is for 8-18 years,
families brought
along a few
younger kids for
the day of
outdoor fun and
adventure.
DeLong will be
taking the Ike's
Junior Rifle Team
to Nationals next
month.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Brothers Nickolas (left) and
Hunter Sanner of Franklin
head to their tenth and final
station near the end of a day
filled with outdoor adventures
and educational workshops.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Coverage of Venango
County Youth Field Day
sponsored by ORA. For a
schedule of their many
upcoming events click
their logo.
|
|
|
|
|
|