[Pro-l] FW: Boat & Fish Fest article

[Dave Rickard]

-----Original Message-----
From: Shawn Fergus [mailto:slfergus@boatohio.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 11:26 AM
To: Twila Hauck; Sue Templar; Norman Schultz; Ken Alvey; Karl Yanuzzi;
John Wisse; John Onacilla; Jay Reda; Jane/Ed Sheffner; Jack Justice;
Frank Jennings; Ed Vanecek; Denny Worthen; Dave Rickard; Cecilia Rolf
Duer; Bob Davis; Susan Rothacker
Subject: Boat & Fish Fest article


For those of you who haven't seen it, here's an article that appeared in
today's News-Herald (written by our friend Jeff Frischkorn)...


Public invited to walk the boating and fishing fest plank

Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
Staff Writer
The Jolly Roger will soar above the Cleveland skyline this weekend.
Landlubbers are encouraged to come aboard the Lake Erie Safe Boating
Councilıs annual boating and fishing awareness festival.
This event is the Lake Erie Boating and Fishing Fest.
It will features a host of different water sports-related activities,
most of which are free.
The festival will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m.
Sunday at Cleveland Port Authorityıs Pier 32, behind the Great Lakes
Science Center and west of the cityıs Voinovich Park.
Admission is free.
³Our purpose for the fest is to familiarize people about Lake Erie
boating and fishing opportunities, as well as to highlight safe boating
practices,² said Norm Schultz, of Mentor, president of the Lake Erie
Marine Trades Association.
The association of area boat dealers and marinas also is a participant in
the safe boating council group.
³This is the fifth year weıve held the fest and < weather depending <
weıll see anywhere from 8,000 to 16,000 people,² Schultz said.
What surprised festival organizers, Schultz said, was that past festivals
have drawn equal parts boaters and nonboaters.
³We thought only nonboaters would come, but we found that wasnıt the case
at all,² Schultz said. ³Boaters said they wanted to ride in a larger boat
or just come on down and rub elbows with other boaters.²
Those free sailboat and powerboat rides will continue this year, along
with several other boating and fishing promotional activities.
³New this year is the arrival of the 77-foot-tall sailing ship, the Red
Witch, based in Port Clinton, and it will be packaged as part of our
pirate theme,² Schultz said.
³It will be doing cruises, though there is an expense for this.²
No cost is required for the festivalıs other boating- and fishing-related
activities.
Included are on-shore angling training sessions, as well as a one-hour,
hands-on training session aboard the Holiday, a party fishing boat.
The vessel will take up to 50 youngsters out for a short jaunt for Lake
Erie yellow perch, Schultz said.
³Aboard will be officials with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, whoıll
offer assistance and guidance,² Schultz said. ³Best of all, it is free.²
Entertainment will be provided by several area bands.
Guided tours are planned for the U.S. Coast Guardıs Neah Bay icebreaker
and the Ohio Department of Natural Resourcesı fisheries research vessel,
the Grandon, which is based in Fairport Harbor.
Food will be available at nominal cost, along with door prizes as
promotional incentives.
About two dozen vendors, representing mostly boating- and fishing-related
organizations and government agencies, will round out the festivalıs
highlights, Schultz said.
³Really, you donıt have to be a seasoned sailor or a powerboater or even
a skilled angler to enjoy the Boating and Fishing Fest,² he said.
³All that is required is for your family to experience a good, safe time
around the water.²
For more information about the fifth annual Lake Erie Boating and Fishing
Fest, log on to www.boatohio.com/events/fishfest.


Jeff Frischkorn
Outdoors Writer