Community Corner

Youth Fishing Needs Another Savior

A fundraiser Thursday night is just one way to help keep the popular borough family event alive.

In 1994, Doylestown rallied to save the borough dam, the centerpiece of the popular Youth Fishing Program.

Now, the program needs another savior - or many saviors - if it is going to survive these lean economic times.

"What the public really needs to know is, this is not a given. We need the community’s support to keep this thing running," said John Davis, borough manager. "We have volunteers galore, and get some things donated, but people might not be aware that what we really need is money."

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A fundraiser tonight at the Moose lodge aims to raise money for the borough fishing program.

Hosted by Doylestown native and social media guru Chuck Hall, the event is a "tweetup" for area people on Twitter to meet in person.

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But anyone can come to the social - and you don't have to fish or have kids, just a desire to keep a Doylestown tradition alive.

The Moose is at 127 E. State St. Tickets are $20. Buy online here or call Hall at 267-640-5932.

A Beloved Tradition

Like many other Doylestown natives, Hall grew up fishing at the borough dam year after year. But in 1994, that fishing hole was almost demolished.

The pond isn't really a pond. It's a man-made, concrete water reservoir connected to the borough waterworks, Davis said. In 1994, the concrete walls were collapsing, the sides were leaking water like a sieve and silt had clogged the bottom. The water was only about 18 inches deep and didn't support much aquatic life, Davis said.

Doylestown Council faced a tab of about $100,000 to fix the pond, Davis said, and started talking about filling the pond in permanently.

But those generations of kids who had grown up with it said 'no way.'

Volunteers like Mike Stachel stepped in to head up the repair project. Actually, he said, Judge Ed Ludwig volunteered him for the job - but he didn't mind.

Stachel worked hard to get donations of materials and labor, and over the course of several months, the pond was restored. The final bill was $14,000, he said.

A Costly Day

Stachel and a small army of volunteers keep the Youth Fishing Program going each year, but it has a price tag: about $12,000, when all is said and done.

They buy pizza from Genuardi's at $5 a pie to feed everyone on stocking day, when they put the fish into the pond, Stachel said. And they grill hot dogs and other foods on fishing day. Then, of course, there are the fish themselves.

Each year, Stachel stocks the pond with a couple thousand rainbow trout.

"A lot of the cost is the fish themselves," Stachel said.

"And if there’s no fish, we’re just standing out in the lousy weather, eating hot dogs," Davis chimed in.

In recent years, the main sponsors have been Rotary, which contributed about $3,000 this year, and Trout Unlimited, which chipped in $1,000, Stachel said.

That leaves at least $8,000 to make up.

"What Mike won't tell you is that he has been funding a lot of this out of his own pocket," Davis said. "He doesn't want to change the nature of this thing; we want everyone to come out and have a good time. We know people love this event, so what we're hoping is they just don't know that we need the money."

Now you do.

Want to help?

Businesses and organizations are needed to sponsor the program year after year. Contact Stachel at info@kidsfishdoylestown.org with your name, phone number and best time to reach you.

Individual donations can be mailed to Doylestown Borough Hall, 57 W. Court St. Make checks out to Friends of the Borough Dam.

Fishing Day Today

It is hard to overstate how much a part of the community the Youth Fishing Program has become.

These days, hundreds of children and their families descend on the man-made pond at Chapman Park one spring Saturday morning.

They pack shoulder to shoulder around the concrete apron, as the kids cast their lines into the pond at 8 a.m. on the dot.

Adults camp out on coolers and in lawn chairs - fishing is just for kids under age 16.

It's no accident that just about every child ends up with a fish that day. Stachel stacked the deck in their favor.

There's plenty to do besides fish.

donates water ice, said Stachel, who owns . donates ice and soda. Trout Unlimited shows the kids how to clean the fish they just caught.

It's a tradition that makes Stachel proud.

"When Ed Ludwig put my hand up and said, 'He’ll take care of it,' I went before the borough council and said I would do whatever it took to keep it going," Stachel said.

But more help is needed to make sure Stachel isn't going it alone, Davis said.

"The same program that people rallied to in 1994 and said 'We’re not going to let this end,' - it still needs some help, and needs it quickly."

For more information, visit the website.

Dates to keep in mind:

Cleanup Day:
Saturday, March 12

Stocking Day:
Wednesday, March 30

Fishing Day:
Saturday, April 2


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