Town officials have set the date for a cherished community event at Mill Pond whose roots go back nearly 50 years in New Canaan.
Derby Day—listed on the town’s website as the George Cogswell Memorial Fishing Derby 2014, named for a former New Canaan police officer—will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 12 (registration opens at 8:30 a.m.), according to a press release issued by New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tucker Murphy.
The pond, which New Canaan has dredged every other year, will be stocked ahead of the event with 370 pounds of rainbow trout, Murphy said.
Here’s a ca. 1950s postcard of Lake Wampanaw—known today as Mill Pond, where New Canaanites descend each spring for the Fishing Derby. Here’s the note on this postcard (for sale on eBay): “This is one of the many lovely spots where many a lovely hour is spent.” Amen to that. Credit: eBay” credit=”
The dredging of Mill Pond came up recently, at a March 19 Town Council meeting, during a presentation from Department of Public Works Director Michael Pastore and Assistant Director Tiger Mann.
According to Mann, Mill and Mead Ponds (neither of which were skate-able this past winter) are dredged every other year at a cost of about $10,000 each time. Right now the town alternates between the two, but that may change down the road, Mann said.
“The sediment load is larger at Mill Pond than it is at Mead, so we will have to analyze that,” Mann told Town Council members during a budget meeting, held at the New Canaan Nature Center. “It might be that we do Mill two years in a row and then go back to Mead but it should be done every other year if not more.”
On April 12, families will benefit from the DPW’s work.
Nice photo here of a past Derby Day at Mill Pond. Photo courtesy of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce” credit=”
As Recreation Director Steve Benko said in the press release: “. It’s a nice event for the spring to start with,” Benko said. “We’ve helped out for years, and it’s a fun thing to do.”
Benko added that the derby is a sort of official community milestone that marks the start of spring—something a lot of people in town are thinking about, as parks officials wait for our fields to thaw and drain so that kids can start playing on them.
For the derby, children ages 15 and younger (ages 10 and younger must be accompanied by an adult) will compete for special prizes awarded in several categories including the first boy and first girl to catch a fish and the largest fish caught., the press release said.
Sponsors for the free event include the New Canaan Recreation Department with assistance from the Department of Public Works, New Canaan Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club of New Canaan, Police Benevolent Association, New Canaan Fire Dept. and local merchants such as Joe’s Pizza (thanks, Lorenzo: you’re awesome) who will be serving pizza and coupons for free ice cream cones from Baskin Robbins (you, too, Anna!)
Directly from the press release: The “fish fund” is always looking for private donations to help with the costs of the event. Anyone wishing to help can send a check to the “Fish Management Fund”, Town of New Canaan—Attn: DPW Fish Mgmt., 77 Main Street, New Canaan CT 06840.