At Saturday's morning annual fishing fair in Shields Lake at Byrd Park, you wanted to grab a fishing pole and join in the excitement that was evident from the shrieks and contagious smiles of the boys and girls catching their first fish.
Ma'at Ahmed, 6, squealed, "I got one, I got the one," as she pulled a 7-inch perch from the water. Each time a fish was caught there was excitement and encouragement from others nearby.
Youngsters weren't the only ones fishing up and down the bank of Shields Lake. There was at least one adult fishing for the first time. "It was so exciting and thrilling, it was a shock," Jannifer Bell of Richmond said with a wide smile, hardly containing her excitement. "Never fished before, this is the first time."
"Anything we can do to get kids connected with nature is important," said Jason McGarvey of Midlothian. "Kids spend a lot of time indoors playing video games, watching TV," said McGarvey, a member of the Virginia Capital Chapter of Trout Unlimited, one of the event sponsors. Getting them out here fishing with their families is "just a great way of spending a Saturday morning. And you tell by the looks on the kids' faces when they catch the fish that they had a lot of fun."
twinternheimer@timesdispatch.com
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