Prairie State Wire

Pere Marquette State Park will host the Two Rivers Family Fishing Fair, featuring fun and educational activities for the entire family, on Saturday, June 8. This is the 35th year for the annual event.

Event hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park, which is near Grafton on Illinois 100. There are no admission or parking fees, and no fishing license or gear is needed to participate.

The fishing fair will feature a variety of outdoor activities. Participating children will find a catch-and-release bluegill pond, where young anglers can have their photograph taken with their catch. The popular One-Cast station ensures everyone wins a prize. Bow-fishing stations offer youth an opportunity to shoot at moving targets in a pool or at a three-dimensional target.

Every child who completes at least seven stations will receive a prize and have a chance to catch a trout from the pond. This year they also will receive a raffle ticket for a six-hour fishing trip for two donated by Alex Nagy of Twisted Cat Outdoors and a $100 gift card from Farm and Home Supply.

"We want to get kids hooked on fishing, and the Family Fishing Fair helps connect kids and families to fun outdoor activities," said Scott Isringhausen, urban fishing coordinator for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). "Thanks to our generous sponsors, we're able to continue to offer this free event. We are very fortunate to have the support of the Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery as a Premier Sponsor, along with Farm and Home Supply, the Jersey County Board, Walmart, State Farm Insurance of Jerseyville and Carrollton, and many others."

Returning and new entertainment this year includes:

- Fetch-N-Fish: Jason Reynolds and his 4,000-gallon mobile aquarium stocked with fish species found in the Illinois River. He'll conduct fishing seminars and dog shows throughout the day.

- The Paul Bunyon Lumberjack Show

- Keaton and Less Standstipher of S & S Guide Service - professional crappie anglers who will conduct crappie seminars at the IDNR aquarium on site.

- "Camo the Clown"

- The Lodge Brothers Band

- Alex Nagy from Twisted Cat Outdoors

- Food and beverages

The Two Rivers Family Fishing Fair is hosted by IDNR, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

For more information, contact Pere Marquette State Park at 618-786-3323 ext. 1 or Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge at 618-883-2524.