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Manawa hosts Ice Fisheree

Family activities at mill pond

By Holly Neumann


The Manawa Area Veterans Freedom Park will host the second annual Ice Fisheree on the Manawa Mill Pond at 7 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 27.

“The best part about this event is watching all of the families come out to have a day enjoying the outdoors,” Mayor John Smith said. “When you see grandparents, parents and young children all together and you see the excitement in the children’s eyes and happiness within their parents and grandparents as a child brings a fish up to register, it truly makes the day worthwhile.”

New this year is there will be no entry fee required.

“What we hope to do by not having an entry fee is to ensure that as many families that can possibly show up and enjoy the day do,” Smith said.

Raffle tickets will be available to purchase.

“We are selling raffle tickets this year – three tickets for $5 – and we have some tremendous prizes to go along with that,” he said. “We’ve been very fortunate to receive donations from Pekin Lodge in North Dakota for a week stay that is just outside of Devil’s Lake. This year we also received a week stay at SDR and our vacation home in South Dakota.”

Smith said they have worked with a supplier of ice fishing equipment and will be giving away a 10-inch Eskimo ice auger, Eskimo Evo 2 insulated ice shanty and Eskimo Fatfish two insulated ice shanty pop ups.

A soup cook-off will also take place.

“The soup cook-off is another way for us to have fun and showcase our local talents,” Smith added. “There is no entry fee to join a soup cook-off. All you have to do is contact me or one of the other committee members. You can also leave us a message on our Facebook page that you would like to participate.”

Participants are asked to bring enough soup so it may be judged. The soup should be in a small Nesco or large crock pot, in addition to serving utensils. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three non-committee members.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Manawa Area Veterans Freedom Park.

“As always, when we have a fundraiser, we try to make them family oriented, but we also like to bring attention to the sacrifices that were made by our soldiers and their military families,” Smith said. “Truly without the sacrifices of our military personnel and their families, we would not be able to enjoy the things we do.”

Currently, the organization has raised approximately $320,000.

“We are now reaching the more costly side of the park and completion of the park,” he said. “We’re looking at another $350,000 that needs to be raised. Our goal is to have this part completed by the end of 2018 so we have a great deal of work left ahead of us.”

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