For the past 3 decades some special populations have gathered at Bleyer Lake in Carbondale for a fishing expedition.
What started with 40 participants has grown to more than a thousand people including participants with special needs, agency staff and volunteers.
It started with about 40 people and now reaches in the neighborhood of up to 1600 people including participants with special needs, agency staff and volunteers.
1600 hundred people will surround Bleyer Lake Wednesday for a fishing expedition.
“We have a little bit of a mess, someone used these and left them back up here.”
Before they arrive, a lot of work goes into making sure they fishing poles are ready to go.
“We have approximately 850 rods and reels here on the wagon”
Steve Schemonia’s has volunteered at the expedition since it started in the mid 80’s.
“Some of them you get unwrapped and its not too bad some of them its just impossible.”
He knows first hand how much work goes into keeping hundreds of fishing poles in working order.
“We just try to keep them all going and working and every time someone wrecks one through the day they just bring it back we replace it and keep them all fishing.”
Elizabeth Berumen is the marketing director for The Bank of Carbondale which sponsors the event.
She says it started as some field trips for local classes and has grown by leaps and bounds since then.
“Over time it grew into a more organized event, grew in size grew in scope to what we have currently which is approximately 40 to 50 agencies coming out encompassing about 1200 participants and staff, add that to the volunteers and the community and we sometimes hit about 1600 people out here for the day.”
For some of these participants it’s their first time fishing and they try to keep a little momento from the day.
“There’s always a lot of those, there’s a lot of kids that come out and the fish they catch they like to take home with them, they like to carry them around, we have to make sure they put them back in the lake they really, really enjoy it and like I say they just never forget it.”
The volunteers also share that level passion and excitement.
“We have a lot of volunteers who have been with us just about from the beginning, many that have been with us 10, 15 years and look forward to coming out and actually call me well in advance wanting to make sure were still having the event we definitely want to come out and help you.”
Without all of the volunteers from the community, schools and civic organizations Beruman says the event wouldn’t be possible.
“The volunteers are the thread that holds everything together with the event but it takes literally an army of people to put it together to make it go smoothly and for something that so enjoyable that people do want to come back year after year and be part of it.”
When Schemonia sees the participants throughout the year they always remember the day that he and all of the other volunteers made special for them.
“You can see the enjoyment on the people that are fishing and they get a chance to come out and have a good day and they see you on the street and they never forget they always wave and say let’s go fishing.”
Participants range in all ages from young children to senior citizens.
The event is held annually on the second Wednesday in May.
