The Results Are In

The Blake Casbeer Kids Classic (held this year on July 1st) was started eleven years ago by Mike Grove to honor Blake Casbeer - a bright, passionate, loving son who enjoyed fishing. A total of 24 kids participated this year, ranging from the ages of 1 to 17. The following are a few highlights from the event in order of increasing age: - Lilian: youngest fisher (age 1), pink fishing rod matched her pink hat - Madison: a great older sister who helped her little sister display her fish - Cameron: hands held together like he was holding a fish, but it was a pile of rocks (which made everyone laugh) - Sofie: caught a turtle and a fish as big as her head - Wyatt: caught nine fish and held them by himself even though they were slimy - Lucas: fastest catch (caught his first fish within 15 minutes of arriving) - Haley: “Mommy’s little girl” who fished with double worms as her secret technique - Sofia: excited to cheer on her friends and enthusiastically participated in the last 10 minutes of the tournament - Victor: most concentrated face when fishing - Isla: most fish caught (12!) and caught a bass, went from crying at first to asking excitedly how many fish she had caught in total at the end - Kinley: sat in between her mom’s legs and patiently fished the entire time - Adrian: adorable “daddy’s little girl” who watched her dad with admiration - Julian: best memory (remembered how many fish he caught at the last tournament and added them to his total number) - Korlynn: caught a fish in the most patriotic outfit - Dayton: caught the first and last fish of the day + the only catfish (which was huge!) - Luke: the most dedicated angler, arrived early and fished on a boat - Katelyn and James: brother and sister duo that supported each other while fishing together on the dock (while fiercely competing) - Landon: super encouraging, helped alert volunteers when other kids caught fish - Natalia: so good at catching fish that she could catch them while saving the bait on the hook for the next one - Zac: caught a gigantic bass - Audrey: improved morale and encouraged others who were fishing - Ethan: caught his first fish ever! - Raphael: very dedicated, caught a fish in the last 5 minutes of the tournament This annualevent wouldd notthavebeen possiblee without incredibleevolunteersincludingn: Yasmin Casbeer (photographer), Ricky Casbeer, Steve and Iris Dillon (decorators), Andy J ,a and Wang Ping (organizers of the wonderful lunch prepared by the Social Committee), Eric Kelcher (snow cone maker), Matt Shelley (griller), Tim Downs, Peter Kang, Mel Hodges, Rick Huffman, Tiffany Huffman, Cecilia Dusek, Cory Pankey, and many others. This heartwarming event brings the community together each year in remembrance of Blake Casbeer. It is pure joy to watch all of the kids laughing and fishing at the park on a beautiful Saturday morning. Link to the photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ztd8KRrBx1WFDev5A