The Village of Walden, in preparation for the nor’easter that hit the east coast last weekend, rescheduled its annual harvest festival to Saturday, October 3. Fortunately, residents still had a fun time during Barry Grove’s first-ever pre-harvest gathering on Friday, September 25 and third annual fishing derby on Saturday, September 26.

Barry’s Grove, in partnership with numerous volunteers and sponsors, hosted its pre-gathering in James Olley Park on Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. During the evening, families ate hotdogs and ice cream, played magnetic yard fishing, tried their hand at archery, painted pumpkins, and enjoyed hay rides around the park. Logan Heaney, founder of Barry’s Grove, was very happy with the event’s activities and turnout.

“The gathering went great, it was very communal. Parents brought their children and they had a great time,” Heaney said on September 28. “Many kids got to try out archery for the first time and loved painting pumpkins.”

Residents returned to the park the following day to participate in the nonprofit’s fishing derby; Heaney established this tradition a few years ago to “give kids the opportunity to get outside, enjoy nature, and participate in sportsmanship.” 33 children split between two age groups clustered around the park’s lake between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., catching various fish and presenting them to the event’s eight judges. At the end of the derby, the judges handed out awards to both age groups for the largest fishes, the second largest fishes, and the smallest fishes. Resident Mary Ruggirello also donated sportsmanship awards in honor of her son Jack, a late advice angler and outdoorsman.

The winners of the nine-to-15 age group included John McNamee for largest fish, Joseph Wipf for second largest fish, Kenneth Zumpe for the smallest fish, and Delilah Trejas for best sportsmanship. The winners of the eight-and-under age group included Craig Zumpe for the largest fish, Ryan McNamee for the second largest fish, and Joseph McNamee for best sportsmanship. Additionally, Dominic Napolitano received the Reel Deal Champion award for catching the largest fish between both age groups.

Overall, children had a blast during this year’s derby despite the nor’easter, braving rainy and windy conditions to enjoy a morning of fishing.

“The derby went really well, the kids had fun despite the morning being rainy and windy,” Heaney said. “We persevered through the weather and did it anyway.”

Event sponsors included Anthony Raimondo, the Bliss Family, the DeZemo Family, Dragon City of Montgomery, Eden’s Greens, the Gerow Family, Heaney Family, the Howard Family, Hunter Insurance, Jack Powell Tree Services, Jimmy’s Helping Hands, Millspaugh Furniture, Montgomery Self Storage, Popp’s Trophies, and the Smith Family.

Heaney also thanked his nonprofit’s serving board members, including Mike Bliss, Raymond Cummings III, and Josh DeZemo; the Walden parks and rec staff, including Chris Rooney, Laura Fanizzi, Laura Lamb, Isaiah Wilson, and Shawn Salyer; the prize donors, including Dickie Baxter, Kevin McGrath, and Ruggirello; Mixture signs Inc. for creating the sponsor banner; and many others who donated their time and resources, including Barak Heaney, Bruderhof Community, David Blough, Gerard Fanizzi, Reverend Jim VanHouton, Mike Lynch, Renee DeZemo, Stewart’s Shop, Tara Bliss, the Walden Historical Society, the Walden Police Department, and Wenda Heaney.