Event will replace former boat races
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff writer
After the Burlington Boat and Brat Day races were formally cancelled last year, the major fundraiser for the Burlington Jaycees came to a halt.
The longtime racing event, held on Echo Lake over the Memorial Day weekend, stopped because of low water levels and safety concerns as a result.
Rather than speculate on whether the water levels will improve enough to resume the races, the Jaycees have announced a new fundraising event: the ‘Off the Hook’ Fishing Derby.
It will be held on Browns Lake Feb. 11, running from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. People can fish anywhere on the lake, with awards and raffles following the event at The Waterfront restaurant.
The ice fishing derby will be open to all ages, with each entrant paying $2 to enter. The entry fee will also get the contestant entry into a 50-50 raffle.
“Right now, we’re really excited about it,” said Burlington Jaycees President Justin Mueller. “Obviously, it’s the first one we’ve done, so it’s trial and error, but we’ve gotten a lot of help from other people who have run ice fishing tournaments.
“We expect we’re going to do really well with it,” Mueller added.
Mueller said the unseasonably warm weather – with no major snowfall or ice until January – could also play a part in drawing more people to the new derby. He did say, though, that he’s excited about what the organization is doing to push the event in the community.
“We’re really doing a pretty decent job of promoting it,” said Mueller, who added that 75 different businesses have placed signs, two banners will be going up and ads will be placed in the newspaper. “Even if the weather would have been good all year long, I think we would’ve had a pretty good turnout for this.”
In addition to the 50-50 raffle, there were will be numerous prizes raffled. Among them are ice shanties and landscaping items. Raffles will be held during and after the derby.
Mueller said local businesses have been strong in supporting the event.
“This was made possible because of our sponsors,” Mueller said. “And obviously, the members of the Jaycees have put a lot of time in as well.”
The boat races used to generate about $8,000-$12,000 in income for the Jaycees – before ChocolateFest was moved to the same weekend.
Once the switch was made, however, profits for the event began to drop – eventually to less than $1,000 a year, Mueller said.
The goal now is weather the first year – no pun intended – and see what happens with this new fundraiser.
“Our initial goal was to break even,” Mueller said. “But now we’re hoping to make $500-$1,000, and maybe even more.”
For more information on the event, Mueller can be reached at (262) 210-1428.
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