WATERTOWN — Stephen M. Rich doesn’t remember a lot about participating in the Watertown Sportsmen’s Club youth trout derby when he was a child.
But he does remember cherishing going with his father, Stephen L. Rich, to the pond at the Dry Hill Road facility.
“It was a big deal,” the now 56-year-old son said.
After a five-year hiatus, the annual trout derby for kids will return on Sunday to honor Mr. Rich’s father, who died in January after a long illness.
Mr. Rich and his family wanted to do something special to remember him. His father, an avid outdoorsman, was president of the sports club when the trout derby was in its heyday.
In those days, the trout derby was a family affair, with his siblings, brothers Shawn M. and Brian D. and sister Tricia L. Ledoux, gathering around that pond with their dad.
“He was an avid sportsman,” the son said. “He loved to hunt and fish.”
He and his dad also went to the sportsmen’s club to trap shoot and hunt for ducks before school, Mr. Rich recalled.
In those days, the annual trout derby featured a junior division for 4- to 8-year-olds and a senior division for 9- to 12-year-olds.
The derby, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, is a great way to teach children how to fish, he said.
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