The Fairview Parks Department and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) invite children ages 16 and under to take part in one of the world’s oldest and most-loved pastimes – fishing!

This year’s Fairview Youth Fishing Rodeo will be held once again at Veteran’s Memorial Park at Evergreen Lake off of Hwy 96 in Fairview. It is a relatively new addition to the Fairview Park System located on Black Pine Road across the street from Leatherwood Inc.

The Rodeo will be Saturday, June 11 from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m. as part of the statewide Free Fishing Day. Registration will begin at 6:30 a.m. with a drawing for prizes at 10 a.m. Prizes have been donated by TWRA and include $1000 worth of fishing equipment to be given away.

In addition to having a chance to catch catfish and win prizes, participants will be treated to free hot dogs and bottled water, courtesy of Publix in Fairview.

Participants will have the first shot at catching hundreds of pounds of catfish that TWRA released into the lake at Veterans Memorial Park. Participants should bring one fishing pole per child participating in the Fishing Rodeo. Please leave extra rods in the car. Once the drawing for prizes passes at 10 a.m., the stocked area will be opened to everyone and extra rods are welcome.

Free Fishing Day events have been held across Tennessee since the early 1990s and the event in Fairview continues to grow every year. It is a statewide and national celebration that offers an opportunity for anyone to fish without possessing a fishing license. The day is also meant to allow anyone to fish for free with the intent of introducing more people to fishing, or to rekindling an old passion for the outdoors. 

All public waters will be open to fishing without a license requirement this Saturday, according to the TWRA.