By Stephen Smoot
Warm weather has returned. The sounds of bouncing balls on wooden floors has given way to the cracking of bats. The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources is well into the stocking season — which means that one of the state’s most fun fishing event, Franklin’s Trout Fest, is just around the corner.
One of the main organizations behind the yearly pescatarian party, the Pendleton County Chamber of Commerce, met Monday to work on the details of producing another successful Trout Fest.
Board members and Elizabeth Scott, executive director, performed an after-action type discussion of the Trout Fest pageant. They noted some differences in the dynamic of who attended what events, which days, and why, and also discussed the cost and popularity of the programs. Kristen Dingess stated that “programs were very reasonable. They were in color and had some blank pages to sign” like a school yearbook.
Later in the meeting, the chamber board discussed the details of a sponsorship offered by T&K Markets.
T&K Markets will sponsor the children’s section of the fishing area, which runs along the small canal that starts near the low water bridge. The age limit will be 10 and under, but “we want the kids to be able to reel their own fish in,” Jerry Kimble, one of T&K’s owners, clarified.
Scott explained that Kimble requested that the children have their own $1,000 winning tag number. She went on to state that “if that tag isn’t caught, the closest tag gets $500. Then the tags closest above and below will be $250 each so there could possibly be three big winners for the kids’ area.”
The river area will also have a tagged fish from Breezewood Adventures, owned by Kellan Snyder. It will pay $1,000 for the exact tag, but the closest without going over (Price Is Right style) will get $500.
As for the annual dinner, Scott said, “Twisted Pig is in . . . wholeheartedly” and will remain on site to serve as a vendor on Saturday. She added that they will purchase more fish for the dinner this year since they ran out in 2024.
Donna Evick will also provide her famous pies, including cream pies, berry pies, and even gluten free options.
Ticket prices for the dinner were set.
Board members then discussed the decorative flower baskets that adorn Franklin’s Main Street. Scott and Brooke Alt put together a flier to raise money for sponsorships. Each basket can be sponsored for $125, which covers the cost of the flowers, baskets, and provides compensation for those who maintain them throughout the warm months.
Scott also brought up “the pole situation,” where one received damage recently. She told the board that it “looks like someone was taking a saw to it and cut it down. It literally has a big cut out of it.” Scott stated that it would be difficult to purchase a replacement pole to match those in place, but that Chad Propst may be able to weld it back together.
Next came discussion of a spring vendor event organized by the chamber. It will take place from 8 a.m. until noon on April 19 with breakfast served between 8 and 10 a.m.
