The 41st annual Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby was held during the weekend of Feb. 8 and 9, bringing thousands of visitors to the Lakes Region. Participants traveled from as far as Iowa, Missouri, Texas and California for a chance to win more than $50,000 in cash prizes. One visitor traveled from Ireland to visit the Derby!
Originally called The Winnipesaukee Fishing Derby, and conceived as a method to support local businesses during the winter, the Rotary had hoped to sell 500 tickets to the event: more than a thousand tickets were sold in 1979. In 2020, more than $50,000 in cash prizes were awarded and approximately 5,000 tickets were sold. And, participants do not have to fish to win big cash prizes – they only need to purchase a Derby ticket! One visitor from Iowa won the $5,000 Saturday cash drawing.
The funds that are raised through the Fishing Derby and other fundraising events enable the Meredith Rotary Club to support local communities with donations to the Food Pantry, the New Hampshire Veteran’s Home, Camp Resilience, scholarships to traditional and non-traditional students, and other worthy causes. Club members include men and women from the community who have experience with a wide variety of professions including finance, insurance, architecture, marketing and farming.