Joe Drennan
Staff WriterAfter a two-year hiatus because of warm weather and unsafe ice conditions, the Golden Rainbow Ice Fishing Contest is returning to Forest Lake. This yearís competition will take place on Saturday starting at noon and concluding at 3 p.m.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at Gander Mountain, or at the lake on the day of the contest for $35. Prize packages include a Lund Boat for first place, a Polaris ATV with trailer for second place, a portable fish house trailer for third place, and many more prizes for fourth place on. The prize for 100th place is $10,000.
ìWeíre excited to be running the contest again after two years,î Jason Gadd of the Hopkins Jayceeís said. ìWeíve got a lot of food venders that will be on the ice to make it more of a family atmosphere this year with activities for the kids that includes seminars and tips from experienced ice fishermen.î
The past two winters were too mild to allow for the ice fishing contest, but the recent sub-zero weather has played in favor of the Golden Rainbow Ice Fishing Contest, freezing the ice to a thickness that is more than safe enough to allow for the contest.
Gadd said tickets from the previous competitions that were canceled would not be honored because there was an opportunity to have them reimbursed.
ìOnce that cold streak hit,î Gadd said. ìMost people didnít like the cold but we were excited. It put us over the amount of ice we needed.î
The lake freezing over is just part of what goes into the ice fishing contest. A great deal of planning is also involved from the Hopkins Jaycees, to local businesses, as well as the Forest Lake Police Department.
ìWeíve been working with the Hopkins Jaycees and the promoters to figure out what kind of crowd they are anticipating,î Police Chief Clark Quiring said.
Apart from crowd control, Quiring is also planning for traffic control. Parking for the competition will be at the Northland Mall where busses will shuttle people back and forth from 9 a.m. to the end of the day. The busses will enter the municipal parking lot via E. Broadway Ave., unload, turn around and return to the Northland Mall to pick up more competitors and spectators.
ìWeíre working on making sure we can get those busses moving as swiftly as possible,î Quiring said.
With the busses using the Broadway Ave. cul-de-sac, there will be no parking on competition day along it. Parking in the municipal parking lot will also be restricted to vendors on the ice, and patrons of local businesses.
No Stranger
Quiring, newly arrived as chief from Sioux Falls, SD, is no stranger to the fishing contest. He actually fished it with some friends several years ago.
ìThree of us decided we wanted to fish the tournament so we sent our money in and fished,î Quiring said. ìEveryone was fishing from little kids to old folks and it was a leisurely contest. We didnít catch any fish that year, but we had a good time.î
From fishing the competition one year to helping coordinate and keeping things running smoothly, Quiring says he wonít be fishing this year.
ìIíll be busy,î Quiring said. ìI want to see how it goes since this is my first year through it on the other side.î
Local businesses
Local businesses are taking advantage of the competition with specials of their own.
The Peppermint Parlor and Eatery will have a fishermanís special, as well as the opportunity to pull a fish out of a fish tank to receive anywhere from five-50 percent off an order. They will also be grilling out on the patio and serving warm coffee and stews.
The Forest Laker Grill and Bar will be opening at 6:30 a.m. for their $5.99 breakfast buffet. Starting at 10 a.m. there will be a pig roast for $6.99, and live entertainment in the evening.
Just down the block, the UpperDeck Bar and Grill will have their own specials. The UpperDeck will open at 8 a.m., with the kitchen opening at 9 a.m. The lower level Players Club will open at 3 p.m. There will be live entertainment in the evening as well as an all you can eat prime rib for $11.95.
For more information on the ice fishing contest you can call the Hopkins Area Jaycees at 952-903-4903.
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