It’s nice to be back in Weiser. Cathy and I took the week off last week and went to Depoe Bay on the Oregon Coast. On the way over, we stopped at the Mary Hill Museum across the Columbia River from Biggs. If you have never been there before, there are quite a few different art collections there including a section of sculptures by Rodin. If you are familiar with the sculpture “The Thinker”, that is Rodin. There is also an amazing collection of Native American artwork. And if you are interested in chess, there is a great assortment of interesting and intricate chess pieces.
While in Depoe Bay, we went out for the first time on a charter boat. Since we were novices, we didn’t go very far out. Our boat went bottom fishing for rock fish and ling cod. We were pretty lucky with the rock fish, but the ling cod didn’t seem to be too interested in what we were offering. Either that or we didn’t know what we were doing. The only one who caught a ling cod was one of the deck crew. Anyway, we came home with plenty of fish and a few crabs for our efforts.
While we were away, the annual Fishing Pond Clean-up took place. Pat Malay, the Street Department Director (who also oversees the parks) wants to say a big “THANK YOU” to everyone who helped out this year. He was telling me that there were between 55 and 60 people who turned out to cut and pull weeds, trim trees, haul rocks, and whatever else needed to be done.
Some of the groups represented included the Indianhead Fly Fishing Club, Idaho Fish and Game, young people from Weiser’s own Arrow Heart Adventure Camp, City employees representing each department, as well as many individuals who are just interested in keeping the pond clean and manageable.
Lunch was provided with donations from Falls Brand for the hot dogs, Bi-Mart for the buns, Ridley’s for the chips, with water provided by the Weiser Elks. Over 120 dogs were donated and grilled and they were all gone when lunch was over. I think everyone worked up an appetite.
If you have never been to the pond, you should go down and take a look. This is not your typical pool of water, just sitting there collecting algae. The pond is a nice public space with a walking path around a contoured aerated pond and fed by a small manmade (Thanks Bill Taylor) creek. Included in the amenities is a wheelchair accessible fishing deck.
The pond is stocked with trout at least annually. It also provides good bass fishing. For the little ones who just want to catch a fish there are blue gills in the pond as well. If you are lucky and looking in the right place at the right time, you might even see a turtle or two.
The fishing pond is a real treasure. It would not exist if not for the Indianhead Fly Fishing Club. If you know one of the members, be sure to tell them Thank You! for the effort taken to make their vision a reality for Weiser!
Also, last week Pat’s crew filled in the sawdust in the City Park and Memorial Park playgrounds. You may wonder why the City uses sawdust around the play equipment. Well, for one thing, it works about as well as any material we have tried. For another thing, Wester Timber Products, Inc. here in Weiser donates all the sawdust for the City parks. So, we want to also say a big Thank You! to Western Timber for their kind generosity!
In other City news, the various departments are getting ready for Fiddle Week. You may see a lot of cones on the streets as crosswalks are painted. Trees and shrubs will be getting trimmed and other projects will be worked on to get ready for Weiser’s biggest week.
Also, the Street Department is continuing to grade alleys as they have a chance. If they have not come by your alley yet, please be patient as there is a lot going on at the moment.
Well, that’s it for this week. I hope you take the time to go look at the fishing pond. It looks great!
You must be logged in to post a comment.