Gardiner Salmon Derby Association

The Gardiner Salmon Derby Association held its annual member and board meetings on Saturday 31 March, immediately before the annual appreciation dinner. The whole day was enjoyable and well-attended. The next regular derby working meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday September 25th, at which time plans for the 2013 derby will start to come together. In the interim, feel free to contact us if you have any questions – or if you want to make a donation to this 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Donations are generally tax-deductible (but consult a tax pro with any questions). Thanks to everybody who helped make the 2012 derby a success.

Here is a photo of the awards ceremony. We’re not sure who took it but it’s quite a dandy.

Photo courtesy of Tom Roorda.

The 2012 salmon derby appreciation dinner is scheduled for next Saturday, 31 March, at the Gardiner Community Center, starting at 6PM. Everybody from the area is welcome, whether or not you were a volunteer, sponsor, or participant. It’s a potluck dinner featuring donated salmon, so bring along a side dish, salad, entree, dessert, appetizer, or whatever strikes your fancy.

The annual Gardiner Salmon Derby Association board and membership meetings will be held before the dinner, starting at 3PM. Feel free to attend, and consider joining the Association as a volunteer.

The annual derby appreciation dinner will be held on Saturday 3/31 at 6PM at the Gardiner Community Center. All area residents, derby volunteers, and derby supporters are welcome. This great potluck features donated salmon from the derby, plus wonderful dishes brought by all the attendees.

Immediately before the dinner, starting at 3PM, the Gardiner Salmon Derby Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, will hold its annual meetings of the board of directors and of the general membership. The board meeting will be held first. All members are encouraged to attend both meetings, and new members from the area are welcome. These annual meetings are an opportunity to learn about association activities, elect new board members, and provide input for the coming year.

This year, an important topic will be the use of funds generated by the annual fishing derby. This year, net proceeds generated by the derby event were approximately $3,300. The association has placed this amount plus other funds into a “reserve account for charitable grants,” held pending disbursement to grant recipients. The association’s current focus is acquisition of a Thermal Imaging Camera for use by the Diamond Point volunteer fire station. Specific plans are being worked out with Chief Vogel of Clallam Fire District #3; details will be presented at the annual meetings and at the appreciation dinner.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to this fund should contact Dan Tatum (360.797.7710). Gardiner Salmon Derby Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, so your contribution may offer you tax benefits.

Here are some details from the awards ceremony.

• UPDATE 2/29: MYSTERY FISH. The five mystery fish prize winners were selected at the awards ceremony:
  • Brandon Melville of Port Angeles ($1,000)
  • John Wagner of Port Angeles ($500)
  • Bill Ackley of Bremerton ($500)
  • Dave Hill of Sequim ($200)
  • Thomas Casey of Sequim ($100)

     We apologize for the delay in posting this information.

• UPDATE 2/21: We’ve posted the final press release from the awards ceremony on our downloads page.
• About DUPLICATE FISH on the ladder: Some people have noticed that the full list of fish here on the website and also available for download includes multiple fish for some anglers. “But I thought only one fish was eligible to be on the ladder?” Only one fish per angler is eligible for “ladder prizes,” which this year went to the top 52 fish. However the full list includes every fish submitted, because every fish was eligible for a mystery fish prize.
• 50/50 RAFFLE. The 50/50 raffle was won by Virginia Lajambe of Gardiner, who was present at the ceremony. I again don’t have the precise amount but I believe she received around $750, with an equal amount going to the Gardiner Salmon Derby Association. By the way, this amount was more than enough to pay for the free BBQ, which was enjoyed by everybody at the ceremony (except for yours truly, dang).
• About UNCOLLECTED PRIZES. Many prize winners were present at the ceremony. Those who were not will receive their prizes in the mail. As specified in the rules, each prize winner was able to select from all remaining prizes on the ladder. Absent winners were awarded the highest-value prize that could be easily mailed, such as a check or gift certificate. Please contact us if you are expecting a prize by mail, to confirm what is being sent and be sure we have the mailing address. PLEASE NOTE that if you don’t contact us, we will attempt to contact you via the information on your ticket stub, but also realize that it will take some time before all those stubs can be collated and transcribed. So you will definitely save time if absent winners contact us directly.

That’s it for now. We’ll get complete information posted just as soon as we can, and again we apologize for the delay.

An important meeting of the Gardiner Salmon Derby Association will be held at the Gardiner Community Center on Wednesday 2/29 at 4PM. We will be reviewing the results of this year’s derby and making plans for the upcoming annual meeting and Salmon Derby Appreciation Dinner on 3/31. Current association members are encouraged to attend. Non-members and prospective new members are also welcome, as always. Or consider coming to our annual meeting on 3/31.