Maine Youth Fish and Game Association dinner, auction set

For the past 14 years, the Maine Youth Fish and Game Association has been delivering traditional outdoor programming to students in the Old Town area.

T.J. Schaefer (kneeling, left) and Susan Best (center) brought their kids Ethan (far left) Lauren (right) and Christian (second from right)  to the Maine Youth Fish and Game Association's Annual Family Ice Fishing Day on Pickerel Pond in Township 32 in 2012. BDN file photo by Gabor Degre

T.J. Schaefer (kneeling, left) and Susan Best (center) brought their kids Ethan (far left) Lauren (right) and Christian (second from right) to the Maine Youth Fish and Game Association’s Annual Family Ice Fishing Day on Pickerel Pond in Township 32 in 2012. BDN file photo by Gabor Degre

And every so often, the group asks for help so that they can continue to carry out its mission.

This is one of those times: Their annual dinner and benefit auction is set for Saturday, April 11, at the Old Town Elks Lodge. The auction preview begins at 4 p.m., with dinner and the auction itself to follow.

I’ve attended a few of the club’s events in the past, and can’t recommend this year’s banquet any higher than this: You’ll have a great time. You’ll probably make a few new friends. And you’ll do something good for the kids who have come to love their little sporting club in the woods.

The club itself was formed back in 2001, and before long a fantastic clubhouse was donated and built on the Stud Mill Road in Township 32, not far from Milford. The clubhouse sits on Pickerel Pond, and the Maine Youth Fish and Game Association stages events out of that facility year-round.

Among the most popular offerings: Youth fishing days and summer camps for kids age eight to 16.

In order to offer those programs, the club needs help, which is provided through events like the annual banquet and auction.

“The Maine Youth Fish and Game Association dinner and auction is one of the organization’s signature events, and the generosity of the community in participating in this fun evening helps underwrite our youth programs, especially our summer camps,” association president Mike Regan said in a press release. “Because we’re an all-volunteer board, all the money we raise goes directly to serving young people and introducing them to Maine’s rich outdoor heritage.”

If you’re available and interested, here are some specifics: The volunteers are preparing a ham steak dinner (with all the fixings, of course), and you can’t get a better deal than $3 admission for students and $5 for adults. In addition, if your child is younger than 5, they get in for free — and if you’re taking the family, the group eats for just $15.

With that kind of bargain comes a freedom to participate in the evening’s festivities: Spend a few bucks to enter the raffles and games, or prepare to bid on some high-end items that will be up for grabs.

“It’ll be a full evening, and everyone has a chance to come away with something fun,” Regan said.

For more information, call Regan at 852-2485.

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.