The annual high school bass fishing tournament has been cancelled this year, but that is not related to COVID-19. Due to repair work on the Crab Orchard Lake spillway the lake has been dropped by four feet, creating hazardous conditions on the water.
The other major change involves a parking fee. There has never been an admission charge or parking fee at the Southern Illinois Celebration of National Hunting and Fishing Days. This year there will be a $5 parking fee per car, or attendees can opt to bring a bag of non-perishable food goods.
“The administration looked at the event, in order to keep it viable, we just had to come up with some situations where we could cover cost,” Naegele said. “If a person wants to bring in some non-perishable goods, we’ll be working with some organizations and we’ll distribute the food to local food banks.
“It will be interesting. We’ll be working with some local groups to do the financial collection and distributing food. Hopefully, the…