More than 150 children were expected to take part in the 5th Annual Hunter Wolfe & Rug McArdle Fishing Derby, held Saturday at the Germantown Grove Club, 800 Laurel Street, in East Jim Thorpe.

Hunter Wolfe was 12 years old when he passed away on July 7, 2011.

Richard “Rug” McArdle passed away Oct. 19, 2021 at the age of 63.

“Both Hunter and Rug were members of the Germantown Grove Club,” explained Kim Sargent, Hunter’s Mom. “Hunter, at a young age, loved the grove, along with Rug McArdle, who was instrumental in children with special needs and having other activities here at the Grove. So, in order to honor both of them, and to keep their memories alive, we decided about five years ago to start this for the community. It brings us so much joy that people from all over are here to help us celebrate two great guys.”

This year, there was a basket raffle to benefit the grove, and the Jim Thorpe Fire Department brought one of their trucks for children to try operating the fire hose with the help of fire department members.

“This is one of the community events that, as a volunteer fire department, we want to be involved in,” said Jim Thorpe Fire Commissioner Charlie Sgrillo. “It’s all about being connected to the community and meeting the people we service. The more we do that, the better for everyone.”

The Jim Thorpe Fire Department will once again have a truck on display at the Special Needs Fishing Derby from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday and Friday. More volunteers are welcome to come to the grove.

Winners at the derby: Overall Largest Catch, Carter Reis, 23 1/2 inches; Boys Division, first place, Brody Carver, 22 1/2 inches; Girls Division, Blake Joseph, 22 1/4 inches; Quickest to catch the 5-fish limit, Tate Hunsicker.

The mission of the Germantown Grove Club is to promote conservation for the young, to get them off their devices and artificial intelligence, and reconnect with nature.

Another project they are involved with is “Pennsylvania Trout in the Classroom.” The seventh-grade class at L.B. Morris Elementary School, taught by Pam McElmoyle, is scheduled to release the rest of the trout they have been raising at 9 a.m. on May 12 at the grove.