Radway fishpond a Family Day tradition

By Brandie Majeau
The Radway Lion’s Club has been organizing a Family Day Monday event for over a
decade at the Radway Fishpond. This yearly event has attracted numerous families to
participate in ice fishing and compete for the first, biggest, or smallest fish of the day.
The Radway Lion’s Club provided free hot dogs and refreshments and welcomed over
forty anglers on February 19. They remarked that the weather was the best they had
ever had on a Family Day ice-fishing event.
Reminiscing about the weather reminded club members of erecting scaffolding to
wrap with tarps to create an impromptu shelter, protecting the ice-fishing guests from
the howling winds. Alongside the makeshift shack, years ago, to ensure warmth on the
coldest of years, a massive culvert would be hauled into the parking lot to have a
blazing fire going, safeguarding fingers or toes from the blistering cold. These unsafe
solutions to recurring battles with the elements led the club to partner with the County of
Thorhild and apply for grants. This led to the planting of a shelter belt, the building of a
cookshack, and the development of a picnic area.
Alberta’s free fishing weekend in February coaxes many families onto the ice to
try their hand at one of Canada’s leading winter hobbies. For many families, Radway
Fishpond holds their annual memories of winter fishing and Family Day weekend fun.
As the sun shone bright the afternoon of February 19, there was delight and laughter,
and a thankfulness that no tarps were needed to wrap them safely from the cold.