Bill Burton Fishing Pier and First Annual Kids Fishing Derby Set
County Executive John R. Leopold invites the public to join him and others on Saturday, September 19th at Fort Smallwood Park in Pasadena to memorialize a beloved and esteemed local citizen, William (Bill) Joel Burton – newsman, poet, opera-lover, teacher, friend, patriot, environmentalist and fisherman. Mr. Burton loved life and lived it to its fullest.
The celebration of Mr. Burton’s life will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the official naming of the fishing pier at Fort Smallwood Park – “Bill Burton Fishing Pier”.
“Saturday, we honor and salute an iconic figure in Maryland history,” said County Executive John R. Leopold. “Bill has inspired generations to actively experience the joys of nature and preserve these wonders for the enjoyment of upcoming citizens of our earth.”
Following the official ribbon cutting, young anglers, ages 5 to 13 years, will move onto “Bill Burton Fishing Pier”, drop their lines in waters of the Patapsco River, and begin participating in the 1st Annual Bill Burton Kids Fishing Derby.
The Derby is sponsored by the Pasadena Sportfishing Group (PSG) with registration beginning at 8 a.m. The Fort Smallwood Park vehicle entry fee to will be waived from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on the day of this event. Recognizing Mr. Burton’s love of children, PSG is gifting a rod and reel to the first 200 kids registering for the Derby. Activities include
the fishing contest, cookout, awards ceremony and goodie packages.
Continuing the theme of environmental stewardship, on the same day, hundreds of thousands of volunteers throughout the world will participate in the Ocean Conservancy’s International Cleanup, the largest volunteer event of its kind. Last year nearly 400,000 volunteers from 104 countries and 44 states cleared 6.9 million pounds of trash
from oceans and waterways and recorded every piece of trash collected. The Ocean Conservancy invites local volunteers to participate in the cleanup from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fort Smallwood Park.
Spend September 19th at Fort Smallwood. It would please Mr. Burton to know you were outdoors enjoying yourself!
