NIPIGON—After COVID-19 protocols forced this event to cut down to a three-day event last year and features like their slow-pitch tournament only able to schedule half the number of teams, Nipigon Fall Fishing Festival is back to its usual four-day event, format.
COVID-19 restrictions did have an impact last year according to Nipigon Fall Fishing Festival Committee chair Suzzane Kukko. She shared that, “Our slow-pitch teams were cut in half and we couldn’t have mid-way rides, but this year we are back to the full four-day festival that is running Friday to Monday,” said Kukko.
This year’s Fall Fishing Festival is scheduled to take place Sept. 2-5, 2022, and even though the committee couldn’t bring back the mid-way rides, it will still have the bouncy castles for the kids, and it’s five-kilometres fun run.
In addition, “We will have our full roster for the Slow-pitch tournament, a full slate of vendors, and entertainment,” said Kukko.
Even with the COVID-19 restrictions that the committee faced last year, the venue which is at the Nipigon Arena, is so large that it wasn’t difficult to place vendors apart enough to guarantee social distancing.
The NFFFC is proud to say that this festival has been going on for six decades, making it the longest running festival of its kind along the North Shore.
The festival, which begins Sept. 2, will kick off with the five-kilomere fun run. Kukko described it as a run that has been going on for decades. “Last year even with COVID-19 protocol expectations the run did go on in-person, and the year before that it was completed virtually. It's an event that kicks off the festival on Friday evening,” stated Kukko.
The fun run attracts participants of all ages with grandparents teaming up with grandchildren, parents and guardians coming out with their young ones in strollers, pet owners bringing their dogs, and many who also typically run marathons, and who take this run quite seriously. “The run is quite a challenge because of the number of hills in Nipigon. Those who run marathons see it as a challenge and are very serious about completing the run within a certain time,” shared Kukko.
Kukko has been involved with the festival for 10 years, having started out by getting a float representing where she worked at the time, ready for the festival parade. Today, she speaks humbly about how she has been chair of the committee since 2019, and has had a great group of individuals, the community and local businesses offering support throughout the planning stages of this great yearly event.
Proceeds from the festival benefit a variety of community programs such as minor hockey, youth curling and supports the funding of cadets and high school bursaries.
The Nipigon Fall Fishing Festival continues to be an event that is jam packed with family-based activities sure to keep members of the community of all ages engaged. The committee is proud to describe it as more than just a fishing derby. It is an opportunity for family, friends and visitors to participate in an event that has lasted for over six decades.
Stay tuned for updates regarding scheduled events as the date get closer.
