By Kasey Trapuzzano
Contributing Writer
Botetourt County Parks and Recreation partnered with the Department of Wildlife Resources to present the 21st annual BOCO Wild on Saturday, June 4 during Virginia’s free fishing weekend. Previously known as the Botetourt Fishing Carnival, this was the first year the event has taken place since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s event was held at the Buchanan Town Park from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. with approximately 400 people in attendance, including adults, children and families. The event focused on fishing instruction, wildlife education, hunting safety, hiking river activities and boating education. Some of the activities throughout the day included bow target shooting, a wildlife station with a live opossum, paddling and kayak practice, a trout tank, games and a bouncy house. The event also had food vendors selling refreshments, sweet treats and lunch foods. The first 200 youth participants, ages 15 and under, who checked-in at the event received a free T-shirt and a lunch consisting of pizza and fries.
Mandy Adkins, Botetourt County’s director of parks and recreation, was in attendance on the day of the event with her husband and children.
“The goal is to provide an opportunity for Botetourt County residents to get outside and have an opportunity to fish on Virginia’s free fishing weekend and also experience lots of different outdoor recreation opportunities,” Adkins said. “[Participants can] try their hand at paddling, try their hand at archery [or] air riffles [and] maybe try something they haven’t had a chance to try before.”
BOCO Wild was presented with the help of 30 volunteers who checked-in participants and ran the day’s activities, as well as 12 different sponsors, including the Bank of Botetourt — the event’s premier sponsor — Roanoke Outside Foundation, Brent Hershey State Farm Insurance, Twin River Outfitters, Kazim Shriners Fire Brigade, Melrose Masonic Lodge 139, the Town of Buchanan, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Digital Image Printing, ServPro, Sandra’s Marking Company, and Tidy Services.
For more information on Botetourt County Parks and Recreation events, visit https://www.botetourtva.gov/185/Programs-Special-Events.
