Surprisingly, the man who did so much for the Richmond Hill Exchange Club’s annual Kids Fishing Derby it now bears his name wasn’t there Saturday.

Not surprisingly, it was because Lynn Bennett was busy volunteering in Statesboro, his new home, with a new club, the Statesboro Kiwanis. “I would have enjoyed being there this year, but am actively involved with the Statesboro Kiwanis Club now, and was working at the Kiwanis Fairgrounds on Saturday, getting things ready for the upcoming 60th Annual Kiwanis- Ogeechee Fair, scheduled for Oct. 17-22, 2022,” Bennett said in an email.

The show went on nonetheless, as anglers again lined ponds around the fish hatchery and wet hooks after a two-year’s absence due to the pandemic.

“The Richmond Hill Exchange Club was so happy to be able to host this event again after not being able to for two years,” said the club’s president, Mary Fuller. “This year we decided to name the event after our long-time club member, Lynn Bennett, who planned the event for years and was such a foundational member of our club before moving out of the area. Naming the event was just one way to honor all his hard work and dedication to our community through our work in Exchange Club.”

Bennett said he had fun with the derby, which became one of the biggest and most beloved kids events in the county. It was good for the club, too. “I really enjoyed helping to organize and run the derby from 1991 to 2019, and miss all my friends in the Richmond Hill Exchange Club,” he said. “This derby has been our most valued event over the past 30+ years, and the thousands of children and their parents and grandparents have benefited from their participation over the years. I appreciate the Richmond Hill Exchange Club having named the fishing derby for me—I’m just glad it’s not the ‘Lynn Bennett Memorial Derby.’

View our pictures from the fishing derby below: