Lindon Days 2020

We were excited that Lindon Days hadn't been cancelled because of Covid, and we participated in even more events this year than in the past.

First - Huck Finn Fishing Night (8/5)

Our first time!  The city filled a drainage area at a park with water, then stocked the new pond with 80 or so trout.  The goal was to catch fish with your bare hands, and after a while, participants were allowed to use nets.   To make it even more fun, there was free shave ice AND Suz came to watch, and M&K and kids joined us for fishing.

We didn't have a net, but Ben and the younger kids waded and tried to catch some fish, with no luck.  We did bring a smaller trout home, because a boy who had caught a few had decided he didn't want this particular fish and was putting it back in the water and Luke picked it up from the shore when it was already half-dead.  He was pretty excited about it, but he kept trying to put the little guy in the water and revive it, unsure whether he really wanted the fish to die.

The older boys were anxious for their turn while the younger kids got started fishing.

At least Ben was having fun!

Looks like Keturah didn't mind joining the party either!

After ample time for hand and net fishing, the officials
started draining the pond until everyone was just walking in
a puddle, still hoping to find an overlooked fish.

Meanwhile, Cat and Suz watched the spectacle from the comfort of the grass.

He let the fish go,

he caught it again,

he showed it off, and then he repeated the cycle over and over.

 

Second - Arena Events (8/6)

This Junior Rodeo was on a slightly smaller scale than in the past, but still really fun.  Whit and Luke did Mutton Bustin' with very different experiences: Whit fell off quickly and the sheep trampled him in a particularly sensitive part of his anatomy; Luke stayed on for so long that he received cheers from the audience as we walked back to our seats.  Jack and Eliza got ribbons during the ribbon chase in their age group, and Cat and her friends all got ribbons in their age group.  Cat, Eliza, and Luke got plenty of candy in the candy scramble but Jack decided to hang out with the sheep dog instead of doing the candy scramble.

Whit

Luke

 

Jack enjoyed watcing the sheep during the Mutton Bustin'

And he was having so much fun with the sheep dog that he chose to keep
playing with the dog instead of joining in the candy scramble.

Third - Cardboard Boat Regatta (8/8)

Another event we had never participated in was the cardboard boat regatta, where kids make a boat out of just cardboard and duct tape, then race each other in a pool.  There are race-winners in different age categories, as well as awards for best decorations.  Ben and I weren't excited about helping the kids with the building process, but we did, and the final product was pretty good for the amount of knowledge we had (zero).  Jack and Eliza were partners and built their boat together, and Whit and Luke were partners and Uncle Ben helped them build their boat.  We spent all week working on the boats.

Both boats looked great!  Jack and Eliza's boat, The Bandit, wasn't super speedy, but it did complete the full race.  Whit and Luke's boat, Silver Surfer, struggled to stay afloat during the race but once Ben added the outriggers for the swamping competition, it was much more stable.

Although we didn't win any of the competitions (the overall boating winners rowed the length of the pool and back again in less than a minute!) we all had so much fun that we'll be sure to participate again next year - and now we know what the winning boats look like so we'll be better prepared!

The front of the boat was more buoyant so in hindsight we realized it
would have been more advantageous for Jack to row in the front.

Now you see them,

now you don't.

 

The outriggers allowed Whit and Luke to float during the swamping competition!

Meanwhile, Jack and Eliza's waterlogged vessel was sinking before
the competition even started.

Can you see J&E swimming their boat back to the edge?
Also, it was fun to watch the swamping competition.

These guys had a pretty good seat.