By Amy Batista, Special Writer
CRANBURY — The Cranbury Police Department’s annual Fishing Derby was held at Village Park on June 2.
On May 31, the lake was stocked with around 400 fish by the Musky Trout Hatchery in Asbury, which consisted of pan fish, sunnies, crappie and about a 100 large-mouth bass, according to Ryan Dworzanski, Detective of the Cranbury Township Police Department and organizer of the event.
”We jaw-tagged four of them and if any of the kids catch them, they get a special prize,” said Mr. Dworzanski.
Originally inspired by Lt. Mike Owens, who said the event started in 1997 and continued to the positive feedback the original one received.
”It is nice to see the event continually grow and evolve each year, and the union hopes to continue with the tradition,” said Mr. Owens. “The original Fishing Derby, in Cranbury, began in 1997 during the Tercentennial Celebration of Cranbury.”
”The officers and the Cranbury F.O.P. (Fraternal Order of Police) devote countless hours, giving to the community and focusing much of their benevolent programs towards our children,” said Chief Rickey Varga of the Cranbury Township Police Department. “The fishing derby is just an example of their efforts and I am very proud of the men and women that serve our community in this capacity. We should all be grateful and proud of them.”
Around 100 people of all ages cast their lines into the lake in the hope of catching fish, especially the ones with the special tags on them to win some special prizes later that day. Prizes were based on other outdoors-fun activities.
”We promote outdoor activities, exercise, and summer fun with the kids,” Mr. Dworzanski said. “It’s all for the kids. All you have to do is get a raffle ticket, it’s free, and we start pulling the numbers at the end of the day and they can pick and prize off the table they want. When all the prizes go, for any kid that doesn’t get a prize, we have a Frisbee for them so everybody leaves with something.”
”We started it in 2000 and did it every other year till 2006 and every year after that,” said Sgt. Giuseppe DeChiara. “It’s nice to give something back 9to the community).”
Mr. DeChiara was busy with his wife, Paula, grilling hamburgers and hot dogs to feed the participants in the derby.
In addition to providing the food, the department also provided the bait, tackle, anchors, bobbers, sinkers, and hooks for the event according to Mr. Dworzanski.
For the police officers, it’s a change of scenery and a nice break from their usual line of work and a different way to interact with the community.
”It’s good way for the police officers to interact with the towns people and help the kids out,” Mr. Dworzanski said. “It’s how we promote it. It’s a fun day for us.”
For some, it was a chance to learn how to fish, and for others like Stacey Applegate, it takes on a whole new meaning.
She is now trying to fill the role of a dad to her sons after losing her husband, who had recently passed away.
She used the event to spend quality time with her sons by learning how to fish with them.
”It’s going good,” Ms. Applegate said. “They are teaching me actually how to worm it and throw it. It’s ok. It’s for them.”
Her son Austin said that the derby was going “fine” for him.
For Pam Mayers and her family, it was their second year attending the derby.”We love it,” said Ms. Mayers said. “He had a baseball game last year and he missed most of it and he was crying and he kept looking over and said ‘c’mon..’ So this year he told me ‘I’m missing baseball..”
Her other son, Eric, caught two fish in the morning. His mom noted that he is looking for the tagged one.
It was a family event for the Bradleys. One-year-old, Caroline, was enjoying watching the fish swim around in the bucket while her cousins fished.
”It’s a beautiful day,” said Lynda Bradley of Cranbury. “We look forward to the fishing derby every year. I think my nieces have been here five or six years and that’s grandpa, he’s a big fisherman, he’s giving the lessons over here.”
”I like fishing,” said Alyssa Wagner of Cranbury who caught a couple fish already.”I bait and cast it and take off the fish. I do everything.”
Division of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officer with the Bureau of Law Enforcement, Shannon Martiak, was on hand to help anyone who needed assistance in learning to fish or to give tips during the day.
”I think it’s important to have the kids, at an early age, experience the joys of fishing in a controlled setting like this so it allows them to get introduced to touching fish, and baiting the hooks, and reeling in the rods,” Mr. Martiak said. “There are plenty of the Cranbury Police officers to help out and show them how to do that and a lot of times the parents maybe don’t know or maybe don’t take their kids fishing so coming here and having an instructor show them (how), and it’s for free.”
The event is a change of pace compared to Mr. Martiak’s regular duties.
”I enforce all the fishing, hunting, pollution, anything to do with the environment, I enforce anything to do with those regulations,” Mr. Martiak said.
You are required to have a fishing license once you turn 16 years old and the cost for the license is $23.50 per year, according to Mr. Martiak.
”I am just here today helping the kids out, I’m not enforcing any regulations today,” Mr. Martiak said.

