Circle June 11 on your calendars to mark the annual Stilwell Pancake Breakfast fundraiser.

Not only will you get an excellent breakfast and be supporting retired teachers, you’ll also get to bid on a couple of high-octane, outdoor-related activities in the silent auction.

Lake Whitney striper guide Clay Yadon has offered a guided fishing trip as part of the auction, and the winning bidder and a friend will accompany Yadon and yours truly on a summer striper trip to Whitney.

For those who love to eat catfish, Kevin Foster, who guides catfishing trips on Lake Waco and other Centex waters, is donating a fish fry for up to 50 people. His cookouts are becoming legendary, and this item is sure to please the palate.

The fundraiser will take place at Stilwell, and celebrity servers will dish out all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee from 8 to 10:30 a.m. The cost is just $6 per person. This year’s servers will include politicians and sports figures, as well as radio, newspaper and television personalities.

The silent auction will also feature round-trip airfare for two to anywhere American Airlines flies in the continental U.S. or Canada, and a host of other great items.

Stilwell Retirement Residence is the only retirement facility for teachers in the state of Texas. Other nonteaching retirees are also welcome. The facility is a nonprofit organization and is funded by monthly rentals and a remarkable network of benefactors.

It is located at 5400 Laurel Lake, just behind the Target Greatland store.

For more information, or to donate an item to the auction, call 772-4644 or go to www.StilwellRetirement.org.

Access to parks

Thanks to the Lake Waco Corps of Engineers for giving more than just lip service and a ceremonial hearing when it came to listening to campers, boaters, fishermen and others who use the lake.

The budget-related park-closure plans were scaled back from the original proposals. Speegleville Park’s campground will close from Nov. 1 to March 1, and boaters can use the boat ramp while the campground is closed.

Reynolds Creek Park’s campground will close from Oct. 1 to March 31, but its boat ramp and day use area will remain accessible and free. Koehne Park will also close during that period, but the boat ramp will remain open and free.

Campgrounds and ramps at Midway and Airport parks will stay open through the winter, along with the Twin Bridges day-use beach and playground areas.

In addition, the Corps day-use policy at Lake Waco, adopted in 2005, allows those with an annual park pass to fish in campgrounds that are less than 75 percent occupied. However, anglers are prohibited from occupying camp sites or walking into or near sites where people are camping, Lake Waco Project Manager Heath McLane said.

Angler of Year race

With two tournaments and one month remaining in the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series season, pro angler Alton Jones of Waco is part of a heated race for the coveted Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title.

Ninety-nine of the most talented anglers in bass fishing began 2011 in the AOY hunt. Eight tournaments offered chances to accumulate points and move up in the standings. With six events complete, now only the top 10 are thought to have a chance for the win.

Jones, third in the AOY standings, has 2011 tournament finishes of eighth, third, fifth, 16th, sixth and 88th place. He had been leading the race for weeks until the disappointing finish in a mid-May tourney at Lake Murray near Columbia, S.C.

Now he’s chasing Terry Scroggins and is in a dead heat with perennial powerhouse Kevin VanDam. The title of Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year comes with a $100,000 prize.

William and Anna Polster won the Senior Division title at last month’s Texas State Bass Tournament at Toldeo Bend with a 30.34-pound total that ranked second overall in the tourney.

Polsters hook gold

Earl Golding would be proud. The late Tribune-Herald outdoor writer was one of the pioneers of the competitive bass fishing world, organizing the first bass tournament back in 1955 at Lake Whitney.

More than half a century later, the bass fishing industry is going strong, including the tourney he founded — the Texas State Bass Tournament. This year’s event was held at Toledo Bend in April, and once again, Central Texas was well-represented by William and Anna Polster.

The Polsters have fished the tournament for over 20 years, taking first place in 1989 and 2008, in addition to this year’s gold-medal finish in the Senior Division. Their 30.34-pound total would have been good enough for second place overall in the tourney.

www.centexoutdoors.com

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