Whopper Weekend pivots to summer

NEW LONDON — For 50 years, the arrival of spring and the annual walleye run on the Wolf River have meant one thing for local anglers: the New London Fish and Game Club’s Big Whopper Weekend.
But when historic spring flooding forced the cancellation of the landmark 50th-anniversary event in April, organizers were left with underutilized facilities and a massive surplus of event food.
Instead of throwing in the towel, the club utilized local partnerships to recover its losses in supporting another up and coming community event called, “May Fest,” held May 8-10th. The new venue worked out perfectly for both parties and gave the club’s resources a new audience.
As the flood pushed on in April, reluctantly the fish and game club had to reschedule its 50th Anniversary Big Whopper Weekend, prolonging it to Friday, July 17, and Saturday, July 18.
The revamped summer event will take place this weekend at the club’s base clubhouse, located at N5433 Old Hwy 45.

The Mayfest rescue
The road to July was made possible by a timely civic partnership. Following the initial flood-induced cancellation, the club reached out to the organizers of Mayfest, who were struggling to find a suitable location for their own festival.
The club opened its grounds, kitchen, and bar to Mayfest, allowing the festival to keep its non-refundable band bookings while giving the Fish and Game Club a venue to sell off the food inventory originally purchased for the April crowd.
During the Mayfest weekend, the club sold out of its legendary buffalo burgers and went through roughly 180 fish sandwiches.
“It worked out very well for us. Worked out perfect,” said New London Fish and Game Club President Tim DeShaney. He said the partnership salvaged the club’s bottom line. “Yeah, it worked out. The good Lord was shining on us. He made it all come together and work, you know.”

The collaboration also provided a significant public relations boost.
Many festival attendees were introduced to the club’s facilities for the very first time, which feature updated pistol, bow, rifle ranges, and a long standing Pheasant program.
“Hopefully more and more people learn about our programs—like a lot of people with May[fest] that were there—they didn’t even know we existed, you know,” DeShaney said.

Summer fishing dynamics
Because the festival is taking place outside the traditional spring walleye run, the structure of the two-day fishing tournament has shifted away from walleye and bass.

Anglers will instead compete on the Wolf River for the Longest Sheephead and Longest Carp. The traditional Longest One-Day Stringer and Longest Two-Day Stringer walleye categories remain on the ticket.
Fish registration will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at Johnny’s Little Shop of Bait at the local boat landing. Daily door prize tickets will be given to every angler who registers a fish.

New Traditions at the Clubhouse
The move of the event to the permanent clubhouse near Shamrock Heights Golf Course represents a permanent operational shift for the club, moving the festivities away from the riverbank to utilize a state-certified kitchen and professional amenities.
The clubhouse doors will open from 8 a.m. to midnight both days. New to the 50th-anniversary celebration is a Friday Night Fish Fry and Old Fashioned Night, with serving starting at 11 a.m. until the food is gone. The club’s signature buffalo burgers will also be available throughout Friday and Saturday.

In addition to food, the event features an expanded entertainment and activities lineup:

Performances and activities
Live Music: Brigitta of Genesee Depot will perform Friday at 5:30 p.m., followed by Forrest Pike on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Youth Activities: A Youth BB Gun Challenge will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, with all equipment provided.
Cosmic Shooting: A “Cosmic Glow in the Dark” trap shoot will run both nights.

Supporting the Community
As the Fish and Game Club’s largest fundraiser of the year, all proceeds from the derby are reinvested locally to fund area scholarships, civic improvements, and conservation stewardship.
This year, the club is celebrating a major milestone after successfully collaborating with the New London School District to officially integrate the youth trap league into school programming after years of advocacy.

Traditional Whopper Weekend raffle continues
The anniversary weekend will conclude Saturday at 7 p.m. with the Grand Prize Raffle drawing. This year’s grand prize is a Tikka T3X Lite 7mm PRC rifle, alongside nine other firearms, including a TenPoint Titan 400 crossbow and a Springfield Armory Echelon 9mm handgun.

Advance raffle tickets are currently available through club members, at the clubhouse, at the New London Area Chamber of Commerce, and at Johnny’s Little Shop of Bait. Participants do not need to be present to win.