The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Family and Community Fishing Program welcomes all anglers 65 years and older to Lake Valencia for the largest senior citizen community fishing event in Arkansas, 9 a.m. until noon, Friday, April 19.

The fishing derby is free, but anglers should bring their own fishing gear. Seniors should also feel free to mingle and tell a fishing story or two. Music, food and door prizes will be provided.

The AGFC will hold a fishing clinic the day before the derby to get everyone primed for the big event. Instruction in fishing basics will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, Thursday, April 18, at the Maumelle Center on the Lake (No. 2 Club Manor Cove). Registration for the fishing clinic and derby are available at [email protected] or by calling 501.851.4344.

“We’ve put this derby on for the last eight years, and it’s always one of my favorites,” said Clinton Coleman, the assistant coordinator of the Family and Community Fishing Program for the AGFC. “Some of my favorite memories are fishing with my father, and we just want to pass along those opportunities to other families in Arkansas.”