Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1916-08-16
BR|CKER;HAMMAN
FISHING CLUB IS
ORGANIZED BODY
EIGHTY FIVE PICNIC AND FISH
AT LONG EAKE--A BIG
BALL GAME

The third Bricker- Hamman fishing
contest was held Friday at Bricker
rky~Long Lake, and at the meeting
1T was decided to combine forces into
an organization. The organization
was formerly launched following the
big fish dinner. 1t will hence forth be
known as the Bricker- -Hamman Fish
ing club. w. +. was chosen the clubs
first president, f. p. Hamman was
seated as vice president, H. j. Con-
nell was made secretary and A. M.
Hall, treasurer. 1t was voted to
make the gathering an annual affair
although no definite time for meeting
was set. The former gatherings have
all been in August and it is expected
that August will continue to hold the
date on which the most able nimrods
of Belding, with their families, will
annually lower the waters of Long
Lake by the removal of an unusual
number of fish for big dinners.
There was muchs peculation at Fri
days event as to which side won in
the contest. The catch from both
sides was prematurely mixed, due to
the nimble work of +. G.. LLOYD. w. l..
Cusser and Owen Barker, who cleaned
the mess. Hence an accurate record
was not made. Both sides showed up
well in the contributions and there
was plenty of fish for the feast, with
liberal amount afterward to be col
lected in baskets with the loaves.
Henry Friedly was too close fisted to
turn over his catch (three whales) to
the butchers. His mammoth string
was secreted away until evening,
when he brought them forth and
hitched them to the rear of his ma
chine. Too fatigued to walk the
whole distance to Belding the poor
fellows dangled in the dust and finally
fell by the wayside.
Thursday letter was found on the
streets of Belding marked "Postmast-
err" The letter was taken by Brick
er to the contest and was read at the
dinner table. Here it is:
Belding, Michigan, Aug. IL, 1916.
Mr.. F. p. Hamman
| am sorry that / can't attend your
fishing contest. Urgent business de-
mands my attention. Having been
chosen by you as one of your expert
| fishermen / feel that / should do my
share In helping to win the contest.
Through the kindness of "Pat" l am
sending along a few condensed fish.
You may be able to work them In on
your contest Bricker will never
know the difference if you don't let
him smell of them,
Yours to win,
Forrest Fish.
Mr.. Bricker got a smell of those
hsh, as did all others at the table,
and protested the counting but gave
in when the Judges insisted and de-
cided the contest a draw.
I ~ 4 4 n.
caught those large bass that he
The night before the contest a trap
was set. for the big bass. The long
hot spell drove the fish to cool water
This fact gave Bricker an idea. The
ice man was called upon; large cake
of ice was placed in gunny sack
and carried out to the bass beds
where it was staked and dropped in
to the water. Friday morning at
o'clock Bricker was out there pulling
in the bass. fa
The bah game of the afternoon.
championed by Bricker and Hamman,
was exciting and also dramatic. A
soft indoor ball was used and the field
was restricted portion of a drive
through the woods. The fans on the
bleachers kept the air so filled with
base ball eloquence that the players
became ratified repeatedly. Six inn
ings were played with a final score of
40 to 27 in favor of Bricker's side
/ During the last two innings Bricker's
! battery, Madden and Skellenger, were
weakening fast. Hamman's sluggers
were pounding Madden's delivery all
over the lot and everybody was run
ming around the circuit One more
inning would have put Bricek's
crowd in the shade but they withdrew
from the field rather than suffer de-
feat
On the side lines minor attraction
was being staged by the less nimble
/ picnickers. II. ]. Leonard, w. l..
] Cusser, Henry Patterson and some
others were pitching quoits. Following
/ the game the contestants got so con-
fused and agitzted about which one
should store the quoits away that
! the result of the event was lost in the
scramble. While all was merry in the
/ park H. A. Loewe was finding real en-
/ ioyment sailing his boat on the lake.
/ The youngsters of the crowd were
wading in the lake and the women
were collecting their belongings from
/ the tables following Chef Orser's dis
| tribution of choice fish.
Truly the Bricker-Hamman Fishing
club had a grand picnic and not one
of the crowd of eighty-five was sorry
that the trip was made.
Births Outnumber Deaths