Everyone in Greenfield knows our town has amazing natural resources. We have three beautiful lakes, Sunset, Zephyr and Otter; hiking trails on two mountains, North Pack and Crotched (more if you count Winn, Rose, and Lyndeborough Mountain); access to the Contoocook River at Powdermill Pond; and Greenfield State Park.
Not everyone, however, knows about the beautiful George Proctor Recreation Area on Savage Road. I came across the property a few years ago while walking with neighbors and was amazed. Who made this beautiful clearing in the woods with a bridge over Rand Brook, picnic tables and a pond? My neighbors explained that the Greenfield Sportsman’s Club (GSC) created and maintained this lovely property, which is adjacent to the Greenfield Town Forest, for the use of all Greenfield residents.
Last week, I talked longtime president Gary Russell about what’s new with the club, which is well known in town for the annual Kids Fishing Derby and the Thanksgiving turkey raffle. This year’s Kids Fishing Derby is the weekend of May 6 and 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and concludes with a Ducky Race fundraiser in Rand Brook after the derby ends on the May 7.
The fishing derby, which is free to all Greenfield children, takes place at the stocked pond at the George Proctor. The derby is always a popular event in town, and all children and youth are welcome, from kids who have grown up fishing and for those who have never tried.
“Our whole goal is to get kids outside,” Russell said. “Off the screens, away from the gaming, and out in the woods. We’ve had kids who can’t believe it when they catch their first fish. They never forget it! It’s something every kid should experience. Especially if your child has never been fishing, bring them down to the derby!”
The GSC was formed by a small group of Greenfield outdoorsmen in 1946, including several members of the Hopkins family and Richard and Harvey Goodwin. In 1953, Ralph Sayles helped the club purchase the Savage Farm land along Rand Brook, which later became the George Proctor Recreation Area. The area is named after a legendary local game warden who served the region dating back to the 1940s.
“The fishing derby has always been a great event,” Russell recalls. “Back in the day, the kids from Crotched Mountain would come down for the day, and we’d have a derby just for them first.”
The pond at the George Proctor Recreation Area was completed in 1989 and is stocked with trout annually. The Seigars family donated the picnic tables. Past club activities include a youth nature photography contest, which awarded $25 for the best picture in each category. Russell hopes to bring the contest back at some point. The club’s current plans include a construction of an archery range at the George Proctor, archery classes, and events for youth.
The GSC also also partners with the Conservation Committee on the annual Greenfield Road Cleanup, which is Saturday, April 29 this year.
“We have a lot of ideas in the works,” Russell said. “We’re working on a Kids Weekend, with target practice for bow and arrow or pellet guns, cornhole, possibly metal detectors. Anything to just get kids outside and interacting with nature. That’s what we’re all about. We have this beautiful nature all around us – we’re just incredibly fortunate here in Greenfield.”
Gary Russell and other Greenfield Sportsman’s Club members will be selling Ducky Race raffle tickets, which defray the cost of stocking the pond outside Harvester Market the two weekends before the fishing derby. Any Greenfield resident with a love of the outdoors is invited to join the sportsman’s club. Membership is $25 a year, and the group meets the first Tuesday of the month, in the library during winter months, and at the George Proctor in the summer. You can also find the Greenfield Sportsman’s Club on Facebook.
Email me at jesstimm17@gmail.com with ideas for the Greenfield Beat.