To the Editor:

The Town of Massena has just completed the 2022 tournament season and we are so very grateful to have hosted so many wonderful tournaments this year. This last weekend, we hosted our own Big Bass Blowout (B3) event for local and regional anglers. We even had some Canadian anglers who joined in the fun. This event is special to Massena because this is the event that was created back in 2016 and has grown each year, both with the volunteers who provide assistance and the anglers who repeatedly return to test their mettle on the mighty St. Lawrence River.

This year was no exception, as the weather was cooperating on Saturday, but the windy conditions on Sunday really brought out the strongest of the anglers to stay the course and compete for cash prizes.

We would like to offer special recognition to the volunteers who provided assistance during this weekend event, including: Alex Krywanczyk and Julie Kelley Ferro for their help with fizzing of fish and fish care; Stephen C. LaRose who was the weigh-master for the event and operated the tournament scales; Tom Miller who provided the record-keeping white board for our use; Brenda Mossow who assisted with registrations, payouts, and scorekeeping; Don Meissner, Tournament Director; and, Jason Hendricks who provided assistance with photography for the event, as well as sound system assistance and playing of our National Anthem.

Refreshments were provided by John Robla, Justin Walts, and Linda McQuinn. We borrowed tournament scales for this event and recognize the contribution of Jim Moore with the Northern NY Junior Bassmaster series for the use of their state-of-the-art tournament scales.

As always, the town is grateful to the New York Power Authority for the use of the Massena Intake – a wonderful facility that provides the best possible launching and recreation opportunities for fishing in Northern New York. We would also like to recognize the kind assistance of Lindsey Gladding with the Louisville Recreation Department who provided guidance on the sound system to provide public address capabilities.

Finally, we would like to recognize the local and regional anglers who participated and made this event possible, by order of their registration in the event: Lynn Gervais and Doug Kirkbride; Ben Nightingale and JP Gagner; Jesse Upstrom and Joel Parmer; Scott Hazen and Taylor Hazen; Benjamin Smith and James Anson; Matt Chontosh and Joe Arcet; Kent Compo and Kamie Compo; Jonathan Robla and Justin Walts; Matt Grant and Greg Mintz; John Kingston and Chad White; Timothy O’Grady and Steve Garrabrant; Ethan Carr and Darren Carr; Gary McIntyre and Chad Sharpe; Chris Henry and Coleton Henry; Kevin Laraway and John Korman; Gerry Rosenbarker and Vince Monini; Eric Gibbs and John Narrow; Jason Bell and Connor Bell; Jean-Marie Landry and Dave Williams; Dante Piraino and James Gillis; John Robla and Owen Ames; Kamdyn Johnson and Matthew Kinney; Dustin Delosh and Luke Breault; Scott Gibbon and Rick Conger; Mike Bean and Marc Peccolo; and, Garry Woodruff and William Clute.

What a great year we’ve had! Let’s do this again in 2023! See you then!

Sue Bellor
Massena Town Supervisor