Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

They say you have to be in it to win it and Bradford’s in it as one of the finalists to win the title “Ultimate Fishing Town USA.” Bradford collected more than 1,000 votes and was able to garner a “wild card” seat in the tournament that started with hundreds of towns and is now down to 20. The top two vote-getters in each bracket moved onto the second round. Six wild card towns were also selected to advance. The contest is sponsored by the World Fishing Network. Bradford, the only town in Pennsylvania that made the second round, was up against towns from Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, New York and District of Columbia. Plenty of good fishing is done here, including two state records. The Allegheny Reservoir is the best trophy northern pike fishery in Pennsylvania. The state-record pike – a 35-pounder – was caught here. There’s also largemouth bass, bluegill, steelhead and walleye fishing here, too. In ...

Bradford is in the Top 20 in WFN's Ultimate Fishing Town contest -- and the only Pennsylvnaia community included in the list. Voting continues for three more weeks.

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Bradford has slipped to fifth place in the Ultimate Fishing Town contest but Mayor Tom Riel says there’s no reason the city can’t move back up and win the whole thing. “If we were able to get over 25,000 votes (in the Toughest Weather City Tournament) in three days when you could only vote once, there’s no reason why we couldn’t win this thing,” Riel said during Tuesday’s city council meeting. People can vote up to four times a day with each e-mail address they have. “This is something that would actually bring tourism and bring money to the area,” Riel said. . “There’s no reason – based on how we did in the weather contest – that we shouldn’t be able to get 100,000 votes.” “That would be a positive for Bradford,” Riel said, “much more so than having the worst weather in America.” Riel joked that “Ultimate Fishing Town” doesn’t mean “the carp in the Tuna in the City of Bradford.” He said it includes the Marilla Reservoir, the Kinzua Reservoir an...

The Phillie Phanatic has officially dethroned his archrival, the mascot formerly known as The San Diego Chicken, as America's favorite sports mascot in a Forbes annual fan survey. The Famous Chicken – as he’s now known – is number two in the survey this year. The Pirate Parrot didn’t make the top 10 – but maybe after the Ultimate Fishing Town contest we can work on moving him up in the rankings. By the way, voting in the first round of the fishing town contest is going on for 2 more weeks. http://wfnfishingtown.com/town/bradford-pa Photo by Dave Arrigo and provided by the Pittsburgh Pirates

Remember to vote for Bradford in the Ultimate Fishing Town Contest: http://wfnfishingtown.com/town/bradford-pa

Harrisburg, PA – Anglers from across the state have been helping the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission ( PFBC) stock more than one million adult trout in preparation for the traditional opening day on April 16. PFBC Executive Director John Arway says opening day is a time-honored tradition that families and kids look forward to every year. “Opening day is a huge event for so many families and their children,” Mr. Arway said. “In fact, the regional opening day and the traditional opening day are two of the biggest fishing days of the year. To get ready for them, our ‘great white fleet’ of stocking trucks has been busy since mid-February replenishing Pennsylvania's waterways with a fresh supply of brook, brown, and rainbow trout.” April 2 marked the regional opening day of trout in 18 southeastern counties. Every year the PFBC stocks about 3.2 million trout in waterways across the state. About 50 percent are stocked before the opening days, 45 percent are stocked before the end o...

Now’s the time to “cast” your vote for Bradford as the Ultimate Fishing Town USA. The first round of voting started on Tuesday and runs until 6 p.m. May 3. Now is when local residents can brag about their community with a vote for Bradford. Your vote could help Bradford win a $25,000 community donation. With an abundance of stocked trout streams, wild brook trout streams, the Allegheny River, Marilla Reservoir, and access from Bradford to the Allegany State Park, Bradford is a central hub for year-round fishing. Local resident, Mike Holly, captured the Walleye state record in 1980 with a 17 lb. 9 oz. prize catch. In 2003, Carl Stoltz set our second state record by reeling in a hefty 35 lb. Northern Pike while fishing on the Allegheny Reservoir. To vote, all you have to do is log onto http://wfnfishingtown.com/entries/bradford-pa . This takes you right to the voting page for Bradford. Click “vote now” and type in your name and e-mail address. You can vote under more than one e-mail addr...

Voting is underway in the Ultimate Fishing Town Contest – and Bradford is one of the nominees. To vote, click on the following link: http://wfnfishingtown.com/town/bradford-pa

Now that the Toughest Weather City Tournament is over, it’s time to concentrate on the Ultimate Fishing Town contest. You can fish anywhere in the area, and still nominate Bradford as the Ultimate Fishing Town. Linda Devlin of the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau explains. Bradford "is where you come to stay overnight, and buy your fishing gear. This is where you come to tell your fishing stories at the local bar or local restaurant," she said on Thursday's LiveLine. "You can fish in any of the streams around here," Devlin said, "Potato Creek, Allegany State Park, the Allegheny Reservoir -- and it's just that Bradford would be the Fishing Town." (Listen to Thursday's LiveLine here .) You don’t even have to fish to submit a nomination. You can just say you see other people fishing and having a good time. http://www.wfnfishingtown.com/town/bradford-pa/1582