Children in the Chambliss Center summer camp program spend a day fishing at the Fowler family farm.For more than half a century, kids participating in Chambliss Center for Children’s summer program have enjoyed spending a day each year fishing at the Fowler family farm on Lookout Mountain.
According to Chambliss Center President and CEO Phil Acord, the tradition was begun by Chattanooga businessman Mercer Reynolds, one of the biggest supporters of the Chambliss Center. Reynolds owned farmland off of Rossville Boulevard that housed a body of water referred to as “Pappy’s Lake,” where he invited the children to fish for a day each summer, said Lesley Berryhill, communications director for Chambliss.
Following his death, Reynolds’ family friend and Chambliss board member Frank Fowler decided to open his own property on Lookout Mountain to the center’s campers once a year to continue the fishing opportunity, said Berryhill.
For approximately 30 years since, the Fowler farm has hosted the campers, who are provided with bamboo poles and fishing and safety instruction from local fisherman Mac McGee, along with other volunteers. The children are fed lunch and can fish in the stocked lake for the rest of the day. Photos are taken of the campers who catch the biggest fish, said Berryhill.
“It’s an experience we can’t provide on-site at the main campus, and something many of these kids may not get to do otherwise,” she said. “They look forward to it every year.”
This year, around 35 third-graders from the summer program will visit the farm Friday, June 24. Chambliss’ summer program provides care for 150 children from low-income families in Chattanooga.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.