Some find enjoyment on a wet Labor Day

September 07, 1999|By SCOTT BUTKI

Rain on Labor Day didn't stop Tri-State residents from relaxing and avoiding labor.

Several people went fishing in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in Hancock despite the showers.

Ron and Bonnie VanMeter of Hancock had a simple method to avoid getting drenched: They fished from under a bridge.

"It didn't bother us," said Ron VanMeter, who caught several carp.

Tim Baden of Hancock was more casual in his approach, sitting in a lawn chair by his car, fishing pole in hand.

He started fishing about 9 a.m. and had caught three carp by around 12:30. Rain or no rain, he was sticking to his plan to spend the holiday weekend fishing, he said.

He has no problems with getting wet while doing something he cares about, be it fishing or hunting, he said. He added that his clothes were almost dry from the earlier downpours.

Henry Strock IV, 7, of Needmore, Pa., also didn't mind fishing in the rain.

"It is pretty good," he said of the fishing, adding that he had already caught a turtle in his first 15 minutes of fishing.

Dolly Henry from Denton, Md., came up to Hancock so she could walk along the canal's towpath.

"It's gorgeous and fascinating," she said. She took her walk between rainstorms.

An annual picnic by the Alternative Singles Club went as planned at Pangborn Park in Hagerstown despite sporadic showers.

About 45-50 people were expected to eat and play horseshoes and bingo, said Joyce Field of Greencastle, Pa., a club board member, as she put down a tablecloth.

Not everyone went to regional parks to enjoy the last unofficial day of summer.

Fritz Sine of Hagerstown used the day to do odd jobs around the house, including putting away his summer clothes and taking out his winter clothes. He was also using the day to do some yard maintenance.

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