Craig Daily Press

Eight-year-old Silas Canto's bare toes dangled off the side of the dock, feet slightly kicking.

He held a gnarly stick with a faint line dangling into the water. There, a cork made to fit a cookie jar, sat bobbling in the water.

Not much of a fishing rig, but it worked for Canto.

"Look," he said as the cork submerged and resurfaced, "a fish is biting."

That made number three for the kid in the straw hat and his pop, Joe Canto.

"We've done better with this than a real rod," Joe Canto said. "And we got the cork out of his grandma's cookie jar."

Silas Canto was one of about 111 children who registered for Huck Finn Fun Day on Saturday at Loudy-Simpson Park.

Participants packed the pond's shore all Saturday morning during the event, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4265.

Down the shore from Silas, 7-year-old Casey Copeland curled up next to his mother on the shaded grass, pulled his straw hat over his eyes and soaked up the rays.

Earlier in the day, he was awarded first place in the 6- to 10-year-old Huck Finn costume division.

No surprise.

All he was missing was a tuft of straw perched between his lips and the wooden raft.

For event chairman Johnny Garcia, Huck Finn Fun Day is a family event.

It's a time a father can teach his son a thing or two.

It's a time to curl up under a tree and watch your bobber make ripples in the pond.

And it's a time, hopefully, to catch a fish or two.

But none of it could have been done without the support of local businesses, Garcia said.

"If we didn't have the merchants downtown donating money, gifts and food, there's no way we could put this on," he said. "Everybody knows the community of Craig, with their openness and big hearts, give year around, and they still manage to find something to give for this."

John Henry can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 209, or jhenry@craigdailypress.com.