The 22nd Annual Sandy Ridge Bream Tournament for kids will be held Saturday May 7th at the farm of Frank and Evelyn Tillman near Clarkdale. Over the years many annual events have come and gone as well as many businesses. Over the last 22 years when spring finally rolled around kids started asking about when the bream tournament was going to be held. And of course many others would call Mr. Frank or Mrs. Evelyn asking if and when they were going to have the tournament.

    Yes, many tournaments and events have “annual” in their title, but few fishing tournaments or kid’s events last 22 years. To sponsor a successful tournament for 22 consecutive years is almost unheard of.

    Originally, the bream tournament turned out to be a solution to the lake’s overcrowded bream problem.  Frank Tillman told Roger Carlisle about his stunted bream and Carlisle offered the bream tournament as a possible solution to the problem. Though somewhat skeptical at first, Tillman decided to give it a try.

One Time and Hooked

    The first tournament was a success and Mr. Frank enjoyed it so much that he decided to do it again, and again, and again. 22 years later the bream tournament is still going on and Mr. Tillman’s overpopulation of bream is no more.

    Of course by now you may have guessed that the tournament has become more than just a tool to help manage a bream population. Yes, the annual tournament has become a labor of love for Frank Tillman as well as his many volunteers. For all of the good it has done for the local children, there is more to the story than just kids and fishing. Tillman decided that the only entry fee in the tournament would be a donation of 2 can goods from each participant.

    The resulting donations are given to the Wesley House and The Baptist Crises Center. While the tournament offers local children a chance to participate in a day of fun and fishing, it also gives them a chance to donate to less fortunate people.

    “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. Or so goes an old saying that is filled with truth and wisdom. Through his annual tournament, Tillman has provided an opportunity for parents and grandparents to introduce their kids to the sport of fishing. In so doing he has ultimately provided a spark that turned into a passion for the outdoors and fishing in particular.

    “Mr. Tillman, when are you going to have your tournament?” Such is a well worn and popular question asked of Mr. Frank practically all year long. “Mr. Tillman, I fished in your bream tournament when I was a little bitty thing” others would say. Of course he’s tickled to death that children of all ages come up to him on the street and in different areas with stories about their love and appreciation for his bream tournament.

Major Accomplishment

    Though Mr. Frank and Mrs. Evelyn Tillman have been active in many facets of their community and town throughout the years, the Sandy Ridge Tourney is no doubt their most well known and revered accomplishment among the throngs of kids. And many of those kids now bring other kids to the tournament as well.

    Though Tillman can’t provide every child with a place to fish all the time, he can offer a day such as this to get them started on the road to a lifetime of fun through the great sport of fishing. While many sports take a lot of money to get involved in, fishing only takes a pole, line, and hook to get started. Catch, or dig some bait and you’re in business and ready to go!

    Twenty two years of fishing, fun and fellowship and introducing boys and girls of all ages to the great sport of fishing is quite an accomplishment. Can it get any better than that? Well, Mr. Frank sure tries to make it better every year and it seems to get bigger and better each year. Though every kid can’t win a prize, every child usually takes home a cap, shirt, or tackle bag. And each kid leaves the lake with a memory that will last a lifetime. I know my own children, Chandler, Jackie and Mikayla have made many wonderful memories on the banks of Frank Tillman’s lake. For more information contact the Tillman’s at 601-693-1531.

    Contact  Mike Giles at 601-917-3898

or e-mail him at mikegiles18@comcast.net