 |
| Roger Martinez shows off a nice stocked rainbow trout he caught at Clayton Lake State Park. |
“It’s just a good, ole fashioned, family affair,” says
Charles Jordan, longtime manager of the park for New Mexico State Parks.
”Everyone loves it and it just seems to get better every year.”
The park outside of Clayton has played host to the event for
going on 15 years now.
Many of the event’s guests camp out at the park and turn the
weekend into a real family friendly holiday with lots kids running around and
people visiting each other at their campsites, Jordan says.
“We show folks some real down-home New Mexico-style
hospitality here,” Jordan
says.
 |
| Clayton Lake State Park is an oasis out in big sky country on the plains of eastern New Mexico. |
Camping reservations go quick as the event draws near but
park staff make every effort to accommodate folks and there’s also a KOA
campground and several hotels including the historic Eklund to stay at in town.
This year’s annual derby is scheduled for the weekend of June
13 and 14 and will feature up to $10,000 in prizes including a fully equipped
bass boat and top cash prizes of $1,500 and $1,000, says Leroy Montoya, town
trustee and fishing derby committee board member.
 |
| Another winner collects a check at the Clayton lake fishing derby. Photo courtesy of Clayton Chamber of Commerce. |
Anglers can also earn cash prizes for catching the best
trout, catfish, bass or walleye.
Four state record walleyes have been caught at Clayton
Lake
 |
| Eric Frey of New Mexico Department of Game and Fish shows off one of the big walleyes one can find lurking in the depths of Clayton Lake. |
The lake is heavily stocked by the state Department of Game
and Fish (NMDGF) which owns also the property and built the dam back in 1954 to
benefit migratory waterfowl.
State Parks’ leases the lake from NMDGF under an agreement
which allows licensed anglers to fish there without having to pay a State Park
day use fee.
Registration for the
derby and prizes is $15 per person.
In addition to the big awards, over a hundred door prizes
including sporting goods and other merchandise, much of it donated by local
businesses, will be awarded on an hourly basis to ticket holders during the
two-day event.
 |
| There's plenty of door prizes to be awarded at the Clayton Lake fishing derby. Photo courtesy of Clayton Chamber of Commerce. |
Visitors will find free coffee and donuts available each
morning and free hot dogs, soda and chips at lunch both days, Montoya says.
For kids there’s the dinosaur egg hunt where children can
root through a big pile of sand each morning in search of plastic Easter eggs
packed with coins.
Kids can also enjoy riding around the park in a toy train
towed by an ATV while others can participate in the horse shoe-pitching
tournament, hot dog-eating contest or attend the star party on Saturday night.
 |
| Clayton Lake State Park Manager Charles Jordan stands inside the park's observatory. |
The Association bestowed its top honor upon the park in June
2010 for efforts by the state, county and town to preserve the area’s dark
skies, reduce surrounding light pollution and provide educational programs.
The park’s $75,000 Star Point Observatory opened in June
2006 and features a 12x16-foot building with a retractable roof that houses a
12-inch, computer operated telescope and remote television monitor which allows
for group viewing.
The telescope and monitor is powered by a solar charged
battery system.
Volunteers from the local astronomy club play a big role in
supporting the observatory, Jordan
says.
They host regularly scheduled star parties each month on the
first Friday of the new moon cycle while also providing impromptu parties for
visitors when the park has plenty of overnight visitors.
 |
| Views of the moon and the stars from Clayton Lake State park are incredible. |
Hundreds of local school children, scouting groups,
astronomy clubs and park visitors have all enjoyed the benefits of the
observatory at Clayton Lake
State Park
The park also enjoys a good reputation among bird and
wildlife watchers and those interested in paleontology as a large set of
dinosaur tracks were found and are now preserved in the earth that forms the
dam’s spillway.
 |
| The pathway at Clayton Lake State Park allows visitors to see dinosaur tracks up close without damaging them. |
The park also features a new visitors’ center constructed of
straw bale and recycled steel beams while utilizing the latest in green energy
techniques.
The visitor center also features an interpretive display
inside which highlights the park and surrounding area’s history and other
interesting information.
 |
| Clayton Lake State Park's visitor center features is state of the art and eco-friendly. |
The park boasts over 30 campsites equipped with shelters,
picnic table and fire rings.
There are seven sites with electric and water hookups and
two large group shelters.
Showers are available inside the main restroom while
numerous vault toilets are located throughout the park.
The annual fishing derby is just one of several successful
events that the town of Clayton
hosts throughout the year, says Judy Steen, Executive Director Clayton-Union
County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism.
 |
| Clayton Lake State Park can be found just 12 miles north of town off NM 370 out by Rabbit Ear Mountain. |
The town’s annual Fourth of July celebration including a parade,
pancake breakfast, rodeo, barbeque, street dance, softball tournament and
fireworks show draws thousands every year, she says.
The town also pulls in a big crowd for its Viva New Mexico
music festival in mid July featuring street dancing in front of the historic Eklund
Hotel to the tunes of performers such as Al Hurricane Jr., Roberto Griego and
Tobias Rene.
Then there’s the annual Union County Rodeo in August spanning
the course of four days which also brings in plenty of folks from the
surrounding countryside, Steen said.
The town’s well attended annual arts festival takes place in
October featuring up to 40 arts and crafts booths on display in the Clayton
Civic Center
And in March up to 120 runners compete in the Dust Bowl
Marathon, an event spanning four neighboring states, that ends in Clayton and
has become another great event for the town, Steen says.
 |
| Clayton is located in the heart of cattle country where folks living on remote farms and ranches can obtain supplies and enjoy the town's many popular events. |
Clayton’s approach to keeping its rural economic engine
humming could serve as a model to other agricultural communities seeking to in
tap into the state’s booming tourism trade, Steen suggested.
“We do everything we can to keep our small rural community
thriving and these kinds of events are an important part of that effort,” she
said.
For more info about Clayton’s events see their website at http://www.claytonnm.org/ or visit their
Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/clayton.chamber
.
For more info about
the derby check out Clayton Lake
State Park
And for a nicely done take on the 2011 derby see the video
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf6NezRUMEo
.
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