The countdown to Pauls Valley’s 26th annual Okie Noodling Tournament is underway, and though city officials say this year’s event will see some changes, the popular hand fishing tournament and big fish weigh-in will continue to be part of the event.
That reassurance comes after alterations to the tournament were discussed late last year as city council and tourism board members weighed the overall cost of the event against current budgetary constraints and the perceived benefit to the local economy.
“The idea behind some of the changes is how do we make this more family friendly? How do we make this more than just the fishing tournament? How do we get more people and more organizations and families involved in the event?” Tourism Director Tawni Huggans said.
“We’re trying to alter it in a way that makes sense. We’ve done everything we can to keep it and revive it in a way that keeps Pauls Valley on the map and showcases some of the other things we have going on in town,” Huggans said.
This year’s tournament, set for Saturday, June 20, will return to the downtown area again, with much of the activity centered around the Santa Fe Depot Plaza.
One of the more significant changes for noodlers this year will be fewer divisions to compete in as the youth and female divisions are dropped from the lineup, leaving only two divisions – Natural and Scuba – with prize money awarded to the top three fish in each category.
This year’s event will see the addition of several new activities, including a partnership with the Pauls Valley Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) to revive the Phil Henderson Memorial Bark in the Park in conjunction with Okie Noodling.
That event will kick off the morning at 7:30 a.m. with a Phil Henderson Memorial Dog Jog and 5K Run that will begin and end in the Santa Fe Depot Park area.
“The idea behind that is you can come run by yourself, you can bring your pet, or if you wanted to take a shelter pet on the run with you, you can do that as well,” Huggans said.
The 5K Winner’s Circle will be at 8:30 a.m. in the Depot Park. The Santa Fe Depot Park will also host a variety of pet-centric vendors throughout the day.
A Catfish and K9s Dog Show will take place at 1 p.m., followed by a “Running of the Wieners” wiener dog race at 3:30 p.m.
Another addition this year will be a Lil Mr. and Miss Okie Noodling Kids Pageant set to begin at 9 a.m. with winners to be crowned at 11:45 a.m. Sponsored by the Pauls Valley Dance Station, the pageant for children aged 3-18 will include categories for beauty, interview/talent, and Okie Noodling Themed Costume.
Vendor tents will open at 11 a.m. and will include quite a few local vendors this year, according to Huggans.
“We have a full line-up of food trucks. We have a wide variety of tent vendors, including several local vendors this year,” Huggans said. “We have everything from homemade duck calls, to knives and crocheted stuffed animals – anything you can think of, we’ve got it.”
Weigh-in for the Okie Noodling Tournament will run from noon to 5 p.m. this year, and the popular noodling demo tank will run throughout the day.
“We’ll still have all of the things we normally have, too. We’ll have the catfish eating contest. We’ll still do the men’s wet t-shirt contest and the adult Okie Noodling Queen competition. All the things that we’ve always done will still be part of the event,” Huggans said.
That includes the free concert Saturday evening, which will feature Carly Nash, Ray and the High Rollers, and BC and The Big Rig.
Additional information, a full schedule of events and online registration for noodlers, the Lil Mr. and Miss Okie Noodling Pageant and Bark in the Park events can be found online at paulsvalley.com.
