Submitted by: Jenny Eastvold  (Reprinted from The Side Laker)

The traditional state park open house day has been moved to the second Saturday in June to correspond with "National Get Outdoors Day". If you haven't been to the park in awhile, this is a great chance to check it out without needing a vehicle permit. Stop in on June 12th to picnic, go walking or biking, try out Geocaching, or go fishing.

Interested in going fishing but don't have the equipment or know quite what to do? Trying fishing for the first time just got easier. McCarthy Beach will be hosting two fishing clinics this summer put on by the MinnAqua program. We also now have fishing rods and basic tackle kits that can be checked out from the park office. A fishing license isn't needed if angling from shore within park boundaries, so a person can try it out without the expense of a license. Pickerel Lake is not included since it's a trout lake, but the Side Lake and Beatrice Lake campgrounds offer a number of shore fishing areas.

The first MinnAqua program is a "Pop Can Fishing Clinic" on Saturday, June 12th from 1:00- 3:30 p.m. Bring a pop can and turn it into a fishing rig. Practice knot tying and casting. Learn about fishing regulations and how to identify fish. Go fishing from the park pier. This is also Open House Day, so no vehicle permit is required. Call the park office at 218-254-7979 before June 10th to register.

The second program is a day-long fishing clinic on Thursday, July 22nd from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. that will cover fishing topics more in depth. Call the park to register by July 20th.

The park will be hosting an overnight "I Can Camp" seminar on June 17th for those who are interested in getting into camping but aren't quite sure where to start -- or who would like to try it out before buying tents and equipment. The program cost is $55 for up to six people. All camping gear is provided, as well as instructions on how to set up tents, cook over camp stoves, etc. Naturalist programs will also be offered during the day and evening (see below). Call the park for more details or to learn how to register.

Interested in learning how to canoe? If there is extra space after slots are offered to the "I Can Camp" participants, others can sign up for basic canoeing lessons on Thursday, June 17th at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. An evening campfire program and singalong is open to all park visitors and community members. Join us at the picnic pavilion at 7:30pm.

The park office will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week in early June, extending to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the weekends. Regular summer hours (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) will start on June 16th.

For those with family or friends visiting, camping reservations can be made by calling 866-857-2757 (or on line at www.stayatmnparks.com) up to one year in advance.

DNR and park information can be found on line at www.mndnr.gov