The last 100 years have been marked by enormous change, but the Boothbay Region Fish and Game Association’s 100th birthday party on April 17 showed that people’s love of the outdoors remains steadfast.

About 60 area residents of all ages filled the rustic clubhouse on Wiley Pond for an evening of good food and conversation to celebrate the event. Outside, the spring peepers called in their mates under a star-filled sky.

Other organizations might have marked this milestone with speeches and fanfare, but not this group. They gathered like extended family around two long tables, sharing homemade dishes, stories and a gigantic commemorative cake, while the stuffed deer and a bobcat watched silently from overhead.

BRF&GA President Tammy Steinmetz quietly cut the cake, a moment that might not have been captured for posterity if her husband Dave had not alerted the photographer.

Steinmetz is the first woman president the organization has ever had, but judging from the many women in the crowd on Wednesday, she won’t be the last. Steinmetz said she became involved with the local club because of her passion for fishing.

“I’m a fishing fanatic,” she said, “Rain, sleet, hail, as long as I have a fishing pole in my hand, I’m happy.” True to her words, Steinmetz had caught two trout in Wiley Pond that afternoon, while her baked beans cooked in the oven and she waited for the evening’s crowd to arrive.

Steinmetz has been a big part of the revitalization of the club in recent years. She suggested the idea of sharing supper before monthly business meetings to spur attendance, an idea that has taken hold.

She said she hoped the club could get more kids “outdoors and away from the TV and computer.” This summer BRF&GA will host a youth fishing derby, an event that has not been held on Wiley Pond in over 30 years, Steinmetz said.

Club secretary Barry Gibson has had his hand in the club’s resurgence, as well. Gibson, a former club president, said he hopes sponsoring more activities at the clubhouse will increase membership, as well as an appreciation of nature. On Wednesday, Gibson proposed accepting Inland Fish and Wildlife’s offer to stock bigger trout in Wiley Pond in exchange for the club allowing youth ice fishing in February. The members agreed overwhelmingly to the proposal, which should make Wiley Pond’s good fishing even better.

Gibson said the club’s membership is close to 200, which includes many who don’t use the club. “A lot of people join because they support the concept. They want to be sure that Boothbay has a club like this,“ Gibson said.

Earl Leavitt, also a past president, went through all the meeting minutes since the 1940s to compile a club history. Standing with Dennis Blackman, another former president who grew up on Dover Road, Leavitt and Blackman recalled their history with the club, which included a 1960s fire, regular boy scout outings and a lot of hands-on work to keep the facilities in order.

“We’ve been self-sustaining since day one,” Leavitt said,” We don’t hire out for projects; we do them ourselves.”

Leavitt said the generosity of local businesses and the hard work of members over the years are evidenced now in the club house, shooting ranges, dock and footbridge. The buildings don’t overwhelm the location though; Wiley Pond and the associated woodlands still dominate the feel of the place.

 Leavitt said the club’s membership, evidenced at Wednesday’s celebration, represents a “real cross-section of the community.” “We keep our dues low so money is not an obstacle to anyone,” Leavitt said.

The fish and game club’s property provides the only public access to Wiley Pond for fishing. Non-members can fish from club property, but need to park along Dover Road to do so. BRF&GA also sponsors regular events for non-members and members alike.

Click here for more photos of the event. To learn more about the Boothbay Region Fish and Game Association, visit their website.

Sue Mello may be reached at 207-844-4629 or sumello@boothbayregister.com.