The June 2, 1966 Colorado Transcript celebrated the annual Fishing Derby at the pond in Lions Park. The Golden Kiwanis Club had hosted the first fishing derby for Golden's children in 1955. They gave prizes to kids catching the first fish, the biggest fish, and the first to catch the limit of five fish. About 150 children participated, and a good time was had by all.
The event was revived by the Optimists Club in 1961 and was repeated every year through 2009. By that time, we had a significant problem with geese overrunning the park. The geese were cute and fun to watch, but their droppings made the park unwalkable. The pond itself was full of e-coli. In 2012, City Council reluctantly voted to fill in the ‘ol fishing pond.
