OUR OPINION: Eat, fish, play this weekend

Our view: Catfish Days shows off the potential of the Red River for recreation.

This weekend's Catfish Days tournament and fun time emphasizes a couple of remarkable things about Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.

The first is what a great resource the Red River has turned out to be.

Few would have expected this only a few years ago. Then, the Red was considered a dirty little river with little to offer.

Today, it is one of the nation's top destinations for people interested in catching channel catfish.

And Catfish Days, now in its 21st year, is a premier event for catching catfish.

Yet, Catfish Days had an improbable beginning. A handful of catfishing enthusiasts decided to put on a tournament that would highlight what they knew about the Red River. It harbors some really big catfish.

Outdoor writer Brad Dokken referred to these pioneers as visionaries on the Herald's front page Friday, and the description is apt.

They didn't see themselves that way, however, and probably they still don't, even though 150 teams of two people each have registered. That's as many as the event can handle.

Ruth Ann Schleif, this year's chairwoman, was one of those pioneers. "Thinking of the way it was back then to what it's grown into, I couldn't have imagined it. It was just a bunch of people who got together because they liked to fish on the river. Now, it's become one of the best catfish tournaments in the country."

Of course, those things don't just happen. It took a lot of work to make Catfish Days into what it has become. Some of the work was done by local chambers of commerce.

But most of it was done by volunteers.

That's the second remarkable thing that Catfish Days points up about Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. When something needs doing around these towns, someone steps up to do it.

Each year, Catfish Days needs about 120 volunteers. There's still time to get involved. The telephone number to volunteer is (701) 772-7271.

Or check in at LaFave Park in East Grand Forks. Someone will put you to work.

Of course, you don't have to work to be part of Catfish Days.

You don't even have to fish.

You can run, for example. There's a half-marathon scheduled.

Or you can walk (or run) in the Cats Incredible walk/run.

If you're a kid, you can try out some inflatable games starting at 11 today and noon Sunday.

Or you can eat. The annual chili cook-off takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. today.

Or you can shop. There will be a farmers market Sunday afternoon.

And you can cheer the winners, who will be announced at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Cats Incredible -- the other name for Catfish Days -- is just one activity that centers on the Red River. Residents and visitors alike have come to appreciate the Red River Greenway. Boaters use the river, too.

It's become a real recreational resource.

But this weekend it belongs to those seeking catfish.

Mike Jacobs for the Herald