WADDINGTON, N.Y. — The Village of Waddington, N.Y., lists its permanent resident population at 972. This week that number could swell to an astounding 34,972.
Bass fishing is the likely reason why. Specifically, the Huk Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence presented by Go RVing.
That nearly unfathomable figure isn’t the result of a chamber of commerce adding a well-meant multiplier to attract visitors. The numbers are real.
The northern New York’s village officials can take the credit. Together with the backing of local businesses, they gambled on a long shot to bring an Elite Series event to the North Country.
Resistance to the idea came early on. Skeptics refused to believe a southern sport like bass fishing could draw attention to a small town located on the Canadian border, far from any major population areas.
Why would anyone want to drive hours from home to see a bass tournament?
The skeptics got their answer in August 2013.
BREAKING RECORDS
Waddington landed its first Elite Series event that summer. Months earlier, the tournament committee visited Orange, Texas, site of an Elite Series event on the Sabine River. They wanted to see how local organizers worked to make the event a success. They watched as the all-time Elite Series attendance record after four days was shattered with 33,650 people.
Five months later the true test came. Waddington was more than ready. The record was broken again, this time with 34,100 attendees over four days. Waddington brought it on again in 2015. And here they come again, this week during the third trip to the village.
“They had a festival, something else to provide people with things to do before the weigh-in,” said Janet Otto-Cassada, mayor of Waddington, who was on the trip to Texas. “We knew that festivals attract people and we set that idea in motion.”
“What also struck us was how fans reacted to the anglers when they pulled bass from the livewells,” added Deanna Shampine, the first event coordinator. “We realized that bass fishing truly was a spectator sport we could bring to the North Country.”
HAVE WATER, WILL TRAVEL
What brought the Elite Series to Waddington is the St. Lawrence River. Coincidentally, the river also attracted the first settlers.
Back in the 1500s, explorers sailed up the river from Lake Ontario to find a new world. Back then, a stretch of whitewater made navigation difficult. The dead end for sailing ships was here.
Rough, rocky rapids forced the explorers to drag their boats ashore in what is now Waddington. The St. Lawrence Seaway eventually smoothed that out but some current remained.
That current is why smallmouth are so prolific here and the fishing is so good. Just yesterday the Elites proved it with 20 anglers bringing in limits weighing 20 pounds or more.
A wealthy family with an eye for financial opportunity and land development purchased what bears their name in Ogden Island, located across a side channel of the river. The Ogden family built a mansion and farmed on the island. A causeway was built between the island and the settlement to stimulate development.
Grist and sawmills thrived and the North Country’s first power dam was built on the river. The swift water was the reason. Water powered industry and more people came.
“An industrial empire was created by the Ogden’s and that was what helped developed Waddington,” said Mark Scott, former village supervisor and now owner of Artworks Creperie. “You might say water, and the river, powered the economy.”
Waddington was among the first communities in the area to have electricity, which at the time sparked growth during the Industrial Revolution.
In the early 1800s more wealthy people came and among them were Joshua Waddington. He bought large tracts of land and made the first major improvements since early settlement. The village was incorporated in 1818 and named after him.
Take a stroll down Main Street and see history alive. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, founded in 1818, is the oldest church building in upstate New York. You can still go inside the Town Hall, built in 1884, and the public library, dedicated in 1919.
The St. Lawrence River is also the gateway to the Great Lakes from the Atlantic Ocean. To stimulate commercial shipping and improve navigation the St. Lawrence Seaway was built in the 1950s. That was bad news for Waddington. European freighters sailed by. The mills were dismantled and the town declined.
BETTER DAYS
Just like the early settlers, community leaders today recognize the river as an economic stimulator.
“We see the potential for bringing tourism to our riverfront village,” explained Otto-Cassada. “We see that through fishing and especially tournaments connected with walleye, bass and carp.”
The New York Power Authority, owner of the shoreline property used for the weigh-in and other activities, also sees the opportunity to stimulate growth. Over $1.3 million was spent to build a new special events and community pavilion in the downtown.
The developments and partnerships are much needed.
“Trying to grow this area has been a challenge,” said the mayor. “St. Lawrence County is one of the most impoverished counties east of the Mississippi River.”
“We have a huge welfare state here and employing large numbers of people has become difficult,” she continued. “Lots of people are out of work.”
Otto-Cassada cited cutbacks at General Motors, Reynolds Metal and Alcoa manufacturing plants in nearby Massena as the reasons.
She adds the tournament is gaining interest and support from the county and beyond. Businesses are seeing the benefits and so is the government.
“Everyone wants to say this is a Waddington event, but it’s a county event,” she said. “The county benefits from the sales and hotel taxes, so it’s good for everyone.”
All benefit from the advertising and media exposure brought on by the tournaments.
Visions for even more tourism incentives are in the works. Otto-Cassada said funds are available to build an amphitheater at the weigh-in site. She hopes the attraction will be ready in time for future Elite tournaments.
Scott is behind a movement to create an artist colony downtown to attract resident artists.
“What better place to be creative than in a quaint, waterfront community,” he added.
MAKING IT HAPPEN
The downtown remains quaint during the Elite tournament. Meanwhile, the nearby weigh-in site is abuzz with activity.
The scene resembles a festival. Over 50 vendors join the Elite Series and B.A.S.S. sponsors with booth space. Only about 5 of the vendors are local, signaling the success of the efforts.
Live music from 23 bands is underway. A helicopter ferries riders on scenic tours of the river. It lands at the weigh-in site and more climb aboard. Parking lots are filled to capacity. Golf carts ferry visitors back and forth. A pancake breakfast is served each morning.
For a small town all that seems impossible to pull off. Bob Giordano, the current event coordinator, gets the job done. And he gets it done with only 30 volunteers.
Giordano, retired from the U.S. Air Force, managed its marketing outreach and event programs with sports giants like the NFL and NASCAR.
“I used to have 150 people do what 30 do here,” he said. “We have a remarkable spirit of community pride, lots of hard work and dedication to make this all successful.”
That includes support from local, state and federal law enforcement, fire and medical services agencies, and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
A board of 6 members begins meeting weekly in February. As the event nears the planning shifts to fund raising events, and setting forth logistics for the vendors and anglers.
There are few hotels nearby. That’s not a problem. Local residents move out of their homes and rent them to the anglers and their vacationing families. The hospitality clearly demonstrates how the community embraces the event. The anglers and B.A.S.S. feel likewise.
“We now view this event as an ongoing asset to our tourism initiative that helps get the word out about Waddington,” said Otto-Cassada.
That word is getting out. Visitors from Maine are here and so are others from nearby states and Canada. And so are lots of others from points near and far.
For the third time, a far-fetched idea is working. No other tournament town can claim the attendance record held by a tiny village in northern New York.
Don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
