A perfect 10!

That’s what everyone from Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian to City Council President Joseph Solomon to volunteer cooks Jesse Robbins to Steve Dragger were calling the Tri-City Elks 10th Anniversary Kids Fishing Derby Saturday morning at Golden Pond.

“Griff told me he wanted to make the tenth anniversary derby special,” said Solomon as he helped cook hamburgers for the youthful anglers and their families. “I’d say he made this extra, extra special.”

Griffith “Griff” Williams, who doubles as a staffer for Griggs & Browne and works security at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, pulled out all the necessary stops to make Lodge 14’s annual Rite of Spring special.

For starters, every youngster ages 5 to 12 that entered received a spiffy hat – that came in multiple colors – with the words “Tri-City Elks Fishing Derby” embroidered on the front.

Every youngster, whether they caught one, two or no trout at all, went home with a participation trophy that Avedisian and Solomon presented during an awards ceremony that followed a hefty hot dog, hamburger and chips luncheon that volunteer Erica Stackhouse and Elks like Robbins, Dragger and Christine Coleman also made special.

Moreover, everyone that took in Saturday’s derby was treated to a continental-like breakfast when they arrived at Lodge 14 on West Shore Road for the 7 a.m. starting time.

Sometime around 9:30, the children cheered as several Warwick Fire Department apparatus pulled in back of the Elks Lodge with sirens blowing.

“The kids loved that,” Williams said with a wide smile on his face. “I love doing stuff for kids.”

That’s why Saturday’s 10th Annual Kids Fishing Derby had such prizes as tackle boxes and fishing poles, just to name a few, that the tireless Williams said, “were donated to the Lodge especially for today’s contest.”

A kids fishing contest, as Lodge 14 member and Elk Holly Hearn who served as weigh-master offered: “A girls dominated derby.”

Two girls, in particular, co-starred as the day’s headliner anglers.

Twin sisters Mia and Lilly Anctil 11, who are fifth grade students at Blackrock Elementary School in Coventry and are no strangers to the Kids Fishing Derby, were the day’s top anglers and reeled in a total 15 trout that were stocked as Lodge 14’s Golden Pond last Friday by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Agency.

Mia Anctil, who caught the heaviest trout that Hearn weighed at one-pound, four ounces, finished the day with seven trout. Sister Lilly, who reeled in eight trout, was second with a one-pound, two-ounce trout. Third place went to veteran Jada Stackhouse, 12, with a one-pound, two-ounce fish.

As the family-oriented event was winding down, “Griff” thanked Avedisian and Solomon for coming to help with the awards and luncheon. He also issued a “shout out”, as the fun-loving derby organizer is known, “to my wife Diane Williams who really helped make today special, too!”