A long-standing family tradition is planned this Saturday in Santa Monica, hosted by the Santa Monica Junior Chamber of Commerce, a local non-profit organization dedicated to the development of individual leadership skills through community service.
The 48th annual Huck Finn Day, a long-standing event for area children and their families, will be held on Saturday, June 14 at Reed Park, located at Lincoln and Wilshire boulevards.
“Over the past half-century, Huck Finn Day has become a highly-popular Santa Monica tradition that children and their families anxiously look forward to and immensely enjoy year after year,” said Bob Cornish, president of the Santa Monica Jaycees. “The storied success and attraction of this distinctive event stem from the one-of-a-kind experience that children garner from reliving the days of Mark Twain’s yesteryear. From trout fishing to pie eating to three-legged races, Huck Finn Day is all about providing Santa Monica kids with exposure to and appreciation for one of America’s most prolific and accomplished authors.”
Scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., the fun-filled affair will showcase local youths, ages 12 and under, fishing for live rainbow trout with bamboo poles. Families and volunteers also will enjoy pie eating contests, three-legged races, caricature drawing, face painting, interactive games and other children-oriented attractions. In addition, representatives of the Jaycees will provide fingerprinting and other identification services to children.
Individuals interested in attending Huck Finn Day, or obtaining additional information about the event, should contact event director John Kanan at (310) 766-2678, or by e-mail at
Founded in 1932, the Santa Monica Jaycees currently has more than 100 active members and is one of the top-ranked chapters in the country, based on excellence in community service.
The Jaycees has approximately 85,000 members nationwide, and over 2 million members in 8,000 chapters and more than 123 nations and territories, around the world.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 10, 2003. Read the original PDF.