Fishing derby, construction at Rend Lake

BENTON — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) at Rend Lake has a couple of events to kick off this week. They include a kid’s fishing derby and construction along the dam road.

Rend Lake hosts kid’s fishing derby

USACE Rend Lake and the University of Illinois Extension’s 4-H program are partnering to host a free kid’s fishing derby. The event will be Tuesday, June 20 at the Dam West Recreation Area across from the Visitor Center.

The event will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Children under the age of five and first-time fishers can learn fishing basics prior to the derby at the Visitor Center. The training will be held at the Catfish Cove Pond.

Expect road closures on the dam road

No pun intended — the dam road will be closing for two days for routine maintenance and inspection of the dam at Rend Lake.

There will be no traffic through the area between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21. The closure will resume on Thursday, June 22 during the same timeframe.

Motorists will be able to access the South Marcum Recreation Area, Spillway Recreation, and the Dedication Lot on the east side on the dam. They will be accessible via the Mine 24 road.

Additional information about the fishing derby and the upcoming dam road closure is available by calling the Project Office. You can call them at (618) 724-2493 or via their Facebook page.