On the Hook

It is not clear from the rules if entry into the Fredericksburg, Va., Free-Lance Star outdoor columnist Ken Perrotte's 12th Annual Take Dad Fishing for Father's Day Contest requires that the son or daughter be the one who initiated the idea for the holiday outing. All it requires is that the child, aged 5-9 or 10-13 write about 250 words (or less) in their own handwriting about why this seems like a great idea.

So, if contests are your thing and you are in, near or have always wanted to see at least a few of the great fishing holes near Fredericksburg for The Holiday, get your child cracking.

If fishing isn't your thing and you're still feeling a bit Anglish, another competition has started up in Lincolnshire. Gerry Burks, 74, and Dennis Ealam, 76, have both laid claim to the title of Britain's oldest new father. Burks got out to a fast start, but Ealam caught and passed him relatively easily. However, there is still time (admittedly not as much as their children might like) for others to start their own engines.