Fishing Tournament to Benefit Fund Named for Fallen Solider Shawn Farrell

This weekend it's time to go fishing or as the TV commercial says "Fish On", for a great cause.

It's the 2nd annual Bad Bass Fishing Tournament that will honor the memory of U.S. Army Sgt. Shawn M. Farrell. The tournament will help raise money for a scholarship awarded in the fallen soldier’s name.

According to the Daily Freeman, The Sgt. Shawn Farrell Memorial Scholarship Fund is a fund that was set up to award scholarships to veterans attending SUNY New Paltz and Ulster County Community College, as well as graduates of UCCC. The fund has already given a $500 award to Onteora High School graduate Andrew Keaveny, who is entering the Army and has two brothers in the military.

The tournament will be held at the Marbletown Park on Tongore Road. You can register the day of the event, between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. The cost is $40 per angler over the age of 16, and $15 for younger anglers. There will also be a pig roast and barbecue that will cost $15 for adults and $7.50 for children 6 to 11. The barbecue is free for children under 6.

SGT. Farrell graduated from Roundout Valley High School in 2008 and entered active duty. Sadly, SGT. Farrell was killed in action on April 28, 2014, when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire in the Nejrab District of Kapisa Province, Afghanistan. He was 24.