JEFFERSON, Texas — It was sunny and gorgeous at Lake O’ the Pines - the perfect weather for fishing and shopping at the annual bass fishing event Big Bass Bonanza along with big bubbles.
Julie Wagstaff is the owner of Uncle Bubba’s Bigaz Bubblez. Through handcrafted bubble wands, her customers can create mega bubbles of epic proportions.
She never expected her local business to take off.
"When we first started out I thought it was going to be more for the kids and we found out very quickly they love it," Wagstaff said. "But they're more into chasing the bubbles and popping the bubbles."
What surprised her is how much adults loved it too.
"We're finding that adults of all ages all the way up into senior citizens wanting to purchase the bubble solutions and the wands and hoops, and they're enjoying it just themselves," Wagstaff said.
The Big Bass Bonanza really is big with multiple vendors from funnel cakes to nail polish strips.
It’s a sign that the surrounding community is moving in the right direction recovering from last March’s tornado.
"It's absolutely amazing, the people that I have met and the people that I've been able to connect with in the community," Tammie Wilson, owner of Thunder Mountain Creations, said. "Just to see how the community comes together and does these kinds of events and things has been amazing."
The tournament director agreed with Wilson's description of the event, noting the almost 1,200 fishing entries to the close-knit support of those impacted by that storm.
"We stick together and people always pull together when something like that unfortunately happens," Harlen the Sportsguy, tournament director of Big Bass Bonanza, said. "We all band together and help our neighbors out and I think you've seen that out here at the lake."
So whether you were just looking to fish, get some food or make big bubbles, Big Bass Bonanza is an annual event fit for the whole family.
"We were just kind of blown away at how beautiful the lake is and all the little recreational areas and park areas" Wagstaff said. "I think this could actually become a place, even though we live a little distance from here, that's going to become a weekend place for us."
This weekend marked the bonanza’s 20th year and they plan to continue every year to follow.