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March 26, 2021 - Scholarship Applications Now Being Accepted
The SJBCA's Scholarship Committee has begun accepting applications for our annual scholarship program. Applications must be postmarked by May 3. For more details on this program, as well as the application form and photos of past winners, check out the Scholarship Information section of this website.
March 26, 2021 - Used Soft Plastics Being Collected for Recycling
We're collecting used and unwanted soft plastic lures. They'll be recycled into new lures to be given out at youth fishing events. They can be brought to an SJBCA member meeting or to any of the Association's officers.
February 17, 2021 - Fishermen's Flea Market Postponed (UPDATED 3/17/21)
Due to the COVID-19 situation, our annual Fishermen's Flea Market will not be held on its normal date of the first Saturday in March. We are currently considering holding an outdoor event somewhere in the Millville area in late May or early June. That will be dependent on State regulations at that time. More info to come. It was decided at the March meeting that we would not attempt to host this event in the May/June timeframe. Later, we'll look into possibly holding the event sometime after our Bass Bowl tournament in mid-October or cancel it for the year.
February 17, 2021 - Salem Canal Wins Close Vote for Bass Bowl Location
In the closest Bass Bowl vote ever, Salem Canal won as the location for this year's event in October. In the first round of voting, the Canal and Union Lake each got 4 votes, with three other locations each receiving 3 votes. A second round of voting resulted in a 9 - 9 tie between the Canal and Union. A coin toss was used to pick the final winner, with the other location serving as a back-up.
January 20, 2021 - New Club Joins Association
A new club, Line Stretchers Bass Club, joined the SJBCA at our January member meeting. The club was formed by Bassmaster Elite Pro Greg DiPalma and some of his fishing friends. Welcome to the group guys!
January 20, 2021 - Potential Bass Bowl Locations Nominated
At our January member meeting, club delegates nominated locations for our 2021 Bass Bowl tournament (on October 17). The vote on the official location will be held at the February meeting. The locations nominated are: Lake Hopatcong (NJ), Nockamixon Lake (PA), Pocomoke River (MD), Potomac River (MD), Salem Canal (NJ) and Union Lake (NJ).
November 18, 2020 - Tournament Picks Made at November Meeting
The November member meeting, which was held both in-person & via Zoom, included our annual process for picking dates & locations for open buddy tournaments and club tournaments at NJ Wildlife Management Area lakes. These tournaments and any club schedules submitted on this day will be incorporated into the initial version of our "Conflict List". Any scheduled club tournaments submitted from this point forward cannot conflict with any already included in the Conflict List. We'll be posting the tentative schedule of 2021 open buddy bass tournaments soon.
November 18, 2020 - Another Member Club Joins
At the November member meeting, a new club was voted into the association -- Good Sports Gun Club. They've been hosting perch tournaments for many years and will now be hosting an open buddy bass tournament at Union Lake. Welcome to the group!
| October
20, 2020 - Rod Benders Take
Bass Bowl in 3-Way Photo
Finish Under tougher-than-usual fishing conditions, South Jersey Rod Benders won this year's club-against-club Bass Bowl tournament. Their 25.73 lb total edged out Cumberland County Bassmasters' 25.43 lb total and Barrington Rod & Reel Club's 25.18 lb total. Rounding out the top five were South Jersey Hook This! with 20.67 lbs and Kickin Bass Fishing Club with 13.34 lbs. The lunker winner was 4.96 lbs, caught by Jon Cuccinello of South Jersey Rod Benders. Nine clubs (25 boats) participated in the tournament. Detailed results are posted here . |
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Due to some clubs having difficulty attending the Zoom format member meetings we've been holding lately, we've decided to reduce the meeting attendance requirement for Bass Bowl participation from four to three (including the Bass Bowl pre-tournament meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 14). The clubs listed below are now eligible to participate, assuming they have a representative attend this week's meeting. Anyone with questions about qualification should contact Al Franchetta or Fred Lentz. Clubs that plan to participate should send a list of the names of their six-person team to Al Franchetta as soon as possible. Al will confirm the eligibility of the team members and send them along to tournament director Brian Camp for the drawing of boat numbers.
| Backwoods
Bassers Barrington Rod & Reel Club Bass Blasters Big Bass Fishing Club of Maple Shade Cumberland County Bassmasters Delaware River Fishermen's Assoc. 4th Ward Bass Anglers |
Kickin' Bass Fishing
Club South Jersey Bass Stalkers South Jersey Hawg Hunters South Jersey Kayak Bass Fishing Club South Jersey Hook This! Top Rod Bassmasters USA Bassin |
September 19, 2020 - Bass Bowl Preparations Underway
Preparations have begun for this year's club-against-club bragging rights "Bass Bowl" tournament. This year's location is the North East River in Maryland, launching from Anchor Marine. The date is Sunday, October 18, with tournament times of 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. As of right now, we're probably looking at holding the October 14 pre-tournament meeting via Zoom (8:00 PM start). Clubs that have attended at least four member meetings from January through October of this year qualify to participate. They'll need to send the names of their six-man team members to secretary Al Franchetta prior to the pre-tournament meeting (so that he can check them against club member rosters).
A $15 per boat entry fee will need to be paid to tournament director Brian Camp either in the days prior to the tournament or on the morning of the tournament, before launching. A launch fee of $12 per boat (includes a fee for use of weigh-in facilities) will need to be paid to Anchor on the morning of the tournament. All entrants will need to complete a waiver form prior to launch. Social distancing/face covering procedures will be in effect during the weigh-in and at all other times there is close contact between entrants (other than fishing partners in a boat). Clubs should be on the lookout for an email with tournament details from secretary Al Franchetta.
| July 15, 2020 -
Annual Barbecue Meeting Held Our annual July member meeting with free barbecue was held, albeit under somewhat different conditions than usual. Because the meeting was outdoors we were able to hold it in person (instead of our now-usual Zoom meeting format). Attendees sat spaced apart and word face coverings when near one another. We had our usual spread of burgers & hot dogs along with Rashawn's ribs & Brian's venison sausage, and salads, etc. Both of our scholarship recipients attended with their families. All in all it was a great evening. Thanks to everyone who contributed. Photos from the meeting are posted here. Photos of this year's scholarship winners (and all previous winners) are posted on the Scholarship Winners page. |
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Due to a temporary furlough of State employees, the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife has closed down boat ramps at certain (but not all) Wildlife Management Area lakes until after July 27. The notice and list of affected ramps can be found here.
| June 25, 2020 -
SJBCA Fishing Jackets Presented SJBCA volunteers earn jackets (and hats & shirts) by serving as officers & committee members, and working at SJBCA events. We normally present these awards at member meetings, but haven't been able to hold an in-person meeting in quite a while. Consequently, we went ahead and presented what we call the "second jacket" (fancy heavy duty fishing jacket) to MaryAnne Franchetta. We also awarded "first jackets" (nice wind breakers) to Coty Camp and Dalton Camp. Congratulations to all of them and thank you for supporting the SJBCA. |
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| June 21, 2020 -
Lots of Bass Caught at Annual Open Buddy
Tournament, with photo finish The SJBCA's annual open buddy tournament at Union Lake (aka the Steve Steinmetz Memorial) was held as venues in New Jersey were beginning to reopen in the later stages of the worldwide COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Due to regulations on crowd size we limited the number of boats in the field to 45 and required social distancing & face coverings when appropriate. This year saw a lot of bass weighed in and fierce competition for payouts & plaques. The margin of victory was one one-hundredth of a pound! Gerard Capizzi, fishing solo, took the win with a limit of bass weighing 12.21 lbs. The team of Mike Graham & Bob Dilahey were just behind with a five bass limit for 12.20 lbs. The Brian Keister & Chris Alteri team finished in third place with a limit that weighed 11.58 lbs. Click here for full details and photos. The SJBCA would like to thank all of our sponsors*, the participants and everyone who volunteered to make this fundraiser a successful event. * Franzwa's Marine (Millville), ABS Welding & Electric (Vineland), Sandpiper Motel (N.Wildwood), Vineland Roofing & Limitaker Custom Baits. |
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The SJBCA Scholarship Committee has announced the winners of the two scholarships we're presenting this year. The winners are: Stacey Ngo of Cedar Creek High School and Aidan Coombs of Arthur P. Schalick High School. Congratulations to both of them.
June 13, 2020 - New Sponsor on Board for Father's Day Tourney
New tournament sponsor ABS Welding & Electric of Vineland will allow us to make $40.00 cash payouts to 6th through 10th places at our June 21 fundraiser tournament. This is in addition to our Franzwa's Marine $500.00 1st Place Bonus and our Sandpiper Motel morning largemouth lunker prize & Vineland Roofing morning smallmouth lunker prize. Welcome aboard.
June 10, 2020 - Father's Day Open Buddy Tournament is a GO
We've received approval to proceed with our open buddy tournament at Union Lake on Sunday, June 21. Times are 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Entry fee is $60.00 per boat. Social distancing procedures will be practiced in the parking lot, ramp and weigh-in area (pretty much the same as we've been doing every year). Click here for flyer/entry form.
May 9, 2020 - May Meetings to Be Held Via Zoom
Our May 20 executive board and member meetings will be held via the Zoom tele-conferencing application. Details will be emailed and texted to club delegates. Ideally, attendees will have an electronic device with a self-facing camera, microphone & speaker.
April 5, 2020 - State Advises Against Holding Tournaments
Despite a State ban on fishing tournaments at NJ WMA lakes and NJ State Park lakes until at least the end of April, some groups are apparently still holding tournaments. Tournaments were reportedly held today at Union Lake WMA and at Parvin Lake at Parvin State Park. We were contacted by the State and asked to remind clubs that tournaments are not permitted at those lakes. And, in light of the governor's restriction on group activities of ten persons or more, no tournaments should be held anywhere. The SJBCA doesn't dictate to our clubs how they conduct their club business, but this situation could result in widespread closure of boat ramps to prevent groups from fishing together.
March 27, 2020 - Scholarship Application Deadline Extended
The deadline for submitting applications for our annual college scholarship has been extended until Tuesday, May 26 (previously was May 1). All mailed in applications must be postmarked by that date. Application materials may also be emailed (by that date) to Scholarship Committee chairperson Rashawn Lewis at relewis@comcast.net .
March 22, 2020 - Many Tournaments Cancelled
Due to the coronavirus outbreak and a NJ State executive order prohibiting group activities, bass tournaments are being cancelled or postponed. If you haven't heard whether a particular tournament is cancelled, contact the host club for more details.
March 16, 2020 - WMA & State Park Tournaments Suspended Until April 30
We've been notified by the State that all tournaments scheduled for NJ Wildlife Management Area lakes and NJ State Parks are being suspended until at least April 30. Clubs will need to decide whether they'll be cancelling, postponing or moving their affected events.
March 16, 2020 - Member Meeting Cancelled
The member meeting (and executive board meeting) scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, March 18, have been cancelled due to restrictions related to the coronavirus outbreak.
March 7, 2020 - Fishermen's Flea Market
Despite this year's event occurring during the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak of 2020, we had pretty good attendance and vendor participation. 315 paying customers risked the virus and some very windy & chilly weather to do some tackle shopping. The winners of our two tackle box raffles were: saltwater = Mike Harris; freshwater = Bill Morrison. Photos from the event are posted here. Thanks to all of the vendors, customers and volunteers who made this event a success. (We apologize to everyone for the Elks Lodge food concession people not showing up. We're currently looking into the reason.)
March 7, 2020 - Flea Market Raffle Donors
The SJBCA would like to thank all of the clubs, companies and individuals who donated items towards the two tackle box raffles we held at our Fishermen's Flea Market. Those donors included:
| Backwoods
Bassers Bait 'n Hook Sportsman's Supply Philadelphia Bass Busters Big Bass Fishing Club of Maple Shade Bill Ash Cumberland County Bassmasters Delaware River Fishermen's Association 4th Ward Bass Anglers Gloucester County Bass Club |
Kickin' Bass Fishing
Club Leading Lures Mike Riordan South Jersey Hawg Hunters South Jersey Hook This! South Jersey Kayak Bass Fishing Club Top Rod Bassmasters USA Bassin' Trail |
February 19, 2020 - North East River (MD) Voted as Bass Bowl Site
At our February member meeting, the member clubs voted for the North East River in Maryland as the location for our annual "Bass Bowl" tournament. We will be launching from Anchor Marine in North East. The date of this club-against-club event is October 18. (The date & location are considered tentative until arrangements and permit have been finalized.)
| February
19, 2020 -
Annual Fishing
Awards
Presented Our February member meeting included the annual presentation of award plaques in a variety of categories, including: heaviest lunkers, heaviest bags of fish, best major youth activity, Bass Bowl winning team and Bass Bowl lunker. The winners are listed on our Annual Awards page and photos of the winners are posted on our Award Photos page. |
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Local pro angler Mike Iaconelli's annual Ike Foundation Scholarship Dinner is scheduled this year for Friday, January 31, from 7-11 PM. The location is The Grove at Centerton. Tickets can be purchased for $45 (single), $360 (table of 8) or $450 (table of 10). Tickets include Yards beer, dinner, music, dessert, a 50/50 raffle and auction items donated by their generous sponsors. More details can be found on his foundation's website or Facebook page.
| January
16,
2020 - Greg
DiPalma Speaks
at January 15
Member Meeting Bassmaster Elite angler Greg DiPalma was the featured speaker at our monthly member meeting on Wednesday, January 15, at 8:00 PM. He passed along a lot of specific information on fishing particular local bodies of water. He also provided some helpful information on tournament strategies and attitude. Greg stayed for quite a while, until the attendees had run out of questions. Greg can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/gregdipalmafishing/ . |
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This is a reminder to member clubs that we need tackle donations towards the two tackle box raffles we run at our annual Fishermen's Flea Market (Saturday, March 7). Tackle items can be anything fishing related but need to be new. All donations should be given to Brian Camp or Coty Camp.
December 18, 2019 - Liability Insurance Available for Bass Clubs
The insurance agency that the SJBCA deals with for its liability insurance explained that they can obtain insurance coverage for individual bass clubs also. They said the minimum annual premium would probably be around $650.00, depending on club size, monetary receipts, etc. A club needs to utilize waiver forms for its club activities. Anyone interested in more details can contact Brandi Hallum at 206-535-6332 or brandi.hallum@nfp.com .
December 17, 2019 - Planning Underway for 2020 Fishermen's Flea Market on March 7
Our very popular annual Fishermen's Flea Market will take place on Saturday, March 7 (always the first Saturday in March) at the Millville Elks Lodge. An updated event flyer and vendor registration form have been posted on our Flea Market information page.
October 13, 2019 - DRFA Takes Conowingo Bass Bowl
In another tough Bass Bowl, Delaware River Fishermen's Association took the win with 15.45 lbs. South Jersey Hook This took second with 12.42 lbs. Cumberland County Bassmasters finished in third with 10.81 lbs. Fifteen boats from seven different clubs participated in the event, which was held at Conowingo Reservoir for the first time ever. Click here for detailed results.
September 18, 2019 - Bass Bowl Preparations Being Finalized
This year's club-against-club Bass Bowl will take place on Sunday, October 13, at Conowingo Reservoir in Maryland. Tournament times are 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The launch site will be Glen Cove Marina. As this body of water spans Maryland and Pennsylvania, either state's freshwater license is sufficient (but prohibits fishing up any of the other state's tributaries). Click here for information about Conowingo, including license reciprocity. A pre-tournament meeting will be held at the 4th Ward Bass Anglers clubhouse. Participating teams must send a rep to this meeting with their six-person team member names, entry fee money and ramp fee money. All tournament details will be covered at this meeting.
| August 17, 2019 - Fun Times
at SJ Youth Outdoor Day For the twentieth year (since its inception), the SJBCA co-hosted the South Jersey Youth Outdoor Day in Carney's Point. We had over a dozen volunteers show up to run various activities, including pond fishing, target casting, rod/reel loan-outs, tackle giveaway and a fishing kayak & bass boat display. We also donated three rod/reel combos to be given away as door prizes. Our thanks go out to all of the volunteers who showed up, especially Robert "Smitty" Smith of SJ Kayak Bass Fishing Club who coordinated our activities. Photos from the event will eventually be posted on the event's website at sjyouthoutdoorday.org . |
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The South Jersey Bass Club Association will again be co-hosting the South Jersey Youth Outdoor Day on Saturday, August 17, at the Salem County Sportsmen's Club (Rt 40 in Carney's Point) from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm. This is a free fishing & shooting-sports event for kids 7 to 17. We've been co-hosting this event since its inception in 2000. This year's registration began on July 1 and all of the 200 spots have been filled. We're looking for volunteers to help make this event a success. We need guys to help out with the pond fishing, target casting and SJBCA booth. If you're interested in helping out, please contact Fred Lentz. All volunteers earn a point towards an SJBCA fishing jacket. For more information on this event, check out the event website at sjyouthoutdoorday.org .
| July
17, 2019 - Scholarships
Presented at July
Meeting Although our July member meeting had to be moved to an air-conditioned indoor location due to scorching heat & humidity on this day, a good time was still had by all. We still had our usual barbecued food spread and Rashawn's famous ribs (choice of wet or dry). The meeting also featured a talk by NJ Fish & Wildlife staff member (and our 2008 scholarship recipient) Ryan Risher. In addition, it was our pleasure to have both of this year's scholarship recipients in attendance. Teresa Brostow and Carly Mollins brought along their proud families to help celebrate the occasion. Click here for more photos from the meeting. Click here for photos of all of our scholarship winners through the years. |
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| July
19, 2019 - New Graphics
for SJBCA Trailer Those who attended our annual Union Lake open buddy tournament on June 16 probably noticed something new and improved about our weigh-in trailer. It was recently re-painted and had new bold graphics applied on all four sides. For the graphics, we contracted with graphics designer Laura Graham, who adapted our logo for huge die-cut stickers. We think it looks great. |
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Due to expected extreme heat & humidity, our July member meeting has been relocated from the Thundergust picnic area at Parvin State Park to the normal location of the 4th Ward clubhouse on Richards Road (off of Parvins Mill Road). Start time is still 6:00 PM. We'll be doing scholarship presentations and have a feature speaker.
| June
16, 2019 - DiPalma & Sims Take
Union Lake Tourney Greg DiPalma & Mike Sims won this year's edition of our annual Steve Steinmetz Memorial open buddy bass tournament at Union Lake. They brought in a 14.68 lb five-bass limit that just edged out two other teams. Brian Keister & Kevin Foley came in second with 14.54 lbs and Kevin & Zach Runyon came in third with 14.27 lbs. Kevin & Zach also won the Sandpiper Motel morning largemouth lunker prize and the overall lunker prize. David Snedeker & John Paoline took the Vineland Roofing morning smallmouth lunker prize with a 2.82 lb smallie. Overall, 42 teams participated and weighed in 73 bass for a total of 178.03 lbs. Click here for full results. Thanks to all of the participants, volunteers and sponsors who supported our event. |
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The SJBCA Scholarship Committee has announced the winners of this year's two scholarships. (The SJBCA grants one $500.00 scholarship from its own funds and, in many years, donors come forward with enough more money to fund a second one.) This year's winners are: Carly Mollins of Bordentown High School and Teresa Brostow of MATES (Marine Academy of Technology & Environmental Science). Congratulations to both of them and hopefully they can attend our July meeting so we can meet them and their families/friends in person.
June 6, 2019 - Preparations Being Finalized for June 16 Union Lake Tourney
Details are being finalized for our big annual open buddy bass tournament at Union Lake on Sunday (Father's Day) aka the "Steve Steinmetz Memorial". Anglers are looking forward again to the added $500 winners' bonus courtesy of Franzwa's Marine in Millville. This tournament also features special sponsored awards for the heaviest largemouth & smallmout bass weighed in before 10:00 AM. These awards are sponsored by Sandpiper Motel (North Wildwood) and Vineland Roofing. Remember that the morning registration/check-in and afternoon weigh-in are "drive thru" -- you need to proceed clockwise around the perimeter of the parking lot for both. Also, we can always use more volunteers to ensure the success of this event (contact tournament director Brian Camp). For more details on this tournament, CLICK HERE for the entry form/flyer
| June 6, 2019 - Lake Adoption
Reminder The SJBCA has a program we established in conjunction with the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife's Bureau of Land Management whereby clubs can "adopt" NJ Wildlife Management Area lakes. Those clubs volunteer to perform parking lot & shoreline clean-ups at the lake on two or three dates per year. The club will get a sign posted at the lake recognizing their assistance. The WMA lakes currently under adoption are: Lake Audrey, Rainbow Lake, Oak Pond & Union Lake. For more information on this program contact Fred Lentz. |
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March 2, 2018 - Another Successful Flea Market
Our annual Fishermen's Flea Market was held on March 2 and this year's weather was a lot better than last year's. A full house of vendors showed up and 320+ paying customers passed through the doors. The winners of our two tackle box raffles were: saltwater = Jina; freshwater = Pat. The winner of the nice RiversWest foul weather jacket was John Platt. Photos from the event are posted here. Thanks to all of the vendors, customers and volunteers who made this event a success.
February 20, 2019 - Conowingo Selected for Bass Bowl
By a vote held at the February member meeting, Conowingo Lake in Maryland was chosen at the location for this year's Bass Bowl tournament. The event will be held on Sunday, October 13. More details will be available as we get closer to that date.
February 20, 2019 - Award Presentation Postponed
Due to inclement weather on the date of our February member meeting, attendance was down a bit and most of the Angler Excellence and Bass Bowl award winners did not attend the meeting. It was decided to postpone the presentation until the March meeting.
January 31, 2019 - Fishermen's Flea Market Preparations Underway
Event chairperson Stu Cohen reports that vendor tables are filling up for our annual Fishermen's Flea Market on Saturday, March 2, at the Millville Elks Lodge. Brian & Coty Camp are collecting lure donations towards our freshwater and saltwater tackle box raffles being held at the event. All event details, including event flyer, vendor registration form & directions, can be found on our Flea Market page.
| January 17, 2019 - Plans for
Re-Liming at Lake Audrey NOTE: THIS VOLUNTEER PROJECT HAS BEEN PUT ON HOLD PENDING THE POSSIBILITY THAT A CONTRACTOR WILL BE USED TO DO THE WORK. Retired NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife employee Lee Widjeskog spoke at our January member meeting to explain the plans for re-liming Lake Audrey in Cumberland County. Volunteers will be needed for weekday and weekend efforts to place bags of lime out in the lake. The lime has already been purchased and just needs to be dispersed. Outboard motors may be used by the volunteers who participate. Liming sessions are scheduled for every Sunday morning at 9:00 AM, beginning on February 17. Volunteers available on other days can schedule their own liming sessions. All participants must register as NJDFW Wildlife Conservation Corps volunteers (click here for link to the brief application). |
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January 17, 2019 - Locations Nominated for 2019 Bass Bowl
The members nominated potential locations for this year's Bass Bowl tournament (October 13). The final vote on the location will be held at the February member meeting. The nominated locations are: Pocomoke River, MD; Lake Hopatcong; North East River, MD; Greenwood Lake; Nanticoke River, MD/DE; and Conowingo Lake, MD.
January 6, 2019 - Ike Foundation Dinner Planned for January 25
Mike Iaconelli's "Ike Foundation" has announced that it's annual scholarship fundraising dinner will be held on Friday, January 25 from 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM. Tickets are $45.00 (+ processing fee). For more details, check out Ike's website.
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