• Cachuma Lake Trout Derby: The Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake is holding its 17th annual Trout Derby April 14 and 15. Prizes include $5,000 in cash, plus thousands of dollars in merchandise for anglers who reel in the biggest fish. Registration is $40. Children ages 4 to 10 years old are $10. Registration forms are available at the Cachuma Lake Park entry gate, store, marina, Nature Center, and some local businesses. For more information, leave your name and address on the Derby hotline at 693-8381 or visit troutderby.org.
• Santa Maria Valley Packers fundraiser: The semipro Santa Maria Valley Packers baseball team is raising money with a poker event on April 21. Organizers will be giving away a champion’s bracelet and a 40-inch TV to the night’s big winner. A $50 donation secures a buy-in, with re-buys available in the first three rounds. The fundraiser takes place at Bryn Smith’s barn and poker room at 1239 Hwy. 1 in Orcutt beginning with a barbecue at 1:30 p.m. Play starts at 3 p.m., and all proceeds will go to benefit Packers baseball. For more information, call Packers pitching coach Smith at 451-8516.
• Orcutt Trailpaloosa: The Santa Maria Valley Open Space’s first-ever fundraiser and all-day music festival takes place April 2. Festivities kick off at 8 a.m. when the group opens the first multi-use trail system in the Santa Maria Valley at Orcutt Community Park on Bradley Road. The historic occasion will be followed by an all-day local music festival, barbecue and raffle from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Newlove picnic grounds on Orcutt Hill. Local musicians are scheduled to perform. The fundraiser is open to the public and free to attend. The barbecue is $10. For more information, visit Santa Maria Valley Open Space at SMVOS.org. • First Tee of Central Coast: The junior golf-training program for children is holding spring sessions at Blacklake Golf Resort and Sunset Ridge Golf Course. Sessions are available for beginners ages 7 to 10 and advanced children 11 and older. Fees are $100 for each nine-week session and $75 for siblings and children of volunteer coaches. Advanced workshops begin April 13, and regular sessions start April 15 at Blacklake Golf Resort in Nipomo. The classes run until June 10. Sessions at Sunset Ridge Golf Course in Santa Maria run from April 17 to June 12. To register, visit First Tee Central Coast online at tftcc.org. For more information, contact First Tee of Central Coast Program Director Billy Gibbs at 219-0060 or Executive Director Butch Breeden at 637-9415.
• Splash and Dash: The third annual Splash and Dash fundraiser for the Allan Hancock College Athletics Department and Bulldog Rec-ing Club will be held on April 28. The events are a 5k run; a 2-mile walk; a 500-yard swim; or an “aquathon,” a combination of the swim and run. Registration begins at 8 a.m. with events starting at 8:30. There’s a $25 fee for all participants, and proceeds will benefit AHC Athletics. For more information, e-mail splashanddash@hancockcollege.edu. To register, visit active.com.
Sports Shorts is compiled by Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Apr 12-19, 2012.