Retiring legislators honored at annual sportsmen's club banquet.

• Position: Sports

Every year, the Worcester County League of Sportsmen's Club's banquet is like Oscar night. Everybody who's somebody in the sportsmen's world attends. If Joan Rivers fished and hunted, she'd have been there, critiquing everyone's dress.

Rivers definitely would have highlighted the big stars of the evening -- retiring legislators, state Sen. Stephen Brewer and state Rep. George Peterson. The latter was the affectionate butt of jokes about his baldness.

Brewer and others spoke about Peterson letting his hair down during the evening in a farewell address -- and Peterson obliged. He won everyone over again with his smile, wit, statements of appreciation for his beautiful bride's tolerance, and the importance of his time in the Boy Scouts for much of the inspiration that led him to a position of leadership in government and the outdoors. He was smashingly entertaining and almost as humorous as Spencer's state Rep. Anne Gobi, who delights the sportsmen every year with her wit and ready laughter. The league much appreciates the support of these legislators who understand the importance of the sportsmen's tradition in preserving our wild land and wildlife for all segments of our population.

Also on the celebratory red carpet were Worcester County League president Ron Amidon accepting the Sportsman of the Year Award from Dave Morin; Rosemary Charron accepting the Youth Mentor Award from John O'Leary; Mark Lewandowski receiving the Words of Wisdom Award from Keith Cutler; Rep. Kim Ferguson receiving the Legislator of the Year Award from Jim Berube; Eben Rossbach receiving the Land Owner of the Year Award from Joe Afonso; and Ed Foley being inducted into the Worcester County League Hall of Fame by Mel Crouse.

Also in attendance strongly supporting sportsmen's issues were Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelides and state Sen. Michael Moore. It's important to know who's in our corner fighting for us. Moore was named Massachusetts Sportsmen's Council's Senator of the Year for his support of legal gun rights, hunters and outdoorsmen. Moore is following in the footsteps of highly supportive retiring legislators Brewer and Peterson. Council president Michael Moss presented Moore the award.

The importance of sportsmen and naturalists forming a progressively stronger coalition for wildlife and wild land issues was highlighted by the presence of Martha Gauch from the Massachusetts Audubon Society and Mary Griffin, commissioner of the Department of Fish and...