HARPERS FERRY — For some, fishing is sport — a competition that only gains meaning with results. How many fish did you catch and did you catch more fish than those around you?

For others, it’s a conduit for relaxation. Being out on the water, pole in hand, the serenity of the nature surrounding you. The catch is no more important than the experience. A peaceful afternoon has more weight in success than any number could provide.

For kids of military personnel this weekend, on the banks of the Shenandoah River, maybe the sport will mean all of those things; maybe they’ll mean something else entirely. Whatever the results are, however, they will come via a program hosted by the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, which is part of a team of organizations offering the event.

“It’s such a wonderful opportunity to get the youth into outdoor recreational activities,” explained Leah Taber, public affairs specialist for the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. “These parks are theirs to enjoy, and what better way to enjoy them than to do it with military families who give so much back to us.”

The event will kick off a year of programming aimed at bringing military families to fish at national parks across the country. In addition to the Harpers Ferry NHP, Our Military Kids, Trout Unlimited, KBP Foods and the National Park Trust will partner to hold the event.

According to Taber, it’s the latter of those organizations that initially approached Harpers Ferry to be the pilot park for the program. The ball began to roll when the National Park Trust received funds from the National Park Service for the program to get off the ground.

In addition to the fishing experience, which is slated for 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, the kids and their families will receive an Interagency Military Pass to national parks and public lands across the country. While the pass typically costs the average civilian $80, it is free to active duty military as well as veterans and Gold Star families.

While this event is in conjunction with other organizations, Taber noted that the Harpers Ferry staff is getting ready to kick off its season of programming in earnest by offering a ranger program on weekends in April. She said they are also looking to National Park Week, which lands April 16-24, to launch some initiatives.

As for this weekend, though, she relayed her excitement for the event by joking that she’s “just enough of a fisher-person to be dangerous.”

“I don’t get to do it as much as I should or would like to,” she said about getting out on the water, “but any chance to get out of the office, I’ll take it. To me, fishing is one of those activities that I think of as a challenge — can I outsmart the fish to catch them?

She continued: “This is a chance for the kids to see just how much a space like a national park has to offer. It’s not just a space for history and hiking. It’s a place for multiple opportunities to be outdoors and be active outdoors. Fishing is one more way to do that. The main point with fishing is you have to have a little bit of patience. It might not happen right away, but it doesn’t mean you should give up hope because there’s always hope there. Hold on to the hope. We want to help the kids claim these parks as theirs because that’s what they are — they’re the next generation that will help us take care of these parks.”

For more on the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, visit www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm.