Phillip John Campbell, the second Phil Campbell to visit from Canada, was officially recognized during the opening ceremony of the Phil Campbell Festival June 21. Mayor Michael McQuary greeted him and made him an honorary citizen. He lives in Belleville, Ontario.

Phil Campbell councilman Phillip King said a highlight of the visit for him was discovering similarities and differences. “I enjoyed meeting Phil and talking with him and learning things about his town and lifestyle, work and hobbies. He fishes for walleye fish, and it’s a total different fish than what the anglers here fish for which is more commonly known as the largemouth bass; however, their food is very similar, and some of their favorites are vegetables and beef.”

“It is exciting for our town to keep getting the Phil Campbells,” King said. “We certainly welcome Phil to visit with us anytime, and it was great he got to visit us on the first day of our festival this year. We appreciate the folks who took the time to meet and greet Phil and make him a honorary citizen of Phil Campbell. We hope to keep adding more Phil Campbells to our signs in the park, and we also want to thank each and every person who came to our festival. It grows each year in attendance and in vendors.”