They’re laughing and smiling, singing and talking, moving and dancing - although some can’t talk, some can’t walk, some can’t see and some can’t hear. And none of them seem to mind.
Thursday was the 32nd annual “Special Day for Special People” at the lake. Since 1978, the Army Corps of Engineers has planned and put on the event for thousands of people with disabilities on the first Thursday in October.
From petting zoos to inflatable party rooms, more than 50 volunteers and 600 people from schools and centers across Troup, Heard and Muscogee counties and other parts of Georgia and Alabama found a good time at the event.
Even with the tight economy and further tightened school system budgets, buses and shuttles piled into the recreation area’s parking lot, with some guests traveling many miles to participate.
“I’ve been told by a lot of different groups that this is the only event they go to the whole year because it’s safe, … it’s very well organized and they live for this event all year,” said David Barr, spokesman for the corps. “It’s like Christmas for them.”
Near the petting zoo, a young girl from Hollis Hand Elementary School in LaGrange grabbed Barr’s hand, leading him around from donkeys to white-crested black Polish chickens.
She’d point at the animals and make a slight sound because she couldn’t speak.
She grabbed another man’s hand and led him around as well, as the three went from animal to animal and back again.
“She knows how to pick up guys,” her caregiver said laughingly.
At the front of the line for a pontoon boat ride, a young man from the Auburn University Autism Center in Auburn, Ala., with an orange life jacket around his neck and a captain’s hat on his head was ready to ride.
The previous boat was full, and he had to wait for the next one, all the while about to burst from anticipation.
“He just loves boats and ships,” his caregiver said in an English accent.
It’s the interaction that the park rangers look to encourage, Barr said. Whether moving and shaking to the sounds of “Brown-Eyed Girl,” petting an animal for therapy or feeling the wind whip at the face on a boat at times, the event has provided exactly the breakthrough needed.
“Over the years, (I’ve gotten) e-mails from teachers later that tell me they have some kids that for years they’ve not been able to break through the shell, and they come here and they just open up,” he said. “It’s great. That’s the whole reason behind this event - to give back to people.”
Although the lake was hit hard recently with flood waters from north Georgia and rains of their own, Rocky Point was clean, clear and ready for action. Pieces of debris couldn’t be seen from where the boat rides took place or on the beach near the picnic area.
There was help coordinating the event from sponsors who provided the hamburger plates, drinks, snow cones, cotton candy, trolley rides, an inflatable party room, petting zoo and pontoon boats for the lake outings.
There were performances by the Long Cane Middle School chorus; the Springwood School cheerleaders from Lanett, Ala.; Clay Butler on guitar; and Trooper First Class George Cotton of the Georgia State Patrol as emcee Dance-A-Lot providing music.
“It’s just amazing when I call these folks, and they say, ‘I’ve already got it on my calendar. We’re gonna be there,’ ” Barr said. “The economy is struggling, and these people are giving of their time, their money, their resources to help support this event. It’s great.”
Next year, the corps will celebrate the 33rd annual Special Day. More people will show for food and fun, new students will join in the festivities, and, perhaps, another group will have a breakthrough.
Barr said: “It kind of gets us out of our normal routine and puts us out here doing what we enjoy doing - helping people.”
Trey Wood can be reached at twood@lagrangenews. com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.
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