The Bulloch County Recreation and Parks Department recently hosted its beloved annual Fishing Rodeo for Bulloch County children with special needs. The event was held at the Fletcher Memorial Park pond in Statesboro, Georgia. It was a two-day event which hosted special needs children from various Bulloch County schools. The elementary school children were hosted on Friday, March 31st, and the middle and high school children were hosted on Saturday, April 1st. The rodeo was a complete blast, as it reeled in tangible joy and lasting memories among both children and volunteers.
The fishing rodeo has been going on for more than 50 years.
In its earlier years, it was an annual event for all community members to participate in, and it was historically held at the Yawn Pond House. However, over time, the Bulloch Recreation Department made it into an event exclusively for children with special needs.
All Bulloch County special needs children and classrooms are invited to participate in this annual interactive event. This year, the rodeo brought in 60+ elementary school children and 50+ middle and high school children for a day of inclusive fishing fun.
The rodeo also had countless volunteers from all over Bulloch County show up to participate.
Local Beta Club members showed up early to assist with the set-up for the event. Georgia Southern sororities and Splash in the Boro crew members also helped with the rodeo festivities and clean-up. Additionally, the Bulloch County Recreation maintenance team plays a key role in the success of the rodeo each year. They help with much of the food preparation and various fishing needs.
Each year after the rodeo finishes, trophies are awarded to children for various categories. These include “largest catch,” “smallest catch,” “most fish caught,” and “most unusual catch.” The “most unusual catch” tends to be a fan-favorite category, as many unusual catches end up being peculiar in sight-or-snag!
In previous years, the award has gone to participants who end up catching turtles instead of fish. However, in other years, the award has gone to participants whose shirts get caught on other participants hooks during the “hook, line, and…OOPS” portion of the event.
Any way the unusual catch comes, the Bulloch Recreation Department makes sure that all caught treasures are awarded.
Now, this year’s event was extra special. And that is because it is the first year that the Fishing Rodeo has been back since 2019.
2019 was the last year the fishing rodeo was held, right before the Covid-19 pandemic shook the world. However, the rodeo had always been a beloved event. So, Haylea Hannah, Community Recreation Program Supervisor for the Specialist Program, made it among her top priorities to bring back for the 2023 BCRP event calendar.
Hannah recently graduated from Georgia Southern with a degree in Exercise Science. She began working with the Bulloch County Recreation and Parks department back in December 2022.
“I haven’t been with the Bulloch Recreation Department for long, but I definitely wanted to bring back the Fishing Rodeo because of how much the community loved it,” Hannah said.
Hannah is passionate about giving children with special needs the proper space and attention to grow in inclusive environments. Furthermore, she understands that for wellness practices to be effective among special needs groups, consistency and attention need to be at the forefront of such events. So, by putting this Fishing Rodeo back into the yearly BCRP calendar, the event helps promote the continued wellness of these local children moving forward.
The Bulloch County Recreation and Parks Department would like to thank TC Outdoors sporting goods store for sponsoring this year’s Fishing Rodeo.
They would also like to thank all department personnel and community volunteers who participated in the event this year.
For more information on the Bulloch County Recreation and Parks Department programs, please visit their website at bullochrec.com.