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ROCKY POINT PARK — Special Day on West Point Lake has a way of becoming a bit more special with each passing year. The 45th one took place on Thursday at Rocky Point Park, and more than 1,000 people were there.

If Rocky Point were a town, it would have been the fourth largest city in Troup County, behind only LaGrange, West Point and Hogansville. It would have been fifth largest in Chambers County, ranking behind Valley, Lanett, LaFayette and Huguley.

Special Day is a huge get together for the west Georgia-east Alabama region’s children with intellectual disabilities and senior center participants, some of whom are coping with physical disabilities.

Children and seniors look forward to this day all year long. Thursday’s weather could not have been better. It was quite a contrast to the previous Thursday, when Hurricane Helene was drenching most of Georgia with heavy rain.

“We are lucky enough to call this beautiful natural resource our office,” said Park Ranger Mike Linville, who played a key role in organizing this year’s Special Day. “It’s always a super day not just for those who are coming out, but also for the West Point Project Office staff, sponsors and volunteers who are helping out today. It’s a very enjoyable day for us all.”

Present were clients from Valley Haven School, special needs children and their teachers from local schools in the two-state area. Also present in large numbers were participants in local senior center and active life programs.

The fun for the day got under way at 9:30 a.m. EDT with a welcome from WP Project Operations Manager Jay Jamison, followed by the National Anthem performed by Park Ranger Jeff Mau. People then began flocking to the boat ramp area and lining up to take rides on Miss Sally or on several pontoon boats that were there. Volunteers made sure everyone was wearing a life jacket before they boarded a boat.

Miss Sally is widely known as the floating classroom for Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Boat Captain Jim West took riders on a wide loop around Holiday Park and into the main river channel before taking them back to the dock. A ride on Miss Sally is exhilarating on a crisp fall day, and groups of 30 riders at a time got to experience it. The four pontoon boat that were there could handle up to 10 passengers at a time, but those boats could skim across the water even faster than Miss Sally.

Back on solid earth, the attendees then took a short walk to a petting zoo being run by staff members of Wild Animal Safari. Katie Grogan was showing a two-year-old bald python and Alicia Masdon a Safari Euromastyx spiny-tail lizard named Smeagol. Masdon told people coming by that the lizard was a desert species with a flat body that can deflect heat. It has tiny spikes on its tail, and whenever it feels threatened by a predator it can whip that tail at them.

The python is still a baby. When it’s an adult in several years it can be up to ten feet in length.

Lanett Senior Center Manager Sandra Thornton was among those brave enough to hold the snake.

“I was amazed at how its skin felt,” she said. “It felt like high-quality leather.”

Other exotic animals in the petting zoo we’re cockatiel named Tweet, a red fronted macaw named Marvin and a hedgehog named Marshmallow.

A couple of mascots were popular attractions around the pavilion. Everyone wanted to have their picture taken with West Point Lake’s beloved Bobber the Water Safety Dog and Publix’s lovable Plato the Publixsaurus.

Kids 0f all ages loved getting temporary tattoos at a booth near the pavilion. Susan Cromer, Angie Breland and Karlee Hadaway took care of that for them while handing out free Mardi Gras-style beads. J&J Affordable Jumpers had a bouncy house there for the kids.

Special Day sponsors Publix Super Markets and Coca-Cola provided food and drinks for lunch. Some live entertainment during lunch was provided by Reed Jackson.

Other sponsors included Wild Animal Safari, Highland Pines Resort & Marina, Jackson Heating & Air, Synovus, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and the Alabama Forestry Commission.