Burleson student Mikell Orr receives a hat balloon from Patches, a Shriner clown. | Clif Knight

MCSO hosts fun day for 1,300 special needs kids, adults

Bull riding, dancing, face painting, calf roping and buggy riding are some of the fun-filled events an estimated 1,000 special needs kids and adults enjoyed at the Fourth Annual Morgan County Special Needs Rodeo on Thursday.

The all-day event, which was made possible by over 300 volunteers, special education teachers and aides and peer tutors, was a feature attraction at the Morgan County Celebration Arena near Priceville.

Participants spent the morning hours taking part in various games and activities including hoop shooting, bull riding, bowling, calf roping and horseback riding. They also were provided balloons, snow cones and bottled water, and everyone received a sack lunch that consisted of a hotdog, chips, cookies and soft drink.

After lunch, a rodeo was performed for the entertainment of everyone. Participants included several local cowboys who were scheduled to compete in the Sheriff’s Rodeo on Friday and Saturday nights.

“This is my best day of the year,” commented Morgan County Sheriff Ana Franklin. “We have perfect weather, a record number of participants and everyone seems to be having fun.”

“When we started the program four years ago, we had no idea it would grow so fast and have this many people participating,” she pointed out. “Of course, we couldn’t do something this big without the wonderful help of our volunteers. They deserve a big “thank you” for all they do.”

“Doing something like this for special needs children and young adults has become a bigger blessing for us than anything we’re doing for them,” she added.