Fishing rodeo for special-needs individuals planned this weekend

The City of Madison and the Madison City Disability Advocacy Board are sponsoring the Special Needs Fishing Rodeo. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON — Get ready to bait those hooks. The city will sponsor a Special Needs Fishing Rodeo on June 8 at Dublin Park.

Participants must pre-register. Space will be limited to the first 50 people that pre-register. The event is free, and all ages are welcome to fish.

The City of Madison Parks and Recreation Department and the Madison City Disability Advocacy Board are sponsoring the event.

Anglers will check in from 10 to 10:20 a.m. Fishing activities will run from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Participants will fish in the pond at the entrance to Dublin Park on Old Madison Pike.

Parents or caregivers must stay at the fishing rodeo. The event is not intended as a ‘drop-off activity.’ A parent or guardian must sing a form for consent and liability release.

Parents and helpers can assist anglers with baiting hooks and hauling in fish. However, participants should stay in control of their cane poles or rod and reel as much as possible. Participants can use a net to land a fish.

No one can enter the water. The fishing is a catch-and-release event.

Parents will receive a card to record details about the catch to turn in at the end of the rodeo. All anglers will receive a certificate of participation. If inclement weather occurs, organizers may cancel the fishing rodeo.

Registration forms are available at the City of Madison website at madisonal.gov and the disability board website at mcdab.org. Registration will be held on a first-come, first-served basis for the final 50 confirmations.

Deadline for pre-registration is June 3. Mail completed forms to Cynthia Allison, 154 Kensington Drive, Madison, AL 35758. Participants will receive a confirmation number.

For more information, email to Claudia Rice at CAVR@knology.net.