By WLOX Bill Snyder

CARRIERE, Miss. (WLOX) -Bass, bremm, catfish and a good time on the pond were what scores of kids had on Tuesday.

The Picayune Rotary Club’s annual special needs fishing rodeo was held at Sharonoak in Carriere. In the past, 75-80 students took part in the event. In 2023, that number has nearly doubled.

“These kids look forward to it every year. This is their favorite thing. I was speaking to one of the teachers, and she said this is all the kids would talk about for the last week or so,” said annual event host Sharon Paternostro. “It doesn’t matter if they catch fish or not. They just want to be out here.”

Paternostro tells us about 10 years ago, she and her late husband were at this event in a different location when they realized they could host it since they have the land and the pond.

“It used to be very small, like only one busload of kids. Now there’s four busloads. Every year it gets bigger, and now, the parents want to come,” she said.

The kids get out of the classroom and into a fun, natural environment.