Although Memorial Day Weekend is known for millions of people hitting the road out of town, it’s typically the weekend when people love to hit the water as it marks the first official weekend of summer.
Lake Eufaula is one of the destinations that attracts a large crowd of Wiregrass and even Georgia boaters during the three-day weekend
“I’m from Tifton, Georgia and it’s my first visit to Lake Eufaula we heard about the great fishing out here and we wanted to see how that went,” Shaun Amy said.
While most boaters will celebrate Memorial Day weekend by riding the lake to soak up the sun or fish as a hobby, for Amy he spends his memorial day weekend fishing for a much different reason.
He’s a disabled combat veteran who served over 20 years in the Army and Airforce. Fishing for crappies on Memorial Day weekend is a coping mechanism for him as he battles PTSD.
“I lost 21 guys over the years to be exact it’s a day I usually struggle with I do everything in my power to occupy my mind and time, so I don’t dwell on it as much but it’s usually in the evening I face that,” He said.
Amy said the past few days at the lake have been windy and the water has been muddy due to the rain making it a little harder to fish, but he says it’s not stopping the people from coming out.
“There are a lot of boats out there today jet skis I have seen like more pleasant craft as opposed to fishing craft,” He said.
He expects the crowd to get bigger over the next few days.
Another attraction to see a large crowd on Memorial Day weekend is much closer to home — Dothan’s Most Exciting Beach Waterworld.
“Everybody just graduated high school and wanna take small vacations so we know this weekend will be very high,” said Robert Talliferro, WaterWorld Assistant Manager.
Waterworld opened at the beginning of the month and has been averaging 1500 to 2500 people a day on the weekends.
“The weather has been great, it’s a family atmosphere the city of Dothan has brought a lot of infrastructure to the park and city,” He said.
If the lake or water park is not in the plans, the city recreation pools will begin their summer schedule this weekend.