Health tips, free fishing and much more on offer at this Crawford County event

Crawford County will play host to a big family-focused event that seeks to not only provide the county with opportunities, but honor the death of a young boy who loved his home region.

The “Family Fun Day and Fishing Jamboree,” set to take place Aug. 16 in Roberta at Camp Grace, offering a chance for families to enjoy child-friendly activities and health services. It is open to the public and free. It will start at 8 a.m. and end at 6 p.m. Children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian throughout the day. The first 200 children between the ages of 5 and 18 years old will receive a free rod and reel combo in exchange for bringing two canned food items. The canned food items will be donated to a local food bank and shelter program.

On the 455-acre camping facility, attendees will get to take part in free fishing, swimming in a resort-size pool, ziplining, wall climbing, horseback riding, and bounce houses for younger children. Free food will be provided.

“The more experiences you can give these kids, the more it opens their minds and their hearts to the fact that there’s more out there than just (their) neighborhood,” said Pastor Dave Pridemore, the founder of Camp Grace.

Since starting in 2005, Camp Grace has provided an experience for over 20,000 underserved kids around the country who wouldn’t be able to afford camp otherwise, Pridemore said. He estimates he had only about 35 kids this summer from Crawford County, and says most people in the county don’t know the camp exists.

He is looking forward to this event to spread awareness of Camp Grace as a resource for low-income families in the county. When first looking for places to start Camp Grace, Pridemore ran into some resistance from possible neighbors until he got to Crawford County.

“I came to Crawford County, and they opened their arms to me and said, ‘We are so glad you’re here.’ I thought this may be the only county in Georgia that would do this and so because of that, you know, I’ve spent, you know, $25 million building this place,” Pridemore said.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division is co-hosting the event with Camp Grace, which is under the umbrella of the nonprofit Vision Atlanta Inc. Scott Robinson, chief of the fisheries management section for the GDNR, said they were able to stock over 1,000 catfish over the past year and a half in preparation for this event.

In addition to stocking the lake, they will also provide equipment and a staff member to help educate attendees on fishing. While fishing is an important part of the economy that brings in billions of dollars, it is more about bringing people together, according to Robinson, which is what he is most looking forward to about the event.

“It’s about the time outdoors with family and friends and being able to enjoy nature and learn more about the great aquatic resources we have in some of those more rural counties, like Crawford County, which has some amazing natural resources,” Robinson said. “And for people to be able to get out and enjoy that, possibly get a healthy meal or two from the fish they catch, and learn about all the great natural resources we have here in the state.”

Health services will also be offered from a sponsor of the event, Atrium Health in Macon. Atrium Health will bring its mobile mammography program to do breast cancer screenings at the event. Mobile screenings are meant to help rural communities such as Crawford County, which have fewer opportunities to go to health care facilities, said Latasha Hill, Atrium Health Mobile Mammography program manager.

For these no-cost screenings, attendees must bring their state license or identification card as well as their insurance card.

“For women that are uninsured or under insured, we do have grant funds that are available to cover their mammogram, so we don’t want that to deter them from not coming to get a mammogram that day,” Hill said.

Atrium will also provide information on the importance of early cancer detection and other health topics.

Dental services such as cleanings, fillings and extractions will also be provided.

There will be something that appeals to all ages at the event, Santura Pegram, the organizer of the event, said.

“A combination of a picnic, a festival, a mini health fair, and a family reunion all rolled into one. That’s basically what it is, in a nutshell,” Pegram said.

A free raffle drawing will take place with items donated by several different sponsors, and a few lucky attendees could leave with several items including camping and grilling products, home appliances, gift cards, and/or a couple of ATV/4- wheelers.

If attending the event, be sure to bring a fishing pole and cooler or bucket to carry the fish home to clean and cook. Come dressed and prepared to enjoy the outdoors, and it is advised to bring a towel, swimsuit, and flip flops if planning to swim.

The man behind the plan

The story behind the event traces back to a little boy named DaKodah Searcy, who was, as Pegram referenced him, the “ambassador of Crawford County.”

Pegram, who is involved in altruistic projects, crossed paths with Searcy because he had heard Searcy’s story. Searcy was fighting an aggressive form of brain cancer, but regardless, he always found a way to talk fondly about his hometown in Crawford County, Pegram said.

The mission at first was to create a miniature man cave for Searcy as an addition to his grandmother’s house, who was Searcy’s legal guardian at the time. However, Searcy died of cancer when he was 8.

Pegram sees the Family Fun Day and Fishing Jamboree as a way to complete his mission after Searcy’s death. Pegram said he wanted to do an event like this because of Searcy’s love for his community.

As Pegram researched more about Crawford county, he discovered how much the community was in need. He found that Crawford County is considered a “distressed community” and “persistent-poverty county.” According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Crawford County, Georgia is one of 76 counties nationwide without a single grocery store.” Furthermore, Crawford County does not have one local hospital, dental clinic, or locally based EMS service Pegram found in his research.

Pegram is hopeful this event will help bring more opportunities to the county.

“I’m hopeful that more service providers and businesses will begin to take interest in Crawford County and see a need to come there and grow that community in different types of ways. You know, because there’s so many opportunities there, it literally is a virgin territory in terms of infrastructure and development,” Pegram said.

Pegram has been preparing over a year in advance for this event by gathering community sponsors and acquiring partnerships. He is looking forward to how it will inspire the residents of Searcy’s beloved county.

“I’m just going to enjoy seeing the smile on little kids’ faces, as well as their parents. You know, I want to see them come together and really enjoy themselves because, you know, it’s hard. It’s hard out there right now,” Pegram said. “In the world, you know, with all the political chaos and confusion going on, so when you can do something for people to take their mind off of what their struggles are – it’s a win, win for everybody.”

This story was originally published August 7, 2025 at 6:00 AM.