Having fun and serving others
Maybe it is because it is just “Lake Life,” or maybe five days between an afternoon off is simply too long, but there is no mistake that for about fifteen mid-week afternoons every summer, Sandy Beach looks more like a Saturday afternoon than you would think a Wednesday would, with over one hundred boats beached, anchored, or just floating along on a lazy afternoon. “Wacky Wednesday” has become a “thing” over the last several years, and not only offers an often-needed work-week distraction but also helps raise money for a special organization that looks after foster children.
The whole thing was started by lifelong lake resident and founder of AquaFun Boat Rentals, Ken Jones, who just wanted a mid-week break from life. “We got tired of the weekend hustle and bustle,” Jones said, pointing out that the enormous influx of people to the area can make Saturday and Sunday on the Lake not as alluring to people in his “age group,” referencing the fact that many people who stop by are retired or have a flexible schedule.
It initially was as simple as that – about eight years ago, Jones grabbed some hot dogs and hamburgers, threw a grill on his boat, and told a few friends he was going to go hang out for the afternoon. This simple intimate affair was the norm for the first year, people would float by, stop in, grab a hot dog, and head out with the promise to return the following week.
As the calendar reached May the following year, he decided to keep the tradition alive, with many of the same “regulars” stopping by to enjoy some fellowship. Jones was seeing a trend, however, and thought about how Wacky could become more than a break from life. He reached out to Carolina Wings owner Rob Schoolmeester and asked if he would sponsor the event with some food, which he agreed to do, and he started promoting it, and then what was ten or fifteen weekly visitors continued to grow exponentially.
By year three, other food sponsors like Jimmy John’s wanted to get in on the action, seeing a unique opportunity to promote their businesses, who would bring food, tents, koozies, and other giveaways to an attentive group of hungry boaters.
“It was probably in the fourth year,” recalled Jones, that using Wacky as a vehicle to help raise money for a local charity made sense. He and his wife started a non-profit and partnered with Homeless No More, an organization that seeks to stabilize shelters and house vulnerable families. Jones started asking for small donations from people who stopped by for a snack or a game of corn-hole, and it added up. In fact, during that Wacky season, $10,000 was raised and donated to the organization.
Unfortunately, the pandemic had quite an impact on the world, including the orbit surrounding Wacky Wednesday. “As soon as I had the momentum rolling, COVID-19 hit and tore things down,” he said.
You might recall that although you could go out fishing, you couldn’t tie up to other boats or stop on an island, something that The Department of Natural Resources took seriously. Coming out of that lovely time, he decided to ramp things up a bit, having a DJ come to provide a soundtrack, and even had a certain weather-predicting television host to emcee, and like a field in Iowa, people came.
Jones has always had a passion for the lake, having been on Miss Murray his entire life, recalling that he would catch brim with his grandmother and fry them up together, and of course, there were the days tubing and boating with his dad. “Back then there wasn’t the same traffic, but it has always been a passion. The water, the lake life,” he said. He also works hard to keep the lake clean, being very involved with organizations like Keep the Midlands Beautiful. Over the last of couple years, Wacky Wednesday has grown from ten or so boats each week to a place now where it is not unusual to see one hundred or more boats, which if you do some fancy math, factoring three to four people per boat can mean several hundred people all living the “lake life.”
The group works closely with The DNR and other law enforcement to make sure that Wednesdays offer a safe, family-friendly environment. “DNR is right there,” he said, pointing out that their Marine Unit is literally steps away from the beach. As the weekly tradition continues to grow, so do opportunities to attract more people, and raise more money, through the use of promotion, activities, live performances, and even aircraft flyovers…really!
Last year, the Wacky Wednesday Foundation partnered with Nancy K. Perry Children’s Shelter in Lexington. Founded fifty years ago by the Lexington County Delegation, the group home that caters to foster kids is a stand-alone non-profit that relies on donations to operate. Executive Director Ryan Taylor said that the shelter works hard to create a family environment for children who likely haven’t ever had one…or a safe one. “We eat together, do activities together, we teach them life skills,” he shared. He said that running a home with fourteen teenagers means tons of cereal and meat is devoured, as well as laundry, bedding, and all the other things that take the limited funds. Taylor said that about fifty percent of the funding is through grants, with the rest coming from the community.
So, when Ken reached out wanting to help raise money through Wacky, it was an easy yes. “We impacted his heart somehow,” he said. Taylor said that money raised through events like Wacky goes to the bottom operational line, buying food, clothes, and paying the power bill, but it also helps cover things like vacations and special events for the kids in the program.
Jones said that although it started with people who didn’t have to worry about the regular “workday,” people will often change their schedules so they can attend. “Get there early,” Jones said, “people start getting there around eleven, and it is safe to say space is limited. The 2025 Wacky Wednesday Season kicks off on May 7 at 11:00 am.
If you find yourself free on a Wednesday or fifteen of them this summer and want a fun safe afternoon on the water, all while helping children, hop on a boat – or find friends with a boat, and join the Wackiness!