The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers is encouraging youth and their families to join them on Saturday, June 7 for the 20th annual Kids Catfish Rodeo at a pond located on the Lowndes County Wildlife Management Area in White Hall.

The catfish rodeo is free to children 15-and-under and will start at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 11 a.m.

“We are trying to give back to the community. A lot of times kids don’t get a chance to go fishing or know how to bait a hook,” John Williams, a park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said. “We try to get the parents involved and bring the children out and make sure they know how to throw their reels and how to take a fish off the hook when they catch one. It is basically a learning experience for some of the kids who do not know how to fish.”

Youth must be accompanied by a parent in order to participate and are asked to bring their own fishing pole and bait. The children are able to keep the fish they catch.

Williams said last year around 135 youth participated in the rodeo and he expects around that number to participate again.

For more information, call 872-9554.