Community pours love into 44th 'Special Day for Special People' at Marion Moose Lodge

The smell of barbecue, speakers blasting dance music, and excited waves and smiles coming from a hay ride as it passes through, fill the senses of those at Marion’s Moose Lodge on the second Tuesday of every August, a highly anticipated day each year for many.

For 44 years, the lodge has hosted ‘Special Day for Special People’ to provide entertainment, food, and fellowship for those with special needs and their families. This year, Administrator Sheila Yelton said the lodge received 1,103 responses from guests planning to attend.

Volunteers have come from as far as Florida, Yelton said. And preparing for the event is time-consuming, but many community members are happy to devote their time to the cause. Glen Alpine Alderman Reid Scott and his wife, Patsy, have been volunteering for about 25 years, he said.

“If you ever go, you’ll never forget,” Scott said, about the event and how rewarding it is for both the guests and volunteers.

Yelton got involved as administrator and has been volunteering for several years, adding that there’s always something to do to help out. From taking out trash to working the DJ booth, anyone can be a part of the special day.

To sum up the essence of the event, Yelton said, it feels like one big birthday party. “It’s just very heartwarming, and once you’ve ever been involved with one event, you’re hooked,” she said, adding that this year there were at least 100 volunteers.

“The little ‘thank yous’ and the smiles that they have, they’re just so excited over it,” Yelton said, “and when the DJ gets going, they’re out there dancing, some of them never stop.”

Planning for the event starts early with several Moose Lodge fundraisers throughout the year. Each year, the activities vary depending on which volunteers are involved and what they can offer. One year, the main attraction was horseback riding; this year, it was the hayride. Yelton said guests also look forward to favorites like bingo and dancing to the DJ’s music.

Free T-shirts, prizes, face painting, a meal, and plenty of refreshments — including freezer pops, watermelon, popcorn, cotton candy, and coolers filled with drinks — were available for guests as well.

Al Reel, who was previously the administrator at the Marion Moose Lodge for almost 29 years, now works for Moose International, overseeing 27 lodges, but Marion is still his home lodge. He said the event continues to grow year after year since it began.

The event was started by a member of the lodge who had a son with special needs, Reel said. The event takes place on the second Tuesday because, when it began decades ago, the school year started earlier and local Boy Scout troops were available to volunteer.

All of the money to host the event, Reel said, is raised in-house at the lodge by members. “We have three core items. The moose takes care of the youth, the seniors, and the community. That’s what we do as a fraternity,” Reel said.