Big Day at the Lake 18 / Nichie Cole photo

July 18. By Dave Yochum. Fifty-four Boat Hosts; 94 Littles and 94 Bigs; 75 volunteers; 500 pounds of ice; 500 hot dogs; 250 hamburgers; 600 chicken tenders; one misting tent (it was hot); and many tubs of ice cream helped make for a cool Big Day at the Lake on Saturday.

It started with the early-morning Blessing of the Fleet, followed by boating, swimming and tubing on Lake Norman, then a picnic for more than 400 at the Energy Explorium at McGuire Nuclear Station.

Big Day at the Lake 18 / Nichie Cole photo

All for kids

Virtually every aspect of this daylong event is cost-free to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas, thanks to a variety of donations from local restaurants.

—In addition, the NC Legislature and Mayor Woody Washam proclaimed July 16 as Big Day at the Lake.

$125,000+ raised

Big Day at the Lake also raises money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas. This years total: $125,000. For a list of sponsors, click here.

The concept is simple. Most of the children have never had the opportunity to go to Lake Norman to boat, swim or fish. Through Big Day at the Lake, Lake Norman families serve as “Boat Hosts” and take the “Bigs and Littles” out for a morning of Lake activities.

Each child comes with a built-in chaperone—his or her “Big.”

Big Day at the Lake 18 / Nichie Cole photo

There were Boat Hosts from Sherrills Ford to Huntersville, with the majority from Cornelius.

Big Day at the Lake brings people together who wouldn’t otherwise come together—a societal positive in the Charlotte region which gets low marks in the ability of those born in or near poverty to move up the socio-economic ladder.

Big Day at the Lake 18 / Nichie Cole photo

Big Day at the Lake 18 / Nichie Cole photo

Big Day at the Lake 18 / Nichie Cole photo