SARDIS LAKE, Miss. — Labor Day is the last official holiday of summer, and those who aren’t hitting the grill are hitting the water.
It was a sweltering Labor Day, but a lot of folks found the best way to beat the heat by going to Sardis Lake.
“I got my boat, one of my friend’s got his boat and we got another guy who’s got his pontoon boat,” New Albany resident Matt Neal said. “We’re just going to ski and tub and do a little wakeboard, just have a good time.”
Neal and his friends shared the lake Monday with an assortment of boats and jet skis. But before the fun starts, Neal is very strict about one certain safety rule.
“Everybody in the boat’s got to have a life jacket, and have it on,” he said.
Mike Salazar couldn’t wait to get behind the controls of his jet ski and make some waves. Salazar is a Southaven business owner who decided to treat his employees to a fun Labor Day outing, but he said he knows there is plenty of danger.
“I’m watching out for other boaters,” he said. “Whether we want to believe it our not, there’s people out here that are drinking. And they are drinking past their limits. So I just try to play it safe and watch out for other boaters.”
Park rangers spent the long holiday weekend patrolling the lake and making sure people were wearing life jackets and being safe on the water. But not everyone at Sardis spent their time on the lake this Labor Day.
Decatur resident Judy Linton and her family are celebrating her birthday, which just happens to be Sept. 7.
“Once every seven years, my birthday is a national holiday — Labor Day,” she said.
Park rangers at Sardis said, so far, the holiday has gone smoothly.