Autauga County Water Festival welcomes Fourth Graders to First Baptist Church of Prattville

By Lacey Michael

Elmore Autauga News

The 2025 Autauga County Water Festival was held with both morning and afternoon sessions, today as 4th graders from Autauga County were invited to participate in this educational event. 

City of Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie joined in on the fun and was happy to shake the hands of the students as they changed classes and made sure they were having a good time.  In a statement to EA News about the festival, Mayor Gillespie said “I just have to say thank you to all of the volunteers that put their heart and soul into this because it is so important.” Gillespie said the annual even was put on pause for the pandemic, but he is happy to see it back.

In anticipation for this year’s festival the students were encouraged to submit a logo design for the chance to win a $50 gift card for both the student and student’s teacher.  The winner would also earn bragging rights having their created logo on each of the student and teacher T-shirts to be worn on the day of the festival.  This year’s winner was Josephine Dettmer and teacher Ms. Prater.

This year’s theme for the festival was Water: Nature’s Hidden Treasure. This free one-day event allows students to participate in activities focused on water. The Water Festival Organizer and County Extension Director Darrue Sharpe shared with EA News that, “We’re able to have this free of charge to the students with grants that we get from various locations and the City of Prattville helps us out a lot. We are so grateful for the sponsorships because that enables us to have this, so the kids don’t have to worry about any covering costs.” 

In addition to the financial help, some of the volunteers that were very much appreciated for the day were the Prattville High School Peer Helpers.  They pitched in and ensured the festival was a success.

The water festival’s goal is to help foster an awareness and reverence for the natural resource, along with the importance of water to all forms of life. This annual event is sure to be enjoyed by students for years to come.

This event was sponsored with the help of the Autauga County Extension, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Autauga County Conservation District, Alabama A&M & Auburn Universities Extension, Prattville Alabama, and Prattville-Millbrook Sunrise Rotary.