During his long tenure as an Alabama state senator Wendell Mitchell has learned how to turn up rocks.

On Monday night, Mitchell brought a rock that he had “turned up” and presented it to the Pike County Cattlemen’s Association at their annual banquet on Monday night.

However, the Cattlemen viewed the $50,000 donation as a boulder, not a rock.

Mitchell received a standing ovation from an appreciative packed house of Pike County Cattlemen and Cattlewomen.

“I’m always proud to be able to help the Pike County Cattlemen when I can,” Mitchell said. “I was privileged to be able to provide some seed money help get Cattleman Park off the ground. I know how much hard work has gone into this complex and what a great benefit it is to the Pike County community. I appreciate what you do and who you are.”

Mitchell said he has been elected to be a public servant and that’s a role that he gladly accepts.

“Whenever I can, I turn an eye to Pike County and the Pike County Cattlemen,” he said. “I hope that this check will be a significant contribution toward the projects that you have planned.”

Johnny Garrett, Cattlemen president, expressed his appreciation to Mitchell for his continued support of the Pike County Cattlemen.

“Sen. Mitchell is a longtime friend of our organization and he provided us with much needed seed money for Cattleman Park,” he said. “He has always come through when we asked him. And, he came through this time.”

Garrett said the Cattlemen have a couple of building projects on the drawing board that would not be possible without Mitchell’s sizable donation.

“These aren’t big building projects but they are bigger than what we could do,” he said. “We really appreciate Sen. Mitchell and thank him for his generous support.”

Cattleman Park became a reality nearly a decade ago, and it almost immediately had an impact on the county.”

The covered arena at Cattleman Park is home to the Troy University Rodeo Team and the site of the Pike County Cattlemen’s PCA Rodeo and other rodeos.

“The complex is available to the community for a fee and we’ve had everything there from gospel singings to reunions and concerts. There’s even been a wrestling match at the complex,” Garrett said. “The complex is utilized at least 100 times a year so Cattleman Park is very beneficial to our county and we thank Sen. Mitchell for his support.”