To have a great time on the water and help fight spinal muscular atrophy at the same time, make it to the 11th annual Haley Mitchell Ski-a-thon Oct. 3.

The event will be held Oct. 3 at Beaver Lake in Gates County, N.C. from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The public is invited, and admission is free.

The slalom tournament works like a charity walk-a-thon, but participants compete in a water ski tournament instead of walking. Skiers are asked to raise sponsorships in their communities to support their participation.

In addition to skiing, Ricky Braddy of American Idol fame will perform live on Saturday afternoon. Over live music and a silent auction also will be available.

Skiers will raise money for Families of SMA, the national organization that is primarily responsible for raising research funds to find a cure for the inherited disease, which causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, eventually leading to death. The Haley Mitchell Ski-a-thon has raised more than $325,000 for SMA research in its 10-year history.

Beaver Lake is located on Highway 13/158, two miles north of the Chowan River Bridge in Gates County. For more information, call 252-312-9187.