Clayton County Library Designing a New Teen Web Page

Teens in Atlanta's Southern Crescent have a chance to give their input in the redesign of the teen page on Clayton County Library's website.

Right now, there's an online survey available at http://www.claytonpl.org/teen that will be up until January 31, 2010. (It's also printed out and available in the Young Adult area of each of branch.)

On February 17th at 7pm teens are invited to the Library HQ and discuss the results of the survey, look at some teen sites that other libraries have created, and generate ideas about how to make the new website fun and useful. No registration is required, but please call the library if you plan to attend. They want to make sure they have enough FREE FOOD. Where: Clayton County Library System, Headquarters Library, 865 Battle Creek Road, Jonesboro, GA 30236, 770-473-3850; www.claytonpl.org

City of Fayetteville Accepting Donations for the Mayors' Christmas Motorcade 2009

The City of Fayetteville, GA will be participating in the Mayors' Christmas Motorcade, a program that started in 1958 in GA to raise awareness for the needs of Georgia's mental health hospitals. Fayetteville donations will go to the West Central Georgia Regional Hospital in Columbus, GA.

Residents, schools, churches, businesses and civic groups can participate in this worthy cause by donating new and unwrapped gifts which will help the patients living in mental health hospitals in Georgia.

Deadline for donations is December 2nd.

A collection box will be available for donations at Fayetteville City Hall, 240 South Glynn Street, Fayetteville Fire Department, 95 Johnson Ave. and Fayetteville Police Department, 760 Jimmie Mayfield Blvd.

For more information on the program and a "wish list" of their needs, click here.

Free Adventure Pass to Stone Mountain

If you are looking for some cheap family fun for Fall 2009, you can't beat a FREE day at Stone Mountain Park.

John Deere is offering two Free Adventure Passes to Stone Mountain Park, plus one day of free parking (normally $10 per car). The Adventure passes allow you access to all of the premium attractions at Stone Mountain. These include, 4D Theater, Live Entertainment, Summit Skyride to the top of the mountain, Scenic Railroad, River Boat, Sky Hike, The Great Barn and more. Stone Mountain also has a number of free areas to visit so plan to bring a picnic and make a day of it. You can hike on any of the nature trails, including to the top of Stone Mountain. Other Free attractions are the Quarry Exhibit, children's playground, the Confederate Hall Historical & Environmental Education Center and the Lasershow Spectacular. Just stop by your local John Deere Dealer now through September 30, 2009 and test drive any John Deere Mower, Gator Utility Vehicle or Tractor. When you do, you'll receive a daylong parking pass and two Adventure Passes to Stone Mountain Park. The offer is good while supplies last so you may want to call ahead to your local dealer.

Peachtree City Centre For Dance Education Begins Fall Classes

Dance Contempra Centre for Dance Education in Peachtree City begins Fall 2009 classes today with instruction in Ballet, Tap, Modern, and Jazz. Dance Contempra is known in Peachtree City for their fresh, unique approach that produces amazing results in dancers. Many of the instructors continue to dance professionally and passionately pass the love of dance to their students. In the last three years alone Dance Contempra students have auditioned for and were accepted into prestigious programs such as The Rock School, Boston Ballet, Orlando Ballet, American Ballet Theatre (ABT), The Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Radio City Rockettes and many more.

Dance Contempra accepts dancers from age 3 to pre-professional. With true “sprung” dance floors, Dance Contempra dancers experience added protection of consistency and cushioning from the floors. According to Founder and Creative Director, Paola Jenkins, "Concrete floors can create many physical problems for they allow no give. A properly sprung floor absorbs energy, preventing overuse injuries." Dance Contempra has taken the extra step to install quality flooring to ensure all dancers, those with professional goals or beginners, the ability to focus on technique in a nurturing environment.

Dance Contempra is still accepting registration. Online registration is available at http://www.dancecontempra.com. A coupon valid for $10 off first month tuition is available for a limited time at http://www.localkidfun.com.

Local - Mom's Night Out or Date Night Idea

I know this is supposed to be a blog about what to do with your kids. Let's face it though, we parents are the ones staying up late at night searching the web for ideas, answers, etc. And for all our hard work, we deserve a night out on the town.

Here's one idea for something fun, local, and over 21. (This would make a great date night or a ladies night out. Wish my mom was going to be in town that weekend. We would have fun!)

Friday June 12th; 5pm - 9pm, Historic Downtown Newnan, GA will host the First Annual "Wine About" event. Downtown Merchants will be offering samples of over 15 varieties of wines as they Wine About The Economy! Each participant will receive a commemorative wine glass as well as an event brochure with information about the event and each wine being sampled. Local Mainstreet Newnan restaurants will be offering specials and live entertainment. Entry is $20 during pre-sell and $25 the night of the event.

Businesses participating include: The Alamo, Piedmont Newnan Wellness Center*, Smart Solutions, Mann Jewelers*, Two Sisters Knitting Nook*, Panoply Interior Design*, Edward Jones, Fines Lines Art and Framing*, Costume Shop*, 34 Madison Design Studio*, SMF Cycle, Newnan Computers, M. Cole Design*, Sports Dome, Star Salon*, Lottie Dottie, NuLink*, & 10 East Washington*

* Discounted pre-sale tickets can be purchased at merchants highlighted in bold.

Coweta & Fayette United Way Shoebox Personal Care Packages Collection

Please join the United Way in creating personal care packages for homeless men, women and children by donating a shoebox filled with a combination of items listed below.

The shoeboxes will be distributed to The Community Welcome House, One Roof Ministries, Coweta County DFCS, Angel’s House, Bel Air Family Center, Promise Place, Fayette Youth Protection Home, and Fayette County DFCS.

Fill a shoebox with some of these suggested items:
Travel size shampoo - deodorant - travel size soap - toothbrush and paste - travel size lotion -hair comb / brush - sun protector - lip balm - adhesive bandages - hand towels - antibiotic ointment -warm socks - female hygiene products- - travel size hand sanitizer - travel size tissue packs - travel size baby wipes - non-alcoholic mouthwash - travel size water bottles - rain poncho - re-sealable zipper storage bags - prepaid phone call cards. We cannot accept any used or pre-opened items. If decorating your box, please allow for safety inspections by making sure your shoebox can be opened.


Drop off locations:
• Coweta County: United Way of Coweta & Fayette office at 61 Hospital Rd., Newnan 770-254-3755.
• Fayette County: Images by Rainy, 255 East Lanier Ave, Fayetteville 30214 770- 460- 0319

Collection begins February 9 and ends March 20, 2009. For questions about drop-off or the shoebox project please call United Way of Coweta & Fayette Counties’ office at 770-254-3755.

Christmas with the Police ~ Giving Opportunity for Fayetteville, GA

This post is courtesy of Fayetteville Police Department MEDIA RELEASE


Fayetteville Police Officers Host “Christmas with the Police”

The Fayetteville Police Department will be conducting a “Christmas with the Police” event this holiday season. The Fayetteville Police Department will select families that may not be able to have Christmas otherwise, to celebrate the holidays with. Officers of the police department will meet with family members to get gift ideas. They will then shop for gifts for the families. Members of the Department and the families will have Christmas dinner, open presents and go to Dixie Land Amusement Park.
The Fayetteville Police Department has been conducting a similar program for the past five years. In the past events we found many of the kids bought not just for themselves but for their parents and siblings.

If you are interested in making a monetary or gift card donation to the program please contact Lieutenant Debbie Chambers at 770-461-4441.

Children's Consignment Sales

It's time for many Seasonal Children's Consignment Sales. Consignment Sales are typically for one weekend only. They are a great place to shop for Fall/Winter clothing, find Halloween Costumes, get a head start on Christmas shopping, etc.

Starting this weekend, August 23, 2008 and continuing through mid-September, many seasonal consignment sales will take place. LocalKidFun.com has a list of consignment sales in the Fayette, Henry and Coweta County, GA on it's Consignment Page. You can also find the sales listed on LocalKidFun.com's Calendar Page.

If you have never shopped consignment, now may be the perfect time to try one out. We could all use a little extra cash in our pocket these days. Whether you're selling your items at the sale or buying clothes and toys for your kids at a fraction of their original cost, Seasonal Consignment Sales can help keep your wallet nice and thick. Kids grow out of their clothes and toys with the blink of an eye. Selling the clothes and toys that are clean and look almost unused is a great way to keep clutter out and make money for the new items your children will need. Most sales offer sellers and volunteers a preview shopping day. Often, the best items are sold in these preview days to other sellers who now need to replenish their growing child's wardrobe. Check each sale's website link or contact them to find out how to become a seller.

For shoppers, I found some great tips for consignment sale "newbies" at http://www.kidsconsignmentsales.com/sresources.htm. They give some clever ideas on how to best shop for clothes that will fit your child. This is important because sizes vary by brand and some clothing shrinks in the wash. They also recommend leaving children at home while you shop consigment. Great idea because these sales can get crowded and it is hard to keep an eye on wandering little ones while you shop. Many sales ask you to leave strollers at home.

One tip I would add is to make a list of what you need before you leave your house. These sales are often held in large venues and there are many items for sale. You can easily get overwhelmed and impulse shop. I learned that the hard way. I felt great one time leaving a sale because I found a bunch of adorable and inexpensive shirts for my child. The problem was, my child already had a lot of shirts in that size. The shirt drawer ended up being over-stuffed and I didn't have many pants, shorts, etc. that matched the shirts.

Good luck to all who will be selling and buying over the next few weekends. Happy bargain hunting! Oh, and when you are checking out please be sure to mention that you found out about the sale on LocalKidFun.com.

Welcome to the LocalKidFun.com Blog

This is my very first blog. Finally! My husband has been blogging for at least 6 years so I really have no excuse for waiting so long.

I guess the best way to start your blog is to tell people what you will be writing about. This blog will contain updates about me and my family which may not be that interesting to people, but I'll try to keep it interesting and real. I also may have some information related to LocalKidFun.com, although this is not a commercial for any of the business or places listed on there. (sign up for LKF's newsletter if you want to see things only related to LocalKidFun.com) I'm also a bit of a nerd about careers, finding work, resumes etc. since I used to be a recruiter. I try to keep up with the latest trends in that area and may pass some of that along.

So, I hope you'll read and enjoy.