Family

It’s Bigger, Better, Brighter than Ever Before! 

Valdosta, GA- It’s a bigger, better, brighter Christmas season this year as Wild Adventures Park unwraps it’s new Festival of Lights holiday celebration, Saturday, November 15.   

More than A MILLION sparkling lights welcome visitors to the theme park, creating a holiday glow families will not soon forget. Plus, there are all new holiday shows, new holiday foods, a one-of-a-kind live nativity, great gift shopping and jolly St. Nick’s favorite reindeer.  

After Hundreds of Years, Santa Shares His Biggest Secret!

Year after year children and adults alike are baffled by the mystery of how Santa really knows who is naughty or nice. After much urging by the elves and Mrs. Claus, Santa has allowed his secret to be revealed by a mother-daughter writing duo in their book, The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition.
Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell have teamed with illustrator Coë Steinwart to produce a picture book that answers the age-old question. The book is based on an old tradition Aebersold began with her children when they were young. The authors will be reading and signing at Barnes & Noble at St Johns Town Center Mall on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Here's how the tradition works: Sometime during the holiday season Santa sends a scout elf to each home to watch the child’s/children's behavior. The elf gets his Christmas magic when the family gives him a name of his own. Then, each night after the kids are tucked in bed, the elf flies to the North Pole where he reports to Santa who has been naughty or nice that day. Before the children awaken the elf has returned to their home, but he is observing from a new post in the house. The children race out of bed to discover the elf's new hangout for the day.
There is one important rule: children should not touch the elf or he might lose his magic, thus jeopardizing any good reports he may have given Santa. As the book says, "Please do not touch me. My magic might go, and Santa won't hear all I've seen or I know." This rule insures the children's interest in the elf won't wane, and it also helps to teach them self-control. A simple reminder that "the elf is watching" seems to have a remarkable effect on errant behavior.
The beautifully illustrated, hardbound book is innovatively packaged and comes with its own vintage-like pixie elf seated on a shelf in an attractive keepsake box. The story has even been adapted into a musical play, which debuted Dec. 2005 in Marietta, GA.
       
 

Wahee Cyclone to Hit Wild Adventures Theme Park 

Wild Adventures unleashes a new water slide to its water park, Spring 2009.  The Wahee Cyclone is a giant funnel-shaped water slide that swirls you around in four-person tubes.  This exciting action ride will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, March 28, 2009.  You won't want to miss the opportunity to be one of the first to ride the Wahee Cyclone. 

Face New Phobias at Wild Adventures

New Hatterville haunted village and Globe of Terror promise to send chills down your spine 

Valdosta, GA- Are you scared of the dark?  Do heights make your knees shake?  Does the sight of small critters make you scream?  Wild Adventures dares you to face your fears at this year’s Phobia.  With an all-new haunted village, phobia shows, and friendly frights, everyone can enjoy the Halloween season at Wild Adventures, beginning September 27 through November 1. 

Facing tough economic times and soaring fuel prices has many families looking for creative, cost-saving alternatives for enjoying summer vacation.  But great family memories and fun, physical activity doesn’t have to break the bank.  The Williams Family YMCA is holding a Family Fun Night on July 25th with a Luau by the pool.
 
Our YMCA Hawaiian luau by the pool will feature food, family games, and fun! Activities are free and open to the public so bring your neighbors and your friends! For more information call the Williams Family YMCA at 10425 San Jose (904) 292-1660 or visit w

It is a scary feeling, your heart stops and your worst fear paralyzes you from head to toes: your kid was just next to you and now is gone! You start screaming your kid's name first not to loud but then you realize that someone might have taken him (her) and you get totally insane!

In crowded places like a big store or an amusement park a lost kid becomes an easy pray for predators, who usually blend in the crowd waiting for an opportunity like this.

It takes a second for a kid to disappear! A quick thinking could save your kid of being abducted. Panic would only act on your disadvantage and waiting too long trying to find you child in the crowd will only delay help.

For years our schools have been teaching our children to read, to write, and other subjects to provide them with the necessary knowledge to successfully graduate from High School.

However, crucial subjects which are part of every citizen's life, have been left aside not considering the fact that without these "subjects" our kids are growing in complete ignorance of the laws that rule our society. Rules that will affect them soon or later, in one way or another.

We teach our kids what is right and wrong, the same way our parents did to us 20 years ago! The truth is that, ever since, the laws have become more and more complex and they have extended to touch the limit of juveniles too.

We all grew up breathing the Romeo and Juliet mentality. A couple of teenagers crazy in love trying to defend their love from society. Romantic? Maybe...for other times.

The truth is that the spontaneous relationships from the past have been buried through the years under law suits and today the school sweet harts better be very careful or the modern Romeo might end up behind bars with a label of SEX OFFENDER for the rest of his life.

On January 18Th of 2006 a Task Force for Juvenile Sex Offenders prepared a report to review this law. This report was submitted to the Governor and the Florida Legislature in order to modify the Juvenile Sex Offenders Florida Law as it reads today:

As painful as it sounds, Florida is the fourth state in the US where the child pornography over the Internet accounts for the largest volume of cyber crime. According to Bill McCollum, Attorney General for the state of Florida: "The state authorities know very well the dangerous activities that on line child predators engage in and the amount of risks children face". Therefore, severe new laws have been implemented as October 2007 to protect our children against Internet predators and to prevent children sexual exploitation.

Thanks to these new laws these criminals will face maximum sentences extended three times more to fifteen years. These laws are not only against predators who solicit kids through the Internet but also for those who own child pornography.

So far, two teens have committed suicide because of "Internet bullying", it is amazing how creative can some people be when is about hurting a child. I can even imagine the laughs while writing the terrible things they said to these two teens, while they were feeling defenseless and hunted. How cowardly and cruel can this sound when this verbal attack is coming from other kids the same age? And how unbelievable when the parents of those kids are involved too in the chat-bullying?

Playing with the mind of a minor in such a despicable way, attacking an already damaged self-esteem, and doing all this hiding behind a screen, to the point to push the victim to commit suicide should deserve the death penalty. It is worst than beating a kid to death! And these actions should be punished accordingly.