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Stone Mountain Park Celebrates 50 Years of Family Fun I remember the first time I visited Stone Mountain Park. My family and I made a day of it as we climbed the mountain, rode the Scenic Railroad, picnicked in the park and watched the laser light show. Now, 20 years later, my husband and I still make a point of visiting the park. He plays golf there at least once a month, and I still enjoy watching the laser show after a hike up the mountain. Charlotte Kelley, merchandise buyer for Stone Mountain Park, also has her own memories of the park. When she was 16 years old, her father taught her how to drive there. From that moment on, she knew what she wanted to do with her life. She started working for the park as the front desk manager at the Stone Mountain Inn, and she gradually worked her way up through several other positions before being promoted to her current role. During her tenure, she even met and married her husband at the park. Kelley has now been with Stone Mountain Park for the past 43 years and, as her career has evolved, so has the park. “One of the biggest changes I have seen is the addition of Crossroads, which is an 1870s town at the base of the mountain,” she said. “The area has a lot of specialty stores where you can buy products made by craftsmen such as glassblowers, blacksmiths and bakers. It’s also a great place where we hold a lot of our festivals and events.” Ever since Stone Mountain became a park in 1958, it has provided the perfect place for families to gather while enjoying the outdoors. This year, however, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association (a Georgia self-supporting state authority) and Herschend Family Entertainment (the park’s operating partner) are investing $10 million in park enhancements. This private-public partnership is a way for the park to celebrate its 50th anniversary with new festivals, events and attractions that will create memories for years to come. Planning Your Family Adventure This year, Kelley is excited to kick off the park’s 50th anniversary celebration with a new event called Summer at the Rock. This event features new attractions and festivals that run at different intervals through Sept. 1. The event debuts with the enhanced Lasershow Spectacular, with the Lasershow also celebrating its 25th anniversary this summer, with new musical scores featuring themes from “Star Wars,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Indiana Jones” and “High School Musical.” Additional new features include sports medleys and a powerful grand finale with choreographed state-of-the-art graphics. However, traditional favorites such as “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” “Trilogy” and “Celestial Soda Pop” remain a part of the show. The laser show starts at 9:30 p.m. nightly and runs nightly through Aug. 10, and weekends only Aug. 16 through Oct. 25. “The laser show is being digitally re-mastered from an audio perspective, so the sound will be so much better than it was before,” said Gerald Rakestraw, the park’s vice president and general manager. “We updated the speakers on the lawn to help the clarity come through, and visitors will actually feel the music while seeing the images on the rock. We also hope the new patriotic grand finale will have everyone standing on their feet.” Summer at the Rock will also premiere Stone Mountain Park’s newest attraction, Sky Hike. This quarter-of-a-mile family adventure course in the treetops features three different trails from which to choose: a 12-foot-high trail for beginners; a 24-foot-high trail for the courageous; and a 40-foot-high trail for true daredevils. While secured to a patented overhead safety system, parents and kids can traverse a variety of elements, including suspended wooden bridges, spaced out slats on swinging ropes, single strand ropes and vertical net bridges. Summer at the Rock continues with new shows, including Backyard Circus, Rock Solid Country and Col. Adair’s Southern Fried Shakespeare, all held at Crossroads. “Backyard Circus is an interactive show where kids from the audience dress up and perform for their parents in a circus act,” said Kelley. “Rock Solid Country is a musical review that features a mix of favorite country and gospel songs, and Col. Adair’s Southern Fried Shakespeare features three to four actors who perform in a slapstick comedy similar to our Christmas Carol show that we do during the holidays.” Additional shows include appearances by Bob and Larry from VeggieTales, a new train show and new artist performances. According to Rakestraw, Stone Mountain Park also is hosting several new festivals this year that will coincide with Summer at the Rock. “The first annual SoulFest and the South’s largest Christian music festival, Atlanta Fest, started the fun in June, and although summer will be gone, Stone Mountain’s September Jazz Festival is part of the park’s 50th anniversary celebration. A Great Place to Be In addition to all of the new events, attractions and festivals, Stone Mountain Park’s full calendar also will include the return of popular events like Spring FUN Break, the Yellow Daisy Festival, the Pumpkin Festival and Stone Mountain Christmas. Plus, the 3,200-acre park offers all of the same outdoor attractions that have made it so popular. Some of these recreational offerings include the Scenic Railroad, which circles the mountain base, Great Locomotive Chase Adventure Golf, the Scarlett O’Hara Riverboat, the Great Barn, the 4D Theater, the Antebellum Plantation & Farmyard and several museums. Additionally, visitors can enjoy camping, fishing, golfing and 15 miles of walking and hiking trails, including the 1.3-mile trail to the top of the mountain. Those who would rather take the Summit Skyride to the top of Stone Mountain will get a close-up look at the carving on the mountain’s north face. This largest bas-relief in the world features carvings of Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. If you have never been to Stone Mountain Park, now is the time to take in all it has to offer. According to Rakestraw, most first-time visitors are shocked to find a place so large, nice and green so close to the city. Even if you have visited the park before, the new attractions and festivals are reason enough to visit again. “When we look at the product we are adding, it gives people reasons again to come out to Stone Mountain,” Rakestraw said. “We want people to rekindle it in their minds as a great place to be.” Summer at the Rock activities, as well as many other family attractions, are included in Stone Mountain Park’s Adventure Pass: $25 for adults and $20 for children ages 3 to 11. Or, for those who plan to visit the park more than once in the next 12 months, the Mountain Membership Annual Pass is $50 for adults and $40 for children ages 3 to 11. Vehicle entry to the park is $8 cash for a one-day permit or $35 for an annual permit. For more information on Summer at the Rock and Stone Mountain Park’s other offerings, call 770-498-5690 or visit www.stonemountainpark.com. Summer at the Rock Celebrate 50 years of Stone Mountain Park — and 25 years of the Lasershow Spectacular — by enjoying the summer extravaganza.
Through Aug. 3 Live Entertainment in Crossroads |
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Head for the Hill