A real back to school value

   Remember when school always started the day after Labor Day? Everyone (not just kids, but parents and teachers, too) had one last freewheeling weekend to do something special before getting back in the groove. Whether it was a company picnic, a family gathering or a trip to the beach, Labor Day always marked the transition from the season of summer to the season of school. 

   Then the first day of school started inching its way up on the calendar pages block by block. Of course that didn't mean you couldn't find something to do for one last fling before facing the new school year. With us, it was sometimes a quick trip to the ocean, a picnic dinner at the Stone Mountain Laser Show, or a special outing with friends. One year it was an outdoor concert. Banks and Shane performed at a pavilion called Red Oak or something like that somewhere off Satellite Boulevard. I think it's all office buildings now. I guess the reason I remember it so well is that we went with our friends the Bentleys and both of us had sons who were high school seniors that year. That makes the memory really special.

   Anyway, I must not be alone in this desire for a dramatic event that clearly marks the time to get back to the books because some people out in Duluth appear to be on the same page.

   In preparation for the first day of school on August 9 (a full four weeks before Labor Day), the Children's Ministries Committee at Duluth First United Methodist Church is hosting a Back to School Concert and dinner for families with pre-school and elementary age children. On Wednesday August 4, at 6:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center Grand Hall, Caroline Figiel and Danny Jones will perform an interactive concert.

   Figiel and Jones are nationally known entertainers who live in Atlanta. www.kidsvaluepack.com  Their fun-filled show focuses on good manners and traditional values.

   "We wanted to get children excited about going back to school and we opened this up to the whole community," said Chandra Harmond, Children's Ministries Committee Co-Chair.

   The decision to showcase this team did not happen by way of a random walk through the Yellow Pages. Figiel and Jones were the featured performers at the Georgia PTA leadership training conference earlier this month. What children and parents see next Wednesday will play into what they see happening in the PTA programs all year.

   Tickets are $4 and include a hot dog dinner after the concert. Advanced purchase is recommended. Info: lyokeley@duluthumc.org  or 770-476-3776) DFUMC is also asking families to bring a new book or video to donate to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. 

   What a great back to school tradition this could become! Now, if we could only figure out a way to work it into in a three day weekend.


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