Hilda the Christmas Goat’s alter ego, Craig, greets us just after his performance at Stone Mountain Christmas. “Do you want to know how it works?” he asks my grandkids who have just witnessed the magic of an interactive entertainment.
Four heads nod.
“Remember when I asked if anyone had read the book about me? Well, I could see you from behind the screen,” he says, looking right at my eight-year old granddaughter, Jenna.
Normally, she is Chatty Cathy, but she’s still a tad stunned.
Finally, she answers. “How did you know I liked to read?” she asks.
“Just a guess,” he says. “You were reading the posters about the other books by Jennifer Liu Bryan. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”
He explains that from behind the screen, he can not only see and interact with audience members, but manipulate the actions of Hilda as she goes through her antics of hiding behind a bale of hay or jumping over it. “It’s all electronic, like a computer,” he says. “Was it fun?”
Again, four heads nod. “Will you show us how it works?” Jenna asks. Craig declines. “It would ruin the magic,” he says. “But I hope you’ll come see me again.” If it’s up to the grandkids, we will, next time with nine-year old Jael who was at a birthday party.
After a brief disagreement about what to do first, we began with the Skyride, an oversized ski-lift to the top of the granite hunk known as Stone Mountain. It’s a not-to-be missed combination of the marvels of Mother Nature and man-made engineering. Hardier souls can also climb the mountain to the 1,686 foot summit, but miss the stunning up-close view of the three Confederate heroes, carved on the face—Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis. Named the highest relief sculpture in the world, the carvings are 400 feet high and longer than a football field.
Once at the top, we cut the kids loose. Jenna and five-year old Idan—the only granboy—race around as sure footed as Hilda. Twelve-year old Mia picks out a comfortable rock and plops down to text her friends on my new iPhone. Megan, ever the nine-year old lady, sticks with me. I point out the skyline of Atlanta and the King and Queen building near Perimeter Mall. Walking gingerly across the moon-like surface, I’m careful to avoid the small craters filled with water from the recent rains while the show tune, “On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever,” pops into my head.
With a blue sky overhead and cool breezes playing with our clothing, we’d like to linger, but there is much more to see and do. Next up: the Scenic Railroad, a much anticipated journey for Idan who relishes the leisurely six-mile ride around the circumference past 1,000,000 twinkling holiday lights.
Our list of “want-to-dos” far exceeds the time we’ve allotted, so we must pick and choose among the scheduled activities. All vote on the Sleigh Ride Musical Revue, but a stop at Hannah’s Glass Shop halts us in our tracks. An expert glass blower is demonstrating his craft and the children stand transfixed, noses pressed against the glass. He alternately heats, cools and adds color to an ever-growing blob of glass that he promises he will fashion into a beautiful vase. We watch until the bitter end and admire the finished product, only to realize we’ve missed the 5 p.m. revue and can’t remain until the next round of events. Homework calls—particularly for Mia—and the adults all have evening plans.
As we literally drag the kids away, we promise we’ll return after dark one day soon to visit the Snow Angel, watch the Christmas Laser Show, and experience the musical revues. AND, there’s no doubt we’ll spend some serious time tubing down the snowy slope being created for the annual Snow Mountain event from December 26 through March 7. We check the schedule. If we return before December 30, we can enjoy both Stone Mountain Christmas and tube down the man-made snow-capped slope.
