Get ready for another great year at Islands MOPS.
The group’s first meeting of the year will be held Sept. 14 2011 from 9:15-11:30am at First Baptist Church of the Islands.
For more information about how to join Islands MOPS, please check out their website at https://sites.google.com/site/islandsmops/  .
Each meeting provides an inviting environment where women can come—just as they are—to build friendships, be encouraged, and gain practical parenting strategies all while their children are lovingly cared for in our MOPPETS program, where they experience love and encouragement in a preschool-like setting. The children will enjoy stories, music, crafts, and free play.
A typical meeting includes sharing a breakfast together, listening to a speaker, participating in table-led discussions, crafts, and more.
Sometimes all you need is a friend, and Islands MOPS is a place where true friendships are formed. We are all in this together and no one can understand as another mother can.

All mothers of children ages 0 – Kindergarten are invited and welcome to join  MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers).

FOR INFO ON A MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) PROGRAM NEAR YOU OR OTHER MOMS GROUPS, VISIT THE SOUTHERNMAMAS.COM CONNECT WITH MOMS PAGE HERE.

The Junior League of Savannah Annual Thrift Sale, held each fall, is a primary source of funding for the Junior League. All of the proceeds from the sale are returned to the community through Junior League community improvement projects. While the Thrift Sale is definitely a fall event, preparations for its success began early the following year by opening storage units to hold thrift items.

2011 Thrift Sale (Sale Days) Ticket Information
•September 23rd and 24th
•Advance Tickets on Sale in late summer at the Civic Center Box Office (under Leisure Services)
•For tickets to be purchased and mailed in late summer call: 912-651-6556, or purchase online: http://www.etix.com/
•The Sale begins on Friday, September 23rd from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm.
•The Thrift Sale continues on Saturday, September 24th from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm.
•Admission: $5 on Friday and $3 on Saturday
•On Saturday every item is reduced by 50%.
•No strollers or carts allowed. Cash Only.

Questions? Please call the Junior League office 912.790.1002.

Weekend Train Rides Are Back On Track!

For more children’s events happening at Skidaway Is. State Park in September, click here.

Programs below meet at the Interpretive Center unless otherwise noted. Come see the center’s display of the Giant Ground Sloth replica, wildlife exhibits, live reptiles and birding station: 912-598-2300. $5 for parking.

Wed. Sept. 14:
7:30 AM Bird Walk: Come meet Mrs. Nell and join her on a walk to observe birds of the saltwater marsh and maritime forest. Bring binoculars and bird guide (also available to borrow). Meet at Interpretive Center.
11 AM Interpretive Center Tour: Join in a tour of the museum and see and touch fossils, reptiles, and more.
3 PM Craft: Tissue Paper Butterflies

Thurs. Sept. 15:
2 PM Wilderness Survival: We will talk about lost prevention and show you simple items to take with you on a hike.
4 PM Knot Tying: Come learn some handy knots for everyday use.

Fri. Sept. 16:
2 PM Magnificent Marsh: Georgia has 1/3 of the salt marsh on the East Coast. Learn about this diverse and critical ecosystem
4  PM Snakes Alive! Learn all about snakes. See live examples!
7 PM: Amphibian Monitoring Workshop: Join Tara Muenz, state coordinator of Adopt-A-Stream, to learn about how you can become more involved in amphibian conservation by collecting data on Georgia’s treefrogs and salamanders!

Sat. Sept. 17:
9 AM Big Ferry Trail Hike: Come for a 2-3 mile walk through a Maritime Forest. Meet at the Big Ferry Trail Entrance.
12 PM CRAFT: God’s Eyes
4 PM Birds of Prey: Come and learn about different Birds of Prey in this area.
7:30 PM Bat Watching Program: Learn all about these misunderstood mammals while seeing and hearing them using our bat detector. Bring a flashlight! Meet at the Amphitheatre (across from Picnic Shelter #5).

Sun. Sept. 18:
7:30 AM Bird Walk: Come meet Mrs. Nell and join her on a walk to observe birds of the saltwater marsh and maritime forest. Bring binoculars and bird guide (also available to borrow). Meet at Interpretive Center.
11 AM Interpretive Center Tour: Join in a tour of the museum and see and touch fossils, reptiles, and more.
3 PM Wilderness Survival: We will talk about lost prevention and show you simple items to take with you on a hike.

September 17:
“Pets on the Promenade,” a pet expo to benefit the Hilton Head Humane Association and the Palmetto Animal League, at Captain Woody’s in Bluffton, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Music, food, pet tricks, adoptable animals and more. 17 State of Mind St. (843) 757-6222 or captainwoodys.com.

Annual Blues Crab Boil at The Salty Dog Café in South Beach Marina Village, 4-8 p.m. Live blue crab and local blues music A variety of crab leg selections with live blues music on the outside deck, plus kid’s fun and games with Jake the Salty Dog. (843) 671-2233 or saltydog.com.

TERRANCE SIMIEN & THE ZYDECO EXPERIENCE
Saturday, October 22 at American Legion Post 135
Family Zydeco at 3 pm, $20 ($5 for kids under 12),

Part of the SAVANNAH MUSIC FESTIVAL (SMF) new programming that includes a year-round concert series – SMF LIVE – featuring some of the music world’s most acclaimed performers, increased distribution of its concert recordings to public and satellite radio, and music education programs that span the entire year. The complete program for the 2012 Savannah Music Festival, which takes place March 22 through April 7, will be announced in early November.

Children’s Ocean Art Class. Part of Savannah Ocean Exchange events
Loop It Up Savannah

11a.m., 2 p.m.

Tybee YMCA

Children will create an ocean-themed art project that will be displayed in the “Oh Say Can You Sea Savannah” exhibit in the Tybee Post Theater.

For more kid-friendly activities that are part of the Savannah Ocean Exchange month-long celebration in September 2011, visit the SouthernMamas.com Savannah Ocean Exchange Family Activities page here.

Savannah Children’s Book Festival at Forsyth Park
10 AM-4 PM Sat. Nov. 19 2011
Celebrate the joy of reading and the power of the written word and the magic of storytelling. Meet children’s book authors and illustrators from around the country.

To read the many talented guests in this year’s lineup click here.
Presented by Live Oak Public Libraries and the City of Savannah
Rain location: Savannah Civic Center
For more info, call 912.652.3689
www.liveoakpl.org

Shalom Y’all Jewish Food Festival at Forsyth Park
Sun. Oct. 30, 2011
22nd Annual Shalom Y’all Jewish Food Festival presented by Congregation Mickve Israel in Forsyth Park, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Ethnic Jewish cuisine and family entertainment. Free admission, cost for food. (912) 233-1547 or mickveisrael.org .

13th Annual Great Ogeechee Seafood Festival in Richmond Hill’s J.F. Gregory Park
Oct. 14-16 2011
Continuous entertainment on two stages, carnival midway, car show, fresh seafood, fireworks and more.
5-11 PM Fri. Oct. 14
10 AM-11 PM Sat. Oct. 15
11 AM-5 PM Sun. Oct. 16
(912) 756-3444 or goseafoodfestival.com .

17th Annual Family Fall Festival at the Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens
Oct. 22, 2010 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 2 Canebrake Rd. Savannah, 31419 (912) 921-5460.

Pumpkin Patch at Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens
Opening Day is 9-4 PM Sat. Oct. 8
Normal hours: 9 AM-4 PM Mon-Fri; 9-Noon Sat. Closed Sundays.
(912) 921-5460.

For more pumpkin patches, corn mazes, fall festivals, visit the SouthernMamas.com Fall Fun 2011 page here.

Pumpkin Patch at Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens
Opening Day is 9-4 PM Sat. Oct. 8
Normal hours: 9 AM-4 PM Mon-Fri; 9-Noon Sat. Closed Sundays.
(912) 921-5460.

To find more fall festivals in the Savannah-Chatham County & Lowcountry area, visit the SouthernMamas.com 2011 Fall Fun Page here (Corn Mazes/Pumpkin Patches/Fall Festivals)

Now that the weather is cooling off, it’s downtown Savannah time. Kids love to ride one of the FREE water ferries with Savannah Belles Ferry system on River Street. Or if you want to make River Street your destination, catch it on the other side of the Savannah River @ the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort & Spa on Hutchinson Island.

The free ferries shuttle you from River Street, across the Savannah River, to the Westin, with departures with arrivals every 15–20 minutes from 7:00 AM until 12 AM (subject to weather and river traffic conditions)

Click here for a schedule. The ferries operate 7 days a week, 362 days a year – closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas & New Years Day. Click here for more info. on the ferry system.

While on River Street, be sure to ride the rails on the FREE River Street Streetcar – an authentic 1930s Melbourne streetcar – that runs back and forth on River Street. There’s a streetcar stop right by the ferry dock, in front of City Hall and the visitors center.

The River Street Streetcar runs Noon-9 PM Thurs-Sun with the exceptions of First Saturdays festivities each month when it stops running at 6:30 PM. The 54-passenger streetcar is updated with environmentally-friendly green technology. It makes six stops along Historic River Street between Montgomery St. & the Waving Girl Landing

FERRY FACTS

• Scenic two-minute ride on the Savannah River
• Operates 7 days a week, 362 days a year with departures with arrivals every 15–20 minutes from 7:00 AM until 12 AM (subject to weather and river traffic conditions)
• Climate-controlled, easy passenger loading and unloading
• Unique vessel, designed to ensure a steady ride
• All vessels US Coast Guard certified
• Ferry vessels and ferry landings ADA compliant
• Modern passenger-only ferries, reminiscent of vessels seen in the harbor a century ago
• Named for Savannah’s “Belles”— strong women who shaped the city’s history.

FERRY LANDINGS LOCATIONS

• River Street at City Hall
• Waving Girl Landing at the Savannah Marriott Riverfront
• Hutchinson Island at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center and adjacent to the Westin Savannah Harbour Resort & Spa
• Ferry Schedule

Catch the one of the FREE water ferries with Savannah Belles Ferry system on River Street, right in front of City Hall. Or catch it on the other side of the Savannah River @ the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort & Spa on Hutchinson Island.

The free ferries shuttle you from River Street, across the Savannah River, to the Westin, with departures with arrivals every 15–20 minutes from 7:00 AM until 12 AM (subject to weather and river traffic conditions)

Click here for a schedule. The ferries operate 7 days a week, 362 days a year – closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas & New Years Day. Click here for more info. on the ferry system.

FERRY FACTS

• Scenic two-minute ride on the Savannah River
• Operates 7 days a week, 362 days a year with departures with arrivals every 15–20 minutes from 7:00 AM until 12 AM (subject to weather and river traffic conditions)
• Climate-controlled, easy passenger loading and unloading
• Unique vessel, designed to ensure a steady ride
• All vessels US Coast Guard certified
• Ferry vessels and ferry landings ADA compliant
• Modern passenger-only ferries, reminiscent of vessels seen in the harbor a century ago
• Named for Savannah’s “Belles”— strong women who shaped the city’s history.

FERRY LANDINGS LOCATIONS

• River Street at City Hall
• Waving Girl Landing at the Savannah Marriott Riverfront
• Hutchinson Island at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center and adjacent to the Westin Savannah Harbour Resort & Spa
• Ferry Schedule

28th Annual Oktoberfest on the River
Wiener Dog Racing, Bratwurst Tasting, Chicken Dancing
Sept 30-Oct 2 2011
Enjoy a bit of Germany… Savannah style with multiple beverage stations offering a variety of beers, wine and Coke products, food vendors, Repicci’s Italian Ice, Savannah Kettle Corn, Wet Willies First Friday Fireworks and Weiner Dog Races and Roger Wood Foods Sausage Eating Contest on Saturday!
Four plazas full of juried arts & crafts exhibitors, Rhinelanders Oompah Band, headline entertainment and more! Details here.

To find more fall festivals in the Savannah-Chatham County & Lowcountry area, visit the SouthernMamas.com 2011 Fall Fun Page here (Corn Mazes/Pumpkin Patches/Fall Festivals)

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE: 28th Annual OKTOBERFEST ON THE RIVER! Historic River Street, Savannah, GA
Festival Hours: Friday/Saturday 9am -12am Sunday 9am-6pm
Friday, September 30, 2011
Arts & Crafts 9am – 8pm/Until
DJ’s-to-Go 9am – 7pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
Jeff Beasley 12pm – 7pm WWII Plaza
Rhinelander’s Oompah 5pm – 7pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
Individually Twisted 7pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
Brandon Giles and the Tricky Two 9pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Arts & Crafts 9am – 8pm/Until
DJ’s-to-Go 9am – 7pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
12th Annual Weiner Dog Races 8am – 12pm/Until Morrell Park
Jeff Beasley 12pm – 7pm WWII Plaza
Rhinelander’s Oompah 12pm – 7pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
Roger Wood’s Sausage Eating Contest 2pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
CC Express Cloggers 4pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
The Variations 7pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
Justine Blazer 9pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Arts & Crafts 9am – 6pm
DJ’s-to-Go 9am – 6pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
Jeff Beasley 12pm – 7pm WWII Plaza
Rhinelander’s Oompah 12pm – 4pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
Southern Flair Dancers 3pm Southern Eagle’s Arbor Stage
Brandon Giles and the Trick Two: www.brandongiles.com

Justine Blazer: www.justineblazer.com

Savannah Riverfront: www.RiverStreetSavannah.com

The Next Generation’s Annual Fundraiser. In its first year (2010), The Barbeque, Brews + Bluegrass event raised $25,000 for The Children’s Hospital at Memorial University Medical Center. Over 600 people (adults and children) attended and organizers are looking forward to another exciting event this year.
When: Sunday, October 2nd, 3-7pm
Where: The Roundhouse Railroad Museum, 303 MLK Jr Blvd., Savannah, GA
Music: The Jimmy Wolling Bluegrass Band and The Marshall Brothers
Activities: FREE Train Rides, Face Painting, Bouncy Houses, Pumpkin Patch, Arts + Crafts and more!
Food: Available to purchase from The Smokin’ Pig BBQ, Whistle Stop Cafe and Wright Square Cafe
Beverages: Cash Bar for Beer + Wine (no coolers); free Coca-Cola products
Tickets: $20 per person (Kids 12 & under are FREE!)
Pumpkins and Pictures for purchase in the Pumpkin Patch provided by Lyn Bonham Photography and Ella’s
Please click here to purchase tickets in advance!
Questions? contact BBB@nextgenerationsavannah.com

Get connected with MOPS!
Mothers of Preschoolers is a group of moms who are pregnant or who have a child newborn throughkindergarten. MOPS meets to encourage and support one another and share the joys and challenges of motherhood. During meetings, children are cared for in the MOPPETS program while moms play games, do crafts, have discussion groups, listen to speakers, and eat. The group also has monthly playdates, Moms’ Night out, and other events.

Rincon MOPS meets at First Baptist Church in Rincon on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 9-11:30 am in the Memorial Chapel. Meeting Dates for 2011-2012 are: September 13, October 11, November 8, December 13, January 10, February 14, March 13, April 10, and May 8. For more information, please contact Esther at (912)-826-0455.

All mothers of children ages 0 – Kindergarten are invited and welcome to join  MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers).

FOR INFO ON A MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) PROGRAM NEAR YOU OR OTHER MOMS GROUPS, VISIT THE SOUTHERNMAMAS.COM CONNECT WITH MOMS PAGE HERE.

Last minute deal for Southernmamas readers! Buy one, get 1/2 off enrollment fee for early-fall classes. You can share this deal with your friends! Classes start next week!

Email Art on the Park & mention Southernmamas to receive this great deal on group art classes. A few spots remain open in the following two classes:
Creative Crafting for Girls: A Fine-Arts take on Craft-Making
For Ages 6-8.
Thursdays, 4-515pm. Starting September 15th
and
Upper-Elementary Drawing- Drawing Techniques
For Ages 9-11.
Wednesdays- 4-515pm- Starting September 14th

Email tskart@yahoo.com  for more class options!

Art on the Park Studio: Situated directly on Daffin Park, the studio is a great place to spread out, get messy, and take play breaks if needed. Art on the Park Studio is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Parents want kids’ books & CDs to be smart.
Kids want them to be fun.
You get both with the just-released book & CD “Chicken Joe Forgets Something Important,” Trout Fishing in America’s sequel to the award-winning My Name is Chicken Joe.

The story is brought to life with 11 original songs that will have your kids singing out loud every time you play it. Listen to some here.
My kids’ favorite is C-A-T in the H-E-N House in which they get to spell fun words including I L-O-V-E Y-O-U. Yours will also love the characters’ names: a dog named Miss Kitty, a parakeet named King Kong, a cat named Chicken Joe.
Chicken Joe is a cat who sleeps in the hen house and is woken up by rollicking rock-and-roll playing roosters. He forgets it‘s his birthday until meeting with friends.
The new story is written by Trout Fishing in America’s Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet, a nationally touring acoustic/folk rock duo whose music has garnered four Grammy nominations and legions of devoted fans.

The book/CD, released Sept. 6, is from the Secret Mountain, the Montreal based purveyor of beautifully produced children’s media. More info here.

Disclaimer: SouthernMamas.com receives free copies of products for review. Even though we receive these benefits, the opinions given are 100 percent ours.

Savannah Celtic FC invites you to join them for some great soccer this FALL!!!

Savannah Celtic FC runs Savannah’s most highly rated recreational soccer program for children ages 30 months up through high school.

Teams are starting to take shape and a few are even beginning practices . Games are right around the corner, but there is still time to get signed up this FALL!!!

Spots are limited based on the number of coaches and roster sizes, especially now. Click here for more info.

Part of 17th Annual Telfair Art Fair
Saturday, November 12

Children’s Art Fair in the Square & Telfair’s Family Art Lab / 10am – 2pm

Bring your children to create, design, learn and have fun! Telfair Museums will host their Family Art Lab inside the studios in the Jepson Center while the rest of the children’s events will reside in Telfair Square. Family Art Labs are sponsored by the Anderson Family Foundation. Live performances are scheduled throughout the day in Telfair Square featuring The Massey Boys, Savannah Arts Academy Jazz Band, Georgia Kyle, Right Now Praise, The MS3 Band, Bottles and Cans, Two Strings Are Better Than 1, and more.

To find out more about the Telfair Art Fair, click here

For more information contact Jamie Gall at 912.790.8869 or gallj@telfair.org

Take advantage of the Lowcountry’s amazing September light and book a photo session with  Savannah photographer LeeAnn Ritch.  LeeAnn Ritch Photography is offering a fabulous September special: A photography session, online proofing and high-resolution CD for $400 plus tax (Regular cost is $575)!