This year we have decided to do a carnival like atmosphere here at the campground.  We will have a face painter, balloon artist, carnival games with prizes, and local artisans with their items available for purchase.  Bring the family and lets have a great time.  The main event will take place on Saturday September 1st from 2pm until 8pm.  We also have activities scheduled for Sunday September 2nd as well.

Memorial Weekend Activities 
Saturday May 26th  

• 2:00 pm        Corn hole Tournament (1st Place Rib Dinner, 2nd Pizza)
  
• 3:00 pm        Train Rides on the KOA Express – Meet on the back porch
  
• 4:00 pm        Shirt Coloring (Office) Shirts $15, Pillow Cases $12 
  
• 5:00 pm        Horseshoe Tournament: $5 entry, Winner takes half, other half to Care Camps                                                                                
  
• 6:00 pm        Margarita's & Chips  Back Porch  $5 donation to care camps for wrist band to drink 21+               
  
• 7:30 pm        Pool Tournament   $5 entry, ½ to winner, ½ to Care Camps                     
  

 Sunday May 27th

• 11:00 am      Mini Golf Tournament $5 entry Prizes for top 2 adults and top 2 kids (12 and under)  
  
• 3:00 pm        Train Rides on the KOA Express
  
• 4:00 pm        Ice Cream Social in the breakfast room $2.00             
  
• 5:00 pm        Giant Connect Four (Top 2 Win) – By the Pavilion   
  
• 6:00 pm        Purchase and decorate your rocket $5, we will have launching at 6:30
  
• 7:00 pm        Bingo -Cards: $2 per card per game, winner takes half.                           
  
• 8:00 pm        Drawing for the KOA Care Camps Gift Basket at Bingo
  

FOURTH OF JULY WEEK ACTIVITIES

June 29th  7:00 S'mores and hotdog roast by the fire
June 30th 11:00 Mini Golf Tournament $5 to enter 
                            Prizes for top 2 adults and top 2 kids (12 and under)
                  2:00 Train Rides on the KOA Express
                  3:00 T-shirt Coloring at the office ($15 for shirt)
                  4:00 Frog Fling by the Pavilion 1st & 2nd prize
                  5:00 Cornhole Tournament (partners) 1st prize
                  6:00 Decorate a reusable paper rocket for $5 and launch after
                  7:00 Margarita & Chips (Kool-Aid for kids) by the pool
                          $5 donation to Care Camps to drink. 21+ to drink
                  Dark Fireworks 
July 4th    
                  3:00 T-shirt Coloring at the office ($15 for shirt)
                  5:00 Grill out potluck at the pavilion
                   6:30 Decorate a reusable paper rocket for $5 and launch after
July 6th     7:00 S'mores and hotdog roast by the fire
July 7th    11:00 Mini Golf Tournament $5 to enter
                            Prizes for top 2 adults and top 2 kids (12 and under)
                  2:00 Train Rides on the KOA Express
                  3:00 T-shirt Coloring at the office ($15 for shirt)
                  4:00 Frog Fling by the Pavilion 1st & 2nd prize
                  5:00 Cornhole Tournament (partners) 1st prize
                  6:00 Decorate a reusable paper rocket for $5 and launch after
                  7:00 Margarita & Chips (Kool-Aid for kids) by the pool
                          $5 donation to Care Camps to drink. 21+ to drink
                  Dark Fireworks

The St. Mary's Community Market is a beautiful addition to beautiful downtown St. Mary's. They have vendors from all over come and share there talents and share there fresh produce. The Community Market is open every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.

It's a night for downtown businesses to offer up fun, promote shopping local, and sponsor entertainment & activities. So come "break the chain" by spending an evening with family & friends in downtown St. Marys. See you from 5-8pm!

Eat at a downtown restaurant and relax! The theme is DERBY DAYS! Forget the horse track but wear your big beautiful hat!!!

Stop at Riverview Hotel and pick up a wristband then grab a beer or wine at participating restaurants and walk from shop to shop with your adult beverage! (You must have a wristband to walk the street with your beverage). We are proud to have Brackish Beer Company as a sponsor of First Friday's.

St. Marys Little Theatre presents "Carnival Man"
An original musical by Crippen writer David Pooler that brings the colorful life of the carnival onstage with engaging characters and suspenseful action.

=48pxROCK SHRIMP FESTIVAL & PARADE!!!=48px?SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018=16pxThe 46th Annual Rock Shrimp Festival brings a full day of family fun to St. Mary's on Saturday, October 6th including 5K and 10K races and a themed 10:00 a.m. parade featuring floats, fire trucks, tractors and golf carts. You'll find entertainment, demonstrations, arts & crafts vendors and food concessionaires. =16pxThe best part of the day, for most, are the rock shrimp dinners that include rock shrimp, the southeastern delicacy that is the festivals namesake.  Also, included in the dinner are boiled shrimp, fried fish, slaw and hushpuppies. The dinners are typically $10 in advance or $12 on festival day and are served from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Advance tickets are available at the St. Mary's Welcome Center. =16pxThe Rock Shrimp Festival is one of St. Mary's signature events and brings a big crowd while maintaining a small town feel. If you're planning on attending, advance registration is encouraged for the 5K and 10K Runs and is mandatory for Vendors and Parade Entries.

=18pxThe tentative festival schedule is:

 7:30 a.m.                               5K & 10 K Races Start     
 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.            Vendors
 10:00 a.m.                             Parade Begins  
 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.           Rock Shrimp Dinners
 11:00 a.m.                             Car & Tractor Show East of Riverview Hotel on St. Mary's Street
                                                        Plus All Day Entertainment & Demonstrations

=16px =16pxYou can also enjoy the St. Mary's Railroad Days Express train rides at noon, 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the St. Mary's Railroad Train Station and tour the free St. Mary's Railroad Museum. Tickets are recommended in advance for train rides and can be purchased at stmarysrailroad.com. 

The Rock Shrimp Festival is organized by the Kiwanis Club of St. Mary's and supported by the City of St. Mary's and area sponsors.  Festival proceeds are spent locally to fund Kiwanis youth programs in Camden County.  For information or registration forms visit www.smkiwanis.com or www.VisitStMarys.com  or call the St. Mary's Convention & Visitors Bureau at 912.882.4000.

Join us for fall family fun in St. Marys. Osborne Street and businesses in the historic district are decorated with scarecrows. Stroll through the historic district and view the scarecrows that are all dressed up to celebrate the fall season.

Immerse yourself in the spirit of Halloween as you journey to Ghost Town. Fun for all ages. Not too scary for the little ones. Come dressed in costume if you like!

Enjoy this down-home festival with crispy southern-fried catfish and all the fixings sure to please.  Festival goers can feast on this and much more during the annual Catfish festival.  This event will run all day with a night parade, arts & crafts booths, food booths, antiques, a children's amusement area and a 5k run.

Join the staff at the Okefenokee Swamp at the Chesser Island Homestead for a day of fun and learning centered around how the early homesteaders ("swampers") lived.  Crafts, Food, syrup-making, demonstrations and music.  Fun for the whole family.

Travel Santa Land in this magical celebration of Christmas.  Santa and his elves come aboard with gifts for all the good little boys and girls

St. Marys Little Theatre presents  "Christmas Special"
Always enchanting, St. Marys Little Theatre holiday production is filled with bountiful music and an inspiring story.

The Youth Birding Competition is a 24-hour birding event during the peak of spring migration. Youth teams spend the day finding as many species as they can as they compete against teams their own age. The competition is capped off with a wildlife show and awards banquet.  The 2019 event is set for April 26–27. Registration opens this winter. Read about the 2018 event. FAQs: Why start at 5 p.m.? This allows younger or more low-key teams to look for owls in the evening rather than get up at midnight. It also allows older, crazier teams to bird the coast that evening and then work up to Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center on the next day. Where is it? Visit as much or as little of the state of Georgia as you want, just make it to Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center by the 5 p.m. deadline to turn in your list. Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center is in Mansfield, about one hour east of Atlanta. All events will be at the Conference Center Banquet Hall. Do you need to be an expert? No! We can pair your team with an experienced birder (mentor) to help you learn about the birds before the competition (please note that during the competition, only youth participants can identify birds). Who does it benefit? Your team can use this event to raise money for the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund—the main fund for the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division's Nongame Conservation Section—or for the conservation organization of your choice. Are there prizes? Of course! For each age group (K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 grades) teams will compete for the most birds seen and the most money raised. Grand prizes include new binoculars for the team finding the most birds. There will be door prizes for almost all of the participants. How much does it cost? Participation is absolutely free, unless you plan to spend the night at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, in which case lodging costs will be factored. Free to all participants:

• Fun and educational day outside!
  
• Awards banquet
  
• Live animal show
  
• T-shirt
  
• Breakfast & lunch (if participants are in the vicinity of Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center)
  

Prizes for (by age division):

• Most birds seen
  
• Most money raised
  
• Best rookie team
  

How can you register? Registration for the 2019 event will open in winter. If you have questions before then, email Tim Keyes or contact him at 912-262-3191.

Lakeland, GA…The 18th annual youth fishing derby will be held on Saturday, June 2nd from 7:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. at Flatlanders Lake in Lakeland, Georgia. Children ages 3-15 are invited to join the festivities of fishing, snacks, and a raffle! Registration begins at 7:00 a.m. and fishing will take place from 7:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. First, second, and third place prices will be awarded for longest fish and most fish to each age group. This event is hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Banks Lake Outdoors, Okefenokee Wildlife League, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Lakeland Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Lakeland.There will be a raffle with prizes that are donated by event supporters. Raffles will begin at 10:30 a.m. All activities will be in accordance with the National Fishing and Boating Week which is being celebrated June 2nd-9th with “Georgia Free Fishing Days” June 2nd and June 9th. During the Free Fishing Days, Georgia residents 16 years and older, do not need a fishing license. All other fishing regulations apply. For more information about the fishing derby, please contact the Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center located at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge at 912-496-7836 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.

The annual Fishing Classic comes to St. Marys again this year on June 9.

Amid a chorus of “oohs!” and “aahhs!” the highlight of the family-oriented Annual Independence Day Festival in St Marys is a spectacular colorful display over the St Marys River at dusk. Located just minutes east of Kingsland, this festival is a celebration of our nation's independence from Great Britain in 1776. Festival also includes: 5K/10K races, a parade, food concessions and arts & craft booths, entertainment and a breathtaking fireworks display over the St Mary River. For more information, contact the St Marys Kiwanis Club at 912-882-4239