Fireworks to light up theme park

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Wild Adventures Theme Park will illuminate the sky with a fireworks display during the New Year’s Eve Fireworks Spectacular, 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31. Preceding the display will be a featured all-you-can-eat buffet consisting of pot roast, smoked chicken, candied bacon, s’mores and more that will be available starting noon, according to organizers. Though the entry fee for the event is general admission for the theme park, the buffet is $10.99 additional for adults and $8.99 additional for children ages 9 and younger. Guests are offered the chance to show off their best dance moves at 6 p.m. during the dance party that will be held prior to the fireworks’ release. There is no additional cost for the activity, and a DJ will be present. All rides will shut down at 7 p.m., said Adam Floyd, public relations manager, and 2017 and 2018 season passes can be utilized for the event. “It’s kind of a celebration of everything that 2017 was and an introduction to 2018,” Floyd said. VIP seating reservations close to the Whirling Wildcats ride next to the lake are available for $5 and are only offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, according to organizers. Attendees are encouraged to learn about the brand-new Megabugs Adventures Encounters while attending the event, Floyd said. Megabugs is an immersive and interactive area with more than 70 exhibits of larger-than-life insects, such as a 15-foot emperor dragonfly, a 26-foot hissing cockroach and a 50-foot madagascan fire millipede. “We are always looking for new and exciting things to do with our guests,” Floyd said. “We’re definitely inviting (people) to come out and be excited with us about our new exhibit.” The event will conclude Wild Adventures Christmas, and tickets for the event can be purchased online or at the theme park. For more information, visit wildadventures.com. 

 

 

GDOL: jobs and workforce increase in Metro Dalton, unemployment rate also increases

DALTON, Ga. — State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Metro Dalton’s jobs and labor force numbers grew in November. Metro Dalton is Whitfield and Murray counties. Meanwhile, unemployment insurance claims increased slightly, and the November unemployment rate, at 5.3 percent, was up from 4.9 percent in October. Still, the November rate compares favorably to last November when the rate was 5.8 percent, the state Department of Labor said. “This is a very good jobs report,” Butler said. “The number of jobs continues to increase and people are getting those jobs. A temporary increase in claims doesn’t change our growing, dynamic economy. The long-term trends are good.” Metro Dalton posted 70,500 jobs in November, up by 200 from a revised 70,300 in October. The job growth came in trade, transportation and warehousing. Since November 2016, Metro Dalton has posted 400 new jobs, a 0.6 percent growth rate. Over-the-year job growth came in trade, transportation and warehousing, along with the goods-producing sector such as manufacturing and construction. The area’s labor force, which includes the total number of residents with jobs and those unemployed but looking for work, was up by 181 in November. The labor force, at 63,071, is up by 731 since November 2016.