The new BabyLand General Hospital, a sprawling 70,000-square-foot plantation style building north of Cleveland just off Hulsey Road, is a big change from the much smaller, original downtown location of the “hospital.”

Even the porch space of the new facility, about 20,000 square feet, eclipses the size of the old one, which was 14,000 feet.

But Margaret McLean, director of corporate communication for Original Appalachian Artworks, the parent company of the Cabbage Patch Kids, said visitors still will see familiar settings and familiar hand-stitched faces at the Kids’ new home.

“We are very excited because, as Xavier (Roberts) was planning the new facility, he knew how much BabyLand General Hospital meant to people, and he wanted to keep a lot of the feel of the hospital,” McLean said.

“The history of the BabyLand General Hospital is the soft sculpture (Cabbage Patch Kids), so as you enter into the first part of BabyLand … you’re seeing the soft sculpture, which is the roots,” McLean said.

McLean said Roberts, inventor of the Cabbage Patch Kids and owner of BabyLand, kept many elements of the original BabyLand.

“The double doors open up just like the old medical clinic,” she said.

Through the double doors visitors can find “nurseries” filled with “preemie” Cabbage Patch Kids.

“It’s black and white as the theme color as you walk in, but of course the rooms start to come alive with the pinks and the blues and you see lots of cribs,” McLean said.

The original “Little People,” the predecessors of Cabbage Patch Kids, are on display, she said, “so that people can see, again, this is the roots, this is Cabbage Patch.”

Once you’ve toured the nurseries, you can move on to the main event – the large room that houses the “Cabbage Patch,” where the Kids are “born.”

Visitors who made the trip to the original facility will recognize a bigger version of the leaf-covered garden, adorned with real crystals and twinkling “fireflies.”

If you’re there at the right time, you can watch as a “licensed patch nurse” assists “Mother Cabbage,” gives her a shot of “imagicillin” and helps her give birth to a brand new Cabbage Patch Kid.

You might even get a chance to name him or her.

A clubhouse and a treehouse also decorate the central room, or the “park,” at BabyLand, which still has 20 Christmas trees on display but, McLean said, will change with the seasons.

“You get the sense that there are lots of Kids at play and they’re ready to find someone to play with,” she added.

Should you decide you want to take a Cabbage Patch Kid home, there’s more to it than waiting in a check-out line.

Small rooms are set aside for visitors who would like to “adopt.”

“When you adopt a Cabbage Patch Kid, the originals, they take you in and you go through the process,” McLean said. “You have to fill out the paperwork and things like that, so they take you in and you take the oath of adoption.”

A 3,800-square-foot conference room also is located at the new facility, where groups can reserve the ballroom for meetings, parties or weddings.

Big Cabbage Patch Kid fans also can arrange to have their birthday party at BabyLand.

“We’ve got another room that is only set up for birthday parties,” McLean said. “So children can come in and celebrate the birthday and then they have the opportunity to name the baby that is born from the Cabbage Patch.

“So they’re there to celebrate a birthday also, so that’s kind of a fun thing. They enjoy that.”

McLean said BabyLand supplies giveaways, invites and party space, while parents are responsible for food at the parties.

The official grand opening of the new facility is set for May 8, but the Easter Eggstravaganza, a Cleveland tradition that includes egg hunts, a parade and arts and crafts, will be held at BabyLand on March 27

Event Date:

12/5/2009 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Location:

Downtown Flowery Branch

Free Admission

Contact Information:

Event Date:

9/19/2009 10:00 AM to 4:00 AM

Location:

Free Admission

Contact Information:

That’s what you might usually hear at fine art galleries, but at “Lollipop, Lollipop,” a candy-colored art exhibit on view at Gainesville State College’s Roy C. Moore Art Gallery, you can touch and even take a ride on some of the pieces.

Sculptor Didi Dunphy designed striped skateboards for the exhibit, which will be on display through Sept. 24. The boards represent one of the goals of the show: To make the gallery approachable and “friendly” to the art-shy.”

Exerp from the Gainesville Times By: Tasha Biggers

When:  9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Sept. 24; reception, noon Sept. 24
Where: Roy C. Moore Art Gallery, Gainesville State College, 3820 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood
How much: Free
More info: 678-717-3707

Event Date:

9/19/2009 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Location:

Rabun County Civic Center on 76 West in downtown Clayton, GA

Free Admission

Contact Information:

American Legion Parade

Gainesville – 10 am

This annual event rolls down Historic Green Street at 10am on Monday. Start the day off with a salute to our fallen heroes. A fly by from a Black Hawk Helicopter will kick off the parade with family members of Charlie Company Army Reserves serving as Grand Marshalls. There are plenty of great spots along the parade route for viewing. Spectators begin lining up around 9am. Bring a folding chair or blanket if you like. FREE admission. Afterwards, the Vietnam Veterans will have burgers and hot dogs available at the end of the parade route.

Northeast Georgia History Center Open House

Gainesville – 11am-3pm

Special events for this Open House include video presentations of veterans sharing their stories. Stroll through the American Freedom Garden and see the names of locals who have served our country in the armed forces. While at the History Center be sure to take in their permanent and traveling exhibits. FREE admission. Refreshments will be served from 11am until 3pm. www.negahc.org

Air National Guard Band of the South Concert

Gainesville – 2pm

Lakewood Baptist Church hosts this prestigious musical group from Dobbins Air Force Base for a Memorial Day concert. Thompson Bridge Road, admission is FREE. For more info, email jwfalk@bellsouth.net

Northwinds Symphonic Band Concert

Gainesville – 7:30pm

First Baptist Church will host this stellar musical ensemble for a free family concert closing out the Memorial Day celebration. This group features the talents of local band instructors, retired professional musicians and college students. Their selections include a rousing Tribute to John Philip Sousa. www.northwindsband.com

Fans of the 1977 hit movie won’t want to miss this fun, family event.

Saturday, May 16th – 7:00 pm

Admission is only $5 for adults, and all kids are FREE!

Events include:
- Bandit car show
- Special appearance by the original Snowman’s Trailer
- Burt Reynolds look-alike contest
- Bandit spectator racing

Print this flyer and redeem it for a free item from the concession stand!

Click here to learn more
about Bandit Run 2009

Special Guests for the evening will be the caravan of fans participating in the 2009 Bandit Run – a recreation of the long haul truck trip immortalized by Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason and Jerry Reed in the 1977 hit film “Smokey and the Bandit.”

Events Include:
- Bandit car show
- Snowman’s orginal trailor on display
- Burt Reynolds look-a-like contest
- Bandit fan race

Saturday, May 16th @ 7:00 pm

Adults $5 Kids FREE

Click here for more…
 

 

 

Visit Lanier National Speedway online here.