Are you interested in promoting your product or service to parents with children?  The 2010 Family Back to School Expo is the perfect opportunity to participate in one of our highly successful annual events at Stonecrest.  For more information, please email expos@crossroadsnews.com.

The Mall at Stonecrest is ready to celebrate the back to school season with Buddy the Dinosaur on Saturday, August 14^th at the 2010 Family Back to School Expo.  Meet Buddy at Noon, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.  *character appearances are presented in 30 minute intervals only.  First come, first serve.

Buddy, is a curious, funny, and intelligent T-Rex.  As star of the hit show, he is cautious, but always ready to jump into action and start asking questions. While on the Dinosaur Train, Buddy makes a hypothesis and begins searching for the answers to his questions with the help of his Mom, the Conductor, and the new dinosaurs he meets on the train. When Buddy isn't taking exciting trips on the Dinosaur Train, he is playing with his siblings, Don, Tiny, and Shiny and anticipating their next adventure.

The Mall at Stonecrest is ready to celebrate the back to school season with puppeteer Peter Linz with special guest “Theo” from Between the Lions on Saturday, August 14^th at the 2010 Family Back to School Expo.  Live shows at 12:30, 2:00 and 3:30 p.m.  Meet "Theo" up close and personal after each live show.

Peter Linz, a native of Georgia, who is the puppeteer behind the popular character “Theo” on the hit PBS show Between the Lions  began puppeteering at the age of three.  He entertained his first audience (a group of birthday party-goers) at the age of 8 and was bitten by the Muppet bug at age 10.  He went on to graduate with a BA in Psychology from the University of Georgia.

Like many successful Muppet performers Linz has served and continues to serve a term of duty on Sesame Street, performing numerous characters over the course of 17 seasons.  His best-known characters, however, emerged on the successful Disney Channel preschool program Bear in the Big Blue House in the form of a nervous mouse named Tutter and a playful otter named Pip.

Linz has also created and led workshops in television puppetry under the auspices of the Jim Henson Company in Germany, China, Mexico and the United States. Linz has had great success outside of the Henson universe as well, performing in popular children's series such as Between the Lions, Puzzle Place, Blue's Room, The Book of Pooh, Cousin Skeeter, It's a Big, Big World, and the PBS series, Lomax - The Hound of Music, in which he performs the title character.

Linz performed on the stage in the Tony award-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q from 2003-2005 as puppet captain, ensemble member and understudy for Princeton, Rod, Brian, Nicky, Trekkie Monster, and Bad Idea Bear #1.

 Between the Lions features Theo, Cleo, Lionel and Leona - a family of lions - run a magical library where characters pop out of books, vowels sing and words take on a life of their own. The series combines puppetry, animation and live action to help young children learn to read.  The series is geared toward children 4 to 7 years old that dramatize the benefits of reading, show that learning to read and spell can be a struggle, but a worthwhile one.  In addition, the show emphasizes that there are many reasons to write and introduces new vocabulary words and their meanings.

Between the Lions gives young viewers a chance to have meaningful and manageable reading experiences by using key words in simple, decodable, connected text onscreen. The program also reinforces high-frequency "sight" words to help children become more comfortable with reading.

Buy a Card, Shop & Save!

OCTOBER 11–17, 2010

Help local breast cancer survivors get back in the swing when you buy a Back in the Swing Gift Card and receive a Discount Card for multiple ways to save, up to 20%, at participating stores and restaurants.

Your donation goes toward improving and protecting the health of breast cancer survivors. Visit www.BackintheSwing.org to learn about the new healthcare centers, educational programs and academic medical research that your generosity makes possible.

Gift Cards and Discount Cards are available starting September 1st at Guest Services where you can experience the joy of giving and receiving.

Here’s how it works:

1. You buy a Back in the Swing Gift Card, for sale September 1 though October 17, as a treat for you or someone special.

2. A $5.00 donation is added to the price of the Back in the Swing Gift Card and goes toward life-long, post-treatment medical care for breast cancer survivors.

3. You receive a bonus gift with purchase: a Discount Card that you can use to save up to 20% during Back in the Swing Retail Therapy Week, October 11 - 17, on select merchandise at participating retailers and restaurants throughout The Mall at Stonecrest.

Click here to learn more about how your donation helps women surviving Breast Cancer.