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WELCOME TO MACARONI KID Hickory/Western Piedmont!

Newsletter for July 22-28, 2016

July 21, 2016

Thanks for joining us! We are here for NC Western Piedmont area moms and dads, grandparents and caretakers too, who love finding fun, family-friendly events and things to do in Hickory, Lenoir, Newton-Conover, Morganton, Taylorsville and surrounding areas.  New to us?  Click here for a quick tour.  

Enjoy this week's newsletter!
It's hard to believe that summer break is already half-way through (or more); how time flies! I'm in complete denial over the fact that my daughter will be going back to school in less than a month (she starts back August 15th this year). As much as I try to steer clear of the aisles of school supplies already set-up front and center at local big box stores, I can't avoid the fact that it is time to start getting her ready to resume good study habits. How have your kids been spending their summer? Have you been able to balance their excitement for today's latest media with the need to continue learning into the summer months? That is the focus of this week's newsletter in which we'll help you assess how plugged in your family is (and offer ways to unplug), learn more about the Pokémon Go app that's been all the rage the past few weeks, check out an excellent source for media reviews to help parents screen media for appropriateness for their kids, discover 10 ways to keep summer learning going in preparation for the approaching school year, make math monsters to make math practice fun and enroll your daughters in a free Christian dance camp. This and more awaits in this week's newsletter; refer to the table of contents for all that is inside.

Don't miss this week's giveaways and contests!
We're celebrating National Ice Cream Month all through July by giving away free frozen yogurt! Enter for a chance to be one of our weekly winners of 4 free fro-yo cups at Sweet Frog! We're finalizing the details for more great giveaways for the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned for those coming soon!

Keep 'em busy... plan our fun for the weekend, the week, or the month!
Our calendar is full of family-friendly events and we add to it daily! So much is happening around our local area that we can't always put it all in our newsletter. Plan your family fun for the days, weeks and months ahead by going straight to our Event Calendar.

Looking for more?
There's still plenty of summer left! Count on Macaroni Kid to help you entertain, stimulate and exhaust your kids and make lasting memories with your family all season long! We have your ultimate guide to local summer fun with our list of 101 summer boredom busters!  With tons of places and venues to visit, our list of kids summer movie serieslocal places to get wet and places for family bike rides, plus free or inexpensive programs like Kids Skate Free, South Mountains State Park Summer Kids Club, summer reading, cheap bowling or summer craft programs at Michaels or AC Moore, there's no time for boredom! As you're out and about on the town enjoying the activities on our calendar, refer to our list of local restaurant specials where kids eat free or cheap or stop by a local farmers market for freshest fruits and veggies for your family. If you're still looking for summer camps, we have lots of great programs to choose from in our 2016 Summer Camp Guide. Find even more helpful information, like report card freebies or getaway ideas, here.

List your event on our calendar... for FREE!
We're happy to include on our calendar any free (or low cost) one-time local events for kids through teens and/or for families and there is no charge for most listings. Send in the details using our submit an event form or email annah@macaronikid.com and we'll gladly help you spread the word to our local community.

Get published on our site to earn money & perks
We are looking for great content to publish in our newsletters and on our website for our audience of local families. If you have a passion for writing or just something to share, we'd love to hear from you! There's money and perks in it for you, plus the bragging rights of being published. Learn more here.

See those pretty ads at the top and right side?
They are perfectly safe to click! In fact, they are the sponsors that make Macaroni Kid Hickory/Western Piedmont a FREE resource for you! So click away ... and please let them know that you found them on Macaroni Kid. Interested in advertising with us, check out our media kit.

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We love to hear from readers!

If you have general feedback, ideas, article suggestions, advertising inquiries, or simply just have questions, please feel free to e-mail me at annah@macaronikid.com.

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Have a great week!
Peace, Love & Macaroni,

~ Anna