By Maggie West / Staff

A night of crafts, snacks, movies, and learning about our founding fathers for the children and a bit of well-deserved time off for moms...

Tracy Hanley, wife of Fulton County GOP Chairman Shawn Hanley, had a dream. Her dream became a reality with Liberty Night's launch on Friday, March 26. With conviction in her voice, she said, "My daughter's in fourth grade at Warren Jackson and they had Constitution Week. But they were not teaching the Constitution, and they were not teaching our children the sacrifices that our founding fathers -- and likewise other patriots -- made for us to have the civil liberties that we have today. So, I talked to Shawn about what we could do."

After viewing and evaluating numerous tapes, Hanley purchased a video collection at www.LibertyKids.com that "accurately displays what happened" for the children to watch at her gatherings. But that's not all. The children, who are encouraged to bring their friends and sleeping bags, are fed dinner, then watch an hour and fifteen minutes of patriotic, history-themed videos. A question and answer period follows, with prizes awarded for correct answers. There's also a coloring period, featuring images of past presidents and other historical figures. The entire evening revolves around our country's rich history.

Although Liberty Night is a non-profit event, donations are always welcome. Current sponsors include the Fulton County Republican Party and various community businesses. Napoli's, to name one, offered pizza for Friday night's event, at twenty-five cents on the dollar.

Hanley's plans for her pilot program include scheduling the sessions on the last Friday of every month, and researching other avenues by which to educate the children who attend.

She merrily mentioned that moms could "Go grocery shopping, attend another political event, clean their house, whatever they need for the night and know that [their] children are taken of."

RSVP at www.FultonGOP.org or contact Liberty Night Committee Chairman Tracy Hanley at TracyHanleyGOP@gmail.com