Thursday, July 8, 2010

At Candia water park, some see Jesus in a flag


By GRETYL MACALASTER
Union Leader Correspondent

Liquid Planet Water Park has been waiting more than two years for a miracle.

Since Kevin Dumont and his family opened the park in 2008, Mother Nature has sent far too many rainy days.

But this year, just after opening, water park staff members saw an unexpected sight as the lifeguard flag was unfurled. In the middle of the red cross was a shadowy face that resembled images of Jesus Christ.

Since the face on the flag was revealed, the weather has been more than perfect, Dumont said. Business is up over 200 percent from last year.

Today, Father Volney "Von" DeRosia from St. Joseph's Church in Epping will be visiting the park to take a look at the image.

Kevin Donovan, spokesman for the Diocese of Manchester, said it can take years for the Vatican to confirm such phenomena.

"If a priest is able, he will take a look. At this stage, there is nothing more to it," Donovan said.

DeRosia will primarily be looking to see if the image could be intentionally fabricated.

Lifeguard manager Sara Schlachter said as soon as she saw the flag, she recognized the image as Christ.

"I'm not religious at all and I'm not much of a believer," she said, adding that she thinks the discovery of the image and the arrival of good weather are pure coincidence.

100707jesusflag_426px (THOMAS  ROY)

Liquid Planet Water Park has seen fair weather since the flag in question was unfurled. Click on the photo to see a larger image. (THOMAS ROY)

Kevin Dumont's sister, park manager Kelly Dumont, is also a skeptic.

"I think they're all a bunch of nuts. It looks more like a gladiator, or the Beatles," she said of the image on the flag.

To Dumont, it looks like an image of Christ, flanked by two other faces, with a starburst over their heads.

Dumont said he was born and raised Catholic, but is not practicing the faith now. He said he is spiritual, but doesn't believe there is a vision of the Virgin Mary or Elvis in every potato chip.

"This is a little more than that," he said. "We asked for a miracle."

Dumont said staff members have not mentioned the image to customers, of which there have been thousands since the park opened on June 19.

"I don't want to turn this into a freak show -- but if it is something, I don't want it to be ignored," he said.

Free Online Classes for you MOM!

All of us at The Old Schoolhouse® and HomeschoolBlogger.com are very pleased to announce an inspiring, new opportunity . . .

HomeschoolBlogger.com's FREE Classes


We have a vibrant lineup of topics already scheduled for mid-July and August, plus more are being scheduled each day for this summer and fall--just in time for back-to-school planning and preparation!

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  • Level With Me About Math - Can I Really Teach It?
July 13 - 2 PM EDT/1 PM CDT - Preshow 1 PM EDT/12 PM CDT
Math on the Level - Breathe new life into your math program as John and Carlita Boyles, homeschooling authors of Math on the Level,
share practical ways to bring on revitalization while producing enthusiastic learners! Register Here!



  • Babies & Sign Language - Give Them Their Words
July 14 - 2 PM EDT/1 PM CDT - Preshow 1 PM EDT/12 PM CDT
Talking With Baby - Learn the benefits of signing and why it works. Why is it important to give babies a language? Find out! You'll also learn how reading while teaching can be easy and fun. Register here.


  • Homeschooling: Teaching a Love of Reading
July 22 - 4 PM EDT/3 PM CDT - Preshow 3 PM EDT/2 PM CDT
Spalding Education Foundation - Get an overview of The Spalding Method from Spalding for Home Educators with focus on teaching basic language skills, developing a love of reading, and understanding the structure of language. Register here.

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Free E-Books


What about a dose of E-couragement? Have you jumped into the E-Book craze? Electronic information is increasingly popular. In addition to the list above, three of our most popular E-Books are available to download for free--no strings attached.

You read correctly--free E-Books for you, your friends, your family, your readers, and anyone else you can spread the word to!

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Learn about how the public school system began and who started it in our E-Book Are Public Schools an Option for Christian Kids? What was the original intent of this system? As a Christian parent, can you confidently make the decision to place your child in the public school environment day after day, year after year?

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TOS Freebie Directory

The Old Schoolhouse® would also like to help others receive free items for use in their homeschools. Our amazing Freebie Directory is a wonderful list that offers 40 free items from vendors within our homeschool community. These are free to pass on, and there is no need to buy anything.

Summer months are a great time to encourage families and bring refreshing encouragement to blog readers, a little excitement to your web page, or just spread the word about the blessings of homeschool-
ing. Our desire is to encourage you as a homeschooler,
as well as to equip you with tools and resources.

We wish all of you a blessed start to the new homeschool year!


Thank you,
Paul and Gena Suarez

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Have fun! Create your own radio station! Click HERE to get started.

Mrs. Murphy

sorry for the ads, dont know how to take them off!


Summer is the perfect time...
to take stock of your situation; to determine if you need to make some changes; to organize and regroup; to recharge and refocus...
But not all at once! Summer is also the perfect time to curl up with a good book and give no thought to any of the above.
But when you do decide that you are ready for another push on the swing or an encouraging pat on the back, download and print this FREE ebook brought to you by Knowledge Quest and The Old Schoolhouse (and a few others as you will see when you open it up and read it).


Home School Coupon Book
Have you downloaded this fantastic coupon book yet? If you are planning to purchase any curriculum this summer, you should check this out! Many curriculum publishers are offering free shipping and others are offering discounts at 25% and higher.
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I hope you are getting some lovely summer weather you way. For us, it has finally arrived and we are heading to the beach!
Enjoy your day!

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C-SPAN's New American Presidents Timeline Poster

C-SPAN is delighted to announce our new American Presidents Timeline poster FREE for classrooms. The 6ft long poster details the lives and public service careers of every president, plus key historical events, Supreme Court cases, and technology milestones throughout 280 years of Presidential history. They are free of charge to C-SPAN Classroom members. To reserve yours, simply click HERE, then go to "Get Offer" below! *(limit of one poster per member and only available to members with an address inside the continental U.S.A.)