The 2004 Eucharistic Congress KidTrack will serve children who are entering kindergarten through fifth-graders. It will be an active, high-energy experience built around the theme “Wild About Christ.”

KidTrack will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 12, which is the time when the rest of the tracks are in progress. Early registration will take place from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. when parents can visit the area and sign up their children. Children taking part in KidTrack remain with their parents during the opening eucharistic procession and must be picked up by 5 p.m. before the closing Mass.

Combining several salons at the convention center into one 20,000-square-foot area, the KidTrack will be an inviting environment with a jungle flavor, decorated with vines, oversized animals and a 20-foot palm tree.

The host of the day will be an Australian crocodile hunter who will help the kids hunt for virtue. Children will be greeted by safari explorers and activities will include times of praise and worship, a virtue hunt, crafts, skits, Scripture memorization competition, and a visit by Jesus in the Eucharist. Lunch will be provided in the KidTrack.

Working with a core team of 10 people and about 250 volunteers, KidTrack will welcome up to 1,200 children. Cheryl DePalma, who is coordinating the track, is the mother of two children, has been a volunteer at the children’s track at previous Eucharistic Congresses, works at Pinecrest Academy, Cumming, and has organized the children’s summer camp held at Pinecrest for the past four or five years.