HUNGER GAMES II

Beautiful walking trails

We walk five days a week at the International Park, which was the venue for the Volleyball event during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.  It is a really nice place, however, the place has been invaded...by the movie industry.

 We have been watching the progress of all the construction that has been happening.  It started when they drained the swimming lake just after Labor Day.  Then a group of workers came in and took all the railing off the swimming dock, and started construction on something that looks like...I don't even know how to describe what they have constructed.  It's just weird looking.

A ReDUCKulous situation!

At first, we were allowed to walk our normal route, which was from the front gate, a mile along the walking path, across a huge parking lot around the back side of the swimming lake and then across another parking lot around by the sales office, back across the dam between the fishing lake and the swimming lake then back to the front gate.  But now, about half of our walking route is blocked off and barricades have been put in place and tarps put up so you can see the movie set.  It's just reduckulous.  You would think the Queen is the star of this movie. 

 Now, there are Hertz rent-a-cops posted at various locations to keep people from doing I don't know what, and they have added county police as well.  Since they have altered our walking route we are forced to walk from the front gate, across the dam between the fishing and swimming lakes to the side gate entrance, make a U-turn and back to the front gate.  They have erected these awful green tarps on poles to keep people from seeing the movie set.  Who cares what they are doing.  At one point in the tarps there is a place you can peep through to see what is happening in the lake where all the filming is going to occur.  The other morning we peeked to see what was happening and the police blew his fog horn at us.  Can you believe that?!  

Barrels before putting up major barricades

Beginning construction of the main set

When the construction first started we asked the workers what was going on and they freely told us they were going to be filming part of "Hunger Games II" out in the lake.  We asked one of the employees at the park and she wouldn't tell us because it was a BIG secret.  We finally told her we already knew.  We had never heard of the movie "Hunger Games", so Hubby Googled it and discovered the first movie grossed $364 million.

The sad part, our county is only making $80,000 for the use of the facility, not to mention the cost of all those Hertz rent-a-cops and the county police that are over there 24/7 with the engines on their vehicles running 24/7.  How much is that costing the taxpayers of our county?

Needless to say, we will be glad when the movie people have vacated the park and we can return to our normal route of our daily walk.  

We think they are going to put blinders on all the geese so they can't see what's happening on the movie set as they fly over on their way to the fishing lake.     

Tarps to keep eyes off the movie set

Movie set just before putting back in the lake

This is the area where you can peep through the tarps

A couple of weeks ago when we had high winds from Hurricane Sandy the wind blew some of the fencing over because the tarps were like great sails on a ship, except the fence moved.  Probably another expense for the taxpayers. 

I think I'll take my camera tomorrow to see if the police honks his horn at me again.

Scroll on down to see all the photos.    

I think they are on their way to be fitted for the blinders.