And if it *is* too late to go by the time you read this, well... there's always next year!

Atheists Gather At Orlando's Epcot Center For Freethought Day At Disney (Dianna Narcisco/Orlando Atheism Examiner; Oct 15)

Atheists, agnostics, Humanists, and freethinkers of all labels have been gathering at an Orlando Disney park on the third Saturday in October for five years.

Freethought Day at Disney began in the minds of the board of directors of Space Coast Freethought Association as a joyful way of bringing together like-minded individuals. The day is now hosted by the Humanist Family Network of Tampa.

Completely devoid of lectures, panel discussions, rants against religion, spats over labels, disputes over accommodationism versus the "new atheism," the day is dedicated to nothing more than pure fun.

What began as about a half-dozen atheists roaming Disney's Magic Kingdom in 2006, wearing lime green t-shirts sporting the image of Rodin's Thinker, has slowly grown to about two dozen atheists roaming the year's chosen park. But slow growth is better than no growth.

This year, Freethought Day at Disney takes place at Epcot Center during the International Food & Wine Festival. Culinary adventure awaits in the World Showcase where the heathens can sample amazing foods from all over the world. And wine, of course. We'll be on the lookout for drunken apostates.

The t-shirt this year sports only the words "Freethought Day, Epcot, 2010." Is lime green really worth it without the Thinker (or the frog of last year)? We vote yes. It's too late to order it to wear, but you can order it as a souvenir for when you're very old. You won't remember you didn't wear it on that exact day. And as frugal atheists will tell you, you can cross out the 2010 and write in 2011 for next year. And if they change park destination, you can cross out Epcot, too.

Meetups for the day are as follows:

9:15 am Morning Meet up - fountain in front of Spaceship Earth. Group photo and then we can ride Spaceship Earth together before heading off for the day. This is a good time to get to know each other and make dinner arrangements for later. (Are they crazy? There won't be room for dinner after you've sampled your way across the world.)

11:30 am - Lunch at the Sunshine Seasons Food Fair in the Earth Pavilion. Counter Service $. If you are interesting in riding Soaring, its a good idea to get a fast past before you eat lunch. (Clearly these atheists have no understanding of Intl. Food & Wine Festival protocol.)

4 pm - Snack at Boulangerie Patisserie in France (These people can eat!)

8:45 pm - Fireworks at Mexico's pyramid (upper level) Fireworks start at 9 pm. (At least one of us will be so stuffed with food, she'll be asleep by this time. This columnist is not mentioning any names.)

So, pack your fork for the festival and head over to Epcot Center tomorrow [i.e., TODAY!]. Wear any lime green you can find and offer a shout out to your fellow nonbelievers.