THOMSON, Ga - A long day of fun for youth had a powerful purpose in Thompson, Saturday.

Tug of war, dunk tank, volley ball, even greased pig wrestling--so much went on at the fourth annual Emus Festival. No there’re no Emus, but at one time, Emus were held on the farm at The Old Frontier.

“The youth ministry just wanted to reach out to [kids] and get them here to play crazy games, and just have a fun day of free food, free fun, and a awesome day,” says Pastor Chris Smith.

The festival was to encourage and get kids and teens excited about going back to school through fellowship, fun and testimonies.

“It's was a good way to learn about Christ. I felt Christ with them singing, even if I was just standing around, it was still fun,” said Georgia McAlister.

“I think you get to fellowship with everyone you meet; different people from different Churches and experience different things,” said Katie Lewis

Pastor Smith says events like the Emus Festival are a good way to pull youth in to show them a better way to live.

“I want them to leave here today with a fresh understanding, that you can have fun,” said Smith. “You don't have to do drugs, you don't have to do alcohol, and you don't have to do pornography. You can just come have clean fun and just worship Jesus Christ.”

“Youth live in a changing culture, and a changing time, where a lot of stuff that’s out there tries to pull them in,” said Youth pastor Mathew Funk. “It can drag you down and mess-up your life, there's more positive things out there for you. That is something that we really want to get across.”

Here's a list of a couple events coming up at the Old Frontier:

-Starting Sunday, there will be a week long crusade.

-At the end of September, the farm will open their Corn Maze.

NBC Augusta 26 News brings you straight to the point news, weather, and sports from Augusta and the CSRA. Meet our NBC Augusta 26 News staff!