1/15: Second solar project; Book of Mormon; more

SOLAR FIELD: More green power is coming to customers of Walton EMC, as demand for electricity produced this way has been overwhelming. For more details of this new field of solar panels south of Monroe, see Today’s Focus below. (Google photo.)

TODAY’S FOCUS: Demand High, So Walton EMC Adds Second Solar Project

EEB PERSPECTIVE: Fox Theatre’s Book of Mormon Was a Disappointment

UPCOMING: Former Olympian Will Speak at Snellville MLK Day Celebration

NOTABLE: Buford Readies for Eighth Annual Father-Daughter Dances

RECOMMENDED READ: The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Savannah Falls to the Union Giving Sherman a Yule Present for Lincoln

TODAY’S QUOTE: What Coach K Tells His Basketball Players

MYSTERY PHOTO: Local Photograph Was Not Recognized by Readers

LAGNIAPPE: Where White Evangelicals Live

Demand high, so Walton EMC adds second solar project

By Greg Brooks

MONROE, Ga., Jan. 15, 2016 — More sun power is on the way! Walton Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) has begun construction of its second cooperative solar project.

Brooks

CEO Ronnie Lee says: “Our customer-owners quickly snapped up the first 750 solar blocks when they became available last June. They were gone in just a few days. Customer-owners continue to call. The demand is phenomenal. We already have a waiting list long enough to sell out 80 percent of the next project. That’s why we’re on the fast track to build more.”

Lee urged customer-owners desiring cooperative solar to put their name on the waiting list now. Those interested should call Walton EMC at 770-267-2505.

Walton EMC’s first project consists of a one-megawatt solar electricity generation site in northeastern Walton County. The six-acre facility uses 4,280 individual solar panels and is expected to produce approximately 2 million kilowatt-hours of solar electricity per year.

The second 2.5-megawatt project is sited four miles south of Monroe in Walton County. Around 10,700 panels will occupy 15 acres and generate 5 million kilowatt-hours of solar electricity per year.

Only customer-owners who have residences connected to Walton EMC’s electric grid are eligible to participate in the cooperative solar projects.

Blocks of solar electricity are $25 each per month. Each block is expected to produce between 180 and 260 kilowatt-hours per month, depending on the sun’s angle, the time of year, the number of cloudy days in the month and other factors.

Kilowatt-hours produced by the solar electricity units will offset the same number of kilowatt-hours on each participating customer-owner’s monthly bill. Each customer-owner may purchase up to two blocks. Requests for more than two blocks will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Walton’s cooperative solar project allows access to consumers who might otherwise be excluded from owning and installing their own solar electricity generation. Obstacles like upfront cost, improper roof orientation, excessive roof shading, restrictive subdivision covenants or landlord prohibitions are frequent barriers to homeowners and renters who want to install solar systems.

Walton EMC is a customer-owned power company that serves 124,000 accounts over its 10-county service area between Atlanta and Athens.

Seeing Book of Mormon at the Fox Theatre: Not so much a delight

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher

JAN. 15, 2016 | Several people urged us to go see the road company of The Book of Mormon, saying they thought we would like it.

We went to the Fox Wednesday night, and came away not excited about the musical some say is so great. To us, it just was not up to par of stage performances we have seen before. Since it’s a musical with lots of toe-tapping dances, I would have thought a person would come away with the lyrics and beat of one of the songs in your mind. Didn’t happen.

Perhaps many accepted the musical as different as it took slaps at the Mormon church. While the church took its licks, it was only being attacked as would any institution, whether the Roman Church, the Deep South, or even a North Dakotan in Fargo.

Or maybe it was the sound system, as many of the one-liners went over our head, since we couldn’t clearly hear them. As another theatre-goer said on leaving the Fox: “I didn’t catch some of the nuances; I might have to go back four to five times to get them.”

Yet the show was excitable and lively, especially from the eight-member dance company, which has Cobb County’s own Jevares Myrick as the assistant dance captain. Aurora Theatre’s Ann-Carol Pence says of him: “We cast him in Christmas Canteen so that we could have a strong dancer, and wow!” It’s unusual for a road company to have a local cast member in tow.

Seeing The Book of Mormon, my mind went back to other major productions we have seen, here on stage, and in distant cities. A similar situation came to mind: when on a junket to Germany years ago, we were taken in Berlin to the Argentine-themed Evita, with German lyrics. Listening to Mormon was similar: I could not comprehend what was being said on stage very well, even though Mormon was in English. Later when seeing the English version of Evita, I understood more. Perhaps I needed a translation or a script to follow for Mormon.

That also brought back memories of other stage performances. A few years back, when in London, the only ticket we could get them was Kinky Boots, which turned out delightful, and even put lyrics and tunes in mind leaving the show. The Broadway version of that play is coming to the Fox in Atlanta on March 29 to April 3.

Another play we remember from London 55 years ago, when on vacation from our Army tour in Germany: My Fair Lady. Yep, the original version on stage in London. What a show! We still enjoy it when it’s on television. (The black-and-white scene of the horse race is our favorite.)

One of our daughters gave us tickets in Chicago to Phantom of the Opera, another well-enjoyed presentation. And once when in San Francisco, the original version of Godspell, has lyrics which still reverberate in our mind. A similar follow-up, Jesus Christ, Superstar, was another memorable, which we saw in Jacksonville, Fla.

As much as the super stage shows are wonderful, local productions are superb. We are so pleased to see Aurora Theatre thriving, and get the accolades it deserves. Its recent Mary Poppins had our granddaughters wondering how she would fly, and she did, to their delight! (If you haven’t seen it, go see Wit, Aurora’s current production, which is great.) And look at the season that the Norcross Lionheart Theatre is producing this year, as shown in the last edition of the Forum. That’s amazing!

Stage productions: they are wonderful. Mormon? For me, not so much.

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Olympian Tommie Smith will keynote Snellville M.L. King Event

At the Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968 Tommie Smith raised a fist covered with a black leather glove as he stood on the medal podium. The symbolic gesture became a symbol of the civil rights movement.

Smith

On January 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Smith will be the keynote speaker at the Snellville Martin Luther King Day celebration and parade.

The event, scheduled for 10 a.m. behind City Hall, will also feature a performance by vocal group, Forever in Ministry. Following the program, a parade will travel on Wisteria Drive to South Gwinnett High School.

Mayor Tom Witts, who is organizing the event, says: “This is a perfect opportunity for us to show the new spirit of a united Snellville and to come together to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.”

During the 19th Olympiad in Mexico City in the summer of 1968, Smith broke the 200 meter world and Olympic record with a time of 19.83 seconds and became an Olympic champion.

As the national anthem played Smith and USA teammate John Carlos both raised a clinched fist covered in a black leather glove in a historic stand for black power, liberation and solidarity. Cheered by some and jeered by others, Smith made a commitment to dedicate his life to champion the cause of oppressed people.

Smith received his Bachelor of Arts degree from San Jose State University in Social Science. During his tenure at San Jose he tied or broke a total of 13 world records in track and field. From 1969 to 1971 Smith played in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals. He went on to obtain a Master’s Degree in Sociology from Goddard College.

Smith started his college teaching and coaching career at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. In 1978 he re-located to Santa Monica, Calif. where for 27 years he served as a faculty member and coach at Santa Monica College. Smith continues to help bring awareness to our youth about health and wellness. The Tommie Smith Youth Initiative partners with 100 Black Men’s Youth Movement program to improve the health, fitness and well-being of marginalized children.

New exhibit at Heritage Center focuses on tree houses

Families can spend some quality time hanging out in the trees with a visit to the Environmental and Heritage Center’s newest exhibit titled TreeHouses:  Look Who’s Living In The Trees. The exhibit will be on campus from Jan. 18 until May 7, 2016.

EHC Guests will enjoy roaming from tree to tree to house as they discover the many habitats that trees provide for animals large and small with a visit to the TreeHouses exhibit.

The focus of the exhibit moves up, in, around and even underneath trees. TreeHouses includes fun, hands-on ways to explore the important role that trees play in providing homes for all sorts of wild things (including people). Incorporating all of the senses, this popular exhibit engages forest explorers of all ages in nature explorations and in the ecology of the sustainable harvesting of this important natural resource.

EHC Program Director Jason West says: “This exhibit is perfect for family audiences and provides a unique opportunity to explore STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) through the lens of forestry.”

In the exhibit, guests will look for signs of animal tree dwellers as they walk through an indoor tree house and across a connecting bridge.  They will listen for animals inside the tree house and try to guess their sounds on an “animal dance floor” and use stereoscopic view finders to see 3-D images of some of the smaller creatures found living in trees.

Visitors will also view tree houses from around the world and have the opportunity to design and build their own.  They will discover some fictional tree dwellers, including Winnie the Pooh and the Ewoks of Star Wars, as well as learn about the not-so-obvious tree connections in our own houses.

TreeHouses will open to the public on January 18. The exhibit was produced by the Environmental Exhibit Collaborative (EcoTarium, Worcester, Mass.; ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, Vt.; and the Children’s Museum of Maine, Portland, Me.) with major support from Jane’s Trust. Additional support was provided by Cabot Family Charitable Trust and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. It is sponsored locally by the EHC Foundation and will be on the campus through May 7, 2016.

Entrance to the TreeHouses exhibit is included in EHC admission.  For more information about the exhibit and the EHC, visit www.gwinnettEHC.org.

North Gwinnett Kiwanis readying for 8^th Father-Daughter Dances

The Kiwanis Club of North Gwinnett is preparing to host their eighth annual Father-Daughter Dances on February 5 and 6. For the second year in a row, the annual dances will be held at Buford’s Community Center and Theatre.

Relocating the dances for the first time last year to the Buford Community Center was another huge success, says David E. Williams. So successful was the community response that the Kiwanis Club has added a fourth dance this year to the annual event. Beginning with 188 attendees at the inaugural father daughter dance in 2009, the annual event has drawn more than 2,500 people in attendance throughout the previous seven years. This year they will continue the tradition with two dances on both Friday and Saturday Evenings, from 6-8 p.m. and from 9-11 p.m. The 6 p.m. dances will offer a buffet of light hors d’oeuvres while the 8 p.m. dances will feature assorted desserts. Both will be catered by Buford Community Center’s caterer, All About You Weddings and Events.

Fathers, stepfathers, significant father-like figures, grandfathers, uncles, or role models are invited to bring their special young ladies out for an evening of dance and fun. Music will be provided by Scott Smith of Dance Master DJ. Proceeds from the dance are reinvested back into the community in the form of scholarships for area high school seniors or for other community charitable needs.

With a limited number of tickets available and the recent sell-out history, those interested are encouraged to purchase their tickets while they are available. Tickets can be purchased online at: www.northgwinnettkiwanis.com. For more information, please visit our website or call David Williams at 404 386-4782.

Design art competition graphic and you could win $250 prize

Your graphic design could be the fashion statement at the fifth annual Art on the Chattahoochee and win you $250 in cash. Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation (GCPR) is calling all designers to help promote the 2016 Art on the Chattahoochee Festival with a visual that builds excitement for the event.

First prize winners will receive special recognition and prominent placement of logo on all promotional material, including T-shirts, flyers, posters and website. There will also be a cash prize of $250 for first place, $100 for second, and $50 for third place winners generously awarded by the Gwinnett Parks Foundation. Submission is free and deadline is 5 p.m. on January 20, 2016.

In 2016, Art on the Chattahoochee will have a new location at Simpsonwood Park and a 3K Fun Run to kick off the event.  The winning design will be featured on the runners’ t-shirts and all promotional material. Art on the Chattahoochee will be held on Saturday, April 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring unique work of local artists, live performances, artist demonstrations, food trucks and a Budding Artist Kids’ Zone.

The logo design contest is open to all ages, for design criteria and submission rules, or Art on the Chattahoochee call 678-277-0920 or visit www.gwinnettparks.com. Simpsonwood Park is located at 4511 Jones Bridge Circle in Peachtree Corners.

The Undercover Economist

A book by Tim Harford

The author is a Brit and a World Bank economist and a Financial Times columnist who explains economics as if you were reading a novel. He illustrates the principles in everyday examples. We see how taxes create inefficiencies in markets. Obviously nations must have taxes, but we need to be smarter in what we tax. We learn: who pays for our coffee, what supermarkets don’t want us to know and why poor countries are poor and how China grew rich. Every consumer, merchant, student, parent, teacher and, especially, every politician should read this book. The answers to many of the problems that plague us today lie in the principles of economics. The ultimate goal is. . . . Oh, enjoy figuring it out for yourself.

— Hoyt Tuggle, Lawrenceville

An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. –eeb

Savannah falls to the Union giving Sherman a Yule present for Lincoln

(Continued from previous issue)

Two years passed before Union troops moved on Savannah itself, and contrary to Confederate expectations, the assault came from the west, not the east. Savannah’s other protective bastion, Fort McAllister, to the city’s south on the Ogeechee River, became its last remaining hope and a primary obstacle to Union forces.

Several naval sorties engaged Fort McAllister throughout 1862 and 1863. On July 29, 1862, four Union gunboats bombarded the fort for several hours, accomplishing little. Again, on November 19, three ships assailed the fort to little avail. On January 27, 1863, the Union ironclad Montauk and several wooden gunboats pounded the fort for several hours, again with little result. Similar engagements occurred on February 1, 27, and 28. In the last engagement, Union forces failed to drastically affect Fort McAllister but destroyed the Confederate privateer Nashville, which had grounded near the fort in seeking protection from Union ships.

Another bombardment of the fort three days later again produced minimal results. These repeated repulsions of the Union Navy by Confederate troops in Fort McAllister accomplished little for the Northern cause but heartened the Confederate troops, as well as the citizens of Savannah.

Drawing on this confidence, Confederate flag officer Josiah Tattnall sought to employ his ironclads to break through the Union blockade in Savannah’s harbor. However, several ill-fated attempts to engage Union forces ultimately resulted in the loss of the ironclad Atlanta at the hands of the Union ironclad Weehawken on June 17, 1863. Though a new ironclad, the Savannah, became operational in July, along with two wooden gunboats, the Macon and Sampson, Confederate leadership in Savannah generally spurned offensive operations for the remainder of the war.

Nevertheless, in June 1864 Confederate naval troops managed a minor victory with the capture of the USS Water Witch. While anchored near Savannah, the Water Witch was captured by officers and crew members of the Georgia, Savannah, and Sampson. Ultimately, however, that small conquest did not improve the Confederacy’s fortunes.

This increasingly defensive stance culminated in facing Union General William T. Sherman’s troops on their 1864 march to the sea. Fort McAllister formed the backbone of Savannah’s remaining defensive line. Late in the afternoon of Dec. 13, 1864, a Union division under Brigadier General William B. Hazen, part of Sherman’s 15th Corps, assaulted McAllister. Though slowed by obstacles and minefields, in addition to Confederate artillery fire, the Union troops overwhelmed the fort and forced its surrender.

With McAllister occupied, Sherman effectively linked with the Union Navy, sounding the death knell for Confederate Savannah. The Confederate leadership realized the hopelessness of the situation following McAllister’s capture and withdrew their remaining forces across the Savannah River into South Carolina. In retreat, the Confederates set fire to their surviving naval squadron, including the ironclad Savannah, effectively ending any resistance to Sherman’s capture of the city. In a telegram dated Dec. 22, 1864, General Sherman presented the city of Savannah as a Christmas gift to President Lincoln, ending both the March to the Sea and major military engagement on the Georgia coast.

• To access the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org

Just where are these classic buildings located adjacent to water?

These classic buildings obviously front on water, and it appears that the part of the structure touching the water are boat houses. (However, they do resemble faces.) Ever seen this view before? If you know where it is, send your answers to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include the town where you live.

The most recent Mystery Photo was another local photo which none of the GwinnettForum readers recognized. There may be a reason: this series of town homes have only recently been erected. They are in Norcross on College Street adjacent to the upper portion of Lillian Webb Park, and face east. Meanwhile, site work is underway on more townhouses below these facing Holcomb Bridge Road.

Map shows where white evangelicals live

A large and important of the voting body this year will be white evangelicals. The University of Virginia Center for Politics in 2015 produced a map showing where they are most prominent, and not all centered in the south. Look at Montana, South Dakota and Indiana!

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