4/5: National Night Out planning; Baseball; more

THE HOODS OF AUTOMOBILES will be up on Saturday, April 16, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville, as the Gearheadz Club holds its second annual Car Show. It’s free to all. See Upcoming below for more details.

CORRECTION: The Highway 78 CID (now Evermore) was formed in 2002. It was the first Community Improvement District in Gwinnett.  Gwinnett Village, as described here last week as the first, was founded in 2006.  —-eeb

TODAY’S FOCUS: April 10 Meeting in Lilburn To Plan for National Night Out in August

EEB PERSPECTIVE: From Baseball, to the Post Office, Lotteries and Back to Baseball

SPOTLIGHT: Edward Jones

UPCOMING: County Needs Paid Poll Workers for Primary and General Election

NOTABLE: Brenau University To Start Lacrosse Program in February of 2018

RECOMMENDED: Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Alfredo Barili Was First Professional Musician To Move to Atlanta

TODAY’S QUOTE: Constitution Made Only for Moral and Religious People

MYSTERY PHOTO: Yes, Another St. Helens

April 10 meeting in Lilburn to plan for National Night Out

By Margot Ashley

LILBURN, April 5, 2016 — On Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, communities around the nation and in Canada will come together to celebrate police and community partnerships!  And Lilburn is no different.

Ashley

SafetySmart Lilburn is seeking volunteers to help in planning, recruiting and implementation of the August 2 National Night Out. Exhibitor information will be available after April 15 at www.safetysmartlilburn.org or www.cityoflilburn.com. The initial volunteer planning meeting will be held on Sunday, April 10 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Linda at info@safetysmartlilburn.org.

National Night Out provides an opportunity for local residents to get to know their law enforcement personnel in a casual atmosphere, learn about many aspects of safety and resources in Gwinnett County, reduce crime and enjoy time with friends and neighbors in the last days before school starts up.

Held on the first Tuesday of August, the event is observed in all 50 states, as well as in U.S. territories, military bases and Canadian cities.  Small and large events occurred in 16,000 communities reaching 38 million people in 2015.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Lilburn Police Department and SafetySmart Lilburn Inc. have teamed together to sponsor this FREE public event in Lilburn City Park from 6 to 8:30 p.m. On the first Tuesday in August. This year’s event will have new interactive games with local law enforcement personnel in addition to the great exhibits and presentations of previous years.

Last year over 2,000 people attended National Night Out in Lilburn to show support for law enforcement, learn about community and personal safety, and take a stand against crime.  And everyone had a great time meeting and mingling with their Lilburn neighbors!  Over 85 exhibitors, including non-profit and civic organizations, local businesses, law enforcement and fire, and government entities, were on hand to bring knowledge, information, food, activities and entertainment to the public.

This year, Lilburn plans to add several new participants to that list.  There will be information and activities for your entire family to enjoy. Check out:

• Police vehicles, motorcycles and equipment from several Police Departments;
• See a Gwinnett County Fire Department fire truck and other fire equipment;
• Watch K-9 Demonstrations, always a hit with the kids;
• See the Georgia State Patrol Helicopter, which lands and takes off during the event;
• See the Gwinnett Bomb Squad Robots in Operation;
• Build a Home Depot Load ‘n Go Truck;
• Decorate cookies;
• Explore the Georgia Fire Smoke House (for kids of all ages);
• Learn about local businesses and resources in the community;
• Sample food from local restaurants, at no charge;
• Gather safety and security information;
• Listen to music;
• Enjoy games on the field; and
• Win door prizes.

The City of Lilburn hopes that you will join us for this year’s National Night Out in Lilburn City Park for what is sure to be a great time!

But if you can’t be there, SafetySmart Lilburn encourages you to be visible in your neighborhood that evening.  Turn on an outside light/porch light from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.  Organize a get-together with neighbors, take a walk, go visit a neighbor, sit on your porch or play outside with the kids.  Show criminals that Lilburn supports law enforcement and that we are watching over our neighborhood and community.

From baseball to the post office, lotteries and back to baseball

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher

APRIL 5, 2016  |  A few interesting tidbits we have read or heard about recently might be of interest to you:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL is now underway, do you know what the original way to end a game was? At baseball’s beginnings, the original “Knickerbocker” rules said the game would end when there were 21 “aces” or runs. If mismatched, a game could end quickly. If no one much scored, it could last forever. Soon they settled on nine innings, that is, if one team was ahead at the end of nine. The standard game has been nine innings since March 7, 1857.

But if you know baseball: if tied after nine, the game can go on forever…..until one team gets at least one run ahead.

THE YELLOW RIVER POST OFFICE is now an official part of the Gwinnett Department of Parks and Recreation.  However, at one time, developers had their eyes on the five acre tract of land on Five Forks Road.

Hill

Wayne Hill tells us that he was approached by the late attorney Howard Fowler, who wanted to know if the County would accept the historic site into the parks system, if it were given to them.  Eventually, Wayne said yes, and now we have the old edifice restored to its original purpose.

It was far later that Hill learned that Fowler was representing an anonymous donor, who turned out to be the late Scott Hudgens, who didn’t want to see the site go to private development, and who quietly bought it to give to the county.

It’s now a passive park showing what life was like in the 19th Century, with not only the post office, but  general store, sharecropper’s house, school and slave cabin.

GEORGIA’S LOTTERY has been benefiting good high school students going to college since June 29, 1993. But do you know when and where lotteries started?

It was in England, back in 1569. Seems Queen Elizabeth I needed to rebuild harbors and make England competitive in world trade, and of course, this took money. But taxation?  No. The first lottery was limited to 40,000 entries at 10 shillings each, too high for most of her subjects. First prize was $5,000 English pounds.  In addition, all buying lottery tickets got a free “get out of jail” card. Now you know where Monopoly got the idea!

Eventually, the British lottery was halted. In more modern times, Prime Minister John Major reinstated the British Lottery in 1994.  Way back in 1732, Henry Fielding recognized and understood lotteries, saying: “A lottery is a taxation upon all the fools in creation; and heaven be praised, it is easily raised, for credulity’s always in fashion.”

THEN THERE’S THIS baseball item, which resurfaced last week:

In the April issue of Sports Illustrated in 1985, George Plimpton reported that the New York Mets had recruited a phenomenal young pitcher who had learned his craft in a Tibetan monastery. The pitcher’s name was Sidd Finch, and he could throw a 168-mile-per-hour fastball. Plimpton buried a clue in the article’s subtitle: “He’s a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent life-style, Sidd’s deciding about yoga — and his future in baseball.” The first letter of each word spelled out “Happy April Fools’ Day – ah fib.”

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County needs paid poll workers for primary and general elections

The Gwinnett County Elections Department is looking to hire paid poll officials for the upcoming elections in May and July. Elections Supervisor Lynn Ledford says: “We have several busy elections ahead of us and with more than 150 polling precincts in the county, it will take several thousand poll officials to staff just one election.”

These are paid positions. Salary ranges from $75 to $300, depending on the position.

Successful poll officials demonstrate patience, enjoy working with people, take direction well and are detail oriented. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Gwinnett County, at least 16 years old and able to read, write and speak English. Those who have been convicted of a felony or judicially determined to be mentally incompetent are not eligible to serve as a poll official.

Ledford said, “Being a poll official gives residents an opportunity to be part of the elections process while giving back to their community.”

Poll officials must have transportation to and from the polling location and have access to a computer to complete online training; some officials may require additional training. All officials must report to their polls by 6 a.m. on Election Day and work the whole day, which is approximately 14 hours. Also, poll officials who plan to vote will need to vote absentee by mail or advance in person. When possible, poll officials are assigned to their home precinct; however if there are no vacancies at the polling location, they will be asked to work at a different precinct.

• Applications are available at gwinnettcountyjobs.com. For more information, visit www.gwinnettelections.com.

Gearheadz Club at Gwinnett Tech plans car show on April 16

The Gearheadz Club at Gwinnett Tech will host its second annual Car Show that is free and open to all on Saturday, April 16, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Whether you are a car enthusiast, a savvy collector, or a family just looking to get out and enjoy time together, this event is fun for everyone.

It will be on Gwinnett Technical College’s Main Campus, 5150 Sugarloaf Parkway, in front of Building 700.

The show is expected to feature more than 60 cars of all makes and models. The event will offer door prizes, vendors, and a live DJ. Food and beverages will be available for sale onsite. Awards will be given for best Import, Domestic, 4×4, MOPAR, Best in Show, Classic, Exotic, RAT, Project, and more.

The show will serve as a fundraiser for the GTC Gearheadz Club, a campus organization for automotive and welding students. Club members come together to repair and restore old and new cars, attend local car shows, and visit automotive related venues and events. Proceeds from the car show will go towards restoring the club’s current project cars, a 1989 Toyota MR2 and a 1965 Cadillac Ambulance.

• To register a vehicle to show or to explore vendor opportunities, contact Pamela Spann or Andy Lindman at 678-226-6280.

Buy Local Braselton to be on 100th Day as city marks its centennial

The Town of Braselton recently launched the Buy Local program in Braselton. Buy Local Braselton is devoted to promoting and supporting the local businesses that create and maintain the distinctive character, unique community and economic strength of Braselton.

Braselton has almost 600 licensed businesses within town limits, spread across four counties; Jackson, Hall, Barrow and Gwinnett. The town is working to bring connectivity to Braselton, through branding, and networking among businesses, to make residents and visitors more aware of the shopping (and playing) opportunities available right here in Braselton.

Braselton also turns 100 years old this year. The town is celebrating this milestone by hosting many centennial events throughout the year. With the Centennial in mind, we opted to hold our Buy Braselton event on April 9, the 100th day of 2016. The town is asking residents and visitors to Celebrate Braselton Businesses by shopping, eating and playing locally on April 9.

Some businesses will be offering promotions, door prizes, raffles and sales on April 9. The town lists them on the www.facebook.com/BuyLocalBraselton page. Another Buy Braselton Day is planned later in the year as the program continues to grow.

The Buy Local Program also hosts quarterly meetings for business owners and residents. Dates and events can be found on the facebook page as well.

Brenau University to start lacrosse program in February 2018

Brenau University Athletic Director Mike Lochstampfor says the time is right for the fastest-growing school sport in the nation, lacrosse, to join the Golden Tigers’ intercollegiate athletics program.

Lacrosse it the fastest growing school sport in the nation and the Brenau Golden Tigers have announced the team as their 11th National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics sport.

Lochstampfor will hire a head coach this summer and begin recruiting student-athletes and marketing the program in the fall. The plan is to be ready to play the first Brenau lacrosse games in February 2018.

He adds: “It’s such a popular sport right now with the momentum it’s gained at the youth level and in high schools. Even internally, we’ve had some requests from some of our current students.”

Lochstampfor said university officials have been discussing the addition of lacrosse for a few years.“It’s the logical choice to proceed with that as our next big venture,” he said. “We’ve gotten all of our other sports solidified.”

Lacrosse will be Brenau’s 11th distinct National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics-recognized competitive sport, complementing cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, cheerleading, swimming, track and field, tennis, golf, and softball. That does not count the three separate cheerleading programs, junior varsities in softball and basketball as well as the soon-to-be inaugurated indoor track program. The lacrosse team will probably comprise 18 to 20 players, with the roster size gradually increasing to as many as 30. A standard schedule is 15 to 18 games.

Lacrosse, or a game similar to it, has strong roots in North Georgia. The city of Ball Ground, Ga., was named for the fields on which Cherokee people played an aggressive brand of stick ball. Native Americans also played a form of lacrosse in the Great Lakes region and Mid-Atlantic seaboard.

Snellville Police get $10,000 grant from state for safety activities

The Snellville Police Department has received a $10,000 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to help finance equipment for traffic safety operations and law enforcement activities.  The aim of the program is to help reduces crashes, injuries and fatalities in Georgia. The grant will continue through September of 2016.

Police Chief Roy Whitehead says:  “The Snellville Police Department is honored to receive the funding from GOHS to improve our traffic safety activities, and look forward to working with GOHS in the future.”  SPD l continues its efforts to protect and serve by using effective and proven standards of excellence, with a positive and progressive attitude in every aspect of public service.

Thinking Fast and Slow

Nonfiction by Daniel Kahneman

This book is a challenging and engaging exploration of just how we think, and the systems involved in decision making and in experiencing the world.  The author identifies two parts of a brain as System I and System II, where System I, the intuitive part, operates automatically and takes in the gestalt of a situation.  In contrast, System II involves focused and logical mental activity. Either system operating without the other can result in faulty conclusions, notably missing steps that are critical in real understanding. The author’s goal is to offer a model of how we think and how to use each part of our ‘thinking apparatus’ so that we understand how events unfold and how we can learn to trust both parts of how we perceive and experience our lives. How the thinking process works via these two systems and how both are essential to identifying positive outcomes is fascinating.

— Karen Harris, Stone Mountain

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

Alfredo Barili was first professional musician to move to Atlanta

In 1880 the Italian-born pianist Alfredo Barili became the first professional musician to move to Atlanta, where he played a major role in establishing the foundation upon which the city’s vibrant classical music culture arose.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution credits Barili “with bringing professional-level education and performance to Atlanta.” His school of music was one of the first in the South to offer professional music training, and many of his students went on to successful careers in music.

Barili

Barili was born in Florence, Italy, on August 2, 1854. Members of his family were actively involved in premiering a number of operas in Italy and the United States; Barili’s aunt, Adelina Patti, was perhaps the most celebrated soprano of the century. Four months after Barili’s birth, the family moved to New York, where his father, Ettore, sang the American premier of Rigoletto the next year.

The ten-year-old Barili made his debut as a pianist on April 7, 1865, in New York’s Irving Hall. His family soon moved to Philadelphia, Penn., where he studied the piano with Carl Wolfsohn before embarking for the Cologne Conservatory in 1872. In Cologne, Germany, he worked with the well-known German conductor and composer Ferdinand Hiller. After almost five years of study, Barili returned briefly to Philadelphia before moving to Atlanta in 1880, probably for health reasons.

Barili was the first professional concert pianist to make his home in Atlanta. He introduced the city to the Ludwig Beethoven sonatas, and his programs and those he supervised consistently included major works by Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Frederic Chopin, and others.

He also played a central role in encouraging the performance of major choral and orchestral works. In 1883 he organized the first Atlanta Music Festival, which included a chorus of 300 accompanied by Carl Sentz’s orchestra from Philadelphia. During that one weekend Barili introduced symphonies by Franz Schubert (no. 8), Franz Haydn, and Beethoven, as well as a number of Felix Mendelssohn and Giuseppe Verdi overtures.

Later that same year, the noted conductor Theodore Thomas and his orchestra joined with Barili’s 90-voice Musical Union. In a spectacular gesture of respect, Thomas handed Barili the baton and stepped aside as the young musician conducted the combined choral and orchestral numbers.

In the fall of 1899 Barili opened his own school of music, which offered instruction in piano, voice, organ, Italian language, music history, and music theory; the school had a small instrumental ensemble as well. Though the enrollment probably never exceeded 50, Barili’s school was among the first in the South to offer professional musical instruction. Into the twenty-first century former students continue to speak highly of the training they received there.

Atlanta’s thriving musical culture would be unthinkable without the professional groundwork Barili laid more than a hundred years ago. As a teacher he inspired two generations of students. His soft-spoken and gracious but firm manner won him many friends, including some of the country’s best-known musicians, among them Edward MacDowell and Mrs. H.H.A. Beach. By the time of Barili’s death in November 1935, he was one of the most respected teachers and musicians in the South. He is buried in the family plot at West View Cemetery in Atlanta.

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

Here’s another view of a St. Helens — that is on the Isle of Wight

The Mystery Photo in the last edition was a tricky one, with reference to a previous photo. Remember the Mt. St. Helens Mystery of a few editions back?  Well, this is a photo of Saint Helens, Isle of Wight, England, United Kingdom, sent to us by George Graf of Palmyra, Va. Not a soul recognized this location.

We also show you the city sign announcing the area. So the most recent mystery was simply a play off a previous one. As for us, we didn’t know before that the place existed!

Now try your luck in this week’s Mystery (large photo, above).  What will give it away to someone, the gates, the architecture, the trees, the grass or the people. Tell us where you think this is at elliott@brack.net, and be sure to include your hometown.

GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more:

• MORE: Contact Editor and Publisher Elliott Brack at: elliott@gwinnettforum.com

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