HERE’s AN EXAMPLE of what you can see at a new art exhibit at the Hudgens Art Center in Duluth, opening January 21. There will be over 55 prints by such renowned artists as Willie Cole, Benny Andrews, Faith Ringgold and Radcliffe Bailey. This is David C. Driskell’s “Women in Interior.” For more information, see Upcoming below.
IN THIS EDITIONTODAY’S FOCUS: Here’s Why Gullible Public Is Taken in by Fake News
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Trump Administration May Be Turning Point for Our Government
ANOTHER VIEW: Watch It: You Might Get Ripped Off Anywhere Online
SPOTLIGHT: Hayes Family Automotive Group
FEEDBACK: More on Punctuation and Adverbs and on Weather Experts
UPCOMING: North Gwinnett Kiwanians Plan 9th Annual Father-Daughter Dance
NOTABLE: Kaiser Permanente Opens Contact Center in Gwinnett with 800 Jobs
RECOMMENDED: “An Honest Liar,” documentary film on Netflix
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Artists in Georgia Flourished in 1930s and 1940s
TODAY’S QUOTE: Some Lives Die Because They Remain Silent
MYSTERY PHOTO: Peaceful Scene with Moon, Water and Boats Seems Restful
LAGNIAPPE: New Way to Enjoy Wintertime in Sugar Hill: Ice Skating
CALENDAR: Author Lisa Gardner Plans Appearance in Gwinnett
TODAY’S FOCUSHere’s why gullible public is taken in by fake news
By Norman Baggs, Gainesville, Ga. | When I started in the newspaper business 40-plus years ago, I never imagined that before my career was done there would be a national dialogue on how to keep a gullible public from being misinformed by the proliferation of “fake news.”
Baggs
Looking back, it’s really pretty easy to see how we got where we are today. The advent of cable television gave birth to a whole new source of information. CNN paved the way for the 24-hour news blitzkrieg that anyone under the age of 30 now thinks has always been the norm.
Others jumped on the 24-hour bandwagon as cable television options expanded, and the constant need for higher volumes of information inventory resulted in increasingly frequent departures away from traditional reporting. There was a shift to analysis, perspective and opinion from a bevy of sometimes self-proclaimed experts and pundits.
Before long it was hard to separate the reporting from the pontificating. And as news gave way to opinion and “infotainment,” consumers formed allegiances to the networks that most often catered to their personal points of view.
It became the norm that major national news stories would be presented in different ways depending on the network, with the “slant” overwhelming the facts and the entertainment value of the presentation more important than the details. Eventually news consumers became divided, with “liberals” faithfully following certain television networks, “conservatives” following others.
Soon consumers had segregated the delivery systems so that, more often than not, they were getting the news they wanted to hear presented in conjunction with opinions and perspectives with which they most often agreed. Objectivity, long a mainstay of the most traditional of news reporting, gave way at the national level to interpretation, analysis and perspective.
Then came social media, a delivery system technologically designed to tap into the personal preferences of its users. With social media, news consumers no longer had to choose the news sources that most reflected their personal opinions; those choices were made for them by algorithms, which assured the chasm of objective neutrality in news reporting became even wider.
With social media delivering ready-made audience of people hungry for news that confirmed their beliefs about the world, it was easy for the unscrupulous to launch websites catering to those millions who were more than willing to click on headlines that bolstered their perspectives.
Fiction presented as news has become the unfortunate end result. People believe what they read because they want to, repeat it because they can’t imagine it isn’t true, and defend it because, well, “It’s on the internet so it’s got to be true, right?”
We laugh at some of the things presented as news and convince ourselves that no one would really believe those stories, but they do. And what’s sadder is that, as a result, there is increasing evidence consumers no longer know how to evaluate the sources from which they get their information.
You need look no farther than the recently completed presidential campaign to understand how scary the reality of the nation’s news ignorance has become. How many voters do you think made up their minds on how to cast their ballots after reading fiction presented as news and believing it?
Norman Baggs is the general manager of The Times in Gainesville, Ga. You may e-mail him at nbaggs@gainesvilletimes.com.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Trump administration may be turning point for our government
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | Thinking back politically into the middle of 2016, I must admit that I began to wonder if the GOP challenger Donald Trump might be moving the United States toward a seminal and decisive change.
The question came into my mind, “Will Trump be a person who will transformative moment to the political system similar to the way Ronald Reagan changed the Republican Party?”
Yet in questioning this new phenom on the political scene, we never thought it would bring massive questions to the government. We merely thought that this would be something that would change the Republican Party.
How wrong I was. Indeed it appears that Donald Trump captured a wave of sentiment among the American people. They wanted more than just small tinkering with our government. Many of the Trump supporters want wholesale changes.
All this was during a time when it appeared that the front-runner was Hillary Clinton, who had a proven and well thought-out platform, not some off-the-cuff program to shoot from the hip as Donald Trump was doing. Our thinking went: how could a country expect to get good government from such a blow-hard as Donald Trump, especially when the alternative was a person loaded with years of political experience, both in the halls of the White House, and in the Senate?
Many of us did not recognize the baggage that Mrs. Clinton hauled around with her. We did not understand the depth of voters with sometimes pure hatred for her candidacy. While both candidates had low rankings in the eyes of the people, it just seemed like Mrs. Clinton’s time was due, and surely the women of this country would flock to her support.
We were wrong.
The flocking was of another nature, not male-female, not philosophical, but more of a gut nature. Many people, especially in key states, favored the shoot-from-the-hip of Donald Trump. Mrs. Clinton’s unpopularity was her undoing. We now realize that she was a flawed candidate.
We also thought that the often-discussed Electoral College would be Mrs. Clinton’s salvation. By focusing on close races in key states, such as Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and even in Ohio, we figured that Mrs. Clinton would capture the majority of votes in these states, giving her the electoral victory, even if she should lose the popular vote.
The exact opposite happened. She lost these key states, and even North Carolina, too, which provided the margin of electoral votes to make Mr. Trump the president. We thought the electoral college would be the salvation of Mrs. Clinton. But it proved to be savior of the of the Trump campaign, even though Mrs. Clinton won the popular vote.
We have no problem with the electoral college. We still think it is a protective device against having some popular person just paying attention to key states, and forgetting the lesser areas of this country. It makes a person’s vote in every state really count in the balloting for the presidency. If we relied solely on the popular vote, small states would really be disenfranchised. The Founding Fathers understood this, and gave us an apparatus that still works. Mr. Trump’s election proves it.
Years from now, we suspect people will see the election of Donald Trump as a major turning point in the history of the United States. How it will turn out is up for grabs, but for sure, on January 20 the United States will make a definite turn. We hope it takes us down the road to better government, though we can’t think now what that will be.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Watch it: You might get ripped off anywhere online
By Debra Houston, contributing columnist | My husband called from work. “Get tickets for Alan Jackson. He’s playing the Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth on the 28th.” He’s our favorite country musician.
He grew up in Newnan south of Atlanta, with loving, decent parents, a family of four daughters and a son. His dad turned a toolshed into a house. Alan slept in the hall.
I grew up in Lawrenceville, north of Atlanta, with loving, decent parents, a family of three sons and a daughter. We lived in a wood-frame house with three bedrooms. I shared a room with my little brother until I was 12.
So I hasten to the Infinite Energy Arena website. I stay on that website until I’m ready to order. Then I’m switched over to OnlineCityTickets.com.
I choose seats five rows from the stage. I buy two tickets, $150 each plus an added $100 in fees. I know this company is a pre-sale business, but I found them on the Arena site, right? So it’s okay, right? They’ll charge a little more given that it’s a presale.
The total comes to $400. Before sending the e-tickets, a note pops up that says I should ignore the price printed on the tickets. When I receive the tickets, I see why. The real price is about $88 a seat, fees included, and totaling $176 for two.
Online charged me $224 more than the marketplace. I shoot off an email accusing the company of “highway robbery.” They refer me to a customer rep.
The rep sounds robotic as he speaks over me. Paraphrasing — “We’re in the marketing business. Demand determines price.” Capitalism, huh? American capitalism should always behave in good faith.
If I had Googled Online City Tickets, I would’ve found customer complaints lodged against them spanning various websites, including the Better Business Bureau. But I didn’t suspect anything because I went through the Arena site. I don’t even know if arenaduluth.com is the same as Infinite Energy Arena! It’s impossible to figure out anything on the Internet anymore.
If the tickets themselves are legitimate, I’ll be near the stage. Given that our lives often parallel, I believe Alan Jackson would be angry at Online for ripping me, his fan, off. I can imagine him weaving a song in his wry manner about a country girl who still believes in a trustworthy world where everyone is kind and true.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Hayes Family Automotive Group
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is Hayes Family Automotive Group with Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC. Mike, Tim and Ted Hayes of Lawrenceville and Gainesville with Terry Hayes of Baldwin invite you into their showrooms to look over their line-up of automobiles and trucks. Hayes has been in the automotive business for over 40 years, and is North Georgia’s oldest family-owned dealerships. The family is the winner of the 2002 Georgia Family Business of the Year Award. We know that you have high expectations, and as a car dealer we enjoy the challenge of meeting and exceeding those standards each and every time. Allow us to demonstrate our commitment to excellence!
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Misses correct use of “an” and adverbs from talking heads on TV
Editor, the Forum:
When I watch television, it drives me crazy when a talking head with a law degree, or some other high level of credentials like a Harvard post graduate degree, after attending the best private Northeastern prep-schools, hits me with the phrase “a historical” event. They may also say something like “a increase” in terrorist activity.” It appears the word “an” has died and we need to erect a tombstone for it. Convention may have changed, and if so, for me, but many teachers and professors are rolling over in their graves every time one of these phrases in such a matter is used.
Another one twisting those old educators is the grave of the “ly,” or the adverb. An example would be “We did it quick,” rather than “We did it quickly.” Again, we hear this from the supposedly educated talking heads on television. The use of “ly” puts grace and beauty into our language. Loss of it just makes our language more coarse. The Atlanta sun is bright. The sun shown brightly in summer afternoon in Atlanta.
— Byron Gilbert, Peachtree Corners
Weather experts had the best information when forecast was issued
Editor, the Forum:
Yes, Elliott…… the weather experts may have called it incorrectly, but the forecast was based on the information available at the time.
Since they are experienced meteorologists, they would not have issued these warnings without having given much thought to their economic impact. But the more important issue to be considered was the safety of our citizens.
If the roads became impassable and accidents caused people to be seriously hurt or killed, we would be grateful to the weather people for warning us to stay home. Tomorrow is always another day affording us the opportunity to make a dollar. But you have to be alive to be able earn the dollar.
— Barbara Karnitz, Norcross
On no cursive writing, misspellings and more on weather
Editor, the Forum:
Let me agree with Bob Hanson’s letter. Spot on!
Another subject not being taught in most schools is cursive writing. When I was a high schooler at Jesup High school, we were taught the Palmer method of writing. We bought the materials required for the course, and even were taught how to hold the pencil or pen!
Speaking of misspelled words: I see a lot of “there” for “their,” and “want” for “won’t.” One of my pet peeves is to hear “I could care less.” Nope! “I could NOT care less!”
Now, in reference to your comments on the lost revenue caused by the weather folks not getting it right: Better safe than sorry! Think about the wrecks, lost lives, and loss of electricity had they gotten it right and the citizens had not heeded the warnings. (did I use too many apostrophes?) Apologies to Hanson!
My senior year at UGA, spring of 1960, we had a snow storm in North Georgia so severe that all the schools including the University, were closed. And, we were warned. I have some black and white photos of the snow. The streets were level to the curb with snow. But, it was so beautiful!
— David Earl Tyre, Jesup
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UPCOMINGNorth Gwinnett Kiwanians plan 9th annual Father-Daughter Dance
Memories will be made once again in a few weeks at the Buford Community Center and Theater as the Kiwanis Club of North Gwinnett prepares to host their ninth annual Father-Daughter Dance. The club will host three dances this year, one on Friday, February 3at 7 p.m. and two on Saturday, February 4 at 6 and 9 p.m.
More than $50,000 from the eight previous father-daughter dances have been raised. That equates to scholarships of $1,000 going to 50 local high school students preparing for a secondary education.
The dance has grown from a single dance in 2009 with 188 attendees to a high attendance record of three dances and 850 attendees two years ago.
Kiwanian and event organizer David Williams says: “Nothing is more exciting to me than seeing young ladies with their fathers or significant father-figures enjoy an evening together. And ‘young ladies’ translate to ages from infant through their late 20’s.”
The Kiwanis dances are open to daughters of all ages, young to adult! Over the years, high school and college age young ladies have often surprised their dads and brought them out for an evening of dancing and enjoyment.
Drawing from a five county local area and as far away as New York and Florida, fathers and daughters continue their annual tradition by dancing the night away to family friendly music provided by Scott Smith of Dance Master DJ. Light hors d’oeuvres will be available at the early dances and a dessert assortment will be provided at the 9 p.m. dance on Saturday.
Hudgens Center to open exhibition on printmaking on Jan. 29
The Hudgens Center is hosting an upcoming exhibition, “A Creative Adventure in Printmaking: Prints from the Experimental Printmaking Institute,” curated by Curlee Holton. The exhibit opens January 21 and will continue through April 29. Center hours are from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. An opening reception will be on Saturday, January 21, from 2 until 4 p.m.
The Hudgens
David C. Driskell, one of America’s most celebrated artists and scholars, is represented in this show with a signature work entitled “Women in Interior” from 2008. It is Driskell’s largest print produced to date, measuring 44 x 32 inches. In this print Driskell utilizes traditional print mediums such as etching, serigraph, and relief as well as incorporating collage and digital elements.
This exhibition also features over 55 prints by such renowned artists as Willie Cole, Benny Andrews, Faith Ringgold and Radcliffe Bailey.
The Experimental Printmaking Institute at LaFayette College in Easton, Penn. was founded by Curlee Holton. According to Holton, “The future of the printmaking medium is far more than serving as a tool in the toolbox of artistic mediums and approaches to the art making process. Most importantly, it is a process by which we enter into a visual, aesthetic and social exchange that captures the multitude of images and complexities of our lives and the ever-present sense that our psychic selves are living in the past and future simultaneously.”
In conjunction with this exhibition, the Hudgens Center will also present Atlanta Printmakers Studio: The Best of PRINT BIG. Its focus is fun, creativity, and collaboration. Participating groups design and carve 4’ x 8’ woodblocks that are printed on the day of the event with a steamroller. This exhibition features 17 of the over-sized steamroller prints created over the past seven years.
NOTABLEKaiser Permanente opens contact center in Gwinnett with 800 jobs
Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest integrated health care system, is celebrating the grand opening of its Duluth Contact Center in Gwinnett County. Plans to open the national member service contact center, which will bring 800 new jobs to metro Atlanta by 2020, were announced last year. To date, nearly 300 new employees have been hired.
Kaiser Permanente also operates national contact centers in California, Colorado and Maryland. Metro Atlanta’s market for call center workers—the seventh largest in the country—was a key reason Kaiser Permanente chose to locate a fourth national contact center in Gwinnett County. The facility serves Kaiser Permanente’s more than 10.6 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia, including approximately 300,000 in Georgia.
Across the country, Kaiser Permanente’s contact centers handle more than 15 million calls and one million emails a year related to insurance coverage and billing. In addition to recruiting more than 800 new employees for the Duluth Contact Center, Kaiser Permanente relocated its Georgia-based member service representatives, appointment schedulers and advice nurses to the location. The site has the capacity to house up to 1,000 workers.
Kaiser Permanente invested $51 million to purchase and renovate the 185,000-square-foot office complex in Duluth to meet requirements for LEED certification as a “green” building. The facility is also designed to be a total health environment that inspires, influences and communicates good health. It features bright, open and collaborative spaces; ergonomic workstations; and stairways that promote walking and active living.
Last year, Kaiser Permanente opened a new IT facility in Midtown Atlanta, which is expected to create 900 new jobs, bringing Kaiser Permanente’s presence in Georgia to more than 5,000 employees and physicians by 2020.
Former Lilburn library to become activity and classroom building
Now that the Lilburn Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library has moved into the new home it shares with Lilburn City Hall, the old building will be renovated to become an activity building with a classroom, a community room with a catering kitchen, a dance studio, new restrooms and storage space.
The Lilburn Activity Building will be operated by Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation, which is under the Department of Community Services.
Under a $936,886 contract approved by Gwinnett commissioners recently, Diversified Construction of Georgia Inc. will renovate the building located on two acres at 788 Hillcrest Road in Lilburn. The contract calls for a new roof, flooring, lighting and fire protection system plus exterior upgrades that include landscaping, sidewalk, parking improvements and new signage. Diversified was the lowest of 11 bidders for the project.
The former library building, with 10,518 square feet, was one of the oldest and smallest branch libraries in Gwinnett County. The new library in Lilburn is almost 19,000 square feet plus another 5,000 square feet of shared public spaces.
Snellville Council takes final steps for passive park on Oak Road
The final step of planning for Oak Road Passive Park in Snellville was completed Monday as the mayor and council approved $281,000 in Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds for its construction. The park is designed to accommodate walkers from nearby neighborhoods who can access the greenspace from a new sidewalk, which stretches from Scenic Highway to Mountain View Road.
The contract with Zaveri Enterprises, Inc. calls for the neighborhood park to be completed in four months. The park will feature a pavilion, a community green, a 0.25-mile walking trail with a pedestrian bridge and a playground.
RECOMMENDEDAn Honest Liar
A documentary film on Netflix
Reviewed by Elizabeth Collins, Durham, N.C.: This film is about The Amazing Randi, a.k.a. James Randi, who became a world-famous magician, escape artist (in the Houdini vein) and debunker of fakes. The film has fabulous television clips from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s of his ‘proofs’ – in particular, those of Ari Geller, the ‘bender of his proofs – beware! There are debunkings of faith-healers, ball-and-cup charlatans, psychics, and more. Randi has an engaging personality, replete with humor, and, at age 81, revealed his essence by coming out of the closet with his partner of 25 years, who had a mysterious past of his own. It’s a very entertaining hour and a half. You can get it on NetFlix.
- 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
From the 1930s and 1940s, artists flourished as part of American scene
Artists who lived in Georgia in the 1930s and 1940s became part of the nationwide American Scene movement, which took fresh, direct approaches to local subject matter.
For instance, in 1931 painter Hale Woodruff, reared in Nashville, Tenn., and trained at the John Herron Art School in Indianapolis, Ind., returned to the South from study in Paris to head the art department at Atlanta University. He also offered classes in drawing, oils, watercolor, printmaking, and art appreciation to students at Spelman and Morehouse colleges.
The sculptor and Rhode Island native Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, encouraged by her friend W. E. B. Du Bois, a professor at Atlanta University, began teaching at Spelman College in 1934. Trained at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, she studied sculpture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and exhibited to critical acclaim at the salons in Paris, where she lived for twelve years and gained an international reputation for her realistically carved wood and marble portrait heads and life-size statues. Devoted to teaching, she apparently did little of her own work while in Atlanta; she seems to have left the city in 1944 and then lived in New York before returning to Rhode Island.
In 1935 Woodruff organized his art students at Atlanta University into a guild. While there, he also organized student art exhibitions, gave gallery talks, and borrowed traveling exhibitions from such sources as the Harmon Foundation and the Whitney Museum of American Art. In 1942 he instituted the Atlanta University Annual, a national exhibition for black artists.
The rolling land and the social life of the African American South had a strong attraction for Woodruff, which he expressed in vibrant paintings and sometimes critical black-and-white woodblock prints. In 1936 he studied fresco painting in Mexico with muralist Diego Rivera and in 1938-39 created his own mural, Mutiny of the Amistad, for Talladega College in Ala. Woodruff taught at Atlanta University until the mid-1940s, afterward teaching at New York University.
Woodruff and his students became known as the “Atlanta School,” and they created a body of work based on images of African American life and culture in the area. One of his students, Atlanta-born Wilmer Jennings, made several prints of rural southern scenes before devoting his work full-time to jewelry design in Providence, R.I., with the Imperial Pearl Company.
From 1935 through 1942 Lamar Baker, who studied for seven years in New York, came back during the summers to Atlanta and to Waverly Hall, his ancestral home near Columbus. He took his Georgia sketches back to New York, where in 1938 he began a series of prints on the “cotton culture” of the state, completing them in 1941. Baker reacted strongly to this subject, creating works that criticized social conditions for workers, as seen in his Textile Tangle at the Columbus Museum in Columbus. His works also comment on the harrowing threat and reality of lynching.
(To be continued)
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Peaceful scene tugs at your psyche, seeming so restful
What a peaceful scene: the moon, the water, the boats, all seemingly at rest. But where is this scene. You might be surprised. Send in your thoughts to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include your hometown.
Last edition’s Mystery Photo was quickly recognized by several people. Scott Mullennix of Peachtree Corners immediately came through, telling us it was a photo from “The Villages near Ocala, Florida. Here customized golf carts are the primary form of transportation.” The photograph came from Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill.
Also identifying the photo were Mary Beth Bender, Suwanee; and Howard Hoffman, Peachtree Corners.
George Graf of Palmyra, Va. writes: “I knew this one almost immediately. My golf buddy, John, vacations there twice a year and can’t stop talking about how absolutely wonderful this place is.
“The Villages is the largest gated over-55 community in the world. It holds more than 100,000 residents in an area bigger than Manhattan. For the past two years it has been the fastest growing metro area in the United States. Even with the massive influx of population, the crime rate is extremely low in all categories. For The Villages 98.50 percent of the population is Caucasian, 0.41 percent is African American, and 0.76 percent of the population is Asian.”
LAGNIAPPESugar Hill is popular spot for ice skating in Gwinnett County
There’s lots of good times, and a few falls, going on at the ice rink behind the Sugar Hill City Hall. Roving Photographer Frank Sharp visited the site last week, when the place was full of skaters. He also found some skaters toasting their feet by the charcoal fire outside the rink.
State of the Region address is Friday, January 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast. Speaker will be Kerry Armstrong, chairman of the Atlanta Region Commission. This is presented by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. To register, click here.
Open house: Prospective students are invited to an open house at Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA–PCOM) on Friday, January 13 from 5:30–8 p.m. Faculty members and students will be on hand to discuss the programs offered at the Suwanee campus including Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Pharmacy (PharmD), Biomedical Sciences (MS), and Physician Assistant Studies (MS). The open house will include a tour of the campus. Information about the curriculum, the application procedure and the financial aid process will also be available. Those interested in attending the open house are encouraged to register online or call the Office of Admissions at 678-225-7500.
Get To Know a Tree: on Saturday, January 14, Arborist Barry Smith from Arbor-Nomics will ramble around Discovery Garden in Norcross identifying trees by bark, structure and more. This event will take place at 10 a.m. The Garden is located behind the Norcross Welcome Center on Lawrenceville Street.
Writer’s Playshop: January 14, 10 a.m. at Gwinnett County Public Library’s Five Forks Branch. Looking to enrich your writing and illustrating? Come play with language, ideas, and real artifacts to bring your work to life for ages 14 and above. Join Author Heather L. Montgomery for a morning of writing, sketching, and stretching your brain! Montgomery writes nonfiction for kids who love animals. Her latest book is How Rude: Real Bugs Who Won’t Mind Their Manners. RSVP to events@gwinnettpl.org. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.
(NEW) The 17th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade on January 16 starts at 11 a.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. The parade concludes at Moore Middle School on U.S. Highway 29 south of Lawrenceville. The grand marshal for the parade will be Dr. Frances E. Davis, formerly with the Gwinnett Public Schools. The United Ebony Society of Gwinnett County is the parade sponsor.
Free Photography Workshop at Hamilton Mill Library Branch, 3690 Braselton Highway, on January 18, at 10:30 a.m. Join the Georgia Nature Photographers Association for this informal talk and Q&A photography workshop. They will provide information about cameras, editing software, and tips for getting better photographs with the equipment you already have.
State of Duluth Address: The Honorable Mayor Nancy Harris will deliver the Annual Duluth’s “State of the City” address on Monday, January 23 at 7 p.m. at the Red Clay Music Foundry. Reserve a free seat at http://tinyurl.com/DuluthSOC. The doors will open at 6 p.m. This address will take the place of the regularly scheduled Council work session
(NEW) Rotary Career Exploration Night at Norcross High School will be on January 26 at 6 p.m. Nine panels of people will provide students with information on their work. The event will be at the Norcross High Cafeteria. For more details, contact Jay Lowe at 404 272 2633.
(NEW) Author Lisa Gardner will be in Gwinnett for an appearance on February 1 at the Norcross cultural and Community Center at 7:30 p.m. Gardener is a crime thriller novelist with over 22 million books in print. Her latest novel, Right Behind You, is part of her F.B.I. Profiler Series. Four of her novels have become movies for the small screen, and she has made appearances on TruTV and CNN. Books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of Eagle Eye Book Shop. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.
Plant sale: The Gwinnett County Cooperative Extension office is offering varieties of Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Figs, Apples, Pomegranate, Goji Berries, Native Azaleas and other landscape plants as part of their annual sale. This year Pecan Trees and the big Titan blueberry, which produces blueberries the size of quarters, have been added to the list of pre-ordered options. Supplies are limited so please order early. Orders will be taken through March 7, 2017. Order forms may be obtained from: http://www.ugaextension.org/gwinnett, or by calling 678-377-4010 to request a form be mailed to you.
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