6/28: On road innovations; World Cup soccer; Iran and war

RED DELIGHT: Late spring and early summer brings out the blossoms of the crepe myrtle trees. Roving Photographer Frank Sharp framed this tree and its red blooms in front of the Jackson EMC offices in Lawrenceville.

TODAY’S FOCUS: Two High Tech Firms Join To Further Transportation Innovations Here
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Surprised To Find Myself Enjoying Women’s World Cup Soccer
ANOTHER VIEW: President Trump Should Not Get Us Into Any War with Iran
SPOTLIGHT: Aurora Theatre
FEEDBACK: Protect Your Pets By Bringing Them Inside during the Fireworks
UPCOMING: Medical Center Marking Five Years of Medical Education Program
NOTABLE: Jackson EMC Foundation Grants Go to Four Local Agencies
RECOMMENDED: Deep State Target: by George Papadopoulos
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Primitive Baptists in Georgia Stem from Anti-Mission Interpretation
MYSTERY PHOTO: Several Clues Await Your Eyes in This Mystery Photo
LAGNIAPPE: One City in Gwinnett is the Wisteria City. Learn Which One.
CALENDAR: Several Cities Plan Patriotic Activities near Fourth of July

Two high tech firms join to impact transportation innovations here

By Judy Putnam

PEACHTREE CORNERS | Two high tech entities, The Ray, and Curiosity Lab in Peachtree Corners, announce a partnership to further transportation innovation in Georgia.

The Ray is a living lab for the evolving ideas and technologies that are transforming the transportation infrastructure of the future, beginning with the 18 miles of interstate dedicated to the memory of Ray C. Anderson (1934-2011). Since 2014, The Ray, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), has piloted some of the country’s boldest transportation technology projects, including the U.S.’s first solar road and a first-in-the-world, drive through tire safety station. This month, The Ray and GDOT launched a data pilot focused on so-called “connected vehicles,” and later this summer will announce an autonomous vehicle infrastructure project.

Curiosity Lab is a 5G enabled autonomous vehicle and smart city living laboratory located in Peachtree Corners Georgia, a northern suburb of Atlanta. The centerpiece of the lab is a 1.5-mile test and demo track which provides a real-world environment to explore emerging technologies. Additional infrastructure includes a network operations center, smart poles, DSRC units, dedicated fiber and a 25,000 square foot tech incubator.

The key purposes of this partnership include:

• The facilitation of emerging technology testing and demonstration between the two locations of The Ray’s 18-mile interstate corridor in Troup County, and the City of Peachtree Corners 1.5-mile autonomous vehicle test track in Gwinnett County;
• Collaboration on external funding proposals; and
• Joint projects with academic and commercial entities working on the future of mobility.

Harriet Langford, founder and president of The Ray Lab, says: “It’s really such a natural fit. We’re a high-speed, public interstate in ex-urban Georgia, and Peachtree Corners’ smart city project is located within a 500-acre commercial park with slower speeds that encounter pedestrians, deliveries, and other elements that we don’t have on The Ray. By working together, we can cover so much more ground.”

The national transportation system is going through a massive period of disruption. Increasingly connected cars and a future with fully autonomous vehicles will require that both cities and states carefully assess current infrastructure and make modifications in ways that were unimaginable even a decade ago. Communications infrastructure, in particular, will be critical to enable vehicles of the future to communicate with one another and with anything they encounter along the way including humans.

Curiosity Lab will have a 5G enabled environment and more than 1G of dedicated fiber to facilitate testing for both early-stage startups and mature companies. According to Brian Johnson, city manager of Peachtree Corners: “We have already had inquiries from companies wanting to test everything from drones, to delivery, to cybersecurity. Our collaboration with The Ray presents a compelling opportunity to test similar technology in very different environments.”

The Ray has long known and advocated for technologies which already exist that can make roads safer, smarter, cleaner, more efficient and productive, all while being sustainable and less degrading to our environment. Curiosity Lab, one of the only public test tracks in the world, opens later this summer.

Together, Curiosity Lab and The Ray can attract additional transportation research and development investment in Georgia leading to job growth and economic development adding to the state’s reputation as an innovation leader. Both the partnership model and the technologies launched can be examples for other states across the nation and throughout the world.

• Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net

Surprised to find myself enjoying Women’s World Cup soccer

By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum

JUNE 28, 2019 | It somewhat surprised me recently to find myself really enjoying the Women’s World Cup soccer matches so much. Normally I do not follow soccer locally, though many now tell me that they are constant followers of the Atlanta United team, and I should be, too.

Maybe it was the USA’s women’s first victory, that over Thailand 13-0, that got me and a lot of others to watching. In that game, especially in the second half, the USA team was constantly getting into position to score, and often did. They broke a World Cup record for number of points in their victory.

Then a second game, against Australia, winning 5-0, and finally being tested by Sweden in a 2-0 victory, all shutouts. This heavily-favored American team was showing the world how competently they could play.

Meanwhile, instead of merely watching the USA team play, I was enjoying other matches as well. I found myself sometime not particularly pulling for this or that team, but somehow by the activity on the pitch, suddenly I was a big fan for one of the teams, pulling for them. Of course, all the teams that I found myself fans of did not always win.

Then the USA team faced their first round in “knockout” (love that phrase) activity, going up against what many said was an improving team from Spain. And boy! were the Americans tested. Spain played exceptionally well, giving the American team a real run for their money down to the last minutes of play. And while the American women won 2-1, Spain held them from scoring a direct goal from the field . The only American points came on a penalty kick, hitting both of them, and gaining the margin.

Now this weekend the American women should be tested again, against the host French team, in their nation’s capitol of Paris. Some feel that the French are the second best (to the Americans) team in the 2019 World Cup. While some of the French play has been so-so, they showed grit in beating Brazil, and now await the Americans. While earlier, it would appear that the Americans were the clear favorites, the way the USA women played against Spain makes a person realize that the American team must step up their game if they are to get by France. The winner will take on either Norway or England in the semi-finals.

We’ll bet that a whole lot of people, besides me, have come around to enjoying the World Cup this year. There have been thrilling games, many very close, with the outcomes often not decided until the final minutes. It kept your eyes glued to the television set. While we can often read during baseball and football games, with their constant delays, not so for soccer. You’ve got to keep you eyes peeled for the every-move of the ball, or you’ll miss some important plays.

One element bugs me about the television coverage. Several times, the game has been changed by a referee’s call, for instance, a score has been reversed because of offside. Or a penalty kick has been rewarded because of an infraction. What has been missing for us is more explanation, in re-play, of these moments. Sometimes they have shown the re-play only once or twice. With plenty of inaction time in football and baseball, we can see multiple re-plays. Not so in soccer. A more detailed report with explanations for our untrained eyes would be helpful, if no where else at halftime or at the game’s end.

Now to sit back and enjoy the continued action in the women’s World Cup.

• Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net

President Trump should not get us into any war with Iran

By George Wilson, contributing columnist

JUNE 28, 2019 | While Iran is an aggressive authoritarian state, it is nonetheless a victim of American belligerence. Here in the United States, right- wing Jewish organizations, in cahoots with Prime Minister Netanyahu, has continued to try to drag us into another war in the Mideast.

By the way, Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit made a decision recently to charge Prime Minister Netanyahu with bribery, fraud and breach of trust, pending a hearing, according to The Wall Street Journal.

But back to Iran: Tehran was adhering to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, negotiated by the Obama Administration, when the truculent President Trump abruptly abandoned the accord. For more than a year the mullahs have shown patience by continuing to abide by the agreement, even with the resurrection of punishing American sanctions.

The bottom line: this is a partial religious war between Shiite and Sunnis. Also above all else, it is Israel’s refusal to curtail settlements in disputed Palestinian territory that is at the heart of militant activity by Hezbollah against Israel. One of these right-wing organizations, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, is heavily funded by Shelton Adelson, a right-wing casino owner who backs financially many Republicans and of course in Israel, Netanyahu. This 501(c)3 organization is staffed by former neo- conservatives who dragged us into the war with Iraq.

So far President Trump’s policies have increased the strength of the hardliners in Iran, alienated our European allies and discredited our word in negotiations with anybody. The neo- conservative’s argument goes something like this. The Iranian theocracy is weak and with continued pressure will fall. They seem to have forgotten the eight year stalemated war that Iran had with Iraq.

The twitter tiger Trump needs to listen to reasonable men and not get us into another losing war. The Congress needs to assert its constitutional authority to declare war. Furthermore, remember these Middle Eastern wars have already cost us $6 trillion.

• Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net

Aurora Theatre

The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is Aurora Theatre, home of the best entertainment in northeast Georgia. With over 850 events annually, Aurora Theatre, embarks on their 24th season with live entertainment to suit everyone’s taste. Aurora Theatre presents Broadway’s best alongside exciting works of contemporary theatre. Additionally, Aurora produces concerts, comedy club events, children’s programs, and metro Atlanta’s top haunted attraction, Lawrenceville Ghost Tours.

Aurora Theatre is a world-class theatrical facility with two performances venues. It is nestled on the square in historic downtown Lawrenceville, with free attached covered parking and is surrounded by myriad of restaurants and shops. Aurora’s Season 24 opens with the epic musical Children of Eden from the Tony Award-winning creator of Godspell and Wicked, running July 18-September 1.

For more information or to purchase tickets: visit Aurora’s website or call 678-226-6222.

Protect your pets by bringing them inside during the fireworks

Editor, the Forum:

During the activities of the Fourth of July celebrations, we all need to keep pets inside during all the fireworks. So many animals are lost during this time. The fireworks noises frighten them and they run for protection.

Give them protection by bringing them inside, where they feel a little safer, even though confused by the noises.

Not only that, but we really need to remember to do this in thunderstorms of the summertime. The animals don’t understand. They are just scared and need their human to provide safety.

— Marlene Ratledge Buchanan, Loganville

Be careful should you ever decide to downsize your living

Editor, the Forum:

My husband and I just moved in March from Duluth to Sandy Springs.

We moved from 2,100 square feet to 1,033 square feet! Kind of like stuffing a ten-pound sack of salt into a salt shaker! Not much living space but a huge balcony which has a table and four chairs, two other chairs with a table between them and yet two other chairs with a table between them! Maybe we should move to the balcony.

Brought way, way, way too much….as any woman would do. My husband just shook his head and asked where I was going to put all that stuff! I replied in the 10×10 storage unit I just rented. I think I heard a snicker, not a laugh.

I said to myself in four months I would have the storage unit cleared out and would rent a smaller unit only for what we needed. Well, what can I say.

It’s been three months and we’re almost settled into the apartment. Still another week or so. Which will push it to four months.

The storage unit, you ask, is still sitting there with all the stuff I brought with us that we can’t use or just had too much of it. Like my cross stitch supplies. I can’t give those items away.

We love our new apartment and have met many new friends. Love all the restaurants and shopping in Sandy Springs. We’re having fun and just thinking about all that stuff in the storage unit that will probably still be there three years from now.

Ah, the joys of moving!

— Kathy Gestar, Sandy Springs

Limited, discrete abortions OK, but why should he pay for it?

Editor, the Forum:

Jack Bernard is right that the anti-abortion bill signed by our Gov. Brian Kemp is threatening the state’s valued movie business. It will lead to a significant loss of jobs and economic activity.

But the governor is also right with his moral objection to what many view as murder. We need a solution, better than the Hyde Amendment, that blocks tax dollars from being used to pay for policies (not just healthcare) that makes honest people part of what they feel is a moral crime.

The fungibility of money granted to Planned Parenthood’s non-abortion services was fooling nobody. There is a need for limited and discrete abortion under finite circumstances. The fact that I recognize this should not obligate me to pay for it.

— Joe Briggs, Suwanee

Send us your thoughts: We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum. Please limit comments to 300 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net

Medical center marking 5 years of medical education program

Gwinnett Medical Center (GMC) this week is celebrating five years of its growing and highly successful Graduate Medical Education (GME) program with Friday graduation ceremonies and the launch of a new fellowship.

In 2014, Gwinnett Medical Center took a bold and important step in building fully accredited training through a family medicine residency program. Internal medicine and transitional year residency programs were added to GME’s course offerings in 2016. Now, in 2019, a family medicine sports medicine fellowship is being added that will give GMC’s nationally renowned sports medicine and concussion programs a new level of depth and experience.

On June 28, the GME program will graduate its newest class of physicians (MDs and DOs) who have completed requirements in the three existing core areas of study, all of which are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Osteopathic Association.

GME Director Mark D. Darrow says: “I am so proud of our graduates who have completed very rigorous training and are transitioning to private practice in service to the citizens of Georgia. Our goal from day one of the GME program has been to recruit, train and place primary care providers in suburban and rural Georgia to improve the overall health of our communities. I believe we are achieving that objective with each new class of graduates.”

The GME program has grown to include more than 60 resident physicians across all practice areas and is expected to expand significantly in the years ahead with the addition of family practice sports medicine. The 2019 GME class will include 36 resident physicians pursuing certification through GMC at both the Lawrenceville and Duluth campuses.

Since 2016, the GME has successfully placed 16 graduates into primary care practices throughout Gwinnett County and North Georgia. The program is helping to address a statewide physician shortage, especially in some rural areas where needs are the greatest.

Corrections department’s welding class will graduate today

The Gwinnett County Department of Corrections on June 28 (today) will hold a graduation ceremony for the second class of a vocational welding program designed to equip inmates with an occupational skill to help them land good jobs upon release.

The ceremony, which will be held at the Gwinnett County Comprehensive Correctional Complex chapel at 10:30 a.m., will recognize the program’s 14 graduates and feature speakers including D. Glen Cannon, president of Gwinnett Technical College, and Warden Darrell Johnson.

Johnson says: “One of the hardest things about coming out of prison is finding a job. With this program, the graduates have a marketable skill that will help them start a new life with new hope. Some of our participants have spent much or most of their lives incarcerated, but this program gives them a realistic shot at success when they get out. The first class graduated a year ago, and of the 11 who have been released, all found jobs immediately.”

The class valedictorian, Gage Q. Bryant, wrote a thank you letter to the staff saying the class has enabled him to learn a trade and helped solidify a foundation for life outside of prison. He wrote that he intends to take more welding classes in the future. “This experience has not only made me a better man but has boosted my confidence of living a successful life,” Bryant said. “This class was a great opportunity for me and an amazing learning experience.”

The 16-week program is offered through a partnership between Gwinnett County Department of Corrections, the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Atlanta Regional Commission and Gwinnett Technical College.

Participants in the program attend the class four days a week for six hours a day after completing their work detail. In class, students receive instruction that emphasizes basic skills, safety and quality workmanship. Upon completion of the course, they’ll earn certificates in Introduction to Welding, Oxy-Fuel Cutting, Gas Metal Arc Welding and Flux Cored Arc Welding from Gwinnett Tech. Should they choose to return to school after their release, the credits earned during the course can transfer back to Gwinnett Tech as hours that can be used toward a diploma.

The Department of Corrections received Workforce Opportunity Investment Act funding from the Atlanta Regional Commission for the welding program.

Jackson EMC Foundation grants go to 4 local agencies

Randy Dellinger, Jackson EMC district manager, grants a Jackson EMC Foundation check to Captain Minkee Kim, assistant Corp officer; Deborah Wengrow; and Perry Dillman, major gifts manager, while Jim Puckett, Jackson EMC Foundation board member, is at the right.

The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded a total $97,631 in grants during its May meeting, including $39,500 to organizations serving Gwinnett County. Among them:

$15,000 to Salvation Army-Gwinnett, for its Financial Emergency Services Program, which provides rent and mortgage assistance to Gwinnett residents in need to prevent homelessness and stabilize families in crisis.

$12,000 to St. Vincent de Paul Society, Flowery Branch, to help fund direct aid for housing assistance, including rent, mortgage and temporary housing for Gwinnett, Hall and Jackson County families in crisis.

$7,500 to Asian American Resource Foundation, in Duluth, which provides supportive services to members of the community in need, for its Rapid Re-Housing Program that provides low-income homeless families with safe and affordable permanent housing within 30 days of program entry.

$5,000 to Muscular Dystrophy Association, to help children and young adults with neuromuscular diseases from the counties served by Jackson EMC attend Camp Walk N’ Roll, a week-long summer program for physical disabilities.

Stripers make health and wellness grant to Good Samaritan Center

The Gwinnett Stripers, in conjunction with the Atlanta Braves Foundation, announce the recipient of the club’s June “Health and Wellness” grant. Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett, a nonprofit organization that provides health and dental services exclusively to the poor and uninsured, received a $2,500 grant recently at Coolray Field.

Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett was selected in recognition of their “Helping Hands” program, which was started in 2016 after the center opened the first full-time charity dental clinic serving all of Gwinnett County. “Helping Hands” works to reduce oral health disparities for those who are poor and uninsured. The program provides affordable and reliable access to dental care, as well as education on the importance of oral hygiene habits and oral health.

The $2,500 grant from the Stripers will assist Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett in paying per-diem dentists to work alongside their staff dentist in order to serve more patients faster. The center, which usually treats 8-12 patients per day (depending on the complexity of the service required), expects to treat an additional 33 patients over a three-day span thanks to the grant.

Deep State Target, by George Papadopoulos

From Theirn Scott, Lawrenceville: Attorney General William Barr on April 9 said “I think spying did occur…” on the Trump campaign. George Papadopoulos will be ecstatic. He thinks he was set up. True or not, Joseph Mifsud is key to solving this riddle. Papadopoulos says Mifsud was the one who told him that the Russians have politically damaging Hillary emails. They met at a conference Papadopoulos didn’t want to attend but was convinced to because Mifsud was the man to help him arrange a Trump/Putin meeting. Mifsud taught at Link University, the conference host in Rome, where intelligence courses are part of the curriculum. Go figure. Mifsud never delivered on any Russian contacts and has disappeared. His lawyer, Stephen Roh, says he is very much alive and living under a new identity. Was it a set up? The book appears credible. Perhaps Mr. Barr and the Inspector General can validate or refute it. (The full title is Deep State Target: How I Got Caught in the Crosshairs of the Plot to Bring Down President Trump.)

• 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. Send to: elliott@brack.net

Primitive Baptists in Georgia stem from anti-mission interpretation

The Primitive Baptists emerged in Georgia and elsewhere as a distinct denomination during the early 19th century in response to the growing importance of missionary efforts in the Baptist Church. The Primitive Baptists opposed such efforts, embracing a more conservative theology that relied upon such established ideas and traditions as the Calvinist doctrine of predestination and a literal interpretation of the Bible.

Though strongest in rural and frontier areas of the South and West, Primitive (also known as Old School, Predestinarian, and Antimission) Baptists existed in all parts of the United States, with counterparts in the Strict Baptists of England and Australia, and the Covenanted Baptists of Canada. In 2005 there were approximately 12,000 Primitive Baptists in Georgia and about 425 churches serving them.

Inspired by the revivals of the Second Great Awakening, many Baptist congregations in the early19th century began to form mission societies. Some conservative Baptists disagreed with the idea of missionary work, however, since such efforts contradicted the traditional Calvinist doctrine of predestination. Predestination, the belief that God has already chosen who will and will not receive salvation and that only God can grant this divine election, clashed with missionary work’s emphasis on personal efforts toward salvation.

Also troubling to more conservative Baptists were the emerging seminaries, Sunday schools, and auxiliary organizations, as well as the general centralization that accompanied missionary work. Some Baptists began to protest the appearance of these “man-made” agencies, arguing that such money-based agencies and missionary societies had no place in the churches of apostolic times, were not mentioned in the Bible, and thus should have no place in the modern church.

Formal opposition in Georgia to these new “institutions of the day” began as early as 1819, when the Piedmont Association resolved to have “nothing to do with missionaries.” In 1829 the first open schism over missions took place in the Hephzibah Association (in Augusta and Richmond County), when the antimission churches withdrew and formed the Canoochee Association. In 1836 most of the Baptist associations in Georgia divided over the antimission controversy in what was known as the “big split.”

By 1848 almost all Baptist bodies in the state had aligned themselves with one side or the other. The chief organ of the southern antimissionaries, the Primitive Baptist, published in North Carolina, gave its name to the movement in the Deep South, including Georgia. The name “Primitive Baptist” reflected the antimission Baptists’ desire to preserve the original, or primitive, Baptistry of apostolic times. The Primitives chiefly disagreed with the deemphasis of the doctrine of divine sovereignty and a perceived overreliance on money, church bureaucracy, and the validity of human efforts toward salvation.

The Primitive Baptists later underwent a number of further divisions over such issues as the manner of addressing the unconverted in sermons, whether preaching the gospel was a “means” of regenerating the elected, limited versus absolute predestination, the validity of outsider baptism, divorce, membership in secret societies, and the use of instrumental music in worship. After the Civil War (1861-65), African American Baptists in Georgia left white-dominated congregations and established many Primitive Baptist churches and associations of their own.

Despite their frequent divisions, most Primitive Baptists agree in maintaining a strong adherence to predestinarian theology, although they do not label themselves as Calvinists. Other tenets include strict church discipline; a bivocational, unsalaried ministry (although many churches provide some financial support to their pastors, and others support full-time ministers); primarily extemporaneous preaching; simple meetinghouses (although newer church buildings often feature modern amenities); feet washing; and an a capella style of congregational singing. The singing style often bears a close relationship to the shape-note singing tradition, exemplified in the various editions of the Sacred Harp.

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

Several clues await your eyes in this Mystery Photo

First clue in today’s Mystery is that you can probably eliminate the United States when searching for the location of this Mystery Photo, since there are not many castles in the USA. Maybe the hills, the water, the architecture, the greenery will give you a clue. Send you answers to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown.

The last Mystery Photo was relatively easy, as several people recognized the Stovall-George-Woodward-Gregory House, built in 1908, in Vienna, Ga. Jim Savadelis, Duluth, sent in an answer immediately. He says it was “…Built by Dr. C.T. Stovall. He built this house after his previous house called “Whitehall” burned down. In 1914 he sold the house to Walter F. George who subsequently sold it to L.L. Woodward in 1924.” The photo came from Brian Brown of Fitzgerald and his Vanishing South Georgia series.

Others came with more detail. Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill added: “Dr. C.T. Stovall, a Vienna physician and Vienna’s mayor, built the house in the neoclassical style in 1908 after his previous home on the same location burned. Walter F. George bought the house in 1914. George, a judge, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1922 and sold the house two years later. This house is not to be confused with a Stovall House in Tampa, Fla., and a Stovall House in Sautee Nacoochee, Ga.”

Allan Peel, San Antonio, Tex.: “Today’s mystery photo is one by Brian Brown and was featured in the May 27, 2019 edition of the Vanishing South Georgia publication. It depicts a 1908 Neoclassical-style house built by Dr. C. T. Stovall, Vienna’s primary physician for many years. This house was a replacement for Stovall’s previous home, the “Whitehall,” that was located at the same location, but sadly had been destroyed by a fire.

The house has changed hands several times throughout its history, after Walter George sold it in 1924. Subsequent owners were the L. L. Woodward family, Georgia Supreme Court Associate Justice Hardy Gregory, Jr., and then his nephew, Bert Gregory. It is currently available for sale. This house is currently listed for $369,000. Since it last sold for $208,000 in 2008 and has now been on the market for 52-days, I bet you could negotiate the price down somewhat. What a steal!!”

George Graf of Palmyra, Va. adds: “As you enter the home you enter the foyer with mirrored parlors on either side, a dining room that can seat 14, a bedroom with connecting bath and of course, the kitchen breakfast den area. There is a large deck off the kitchen area. Upstairs you have four bedrooms and four baths. A sunroom is over the portico. The architectural elements are absolutely beautiful and unique to historical homes. There is a tankless water heater, custom storm windows and insulation has been added.”

Others recognizing the photo were Mary Hester, Duluth and Lou Camerio, Lilburn. Elliott Brack adds: “I’ve spent the night in this home. What a fine house.”

BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS: The late Louise Cooper always promoted Lawrenceville as the “Wisteria city.” Here’s a beautiful example of how nice-looking wisteria can be, taken by Roving Photographer Frank Sharp. You can see wisteria planted in many of the older portions of Lawrenceville.

The Big Talent Show will take place at the Lionheart Theatre in Norcross on Friday, June 28, at 7 p.m. This night of fun is a benefit for Lionheart’s scholarship fund to help send children to drama camps. All tickets are $5 at the door. Make sure to bring extra cash for our bake sale and prize drawings – all proceeds go to our scholarship fund!

Peachtree Corners free concert and fireworks Saturday, June 29, at the Town Center. Come enjoy an evening of food served by a variety of vendors beginning at 5:30 p.m., relax on the Town Green, enjoy music and visit with friends and neighbors. The fireworks display begins at 9:40 p.m.

Workshop on marketing: Join Stephanie Sokenis, an accredited small business consultant from SmallBiz Ally, to learn how to grow your small business through email marketing. Reach new customers, increase loyalty, and do more business. Presented by the Gwinnett County Public Library, this program will take place on Tuesday, July 2 at 6 p.m. at the Suwanee Branch, 361 Main Street, Suwanee. Registration is required by emailing events@gwinnettpl.org. For more information, call 770-978-5154.

Sparks in the Park, the annual Sugar Hill July 3 celebration, will be at E.E. Robinson Park beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and will have a little something for everyone. There will be food trucks and frozen treats. Sparks in the park will also feature live music and family and kid-friendly activities. Fireworks will cap the night’s activities.

July 3 in Duluth: Fireworks will ignite the sky once again as Duluth’s award-winning patriotic celebration, Duluth Celebrates America, soon. The event will feature food trucks, live music and entertainment from 5-10 p.m. The Backyard to Brooklyn and the A-Town-A-List bands will bring residents to their feet with an assortment of music options. For more information, visit: www.duluthga.net/events.

Sparkle in the Park will be Thursday, July 4 in Lilburn City Park. It begins at 5:30 p.m. This annual event in Lilburn City Park will include a variety of food, children’s activities, live entertainment, and of course, fireworks! The fireworks show is scheduled to begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. Shuttle s will transport attendees from parking lots at Lilburn City Hall-Library, the lot at Young and Church Streets, and the lot at Poplar Street and Killian Hill Road.

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