HEARINGS ON A PROPOSED high-speed rail line between Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. are being scheduled. If you are interested in this service, consider entering your comments on the record. See Notable below for the times and locations of three meetings on this subject.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Here Are Many Ways to Enjoy the Spine-Tingling Halloween Season
EEB PERSPECTIVE: $50,000 Hudgens Prize Selections Not Enhancing Art in Georgia
ANOTHER VIEW: Georgia Legislature So Far Has Not Addressed Vaping Problem
SPOTLIGHT: United Community Bank
FEEDBACK: Attended Oktoberfest for Many Years and Always Enjoyed It
UPCOMING: Hiring Event for U.S. Census Is In Lawrenceville on October 23
NOTABLE: Comment Being Sought on Atlanta to Charlotte High Speed Rail
RECOMMENDED: We Need Your Submissions
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Salvation Army Operations in Georgia Date Back to 1890
MYSTERY PHOTO: Traditional Residence Is Today’s Mystery Photo
LAGNIAPPE: Andy Brack Becomes Publisher of Charleston (S.C.) City Paper
CALENDAR: Learn about graveyards in Gwinnett at OneStop Centerville on October 23
CORRECTION: In a recent comment, we misplaced the year Norcross voters rejected four year terms. It was in 2007 and 2010, not as previously stated in 2017. We regret the error. –eeb
Enjoy the spine-tingling Halloween season in many ways
Photo by Michael Kaynard.
By Nazanin Weck
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation has so many ways to celebrate the haunting season. Some are spine-chilling and others are educational but all are family friendly. Some are for adults and others aim at children. For all these events, visit www.livehealthygwinnett.com or call 770-822-3197 for more information. Among them:
Weck
Spooktacular Bingo is on October 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Shorty Howell Activity Building, 2750 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth. Bring your favorite soup or salad ingredient and enjoy a morning of Bingo with some spooktacular treats. Ages 50 and older, $5 per person.
Walk Among the Stars is on October 24, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Collins Hill Park, 2225 Collins Hill Road, Lawrenceville. Celebrate National Lights On-Afterschool at this free event for all ages with costumes, games, crafts, inflatables and more.
Gourd Monsters and Mocktails is October 25, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Prime Timers Pointe at George Pierce Park, 55 Buford Highway, Suwanee. Create a spooktacular masterpiece while enjoying mocktails and tasty treats! All instructions and materials provided. Ages 50 and older, $5 per person.
Escape the Room: Teen Edition is on October 25, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Rhodes Jordan Park Community Recreation Center, 100 East Crogan Street, Lawrenceville. Help solve the mystery, beat the clock and escape. Ages 11 to 14, $10 per person.
Super Hero Costume Party is on October 26, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Lilburn Activity Building, 788 Hillcrest Road, Lilburn. Come to this free event dressed as your favorite hero for an afternoon of fun, games, music and more. All ages welcome.
Fall Into Halloween is on October 26, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Lucky Shoals Park Community Recreation Center, 4651 Britt Road, Norcross. A Halloween festival complete with crafts, games, costume contests and a haunted surprise for everyone. All ages, $3 per person.
Harvest Homecoming is on October 26, from noon to 4 p.m. at McDaniel Farm Park, 3251 McDaniel Road, Duluth 30096. A free event with a special trip to the farm for games, face painting and tours.
Trail of Terror is on October 26, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Vines Park, 3500 Oak Grove Road, Loganville. Get your chills and thrills as you experience the shadowy and sinister Phantom Village. All ages, $5 per person.
Underwater Pumpkin Patch is on October 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bethesda Park Aquatic Center, 225 Bethesda Church Road, Lawrenceville. Come find your perfect pumpkin in the pool patch to decorate for our pumpkin contest. All ages, $8 per person.
Spooktacular Skate Party is on October 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Pinckneyville Park Hockey Rink, 4758 South Old Peachtree Road, Peachtree Corners. Create ghoulish crafts, roast marshmallows, participate in a costume contests and more! Free to attend, bring your skates and have some fun. Additional fees may apply. For all ages.
Evening with Edgar Allan Poe is on October 26, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Lawrenceville Female Seminary, 455 South Perry Street, Lawrenceville. Get into the spooky season with one of the most renowned writers to hear tales that will make your blood run cold! Ages 16 and up, $26 per person.
Boo Bingo and Potluck is on October 31, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bethesda Park Senior Center, 225 Bethesda Church Road, Lawrenceville. Dress up in your best Halloween costume, bring a frightfully good potluck dish and enjoy a round of Boo Bingo! Ages 50 and up, $6 per person.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
$50,000 Hudgens Prize selections not enhancing art in Georgia
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
OCT. 22, 2019 | Gwinnettians are proud that the Hudgens Center for the Arts and Learning of Duluth awards a significant prize every other year to one Georgia artist. The prize is one of the biggest in the country, amounting to $50,000 cash, plus a solo exhibit at the Hudgens Center for the winner.
The competition is certainly on the radar of Georgia artists, as up to 370 Georgians each year have submitted their art seeking to gain the prize. We’ve seen many of the entrants. There is a wide range of work submitted, from modern and classical drawings and paintings, abstract expressionism, metal formations, water colors, forged sculptures, photography and other artistic impressions. But there are other concepts submitted that might not be recognized as “art” by others. That includes one Hudgens winner two years ago that is best described as “performance art.”
Georgia artists seem to be losing interest in submitting their work. As many as 370 entrants were seen in 2013, but only 192 submitted in 2019.
The determination of the winner of the competition is judged by a panel of art professionals and curators from around the country, selected by the Hudgens Center board.
That is all fine and good. The unfortunate part is that so far the Center has picked what we must call “far out” judges, who impose their views on what is art in selecting the winner. In each of the five years of the competition, the selection of the winner has been nothing but “avant garde,” to put it mildly.
Not only that, but The Hudgens apparently gives these judges wide latitude in picking each year’s winner. The Center apparently does not provide the judges any guidelines of what the Center considers “art.”
It must upset the average artist submitting material to see the result of the judging. For these selections, in all five years of the competition, have been unusual and certainly not what conventional artists or art patrons would consider anywhere near traditional. In effect, the selections have caused many people to ask, “Is THAT art?”
Perhaps the Hudgens has hoped that the panel’s selections will challenge Georgians to broaden their views of art. Unfortunately, it’s not working. Most Georgians just can’t relate to the winner chosen, which could be offputting, and exactly the opposite of the museum’s goals. So far, their selections have not enhanced the Hudgens Center.
We applaud the five winners over the years for their abilities to come up with a means of expressing themselves. We hope that they can support themselves with their talent. However, we add that the winning Hudgens prize art is not something many consider “art.”
The Hudgens Competition could become a model for the rest of the country for its patronage in the art world. But it must make sure that the selection of its winners is considered reasonable and sound. To do so, the Hudgens board should:
- Take charge of the judging, and insure that it is credible.
- Make sure at least one judge is from the South;
- Set guidelines for what are acceptable submissions of art.
- Assure those submitting their works that they will be judged by traditional standards.
- Adopt these measures to raise the level of the awards and the Center.
Gwinnett County has a unique distinction in the art world in hosting this competition. The Hudgens Center can raise its prestige even more with coming back down to earth in the selection of winners of this prize. We look forward to this happening for the enhancement of the reputation of the Hudgens.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Georgia legislature so far has not addressed vaping problem
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | Thank goodness for Mississippi and Alabama?
It’s doesn’t always bode well when we have to say that, for that probably means Georgia is pretty low on some measure.
How many times have you heard this said when it comes to being behind the times? Well, you can’t say it about vaping. Both states have bills introduced in their states to regulate vaping. Georgia has none.
What is vaping? The short answer is “ask your teen.” He or she will tell you all about e-cigarettes, which heat up a fluid containing nicotine. Unfortunately, much of what teens think they know about vaping is incorrect.
Many teens believe vaping is a healthy substitute for regular cigarettes. It’s not. (see below).
There are a few local voices who recognize the crisis. Dr. Kathleen Toomey, head of the Georgia Department of Public Health, recently issued a memo to Georgia Boards of Health (note: I’m on the Fayette County Board).
Dr. Toomey indicated: The nicotine in e-cigs impair adolescent development while the use of e-cigs is a gateway to the use of regular cigarettes.
She says that there have already been two deaths in Georgia and 21 instances of vaping-associated lung disease with another 15 under review now in our state.
The average person stricken is a 33-year-old male.
The situation is dire. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tells us that there have already been 1,479 lung disease cases nationwide because of vaping. Therefore, the CDC is recommending that e-cigs not be used at all.
The head of the Federal Drug Administration, Scott Gottlieb, has signified that there is a big problem and has drafted regulatory guidance (FDA-2019-D-0661). But no national legislation has been passed by our dysfunctional Congress despite 14 bills being introduced (Billtrack50.com).
Which leaves us with state regulation. A large number of states have proposed legislation; Georgia is not among them but should be. Thus far, efforts have been primarily in four areas:
- Spreading knowledge about the harms of vaping, especially to younger people;
- Prohibiting flavored e-cigs;
- Raising the e-cig smoking age to more than 18 (note: you must be 21 to buy a beer); and
- Increasing taxes on vaping products to cut use.
What can you do to prevent this epidemic from spreading?
Contact both your state and federal representatives. Ask specifically if they agree with each of these four methods for regulating vaping. If not, how exactly do they suggest we deal with this growing problem? And, what are they doing right now?
One thing is for certain, political doubletalk will not suffice.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
United Community Bank
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s underwriting sponsor is United Community Bank, with 30 offices within Metro Atlanta. Headquartered in Blairsville, Ga., it is the third-largest traditional bank holding company in the state with more than 150 locations throughout Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina. Since 1950, United Community Bank has been dedicated to providing platinum-level service to its customers as the foundation of every relationship. Known as The Bank That SERVICE Built℠, it is committed to improving the lives of residents in the communities it serves through this philosophy of delivering exceptional banking service. In Gwinnett, the bank has offices in Lawrenceville, Snellville and Buford.
- For more information, visit https://www.ucbi.com or call 770 237 0007.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Attended Oktoberfest for many years and always enjoyed it
Editor, The Forum:
Enjoyed your comments on Oktoberfest in Munich. For several years I went every year. Then it became every other year. Now the last time I was there was in 2015.
One of my best friends, a German, lives in Munich and I would stay with him for a week or two. We would go to the Wiesn, short for Theresienwiese or Theresa’s Meadow, as the locals call it, every day and stay late at night. Strange as it may seem they do not refer to it as Oktoberfest. The Wiesn means the meadow or what is now the fairgrounds. Many other events are held there, agricultural machinery exhibits, etc.
The “tents” are not so crowded during the day but are packed like sardines at night. A limited number of tables can be reserved and that is very comfortable. I always enjoyed the daytime when you could sit with people from all over the world and discuss politics in a party atmosphere. Nights in the tents are very noisy, very crowded and can become very rowdy.
Beer is served in one liter steins, roasted chicken is served whole or half, roasted pig’s knuckle, Schweinshaxe, is also popular and is my favorite. Of course, potato salad, sauerkraut, red cabbage and coleslaw are served too.
Amazingly, as crowded as it is all the food is served on china and with steel utensils.
My friend lives close to the Wiesn. About a 30 minute walk to the Wiesn and about a 90 minute crawl back home when it closes at night. It is a unique experience but it is not for everyone.
I have attended Oktoberfests in the US and other parts of Germany but none hold a candle to Munich.
— Hoyt Tuggle, Buford
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
Hiring for U.S. Census is Oct. 23 in Lawrenceville
Looking for a job that fits your schedule and gives you extra income while helping your community? The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting thousands of people across the country to assist with the 2020 Census count!
Gwinnett County Government is hosting representatives from the U.S. Census Bureau at a hiring event Wednesday, October 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to highlight local opportunities, answer questions about census jobs, and accept applications. Gwinnett’s hiring event will take place in the second floor conference area of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, located at 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville.
Most 2020 Census positions will likely last several weeks. These temporary positions can include census takers, recruiting assistants, office staff and supervisory staff.
To be eligible for a 2020 Census job, you must be at least 18 years old, have a valid Social Security number, be a U.S. citizen and have a valid email address.
Applicants also must complete an application and answer assessment questions; pass a Census-performed criminal background check and a review of criminal records, including fingerprinting; commit to completing training; and be available to work flexible hours, which can include days, evenings and/or weekends.
- For more information about 2020 Census jobs, including job details, pay, locations and answers to frequently asked questions, visit 2020census.gov/jobs.
Sound off on Atlanta-to-Charlotte high-speed rail
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) are seeking public comment on the Tier I Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the extension of the Southeast High-Speed Rail (SEHSR) corridor from Charlotte, N.C. to Atlanta, a project of the Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan (PRCIP). Three open houses are scheduled – one occurring in Atlanta,; one in Greenville, S.C.; and the third in Charlotte. The public is encouraged to participate and comment in person or online. The time for each session is from 5:30 until 8 p.m. and the open houses are on:
- Tuesday, October 22, (today) at Georgia DOT, 600 West Peachtree St., Atlanta.
- Wednesday, October 23, Greenville County Square, 301 University Ridge, Suite 400, Greenville, S.C
- Thursday, October 24, Metrolina Transportation Management Center, 2327 Tipton Drive, Charlotte, N.C.
Georgia DOT and FRA recently reached a major milestone for the project with the release of the Tier 1 DEIS, a result of extensive technical analysis and collaboration with agencies and the public.
The purpose of the Atlanta to Charlotte draft impact statement is to improve intercity passenger travel between Atlanta and Charlotte by expanding the region’s transportation system capacity and improving trip time and reliability through high-speed passenger rail services. The corridor is also an important extension to the planned High Speed Rail Corridor system which will connect Washington D.C. Richmond Va. and Charlotte, N.C. When complete, it will improve capacity and travel times, provide an alternative to other modes of travel, enhance energy efficiency, promote economic development, and increase traveler safety.
The plan lays out three options for the proposed Atlanta to Charlotte service with a no build alternative serving as the baseline. FRA and Georgia DOT encourage the public, agencies and interested organizations to provide comments. The comments received will help determine the identification of a Preferred Corridor Alternative for the Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision.
Bridge construction across Peachtree Parkway is underway
The Peachtree Parkway Pedestrian Bridge is now under construction, after the recent permit approval from the Georgia Department of Transportation. Construction is scheduled to continue for the next 14-16 months. The bridge is to be a steel, thrust arch bridge connecting the multi-use path on the west side to the east side of Georgia Highway 141 that separates the Town Center and Forum developments. The design of the pedestrian bridge is intended to be a tribute to Jones Bridge, which stretched across the Chattahoochee River for decades and served as a namesake for many of the amenities and roads in the Peachtree Corners community. The structure itself is being manufactured now and it will be delivered and installed in Spring 2020.
More recommendations needed: submit your book, movie or restaurant recommendations. Don’t try to tell the whole story. Just give your impressions of the book, movie or restaurant. Please limit your comment to 150 words.
- 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
Salvation Army operations in Georgia date back to 1890
Known for its uniforms, brass bands, and programs for the poor, the Salvation Army began its work in Georgia on October 19, 1890. Its “grand opening” in the state was a small but significant affair, beginning with an open-air evangelistic service on an Atlanta street corner and proceeding to a meeting in a newly rented assembly room.
The Salvation Army in Atlanta grew slowly, but by the end of January 1891, 30 “soldiers” had enlisted. On April 12, 1891, the second official Georgia corps opened in Augusta. By 1895 the mission was again gaining ground. New corps opened in Columbus (1895), in Rome(1897), in Macon (1899), and in Brunswick and Savannah (1900).
By the end of the 20th century, the Salvation Army operated 136 facilities in Georgia. More than 70 officers are based in the state, and almost 400 employees, aided by approximately 24,000 volunteers, carry on the work of the army.
In 1865 a Methodist pastor named William Booth, aided by his wife, Catherine, founded the Christian Mission as a rescue operation in the East End of London. Renamed the Salvation Army in 1878, the organization adopted a military form of church government, which included uniforms and other distinctive features, and set out to “wage war” against sin and poverty. Military terms have been used by the Salvation Army throughout the years to designate ranks of officers and to describe the activities of the organization. Those who became soldiers confessed their sins, accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior from sin, and exhibited a sense of responsibility to win others to the Christian faith.
In 1890 William Booth published In Darkest England, and the Way Out, which set the tone for the army’s increasing emphasis on its social programs. Catherine Booth, known as the “Mother of the Salvation Army,” defended the right of women to preach and fought against the exploitation of women and children. Within the army she consolidated the principle that women have absolute equality with men in privilege, position, and dignity, and she earned the sympathy of the upper classes for the social movement of the organization.
Today an international movement, the Salvation Army operates in 106 countries, where it maintains religious and social service centers, including schools and hospitals. Officers and soldiers preach the Christian gospel in more than 136 languages. The army describes itself as “an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.”
The organization’s ministries in Georgia provide and support basic social services, holiday assistance, summer and day camps, disaster assistance, correctional services, community centers and clubs, activities for senior citizens, and substance-abuse rehabilitation. The Salvation Army in Georgia operates corps community centers, service centers, boys’ and girls’ clubs, service units, and thrift stores around the state. The army has also established in Atlanta a Harbor Light Center (a residential substance-abuse recovery center), a housing complex for senior citizens, and an adult rehabilitation center, as well as a camp in Jasper.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Traditional residence is today’s Mystery Photo
Here’s a good-looking, traditional residence. Can you figure out where it is located? Send your thoughts to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
That photograph of a fully-uniformed soldier of the Revolutionary times was easy for some of our readers. The photo was taken by your editor at the Gibbes Museum in Charleston, S.C. Early on recognizing it was Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: “Brigadier General Charles Cotesworth Pinkney of Charleston, SC. He served in the American Revolution and George Washington named him Minister to France. He was a lawyer and, after the war, ran unsuccessfully for President twice.”
Jim Savadelis, Duluth, added: “Today’s picture is of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of South Carolina, Revolutionary War Veteran, delegate to the Continental Congress, twice Presidential candidate for the Federalist Party.” Lou Camerio, Lilburn: “This is Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of Charleston, SC. He was very instrumental in the American Revolutionary War and many other posts and positions pertinent to the formation of our country. I will leave the history lesson to the other readers.”
George Graf of Palmyra, Va.: “Portrait of General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney by James Earl (circa 1795). James Earl likely learned the fundamentals of painting in this country before going to London around 1784. He exhibited at the Royal Academy before he was enrolled as a student in 1789. Between 1794-6 he was in Charleston where he died. According to his obituary he possessed “an uncommon facility in hitting the likeness . . and a peculiarity in his execution of drapery.
“Born in Charleston in 1746, Pinckney received his education at Oxford and the Middle Temple. A Revolutionary war general, Pinckney had a distinguished military and political career. Earl’s portrait captures Pinckney in all his military regalia and incorporates the fort on Sullivan’s Island, the scene of America’s first victory over the British in 1776. His mother, Elizabeth Lucas Pinckney (nickname, “Eliza”; December 28, 1722 – May 26, 1793) changed agriculture in colonial South Carolina, where she developed indigo as one of its most important cash crops. Its cultivation and processing as dye produced one-third the total value of the colony’s exports before the Revolutionary War. Manager of three plantations, Mrs. Pinckney had a major influence on the colonial economy. In the 20th century, Eliza Pinckney was the first woman to be inducted into South Carolina’s Business Hall of Fame.”
Allan Peel, San Antonio, Tex., told us: “Today’s mystery photo is of a painting of General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (1746-1825). Pinckney was born in Charleston, S.C. into a powerful family of aristocratic planters. In 1753 he moved with his family to London, England where he learned and practiced law. Returning to Charleston in 1773, he became an avid supporter of independence from Great Britain and served in the American Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of brigadier general. After the war, he won an election to the South Carolina legislature where his influence helped ensure that South Carolina would ratify the United States Constitution.
“The oil-on-canvas painting depicted in the mystery photo was created by James Earl in 1795. James Earl (1761-1796) was an American portrait painter who was born in Leicester, Mass. and died of yellow fever in Charleston at the age of 35. Earl’s portrait captures Pinckney in all his military regalia and incorporates the fort on Sullivan’s Island, S.C., the scene of America’s first victory over the British in 1776.”
Andy Brack becomes publisher of Charleston (S.C.) City Paper
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/CHARLESTON, S.C. | The Charleston City Paper, the Lowcountry’s alternative newspaper read by more than 110,000 people every week, has a new ownership team committed to its legacy of publishing vibrant, incisive local news and information.
“We’ve got the best audience in America,” said outgoing publisher Noel Mermer. “This is exciting news for our community because it will allow an experienced local ownership team to take the reins of what has become Charleston’s preferred news outlet for students and young families who want the best local information on arts, culture, music and more.”
City Paper Publishing LLC, a partnership of Georgetown lawyer Ed Bell and Charleston Publisher Andy Brack, took over the award-winning independent weekly on October 16. Brack, whose syndicated column has appeared for the last year in the newspaper, will serve as publisher.
Mermer founded the newspaper in 1997 with advertising director Blair Barna and former editor Stephanie Barna. Blair Barna will continue as advertising director and a key member of the newspaper’s management team. Mermer and Stephanie Barna will serve as consultants to the newspaper.
“Along with our seasoned team of news, advertising and design professionals, the new ownership team will build on the City Paper’s legacy and continue to produce the best weekly newspaper in the country,” Mermer said. “Having Ed and Andy at the helm provides outstanding stability for the City Paper’s dedicated team of professionals and for loyal readers who dive into the paper every Wednesday to learn what’s happening and just plain cool.”
Bell, one of the co-owners of the nationally-renowned Garden & Gun magazine, said the Charleston City Paper offers a valuable public service to the Charleston area.
“What I love about the City Paper is its commitment to excellence and providing an alternative leadership voice in the greater Charleston community,” he said. “We look forward to continuing to provide compelling content that will inform readers about what’s happening — out in the open and behind closed doors.”
Brack, who is longtime publisher of the online Statehouse Report policy forecast, said the Charleston City Paper is in a unique position in the Lowcountry.
“Our job is to continue to give an award-winning news publication to area readers that engages them with what’s happening in the Lowcountry and provides community-oriented journalism that will connect them more closely to what’s happening here,” said Brack, a graduate of Duke University who has a master’s in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “We take that mission seriously and it will continue to be reflected online at www.CharlestonCityPaper.com and will drive our unique news, views, arts and cultural content.”
Brack is the son of Barbara and Elliott Brack of Norcross, and a graduate of The Marist School in Atlanta.
In its 22-year history, Charleston City Paper has won dozens of awards from state and national press groups. It is a member of the S.C. Press Association and the Association of Alternative News Media. It reaches more than 110,000 readers weekly in print as well as more than 1 million users every month through its web and social media platforms. Learn more: http://www.CharlestonCityPaper.com.
Graveyards of Gwinnett: Come to OneStop Centerville on Wednesday, October 23 at 6 p.m. Drop in to join the Centerville History Club for an intimate evening of spooky stories and compelling conversation about local church and family burial grounds, as well as other interesting sites. For ages 18 and up. The Center is at 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville.
Foster Parent Workshop: This will be Thursday, October 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the Grayson Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library, 700 Grayson Parkway, Grayson. Help children in your community who are victims of their circumstances. These children are in great need of compassionate, committed, and caring people. Do you have a place in your heart and in your home to provide care for these children? For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.
Re-Scheduled Light Up Norcross Lantern and Costume Parade will be Friday, October 25 at Thrasher Park. Families and people of all ages can enjoy an evening with food, lanterns, a costume parade and music. The New Orleans-style marching band SABOR will lead the parade through the streets of Downtown Norcross. For more details on purchasing lanterns and the costume contest, visit www.norcrossga.net.
Yellow River Trick or Treatment Fall Festival, October 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Get a science lesson and Halloween fun at the same time. The Yellow River Water Reclamation Facility is located at 858 Tom Smith Road in Lilburn. The Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources’ annual fall festival offers crafts, inflatables, games and activities, touch-a-truck and free fairground food. Costumes are encouraged.
Downtown Lilburn 5K and Fun Run will be Saturday, October 26 at Lilburn City Park. Join Main Street Lilburn and NG3 for the run starting at Lilburn City Park and running along the flat Camp Creek Greenway. This is a USATF Certified course and your time in this race can be used as a qualifier for the Peachtree Road Race. It’s flat and fast, and runners and walkers are welcomed. Kids are encouraged (but not required) to wear their Halloween costumes! Registration is at 8:30 a.m. and the 5K begins at 9:30 a.m. The Kids Tot Trot and Fun Run is at 10:30 a.m.
Fourth Annual Paint Gwinnett Pink 5K Walk/Run Is Saturday, October 26 at Coolray Field, 2500 Buford Drive, Lawrenceville. Registration is at 7 a.m. and the race starts at 9 a.m. Strollers are welcome; pets are not. To register, click here. Money raised from this event will benefit local cancer survivors and the Gwinnett Breast Center at Northside Hospital Gwinnett. This is a 2020 Peachtree Road Race qualifying event.
Party Like a MonSTAR on October 31 from 6 to 9 p.m. Calling all ghosts, ghouls, and creatures that frighten. Let’s celebrate all things that go bump in the night. Put on your favorite costume and BOOgie down to live music. Spook-tacular sandwiches included. Parent or guardian supervision required. Cost $4 per person. This will be at OneStop Buford, 2755 Sawnee Avenue, Buford.
Juried Art Exhibit at the Tannery Row Artist Colony in Buford continues until November 1. Includes a variety of media, including painting, pastel, colored pencil, pen and ink, mixed media, printmaking, fibre arts, photography, digital art and three dimensional art, including ceramics, pottery and found object sculpture. The Colony is located at 554 West Main Street in Buford.
Veteran’s Day Ceremony at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center is Monday, November 11 at 11 a.m. at the Fallen Heroes Memorial. The ceremony will be televised on TV Gwinnett, the government access channel.
Peachtree Corners Veteran’s Day Ceremony will be November 11 at 11 a.m. at the new Veterans Monument in Town Center. The 45 minute program will include music by the Norcross High School Band and A Capella chorus, plus guest speakers. For information visit www.ptcvets.net.
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