GwinnettForum | Number 21.46 | July 8, 2022
MODERN LIBRARIES, such as this new facility in Norcross, don’t merely lend books these days. They are involved in many different activities In Today’s Focus below, Adam Pitts explains how the Gwinnett library system is assisting former prison inmates in a distinctive program in securing employment.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Ex-inmates find opportunity for work: they hire themselves
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Taxing real property is not always easy and often not fair
ANOTHER VIEW: Reflecting on the powers of the distinctive taste of a Vidalia Onion
SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful
FEEDBACK: Forcing someone to carry a pregnancy to term is abhorrent
UPCOMING: Economy dooms proposed GBC-People’s bank merge
NOTABLE: GC&B’S Citizens Advisory Board gets six new members
OBITUARIES: Gladstone Ferle Snell
RECOMMENDED: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
GEORGIA TIDBIT: No one knows who paid for the Georgia Guidestones
MYSTERY PHOTO: Aged structure awaits your prognostication
CALENDAR: Author Vanessa Riley speaks July 13 at the Norcross public library
Ex-inmates find opportunity for work: They hire themselves
By Adam Pitts
Norcross Public Library
NORCROSS, Ga. | Serving time in jail or prison is traumatizing enough in its own right. However the obstacles inmates face after release—the “second sentence,” as it is collectively known—can have lifelong and life-altering consequences.
Pitts
From inadequate transportation and a lack of affordable housing to employment barriers and societal stigma, formerly incarcerated individuals contend with an array of challenges that makes moving on with life anything but straightforward.
Increasingly, people in this disadvantaged group are turning to entrepreneurship as an alternative to the traditional job market, where employment prospects are few and opportunities for advancement are virtually nonexistent for those with a criminal record. The Gwinnett County Public Library is one of 15 libraries selected nationally to spearhead the American Library Association’s Libraries Build Business initiative. This program launched the New Start Entrepreneurship Incubator (NSEI) in 2021 to support this growing but largely overlooked group of aspiring small business owners.
Coordinated by a team of five library staff, NSEI is a six-month course that covers the fundamentals of starting and running a small business. Cohorts of 15 to 20 students attend monthly presentations by local business experts on topics such as finance, marketing, licensing, and writing a business plan.
Following each meeting, they complete online coursework and receive one-on-one support from experienced small business mentors. To remove technology barriers, the library lends laptop and hotspot Entrepreneurship Kits to the students upon request. As an additional incentive, they are given an opportunity to pitch their business proposals to a Shark Tank-style judging panel to receive feedback and potentially obtain startup capital.
Two cohorts totaling 21 graduates have completed the program. The third cohort will begin later in July. Businesses started so far by people completing the program include a catering service, a hair and beauty boutique, plus an assisted living facility for veterans and other individuals transitioning from homelessness. The biggest company that began out of this program is a commercial and residential cleaning company with 14 employees, which has nearly 40 contracts from Gwinnett and Fulton counties.
Given NSEI’s success, it may come as a surprise that small business programming for the formerly incarcerated was a mostly unexplored facet of library services until recently. While several public libraries offer outreach to current inmates, there are few entrepreneurship courses, library-led or otherwise, designed exclusively for former inmates. It is an area that deserves more attention, especially considering the latent economic potential waiting to be uncovered.
Along with our other business resources, entrepreneur development initiatives such as NSEI underscore and show the importance of public libraries as catalysts for economic growth and job creation. Everyone is a library stakeholder in that regard, which is why our mission to serve the community is more relevant than ever.
To learn more about our programs and services, visit the library’s website at gwinnettpl.org.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Taxing real property is not always easy and often not fair
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JULY 8, 2022 | Equally taxing people is complicated.
For the tax year 2022, you could have two families living side-by-side in similar houses and one might be taxed considerably higher than the other. That’s because some Gwinnett residents get the benefit of a value offset exemption (VOE) for owner-occupied residences. With this in place, and if a resident has lived on this property since when the VOE went into place back in 2001, this resident would never see a county tax increase unless the County Commissioners raised the millage rate. With VOE, even if your property assessment was raised, the county property tax would not rise as long as you lived in that house.
The VOE only works for residents who apply for a homestead exemption. The Regular Homestead Exemption applies to all county property owners who occupy the property as of January 1 of the application year.
There are 35 counties in Georgia, plus the City of Atlanta, that offer some sort of value freeze exemption. Since inception in 2001 through 2021 Gwinnett County has foregone about $550 million in revenues. Due to rising home values, the projected impact of the exemption in 2022 is about $149 million assuming the millage rate stays the same.
The Value Offset Exemption holds the taxable value of a property constant for only the county government portion of your tax bill, even if there is an increase in property value. The Value Offset Exemption does not offer an exemption on school or city taxes, and applies to the home and up to five acres.
Let’s give one example: a house outside Lawrenceville. This couple bought their house in 2015, but it was until 2016 that they were residing there on January 1. That meant that their VOE exemption did not apply until the 2017 tax year, when their county taxes were $944.76. For 2018 and 2019, with a small reduction in millage, their county tax fell slightly to $941.44. Then in 2020, with a county millage increase, their county tax went up to $1,018. Note that it remains the same with the same millage in 2021 and 2022.
But at the same time, look at the market value of their home, going up from $163,600 when they first lived there, to more than doubled in 2022…at $349,800. But their county tax went up only slightly because of a small millage increase. VOE saved then a tax on the increased assessment.
VOE exemption applies only to county taxes, not city or school taxes. So, with a higher assessment, all property for those living in cities will see a city tax increase when assessments rise.
Up until now, we’ve been talking about owner-occupied housing. Residential properties that are not owner-occupied (rental properties) and commercial properties will see an increase in county property taxes this year because of increases in assessed value. This is turn-around time, since during the great recession, almost all properties in Gwinnett saw reduced property taxes because of value decreases.
Unfortunately, the amount of taxes you and other residents, and especially private businesses pay, is often influenced by the Legislature’s passage of many exceptions to routine taxes. Remember Delta Air Lines exemption? The airline almost lost a $35 million jet fuel tax benefit after Republicans in the Georgia General Assembly sought to punish the Atlanta-based company for speaking out against the state’s controversial new elections law.
Another: Shrimp fishermen are exempted from paying taxes on their fuel purchases. After all, they argue, shrimpers don’t use the Georgia highways, so exempt us!
Exemptions to routine taxes abound in many industries and counties. The VOE in a few counties is one way to keep taxes low when home assessments are rising for long-term residents who remain in their home. Pulling it would result in loud howlings.
So the VOE remains. It’s another way of saying that the efforts of government taxing property is complicated. And yes, it’s not always fair.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Reflecting on the distinctive taste of a Vidalia onion
(Editor’s note: Knowing people from the onion country of south Georgia can be beneficial. We got a package of Vidalias from a friend recently, who also includes his reflections. We thought you would enjoy the letter he sent along. -eeb)
By Ray Moses
President, Genoa Construction
ALPHARETTA, Ga. | Here is your bag of big, juicy, late season, original variety Vidalia onions. grown perfectly by the McLains near my home place in Montgomery County. They are peerless.
Moses
Every year I share recipes. I asked Ivan, a successful restaurateur, who owns several high- end establishments in Atlanta. I had never heard of corn-fed onions. He kept saying it over and over. He grew up in Russia and lived in New Jersey. Between those two foreign languages, and talking fast, I could not understand. Corn-fed onions? Finally, when I saw his recipe for Confit onions, all was clear. It sounded pretty fancy and complicated. I passed. Lot of trouble to just cook something in fat. Believe you could get the same result with bacon grease.
I then turned to Arthur, who makes money chasing ambulances, wears a watch the size of my alarm clock and smokes cigars hand-rolled by Castro. He sips Pappy Van Winkle and uses words like “marvelous” and “splendid.” He’s an authentic foodie. He flies all the way to Paris to eat something he can’t pronounce. He’s a good source for ideas. He suggested Truffle-infused French Onion Soup. (Paris more than likely). I like onion soup. And I love chocolate candy. But I don’t believe they will taste very good together. I passed.
When I was back home in Montgomery, I rode down to Judy Lou’s for supper. People drive 100 miles to get one of her 48 ounce ribeye steaks. How could anyone eat three pounds of meat? (I ate three pounds of Little Debbie Cakes one year at the beach, but it took me all weekend.)
I was going to Judy Lou’s for catfish and hushpuppies. When I went by the “Cut and Shoot,” I noticed Big Tillman’s old pick-up was there. Big knows a lot about cooking. He didn’t get his name eating quiche and kale salad. His advice would be good. He’s always been a thinker. During his second year in the fifth grade, Miss Tootle asked him if he could spell Mississippi. He replied: “The river or the state?”
I found him on his second whiskey. When I asked for the best way to eat a Vidalia, his answer: “Grill it. Period. Peel it, core it a little, put a beef bouillon cube and a wad of real butter in the core space, add salt and pepper. Then you double wrap it in tin foil and grill at 350 for 35 minutes. Nothing better.”
Then I asked him if he had a Green Egg. He looked confused for a while, but said one of the grand young’uns found some behind the azaleas at the church on Easter, but he was pretty sure they ate ‘em. I didn’t try to explain. It turns out he proudly still uses a Weber Grill that Buster Jim gave him when he came home from Vietnam in’68. He said that he reckoned he had grilled enough on it over the years to feed all of Toombs County two or three times.
Try it. I bet it will be “splendid.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful
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Forcing someone to carry a pregnancy to term is abhorrent
Editor, the Forum:
There is so much discontent in the country today that it is hard to know what we need to worry about most. The overturn of Roe v Wade affects many more than you would think, and threatens life issues for an untold number of people.
Are you familiar with Elvis’ song “In the Ghetto”? The words of that song are enough reason for anyone to hate this ruling. I love its theme, and the way it begins and ends with “and his Mama cries.” Go online and read the words. It says it all!
Do we really need to bring more children into a life doomed to be of hunger, need, and desperation? No court should be making those life decisions for people, who might not be able to cope with the life they already have! Someone told me “There is no magic answer here, and no one wants an abortion! But for it not to be the decision of that person is chilling.” Also, the cruelty of forcing someone to carry a pregnancy to term despite the inhuman circumstances of conception is abhorrent!
This decision speaks to so much more than abortion. Hear this quote: “If you think a fertilized egg is a person, but a refugee child is not, you have a real problem!”
One scary part of this is that the loss of any rights can lead to the loss of many others. With the Supreme Court as biased as Trump has shaped it, we can only imagine what might be next!
I am glad there are still people who can see the deadly potential of where all of this could lead.
– Name Withheld
(Editor’s note: We do not normally print letters without attribution. We thought this letter so powerful that it needed to be aired. We withheld the author’s name so as it would not cause their large family, which has different views, any grief.—eeb)
Public funding of private schools could cost $920 million
Editor, the Forum:
Georgia’s Republican legislature passed a bill that attaches $6,000 to each student in Georgia to seek the school of choice, if the local public school is not what they want. At present, there are 153,000 children in private schools in Georgia. I am sure those families will seek the $6,000. That will be roughly $920 million.
Nationally, a report says that 1.2 million students left the public school system last year.
The $6,000 does not cover the entire expenditure per student in public schools. The $6,000 may put the $11,000 average tuition for private school into the realm of possibility for many. That comes to $100 per week.
I have had this discussion since the early 80’s with a friend in Virginia. He was passionate about schools competing for students and tax money going with the student. Ultimately, he wanted everyone to pay for the tuition on their own. Let the market principles control tuition. We are far from that point, but parents want to have influence and choices available to them and their children.
– Byron Gilbert, Duluth
Dear Byron: The problem with this $6,000 payment is that it makes the public school system less important to those with kids in private school. In the long run it’ll amount to less funding for public schools, and undercuts the idea of high quality public education. –eeb
Striving together is better than fighting with Americans
Editor, the Forum:
At church the Sunday before July the Fourth, we began by singing the National Anthem with an American flag held before the altar. We sang other patriotic songs and hymns.
One prayer included the following words: “Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace.” Striving together to maintain our liberties surely should achieve better outcomes than fighting against fellow Americans with differing political viewpoints from our own.
– Michael Wood, Peachtree Corners
More background on original Gwinnett Foundation
Editor, the Forum:
Here is some more detail about the original Gwinnett Foundation.
The foundation was created by the Gwinnett Chamber after then-Superintendent of the Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS), Alton C. Crews, asked Chamber CEO Jack Sawyer to create an educational foundation to fund endowed chairs within the GCPS. Its original name was the Gwinnett Educational Foundation, Inc. As the then-serving Chamber VP of Community Affairs and a young aspiring Gwinnett lawyer, it was my pro bono charge to draft the corporate charter, incorporate the foundation, write the by-laws and secure the IRS 501(c)3 charitable designation. It was 1985.
After some time, the decision was made to change the name to the Gwinnett Foundation, Inc with a broader community charitable focus. The rest is history.
The Gwinnett Chamber was the incubation site for many of the current Gwinnett community icon institutions of charity, civic endeavors and economic development. Among those that immediately come to mind are the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau and Gwinnett Civic Center, now fondly known as the Gas South District and Arena.
– Mike Tennant, Duluth
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, and include your hometown. The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net.
Economy dooms proposed GBC-People’s bank merger
Georgia Banking Company, Inc. (“GBC”) and Peoples BankTrust, Inc.(“Peoples”) have jointly announced a mutual agreement to terminate their merger agreement, previously announced on November 10, 2021. At that time, it was thought that Peoples would merge into GBC in a cash and stock transaction with an aggregate value of approximately $58 million.
The respective Boards of Directors of GBC and Peoples have unanimously approved the termination.
Bartow Morgan Jr., chief executive officer of GBC, says: “After thorough discussions, the Board of Directors of both institutions concluded the best path forward would be to dissolve the proposed transaction between our companies as market conditions have significantly changed, which has impacted the original terms. The termination of the purchase agreement positions GBC to benefit from a stronger capital position and focus on consistent organic growth while building franchise value for our shareholders.”
Peoples Chief Executive Officer, Doug Nichols comments: “Following a thorough evaluation of the transaction between Peoples and GBC, we have mutually agreed that moving forward separately is the sensible decision. Peoples will continue to serve our customers as we have for over 37 years. We are greatly appreciative of both the Peoples and GBC teams that have worked diligently throughout an extensive process.”
GBC is a commercial community bank headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with assets of approximately $1.3 billion as of May 31, 2022. GBC has offices in Midtown Atlanta, Duluth, Griffin, Lawrenceville and soon will be expanding to serve customers in Alpharetta and Marietta.
Peoples Bank is a commercial bank in Buford which has approximately $475 million in assets as of May 31, 2022. The bank opened in December 1984 with a mission to meet local banking needs while serving the Buford community along with the surrounding areas.
Summer’s burst of art open at Norcross Gallery and Studios
Norcross Gallery and Studios celebrates the warmer season with “Summer Bursts with Fine Art”, its latest exhibit. The show, featuring six selected member artists, is an eclectic display of talent in various media. The exhibit opened June 23 and runs through July 15. On Thursday July 14, there will be a welcoming reception and wine tasting, both free and open to the public from 6 to 8 p.m. Reservations may be made for the wine tasting by texting 404-403-1851.
Participating artist Kathy Collins’ painting, “Water Lilies” was inspired by a sight upon leaving a motel on her way to paint at Cumberland Island. Wedged between the parking lot and the back of a service station was a little pond filled with water lilies – a small touch of beauty breaking through a nondescript scene.
Diane Houle created a wonderful collage from prior watercolor paintings and combined them into the colorful and appealing “Each Day Comes with Its Own Surprise”.
“The world always seems brighter when you have just made something that wasn’t there before”, a quote by Neil Gaiman, is echoed by Susana Walker. She has recently been working on abstract landscapes in oil on paper, creating landscapes with simple forms and bright colors as evidenced by her sunshiny ‘Abstract VII”.
Laurenthia Mesh loves soft grays of Impressionism that soften the light. Her painting “Apres Monet” is a scene of spring blossoms and a man with his boat at dawn.
“Dream Leaves” by portrait and figurative artist Anne Emerson Hall is a reverie based on the tale of Apollo’s pursuit of Daphne, who had vowed to remain a virgin. At her appeal, Zeus turned her into a laurel tree. Had she dreamt of becoming one before, or is she remembering her human form after?
Larry Hallan active artist and board member of Norcross Gallery has a unique work in the exhibit, “Calianis I,” a poured Bronze sculpture.
Norcross Gallery and Studios are located at 116 Carlyle Street in downtown Norcross. They are open Thursdays through Saturdays 11 am to 4 pm. The website is norcrossgalleryandstudios.org.
GC&B’S Citizens Advisory Board gets six new members
Six new members have been named to the Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful’s (GC&B) Citizens Advisory Board (CAB). The new members are tasked with shaping the future of the eco-focused nonprofit. They represent virtually every sector within the Gwinnett County community.
The new members of the GC&B Advisory Board are, from top, Wilson, Higgs and VandenHeuvel, and on the bottom row, Marquez, Holden and Duncan.
The six new members added to GC&B’s Citizens Advisory Board include:
- Angela Duncan – Judge – Gwinnett County Superior Court;
- Derek Higgs – Owner, Higgs Leadership Development;
- Jessica Holden – Science Curriculum Director, Gwinnett County Public Schools;
- Santiago Marquez – CEO, Latin American Association;
- Kristan VandenHeuvel – Director of Applied Research and Engagement, The Water Tower; and
- Shantell Wilson – Economic Development Director, Gwinnett County Government.
Schelly Marlatt, Executive Director for GC&B says: “In our quest to connect people and resources for a sustainable Gwinnett, we seek continuous improvement as an organization. Every person who serves on the Citizens Advisory Board brings something special to the table, causing shifts in both our culture and our delivery of programs and events. I am grateful to each and every member of the CAB – past, present and future. They represent some of Gwinnett County’s best, brightest and most impassioned leaders our community has to offer. I am both delighted and excited to see what each of our six outstanding new members delivers to our board and organization.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Gladstone Ferle Snell
Gladstone Ferle Snell, 90, of Snellville passed away at his home July 3, 2022.
Snell
Ferle and his twin brother Clyde Earle were born October 23, 1931 to Edwin and Mable Snell of Snellville. He married Neita Faye Johnson November 25, 1955.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Helen (Tony) Todd, Carol (James) Camp, and his brothers Richard and Earle (Jean) and Jack (Barbara) Snell.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Neita Faye Snell, his sister-in-law, Martha Snell, three sons, Brian (Denesa), Kevin (Nici), and Van (Nan), six grandchildren, Jessi Snell, Brad (Jenny) Snell, Justin (Katelyn) Snell, Brent (Phoebe) Snell, Peyton (John- Mark) Stumpf, and Jon Ross Snell, two step-grandchildren, Nikolas (Meagan) Cooper and Alix Cooper and 12 great grandchildren who he loved dearly.
Ferle grew up in Snellville and attended Snellville High School. After high school, he attended North Georgia College for a short time before transferring to West Georgia College where he was on the basketball and football teams. He was attending the University of Georgia when he was drafted into the United States Army. Ferle served in the Army for two years and was stationed in France and Germany. After his honorable discharge, he and Neita Faye married in 1955, and he joined his family business at E R Snell, Contractor, as part of the third generation of owners. Ferle was a culvert and bridge supervisor for most of his ER Snell career, where he traveled to Savannah, Augusta, Macon and north Georgia. Towards the end of his work career, he was the shop and fleet manager. He retired from E R Snell in 1992.
Ferle was a lifetime member of Snellville United Methodist Church and served in numerous roles from Sunday School Teacher to various boards. He was also a member of Snellville Masonic Lodge. He coached little league baseball, was an avid bird hunter and enjoyed raising and training champion bird dogs for field trials. He also enjoyed fishing and attending his grandchildren’s ball games. Ferle became interested in Simmental cattle and accumulated a large herd for raising and selling beef. He was also an avid Braves and Bulldogs fan. Ferle was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and will be dearly missed by his family and friends.
The funeral service to celebrate the life of Gladstone Ferle Snell will be held on Friday, July 8, 2022 at 11 a.m. at Snellville United Methodist Church. Interment will follow at Snellville Historical Cemetery. Mr. Snell will lie in state from 10 to 11 a.m. prior to the service. In lieu of flowers the family asks that you consider a memorial donation to Snellville United Methodist Church Building Fund, 2428 Main Street, East, Snellville, Ga. 30078 in memory of him.
Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, Snellville, handled arrangements.
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
From Susan McBayer, Sugar Hill: Make no mistake — this is a spooky story. It’s best read when you are all alone, preferably in a two-story house. The author uses two narrators to tell the tragic tales of the families who have lived in an old, rural Vermont mansion. One narrator is a father who has written a best-selling horror book about the time his family lived in the house. The other is his daughter, now an adult, who bears the scars of people thinking she’s a weirdo. When the father dies, he leaves the mansion to his daughter (who didn’t even know he still owned it). But when she goes to Vermont to check it out, renovate it and sell it, weird things start to happen. The two narratives are woven together seamlessly and there are twists I didn’t see coming. I’d call this a spooky, summer read.
An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
No one knows who paid for the Georgia Guidestones
(Editor’s note: The Georgia Guidestones were vandalized recently. Here is some detail on them —eeb)
One of the most intriguing granite monuments ever erected stands in Elbert County, near the South Carolina border. The Georgia Guidestones dominate the highest elevation in the county, which is located in the northeastern Piedmont section of the state. Known to some as the American Stonehenge because of their striking resemblance to England’s famous monument, the Georgia Guidestones were unveiled on March 22, 1980.
Like ancient Stonehenge, the modern Guidestones serve as a celestial clock of sorts, recording the passage of time through special features. Unlike Stonehenge, however, the Guidestones contain a written message for humanity. The general layouts of the two sites are also different from one other. While Stonehenge is arranged in a circular manner, the Guidestones are positioned in an “X” pattern, with each line of the axis oriented toward specific areas of the moon’s annual rotation around the Earth.
The Guidestones’ mysterious origins go back to the summer of 1979, when a man calling himself R. C. Christian came to Elberton in search of both a granite firm to execute his design for a monument and a suitable site for the construction of it. The man admitted that “Christian” was a pseudonym, chosen because it represented his own beliefs and those of the organization that planned and funded the project. To this day, Christian’s real name and the true identity of his organization are unknown. Christian claimed that he chose Elbert County because of its abundant supply of granite, the rural nature of its landscape, and its relatively mild climate, and because some of his ancestors had once lived in the region.
Joe H. Fendley Sr., president of the Elberton Granite Finishing Company, was initially shocked when Christian first explained his plan to build a gigantic granite monument inscribed with wisdom for the ages—suggestions or directions that would lead humanity into an “age of reason.”
Fendley put his laborers to work on the structure, which consisted of four massive blue granite slabs, one center stone (known as the Gnomen stone), and a capstone. When finally completed, the monolithic structure weighed 119 tons and contained 951 cubic feet of granite. The structure also supported more than 4,000 sandblasted characters and letters, each averaging about four inches in height. Christian and Martin selected a five-acre plot in the middle of a cow pasture, approximately seven miles north of Elberton and eight miles south of Hartwell, with a commanding view to the east and the west, on which to build the monument. The area chosen was in close proximity to what the Cherokee Indians called “Al-yeh-li A lo-Hee,”—the center of the world.
(To be continued)
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Aged structure awaits your prognostication
Today’s Mystery Photo wasn’t built yesterday. It apparently is still doing what it was made for. All you have to do is figure out where this photograph was made. Send your answers to elliott@brack.net, and be sure to include your hometown.
The last Mystery Photo didn’t fool some people. No leaves were not blown in. Sara Rawlins, Lawrenceville, responded first: “I believe that picture is of the carpet at the Gwinnett Gas South Convention Center, taken from the second floor. I was there this past spring for the Quilt and Sewing Expo. The interior of the Convention Hall itself is top notch and I’m glad they moved the concession stand outside the Dealer’s Room to a space that can accommodate more tables and benches for folks to sit, eat and relax, away from the main walking areas.” The photo came from the Gas South District website.
And Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. chipped in with this: “Today’s mystery photo shows the upper and lower levels of the Gas South District Convention Center at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth. The photo was taken from the upper level, facing southeast out toward the main entrance of the convention center. And no, the door was not inadvertently left open on a windy, fall day. Instead, as part of the recent renovations made to the convention center, it was decided to create a peaceful and relaxing fall-themed environment by decorating the convention center with ‘fallen leaves’ and featuring leaves from trees that populate the southern states. The names of some exhibit halls are after these trees, including the Maple, Cypress, Oak, and Hickory Halls.”
Also recognizing the photo were Barbara Myers of Big Canoe and George Graf of Palmyra, Va.
Riley to speak July 13 at the Norcross public library
Meet the author, Vanessa Riley, on July 13 at 7 p.m. at the Norcross Public library. She will discuss her new historical fiction novel of the Haitian Revolution, based on the true-life stories of two extraordinary women in her newest book, Sister Mother Warrior. Books available for sale and signing. Complimentary refreshments and silent auction provided by the Friends of the Library.
Writing Workshop with Atlanta Writers Club, will be Saturday, July 16, from 12:45 p.m. until 4 p.m. at the Duluth Public Library. Learn more about the art of writing and network with other writers. Carmen Agra Deedy, award-winning author of 12 children’s books, will discuss the world of picture book writing in an informative, playful, and intensive workshop.
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