GwinnettForum | Number 23.19 | March 8, 2024
THE ROADWAYS of the piedmont area of Georgia is captured in this undulating photograph by Savannah’s Bill Durrence, who once roamed the world for Nikon. While you might go quicker on the Interstate highway system, you can enjoy the ride with little traffic on many well-maintained roads of the Department of Transportation. Take these byways, breathe in the cleaner air, enjoy the scenery in getting to your destination.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Life begins at the end of your comfort zone
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Electoral College could give Trump office again
SPOTLIGHT: Comet National Shipping
ANOTHER VIEW: Be prepared for Trump election shenanigans
FEEDBACK: Postal problems become a national nightmare
UPCOMING: County, CBRE partner to re-vitalize Gwinnett Place
NOTABLE: Buford non-profit gives women “second chance”
RECOMMENDED: Movie: Ordinary Angels
OBITUARY: Jack Stephens Tonge Jr.
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Atlanta’s McDaniel wins Olympic high jump medal
MYSTERY PHOTO: There’s something historic in this Mystery
CALENDAR: Gwinnett Stripers’ Coca-Cola Preseason Party Sunday
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone
Paige Havens administering polio vaccine | Provided.
By Paige Havens
HOSCHTON, Ga. | As a member of the Rotary Club of Gwinnett for 19 years, I’ve been actively engaged in Rotary’s mission to eradicate polio from the face of the earth. I’ve loyally given to the End Polio Now campaign, as well as championed polio education and awareness events. As I’ve watched Rotary’s efforts gain ground around the world, I’ve dreamed of “someday” being a part of a Rotary immunization team that would administer life-saving vaccines to children in high-risk areas.
Finally, in January, I seized an opportunity to travel to India with a team of Rotarians representing four countries for a polio immunization experience. Our mission: to serve and to learn.
In 19 days, I traveled 21,809 miles visiting five states across India. Our experiences brought us up close and personal with the realities of polio. We visited the Rotary International South Asia office and had a briefing from the World Health Organization to understand better the history of polio, surveillance efforts, and the eradication plan.
Polio remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Though there were only 10 active cases last year, we were reminded polio is just one plane ride or border crossing away from raging again without complete eradication.
A visit to St. Stephen’s Hospital in New Delhi brought the data to life as Dr. Mathew Varghese, one of the last remaining orthopedic surgeons treating polio survivors, gave a tour of his Rotary-funded clinic. Meeting survivors was life changing. Their looks of gratitude and tear-filled eyes said thank you beyond measure.
Our first round of polio vaccinations took place in Gurgaon. Placing those first two drops in the mouth of a little girl was beyond emotional. But what struck me even deeper was the look of deep gratitude in her mother’s eyes. Though we didn’t speak the same language, our mama hearts didn’t need words. We both knew what those drops meant for her child. We went on to vaccinate many more children in Kolkata and Dhanbad as the journey unfolded.
We saw the collaborative power of Rotary as we visited active club projects. The Bhagat Singh Foundation NGO School near New Delhi started with just five students under a bridge. Today, the school now rents a building basement where 150 students are flourishing.
An eye clinic in Kolkata provides thousands of free cataract surgeries annually. We visited life-saving dialysis centers, Healing Little Hearts Hospital, the Jeevan Jyoti school for special needs children, the Jaipur Limb Centre, Kashitand Village School, and the Upasana Vocational Training Center for girls. The Dhanbad club even put us to work at the construction site of a new dialysis center helping lay foundation bricks for the building.
No doubt, this trip changed me. It pushed me way outside my comfort zone. It opened my eyes to unimaginable poverty and human struggle. I witnessed a whole new level of commitment to service and caring for others. I am excited to see what unfolds next as I leverage my new friendships and connections to further the work of Rotary and serve to change lives in many ways, and especially in the eradication of polio.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Electoral College could give Trump office again
Electoral votes by states in 2020; Via Wikipedia.
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 8, 2024 | Even though Georgia and a majority of the states in our country have not voted in the presidential primary yet, it looks like the nominees are settled. It appears to be Joe Biden for the Democrats and Donald Trump for the Republicans, a rematch of 2020.
With the Georgia presidential primary next Tuesday, March 12, essentially Georgia has had little to say about presidential nominees.
Biden won the popular vote in 2020, pulling in 81 million votes, to 74 million for Trump. That’s a big margin of over seven million votes for Mr. Biden. That means Biden won 51.3 percent of the votes, while Trump pulled 46.9 percent.
Yet of course, the popular vote means nothing. The Founding Fathers didn’t want the largest populated states to determine elections. The Electoral College was designed to ensure that the more populous states didn’t overpower the smaller states when choosing the nation’s leader. So, each of the states are allocated electoral votes.
Currently, the Electoral College consists of 538 electors. This number comes from the number of senators (100) and representatives (435) elected to represent each state, plus an additional three electors for the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.), which is allotted a number of votes equal to the number of electors of the least-populated state (Wyoming).
While it appears that President Biden should win the popular vote again, it’s the Electoral College which concerns the Democrats. Just a slight shift in a few states could significantly change the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
In 2020, President Biden won the Electoral College by a 306 to 232 count. That’s a 64 electoral vote margin, a fairly big number.
But consider: if just a few states had a slight change in the way they voted from 2020, Donald Trump could be president again.
Consider this scenario: both Georgia and Michigan have 16 electoral votes. Biden won Georgia by 11,779 votes, while his margin in Michigan was larger, 154,188 votes. But if both states flipped to the Republicans in 2024, that would make the Electoral College margin 274-264, in favor of Biden.
Taking this further, if Nevada with six electors flipped from Democratic blue to Republican red, Trump would win (with 270 votes). Or if New Mexico with five electors flipped, both Biden and Trump would have 269 votes, meaning that the winner would have to be decided in the House or Representatives, with each state having one vote!
A majority of the states is needed to win in the House, that is, 26 votes. Senators would elect the vice president, with each Senator having a vote. A majority of Senators (51) is needed to win that office.
State House delegations can cast their vote for president from among the three candidates receiving the most electoral votes. In Georgia and 47 other states and the District of Columbia, electors vote according to who wins the total popular vote.
What does all this mean? We are pleased that we have the obvious safeguards through the Electoral College. We do not want to dump it. But with it as law, while the popular vote is important, the Electoral College could give us another four years of Donald Trump as the leader of the so-called free world.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Comet National Shipping
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- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Be prepared for Trump election shenanigans
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | Many Americans write off the Democrats and Republicans as being the same. Having been active in both parties, I understand this tendency by swing voters. However, in reality, both parties as currently constituted are clearly not alike.
The Republican Party is no longer the “bring down that wall” party of pro-democracy Ronald Reagan. While a nice guy with a good sense of humor, President Reagan was also a strong supporter of freedom, saying- “We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. It is then that tyrants are tempted.” By looking back at Hitler and Mussolini, and the lack of early reaction by the U.S. and European democracies, Reagan formed his views.
What Reagan said would have also strongly supported our ally, Ukraine, and provided them with arms needed to fight off Putin, the dictatorial Russian aggressor. Reagan would not have told the Ukrainian President Zelensky, that the only way he would get military aid was to do Trump a “favor” and investigate his rival Presidential Joe Biden. Trump was impeached for that offense, but not removed by the Senate as he should have been.
In 2024, Trump’s unethical MAGA supporters are willing to think, do or say anything to get their cult leader re-elected. When combined with the advancements in Artificial Intelligence, and the Russian intelligence service, which has been shown in the past to favor Trump, this is a deadly combination.
In 2020, Trump lost the Presidential election, period. Every court case, even those before GOP-appointed judges, showed the election was fair and honest. However, regardless of the facts proving he lost, Trump has been moaning about a “stolen election” ever since. Trump has a longstanding strategy of turning truth on its head. Trump quite simply never, ever, believes that he is wrong or can lose. The problem is always caused by something else, but never him.
In the 2024 Presidential election, be prepared to have fake phone calls and videos “leaked” to his media. They will purport to show Presidents Biden and Obama plotting to take over regardless of the votes cast. Artificial intelligence will help Putin and Trump to put this narrative out there.
Social media rightwing radicals are already setting up this scenario via outrageous statements like that above. Since MAGA extremists do not get their news from mainstream media, they will read these posts and believe them 100 percent. The same way they did when they stormed the Capitol to hang Mike Pence for not anointing King Donald.
The only remaining question is “will democracy survive Trump and his Maga hordes?” The answer is up to all of us.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Postal problems become a national nightmare
Editor, The Forum:
Our brilliant Postmaster General Louis Dejoy’s master plan to remake the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is becoming a national nightmare.
As reported on Channel 11 news website with a contributing article from Houston, the new distribution plants are a disaster. Mail is not being processed, trucks drive around looking for a place to drop it, tracking numbers are not really traceable to anything.
The Palmetto, Ga. plant is part of his great plan to make the USPS compete with FedEx and United Parcel Service (UPS). Apparently mail is now secondary to package handling to try to keep the USPS afloat.
I have been waiting on three packages. Took the tracing numbers to the Lawrenceville post office and was told the scans were “container” scans where the package is supposed to be, but not actual scans of the packages. They don’t know where they are as the last article scan was in Snellville several days ago. They told me to expect delivery in two to four weeks, what with all the problems they are having. One of the packages was only coming from Kennesaw and it’s apparently lost.
Houston is already experiencing the same problems in two facilities there, according to the television report.
Instead of our mail being distributed from the Boggs Road facility in Gwinnett, it all now goes through Palmetto. Even our route drivers will no longer be bringing our mail from our local post office as they will be working from the old Boggs Road facility for local distribution.
Hope you’re not waiting on Social Security checks, mail order medicine , or any important legal papers.
–Dan Mackaben, Lawrenceville
Takes another approach about those robo calls
Editor, the Forum:
Let me disagree with Raleigh Perry suggesting perhaps that you stay on the line and have fun with the robo callers. Some people might answer the call and truly give them the information they are wanting. I say, hang up or don’t answer the call if you are not familiar with the number.
– Kathy Gestar, Sandy Springs
- 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.
County, CBRE partner to revitalize Gwinnett Place
County-approved proposal for Gwinnett Place renovation | Provided.
Gwinnett County said Tuesday that it is partnering with one of the world’s premiere real estate services firms, CBRE, to help advance the redevelopment of Gwinnett Place Mall.
CBRE is a global leader in commercial real estate services and investments. Its mission is to realize the potential of our clients, professionals and partners by building the real estate solutions of the future. From instilling confidence in today’s decisions to re-imagining tomorrow’s spaces, CBRE thrives in complex and ever-changing environments. It has over 500 offices in 100 countries.
Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson says: “This is a significant and exciting new development in the story of the Gwinnett Place Mall’s revitalization. CBRE is the right partner to help bring a transformative redevelopment project to this site.”
Gwinnett Place was the first mall in the county, opening on February 19, 1984, and developed by Scott Hudgens of Duluth. Later, in ____, Hudgens also opened the largest mall in Georgia, the Mall of Georgia near Buford. In the meantime, Gwinnett Place saw hard times, with many of its firms moving out, and the mall became deteriorated.
Gwinnett County purchased a 39-acre portion of the Gwinnett Place Mall site in 2020, recognizing that the area needed a catalytic project to revitalize the underused activity center. To guide the revitalization of the mall site, the Board of Commissioners adopted an Equitable Redevelopment Plan and a Livable Centers Initiative Plan that incorporated extensive community engagement and involvement. The vision for the site is to create a dense, mixed-use activity center that is well connected, green and walkable, while preserving the cultural diversity and character of the area.
District 1 Commissioner Kirkland Carden says: “We look forward to collaborating with CBRE to make this vision a reality. Their extensive experience and expertise on projects like this one will ensure we create a vibrant new place to gather and enjoy.”
Joe Allen, executive director of the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District, says: “The Gwinnett Place area commercial property owners, businesses, and residents are grateful to the county for its staunch commitment to that vision for the mall property. “Bringing a respected global company like CBRE to the table is a tangible example of that support.”
CBRE Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm.
Jae Kim, vice president and head of CBRE’s U.S. East Coast Korea Desk, says of the new venture: “I am excited to be a part of the transformation of this place that I have called home for over 35 years. Building on Gwinnett County’s work to date and commitment to this transformational project, CBRE is proud to join the county to deliver a revitalized, vibrant, and inclusive development for Gwinnett residents.”
Next steps for the project will be refining plans to optimize the opportunity for a transformative project before seeking development partners to transform the site consistent with the county’s goals and vision.
Braselton Citizen’s Academy begins in April
The Town of Braselton Government Citizen’s Academy Program is a unique opportunity for citizens to develop a better understanding about the Town of Braselton government. Each month covers a different topic related to Town service provision.
The Citizens Academy begins in April and is held for seven months on the third Thursday of each month in the evenings. Applicants must agree to attend all seven sessions. There are also extracurricular activities such as a trolley tour of town and ride-alongs with the Braselton Police Department.
Space is limited and the classes fill quickly, so don’t delay. More information is available on the application.
County OKs new small park near Singleton Road
Gwinnett Commissioners gave the green light to build Singleton Park and Greenway at 5220 Singleton Road. The new 1.58-acre park will meet the community’s diverse needs and preferences with recreational and accessibility features, including open leisure spaces, a playground, a multimodal trail, shade structures, and a Ride Gwinnett stop.
F.S. Scarborough LLC was awarded the contract. The $6.3 million project is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, a Governor’s Office grant, 2017 SPLOST programs, and a CARES Act Community Development Block Grant. Visit GwinnettSPLOST.com to learn more about SPLOST.
Game Jam seeks entries on “Tales from the Abyss”
The third annual “Game Jam 2024” is being presented by the Gwinnett County Public Library during the coming Spring break. It continues through April 19. It is being sponsored by Southern Fried Gaming Expo.
Game jams are events where participants make a video game, card game, board game, tabletop game, or hybrid game, often based on a theme or concept during a specified timeframe.
The theme for this year’s program is Explore the Strange and Unusual with this year’s theme, “Tales from the Abyss.” The judges are looking for unique interpretations of the theme. Winners will be awarded gift cards and other prizes.
Any game engine, coding tool, or website is welcome for entry. This year, the program has expanded to accept board, card, tabletop, and hybrid games. For video game submission, the work must be a game that is playable via a web browser and made public for wide viewing. The form for submitting your game only allows a URL to be entered. Most games must be uploaded to itch.io after creating a free account. If your game is not free, it will not be selected for the Showcase. Please note that games cannot contain nudity, drug use, profanity, slurs, or extreme violence.
Buford nonprofit gives women “second chance”
Victoria’s Friends, a Buford faith-based 501(c)3 nonprofit created in 2000, will celebrate Women’s History Month on March 23 at Aqua Terra Bistro, 55 East Main Street in Buford by honoring three special Georgia women and their accomplishments. Victoria’s Friends bestows “second chances” to women who are lost and trapped in the helplessness of sexually oriented businesses. It is one of only a handful of survivor-led sexual-exit organizations across the country,
Victoria Teague, founder and a survivor herself, recognized a spark of entrepreneurship in Brandi Cannon, Shironda Evans, and Patricia McNeill when she delivered “Baskets of Love” to the three honorees at their workplaces during a span of 20 years. Each one was given a second chance at a new life in the form of a scholarship covering cars, counseling, childcare, job training and rent. Patricia McNeil, the newest recipient who wants to be a fashion designer, will get a new website and merchandise to sell at her fashion boutique.
Brandi Cannon and Shironda Evans have also started businesses: the former teaching painting classes to budding entrepreneurs; and the latter doing personal coaching and real estate investing.
In addition, Shirlonda has written a book entitled Mindset Change 101. Her favorite theme from the book is “your quality of life increases when your mindset changes.” She hopes skills like learning leadership, entrepreneurship, and community building will help others take charge of their lives.
Each month, through its “Baskets of Love” outreach program, Victoria’s Friends volunteers deliver gift baskets to individuals working in entertainment clubs throughout metro Atlanta. The organization is always in need of donated items—socks, scarves, lotions, notes of encouragement, and anything that would be perceived as a gift—for the bags.
Victoria Teague says: “Each year, we give 16-20 scholarships. We are hoping to open a community center to bring all the women together. With our faith-based ministry, much of our funding comes from our church partnerships, individual donors, as well as our anniversary event in November. We have also sponsored recent online 5K’s to raise funds. We are in our 24th year of ministry, and it is a delight to help each and every candidate.”
Jack Stephens Tonge Jr.
Dr. Jack Stephens “Steve” Tonge Jr., a resident of Winder, Ga., passed away unexpectedly on March 3, 2024.
Tonge
Dr. Tonge, a native of Macon, was preceded in death by his parents: Jack Stephens Tonge Sr. and Eloise Pope Tonge; his brother, Joel Bradford Tonge; and his son, Justin Palmer Tonge.
Dr. Tonge was a 1965 graduate of Duluth High School. He began his college career playing football at Furman University. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Georgia. He was a graduate of Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn.
Upon graduation, he entered the United States Army as an optometry officer. Upon honorable discharge from the Army, he opened a private practice in Lawrenceville, , which continued for 50 years. He was a former member of the Lawrenceville Lions Club and the Gwinnett Rotary Club and was a communicant of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Athens.
He is survived by his children: Trey Tonge, Zach Tonge, Emily Tonge, Stephen Tonge; and by his grandson, Knox. He is also survived by brothers: Dave (Sharon) Tonge and Tim Tonge; sister-in-law, Brenda Tonge; and several nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held Monday, March 18, from 5 to 7 p.m., in the chapel of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 498 Prince Avenue, Athens. The funeral service will be Tuesday, March 19, at 2 p.m., at Emmanuel Episcopal Church. The Rev. Katie Bradshaw, the Rev. Samuel Porras and the Rev. Dr. Dave Tonge will officiate. A private family interment will be held at a later date.
Memorials may be sent to St. Anthony’s Episcopal Church, 174 St. Anthony’s Drive, Winder, Ga. 30680. Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Movie: Ordinary Angels
From Cindy Evans, Duluth: My husband, Mark, and I just saw this excellent movie and would definitely recommend it. It is based on a powerful true story of a hairdresser in Kentucky who took on a cause to help a young girl who was dying of cancer. She made many heroic and creative efforts to help the family, financially as well as other kinds of support. It was beautiful to see the ways she served and came alongside them and made an inspiring difference. Hilary Swank was terrific as the lead role, Sharon. Alan Ritchson was also wonderful as the dad, Ed. Full of both painful and sweet moments, you will stay very engaged as you watch the journey unfold. It is 1 hour and 56 minutes and rated PG.
- 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
Atlanta’s McDaniel wins Olympic high jump medal
Atlanta native Mildred McDaniel excelled in basketball and gained fame in track and field by winning Olympic gold and setting a world record in the high jump. Born on November 3, 1933, to Victoria and Claude McDaniel, Mildred was the youngest of three children.
She was a reluctant athlete who became interested in basketball and the high jump by accident. She began playing basketball only after her gym teacher at David T. Howard High School offered any girl who made ten consecutive free throws a new pair of shoes and a place on the team. McDaniel got the shoes.
McDaniel found she loved basketball and was very good, often earning high scorer honors. In the off-season most basketball players competed in track and field, but again she was uninterested. The school’s track coach, Marian Armstrong-Perkins, who had already sent three athletes to the Olympics, persuaded her to come watch track practice. While observing a girl practice the high jump, McDaniel commented to herself that the girl could not jump. Armstrong-Perkins overheard McDaniel and challenged her to jump. She was soon hooked and added hurdles, the broad jump, and the relay team to her repertoire. Besides capturing two state championships in basketball, McDaniel won state titles in the 80-yard hurdles, the high jump, and the long jump.
After graduating from high school in 1952 McDaniel enrolled at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where she concentrated on the high jump under Cleveland Abbott, a Hall of Fame coach. McDaniel won the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) outdoor high jump titles in 1953, 1955, and 1956 as well as indoor high jump titles in 1955 and 1956. She set the indoor jump standard of 5 feet 4 inches in 1956.
In the international arena she set records in the 1955 Pan-American Games in Mexico City, and in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Although she accrued a solid record, no one in Melbourne expected her to win a medal. After eliminating the competition, she overheard an official say that she could not jump any higher than 5 feet 8 inches. McDaniel had the bar raised to 5 feet 9 1/4 inches. Although she missed the first jump, she cleared the bar on her second attempt, but she also pulled a muscle, which prevented her from competing in the British Empire Games. McDaniel was only the second female to win the gold medal in the high jump. (Alice Coachman was the first.)
In 1957 McDaniel graduated with a degree in physical education, was named Woman of the Year (Atlanta), won the AAU’s Sullivan Award for sportsmanship, and had her picture on a postage stamp in the Dominican Republic. In 1958 she married Louis Singleton and moved to California, where she taught and coached for more than 30 years. She was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1983 and the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1983.
McDaniel died on September 30, 2004, in Pasadena, Calif., of cancer at the age of 70.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
There’s something historic in this mystery
When trying to figure out today’s Mystery Photo, think along historical lines. That’s a hint of a clue for you to use. And when you send in your idea to elliott@brack.net, remember to include your hometown.
Several readers recognized James Madison’s home, Montpelier, in Orange, Va. Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill, wrote: “This is Montpelier, the home of James and Dolley Madison, in Orange County, Va. James Madison (Jr.) was the fourth president of the United States. When Madison was growing up, he lived with his family on a small plantation called Mount Pleasant, also in Orange County. In the early 1760’s, the plantation’s slaves built a brick Georgian home a half mile away and the family moved there and renamed their estate Montpelier. Madison inherited Montpelier (and more than 100 slaves) when his father died in 1801.”
Other readers who got this right include Steve Ogilvie, Lawrenceville; Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Lou Camerio, Lilburn; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex., who added: “After his father’s death, Madison continued to run the family plantation, during which time from five to seven generations of African Americans were born into slavery at Montpelier, with as many as 100 slaves being known to work the land at one time. It is clear that Madison had many demons to fight in the conflicting nature of his plantation ownership and his pivotal role in drafting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. As an example, fearing a slave rebellion at Montpelier in 1783, Madison freed one of his slaves. Yet after the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791, Madison did not update his will to free any of the slaves that worked at Montpelier.”
- SHARE A MYSTERY PHOTO: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: elliott@brack.net and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Gwinnett Stripers’ Coca-Cola Preseason Party is Sunday
Meet and greet local authors on Saturday, March 9, at the Auburn Library, 23 Fifth Street, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Among the authors will be Michael K. Brown, Marlene Buchanan, Mary Marvella, Bobby Nash, Mike and Leda Owens and Muriel Pritchett.
Irish Fest in all its greenery will be held in downtown Norcross on Saturday, March 9 from noon until 5 p.m. Put on by the City of Norcross, the Historic Norcross Business Association and the Drake School of Irish Dance, this is a free event to mark the nearness of St. Patrick’s Day.
Citizenship Information Session will be held at the Lilburn Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library at 11 a.m. on March 9. Discover the requirements for citizenship and the naturalization process in this informational session.
Republicans are planning a Liberty Dinner on March 9 at 7 p.m. at Lanier Technical College Conference Center in Cumming. Speaker will be Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana. The Center is located at 3410 Ronald Reagan Boulevard.
The Gwinnett Stripers are partnering with Coca-Cola to host the Coca-Cola Preseason Party at Coolray Field on Sunday, March 10. The rain-or-shine event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tickets to the event are free, but must be reserved online in advance.
Nutrition for a Healthy Life Series will be presented on March 12 at 11 a.m. at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Learn about healthy lifestyle changes and healthy recipes to cook. This program will have Korean translation available.
Duluth Business Association will meet Tuesday, March 12, at 6 p.m. at Postnet, 2615 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, in Duluth. RSVP to duluthbusiness@gmail.com for an evening of engaging conversations and potential partnerships.
How well versed are you on Robert’s Rules of Order? Would you like to know more? Leadership Institute, trainers of conservatives in the country, is hosting a special training on parliamentary procedure. Register HERE for this training, which will be held March 14 from 6-9 p.m. at the Gainesville Civic Center. Their first training, held in Cartersville, was a resounding success. All attendees must be registered.
Grand Opening at Corners Outreach will be Thursday, March 14 at 2:30 p.m. at 1854 Shackleford Road, Norcross, Ga. 30093. After the ribbon-cutting guests can embark on guided tours of the center’s programs. Established in 2012, Corners Academy offers free summer enrichment programs and educational support to over 1,050 students across 22 schools in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties. Launched in 2018, Corners Industries provides stable employment opportunities to parents of Corners students, with a focus on leveraging existing skill sets such as lawncare and sewing.
Women in Business networking reception will be Thursday, March 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center atrium, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville. Enjoy live music, hors d’oeuvres and opportunities to network. To register, visit GwinnettCounty.com/WomeninBusiness. Space is limited.
Kick off St. Patrick’s weekend festivities in Braselton on March 15. On Friday night, you can use the trolley hopping to dining and nightlife spots downtown and along the trolley route. On Saturday, catch the Paddy’s Day PathFest decorated golf cart parade shenanigans and play the PathQuest challenge. You just may be the lucky winner. Cap off the weekend at Chateau Elan’s authentic Irish pub for their annual Irish Festival.
Two authors will be at Liberty Books on the Historic Square in Lawrenceville on March 16. From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., Judy Highum, childen’s book author of Gwinnett, will be reading her book, Parker P. Possum: a Lesson in Gratefulness. Then from 4 to 7:30 p.m., Dr. Andrew T. Knight of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., who wrote Transformational Truth: A Biblical Apologetic, will be present.
Inviting Leprechauns and Lilburchauns to participate in the Lilburn’s annual Lilburchuan Parade on Saturday March 16. This walking parade will take place inside Lilburn City Park. All are welcome to join in the fun! Meet in front of the band shell in Lilburn City Park at noon dressed in your most festive St. Patrick’s Day attire. The parade around the field, led by a Leprechaun Stilt Walker and Bagpipe player, kicks off the event, which includes walkers, pets, bicycles, wagons, and strollers. After the parade we will crown the best leprechaun look-alikes, also known as our “Lilburchauns”!Prizes will be awarded for Mr. Lilburchaun, Ms. Lilburchaun, Lad and Lassie Lilburchauns, best dressed pet, and best decorated rider.
March 16 is the next concert by the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra and Chorale It will be the largest JSCO concert ever, with 65 musicians, four soloists and the Chorale joining forces bringing the music of Beethoven. This will be at the Johns Creek Methodist Church at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, go to https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/johnscreeksymphony/1822/event/1334366.
Preview Days at Georgia Gwinnett College will be Saturday, March 23. The events will take place from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on GGC’s campus. Prospective students will hear from members of the Grizzly family about programs of study, admissions, financial aid, student housing and more. Participants will be able to tour GGC’s campus and talk to student ambassadors about their experiences at GGC. The party-like atmosphere will include food, music and fun giveaways. GGC team members will host selected breakout sessions in Spanish. Organizers said GGC application fees will be waived in March. About 82 percent of GGC students qualify for financial aid.
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