GwinnettForum | Number 23.79 | Oct. 8, 2024
FIRST, WEEKS IN ADVANCE, Halloween decorations were out. Now, 2.5 months before Christmas, yes, you guessed it, the Christmas trees, decorations, ornaments, creatures, et. al., are looking at you in local stores. Makes you wonder what was in this space before the two holidays were featured.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Gwinnett files lawsuit to stop Mulberry; High court won’t halt election
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Former Oscar producer, firm still designs recognitions
SPOTLIGHT: Sugarloaf Community Improvement District
ANOTHER VIEW: Another view of the problems retaining doctors
FEEDBACK: Suggests better way to identify the two Bushes
UPCOMING: Buford and County schools ranked as best in Georgia
NOTABLE: Gwinnett Library wins international Top Innovator award
RECOMMENDED: End Times by Peter Turchin
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Beverly Buchanan’s art grounded in the rural South
MYSTERY PHOTO: Hurrah, hurrah: time to identify another lighthouse
LAGNIAPPE: Another earth project coming along among us
CALENDAR: Aging Adult Expo will be at the Dacula Library today
Gwinnett sues to stop Mulberry; High court won’t halt election
The Supreme Court of Georgia is located at the Nathan Deal Judicial Center in Atlanta. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
From staff reports
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Gwinnett County this week sued the state of Georgia and three state legislators in an effort to stop the recently ratified city of Mulberry, which was approved by 57 percent of Mulberry voters earlier this year. It is the first time in recent memory that a metro Atlanta county has sued over the creation of a city in its boundaries.
Meanwhile late Monday – to add to the complexity of the situation – the Georgia Supreme Court said won’t hear a separate Mulberry challenge. The high court ruled unanimously late Monday in favor of Citizens for Mulberry, a group advocating for the new city, by holding that the court will not cancel the Mulberry city council elections in November.
Per the Supreme Court’s ruling, if plaintiff Stephen Hughes wishes to continue his legal challenge of the city of Mulberry, he may only challenge a Gwinnett County Superior Court judge’s “standing” ruling against him in the lower appellate court.
Michael Coker, president of Citizens for Mulberry, said, “This marks another victory for our legal team at Citizens for Mulberry. We will continue to fight and win in courts across Georgia to protect our city and your vote.”
New county suit comes as election approaches
The turn of a new county lawsuit about Mulberry comes with less than a month before Mulberry residents are to vote on members of the new city council.
A spokesman for Gwinnett County would make no comment, citing pending litigation.
A release from those wanting to form a new City of Mulberry, however, told details of the recent action. Note: the release contains political viewpoints. It reads as follows:
Despite having four prior lawsuits against Mulberry dismissed by Superior Court Judge Tadia Whitner, Gwinnett County and Harris Roth, a Mulberry District 4 council candidate, have decided to continue the pointless charade of wasting our citizens’ tax dollars and have filed four more lawsuits against the State of Georgia and the Governor’s Mulberry Transition Team.
Two suits were filed by Gwinnett in Fulton County and Gwinnett County, asking judges in both counties to stop the City of Mulberry and halt the ongoing transition. Unhappy with the prior rulings against them, Gwinnett County is using tax dollars to sue its own citizens in multiple courts in hopes of finding a new judge who will listen to their sham arguments. Every citizen of Gwinnett County should be outraged. This is all about power and control, and with some of the highest property tax rates in Georgia, Gwinnett will continue to spend our money to keep both.
“Gwinnett County’s willingness to weaponize the legal system in an attempt to overturn and subvert the will of their voters is exactly why we need the City of Mulberry – to protect local control in our community,” said Citizens for Mulberry President Michael Coker.
District 4 council candidate Harris Roth has also filed two additional lawsuits in Gwinnett seeking to stop Mulberry. Mr. Roth is suing the same city that he is asking to represent, using the same attorneys who represented Steve Hughes’ failed lawsuit to have this fall’s council election canceled. The hypocrisy is mind blowing.
“Now, more than ever, the need for strong leadership on our future city council is clear. Electing candidates who have been committed to Mulberry from the beginning is of the utmost importance,” said Citizens for Mulberry President Michael Coker. “We cannot have candidates on the council who are working with and for developers to sabotage this place we call home. I encourage you to research your candidates fully, and only vote for those that you know are committed to making Mulberry a success on day one.”
Citizens for Mulberry President Michael Coker and the Governor’s Mulberry Transition Team are committed to continuing to stand up for Mulberry’s residents in court and will fight these frivolous county and developer lawsuits until the city can officially be up and running on January 1, 2025.
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Former Oscar producer, firm still designs recognitions
Chris West and a tall gold statue
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
OCT. 8, 2024 | A company based in Suwanee at one time had the contract to produce the Oscars presented at the movies’ Academy Awards program. The late founder of the company, Vernon (Dave) West, bought a similar failing company in Tucker in 1959, which had the contact to produce the Oscars. Back then West’s firm, Speciality Engraving, was located on Buford Highway in Norcross.
Today, Chris West heads Speciality Engraving, now on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, which has 25 employees. He lives on Lake Lanier in Forsyth County with his wife and four children. They have two grandchildren. He and his wife met while attending Gainesville Junior College. He was born in Decatur, and for most of his life was a sub and general contractor in Tarpon Springs, Florida “until the economy went bad in 2008.” He returned from Florida in 2010.
The Oscars were made of pot metal with a chrome finish, Chris West recalls. “We supplied the gold tone. Those Oscars are heavy, weighing 5-6 pounds. People who own Oscars can’t sell ‘em. However, people can inherit them. Our company no longer has that contract.”
Walk into their showroom today, and you can see a replica of the Academy Awards’ Oscars trophy in their showcase. You’ll also see a life-size gold statue, similar to the Oscars. Companies holding ceremonies occasionally rent the life-sized statue for big events. It’s striking.
Today Specialty Engraving concentrates on producing employee recognition awards for major corporations, such as Home Depot, Coca Cola and Delta Airlines. It is the largest manufacturer of awards products in the Southeast. They do work for most of the big name companies in Atlanta and firms in distant locations. The company says it does work from “Fortune 500 companies to soccer moms.”
The company produces their awards on all sorts of materials, from different woods, to engraved metal plaques. Or they will create awards on stone, crystal or glass. Specialty’s own artists can adapt most any medium as an unique award.
Success for Specialty Engraving came early, as Chris’ Uncle Dave West innovated with products. Chris proudly remembers: “Uncle Dave adapted the laser for the entire engraving business. We made laser engravers for the entire industry when on Buford Highway. Those engraving machines sold for $1 million each. When younger, Uncle Dave had me operating 12 of them simultaneously in one room. We manufactured those engravers for 5-10 years. Today you can buy a decent desktop engraver for $5-10,000. Work that used to take a day or more you can now do in a quarter hour.”
Chris took over the business seven years ago. “I worked with Uncle Dave during his last years here, and finally bought the company. By then my uncle was ready not to work, and he knew it was time to bow out. He lived until he was 84, passing away about two years ago.
“When I came back to Georgia, my first work for Speciality Engraving was to enclose a large area of our warehouse in our 13,000 square foot building to make it air conditioned and to give us better storage space. I also built a break room for our employees, with a full kitchen.”
Speciality Engraving values its employees. Chris says: “We pay attention to our quality of work, to service for our customers, and to our people, making sure they are happy and fulfilled and want to work here.”
Though they no longer deliver the Oscars to awards winners, many companies rely on Specialty Engraving to recognize their employees with unique and distinctive award products.
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Sugarloaf CID
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. The Sugarloaf Community Improvement District was formed in 2016 to ensure the long-term success of Gwinnett County’s premier business and entertainment district. The CID is made up of 115 commercial property owners that pay an additional property tax to advance transportation, security, and placemaking projects within the district. The CID then leverages these funds to enhance the value and quality of life for investors, businesses, residents, and visitors. Sugarloaf CID is home to the Gas South District, Sugarloaf Mills, and a thriving business community. The CID has 7% of Gwinnett County’s jobs, including 1,278 companies representing 26,669 employees. The Sugarloaf district has a $15.6 billion annual economic impact on Georgia’s economy.
Since its formation, the CID has leveraged over $28 million in funding for transportation improvements in the CID, advanced projects to help make the district connected, safe, and attractive, and expanded the CID to more than six times its initial value.
- To learn more, visit its website at www.sugarloafcid.org.
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Another view of the problems retaining doctors
By Jeff Gorke
SUWANEE, Ga. | This is written in response to Jack Bernard’s Sept. 27, 2024 perspective, “Full Medicaid Expansion.” I appreciate Jack addressing a confounding issue that has plagued the United States since employer-sponsored healthcare began. He makes some good points. But as someone who’s worked in healthcare for more than 30 years, the remedies suggested don’t cure what ails us.
Gorke
I’ve not read the Medscape article so can’t speak to it with clarity. However, the criteria Jack alluded to are peculiar metrics, at best. Let’s parse out Jack’s thesis a bit.
- We do have a high cost of living in Georgia. But that’s mainly around the greater Atlanta area. Most physicians in Georgia are paid fairly well (general statement).
- Malpractice: some specialties have higher rates than others. This is often a demographic and specialty issue. It’s that simple.
- The health of states’ residents is problematic but across the country there’s a need for more patient involvement in their own care. People need to help themselves a bit. You can’t drink a fifth of whiskey a day, smoke a carton of cigarettes, and consume fast food, and still be healthy. Now you can make a reasonable argument about “food deserts” and access to quality food for people in certain areas. But people oftentimes fail to address their own chronic conditions, whether they are on Medicaid, Medicare, or are uninsured.
- Physician burnout across the country is a real thing. And we’re losing clinicians hand over fist (which will be a big problem in primary care access in the near future).
To put it bluntly, expansion of Medicaid may not be bad in terms of patient coverage but that will NOT mitigate physician burnout. In fact, it might exacerbate burnout. Medicaid is a notoriously poor “payer.” As you can see below, I chose two types of patient visit types, both “office visits.” In Georgia, Medicare pays 45 percent of a visit, and 124 percent more than Medicaid for the same service. And a commercial plan (e.g. BCBS) may pay 83 percent and 180 percent more than Medicaid (and that’s conservative).
I don’t know any physicians who’d welcome more Medicaid patients (from a financial perspective) because the payments wouldn’t cover costs (unless you were at an Emory or Grady Plan, where clinicians don’t need to pay to keep the lights on). How does Medicaid expansion buttress the tide of burnout? (I hope Medscape did not posit this as a remedy – completely nonsensical).
Now there are ways to better finance care and address the uninsured, such as in Singapore. And I would contemplate Medicaid expansion provided it offered clinicians a reasonable payment for their services.
Healthcare funding is complex, made more so by commercial insurance companies and the rigors of paperwork and non-clinical duties foisted on clinicians. But to suggest that doctors are leaving Georgia because people don’t have Medicaid is factually inaccurate.
To help doctors, we need to make it easier for them to see patients.
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Suggests better way to identify the two Bushes
Editor, the Forum:
Regarding the article by Randy Brunson in last Friday’s issue, there is no Bush Senior or Bush Junior.
President George H. W. Bush should be identified as Bush 41, or the first Bush president and President George W. Bush should be identified as Bush 43, or the second Bush president. I am enjoying the Gwinnett Forum.
– James Walters, Snellville
Dear James: Yes, that shortened way of describing the two former presidents was not as it should have been, and I should have caught that. Your shortened versions are far preferred. Thanks for sending it to our attention. –eeb
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Buford, county schools ranked as best in Georgia
The national internet site Niche has released its 2024 ranking of the top schools in Georgia, with Buford City Schools and Gwinnett Public Schools doing well.
The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology has been named the best public high school in Georgia, with an A+ ranking. The school has a graduation rate of 99 percent, and produces students with an average SAT of 1,400, and Average ACT of 31. Some 72 percent of its students take AP courses.
Again for the 10th year in a row, the Buford City Schools were ranked by Niche as having the best school district in Georgia. The city schools enroll 5,847 students. The District ranked A+ in five of six categories (academics, teachers, clubs and activities, college prep and administration), and ranked A for diversity. The district has a student-teacher ratio of 18 to 1.
Gwinnett County Public Schools lead the Niche ranking as the most diverse school district in Georgia. Its 183,878 students have a student-teacher ratio of 19 to 1.
Buford schools were also ranked No. 1 as the best place to teach in Georgia. Additionally, Buford City Schools ranked No. 1 in best school district for athletes. The district placed second (to Bremen City School) for best teachers in Georgia.
- For more details, visit www.niche.com.
Gwinnett library wins international top innovator award
Gwinnett County Public Library has been named a Top Innovator for 2024 by The Urban Libraries Council (ULC), North America’s nonprofit for urban libraries. This recognition is in honor of the library’s New Start Entrepreneurial Incubator, which offers business training and mentorship to formerly incarcerated community members. Originally funded by Google through a grant from the American Library Association, the six-month program helps participants build the knowledge and skills necessary to start their own businesses. Only six libraries in the nation received Top Innovator awards in this program.
Pace
Charles Pace, executive director of Gwinnett County Public Library, says: “I’ve seen the life of each person who goes through this program change profoundly and significantly. We believe that people deserve a second chance. The New Start program gives them the tools, knowledge, and support they need to become entrepreneurs and start their own businesses.”
ULC’s Innovations Initiative is a yearly showcase of exemplary projects from its more than 180 member libraries across the U.S. and Canada. It seeks to highlight how the library’s role as an essential public institution is evolving to meet the changing needs of our urban communities. From initiatives that promote civic engagement and intellectual freedom to projects that enhance digital connectivity and economic mobility, libraries are at the forefront of addressing today’s challenges.
The Gwinnett Library’s project won in the Workforce and Economic Development category for its originality, measurable outcomes, and the potential for other libraries to replicate and implement this successful initiative. More than 230 library projects in six categories were submitted by ULC members from across the U.S. and Canada to be considered for the top awards.
Six public libraries received the “Top Innovator” designation, and six libraries received an honorable mention recognition for their work. There is one top innovator and one honorable mention for each award category.
Other libraries winning Top Innovator awards include those in San Francisco, Calif., Virginia Beach, Va. Miami-Dade, Fla., Denver, Colo. and Toronto, Ont. Canada.
- Information about the winning project from Gwinnett County Public Library and that of other honorees is available on the ULC website at www.urbanlibraries.org/innovations.
Gateway85 completes largest clean-up ever of CID area
Working on a special clean-up of the Gateway85 CID are Robert Michener, director of operations, Gateway85 CID; Tony Gibson, CEO of Gibson Landscape; and Kevin Wilhoit, Director of Maintenance at Gibson Landscape.
Gateway85 CID has partnered with Gibson Landscape, to complete its largest cleanup effort since its founding in 2006. In response to National Cleanup Month in September, Gateway85 CID launched an extensive beautification project that covers almost 100 miles of roadway, significantly enhancing the district’s streetscapes.
The project, “Detailing Gwinnett’s Gateway,” is a complement to the ongoing efforts of the City of Norcross and Gwinnett County, to further elevate the aesthetic appeal of the district’s 14 square miles. Gateway85 CID regularly maintains nearly 40 miles of right-of-way weekly but is doing this as an extra push for National Cleanup Month.
As of October 3, 1,200 pounds of green waste had already been collected from Interstate I-85 intersections. Gibson Landscape has sent out six crews, totaling 40 people, to landscape three or for roads each for two additional days.
This cleanup is just the latest effort in Gateway85 CID’s ongoing mission to enhance and beautify the district, making it a better place to work, visit, and call home. Known for being one of Georgia’s most culturally diverse areas, Gateway85 is a thriving business hub. These landscaping improvements are designed to attract new businesses, furthering the CID’s status as an economic powerhouse.
Robert Michener, Gateway85 director of operations, says: “Detailing Gwinnett’s Gateway is a wonderful way of expressing our attention to detail and how important curb appeal is in our community. We have undertaken this giant project to detail every major roadway, and then some, within the 14 square miles of Gateway85 CID. Additionally, we are detailing the entrances off of I-85 into the interchange areas that we landscaped just after Gwinnett Village was established in 2006. With the support of community leaders, businesses, and residents, Gateway85 CID is committed to continue making significant improvements that will benefit the entire community.”
PCOM, Gwinnett Ballet announce patient partnership
The Physical Therapy Department of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) Georgia recently announced a three-year partnership with the Gwinnett Ballet Theatre (GBT) as part of the college’s ongoing commitment to providing patient-centered care and community service.
As part of the agreement, students from PCOM Georgia’s Physical Therapy Department will gain hands-on experience under the supervision of licensed faculty members by providing the following pro bono services: educational resources on injury prevention and wellness, comprehensive screenings and assessments for strength, flexibility, endurance, and balance and targeted interventions to address longer-lead injury risks.
Dr. Ruth Maher, chair of the Physical Therapy program at PCOM Georgia, says: “Early intervention is critical in addressing risk factors. This partnership will help minimize injury severity and accelerate dancers’ return to performance, ultimately optimizing their abilities on stage.”
Gwinnett Ballet Theatre is celebrating over four decades of serving the community with entertainment, outreach, and education.
Lori-Zamzow Wire, artistic director at Gwinnett Ballet Theatre, says: “Partnering with institutions like PCOM Georgia who share in our commitment to education and community service is critical to our mission. We’re pleased to be able to give our dancers access to high-quality care and physical therapy resources that will prolong their careers in the performing arts.” The physical therapy services will be provided on-site at Gwinnett Ballet Theatre’s Suwanee location to ensure convenient access for dancers.
End Times, by Peter Turchin
From Randy Brunson, Suwanee: Author Peter Turchin bills himself as a complexity scientist and is one of the founders of the new field of historical social science referred to as “Cliodynamics.” This field of study focuses on mathematical modeling and statistical analysis of the dynamics of historical societies. The book suggests that the overproduction of elites causes war and political disintegration. Who are the “elites?” The definition varies depending on the century and society. In the 20th and 21st century, Turchin defines them as teachers and lawyers. Which is interesting given that he is a professor, most likely writing under the “publish or perish” rule of academia. We find that Turchin offers fascinating insight into the ebb and flow of return on capital versus return on labor. His statistical analysis of these details in America over the last 200 years make the book worth wading through.
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Buchanan’s art grounded in the rural South
Beverly Buchanan found her calling as an artist after pursuing a career in health education and realizing that she wanted to express the images, stories, and architecture of her African American childhood.
The sharecropper’s shack, a disappearing fixture in the rural southern landscape, is often associated with poverty, but Buchanan saw it as an enduring image of vitality and creativity that is animated by the hopes and dreams of its inhabitants. By depicting vernacular architecture and its environment, Buchanan, who lived and worked in Georgia for much of her adult life, constructed a narrative that serves as a metaphor for the triumph of the human spirit over poverty and adversity. Although academically trained, Buchanan utilized the tools often associated with the self-taught artist, such as inserted text, found objects, and loosely applied vibrant color, to create the visually rich textures of the humble, yet complex, structures in her drawings, sculptures, prints, and photographs.
Born in Fuquay, N.C. on October 8, 1940, Buchanan was the adopted child of Marion and Walter Buchanan. She spent her childhood in Orangeburg, S.C., where her father was dean of the School of Agriculture at South Carolina State College. While growing up she often accompanied her father as he visited farmers across the state, and she became fascinated with the “homemade” architecture, the environment, and the people she encountered. Although she liked to draw, Buchanan pursued her interest in science and medicine as a professional vocation. She entered Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C., in 1958 and was awarded a degree in medical technology four years later. She later attended Columbia University in New York City, completing a master’s degree in parasitology in 1968 and a master’s degree in public health in 1969.
While working as a health educator in New Jersey, Buchanan applied to medical school. When she was accepted as an alternate, she began to reconsider her chosen career path and to acknowledge her longing to be an artist. She enrolled in a class taught by Norman Lewis at the Art Students League in 1971. Her early work, which was quickly included in group exhibitions in New York City, was abstract and consisted of Black paintings and concrete sculptures that evoked urban ruins. The artist then began depicting shacks and vernacular architecture, the work for which she is best known. In 1977 she decided to pursue art exclusively and moved to Macon. She later divided her time between studios in Athens, Ga., and Ann Arbor, Mich.
Buchanan photographed specific structures and their surroundings to use as memory aids in her commemoration of the environments and rural farmers encountered in her childhood. Her work is a tribute to the improvisational techniques, resilience, and tenacity of those who have to make do with what they have. Her expressionistic style pays homage to the memories of persistence, creativity, and hope that were grounded in her early observations of life in the rural South.
Buchanan was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in sculpture in 1980, was a Georgia Visual Arts honoree in 1997, and received an Anonymous Was a Woman Award in 2002. In 2005 she was a distinguished honoree of the College Art Association Committee for Women in the Arts. Her work has been widely exhibited throughout the United States and is held in numerous private and public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; the Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts; and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
Buchanan died at the age of 74 on July 4, 2015, in Ann Arbor.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Hurrah, hurrah: time to identify another lighthouse
Yep, here’s another lighthouse for you to identify. Figure out where this lighthouse is located, and send your answer to ebrack2@gmail.com, and also tell us the city you live in.
Several readers recognized the latest Mystery Photo. Patrick Burns of Lavonia sent in another view of this mystery, telling us: “This is Dunluce Magheracross, and I was in Ireland in August for the Georgia Tech game versus FSU.” The photo was taken by AnnMarie Ellswoth of Chicago when walking along the coast in Northern Ireland in County Antrim.
A view of the castle provided by Burns
Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill, told us: “This is Dunluce Castle, former home of Clan MacDonnell, on the Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland, UK.” Others recognizing the photo include George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; Jessica Moore, Dacula; Stew Ogilvie, from Rehobeth, Ala.; Dr. Luann Hammami, Dacula; Denise Burgess, Sarasota, Fla.; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex., who added: “The first castle at this location was built in the 13th century, some of which remains in the current ruins. Over the years, as different lords occupied the castle, it was expanded in size, particularly after battles during the mid- to late-16th century.”
- 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: ebrack2@gmail.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Another earth project coming along among us
Construction goes on in Gwinnett all over the place, in massive projects directed by humans, but also in small projects (to us), below ground, constructed by the ants. Look at how expertly the ants have constructed these hills of grains of dirt, for them perhaps a massive project. And like an iceberg, this is only the tip of what we see of this ant project, which probably stretches deeply and widely underground. It takes all kinds of projects to make up this earthly structure.
Aging Adult Expo will be at the Dacula library today
Lean Marketing Workshop will be held on October 8 at 3:30 p.m. at the Gwinnett Entrepreneur Center, 405 North Perry Street in Lawrenceville. Special guest will be Allan Dib, who wrote a best-selling One Page Marketing Plan. This concept offers a streamlined plan to get better results.
Aging Adult Expo will be at the Dacula Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library on October 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Community partners will share information about Medicare, Social Security benefits, health and wellness, mental health, nutrition, elderly law, frauds/scams, safety, tech help for phones, and how to prepare an “In Case of…” binder.
Nutrition for a Healthy Life: The Importance of Hydration will be held at the Suwanee Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library on October 9 at 10:30 a.m. Learn about healthy lifestyle changes and healthy recipes to cook. This program will have Korean translation available.
Norcross Clean-up and Recycling day is Saturday, October 12, from 8 a.m. until noon. The city will accept single-stream recyclables, such as glass items, scrap metal, bulk materials and electronics at Norcross Public Works, 345 Lively Street.
Lilburn Daze is scheduled for Lilburn City Park on October 12, starting at 9 a.m. and going until 5 p.m. This event is hosted by the Lilburn Woman’s Club, and co-sponsored by the City of Lilburn. Proceeds from the Daze support projects of the club, including scholarships, beautification and the arts. There will be arts and crafts, children’s activities, entertainment, music, food and fun.
Reading is FUNdamental will take place on October 12 at 11 a. m. at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Join Meridith Rose, a pediatric speech-language pathologist, to learn about the fundamentals of reading and ways to build your child’s speech, language, and emergent literacy skills while reading together. Children are encouraged to attend.
What’s On Your Ballot? will be presented on Wednesday, October 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Lilburn Branch of Gwinnett County Public library. New and seasoned voters will learn about what’s on their election ballot and will have an opportunity to have hands-on experience with a voting machine.
My child won’t go to school workshop will be Thursday, October 17 at 7 p.m. at the Norcross Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. School administrators and parents are struggling to respond to the chronic absenteeism crisis. Join Dyslexia Specialist, Katie Fowle, and International Parent Coach Sharoya Ham, as they discuss their new book, Help! My Kid Won’t Go To School!
Healthy Aging and Caregiving Fair will be presented at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library on October 19 at 10 a.m. Join in for a family-friendly event with special speakers, health screenings, kid-friendly activities, and resources for caregivers.
Gwinnett Ballet Theatre presents Dracula, a ballet to die for, at the Gas South Theatre on Friday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, October 20 at 3 and 7 p.m. Sink your teeth into a thrilling vampire drama at the Gas South District theatre. Choreographed by Sara Elyse Sanford, this masterpiece features special effects, lavish costumes, and breathtaking scenery.
Liveable Communities: Discover how Gwinnett Planning and Development is working to create a more livable community at the Gwinnett County Block Party on Saturday, October 19 at Alexander Park in Lawrenceville! From 11:00am to 3:00pm, attendees can explore long-range and current planning booths, show off their art skills with a placemaking project, learn more about County services, and enjoy food, fall-themed kids’ activities, and more. Register today for this free event, and bring your family, friends, and neighbors for a day of fun, discovery, and community spirit!
Capture the essence of Norcross in a snap! Norcross Gallery and Studios is hosting the ‘Our Home Is Your Home’ Photo Competition through Sunday, October 20. Whether you’re an amateur or a pro, they want to see the world through your lens. The Gallery is accepting photos from smartphones as well as professional cameras. Submitted photos will be displayed in Norcross City Hall and Norcross Gallery and Studio. Top photos will receive prizes and ribbons. Participants are not required to live in Norcross, but the pictures must showcase the city.
Norcross State of the City address has been rescheduled for Wednesday, October 23, at 6:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 6050 Peachtree Boulevard. Mayor Craig Newton will update those in attendance on current and future activities of the city.
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