GwinnettForum | Number 21.61 | Aug. 10, 2021
Cartoonist Robert Ariail always has an interesting take on what’s going on in South Carolina. And this could as well apply to the way Georgia’s Congressional Districts are drawn up. (This copyrighted cartoon first appeared in the Charleston (S.C.) City Paper, reprinted by permission.)
The roots of Duluth Fall Festival go back over 50 years, to a festival held in Downtown Duluth in 1962. Now the 2021 great event is just a little over two months away, and plans are well underway. The 400 volunteers are getting geared up, the more than 300 Arts and Crafts and Food booths are almost all taken, and sponsors are coming on board daily. Also, the chairpersons of the over 50 festival committees are recruiting new volunteers. Look for the Festival tent at Food Truck Fridays if you are interested in volunteering, becoming a sponsor, or just knowing more about the organization. Visit duluthfallfestival.org.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Duluth resident is new president of the Atlanta Music Club
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Here are positive indications we are winning the Covid War
ANOTHER VIEW: Will Kemp put forth viable plans to contain Covid-19?
SPOTLIGHT: Centurion Advisory Group
FEEDBACK: Here’s another puzzle for GwinnettForum readers to solve
UPCOMING: Leadership Gwinnett announced 42 members of Class of 2022
NOTABLE: Gwinnett Chamber names award winners at 73rd dinner
RECOMMENDED: Ping’s Grill in Toccoa, Ga.
GEORGIA TIDBIT: 70th Georgia Mountain Fair in Hiawassee begins August 13
MYSTERY PHOTO: Who is that rather elegantly-fancied dandy in the red suit?
LAGNIAPPE: This bee shows Mother Nature still toiling away
CALENDAR: ATLReads Virtual Book Club discusses Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, August 17
Duluth resident is new president of the Atlanta Music Club
(Editor’s note: A resident of Duluth, Jennifer Ham, is the incoming president of the Atlanta Music Club. Here she tells about this group, which advocates for music in Atlanta.)–eeb
By the Rev. Jennifer Boyce Ham
DULUTH, Ga. | The Atlanta Music Club (AMC) was founded by a group of women in 1915, who called their organization the “Women’s Music Study Club.” The vision of this organization was to make it possible for Atlantans to hear the world’s finest artists in concert at a cost affordable to each individual.
Ham
The Club deleted the word “women” from its title in 1918, and shortly thereafter renamed itself the Atlanta Music Club. It continues to encourage and support young musicians, provide stellar artists to the community, is a community advocacy group for great music in Atlanta, and promotes a musical culture in Atlanta.
The Choral Guild of Atlanta (previously known as the Atlanta Music Club Choral Society) was organized by the Atlanta Music Club in 1939.
The AMC founded the Atlanta Community Orchestra (ACO) now known as the Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra (ACSO), more than 50 years ago. Over the years, several of the ACSO musicians have become presidents of the AMC, and ACSO musicians have been dedicated members of the AMC.
In the months prior to the end of World War II, the Atlanta Music Club increasingly devoted itself to music education and performances for Atlanta’s children. In 1947, the Atlanta Youth Symphony, organized by AMC, changed its name to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Its first concert was given January 26, 1947, with pianist Hugh Hodgson as soloist. In the early years, AMC paid the salary of the ASO Director.
Over the past 30 years, the Atlanta Music Club has supported four popular endeavors, which are:
- Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra (formerly Atlanta Community Orchestra): It continues to perform in venues such as high schools, churches , synagogues, dedications, conventions, and university recital halls.
- Morning Musicale: Since 1925, Morning Musicales have been a staple of the AMC. These performances feature talented musicians and refreshments. The Musicales are posted on the AMC’s website.
- Scholarship Program: The Scholarship Funds have grown significantly because of funds received from former members. Consequently, the AMC will be able to increase the dollar amounts and number of awards given this year. A total of 17 talent-based scholarships will be given. A total of $22,000 will be given from the Taylor Piano Fund. A total of $11,000 will be given from the Carter/Grigsby Instrumental & Voice Fund.
- Young Performers of Atlanta (YPA): The purpose of YPA is to give students from preschool through grade 12 the opportunity to perform in recital according to professional concert standards.
The YPA is being tabled for now, because of COVID-19.
So, what’s next? The AMC has two Morning Musicales scheduled for this fall along with a Christmas party. The AMC is also looking forward to the Scholarship Competition this spring, along with other fabulous concerts.
The first Musicale is Saturday, September 18 at Peachtree Road Lutheran Church at 10:30 a.m. The musicians will be Dr. Raffi Besalyan, pianist. and Alejandra Sandoval, soprano.
Please check the AMC website for other events: www.atlantamusicclub.org. The AMC has done so many great things for the area for 106 years, and will continue to do so in the future.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Here are positive indications we are winning the Covid War
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
AUG. 10, 2021 | While the United States is seeing more new Covid-19 virus cases in the last few days, there are some good indications we are in better shape today than this time last year, if you take the time to think about it.
Consider these points:
- Google tells us that 57 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against Covid. That’s 189.9 million people! In Georgia, 46 percent have at least one vaccine dose, while Gwinnett has 51 percent with one dose.
- Around 600,000 people are getting their first Covid shots each day now.
- The pace of Covid-19 vaccinations in the U.S. has risen steadily over the past three weeks, particularly in several Southern states with poor vaccination rates and strong hesitancy against the shot.
- Catching the coronavirus after being fully vaccinated is unlikely, though it happens.
So, are we in better shape today than a year ago?
The short answer is a resounding “Yes.”
There are numerous reasons why we are finally making serious progress in the Covid War, even in the face of the new Delta variant.
Last August, we had no vaccine to fight the virus. In fact, we didn’t start vaccines until December, and that was on a limited basis. President Biden’s desire to see 70 percent of Americans vaccinated is being approached.
Let’s pause here and give credit where it is due: perhaps the biggest accomplishment of President Donald Trump’s administration. His Operation Warp Speed to find a vaccine against this virus heavily contributed to its eventual development. It was a $10 billion program to support the companies in the vaccine development, manufacturing and distribution, scheduled to be initially ready by January, 2021. And it came about a month earlier!
Hats off to former President Trump for this backing.
Let’s list some other reasons that the United States is better off now than a year ago.
- With more and more people now vaccinated, fewer are being hospitalized.
- Almost all deaths (99.5 percent) from Covid now are from people who have not been vaccinated.
- If hospitalized from Covid, there are protocols now which were first being developed and tested this time last year. We know better how to treat people with Covid.
- We have learned how to be productive at work and have more protocols about safety at the same time, as businesses have found a new way to operate.
- Even the gross national product has bounced back and more people are productive, either at home or at work.
While these are good indications of how we are now in better shape, there is still work to be done.
We must continue to take Covid seriously. It still lingers here, now with the Delta virus, which apparently is much more contagious than the initial virus. What steps do we as individuals take to still take Covid seriously?
- Keep masks on when you go out, or around people.
- Maximize your social distance from others.
- If you haven’t been vaccinated, please do, for your own sake if not ours.
- Get the 5-11 year olds vaccinated as soon as this is available to them. While this group does not get Covid as seriously, protect these little ones. Happily, young children are seldom seriously seen with Covid in hospitals.
- Aim at the 20-40 year olds, to convince them to get vaccinated. This is our most vulnerable group today.
All this is not rocket science. Convince those who are not yet vaccinated. Science has shown that it is no longer a partisan issue. Encourage this group, and anyone you come into contact with, to get the Covid virus shots.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Will Kemp put forth viable plans to contain Covid-19?
By Jack Bernard
“People don’t trust the government anymore when it comes to COVID guidance and mandates don’t work. We need to trust people to do the right thing at the local level.”- Gov. Brian Kemp, August 4, 2021.
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga.—-Gov. Brian Kemp made this statement on Fox and Friends. You can tell he likes Fox a whole lot, because of his many repeat appearances.
In this Fox interview, Kemp stated that “I’ve been consistent for 15 months.” Yes, you have Governor. You have consistently ignored the scientific and medical experts and gone your own way. That’s why Georgians are in the miserable situation that we are in.
You need to take full responsibility for a change and not keep trying to dump it in the laps of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute of Health (NIH) and others who have been following the science, instead of the Fox talking heads like you do.
For example, 61 percent of the American people agree with the CDC recommendations that all people (vaccinated or unvaccinated) wear masks indoors. And that public school students and staff wear masks whether they are vaccinated or not (55 percent in favor). In fact, only 32 percent of Americans want fewer mask mandates, which is the exact opposite of what you are quoted as saying. So, it looks like you are dead wrong on your assertion, Governor.
Kemp
But Kemp’s at least partly correct regarding his home state. People do not trust Georgia state government, meaning Governor Kemp and his politicized bureaucracy anymore, when it comes to containing the virus. Kemp and his cronies have done a miserable job compared to many other states. It’s only recently that state government has started making a real push to get people vaccinated. Don’t Kemp and his underlings understand how to do a simple marketing plan to inform and motivate people to get vaccinated?
The Governor is also right that when it comes to state versus local government actions they have done a better job at the local level in fighting the virus. Especially when it comes to the big cities.
Take masks, for instance. Mayors of major Georgia cities (Atlanta, Savannah, etc.) have tried to get the populations of their cities to wear masks, consistent with CDC guidance. As we all know, as the Covid-19 pandemic raged last year, anti-science Kemp did nothing but stand in their way. Not only has he never issued a statewide mask order, but for a long time he also prevented the mayors from doing so.
Now, when the Delta variant is causing another spike in cases, Kemp has once again refused to have state mask mandates and criticizes those who are actually trying to lower the spread. Again, Kemp is partially correct; mandates don’t work—-if they are never issued and enforced.
Americans are still very worried about Covid-19, especially the Delta variant. Will our governor ever come around and take responsibility for the Covid-19 mess in his state, putting forth a viable plan to increase vaccinations and reduce the virus’ spread?
From Governor Kemp’s history so far, I doubt it.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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Here’s another puzzle for GwinnettForum readers to solve
Editor, the Forum:
Here’s a puzzle for your readers to solve.
My sister, Terrie, and I are both the same age….but she was born when there were 48 states and I was born when there were 49.
How old are my sister and I and what year(s) were we born?
— Rob Ponder, 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.
UPCOMING ]
Leadership Gwinnett announces 42 in its Class of 2022
Leadership Gwinnett has announced members of its 36th program, the class of 2022. Forty-two applicants were chosen through a competitive application process to represent Gwinnett’s public, private, non-profit, business, health, education, legal, and government entities.
The nine-month Leadership Gwinnett program provides a forum for candid discussions, a safe environment for differing perspectives, and the opportunity to explore complex issues and solutions. Beginning with orientation in September, these individuals will dive deep into the many facets of Gwinnett County, increase their circle of influence, build powerful relationships with leaders who are active connectors in Gwinnett, and ultimately drive civic engagement for the betterment of Gwinnett County.
GGC to mark student return with March through the Arch
Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) welcomed students back to campus in a full return to class on Sunday.
“We have been looking forward for our students to return to our community,” said GGC President Jann L. Joseph. “It is an emotional time for many as we take this important step toward sustaining GGC as a campus and ensuring our long-term ability to support the success of our students.”
As part of GGC’s return to campus, GGC will host daily campus events for students until August 13. On August 11, GGC will host its Green Scene event, which draws representatives from student clubs across campus. At 2 p.m., the college will host its time-honored March Through the Arch event, in which freshman students are invited to march though the GGC’s Arch of Knowledge. The event marks the official welcoming of new students into GGC’s community of learners.
“This year will be especially meaningful because we will invite second-year students, who did not get a chance to march last year to participate in this year’s event,” said Joseph.
All are encouraged to wear a mask or face covering while inside campus facilities. Unvaccinated individuals are strongly encouraged to continue wearing a face covering while on the GGC campus, both indoors and outdoors. For individuals who have not received a vaccination, GGC, in conjunction with the Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments, will host a mobile vaccination clinic on GGC’s campus on selected dates until August 13.
Gwinnett Chamber names award winners at 73rd dinner
The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce honored several people at its 73rd Annual Dinner on August 6. The 73rd Annual Dinner honorees:
Charlotte J. Nash, past chairman, Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, is the recipient of the 2020 Citizen of the Year Award, which honors individuals whose services have had the greatest impact on the overall quality of life for Gwinnett County in recent years.
Public Service Awards are given to individuals who, over the years, have gone above and beyond in their service to the community and its residents. This year’s honorees include Dr. Audrey Arona, Gwinnett County Health Department; Randy Dellinger, Jackson EMC; Commissioner Marlene M. Fosque, Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners; and Nancy Ward, Gwinnett Student Leadership Team, Inc.
Community Sustainability Enterprise will receive the D. Scott Hudgens Humanitarian Award given in honor of Scott Hudgens, a respected developer and philanthropist who unselfishly gave of his time and talents to ensure that many others, especially those with limited means, would benefit from his treasure.
The R. Wayne Shackelford Legacy Award, honoring the memory and legacy of an individual who has made a difference in the history and progress of Gwinnett County, will be awarded posthumously to Dennis Billew of Lawrenceville and J. Terry Gordon of Norcross.
The James J. Maran International Award, recognizing an international company that has chosen to locate in Gwinnett, taking advantage of Gwinnett’s pro-business mindset, and become an active member of the Chamber and the local community, will be awarded to OFS (Optical Fiber Systems) of Norcross.
Gwinnettians remember county’s first Hispanic Korean judge
Alvarado
Former colleagues on Thursday rallied around the memory of a Gwinnett County judge. Last year, Recorder’s Court Judge Ramón Alvarado died of complications resulting from treatment for acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive form of cancer. Alvarado was the first Hispanic and Korean judge in Gwinnett County.
State and local judges, along with members of the Board of Commissioners, attended a Memorial to honor Alvarado. The board presented a proclamation of remembrance and unveiled a photo of the late judge.
Chief Recorder’s Judge Kathrine Armstrong said: “Although my time on the bench with Ramon was short, his impact on me as a judge and a person will stay with me for the rest of my days. He made us all want to be the best we could be – so we will honor his memory and his vision for Recorder’s Court as we serve the community.”
According to Judge Armstrong, former classmates at Judge Alvarado’s alma mater are raising funds for a scholarship to benefit the University of Wisconsin’s Legal Education Opportunities Program. As a student, Alvarado was a part of the program, which recruits and retains students of color and those from disadvantaged groups.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Ping’s Grill in Toccoa, Ga.
You don’t expect such a creative menu in the North Georgia mountains. After all, it’s not often that you can find lobster rolls on the menu. And the two rolls filled with lobster salad are downright delicious! Ping’s is known far and wide for not the same old hamburgers. Try the Sweet Spot Hamburger (parmesan, fig preserves, bacon and spring mix). Another hamburger, the Early Tee Time (the city golf course is next door): fried egg, bacon strawberry jam, pimento cheese and jalapenos.) Then there’s all sorts of other treats, from buffalo chicken dip, seared tuna, wings, cold plates, and traditional sandwiches. The grill is located on Lake Toccoa, north of the city. It’s open daily at 11 a.m., except Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Next time you drive northward, it’ll be your treat to eat here. The 186 foot waterfall, Toccoa Falls, is nearby.–eeb
- 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
70th Georgia Mountain Fair in Hiawassee begins August 13
The Georgia Mountain Fair is held every summer in Hiawassee, the seat of Towns County. Attendance has grown from 2,000 in its 1950 inaugural event to 100,000 in recent years.
The fair features craft booths, food stands, daily music concerts, demonstrations of mountain life, and various midway rides and attractions. Besides the usual fare, visitors can buy fried apple pies, fresh-squeezed cider, smoked trout, beef jerky, and home-cooked vegetable plates. Cloggers, Nashville musicians, and string bands perform in the music hall, named for Robert Anderson, former president of the fair.
A Pioneer Village features a one-room schoolhouse, moved to the grounds, a smokehouse, a grist mill that grinds out fresh cornmeal daily, a working blacksmith shop, and a country store with button shoes and a cracker barrel. Local folks show how to split rails, how to make oak shingles and baskets, and how to cook up a cauldron of hominy or a batch of lye soap. For a number of years the fair also featured a working moonshine still. Displays of canned goods, handmade quilts, and needlecraft, as well as a large exhibition of farm and logging implements and tools, are featured in the fair museum.
The fair was founded as a joint project of the local Lions Club and Towns County officials. Herbert “Tall” Tabor, president of the civic group, and E. N. Nicholson, county extension agent, established the first fair as a weekend event attended by local residents. By the mid-1950s the fair became a weeklong celebration with an opening parade, beauty queen contest, and plenty of country, bluegrass, and gospel music. For the first twenty-seven years the fair took place at the Towns County High School, both inside the building and on the nearby grounds. While classrooms became display areas for crafts and exhibitions, the grounds featured livestock and mountain-life events. Two crowd-pleasers in the early days were an indoor trout stream and a hog-shooting contest. Towns County homemakers took over the cafeteria to prepare meals for hungry fairgoers. A big tent sheltered the pickers with their banjos, fiddles, guitars, and mandolins.
As the number of attendees increased each year, so did the fair’s impact on the north Georgia mountains. By 1956 there were 40,000 visitors; by 1965, more than 60,000. In 1969 Conway Twitty performed in the first professional music show at the fair, and the Oak Ridge Boys joined other groups in a gospel sing. Although some permanent exhibitions were already built on the fairgrounds near the high school, in the 1970s officials negotiated with the Tennessee Valley Authority to purchase a larger site on the shores of nearby Lake Chatuge. The fair was first held at its new, permanent location in 1978.
In recent years two other events have taken place at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds: a Rhododendron Festival in May and a Fall Festival in October. The Anderson Music Hall also offers weekend concerts in late spring, summer, and early fall. The summer fair draws the biggest crowds, yet it retains much of its original character.
The 70th annual Georgia Mountain Fair will be held in 2021 from August 13-21.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Who is that rather elegantly-fancied dandy in the red suit?
Today’s Mystery Photo asks you to answer two questions: where was this photo taken, and who’s the guy in the red suit? There’s one big clue staring you in the face. Figure this out and send your answers to elliott@brack.net, including your hometown.
In what we thought would be a difficult Mystery Photos, here came answers from 10 people. The photograph came from Rob Ponder of Duluth.
Al Swint, Tucker recognized the scene immediately. Perhaps it was the ducks floating in front of the Mendenhall Glacier that tipped him off. Then came others: David Will, Lilburn; Robert Foreman, Grayson; Kay Montgomery, Duluth; Meg Sweigart, Duluth; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; Lou Camerio, Lilburn; Molly Titus, Peachtree Corners; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; and Allan Peel, San Antonio, Tex.
Peel gave details: “Today’s mystery photo is of the Mendenhall Glacier about 12 miles northwest of downtown Juneau, Alaska. The glacier has retreated 1.75-miles since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5-miles since 1500. However, the rate at which it is receding is ever increasing. The end of the glacier, or terminus, currently has a ‘negative glacier mass balance’, which means it will continue to retreat in the foreseeable future.
“Here are some other facts about the Mendenhall Glacier:
- It is about 1.5-miles wide and more than 100 feet high at its terminus.
- Mendenhall Lake fronts the glacier at the terminus, and the ice extends 150-250 feet under the water. The lake is used for ice skating during the winter as it is covered with thick ice.
- It first formed in the Juneau Icefield, which is over 3,000 years old. And it is one of the 38 glaciers flowing down the Juneau Icefield.”
This bee shows Mother Nature still toiling away
Worry not in this hot weather. Mother Nature carries on, as this bee demonstrates perched on a cornflower at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in Gainesville. This photograph is the work of Lawrenceville’s Stewart Woodard.
Race and Guns in America: Bestselling author Carol Anderson in conversation with NPR Host Rose Scott will be Thursday, August 12 at 7 p.m. EST, virtually. Free and open to all. Registration is required to access this program. Register online at GCPL.org. Anderson powerfully illuminates the history and impact of the Second Amendment, how it was designed, and how it has consistently been constructed to keep African Americans powerless and vulnerable.
ATLReads Virtual Book Club Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, Tuesday, August 17 at 7 p.m. virtually. Outlander is the first book in the Outlander series, the basis for the Starz original series. Free and open to all. Read the book and chat with us! Invite friends to join. Guests do not have to be library cardholders. Those who are cardholders may download a free copy of this book by clicking here. To join us, click here.
Climate Change Prevention: Andreas Karelas – Renewable Energy Advocate, will be on Thursday, August 26 at 7 p.m. virtually. Join Andreas Karelas to discuss his solutions to climate change and his new book, Climate Courage. Karelas is the founder and executive director of RE-volv, a Audubon TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Fellow and an OpenIDEO Climate Innovator Fellow. Free and open to the public. Registration is required to access this program. Register online at GCPL.org.
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