GwinnettForum | Number 22.24 | March 24, 2023
A CULINARY ARTS TEAM from Berkmar High School won the Georgia ProStart Invitational in statewide competition. They will represent Georgia at the premier national high school culinary arts and restaurant management competition in Washington, D.C., on May 2-4. From left are Chef Ryan Whitten (Lead Culinary Judge, Evelyn Guevara, Nimah Hassen, Zeke Galindo, Litzy Hernandez and Karen Bremer, president, Georgia Restaurant Association, which sponsored the competition. For more details, see Upcoming below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Dacula pianist wins grant for three-stop jazz tour
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Gwinnett District Attorney not performing duties as she should
SPOTLIGHT: Crowne Plaza Hotel
ANOTHER VIEW: Ready to buy an EV? There are some consequences
FEEDBACK: 760 trucks in 58 mile stretch: meaningless but scary
UPCOMING: UPCCA will award two $1,000 scholarships this year
NOTABLE: Three factors drive increased enrollment at Gwinnett Tech
OBITUARY: William Robert Souter
RECOMMENDED: Anything…by Tom Robbins
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Coles College at Kennesaw State has more than 7,000 students
MYSTERY PHOTO: Check out and identify this idyllic setting
CALENDAR: Spring exhibition reception at Suwanee Art Center scheduled for Sunday
Dacula pianist wins grant for three-stop jazz tour
(Editor’s note: this story first appeared in the Saporta Report. We reprint with permission and thanks. –eeb)
By Hannah E. Jones
DACULA, Ga. | South Arts recently selected 12 artists and ensembles around the country to receive funds to help cover the costs of a local tour. In June, Georgia’s Greg Satterthwaite Quartet will embark on a three-stop tour in Georgia and Florida, thanks to a grant provided through the nonprofit’s Jazz Road Tours program.
Satterthwaite
Headquartered in Atlanta, South Arts is a nonprofit increasing access to arts and culture through funding opportunities. The Jazz Road Tours program is funded by donations from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, and about 50 artists receive $5,000 to $15,000 each year to help cover expenses like venue and travel fees and payment for artists.
The Dacula-based quartet includes frontman Greg Satterthwaite (piano), Quentin Baxter (drums), Delbert Felix (bass) and Derrick James (saxophone). Because of scheduling conflicts, Felix will not be able to play on tour, so Rodney Jordan will join as bassist.
The band was formed last October, and this will be their first tour together. Receiving a $14,880 grant, Satterthwaite feels “definitely special and grateful to be chosen, and really excited to get out there and share the music.”
The grant application requires the musicians to craft a tour that meets three criteria, featuring venues that elevate the jazz field, connect communities and enhance the musicians’ careers.
This summer, the quartet will play at Palm Beach Lakes High School in West Palm Beach, Fla., on June 21, the Good Times Jazz Bar and Restaurant in Savannah on June 23 and 24 and The Velvet Note in Alpharetta on June 30.
Satterthwaite selected the first venue because it’s in the school district where he began his formal musical education at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts. He sees this concert as “my way of giving back to that community.” Savannah was chosen to celebrate the quartet’s inception, as the first place the group played together. Finally, the Alpharetta show is a homeward-bound performance for the metro Atlanta musicians.
Music has been an integral part of Satterthwaite’s life since he first played the piano at age 11. He started playing gigs at 16, going on to earn a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas in Jazz Piano Performance; a Master of Arts in Commercial Music from Florida Atlantic University; and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Miami.
In addition to playing as a professional musician, he is an Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano and African American Studies at the University of Georgia. He also co-founded Jazzspire in 2022 to celebrate artists and promote creative education. Satterthwaite is drawn to jazz because of its strong ties to African American history and culture. The genre is also rooted in improvisation, which allows him to further hone his craft.
He says: “Jazz is a great American art form. It’s music that celebrates the African diaspora. It’s music that allows for improvisation and creativity. It really allows you to be a unique artist, put your stamp on things and express yourself in a personal way. There’s infinite room for creativity.”
Between now and the upcoming tour, Satterthwaite is focused on finishing his second album, Savannah Blue. Born in Jamaica, Satterthwaite is tapping into his roots for this record, and some tracks are infused with an Afro-Caribbean style. The album will be released just before the tour.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Greg Satterthwaite Quartet and their upcoming tour, click here.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Gwinnett district attorney not performing duties as she should
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 24, 2023 | Voters here need to know that Gwinnett County is being poorly served by District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson.We understand that she is an amicable person, but she is in over her head in this office.
She has lost multiple simple murder cases, meaning that criminals are going free when they should be in jail. In the last two years, Gwinnett has the lowest conviction rate in murder trials in the metro area, even lower than Fulton and DeKalb counties! Recent news reports show that her conviction rate on murder cases was less than 60 percent in 2022. Many in the legal community observe that her prosecutors in the DA’s office are simply not prepared or well-trained.
Numerous court officials we have talked to tell us that morale in the office of the District Attorney is low. You can figure why: losing often.
Austin-Gatson
Additionally, there are unfulfilled staff positions since young lawyers are aware of the situation, and she cannot find replacements for those leaving. Retention of prosecutors employed by Ms. Austin-Gatson is low. That means that crime victims are dealing with multiple lawyers while the cases are pending.
Then there’s the fact that Ms. Austin-Gatson has very little trial experience in the courtroom. She essentially does not know her way around the court, or how to prosecute as she should.
It boils down to her office in disarray, with those charged with crimes going free.
If this was happening in any other county office, one path would be for the Grand Jury to investigate. However, since the District Attorney guides the Grand Jury, you can be certain Ms. Austin-Gatson will not suggest investigating herself.
An appearance as a speaker by Ms. Austin-Gatson at a civic club recently dramatically showed how out of touch she is with her office. Her first eight minutes of the program was taken up with a poorly thought-out video, virtually a political campaign film, showing her delving into rehabilitation programs, working with youth, summer camps and getting awards. There was little mention of prosecuting criminals in the video. Afterward, she took the civic club’s platform to ramble about many auxiliary topics, but at no time did she mention prosecution of rapes, murders, armed robberies, home invasions or other violent crimes. It was not a stellar performance.
Fittingly, she took up the full program’s allotted time without accepting questions from the audience. A speaker doesn’t do that unless they are afraid of what the questions will be.
There’s another element involved. Coming into office at the beginning of 2021, Ms. Austin-Gaston faced a tremendous amount of case backlog because of Covid. She amazingly has blamed the previous administration on the Covid backlog, and complained that she has had to work her way out of it. But so have other district attorneys all over Georgia! The backlog is no excuse for the poor operation of her office.
Interestingly, she proudly tells of her previous employment as an assistant to former Solicitor Brian Whiteside, who tried cases in state court. Fortunately, the voters recognized the poor job that Mr. Whiteside was performing as solicitor, and voted him out of office. She seems to have learned nothing there to help her in the District Attorney’s office.
Now is the time for action, not later. The legal community has about 18 months to identify one well-qualified potential candidate who will be able to challenge Patsy Austin-Gatson in the 2024 election, and return the office to a fully-functioning and solid operations. Gwinnett County deserves far better than Patsy Austin-Gatson as District Attorney. This is not a vendetta, but a lack of performance-in-office issue
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Crowne Plaza Hotel
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Let your destination for Easter Brunch be the family-friendly Crowne Plaza Hotel at the corner of Holcomb Bridge Road and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Norcross. It will hold its inaugural Easter Brunch on Sunday, April 9. Bring your family and friends to enjoy Chef Rahel’s short rib hash, shrimp and crawfish grits, made-to-order chicken and waffles, create-your-own omelets, smoked salmon display, shrimp cocktail, lavish salad bar, honey-glazed ham, tip-top carved beef, house-made bread pudding, cakes and pies. Then there’s the ice cream sundae bar! Unlimited mimosas are available. Price is $55 for adults (12 and up), $20 for kids (5-11) and under five are free. The Easter Brunch runs from 11:30 a. m. until 4:30 p.m. Book your reservation at the Crowne Plaza online at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/easter-brunch-tickets-579396058207 .
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Ready to buy an EV? There are some consequences
By Raleigh Perry
BUFORD, Ga. | People who buy battery-powered automobiles do so because it is good for the environment. Clean power, no exhaust emissions! Gosh that is wonderful! Yet where does their power really come from?
Perry
Since we live in Georgia, let us talk about the Georgia origins of the electricity that powers these cars. Basically speaking, Georgia gets its electricity from several different sources including nuclear, hydroelectric and steam plants.
The problem is that over 60 percent of the electricity comes from steam plants that are powered either by coal or by natural gas. Both of those are fossil fuels and neither source is renewable. Both sources create a massive amount of emissions. (Coal would be the worst.) Both make emissions that cause global warming. So those driving an Electric Vehicle (EV) in Georgia are no boon to cleaning up the planet at all, at least for now. You can get the emissions report on one of the largest of Georgia’s fossil fuel plants, Plant Scherer, on the internet.
To beat all of that, where do you think the coal comes from? It comes from Montana, not from a closer source like West Virginia. How does it get here from Montana? It comes by train, powered by what a diesel electric engine, but the electricity comes from a generator run by diesel fuel.
In a recent article by Ryan Erik King published in Jalopnik News recently, driving 100 miles in an EV is now more expensive than with a car with an internal combustion engine. Anderson Economic Group internal combustion drivers pay about $11.29 per 100 miles while EV drivers pay $14.40 per 100 miles. So is it not cheaper! My son recently had to fly to South Florida and called Uber. The Uber was a Tesla. It was near running out of fuel and the driver was driving wildly around Atlanta to find a charging station.
Reuters reports that insurance companies are sending some Telsa Model Y electric vehicles that have been in crashes to salvage yards as “totaled” because they are too expensive to repair. Of more than 120 Model Ys that were totaled after collisions, the vast majority had less than 10,000 miles on the odometer. So you can expect a much higher rate for insuring the Teslas (and probably other EV’s) than you would on a conventional internal combustion car.
I think that trying to find a way to make cars so that they do not pollute is the right thing to do, but we are not there yet.
There is not yet a guarantee on how far you can drive without recharging because there are too many variables. One, of course, is the speed at which you drive. Others are headlights and air conditioner usage.
I know that in my car with about 22 mpg can drive me from my home to a little north of Nashville without refueling and that is driving 75 mpg on the average. My car is an SUV and can carry a lot of things, but the load does not seem to make much difference.
Right now, I could not be sure that I could do the same thing in an EV.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
760 trucks in 58-mile stretch: meaningless but scary
Editor, the Forum:
Thanks for the article on trucking. I am building a house in Hartwell, so I am making many trips back and forth on Interstate 85. I was driving back the other day and decided I would count the trucks on the northbound side as I traveled south. From Exit 177 to the Gravel Springs Road, Exit 118, I counted 760 trucks in the 58 mile stretch. And I’m sure I missed more than a few. Such is meaningless information, but scary.
– Charles Anderson, Lawrenceville
Writer feels truncated comments missed the point
Editor, the Forum:
I strongly agree with Editor Elliott Brack’s view that Lake Sidney Lanier’s name should not be changed because Private Sidney Lanier once served in the Confederate Army. Unfortunately Brack ignored the “wokeness” behind the proposed name change. Brack’s claim that the Army Base Renaming Commission actions were “understandable” in that many of the Confederate generals for which some military posts were named “were not even good leaders” demonstrated Brack’s arrogance and ignorance of the underlying reasons for removing Confederate names. This “Renaming Commission” was stacked with people who are known to hate all things Confederate.
In an act of reconciliation and to promote national cohesion, some military installations in the South were named after famous Confederates but for political and racist reasons, a Taliban-like ethnic cleansing of Confederate history and monuments is now taking place. The world-famous Confederate monument in Arlington National Cemetery, unveiled in an act of reconciliation in 1914, is slated for destruction. Long existing National Guard Army units in the South have been ordered to remove all battle streamers from unit flags if they represent service as a Confederate unit in the Civil War. Pure madness!!
Unfortunately, Mr. Brack refused to address the real cancer of political correctness and wokeism behind these acts of cultural genocide. Elliott Brack, you will apologize if you have an iota of integrity left.
– Ernest Wade, Loganville
Dear Mr. Wade: Yes, I cut out the “wokeness” bit and shortened your comments mainly because few of us clearly understand the meaning of “woke.” In no way did we seek to stifle you. Still, we allowed you to sound off on your point, which is why GwinnettForum is published. We look forward to more comments about the times from you and others–eeb
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.
UPCCA will award two $1,000 scholarships this year
The United Peachtree Corners Civic Association (UPCCA) is offering two $1,000 scholarships for high school seniors who reside in Peachtree Corners.The 2023 Scholarships will be awarded to students who have made the commitment to volunteer outside of school hours during their high school years.
The winners will be chosen strictly on their participation in community service. Thank you for helping the UPCCA reach out to the appropriate students. Up to two scholarships may be awarded, with one honoring the life of the late Debbie Mason. Information for becoming a member of UPCCA can be found here, or contact UPCCA president Matt Lombardi at 770-548-2989, or visit our website http://www.UPCCA.org.
Two Gwinnett high schools win statewide culinary arts awards
Two Gwinnett schools took top honors at the Georgia ProStart Invitational in statewide competition for the culinary arts. Seven schools competed with Berkmar High School and Maxwell High School of Technology winning the competition. They will represent Georgia at the premier national high school culinary arts and restaurant management competition in Washington, D.C., on May 2-4.
Additionally, chef James Bryant of Berkmar High School was named the Georgia ProStart Educator of Excellence for his excellence in the classroom.
These schools will join over 80 teams from across the country to vie for top high school culinary and restaurant management honors as well as almost $200,000 in scholarships to support their future aspirations in the restaurant and hospitality industry. The three-day event will feature two days of powerful culinary and restaurant management competition, and an awards dinner. The top five teams from the culinary and management competitions will earn scholarships to continue their restaurant or food-service education.
Supported by the Georgia Restaurant Association, ProStart is a high school program that gives students interested in food service and hospitality careers a head start by teaching culinary techniques and management skills through an industry-driven curriculum. Upon completion of the ProStart program, students receive an industry-recognized certificate, and employers get well-prepared, enthusiastic employees.
Registration open for students for natural resources workshop
The Natural Resources Conservation Workshop (NRCW) is available to Georgia’s Rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. This workshop focuses on the value, protection, and conservation of Georgia’s wildlife, forestry, soil, and water resources, including conservation in Georgia’s mining industry. The workshop gives students a taste of college life while delivering valuable insight into careers through their counselors and instructors.
The 2023 NRCW will take place June 11- 16, 2023 on the campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia. The Workshop features field trips, classroom instruction, and recreational activities. Students scoring well on the Workshop exam may be awarded a college scholarship. A limited number of scholarships are awarded based on exam scores and specific scholarship guidelines and criteria.
Sponsorships are available through local Soil and Water Conservation Districts for students to attend at no cost. Transportation options are also available. Registration is available through May 1 at www.abac.edu/nrcw .
Three factors drive increased enrollment at Gwinnett Tech
Gwinnett Technical College has increased enrollment numbers for the third consecutive semester. Spring semester 2023 has recorded an almost 10 percent boost in enrollment over a year ago. As a result, more than 8,400 students across the region are entering the classrooms at Gwinnett Tech for career opportunities.
Dr. D. Glen Cannon, president of Gwinnett Tech, attributes this surge in enrollment to a few key factors:
- Enhancements: Opening the new Emerging Technologies building and renovation of Building A dedicated to computer information systems, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, as well as a renovation to the library, student life center, and additional science labs.
- High schoolers: Students from public, private, and home schools earning college credits while still attending high school through the College’s Dual Enrollment programs.
- Programs: Opening new and expanding academic programs to feed high-demand careers such as Driverless and Driver Assist Systems, Rapid Transit Technology, AWS Cloud Solutions, iOS App Development in Swift, and Ford ASSET Automotive program.
Dr. Cannon states, “Our enrollment growth is a great indicator of students realizing we offer the skills needed in today’s competitive job market. Employers want to know what you can do and bring to the table, not where you went to College. There is a strategic fight for talent right now, and Gwinnett Tech is providing programs for careers in the most high-demand and attractive fields. We just opened our new $50 million Emerging Technologies Building, and our Health Programs are being maxed out. In addition, we are one of the few institutions to offer all the professional construction trades and are the leader at this point in Electric Vehicle training. I believe the College is on a growth trajectory for the foreseeable future.”
Newspaper names GBC among top workplaces for 2023
Georgia Banking Company (GBC) has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2023 honor by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage, LLC. The confidential survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.
Craig Addison, chief human resources officer, says: “Work is better when you know and trust the people around you and there is nothing like winning together. Employee satisfaction isn’t solely about money, it’s about sharing a common sense of community, of being, and that creates the kind of atmosphere to support our employees’ delivery of better, holistic solutions for our clients.”
With the rapid growth of GBC, investments have been made in training, learning and development, celebratory and community experiences, and recognition and rewards programs, all aimed at creating and sustaining a positive work culture and employee engagement. At the heart of everything GBC does is the desire to cultivate opportunities for growth for employees and customers, support our communities, and ensure that businesses and consumers are in a position to prosper and thrive.
William Robert Souter
William Robert Souter, 84, of Snellville, passed away on Friday, March 17, 2023. He will be joined with his deceased daughter Sandra in God’s kingdom.
Souter
A visitation for him will be held Monday, March 27, at noon at Eternal Hills Funeral Home and Cremation, 3594 Stone Mountain Highway, Snellville. Following the visitation will be a memorial service at 1 p.m.
Bill was born in the Riverside district of Buffalo , N.Y. on April 9, 1938. He was the youngest son of Norvyn and Mildred Souter. brother of Norvyn Jr, Paul, Mildred and Pauline Souter. After graduating from Riverside High School, he joined the U. S.Marine Corp. Upon discharge, he gained employment with the Western Electric Company, which subsequently became AT&T then Lucent Technology, as a production worker, who remained loyal to the same company for over 40 plus years. Bill was dedicated to his job in order to support his family consisting of his loyal wife Mary (Galluccio ); eldest son William; middle son, John; and only daughter Sandra. He is also survived by his grandchildren; Nicholas, Mckenzie, Mary, Johnny, Vincent and John Jr.
Bill and his family relocated from Buffalo to Georgia in 1976 when the New York Western Electric plant shut down. He maintained many cherished friendships from Buffalo while creating new ones in the Atlanta area. Most people will admit this with Bill that he was a loyal friend who let one know exactly where he stood.
He fought cancer in the last year of his life with courage, bravery and dignity. He did not want any of his loved ones distressed over his condition. He was an old school hardworking New York Yankees and Buffalo Bills fan that refused to take a nickel that he didn’t earn and will be greatly missed by his loving family and friends. Bill had an uncanny sense of humor.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to Saint Jude.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.eternalhillsfuneralhome.com for the Souter family.
Anything…by Tom Robbins
From Rick Krause, Lilburn: Tom Robbins. Sophisticated but bizarre, wacky, weird humor from one of the best comedy writers today. Where to begin? I started with Another Roadside Attraction, and was hooked. I followed that with Still-life with Woodpecker. That one made me realize I wanted to read more of him. I then read Jitterbug Perfume and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, and was on my way. A couple of my later favorites were Villa Incognito and Skinny Legs and All. Some critics, make that devotees, have their favorites and suggestions for order of reads; there’s plenty on the internet. So, pick one; you can’t go wrong, and get captivated by the genius of Tom Robbins’ writing. No slapstick humor here. You’ll be shaking your head with a smile on your face. Understanding his humor, or maybe not. Either way; enjoy.
- 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
Coles College at Kennesaw State has more than 7,000 students
The Michael J. Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University (KSU) provides a traditional business education with special emphasis on entrepreneurship, team building, and global business. Located in Kennesaw, the college has the nation’s second-largest accredited executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.
The college offers an undergraduate business administration curriculum, a master’s degree in accounting, and an MBA program with evening and weekend classes.
With a total student enrollment of nearly 7,000 candidates from different corners of the world, the college is indeed a site of diversity and inclusion for studying in the USA.
The college is named for Michael J. Coles, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who also made two unsuccessful bids to represent Georgia in the U.S. Congress. Coles founded the Great American Cookie Company in 1977 and grew it into a successful national retail chain before selling it in 1998. In 2001 he was appointed by Governor Roy Barnes to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Coles is also the former chief executive officer (CEO) of the Atlanta-based Caribou Coffee Company.
Coles has a long-standing relationship with KSU. In addition to receiving an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the university, he has served as chairman of the KSU Board of Trustees and as a member of the executive committee. In 1994 his Coles Novak Family Foundation made a $1 million donation to KSU.
Coles College is located in the A. L. Burrus Building, a 100,000-square-foot facility built on KSU’s main campus in 1991. To provide easier access for professionals in its graduate programs, the college opened the Executive Development Center near Interstate 75 and Chastain Road in 2001 and began offering some graduate courses at the Cobb Galleria complex in fall 2003.
Chief Executive magazine published the results of a study conducted by its editors, who ranked Coles College as one of the top business schools for CEOs. Business Week magazine included the school’s executive MBA program in its “Best of the Bunch” business education ratings and ranked the college in its top ten for “ebusiness” and teamwork. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accredits the college’s business and accounting programs.
Every year Coles College of Business hosts the National Collegiate Sales Competition, which brings together students and corporate sponsors from around the country for two days of competition, networking, and recruitment. A number of business and research programs are housed at Coles College, including the Center for Professional Selling, the China Research Center, the Cobb Microenterprise Center, the Cox Family Enterprise Center, the Econometric Center, and the Small Business Development Center.
Check out and identify this idyllic setting
Here’s an idyllic scene, showing some of the blooms of springtime. Figure out where this photo was taken, and tell us about the area. Send your ideas to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown.
The most recent Mystery Photo was recognized by several readers, though the photograph is far across an ocean. It’s as Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex., says, at: “the western-most point of Portugal and all of Europe, Cabo da Roca (which means ‘Cape of Rocks”’ in English), a dramatic spot ‘the end of the world’ inspired by a line by Luís de Camões (1524– 580), considered by many to be Portugal’s greatest poet of all time. Cabo da Roca is located approximately 20-miles west of Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal.
“The lighthouse originally began operating in 1772, making it the third oldest lighthouse along the Portuguese coast. It is 73-feet high, and sits high up on the cliff, giving it a 541-feet focal height above sea level. Today the lighthouse has a 30-mile (26-nautical mile) range. The marble monument in the foreground of the mystery photo was erected by the Rotary Club of Sintra in 1980, to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the 1905 founding of the Rotary Club by Paul Harris (1868–1947).”
Other readers spotting the photo include Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; Stew Ogilvie Lawrenceville; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; and Lou Camerio, Lilburn. The photo came from Rob Ponder of Duluth.
>>> 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.
Spring exhibition opening reception at the Suwanee Art Center will be Sunday, March 25, from noon until 5 p.m. Meet the artists, discuss their work and join others in the community. The center is at 3930 Charleston Market Street B6, in Suwanee.
Reading is FUNdamental: Building Speech, Language, and Emergent Literacy Skills will be Saturday, March 25 at 11 a.m. at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Do you believe reading is FUNdamental? Would you like to learn how to build your child’s speech, language, and emergent literacy skills while reading together? If so, this series is for you!
Pot and plant sale on March 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Peachtree Farm, located in Peachtree Corners at 356 Research Court. There is a hydroponic greenhouse, irrigated garden beds, a chicken coop, and bee houses. Bring the family to pick out some pots and plants!
King statue unveiling: On Saturday April 1, 2023, at Rodney Cook Sr. Peace Park, in downtown Atlanta, will be the unveiling of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I’ve Been to the Mountaintop statue. The statue is the work of Gwinnett artist Kathy Fincher, now of Clayton, and Artist Stan Mullin of Athens. It will be unveiled at the World Peace Revival Movement inaugural World Peace Legacy Award. The awards will be presented by Ambassador Andrew Young, passing on to the next generation of Dr. King’s Beloved Community to further his mission of peace and nonviolence. This award is being presented to nine recipients who personify these ideals and have showcased them in their dedication and commitment to the community. Two recipients are from Gwinnett: Dr. Calvin Watts, superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools, and Congressman Rich McCormick.
Food Giveaway on Saturday, April 1 at Berkmar High School, 408 Pleasant Hill Road, Lilburn., from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. First come, first served, until one meal kit per car runs out. Sponsored by FeedMyPeople.org.
Eighth annual Duluth Rotary Club Car Show will be Saturday, April 8, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in downtown Duluth. The family-friendly event is free to the public. For refreshments and shopping, downtown eateries and retailers will remain open for business.
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