GwinnettForum | Number 23.34 | April 30, 2024
RE-OPENED: The bridge on the Rockbridge Road side of the Camp Creek Greenway Trail is now open, after Lilburn Public Works repaired the bridge. The Greenway is a 4.2 mile multi-use trail originating in Lilburn City Park. The first phase was completed in 2007. In 2014,the greenway was dedicated as a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat. In 2018, a 958-foot PermaTrak boardwalk was installed on the greenway, making it the longest PermaTrak project in the country that is supported on a helical pier foundation system.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Hospital adds new minimally invasive GI program
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Random act of kindness brought on by Spiced Coke
SPOTLIGHT: E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc.
ANOTHER VIEW: Trump’s immigration issue will backfire on him
FEEDBACK: Disapproves of endorsement for new District Attorney
UPCOMING: County OKs new flight school at Briscoe Field
NOTABLE: Nicholas Brown beats odds to graduate from GGC
RECOMMENDED: Reincarnation Described and Explained by Emmet Fox
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Andersonville Prison subject of two TV films
MYSTERY PHOTO: Tell us the location and the activity of this photo
LAGNIAPPE: Gwinnett Tech hosts inaugural BAM! event
CALENDAR: Final 2024 Johns Creek Symphony Concert coming Saturday
Hospital adds new minimally invasive GI program
From left are Jamie Wessels, interventional nurse navigator; Jalina Ramey, interventional GI technician; Charles Clendenin, territory manager, Olympus; Dr. Justin Forde, M.D., advanced endoscopist; and Karen Richards, endoscopy nurse. Photo provided.
By Katherine Watson
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga | Northside Hospital Gwinnett has expanded its Interventional Gastrointestinal (GI) Endoscopy Program with a series of new, minimally invasive procedures that are available for the first time in Gwinnett County and surrounding communities.
Third-space endoscopy provides organ-preserving treatment options for patients who otherwise may require surgery resection to address precancerous lesions or early cancers of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine or colon.
These procedures are also an innovative and reliable treatment option for GI conditions such as gastroparesis, achalasia and Zenker’s diverticulum — conditions often debilitating movement or structural disorders of the GI tract. This can lead to chronic and severe dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), nausea and vomiting.
How it’s done: Also known as submucosal endoscopy, procedures are performed via endoscopy or colonoscopy within the “third space” of the GI tract, the space between the inner lining and muscle layers of the GI tract, without any cuts on the skin.
A long and flexible tube with a camera at its end (endoscope) is guided through the digestive tract to the area of interest. Once the camera is in place, an endoscopic knife is used to make precise incisions from the inside of the GI tract. This allows access to areas previously difficult to reach without more invasive techniques.
Third-space procedures are minimally invasive and typically involve less discomfort and recovery time than traditional surgeries, making them a preferred choice for many patients. Patients go home within a few hours.
The first third-space procedures were successfully performed at Northside Gwinnett on April 17 and included:
- Esophageal and Zenker’s per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) to treat severe swallowing troubles due to achalasia and Zenker’s diverticula.
- Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) with complete removal of pre-cancerous lesions of the stomach and colon.
What they’re saying: “These techniques offer alternatives to more invasive surgical procedures and, in most cases, are performed as outpatient, requiring very little recovery time,” says Dr. Justin J. Forde, advanced endoscopist. “They expand treatment options for patients who have medical issues that may not make them a good candidate for surgery or for those who want to avoid more invasive surgical procedures.”
Dr. Forde also says: “These techniques require extensive training and are typically only available at large academic centers, which can pose accessibility issues for patients. We are very excited to be able to offer these treatment options in the community setting at Northside Gwinnett.”
Jamie Wessels, interventional nurse navigator, adds: “Third-space endoscopy procedures are an outstanding addition to our advanced, interventional GI program at Northside Hospital Gwinnett. Our third space procedures provide life-changing results without having to undergo surgery; we’re pleased to be able to offer POEM and ESD to the Atlanta area.”
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Random act of kindness brought on by Spiced Coke
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
April 30,2024 | It was a quest that turned unexpected.
Hearing that a new Spiced Coca-Cola was now available, curiosity got to me. But when shopping in the supermarket, Spiced was only available in 12-pack cartons. What if I didn’t like it? I didn’t want to have to “eat” the other 11.
That’s why I didn’t make a purchase. But heading home, there was a convenience store on Peachtree Industrial (er, that is, now “Peachtree Boulevard” to be proper), so maybe a smaller pack would be available there. But no six pack. How about a single, to at least get the taste?
Do you know how sometimes an item is in front of you but you can’t see it? Well, actually, several Coke varieties were on the upper shelves, but I could not see a “Spiced.”
I stood looking for less than a minute, when another customer, a lady, asked “Can’t find what you are looking for?”
“Yes, I was looking for a Coke Spicy.”
“There it is,” she said, pointing to one bottle on a lower shelf almost hiding where two doors came together.”
“Yeah, I see it now,” says I, now pleased to find a single Spicy.
Heading for the cash register, there were four others in line, with the lady who pointed out the Spicy for me was just ahead of me. Eventually, the line moved when another cashier went to her register. Soon the lady ahead of me went to the other register. The guy in front of me was taking his time, having bought several items, but soon I was at the register.
That’s when the other cashier reported: “The lady who was in front of you paid for your drink.”
What? “She paid for my drink!?”
“That’s right.” But by then, she was out the door. I never got to thank her! And, if today I bumped into her again, I probably would not even recognize her. Just some good soul performing a random act of kindness for a fellow creature.
What a wonderful, selfless act! In our modern society, random acts of kindness don’t happen every day to most of us. But they can occur at most unexpected times.
Now, it’s incumbent upon me to return the favor to another stranger. I’m anxious to try, and will soon. And I know it will give me a warm feeling. Makes me proud to continue to be positive about mankind!
So I finally opened the Spiced Coke. The commercials I had seen showed people’s eyes popping out over the new flavor.
Not me. The way it tasted was nothing but dull, with seemingly less fizzle (which I love in regular Coke). It wasn’t spicy to me at all, or something I would buy again, especially if I wanted a “pause that refreshes,” as Coke has promised over the years.
Others may sing the praises of Spiced Coke. I see nothing spectacular (or spicy) about it. Makes me wonder if it will eventually go the way of “New Coke,” introduced in 1985. New Coke was finally discontinued in 2002.
Yet Spiced Coke gave me the gift of a random act of kindness. For that, I am thankful.
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E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc.
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc. of Snellville. Founded in 1923, E.R. Snell is a local, family-owned construction and infrastructure company dedicated to delivering excellence in every road and bridge they undertake. Their rich history has established them as a trusted name in the industry, renowned for their bedrock commitments to safety, quality, and customer satisfaction. ERS is excited to reach the momentous milestone of 100 years in business and looks to the future and the next ten decades as they build the road ahead.
- Visit online at www.ersnell.com
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Trump’s immigration issue will backfire on him
“I wrote this bill (Laken Riley Act) to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and state governments more tools in the fight against illegal alien crime. Laken’s murder at the hands of an illegal alien on the campus of the University of Georgia was another wakeup call that the Biden administration’s open border policies are making Americans unsafe in their own country.” – Georgia Congressman Mike Collins.
By Jack Bernard | Immigrants commit less crime per capita than United States citizens, period. However, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., is correct that the [Laken] Riley murder was horrible. But a iot is incorrect in blaming Biden. Immigration policy has been a mess because of inaction by both parties.
Recently, a bipartisan strong, conservative Senate immigration bill was proposed. Then former President Trump called House Speaker Mike Johnson. Trump said kill the bill because he wanted immigration as a campaign issue. So, the bill died, blocking any realistic Congressional action any time soon.
We have seen this play out before. President George W. Bush had a deeper understanding of the immigration issue than other Republicans. But the right wing of the GOP scuttled his comprehensive immigration reform proposal. By repeatedly opposing bipartisan reform for decades, the right wing of the GOP has accomplished three things.
- First, they have alienated legal immigrants and their families. These are first generation Americans like me, descended from immigrants, who built this nation.
- Second, Hispanic voters are being driven to the Democrats for the 2024 election. Trump’s insistence on building a wall and pursuing aggressive deportations alienates them. Expect 2024 GOP losses in key swing states, such as New Mexico and Arizona … and even Texas someday. GOP policy wonks must understand reality and figure out how to woo back Hispanic voters.
- Third, with no progress on immigration reform, illegal immigration gets worse. Trump knows that 11 million undocumented, mostly Latino, immigrants cannot be easily deported. And that Mexico will not pay to build a wall. Further, he understands that the GOP will not close government to force funding to build that wall.
Trump is aware that a modern-day Operation Wetback (tried in the 1950s) would cost a tremendous amount of money, paid for by taxpayers (via taxes and tariffs). And deportations would mean ripping families apart, which is unpopular. Finally, he knows that if a drastic deportation program were enacted, it would cause independents to run away from both him and the GOP, just like on the abortion issue.
Former President Trump, who loves money, also comprehends the business aspects. Agriculture would take a hit with prices rising substantially for his supporters. He knows that immigrants take the hard manual labor jobs that everyday Americans do not want… like building Trump Tower in New York City.
Trump takes extreme positions because it riles up his frustrated, alienated MAGA base, bringing them out to vote. He has no intention of seeing his current position on immigration acted upon. Because when he does, he knows it will backfire. That happened when Trump decided to suddenly stop immigration of well-paid highly skilled people needed by high tech companies.
Per Google CEO Sundar Picha: “Immigration has contributed immensely to America’s economic success…, making it a global leader.” America needs controlled, legal immigration for us to prosper.
And Trump and his supporters like Mike Collins, simply keeps immigration up in the air to make it a campaign issue. But it will backfire on him.
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Disapproves of endorsement for new District Attorney
Editor, the Forum:
Your blatantly obvious prejudices towards the District Attorney is due to your adoration and affiliation with and of Danny Porter makes you unfit to render an accurate and reasonable assessment of the current DA. Porter was a relic from a bygone past.
Shockingly Austin-Gatson upset the incumbent and his good old boy bedfellows. God put her there and He will keep her there until He is ready for her to do something else. It is a God, sir, whom you should grind your axe with if you dare. Promotion comes from Him alone. See Psalms 75:6-7: “Promotion does not come from man. Promotion comes from God. He puts up one and pulls down another.” Blessed be the Name of the Lord.
Furthermore, you generically threw out judges and lawyers without naming a single one. Horribly deceptively and nothing short of yellow journalism! Your analysis is tainted.
– Renee Haygood, Lawrenceville
Dear Miss Renee: At least we agree on one thing. Yes, God will decide. We can live with that outcome. –eeb
Appreciates reading information about candidates
Editor, the Forum:
The work of GwinnettForum in having information for us to get to know the candidates has been very helpful. Sometimes we wonder how some folks got elected. Often it is based on something other than ability or past performance. Who has the most yard signs is not a good filter.
On another subject, fiscal responsibility no longer exists in our government; we’re borrowing money to pay off money we’ve borrowed . Shame on them and on us for getting to this point !
– John Moore, Duluth
Would like to see District Attorney’s office non-partisan
Editor, the Forum:
What is the process for changing an elected office from Partisan to Non-Partisan? I believe the District Attorney’s election to be one of the most important for all voters in the county. Of course, we’re saddled with Partisan this year and that will leave out any voters choosing to vote in the Republican primary if I’m interpreting this correctly.
— Elaine Still, Braselton
Dear Elaine: any such change would have to go through the Gwinnett delegation to the Georgia Legislature. Suggest to your legislators to get the District Attorney’s office changed to non-partisan. -eeb
Nimrods merging five lanes into one massive jam
Editor, the Forum:
Georgia Department of Transportation’s dumb thinking led to horrible snarl last Thursday night (April 27).
It doesn’t take a civil engineer to know that merging five lanes into one on a busy interstate at 9 p.m. is going to cause huge traffic woes.
Thanks, GDOT, for wasting 70 minutes of my life. My vehicle sat on Interstate 85 South for more than an hour in a traffic jam in which the truck crawled, stopped and crawled for three miles, starting just after the Pleasant Hill Road exit and ending about a half mile before Beaver Ruin Road.
Isn’t there a smarter way to do this? Maybe narrow the closure from five to three lanes so that a stream of traffic can proceed, instead of creating a situation where wrecks happen (at least one did) and people squirm in need of a bathroom break?
I always thought the S.C. Department of Transportation was among the nation’s worst (look at Palmetto State roads), but I fear it has been overtaken by GDOT nimrods.
– Andy Brack, Charleston, S.C.
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 by to: ebrack2@gmail.com.
County OKs new flight school at Briscoe Field
Gwinnett commissioners last week approved a 25-year lease for a pilot school in Gwinnett to operate at Gwinnett County Airport, Briscoe Field. Lookup Flight Academy, LLC, the highest-scoring firm in a competitive bid process, was selected to lease a 2.3-acre site with hangar building and ramp. It is a minority (Black) owned firm.
The flight school provides comprehensive pilot training but also aims to address the under-representation of minority pilots in both private and commercial aviation.
The school, founded by aviator and entrepreneur Michael Ojo, aims to empower young people with the knowledge and skills to pursue careers in aviation. With a focus on mentorship and hands-on training, the institution seeks to cultivate a new generation of pilots who reflect the diverse makeup of society.
Ojo says: “Pilotage demands doing the hard thing, regardless of gender or wealth. It requires equal attention from all, as your life and future hinge on it. Embrace the challenge!”
Lookup Flight Academy, LLC, will renovate its hangar facility at Briscoe Field to enhance the learning environment. The school is expected to be fully operational and open to aspiring aviators by the summer of 2024.
New park near Lawrenceville will be county’s 53rd
Discovery Park will become the 53rd park in the Gwinnett’s parks system, following award of a $28.5 million contract to Vertical Earth, Inc. of Cumming. Located on nearly 45 acres at the intersection of Old Norcross and Lawrenceville-Suwanee roads, the SPLOST-funded park will have a multipurpose synthetic turf field, interactive fountain, playground, sports court complex and 1.5-mile lighted and paved multipurpose trail. Construction is expected to take 24 months, with the park opening in 2026.
Brown beats odds to graduate from GGC
Brown. Photo provided.
It’s been a long, uphill road, but Georgia Gwinnett College history graduate Nicholas Brown is about to reach a lifetime milestone. A native of Duluth, Brown has been overcoming challenges most never face since he was old enough to walk.
In 1998, when he was just three-and-a-half, he and his father were on their way home from a trip to the grocery store when their car was T-boned by another that blew through a red light going 55 miles an hour. Brown was knocked unconscious and nearly died from his injuries twice.
He spent two weeks in the ICU fighting for his life, then more than four weeks in the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Scottish Rite Hospital learning how to swallow, walk and talk again. From there it was two years in outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapies that continued until he graduated from Northview High School.
In short, Brown has spent his entire life recovering from injuries.
He explains: “I have multiple health issues, including traumatic brain injury, type one diabetes and post-traumatic stress disorder.” Brown, who will turn 29 just before he graduates, adds: “Because of these challenges, it has taken me longer to complete my degree, but I have worked hard to get to where I am today.”
Brown will receive a bachelor’s degree in history, with a concentration in United States history, and minors in business administration and geography at GGC’s commencement ceremony on May 9. He says he picked that field of study because history speaks to him.
“I enjoy stories,” he says. “And I understand history best of all the fields I’ve studied.”
Brown says he chose GGC partly because it’s affordable and he could live at his home in Johns Creek while earning his degree, but the main reason is more personal. “I feel like I can be myself here,” he says. His first visit to the GGC campus is among his favorite memories. “I first came to the campus in 2014 for a tour. I knew then that it would be my choice because it made me smile. My mom told me, ‘I don’t care if it takes you 10 years to get your college degree. If this is where you want to go, I will support you.’” That was exactly 10 years ago.
Brown was determined not to coast. Instead, he pushed through his challenges and immersed himself in the GGC experience, becoming a key player in multiple student groups. He joined GGC’s Gamma Theta Upsilon International Geographical Honor Society and GGC’s Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society. He says presenting at GGC’s CREATE Symposium, which celebrates undergraduate research, scholarship and creativity, was particularly fulfilling.
“My presentation was about the Snail Darter and the Tennessee Valley Authority legal case in 1978,” he recalls. “I’m still quite proud of it.”
Brown also works at the college library, helping students and faculty find materials and resources. “This has taught me many valuable skills that I have been able to apply to myself currently and will be able to use in the future,” Brown says. After graduating, Brown plans to work on a master’s degree in library and information science at Valdosta State University.
Brown will be among more than 900 students who will graduate at GGC’s spring 2024 commencement, taking place at 10 a.m. May 9 at Gas South District in Duluth.
Reincarnation Described and Explained, by Emmet Fox
From Susan J. Harris, Stone Mountain: Reincarnation is a topic that is misunderstood by many people. Emmet Fox’s book is subtitled ‘The Key to Life’s Most Baffling Problem’ and he explains succinctly what Karma is and that rather than being a punishment, Karma is what unfolds when choices are made. Some choices are additive to life, and some are detrimental, but always another choice can be made. He explains that reincarnation occurs at conception. A soul is attracted to the meeting of the sperm and ovum of a couple both of whom have a similar soul make up to the soul that is coming into being. Parents are not chosen by a soul; the soul comes to the parents who have a soul make up like theirs. A short book, it is filled with deep information for anyone interested in this larger question of life. It is a book to be read more than once.
- 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
Andersonville prison subject of two TV films
A play, The Andersonville Trial, and two television films, The Andersonville Trial and Andersonville, have focused on Sumter County’s Andersonville, the most notorious prison camp of the Civil War (1861-65).
In 1959 dramatist Saul Levitt wrote the play The Andersonville Trial, which was produced that same year by William Darrid, Daniel Hollywood, and Eleanore Saidenberg. The award-winning play recounts the trial of Captain Henry Wirz, the Swiss doctor who commanded the Confederate garrison at Andersonville.
Eleven years later, in 1970, George C. Scott, a cast member in the original Broadway production of Levitt’s play, directed a critically acclaimed film adaptation also entitled The Andersonville Trial.
In 1996 Andersonville, a film produced by David W. Rintels and directed by John Frankenheimer, appeared on Turner Network Television (TNT). This miniseries followed the experiences of Union soldiers imprisoned at the camp.
Levitt’s two-act play The Andersonville Trial was first performed in New York City at Henry Miller’s Theater on December 29, 1959. The original Broadway production was directed by José Ferrer, and the cast included Herbert Berghof, Albert Dekker, Lou Frizzell, Russell Hardie, and George C. Scott.
Levitt used the official record of Wirz’s 1865 trial as his primary source. In the play, Captain Wirz’s defense maintains that he was simply following orders as he watched thousands of Union soldiers die at the prison. The prosecution argues that orders should not shield Wirz from being held responsible for the deaths. The play ends with the court sentencing Wirz to death. (Wirz was the only man tried and executed for war crimes committed during the Civil War.)
Although much of the play’s dialogue consists of direct testimony from the trial transcript, the play deviates from history in having Wirz testify on his own behalf and in making the ethical dilemma a central element of the case.
In 1970 Scott brought Levitt’s play to television.
The cast of Scott’s film includes Richard Basehart as Henry Wirz and William Shatner as the government prosecutor, with Jack Cassidy as Otis Baker, Buddy Ebsen as Dr. John Bates, Cameron Mitchell as General Lew Wallace, and Martin Sheen as Captain Williams. The only member of the original Broadway cast to star in Scott’s adaptation was Lou Frizzell.
The production won both an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award in 1971.
The two-part miniseries Andersonville, which aired on TNT in March 1996, was loosely based on MacKinlay Kantor’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of the same name, published in 1955. The story follows a Massachusetts regiment from its capture through its stay at Andersonville. Frankenheimer constructed the set of Andersonville by building a stockade and barracks modeled after the original prison, and the cast and crew filmed on location in Turin (Coweta County), Georgia; North Carolina; and California.
Unlike The Andersonville Trial, the miniseries emphasizes tensions that emerge among the prisoners themselves. The plot focuses on the Union soldiers as they dig tunnels in an attempt to escape, resist dysentery by soaking up rainwater in their clothes to drink, and fight Union raiders, other captives who murder and steal from fellow prisoners. The climactic scene of the miniseries focuses on the trial of the raiders, in which they are found guilty.
Frankenheimer claimed that Andersonville was the most difficult film he ever directed. Andersonville garnered generally positive reviews from critics, and Frankenheimer received an Emmy Award for his direction.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Tell us the location and the activity of this photo
There’s more going on in this photograph than you may at first recognize. See if you can pinpoint the location and the activity of this modern scene. Also tell us about the building now…and in the past. Send your thoughts to a new address, ebrack2@gmail.com, and include your hometown.
Bob Hanson of Loganville, a train enthusiast, writes about the April 26 Mystery Photo. “It is a colorized version of a black and white print of a negative in my collection. It is Atlanta Terminal Station from the rear, with Atlanta and West Point RailRoad No. 290 engine in the foreground. The Terminal Hotel in the background burned in 1938 with the loss of a number of lives. The former Southern Railway building is off camera to the right. The photo [see black-and-white photo at bottom]was taken by Hugh M. Comer of Macon, who gave me the negative, along with a number of others, shortly before he passed. The photo was colorized, I believe, by Tom Alderman, another friend of mine.” The photo was made by the editor at the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth.
George Graf of Palmyra, Va. also realized the photo was made at the Duluth museum, and was not of the original site. Jay Altman of Columbia, S.C. wrote: “Terminal Station in Atlanta opened on 1905, serving the Southern Railway and Seaboard Airline, among other smaller railroads. Terminal Station closed in 1970, and was razed in 1972. The Richard B. Russell Federal building, built in 1979, currently occupies the site.”
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. wrote: Today’s mystery photo is of a painting located in the main entrance and gift shop of the Southeastern Railroad Museum at 3596 Buford Hwy in Duluth. This museum sits on 35-acres and has been in operation since 1970. Owned by the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, it features two model trains in the exhibit hall, over 90 pieces of retired railway rolling stock including historic Pullman cars and classic steam locomotives. Visitors can ride in restored cabooses behind an antique diesel locomotive.”
Also recognizing the mystery were Lou Camerio, Lilburn; Kate Pittman, Lilburn; and Michael Blackwood, Duluth.
Photo courtesy of Bob Hanson.
- 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.
Gwinnett Tech hosts inaugural BAM! event
Dr. D. Glen Cannon, president of Gwinnett Technical College, addressed a crowd of builders, manufacturers, and community stakeholders at the College’s inaugural BAM! (Builders and Manufacturers) appreciation event. This event is dedicated to honoring the invaluable contributions of builders and manufacturers to the College’s workforce development initiatives. From left are Melvin Everson, vice president of Economic Development; State Rep. Dewey McClain; Erich Berniger, WIKA Instrument Corporation; Dr. Cannon; Darwin Newton, Siemens; Cole Porter, Porter Steel; State Rep. Farooq Mughal, and Sabastian Barron, Governor Kemp’s Office. Photo Credit: Jeremy Statum.
Final 2024 Johns Creek Symphony Concert is Saturday
Interested in learning more about Braselton history? Join us for a stroll through the historic district of downtown during National Historic Preservation Month the first four Wednesdays in May. While the tours are free, please make sure you get a ticket. To help us provide an amazing experience, each tour is limited to 30 attendees. The tour will start on the front porch of Braselton Town Hall, former home of W.H. Braselton. The address is 4982 Georgia Highway 53. To reserve your spot, contact Jessica Payne at jpayne@braselton.net or 706-654-5552.
Premium seating: The Gwinnett Stripers will hold a ribbon cutting for Coolray Field’s new premium hospitality space, the Coca-Cola Front Porch, on Thursday, May 2 at 5 p.m. Speakers will include Erin McCormick, Stripers general manager; Alton Rutledge of Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; and Tom Larimer, principal architect of Larimer Design Architecture. That night the Stripers will play the Durham Bulls at 7 p.m.
The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra will present the finale of the 2023-24 season on May 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Jones Creek United Methodist Church. The concert will honor Maestro J. Wayne Baugham’s legacy while celebrating the future of the Orchestra. Featured will be solo performances from Katie Edelman and Adelaide Federici, Baugham’s daughters.
Downtown Braselton will have a clean-up on Saturday, May 4, from 8:30 until 11 a.m. Volunteers wanting to participate should check in at the Gazebo at the Town Green, 9924 Davis Street. Teams will be assigned areas of the historic district to pick up trash. Come help make a difference and keep downtown Braselton looking great.
Breaking Barriers Creating Your Best Self, an interactive workshop, will be presented on May 4 at 11 a.m. at the Norcross Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. It will include a quiz and coaching session, to determine what barriers carry the most weight for them and how breaking barriers leads to healing and transformation.
Next Mulberry Town Hall Meeting will be May 8 at 7 p.m. at the Hamilton Mill Clubhouse soccer field, located at Hog Mountain Road and Hamilton Mill Parkway. An additional meeting will be May 14 at a location TBD.
Author appearance: Stephanie Evans will discuss her book, Africana Tea: A Global History of Tea and Black Women’s Health on Thursday, May 9, at 7 p.m. at the Norcross Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Books will be available for sale and signing.
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