9/9: On helping disabled; Voters lamenting presidential choices

NEWLY-ELECTED officers of the Summerour Middle School PTA have taken office, in a cafeteria filled with members recently. The new officers are, from left, Co-President Maria Salazar; Vice President Madeline Gutierrez, Secretary Kathleen Allen, Co-President Edna Olvera and Treasurer Ruelita Marsh. See more details of this story in Notable below.

button size=”small”]IN THIS EDITION [/button]

TODAY’S FOCUS: Friends of the Disabled Helps With Distribution of Medical Equipment

EEB PERSPECTIVE: Voters on Both Sides Lament “What to Do?” in Presidential Race

ANOTHER VIEW: Not Everyone Will Decide That They Just Cannot Fail To Vote

SPOTLIGHT: The Piedmont Bank

UPCOMING: Peachtree Corners Plans First Ever Recycling Event Sept. 10

NOTABLE: Re-organized Summerour Middle PTA Adopts Promise of Gwinnett

RECOMMENDED: Dahlonega Spa Resort

GEORGIA TIDBIT: A Brief Look at Eastern Air Lines, Once Dominant in Atlanta

TODAY’S QUOTE: Often It Is Difficult To Work Around Silence

MYSTERY PHOTO: Local Couple Seek Help in Identifying Location of This Photo

LAGNIAPPE: Photographer Enjoys Day at the Atlanta Zoo

CALENDAR: Panel Discussion September 17 on the late Pat Conroy

FODAC clients like Joyce Pina Brown benefit from FODAC’s services as they look to engage more fully with their communities and live more independent lives.

Friends of the disabled help with distribution of medical equipment

By Lisbeth Dison, Stone Mountain |  Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) is a non-profit organization providing over $10 million annually in durable medical equipment (DME) and supplies to people with injuries and disabilities. It recently announced that Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA) has fully accredited the organization as a durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) provider. DMEPOS accreditation is required when working as a vendor with Medicare/Medicaid and many insurance carriers and their clients. The organization is headquartered in Stone Mountain at 4900 Lewis Road.

Chris Brand, CEO and president of FODAC says: “The DMEPOS accreditation will help us continue to provide the best services but also open up more partnerships in healthcare. We are seeing more growth in hospital partnerships, and a new contract with Georgia’s Department of Aging Services has enabled us to begin delivering DME to Area Agencies on Aging across the state. We are grateful to Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA) for helping us achieve this accreditation, and look forward to working with them to maintain our high standards in client care.”

The 2003 Medicare Modernization Act required that all DMEPOS suppliers must comply with established quality standards in order to receive Medicare Part B payments and to retain a supplier billing number. These standards are strict. Applying for accreditation is a rigorous and labor-intensive process. Some of the areas scrutinized during the accreditation process include:

• Organization and administration
• Program and service operations
• Financial stability
• Human resources
• Infection/safety control
• Quality monitoring and performance
• Billing and collections
• Delivery and set-up
• Complex rehabilitation
• Clinical respirators
• Mail order
• Custom orthotics
• Medications

At the end of a 24 month training and quality improvement process, the HQAA surveyor inspected FODAC’s entire facility, client charts and financial documents. Extensive interviews were conducted with staff and volunteers, as well as with clients and representatives from contracted entities and partners.

Brand adds: “The DMEPOS accreditation reflects our dedication to those we serve. High standards help us facilitate a higher level of performance and patient care, and bring us an honor of which we are very proud.”

Among its equipment services:

• FODAC accepts phone or walk-in requests for equipment. Medically necessary requests receive top priority followed by medically helpful requests.
• FODAC can only provide equipment as it is donated to us.
• FODAC does not perform repairs on a walk-in basis. Many people who arrive to get a repair without calling first are asked to make an appointment and come back on another date. Those who schedule repairs should bring their confirmation number with them.
• FODAC requires a mandatory contribution fee of $25for each repair plus the cost for any parts that must be purchased. This is to be paid IN ADVANCE of the repair. (The average home health care company charges $60 per hour for labor).

• Have a comment?  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Voters on both sides lament “What to do?” in presidential race

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher  |  If I have heard this once, I have heard it a dozen times this political year.  It continues, here two months before the presidential election.

“I just don’t know what I’m going to do in the presidential election.”

It sometimes comes from Republicans. At other times, it comes from people who would normally vote Democratic.

Neither side has widely-popular candidates. Though there remain die-hards on both sides, a lot of people who are more centrists are just having a hard time.

It may affect early voting, which doesn’t seem to be as popular as it once was. Early voting starts October 17 in Georgia, though you can apply for an Absentee ballot now.

And it may affect the vote totals of the major candidates.  “I may vote Libertarian,” I’ve heard people on both sides say.

These people are your regulars who turn out every election. They really weigh their choices, many thinking themselves more swing voters, but who will often vote one way in this election, perhaps another way in the next election.  Many are truly independent voters, but many more are party regulars upset about their national choice.

What to do?

No one has a good answer.

Perhaps the best suggestion is for these folk who we will award the name “Concerned Voters” will have to play close attention—more than ever before— to what happens in the next two months. There will be a lot of hype and hyperbole from both sides of the spectrum. The Concerned Voters will have to make sure that they are not taken in by such pronouncements. This is a situation where they will have to work hard to really separate the wheat from the chaff. It will not be an easy task.

And in the end, they will have to make at least two choices. Whether to throw up their hands, and just stay away from voting, or go to the polls with a clothespin attached to their nose, and chose one presidential candidate or the other.

Yet, let us urge these Concerned Voters to at least make it to the polls, for at least one reason. There are other people on the ballot who have earned their vote. These may be incumbents who deserve to be returned to their position, or first-time candidates who have shown in the run-up to the vote that they could be good office-holders, at least as good if not better than the incumbents.

Staying away from the polls just because the Concerned Voter is not happy with the presidential candidates is a disservice to our nation, state and county. We feel like voting is an obligation of our citizenship, so therefore urge all to go to the polls.

If you just cannot vote in the presidential race, we understand. But think of the many other candidates for other offices who have been planning their campaign, knocking on doors, and trying to earn your vote.  Remember them on election day, and vote.

CURRENTLY GwinnettForum is interviewing candidates who have opposition in the General Election for state and local offices.  After these interviews are complete, GwinnettForum will once again publish un-edited comments from candidates who visit us and reply to the same six questions, so that our readers will be able to compare how they answer these questions. Look for the beginning of this in mid-October. On the same day, GwinnettForum, for the fourth consecutive election, will also announce its endorsements in all contested races.

YOU’VE HEARD the student’s excuse, “The dog ate my homework.” The modern excuse has changed to “The computer ate my homework.”

That’s what happened to one “recommendation” that a reader sent. We were ready to publish it, but we can no longer find it. So if you sent a recent recommendation, please send again. To complicate matters, we can’t remember who it was from, so we are really in a jam. We want more recommendations (for books, movies, restaurants, you name it) from any of our readers. Please send ‘em in! We’ll try not to lose ‘em.

• Have a comment?  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

button size=”small”]ANOTHER VIEW[/button]

Figuring out who to vote for this time is trying

By Debra Houston, contributing columnist  |  All right, already. I got the message! Since I wrote that I might not vote in the presidential election because we have less than stellar candidates, my friends have gently reprimanded me. My friend “D” says, “It is your civic duty to vote.”

It is indeed my civic duty and my moral obligation. I have never NOT voted. When I became eligible to vote at 18, I couldn’t wait to enter the booth and vote for Senator George McGovern, a trustworthy man who honorably served his country. I was a proud liberal back then, when the word “Democrat” connoted Jeffersonian ideals such as all men are created equal and all lives matter.

Back then I loved how the Democratic Party defended blue-collar workers and their values. But since Bill Clinton’s presidency, progressivism has grown like a cancer in the Democratic Party. The progressive wing looked down on the working class. Eventually, Ronald Reagan became a hero to those voters. That was a bitter pill for Dems to swallow. Regularly, progressives speak down to blue-collars, especially those who are white, male, and God forbid, evangelical. In other words, those who cling to their guns and Bible.

Another pitfall: Democratic politicians and labor unions joined together and sold the line to workers that they would protect their jobs. However, after pouring millions of dollars of union dues into the Democratic Party, workers watched helplessly as their manufacturing jobs left and went overseas.

The middle class has also suffered under progressives. Those caught in the Middle receive the brunt of a sagging economy. Those who can’t find a job over an extended period of time are not even counted in the unemployment rate. No problem, say progressives. We’ll buy them off with “free” health care, food stamps, and welfare checks. But that won’t work with the middle class, who believe it right to take care of themselves, from holding down two or three jobs to making ends meet by making drastic spending cuts in their household budgets.

And, to be fair, the Republican Party has also failed us. It too is made up of intellectual snobs. I’m tired of elitists, and so I’ll join with the blue-collars and working middle class who have chosen a man who is rich but not a snob. No more McCain, Romney, or Bush. I’ll go with the businessman who usually gets what he wants, even if he is jagged around the edges. I’ll vote for Mr. Trump.

The Piedmont Bank

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. The Piedmont Bank, which opened its doors on June 30, 2009, is a full-service bank, with four locations, with its home offices at 5100 Peachtree Parkway in Norcross; and other locations at 185 Gwinnett Drive in Lawrenceville; east of Interstate 85 near Suwanee at Old Peachtree and Brown Roads; and in Dunwoody at 1725 Mount Vernon Road. The bank has loan production offices in Cumming and Brookhaven. It has a capitalization of $51 million, and more than $500 million in assets now. The bank is making substantial business and personal loans. Its directors include Paul Donaldson, Robert D. Cheeley, John J. Howard, Monty G. Watson (who is chairman), Robert J. Ratliff and T. Michael Tennant, while James E. Stephenson is an advisory director. Deposits in The Piedmont Bank are insured by the FDIC.

• For more information, call 770-246-0011 or visit http://www.piedmontbankonline.com.

• For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: Our sponsors.

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.  We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length.  Send feedback and letters to:    elliott@brack.net

Peachtree Corners plans first-ever recycling event for Sept. 10

On Saturday, September 10, 2016 the City of Peachtree Corners will hold its first ever recycling event. This event is for residents only, who will be able to recycle electronics and shred those unwanted and no longer needed documents.

The event will be at 6025/6075 The Corners Parkway, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. or until the truck is full.

American Security Shredding will have their on-site shred truck for all paper materials. Watch your materials being shredded on the video display monitor. Residents are limited to medium size boxes or equivalent.

Get rid of old cell phones, computers, copiers, and keyboards without guilt. ITAD Technologies will be on site to help you recycle those unwanted electronic devices. This event is free except for recycling CRT monitors: Cost to recycle CRT monitors over 17” in size is $25 each. CRT monitors 17” or smaller are $15 each. (CASH ONLY, exact amount preferred). Console or projection televisions or batteries that are leaking cannot be accepted.

• For more information on what can be accepted, click this link.

Nighttime lane closures coming next week on Georgia Highway 316

There will be night lane closures on a small portion of Georgia Highway 316 starting September 11 and continuing through September 15 between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.  The work will be between Georgia Highway 20 and Georgia Highway120 in Lawrenceville. Word of this work comes from the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT).

The lane closures are necessary to allow for the milling of the roadway, prior to repaving. A contractor with the Georgia DOT will be milling various locations to loosen the old portions of the driving surface before new pavement is placed. Lane closures will shift traffic to one lane on Route 316 eastbound and westbound starting Sunday night. Please drive alert and slow down while driving through work zones.

Hudgens Center plans annual pARTy, opening is Rembrandt’s etchings

The Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for the Arts will hold its annual fundraiser pARTy on October 8 from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. The pARTy will also be the opening reception for Sordid and Sacred: The Beggars in Rembrandt’s Etchings, Selections from the Villarino Collection will be on display through December 23. The exhibition features 36 rare etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) executed between 1629 and 1648.

Rembrandt sketch

Widely recognized as the greatest practitioner of the etching technique in the history of art, Rembrandt created 300 prints that constitute a body of work unparalleled in richness and beauty. Rembrandt repeatedly chose beggars as the subject for his etchings. Many of Rembrandt’s etchings sympathetically portray beggars as biblical figures. These etchings of beggars also played an essential role in Rembrandt’s formative years as an artist.

With a street carnival theme, dress is creative casual.  Tickets are $75 for members and $100 for non-members.  Show your support for all the visual arts programs and exhibitions that the Hudgens provides for our community each year.  Proceeds will go to the ongoing financial health of the Hudgens Center for the Arts.  Tickets may be purchased at thehudgens.org/calendar/party.

Re-organized Summerour Middle PTA adopts Promise of Gwinnett

“The Promise of Gwinnett” shone brightly recently at Summerour Middle School (SMS), when the cafeteria full of parents, teachers and school administrators raised their hands to unanimously approve candidates for the school’s new PTA (Parent Teacher Association) Board of Directors.

Although the candidates ran unopposed, their election is noteworthy in that they have been campaigning for parents and community members all summer, tirelessly rallying the Norcross community to get involved. As a result, membership in the school’s PTA has already more than tripled since the prior school year, promising more support for Norcross’ middle schoolers than ever.

Summerour Principal Dorothy Parker-Jarrett says: “Our whole community has a role in how well children do in school. We are all partners in their success, regardless of ages or backgrounds. ‘The Promise of Gwinnett’ is the theme Gwinnett County Public Schools promotes to remind everyone that what happens every day in the classroom makes a difference in each student’s ability to have a bright future. The PTA is a valued education partner, and our parents play an active part in the success of our students. The Norcross community is a strong one – it’s another exciting school year ahead!”

Presenting in both English and Spanish, Maria Salazar, a native of Mexico, proudly accepted her new position as PTA Co-President, along with Edna Olvera, another SMS parent. Maria cited her desire to serve as an opportunity to set the example for others.

Mrs. Salazar says: “For various reasons, I did not finish high school. But now I’m at Gwinnett Technical College. I resumed my studies because I know how important education is, and I currently have two daughters and I want to teach them by my example, that no matter what, education is the basis of success.”

Kathleen Allen resumes her position as PTA Secretary and shares her hopes with the audience. “Last year at this time, we had $90 in the PTA bank account. Thanks to the hard work of these volunteer parents over the summer, we already have $1,600 as we start the new school year! That’s a lot of new members and many exciting possibilities for our PTA to accomplish – we’re looking forward to an awesome school year!”

In addition, Ruelita Marsh, a Summerour teacher, was re-elected treasurer and Summerour Registrar Madeline Gutierrez was elected vice-president. Her bilingual presentation was welcomed by the families in attendance, who seemed very excited to have so many bilingual PTA board members.

Principal Jarrett adds: “We have a good team in place. I am excited about the promises our PTA will help us keep,” added Principal Jarrett.

• For more information about the Summerour PTA, visit www.summerourptsa.com. Annual membership is $10 and proceeds support educational and extra-curricular programming, as well as teacher appreciation activities throughout the school year.

More sidewalks to lead to Lanier Middle School

Gwinnett Commissioners have awarded a contract to install sidewalks along Suwanee Dam and Buford Dam roads leading to Lanier Middle School.

The contract for $799,369.30 goes to CMI Inc. to install sidewalk along the west side of Suwanee Dam Road from Grand Magnolia Drive to the existing sidewalk at Lanier Middle School. The contract also includes another section of sidewalk to be installed along the south side of Buford Dam Road from Island Ford Road to Lanier Middle.

CMES was the lowest of five bidders on the projects, which are funded by the 2014 SPLOST Program. Both projects will include curb and gutter and drainage improvements.

Atlanta youth gaining experience in flying at Briscoe Field

More than 40 of Atlanta’s youth are gaining experience as potential student pilots and learning to save lives today at Briscoe Airport in Lawrenceville. The young men and women are cadets in Civil Air Patrol, the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. The organization is using this opportunity to help turn today’s youth into tomorrow’s leaders through their annual Orientation Flight and Emergency Services Training Festival.

Cadets assemble for drill.

The senior meeting occurs on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. The cadet meeting is held every Thursday evening at 7 p.m.

The cadets who participate in these Orientation Flights come away with a deeper understanding of the aircraft and how it operates. All of the cadets are able to take control of the aircraft in the air, experiencing what it’s like to actually fly a plane. When the cadets are not in the air, they can put their aircraft knowledge to the test in the unit’s advanced flight simulation room. However, it is not just the cadets that partake in the fun; senior members fly the aircraft and lead this incredibly important training.

Through the Emergency Services tasks, cadets are working to achieve their Ground Team rating, learning how important it is to communicate properly in the field, and how to identify clues that may lead them to a missing aircraft in their future as Search and Rescue operators.

Major Erika Thomas, a member of the Georgia STEM Legislative Committee and CAP Legislative Member, took her first flight in a CAP plane over Lake Lanier. “It was amazing. It is probably one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life,” says Thomas. “I can’t wait to tell everybody about it.”

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force, which consists of regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue

Dahlonega Spa Resort

Recommended by Paige Havens, Lawrenceville:  Less than two hours outside of Gwinnett sits a charming resort that is one of North Georgia’s best kept secrets, The Dahlonega Spa Resort. It’s a world apart from the noise and sprawl with an expansive view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This beautiful two-story inn sits overlooking 72 acres of open meadows and woods, offering 14 guest rooms, one suite, lovely sitting areas, and a restaurant. Eight cozy cabins are scattered around the property, along with a spa, outdoor Jacuzzi, a yoga hall/meeting room, a 40 foot walking labyrinth and 1.5 miles of walking trails. The resort is just a short drive to downtown Dahlonega, wineries, waterfalls, hiking and other great North Georgia attractions. This is a great weekend escape!

• An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. –eeb

A brief look at Eastern Air Lines, once dominant in Atlanta

(Editor’s Note: For some items, the Georgia Encyclopedia will re-direct you to the Georgia State University Library, whose digital collection includes an Eastern Air Lines collection. Here is a brief history, written by Carolyn Lee Wills, of Eastern Air Lines, once a dominant force in Atlanta and Georgia.—eeb)

In 1965, Carolyn Lee Wills joined Eastern Airlines as a Representative of Women’s Activities. In this role, she interpreted the company’s program to women by working in the fields of fashion, radio, television, public relations, and promotions.

In 1971, Wills became Regional Manager of Public Relations. Eastern Airlines closed its Atlanta offices in November 1973, but found it difficult to cover their public relations needs in Atlanta from their headquarters in Miami. Four months after closing, Wills was re-hired by Eastern to manage the Southern Division covering Atlanta to Tokyo.

Eastern’s 88-passenger Super Constellation.

The earliest incarnation of Eastern Airlines was Pitcairn Aviation, founded in 1927, which was the U.S. Postal Service contractor flying from New York to Atlanta. In 1930, the carrier was sold to North American Aviation, owner Clement Keys, and was renamed Eastern Air Transport. It soon added passenger routes and adopted the name Eastern Air Lines.

Throughout the pre-World War II era, Eastern dominated passenger travel and air transport along the Atlantic coast, including the introduction of one-day service from New York to Miami in 1932.

Famed pilot Eddie Rickenbacker bought the company in 1938 and was closely identified with it until his 1963 retirement. During the air travel boom of the 1950s and 1960s, Eastern Airlines grew into one of the “”Big Four”” United States carriers, enhancing its status as the lead air travel carrier on domestic east coast flights with the introduction of air shuttle service in 1961.

Shuttle service was created as an alternative to bus routes and included hourly flights from Atlanta to Washington D.C., New York, and Boston. During this time, Eastern Airlines also expanded international service to Mexico, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Canada.

Under the leadership of former astronaut Frank Borman (hired as an advisor in 1969, he became Chief Executive Officer in 1975), Eastern Airlines enjoyed continued successes in the industry until the enactment of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978.

Beginning with Eastern’s early U.S. Postal Service government contract, the company had relied upon the regulated and protective policies governing the airline industry. Without government protection, Eastern’s profits began to make a downward turn that eventually culminated in the selling of the company to Texas Air International, headed by Frank Lorenzo.

Following deregulation, Lorenzo was able to purchase multiple airlines including Continental, Frontier, New York Air, and Eastern. To cut costs in the midst of declining profits, Lorenzo asked Eastern’s union employees to take massive pay cuts in wages and benefits. Union workers refused to accept Lorenzo’s demands and opted to go on strike. By claiming bankruptcy in 1989, Lorenzo was able to hire non-union workers to fill the jobs of striking employees.

Lorenzo took his demands a step further when he asked the machinists’ union to take a pay cut, which resulted in another strike that dealt the final blow to any hope that Eastern Airlines would recover lost profits. In 1991, Eastern Airlines was permanently grounded. Eastern’s main hubs in Atlanta and Miami were taken over by various competitors and its concourses in New York and Newark were demolished.

• To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org

Local couple seeks help in identifying location of this photo

Today’s mystery photo is more of a quest. Lou Camerio of Lilburn sends in his photo.  He and his wife, Dee, “…would like to know where this photo was taken. It is of members of her family and was taken prior to 1946. Everyone in the photo is deceased. Maybe one or two of your readers can identify the location.”

So how about it, guys? Can you help them out? There are several identifiable clues, so who’s up to making the ID? Send in your thoughts to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include your hometown.

That stately building of the last Mystery Photo was difficult for many readers. It came from Tom Merkel of Berkeley Lake. Ruthie Lachman Paul of Norcross recognized it: “Formerly  the customs house, Port de Barcelona, Rambla del Mar, Port Vell, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain,” as did Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill.”  Tom says that today it is known as the Fish Market, in such a building old building, too.

Then Bob Foreman of Grayson called it another name: “The mystery photo was at first a big mystery to me so I had to think about it for a while.  I am a big fan of video tours as seen on PBS (Rick Steves) and the Travel Channel. So I have visited many places by video (often while walking on the treadmill) and I tend to remember what I have seen. I have never been to Barcelona, but this is the Port Authority building in Barcelona, Spain. It is right on the water, but the water does not show in the photo.  It looks more like a church building, which really throws you off.”

Photographer enjoys day at the Atlanta Zoo

Roving Photographer Frank Sharp visited the Atlanta Zoo recently. He reports: “Our day at the zoo first started at the Collins Hill Library, where I was given four free passes, which is available to all patrons of Gwinnett County who have a library card.  It works this way.  They have one DVD at the library on Zoo Atlanta.  Once you view and return the DVD, you’re given a receipt which you take to the ticket window at the zoo and they will admit a family four into the zoo!  I should add that this pass is only good for one week.

“We always visit the Giant Pandas first.  Notice the child putting his small hands right against an exotic animal, like in the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.  The Wild Planet Café is air-conditioned and is next door to the Pandas.  We ate there, including a huge basket of Sweet Potatoes Fries – the best I have ever eaten, bar none. What a great zoo! I feel it’s one of the best in the world.

Craft Market at Hudgens Center for the Arts in Duluth on Saturday, September 10, between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Throughout the day, experience great food and a variety of crafts, including free make n’ take projects. The market offers the opportunity for makers to be able to sell their goods and for buyers to purchase unique goods directly from their creators. The event is partnering with the Indie Craft Experience to host Made: Handcrafted Market, which is on view through September 24.

Meet master violin makers from Cremona, Italy Giorgio Grisales and Stefano Trabucchi at the North Gwinnett Art Gallery in Suwanee on Saturday and Sunday, September 10-11 at 4 p.m. Professional musicians from the Atlanta Symphony will compare the differences in sound from one instrument to another. There is no entry fee, but seats are limited. For more information, click here.

 5K and Fun Run is set for September 10, hosted by the Snellville Police Explorers Post 805. This “Super Mario Kart” registration will start at 6 a.m. at the Snellville First Baptist Church. For more information, visit www.post805.org.

Made: Handcrafted Market will be on Saturday, September 10 at the Hudgens Center for the Arts in Duluth from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Over 75 vendors and food trucks will participate. For more information, visit www.ice-atlanta.com.

16^th Annual British Car Fayre will be on Saturday, September 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in downtown Norcross. No cost to attend. Over 400 British automobiles and motorcycles will be on display.  Free parking and a shuttle service will be provided. More info:www.atlantabritishcarfayre.com.

Remembrance Ceremony at the Gwinnett Fallen Heroes Memorial, Sunday, September 11, at 8:30 a.m. at 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville. This is a remembrance of the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 bombing. The ceremony will be put on by the Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. The speaker will be 1st Lieutenant James M. Boatfield (U.S. Army Reserves). The Gwinnett Fire Department Bagpipers will provide the music.

No Long Lens Needed is the subject at the meeting of the Southern Wings Bird Club Monday, September 12 at 7 p.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville, Room A. Speaker will be Arch Baker, for 13 years a professional photographer. A sampling of Baker’s more recent work can found at abpic.smugmug.com. Learn how to use your cameras to take the perfect picture of birds, bugs, and more!

Restoring Hope Partner’s meeting and breakfast, Thursday, September 15 at 7:30 a.m. at the Norcross First United Methodist Church, 2500 Beaver Ruin Road. Restoring Hope is the campaign to engage, encourage and empower the Norcross Community Ministry. Those wanting to attend should RSVP by August 22 to kyra@norcrossco-op.org or call 770 263-0013.

(NEW) Panel Discussion on “Remembering Pat Conroy,” Saturday, September 17 at 1:30 p.m. at the Dunwoody Campus of Georgia State University, 2101 Womack Road, Building NC auditorium.  John Pruitt will lead the discussion, with panelists Terry Kay, Daniel Sklar, Cliff Graubart and Bernie Schien. More info: http://www.atlantawritersclub.org.

“Ethics, Epidemics and Education” is the title of a symposium on Public Health on September 17 at the Georgia Archives in Morrow. It will bring together scholars to discuss topics as diverse as Zika, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, immunization, and the Tuskegee syphilis study. Another symposium is set for the day before, entitled “Ethics, Eugenics, and Public Health in Georgia.”  Both include a tour of the Archives, a panel discussion and a reception. Georgia Humanities, a sponsor of the events, looks forward to presentations by Georgia Humanities Dr. Jodie Guest, professor of the Rollins School of Public Health and School of Medicine at Emory University, and Kaye Lanning Minchew, author of A President in Our Midst: Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Georgia. For more information, visit www.georgiaarchives.org/.

Gateway International Food and Music Festival will be on September 17 from 4-8 p.m. at Lillian Webb Park in Norcross. Held in conjunction with Welcoming America’s Welcoming Week, this event will showcase the region’s best multicultural talent and highlight the rich cultural contributions of Gwinnett’s diverse communities. For more information, visit aplacetoimagine.com.

 30^th Annual Japan Fest will take place September 17-18 at the Infinite Energy Center , 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth. JapanFest Weekend will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Saturday) and10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 404-842-0736 or visit japanfest.org.

Open House at Byrd and Flanigan Funeral Service in Lawrenceville on Sunday, September 18, from 1 until 5 p.m. The new funeral home is located at 288 Hurricane Shoals Road Northeast.

Library Temporarily Closing: Gwinnett County Public Library’s Suwanee Branch will be closed on Thursday, September 22 for the removal of the help desk. The branch will resume normal business hours on Friday, September 23. Book drops will remain open.

GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday.

Meet our team

• Editor and publisher:  Elliott Brack, 770.840.1003
• Managing editor: Betsy Brack
• Roving photographer:  Frank Sharp
• Contributing columnist: Debra Houston
• Contributing columnist: George Wilson

More

• Location: We are located in Suite 225, 40 Technology Park, Norcross, GA 30092.
• Work with us: If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more.

Subscriptions to GwinnettForum are free.

• Click to subscribe.

• Unsubscribe.  We hope you’ll keep receiving the great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, go to this page and unsubscribe in the appropriate box.

© 2016, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA.