The nationally-recognized Budweiser Clydesdales horse team will indeed appear in the Lawrenceville Christmas Parade on December 2. The promotional team was first announced, then withdrawn, and is now back on the schedule for this Gwinnett event. For more details, see Upcoming below.
IN THIS EDITION
TODAY’S FOCUS: Making a Few Points As She Waits for the 2018 Elections
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Lilburn Will Be Site of Gwinnett’s First Distillery by January
SPOTLIGHT: Primerica, Inc.
FEEDBACK: Three Letters Contribute to Dialogue on Political Events
UPCOMING: Gwinnett Cities Plan Their Own Christmas Tree Lighting Events
NOTABLE: Kudzu Art Zone To Mark 10th Anniversary through January
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Savannah River Has Major Impact All Along Its Flow
TODAY’S QUOTE: How One Person Thinks after Being Given a Blow
MYSTERY PHOTO: America Based Scene Is This Edition’s Mystery Photo
CALENDAR: Grand Reopening of Fire Station One Museum is December 3
TODAY’S FOCUSMaking a few points as she waits for the 2018 elections
By Sara Rawlins, Lawrenceville, Ga. | Please allow me to make a few points.
Point 1. Yes, Mr. Trump won the election with the help of the “White Man,” especially in the rural areas, but here’s a fact that needs to be pointed out: most of their jobs went overseas way before President Obama came into office and most jobs were out-sourced because of cost concerns. Here the fault lies with big business, which Mr. Trump is a part of.
Point 2. President Obama did not accuse supporters as sexist for not voting for Hillary. If anyone should be called sexist, Mr. Trump wins, with his misogynistic rhetoric.
Point 3. Both candidates shook a lot of hands before and after their rallies across the country. After the debates, Hillary stayed to chat, shake hands and take pictures with the audience. Mr. Trump and family quickly left the debate floor.
Point 4. Mr. Trump, even when following script, did not offer any tangible solutions, and when not on script, sounded as unhinged. Hillary on the other hand, had solutions for problems facing this country, but was overshadowed by her email controversy and lack of adequate response to it.
Point 5. Mr. Trump had his celebrity friends stumping for him. Remember Ted Nugent’s endorsement when he said: “I have your Blue States here,” and then grabbed his crotch. One has to wonder what the heck that meant.
Point 6. We may be “sore losers,” but it can also be said most conservatives are sore winners. As for the current Mrs. Trump, there was a photo of her in an open mink coat and pearls and all else left to the imagination. I’m sure this might have been one of those boudoir photos she gave as a gift to her husband that somehow found its way into the Playboy Magazine. (Trust me, the picture is out there on the internet.)
Point 7. I’m not biased (well, not too much), and I wish this country well with this new President (elect). However, we are a nation of laws guaranteed and set down in our own Constitution. No one, not even the president of the United States of America, is above our laws.
As for me, I can’t wait for 2018, a new Governor and a new Congress
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Lilburn will be site of Gwinnett’s first distillery by January
Distillery equipment has copper-coated insides.
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | By January, Gwinnett may have a distinctive new business venture up and running—-its first distillery.
Hope Springs Distillery in Lilburn is the concept of a Norcross couple who decided to “hire ourselves” when they were looking for something “legal to do” as they left full-time employment.
It hasn’t been an overnight move….the entire process from writing a business plan and getting the technical understanding in classes for the distillery, plus going through the many federal and state permits, then getting the equipment set up—has taken over two years already. And they don’t anticipate producing their first batch of vodka—their first product—until perhaps January.
The couple are Paul Allen and Betsey Dahlberg, married now for 20 years. He has been an engineer, schooled in New York (Alfred University and Rochester Institute of Technology), who traveled the world for years. She’s a Stone Mountain native, University of Tennessee and UGA (law) graduate, and retired attorney in New Jersey. When she divorced, Betsey took her maiden name. (Former Southern Company President Bill Dahlberg is her brother.)
Allen
Allen says: “We’ve made wine and mead at home for 20 years, and with craft breweries all the rage now, we decided to open a craft distillery.”
The distillery name comes from the Dahlberg farm in Stone Mountain, between Redan and Rockbridge Roads. Allen says: “I fell in love the same day with her (Betsey), her mother and their stone house on the farm where they lived.”
Since a spirits facility must be in areas where liquor sales are permitted, that means it cannot be in dry unincorporated Gwinnett County, but must be in a “wet” city. The couple first sought interest in Norcross, but met a roadblock, then settled on Lilburn. They operate out of a 4,200 square foot facility on Railroad Avenue in Lilburn. “Lilburn’s been great for us,” Allen says.
Allen had some “background” in the field. “My late previous father-in-law was a moonshiner,” he remembers. “I’ve had some experience observing.” But, he adds, “You must show the Tobacco and Tax Bureau you have competence, so we took courses in distilling.”
Dahlberg
During the first year of planning, the second year of renovating the building, installing equipment, and obtaining permits, they have taken no salaries. They also have formed a relationship with a distributor, Savannah Distribution of Atlanta. “They’re fantastic, have 80 sales people, and will concentrate our marketing toward Gwinnett and North Georgia, not in the competitive world of Atlanta,” Dahlberg says.
It’ll take only four hours for the initial distilling, then a week to move a batch of spirits through the process to bottling. They estimate that they can make about 30 cases a day. “That’ll be $10,000 a month in federal alcohol taxes alone,” Allen points out.
In this learning process, the couple found out that their distillery will be sought out by other companies to run private label bottling.
With Allen’s engineering background, he figures the bottling is essentially a scientific process. “You twist knobs to figure out the optimum way to do it. Yes, it’ll take practice. Vodka can be made with grain, or starch. It has no taste or color. You cook the starch, cook it with enzymes or malt and convert it to sugar, then add yeast, convert it to alcohol, then heat it in the still to take the water out of it.”
Their vodka will be named Top Hat. They have a name and label for their bourbon, for the founder of their bottling city, “Lilburn Trig Myers,” who has on a tall hat in his official portrait at City Hall.
So, come 2017, look for Gwinnett’s newest product, a bottle of spirits, made in Lilburn.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Primerica, Inc.
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Primerica, Inc., headquartered in Duluth is a leading distributor of financial products to middle-income families in North America and is Gwinnett’s fourth largest employer, with 1,700 employees. Primerica representatives educate their Main Street clients about how to better prepare for a more secure financial future by assessing their needs and providing appropriate solutions through term life insurance, which it underwrites, and mutual funds, annuities and other financial products, which it distributes primarily on behalf of third parties. In addition, Primerica provides an entrepreneurial full or part-time business opportunity for individuals seeking to earn income by distributing the company’s financial products. It insures more than five million lives and approximately two million clients maintain investment accounts with them. Primerica is a member of the S&P MidCap 400 and the Russell 2000 stock indices and is traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PRI.”
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Worries that elimination of estate tax means no American equality
Editor, the Forum:
Our country believes in equality. In watching British historical dramas, it is clear that the aristocracy and the commoners were not equal in the United Kingdom. America has a different history.
I am concerned that both Trump and the Republican Congress have agreed to do away with the estate tax, thus allowing the very rich to transfer all of their wealth to their next generation. This results in a concentration of wealth into the hands of those who may not deserve it.
Such a fundamental societal change will result in the very rich becoming a generational aristocracy and the rest of us commoners stuck in our lower class. American equality no more.
— Alan Schneiberg, Sugar Hill
Even followers will eventually realize Trump has no interest in them
Editor, the Forum:
Let us hope that Debbie Houston retreats into the bowels of anonymity now that the election is over.
We will be watching and monitoring all that Trump does. Based on his early maneuverings…criticizing everything he does. He is unfit to serve, surrounded by bigots, rightwing radicals, etc….and rewriting rules of this hallowed land and causing me to lose sleep realizing his name and portrait will be there along with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and FDR. His followers will realize he has NO interest in supporting them or living up to the hollow promises he made to them. Sad!
— Howard Hoffman, Norcross
Republicans, with all their power, can no longer blame Democrats
Editor, the Forum:
After reading Debbie Houston’s recent column, I wholeheartedly agree some Democrats are sore losers.
However, it’s pretty clear from the column that some Republicans are gloating, basking in the light of a candidate they really didn’t expect to win.
Early warning to the GOP: You now own the federal government by controlling the executive branch, the Senate and the House. Whatever you reap, you’ll own that too. You can’t blame Democrats now. And if you conveniently forget at election time, don’t worry — we’ll be watching. And we’ll remind you.
— 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. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
UPCOMINGGwinnett cities getting ready for tree lightings and parades
Several Gwinnett cities have announced plans for tree lightings.
LAWRENCEVILLE: The Budweiser Clydesdales, indeed, are coming to Lawrenceville’s holiday parade. Originally postponed until 2017, Anheuser-Busch has announced its corporate decision to reschedule the Clydesdales for the City’s 2016 Christmas parade.
The December 2 festivities will begin at 7 p.m. with the Parade, running down Perry Street on the Square, east on Crogan Street and south on Chestnut Street where it will conclude. Lawrenceville’s Hometown Christmas will also feature Santa Claus, over 40 community floats and Christmas activities on the Square.
NORCROSS will have its tree lighting on December 2 at 5:30 p.m. in Thrasher Park. Enjoy music from Norcross First United Methodist Church. Norcross resident Steven Howington will officially light the Christmas tree. For over 30 years, Howington, who has Down syndrome, has lit the City of Norcross’ Christmas tree.
Enjoy free hot cocoa and cookies (while supplies last) courtesy of the Norcross Masonic Lodge and the Norcross Lions Club while watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Shrek the Halls” on the big screen while you wait to meet Santa. Relish in the sounds of the Salvation Army Brass Band as the annual Red Kettle Bell campaign kicks off during this time as well.
WHEN LILBURN residents light the tree on Main Street, they can take home a special ornament to hang on their own Christmas tree.
Lilburn will commemorate the first holiday season at the new City Hall-Library with a special edition ornament with etching in polished brass, plated with 14-karat gold. The ornament is now available for purchase for $12.
The tree lighting will take place at 7 p.m. today (Tuesday, November 29) in front of the Calvin Fitchett Municipal Complex, 76 Main St. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta will announce the winners of the city’s holiday coloring contest, and the Lilburn Middle School Chorus will perform carols.
This year’s Lilburn Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 3 at 10 a.m., has nearly 100 entries, including traditional floats, classic cars, and festive costumes. The parade will begin in front of First Baptist Church of Lilburn and will proceed to downtown Main Street, where there will be free professional photos with Santa and children’s crafts after the parade. Main Street will be closed during the parade. The city will have four former City of Lilburn mayors serving as Parade Grand Marshals this year: Charles Bannister, Jack Bolton, Jimmy Ray Morton, and Diana Preston.
IN DULUTH, instead of the previous tree lighting, “Deck the Hall” will usher in the holiday spirit with a polar express train ride, a snow playground, Santa Claus and tree lighting on Saturday, December 3 at 3 p.m. on the Duluth Town Green.
Children can stop by and say hi to Santa and share their Christmas wishes. Photos with Santa are welcome. Arts and crafts will be available as well as inflatables, live entertainment and City Hall Open House/Community Chat with Council. The event continues until 6 p.m.
IN SUGAR HILL, the tree lighting will be December 3 at 5:30 p.m. at the City Hall complex. There will be a holiday market, free carriage rides, musical performances and of course, the appearance of Santa Claus.
IN SUWANEE, you’d better watch out, and you’d better not cry – Santa Claus is coming to town on Friday, December 2 at 6:30 p.m. for the City of Suwanee’s annual Jolly Holly Day celebration at Town Center Park! Santa will light Suwanee’s Christmas tree, listen to wishes, and be available for photos with all the good girls and boys.
Choruses from Level Creek, Riverside, Roberts, Burnette, Parsons, and Suwanee elementary schools will perform some of the season’s favorite tunes, while performers from Sounds of Suwanee and Royal Dance Academy also will serve up some jammin’ jingles. Free hot chocolate, cookies, s’mores, and holiday crafts will be available while supplies last.
Peachtree Corners and Snellville held their tree lightings on November 26.
Gwinnett extends hours at Lawrenceville branch with Open-Plus
Gwinnett County Public Library (GCPL) will expand Open+ hours at the Lawrenceville Branch beginning December 10. The service, which gives customers self-service access to the Library from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. during the week, will expand to Saturdays from 8 to 10 a.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.
Open+, a system developed by Norcross-based technology supplier Bibliotheca, is a complete solution that automatically controls and monitors building access, self-service kiosks, public access computers, lighting, alarms, public announcements and patron safety. The service was launched in June.
Customers who are 18 years of age or older and hold a library card in good standing may register for Open+ at any of GCPL’s 15 branches for a $5 fee. Upon arrival, customers will insert their own library card into a reader at the entrance, enter a pin, and gain access to library resources.
- For more information about Open+, call the Library Help Line at 770-978-5154 or stop by your local branch.
Norcross’ Sparkle Celebration kicks off season on Dec. 2
Carriage rides are part of Norcross Sparkle program.
The City of Norcross will host its annual holiday celebration, ‘Sparkle! A Celebration of Kids, Creativity and Magic’, which includes carriage rides, photos with Santa, a Christmas tree lighting in the park and holiday entertainment starting on December 2.
These events include:
- Photos with Santa and Carriage Rides: Carriage rides will be dashing through Norcross December 2 through December 23 every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in front of Taste of Britain. You can catch Santa for photos at The Crossing Restaurant starting on December 6.
- Holiday First Friday Concert with The Rainmen, a rock ‘n’ roll combo, specializing in mostly danceable, fun songs from the 60s and early 70s. Be there listening to the tunes of the season from 7 – 9 p.m. December 2 at the Norcross Cultural Arts and Community Center. Christmas Tree Lighting: December 2 at 5:30 p.m. at Thrasher Park.
Gwinnett Orchestra and Chorus plans yule concert for Dec. 12
Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra and Chorus’ ‘YULE BE SWINGIN’ will be “Rockin’ the Halls” with the sounds of Christmas at 7 p.m. on Monday, December 12, at Infinite Energy Center Theater. The Orchestra is under the direction of Rick Smith, with the Jazz Orchestra is led by Dr. Jose Manuel Garcia. Children will experience especially memorable moments when the pair is conducting the orchestra and chorus on stage with Santa to Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride. They can visit with Santa after the concert. Frosty and Rudolph will be making appearances during the concert, as well.
In keeping with the spirit of Christmas giving, especially to children, Gwinnett Symphony will contribute a portion of their proceeds from this concert to benefit the services provided to children by Atlanta Mission.
Concert tickets range from $8-$25 each. Groups of 20 or more can take advantage of the large-group discount, getting tickets at $8 each based on availability in the orchestra front or back sections!
- For more information and to purchase tickets, or to help sponsor this event visit www.GwinnettSymphony.org.
Kudzu Art Zone to mark 10th anniversary through January
“At Jones Bridge” is a painting is by Cathy Crock that is included in the exhibit.
Kudzu Art Zone in Norcross is celebrating its ten year anniversary this month. Throughout its brief history, Kudzu has come a long way, expanding into a valued part of the arts community. Its expansive gallery and work space offer new exhibitions each six weeks, many, many classes for adults and children and workshops led by nationally-known art instructors. It has reached out to the community with special workshops for children and has a scholarship fund, the Susie Schlar Fund, named in memory of one of the early members and enthusiastic supporters of Kudzu and the arts.
The celebratory exhibit and continues through January 12. Its opening reception is on Sunday, December 4 from 3 to 5 p.m. At this Ten Year Anniversary celebration and holiday party, there will be food, wine and music. Kudzu Art Zone is located at 116 Carlyle Street in downtown Norcross and is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturdays from 11 am to 4 pm.
Snellville council approves 201-unit senior housing development
The City of Snellville Council approved a 201-unit senior housing development to be located behind Eastside Medical Center last week.
The project by Senior Lifestyle Corporation and Griffin Fine Living calls for a 201-unit, mixed-senior housing development for those 62 and older, consisting of 24 independent living cottages (duplexes and triplexes), 64 assisted living units and 32 memory care units located in a three-story, 75,000-square-foot building. Also included is a 81 independent living units located in a three-story, 89,000-square-foot building as part of Phase I of the master-planned development with the option to add up to 192 additional senior type units and not exceed 51,500 square feet of medical offices in Phase II of development.
The developer agreed to a 50-foot non-disturbed buffer along the adjacent residential property line and Waterford Township Community development. The buffer will be enhanced with evergreen landscaping and plantings, subject to the City’s review and approval, with limited access for utilities and landscaping maintenance, where necessary. The buffer also includes a row of evergreen plants where necessary to create a visual screen. The building may also not exceed 60 feet in height.
Two from media select Gwinnett Tech for national veterans’ recognition
Gwinnett Tech has earned two significant national recognitions for their outstanding Veterans Services.
Military Times released their 2017 Best for Vets: Career and Technical College List and Gwinnett Tech was ranked 19th in the nation for its commitment to education and providing opportunities to America’s veterans, service members and their families.
Additionally, Gwinnett Tech has earned the 2017 Military Friendly School designation by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs, STEM Jobs, and Military Spouse.
Each year, the distinguished list of Military Friendly Schools is provided to service members and their families across the country, helping them select the best college, university, or trade school to receive the education and training needed to pursue a civilian career. Institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation are evaluated using both public data sources and responses from Victory Media’s proprietary survey. Only 1,160 institutions in the U.S. were awarded the designation this year.
RECOMMENDEDAn 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
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBITSavannah River has major impact all along its flow
The Savannah River, one of Georgia’s longest and largest waterways, defines most of the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina. The river originates at the confluence of the Seneca and Tugaloo rivers in Hart County in eastern Georgia. The confluence also forms Lake Hartwell, a large reservoir built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Though the Savannah itself begins in the Piedmont geologic province, its tributary headwaters originate on the southwestern slopes of the rugged Blue Ridge geologic province of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
On a map, the basin roughly resembles an arrowhead. It encompasses 10,577 square miles, of which 175 square miles are in southwestern North Carolina, 4,581 square miles are in western South Carolina, and 5,821 square miles are in eastern Georgia. In Georgia, the basin drains portions of twenty-seven counties.
From Lake Hartwell, the Savannah River flows southeasterly for 313 miles until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean approximately 15 miles downstream from the city of Savannah. The alluvial rivers transport large amounts of sediments, which contribute to the sand deposits on coastal islands, and of nutrients that nourish life in the river.
At the U.S. Geological Survey river gauge near Clyo, in Effingham County, the Savannah’s average annual flow is 12,040 cubic feet per second, one of the largest discharges of freshwater from any river in the Southeast. Below this point, the Savannah is tidally influenced, and conventional river-flow measurement is unreliable.
The river provides drinking water to two of Georgia’s major metropolitan areas, Augusta and Savannah, and assimilates their treated wastewater. It is also a source of drinking water for the cities of Beaufort and Hilton Head in South Carolina and for many smaller municipalities in the basin. In addition, the Savannah supplies water for the Savannah River Site, which includes the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, in South Carolina, as well as for the two nuclear reactors of Plant Vogtle, a major electricity-generating facility operated by Georgia Power Company in Burke County.
On the coast, the Savannah River is the shipping channel for the Port of Savannah, the nation’s tenth-busiest port for oceangoing container ships, which is operated by the Georgia Ports Authority. Before emptying into the Atlantic, the Savannah forms a braided network of tidal creeks, salt marshes, and freshwater marshes, much of which constitutes the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, one of Georgia’s prime bird-watching spots.
(To be continued)
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
American-based scene is this edition’s Mystery Photo
At least with the American flag, you know the country of this Mystery Photo. Use these clues in the photo to help you guess its location. Send in your thoughts to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include your hometown.
The last edition Photo Mystery was from Londonderry/Derry, Northern Ireland, sent in by Frank Sharp of Lawrenceville. Spotting the photo was George Graf of Palmyra, Va., who noted that the “River Foyle is on the left and the Guildhall with the clock tower lights up on the right. I believe the photographer captured this photo from his/her bedroom window on an upper floor of the City Hotel on Queens Quay.
“Research suggests that Derry was inhabited around 1,400 years ago. The name Derry was derived from the Irish word Doire, meaning Oak Grove. The Royal Charter changed the name of the city to Londonderry in 1613 to associate the city with the London Guilds’ involvement. Derry was one of the major ports in 19th century where people sailed for North America and usually settled in New Hampshire. Amelia Earhart made her first solo transatlantic flight by landing just outside the farmland in Derry.”
Also spotting the photo: Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill. And Sandy and Rick Krause of Lilburn sent in a daylight view of the same scene: “ The nighttime city scene looks to us like Derry and the River Foyle, Northern Ireland. However, it seems that the Peace Bridge should be in view.” (The Frank Sharp photo was taken in 2006.)
CALENDAR
Christmas Tree Lighting in Lilburn will be Tuesday, November 29. The program begins at 7 p.m. in front of the former City Hall at 76 Main Street in Old Town. A holiday musical performance by the Lilburn Middle School Chorus will follow, and afterward, hot chocolate will be served.
Seminar on starting a nonprofit charity. To be held on December 1 at 6 p.m. at the Five Forks Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library. Discover the characteristics of a successful nonprofit, steps to incorporating and obtaining tax-exempt status, and fundraising, staffing, and other organizational concerns. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.
Candlelight Tours of Yule Decorated McDaniel Farm Park, starting Thursday, Dec. 1, at 8:30 p.m. Tours will also be offered on December. 2, 8, 10, 16, 17, 18, 20, and 21. See the warmth of candles and the home decorated with fresh greenery and period holiday ornaments as costumed guides share historic customs and traditions with a glimpse of everyday life on a family farm. After the tour, guests will enjoy a delicious cup of hot chocolate or apple cider as well as have the opportunity to make a holiday craft. A program fee for the candlelight tour is $8 per person. Pre-registration is required and must be done online at www.gwinnettEHC.org. McDaniel Farm is located at 3251 McDaniel Road, Duluth,
(NEW) Grand Opening of the Fire Station No. 1 Museum in Norcross will be Saturday, December 3 at 10:30 a.m. The Fire Station Museum in Norcross has recently undergone a facelift that gives a more museum-like experience to its visitors. The museum’s centerpiece, a 1942 Fire Engine converted Jeep. which was restored by the committee members of the DeLeon Foundation, has continued to draw an interested audience.
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