ANCHOR: It’s a new landmark now “anchored” on the front lawn of the United Arab Shipping Company’s North American headquarters in Peachtree Corners. This giant anchor is located in the northwestern corner of Peachtree Parkway and Spalding Drive. The firm moved to the area last October, and now has added this piece of “art.” Gerard Bradley, spokesman for the company, says: “With the merging of all of our U.S. offices in one place, we had the idea of ‘dropping anchor’ in the literal and figurative sense. Soon the anchor will be sanded, primed and painted a dark marine gray color while the surrounding area will be landscaped.” The 9½ ton cast-iron ship’s anchor came from one of the firm’s container vessels. The anchor was recently installed with the help of the Georgia Ports Authority, which was instrumental in getting the anchor loaded and transported from Savannah to Peachtree Corners. Now Gwinnett can thumb its nose to any city that might have a Big Chicken, with its what may be the “Biggest Anchor” around.
Issue 15.03 | April 10, 2015
IN THIS EDITION
TODAY’S FOCUS: Coming Soon: the 36th Annual Grayson Day Celebration
EEB PERSPECTIVE: From Cell Phones, Scholarships and Seniors to the Falcons
ANOTHER VIEW: Wants Legislature To Meet More, Not Less
FEEDBACK: Another Take on Legislature Meeting Less Often
UPCOMING: Aurora Opening, Barefoot Coming Soon, and Candidate for Mayor
NOTABLE: Forest Service Jobs, Suwanee Adds More Art and Water Council Openings
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Georgia Poetry Society Meets Quarterly Around the State
TODAY’S QUOTE: Can You Recall Anything Funny from Richard Nixon?
MYSTERY PHOTO: Only Two People Recognized This Landmark
LAGNIAPPE: Look on Bright Side Is Focus of Kudzu Art Zone show
TODAY’S FOCUS
36th annual Grayson Day on the calendar for April 25
By Gail Lane
GRAYSON, Ga., April 10, 2015 — The 36th Annual Grayson Day on Saturday, April 25 will be a day of remembering and celebrating heroes — both big and small — those who have fought for our rights and dignity, stood as role models in our lives, and those who give of themselves to make a difference in our community. Grayson is dedicating the day to celebrating all the heroes among us!
Trumpeter Tate Paul was in the Grayson Day Parade with the Grayson High Band last year.
Each year, Grayson celebrates spring with the Grayson Day Parade and Festival. Last year more than 200 vendors brought their arts, crafts, food, music, and enterprises to Grayson Community Park and more than 5,000 people enjoyed their warm welcome to the City of Grayson. This year is expected to be bigger than ever, according to City Administrator Laura Cone and Mayor Allison Wilkerson, who have coordinated the event for the last 12 years.
Cone says: “All of our food spots were filled in early February. Our vendor spots are filling up quickly.” Last year, the festival grew to the point that the site was expanded to accommodate a larger children’s play area and more vendors.
The Grayson Day Parade steps off at 10 a.m. with the theme “A Celebration of Heroes.”
Mayor Wilkerson says: “We would like for parade participants to create floats that honor those in our midst who are heroes in their efforts on behalf of others. We want to recognize and celebrate the efforts of servicemen and women, policemen, firemen, teachers, mentors, and those who work tirelessly to make this world a better place. What may appear to be a small act of selflessness to some may be an act of heroism in the eyes of others.”
In a tradition started in 2014 with “Make-A-Wish,” the City of Grayson will use the Grayson Day Festival as a platform to raise funds and awareness for a non-profit cause that affects those in this community. This year’s recipient is the Southeastern Gwinnett Co-op Ministry, which helps those in need in the community and has been an active part of Grayson’s community since moving here in 2014. “We’re very excited to be able to continue to bring awareness to the Co-Op and provide whatever we can to help sustain its good works,” adds Wilkerson.
Laura Drake, director at the SE Gwinnett Co-op, will be the 2015 Grand Marshal. “She is definitely one of the most heroic people I’ve met,” says Wilkerson. And there will be the Co-Op Float, built by Snellville Council Members and volunteers in honor of the Co-Op and Grayson’s win in the Give Hunger the Boot Challenge in January.
In keeping with the heroic theme, Grayson welcomes visitors to the park for the first of the 2015 Movies in the Park that evening with Big Hero 6. The movie begins at dusk.
It’s going to be a day of celebration and fellowship … and a great day to Get Into Grayson!
EEB PERSPECTIVE
On seniors, cell phones, scholarships and the late Eddie LeBaron
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher, GwinnettForum.com
APRIL 10, 2015 — Today let us throw in some tidbits which we have wanted to mention for a while.
In which part of Gwinnett are most of the older residents living? This accompanying map can tell you. The darker the precinct, the more people over age 60 who live in that area.
You can see from the map that the more eastern and southern areas of Gwinnett have the majority of older citizens in it. (Source: Gwinnett County Health and Human Services.) There have been a number of seniors taking advantage of programming at the Centerville Community Center lately. In late 2013, a satellite Senior Center under Gwinnett Senior Services opened in the Centerville Community Center, located on Bethany Church Road. Altogether, there were 109,855 seniors in the county in 2014. It’s predicted that the senior population in Gwinnett will grow to 205,295 in 2040. The growth information is from Woods and Poole Economics, Inc.
Darker areas shows heavier senior population in Gwinnett
The 2014 SPLOST program includes funding for Gwinnett Senior Services to build a freestanding senior center on the property next to the Centerville community center/library. The building project is in the design phase with a projected opening in late 2016.
* * * * *
A local sorority is offering scholarships to African-American students again. The Upsilon Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc invites high school male and female seniors in the metro-Gwinnett County area to apply for the Beauty P. Baldwin Scholarship. Through this program, the sorority has awarded nearly $100,000 in scholarships to college-bound freshman.
Karen Rhodes, chapter president, suggests that individuals contact their school counselor or go to the www.upsilonalphaomega.com for the application and further details. But there is little time. Application deadline is April 18, 2015.
* * * * *
Gwinnett County Public Library’s Buford Branch will be closed beginning May 4 for a lighting project. The branch is scheduled to reopen on May 11. The bulk of the project takes place on the public floor and would present safety issues for anyone walking through the space.
* * * * *
Atlanta Falcon fans may remember a former executive of the team who died recently. He is Eddie LeBaron, who was 85, and died in Stockton, Calif.
Former Falcons Owner Rankin Smith hired LeBaron as his general manager just before the team moved their operations to Gwinnett County in 1978. You may remember that the Falcons bought and extensively remodeled the former Ramada Inn and its grounds for their new headquarters and training camp. The location was at Interstate 85 and Georgia Highway 317, at the Suwanee exit, where they remained until 2000, before moving to Flowery Branch.
LeBaron was a 5 foot 7 inch All-American quarterback out of the College (now University) of the Pacific, and led his team to an undefeated season in 1949. Later he was a quarterback for the Washington Redskins, in Calgary, and later again with the Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a lawyer, and football analyst.
We remember him as a genial and happy person with the Falcons, and much appreciated in Gwinnett.
Eddie LeBaron, 1930-2015: may you rest in peace.
ANOTHER VIEW
Wants legislature to meet more, not less, in Georgia
By George Wilson
APRIL 10, 2015 — The Georgia legislature should be in session longer to investigate, formulate and pass the best laws for the state of Georgia. The current 40 day session, which often lasts 90 days with “time outs,” belongs to another age when agriculture reigned supreme and the legislature had to get back to plant the crops in the spring.
Wilson
Some have called for the legislature to meet every two years. This would only make for poorer legislation and give too much power to the executive branch of government.
Moreover, let’s look at the work volume of the 2014 session of the legislature: 1,585 total bills, of which 621 passed the House. A total of 728 passed the Senate. A total of 346 sent to the governor, of which 341 were signed by the governor. Five were vetoed.
This indicates that the work volume is quite high and more time is needed to study, debate legislation and finally get more public input before it is voted on. It is a well known fact that many of the bills voted on are not even read by the members. Not only should we require the legislature to be in session longer, we should raise salaries to attract the candidates.
But before this happens, we need to address the problem of gerrymandering of districts. Currently, Georgia ranks No. 50 among the states when it comes to the number of competitive elections to legislative seats, according to the National Institute for Money on State Politics. With gerrymandering and majority minority districts coupled with voter suppression measures, democracy and fair representation have almost ceased to exist in Georgia. Both reforms should take place in Georgia to have effective and efficient government for the 21st century.
Dear George: We can’t think of a more alarming situation: the Legislature meeting more often. Get your ear to the ground, George, and you’ll hear people calling for less government, not more government. And all those bills you say were passed: we bet half of them only benefit a certain few people. We need less legislation, not more. -eeb
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
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FEEDBACK
Mentions down side of legislature meeting once every two years
Editor, the Forum:
It is so good to see you’ve attained 14 years publishing GwinnettForum and are working on 15 now. I’m looking forward to what you have for this year.
When it comes to your objective of the Gold Dome Bandits in the legislature showing up each two years, so as to inflict less pain remember, if it will also take two years to get the thing corrected too. (Or go to court. It’s just a South Gwinnett thing to do).
— Howard N. Williams, Jr., Snellville
Dear Howard: Yes, it would take two years to get relief on something. But we’ll take that chance compared to having them down there every year. –eeb
Remembers back when hippies were also desecrating U.S. flag
Editor, the Forum:
I read today’s GwinnettForum and am, frankly, appalled by the outfit worn by the legislator.
In the 1960’s and 70’s the so-called “hippies” were severely criticized (and occasionally arrested) for “desecrating,” or at least showing disrespect, for the flag, for wearing outfits not unlike this one.
Oh, well.
As for the empty rail flats, the containers they carried north were probably returned to the steamship line at a port closer to the container’s consignee. Sometimes, though, the empty containers do move south on the flats to their port of entry.
— Robert Hanson, Loganville
Rant, rave and send us your opinion
Our policy: We encourage readers to submit feedback (or letters to the editor). Send your thoughts to the editor at elliott@brack.net. We will edit for length and clarity. Make sure to include your name and the city where you live. Submission of a comment grants permission for us to reprint. Please keep your comments to 300 words or less. However, we will consider longer articles (no more than 500 words) for featuring in Today’s Issue as space allows.
UPCOMING
Real Women Have Curves opens tonight at Aurora Theatre
Celebrate the power of womanhood, as five Mexican-American women venture down the road of self-discovery in a coming-of-age drama that will shower audiences of all ages with inspiration and courage! As part of Aurora Theatre’s annual Teatro del Sol, a Spanish language theatre initiative with a goal of the preservation of Hispanic cultural heritage, Real Women Have Curves plays April 10-26, 2015. Based on playwright Josefina Lopez’s own young adult experiences, this widely recognized portrayal of immigration and its impact on women and their families has sparked a greater conversation and call to action for young immigrants struggling to defy the odds and achieve the American dream.
Anthony Rodriguez, Aurora Theatre Producing Artistic Director, says: “As a proud first generation American of Cuban descent, I have a personal connection with the unique challenges that these women and families experience. The Atlanta Regional Commission reports Gwinnett as the most diverse county in the Southeastern United States, and I knew that I wanted to find a way to positively highlight our growing Hispanic community.”
Directed by Luis Hernandez, Real Women Have Curves focuses on the story of Ana, the teenager who dreams of leaving behind her family in an East Los Angeles barrio for a better life. When accepted to attend Columbia University, Ana must come face-to-face with her family’s financial struggles and is forced to stay home and work in a tiny sewing factory. Much to her surprise, she gains valuable insight on love, life and solidarity from four fellow Mexican-American women who share the same struggles, dreams and aspirations for their lives. As the days pass by, the five women share in camaraderie as they too battle the hardships of the Latina immigrant experience and gender politics.
The play’s success inspired the 2002 American movie starring America Ferrera, directed by Patricia Cardoso and produced by George LaVoo, who co-wrote the coveted Humanitas Prize screenplay with Lopez. The debut of the film at the annual Sundance Festival in 2002 won the Audience Award, as well as Special Jury Prizes for actors America Ferrera and Lupe Ontiveros. The screenplay was also selected by the National Board of Review for Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking.
Recommended for teens and adults interested in culture. Tickets may be purchased for $20-$30 per person either online at tickets.auroratheatre.com or by calling the Box Office at 678-226-6222.
11th annual Barefoot in the Park Art Festival coming May 9-10
The signature fine arts festival that attracts thousands to Downtown Duluth in the spring is right around the corner. The 11th Annual Barefoot in the Park Arts Festival on May 9-10 will have performances and artists from all over the Southeast and beyond.
Crowds attend recent Barefoot in Park in Duluth
Festival-goers can browse the Juried Fine Artist Market from hand-picked artists with diverse mediums including: glass, metal, jewelry, printmaking, ceramics, watercolor, photography, wood, sculpture, painting, and mixed media.
Proceeds from Barefoot in the Park go to an Arts Education Scholarship Fund for area fine visual and performing arts students. Since the beginning, The Arts Education Scholarship Fund has granted over $58,000 in arts scholarship awards. Students submit their art work into the Student Art Exhibit for an exciting opportunity to showcase their work.
Barefoot in the Park is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit festival whose mission is to raise awareness of the arts and to support arts education in Gwinnett County. Each year the festival has dedicated a substantial portion of the event revenues to the Barefoot in the Park Grant Program. These grants support qualifies non-profit arts and cultural organizations, who participate, perform and volunteer at Barefoot, and whose efforts support Barefoot’s mission.
Snellville’s Witts announces run for mayor
Snellville City Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem Tom Witts has announced his campaign for mayor.
The election for mayor will take place in November 2015.
He says: “I am running because I believe in Snellville—all that we are and all that we can be. When I first ran for office in 2009 I said I was committed to making sure Snellville is a place where everybody is proud to be somebody. We have done that, and now more than ever, I am determined to keep it that way.”
Tom Witts has served as Mayor Pro-Tem since 2012. He grew up in Simpson, Penn. and upon high school graduation, joined the U.S. Navy and is a decorated combat veteran. He attended Lackawanna Junior College and Penn State University under the GI Bill.
Witts has been a successful business owner for the past 30 years and is the CEO of Georgia Property Restoration, which has its corporate headquarters in Snellville.
Witts has been married for 25 years to Carol, and between them they have two surviving adult children and one granddaughter. He and Carol attend St. Oliver Plunkett Catholic Church where he has been president of the Men’s Club as well as the Parish Council. Witts also served as Vice Commander of VFW Post 4180, Snellville.
NOTABLE
Forest Service Youth Conservation Corps application deadline is soon
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests is partnering with the Greening Youth Foundation (GYF) to recruit and hire young people ages 17 to 25 for the 2015 Residential Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) Crew. YCC provides meaningful employment, job skills and educational opportunities through outdoor projects focused on managing natural and cultural resources on the national forest. Applications and resumes will be accepted until April 20, 2015.
YCC is a summer employment program for youth from all segments of society who work, learn and earn together by doing projects on public land. Youth are provided an opportunity to increase their self-esteem and learn self-discipline. They learn work ethic and build lasting cultural bridges with other youth. YCC is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Forest Service, and the U. S. Department of Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service.
Youth selected for the 10-person crew and two crew leader positions will reside on the Young Harris (Ga.) College campus in during the program. Program goals are focused on learning how to reduce, plan, and mitigate impacts to natural resources through trail maintenance, recreation, wildlife, and vegetation management projects. Crew members will work June 1through July 24, from the Blue Ridge Ranger District office in Blairsville.
- The program is open to all 17 through 25 year-olds who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Applicants must be 17 years of age by the program start date and not over 25 years of age by program end. Those interested may find more information and complete applications at http://serve.gyfoundation.org/.
Suwanee adds 2 more public sculptures from recent SculpTour
The 2013-15 Suwanee SculpTour exhibit has officially ended, with two of the 14 pieces that were part of the 22-month walkable public art encounter remaining in Suwanee as part of the City’s permanent art collection.
“Iron Canopy”
The Suwanee Public Arts Commission, using donated funds, purchased Iron Canopy by Phil Proctor as the People’s Choice award-winner. The 17-foot-tall kinetic sculpture derives its inspiration from the magic of trees and represents the idea that life supports life. Its permanent location has not yet been determined, but Iron Canopy will remain in its current location in Town Center Park near the intersection of Buford Highway and Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road through the next Suwanee SculpTour exhibit, which will be on display May 2015-March 2017.
Dick Cunningham with Ippolito’s Restaurant is purchasing the Who Let the Dogs Out? collection of sculptures by Jim Collins and is donating the piece to the City. This sculpture also will remain in its current location, in Town Center Park along Buford Highway, for the next nearly two years.
“Who Let the Dogs Out?”
Cunningham says: “We’re purchasing the sculpture in memory of our granddaughters’ Uncle Rob. It will be a lasting memorial to our son who was killed in an accident. The artwork is great and attracts people to come to Town Center Park,” Cunningham adds. “It really adds to the family feeling you have when you’re there. It’s hard to explain, but you feel it in your heart.”
Throughout Suwanee, more than 20 public art pieces are on permanent display, including those owned by the City as well as artworks that have been purchased privately through the City’s voluntary one percent-of-construction-costs-for-developers program.
The 2015-17 Suwanee SculpTour exhibit, which will feature 17 artworks in and around Town Center, officially opens May 16 as part of the Arts in the Park festival.
Water Planning District seeks locals for advisory councils
Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District (Metro Water District) is seeking local individuals to serve on the six Basin Advisory Councils that help develop and implement water resource plans for the region. The councils provide valuable input to the Metro Water District’s planning process and related implementation activities by representing the wide variety of stakeholders that rely on the region’s water resources.
The six councils represent the major river basins within the planning region: Chattahoochee, Coosa/Etowah, Flint, Ocmulgee and Oconee as well as Lake Lanier. The Metro Water District encourages interested citizens to apply as well as persons who represent environmental, business, real estate, recreation, neighborhood, agriculture, utility, academic, water resources and other interests.
Individuals must reside within the river basin of the council for which they apply. The Metro Water District is specifically looking for individuals who live in one of the following 15 counties: Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding and/or Rockdale.
Members serve two-year terms and may be reappointed for additional terms. Councils hold regular quarterly meetings but may also hold special meetings as needed to provide input on Metro Water District activities and actions.
- The application for Basin Advisory Council membership is available on the Metro Water District’s Web site, www.northgeorgiawater.org/ApplyNow. The deadline to apply is May 29, 2015. For more information, contact the Metro Water District by telephone or e-mail at 404-463-3344 or BAC@northgeorgiawater.com.
RECOMMENDED READ
Send us a review
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
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBIT
Georgia Poetry Society has meetings quarterly around the state
The Georgia State Poetry Society was founded by Edward Davin Vickers and Charles J. Bruehler on August 30, 1979, in Atlanta. Its objectives were to stimulate the reading and writing of poetry. The society was incorporated in 1981 and later changed its name to the Georgia Poetry Society.
Reece
The society is a member of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS). The NFSPS is a nonprofit educational and literary organization that seeks to recognize the importance of poetry in America’s cultural heritage, to further the appreciation of poetry on a national level, and to unite poets in the bond of fellowship. Both the NFSPS and the Georgia Poetry Society are nonprofit, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organizations open for membership to anyone who is interested. The national convention was hosted by the Georgia chapter in June 1999 in Atlanta.
Georgia Poetry Society membership meetings are held in the months of January, April, July, and October in cities throughout the state. Agenda items include readings by members and distinguished guests, workshops, guest speakers, book reviews, publishers’ panels, networking, and recognition of contest winners. National Poetry Day and National Poetry Month are celebrated each year. Speakers have included Evan Boland, Bettie Sellers, Ha Jin, Donna Harper, Beverly Head, Phebe Davidson, Thelma Hall, Memye Tucker, Janice Moore, Judith Ortiz Cofer, and Ron Colombe, among others.
The society sponsors several poetry contests each year. The Byron Herbert Reece International Award, named for Georgia poet Byron Herbert Reece, is the most important among them. Regular publications of the society include The Reach of Song, an anthology of society members’ poetry, and Georgia Poetry News, a newsletter. The winning manuscript in the Dickson Chapbook Contest is also published. The Poetry in the Schools Program is a major Georgia Poetry Society outreach effort. The program sponsors poetry reading and writing workshops for students and teachers in public, private, and parochial schools.
MYSTERY PHOTO
Tree may be a clue
CLUE: Perhaps the tree in this photograph will give away the identity. If you recognize this photo, send in your answer immediately to elliott@brack.net, and be sure to include your hometown.
Perhaps it was the angle which the photo was take, but last week’s Mystery Photo got only a few people thinking they knew where it was. The photograph was sent in by Donny Loeber of Norcross. First in was Ruthy Lachman Paul of Norcross, telling us lots about Bath Abbey. “It is a charming and beautiful town called Bath in southwest England (two hours by car from London). The city is known for its Roman Baths, the ancient and unique architecture that shows all the periods over England’s rich history. Throughout history, the city has become a tourist and curative site because of their faith in the power of spring water baths to cure diseases. The city was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and millions of tourists come to visit it every year.
“Bath Abbey, or its full name, The Abbey Church of St. Peter, is an Anglican church and a former Benedictine monastery founded in the 7th century AD, restructured in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th. Inside the church there is room for 1,200 people. It is used for religious, civil ceremonies and lectures. The current structure is one of the best examples, the largest and most famous was an English Gothic style (Perpendicular Gothic).
“Stonehenge: One of the world’s known prehistoric sites is only 40 minutes southeast of Bath.”
The only other person recognizing the photo was Lou Camiero of Lilburn, who sent in a different perspective of the building. He added: “This one was easy, at least for me since we were there in 2013.”
LAGNIAPPE
Simple title
This painting, now on exhibit at the Kudzu Art Zone in Norcross, is by Lorraine Kimsey, and is entitled, “Majesty.” The Kudzu Gallery’s current exhibit is entitled “Look on the Bright Side.” This is an eclectic show, glowing with colors and light, expressed in many media – oils, watercolor, acrylic and photography by talented member artists. The Gallery is at 116 Carlyle Street, and is open Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
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