5/9: New arts center; Great barbecue; Another take on D.C.

HERE’S A CONCEPT of what a new $26 million art and cultural center in Lawrenceville may look like and be constructed. City officials announced this at a recent meeting. For more details, see Today’s Focus immediately below.

CORRECTION: In the previous edition, the name of a relative who originally owned the two paintings of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Norcross were incorrectly spelled. The portraits were once owned by Chris McGlasson, Jonathan Norcross’ great-great granddaughter.

TODAY’S FOCUS: Lawrenceville Announces $26 Million Arts and Cultural Center

EEB PERSPECTIVE: The Mouth Waters Quickly at Rodney Scott’s Barbecue in Charleston

ANOTHER VIEW: Here’s Another Take on Current Controversy in Washington

SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett County Public Library

FEEDBACK: Two Cite Illegal Immigration As What They and Others Are Against

McLEMORE’S WORLD: Genetics

UPCOMING: Norcross and Kudzu Team Up With Juried Art Show

NOTABLE: Peach State Makes $5,000 Commitment to Northeast Georgia Libraries

RECOMMENDED: The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Georgians Have Always Had the Poor in Their Midst

MYSTERY PHOTO:  Somewhat Fuzzy Photo Is This Edition’s Mystery Photograph

LAGNIAPPE:  Peachtree Christian Health Breaking Ground for Remodeled Facility

CALENDAR: Performances By Two Area Symphonies Are on Tap

Lawrenceville announces $26 million arts and cultural center

By Lisa Sherman

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.   |  A new $26-million arts and cultural facility right in the heart of the Downtown Lawrenceville was unveiled at the May Council meeting.. The facility will cover over 50,000 square feet of space including a new 525-seat mainstage  theatre, cabaret theatre, and education space for classes and practice rooms.  Office space will connect to the existing Aurora Theatre. The mainstage, once constructed, will host one of the largest live performing arts stage in the state of Georgia. The design firm Stevens & Wilkinson produced the concept.

Mayor Judy Jordan Johnson says: “This exciting project continues the dynamic transformation of the downtown area. Lawrenceville is in the heart of Gwinnett and maintains a central area rich with activity for all generations. This facility will bring the arts community together with educational opportunities and all the other amenities that our vibrant community has to offer to create a dynamic core for Gwinnett County.”

The facility will be constructed on the block surrounded by Pike, Clayton and Crogan Streets with its front entry opening onto Clayton Street across from the Historic Gwinnett County Courthouse grounds. The Aurora Theatre will contract with the city to manage, operate and craft programming for both its current venue and the future facility being proposed. Aurora Theatre has been noted for its growing economic impact regionally each year with scores of regional and national awards that have elevated it to be the second largest professional performing arts theatre in the State of Georgia.

Anthony Rodriguez, co-founder and producing artistic director of Aurora Theatre, says: “Ann-Carol Pence (co-founder and associate producer) and I believe that cultural arts build a bridge to greater understanding. Every arts organization can boast that their shared vision is supported by their staff, artists, board, volunteers, sponsors, and donors. We are no different.

“What is revolutionary is that the City of Lawrenceville has provided cultural infrastructure that not only supports this vision, but builds it from the ground up. This is transformative. These partnerships unite our community; they break down cultural and racial barriers. Lawrenceville took a powerful chance on us 12 years ago. For that, we are very grateful. To be on the brink of a campus expansion is beyond what we dreamed. We are thrilled to play the role of a lifetime in the future of our community alongside the City of Lawrenceville and Gwinnett County.”

Though the facility is expected to transform the landscape of Lawrenceville, city and county officials are dedicated to retain the historically intrinsic nature of downtown Lawrenceville’s architecture and infrastructure and blend it with a progressive community engagement center.

Charlotte Nash, Gwinnett County commission chairman, adds:  “Congratulations to the City of Lawrenceville on another exciting project! As Gwinnett’s county seat, Lawrenceville has a special role in county life and a long history of its own.  The revitalization of the city’s downtown is good for the county, as well as the city.  We look forward to watching the new facility take shape just across the street from Gwinnett County’s Historic Courthouse and working with the City to weave together our shared history and dynamic future.”

The construction management Request for Proposals has been issued for the project. The City is working with its partners on the selection of the contractor, expected in the next 60 days. The facility should be under construction at the beginning of 2019 and completed by mid-2020.

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

The mouth waters quickly at Rodney Scott’s barbecue in Charleston

Scott at his barbecue restaurant in Charleston. Photo via RodneyScottsBBQ.com. Credit: Andrew Cebulka.

By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum

CHARLESTON, S.C.  |  The first thing that hits you when stepping into Rodney Scott’s Barbecue at 1011 King Street here is how very clean the place is.   It pristinely sparkles and shines with neatness, everything in place, while the  floor appears clean enough to eat on. It’s a far cry from most barbecue joints, often in rundown shacks with sawdust on the floor. Even his outdoor seating area, if you don’t mind the Charleston humidity, is clean and neat, with wood for the cooking in half-cord stacks of oak, pecan and hickory.

His headliner, the barbecue, itself is beautifully pulled, just as neat and clean itself, with no untidy pieces of scrap meat  or fat, included. Sprinkle of Rodney’s various sauces, and start to salivate in anticipation!

Everything at Rodney Scott’s is simple and direct, from the menu to the counter. His menu also includes several vegetables including collards, and a mac and cheese. People rave about his cornbread. And each  staff greets you easily with a smile and without an attitude.

You feel you have arrived at a home when you visit his barbecue palace. Then you must get down to business of figuring out what to eat among the smoke-fired whole-hog barbecue, or ribs, or chicken cooked over coals or perhaps you just want to have a  southern-fried catfish dinner.  Either way, you are at the right place, your palate will soon tell you.

Once you have eaten your meal here, you feel you have eaten the best in the area, maybe as good as it gets anywhere. It is a wonderful experience.

Many laud the Holy City of Charleston for its fine food, often upscale, and often many varied items of seafood from the Atlantic Ocean. But anyone who loves southern barbecue will happily find Rodney’s a place they can return to time and time again, knowing the quality and taste will be the same, and the satisfaction enormous.

Taking newcomers who appreciate barbecue to Rodney Scott’s will make them friends for life, often thanking you for pointing out this special place.

We talked to Rodney himself, 46, who grew up from age 11 around cooking whole-hog barbecue at his parents’ grocery store, know later for its food, in Hemingway, S.C.  Early on, people started raving about the flavor and expertness the family put into its barbecuing. People would drive from miles around (Charleston was 90 miles away, but low-country barbecue lovers came), and so did the media. Rodney has been even written up in the New York Times.  The other day, his picture was on the front of the food section of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

Yet Rodney remains the genial person he has always been, making sure all is done right every single day, whether it’s having the right wood, the firing of the barbecue pit, the preparing of the food, and the care in taking care of his customers.

• NOTE: Scott this week won a prestigious James Beard Foundation award as best chef in the Southeast.
• To read more, and perhaps to find your mouth watering seeing the various menu items. , visit http://www.rodneyscottsbbq.com.
• Have a comment? Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Here’s another take on current controversy in Washington

By Debbie Houston
Contributing columnist

LILBURN, Ga.  |  Special Counsel Robert Mueller is desperate to prove a conspiracy between President Trump and Russia that may have pushed the 2016 presidential election into a Republican victory. Nothing could be further from the truth, but Mueller must find something, anything, on the president. Once the information reaches Congress, impeachment procedures can begin.

President Trump chose Mueller to look into the Russian case. If you were guilty, would you have agreed to a special counsel? Trump trusted Mueller to be fair. He never thought he would go on a witch-hunt. Now the president knows that a special counsel can dig up whatever he pleases.

Several years ago, I attended an event in which former Congressman Bob Barr gave a speech. In essence he said there are so many federal laws on the books that on any given day any one of us could be charged with a felony.

Let that sober thought sink in. So if Mueller wants to find something illegal on Trump, he will. Unless a certain judge stops him …

On May 4, U. S. District Judge T. S. Ellis warned Mueller not to exceed his authority in using Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager, to get to the president. The judge surmised that Mueller’s filing tax and bank fraud charges against Manafort was for putting the fix on Trump.

Think about it. Might you not lie to protect yourself and your family against these vultures? It must be tempting for Manafort to give Mueller exactly what he wants, even if he has to lie in exchange for a plea deal.

Make no doubt about it; Mueller’s reputation is at stake. He’s not going to disappoint the Democratic Party and the leftist media by not coming up with dirt, illegal dirt, on Trump.

Judge Ellis’s severe warning was one Mueller should take to heart. As far as Democrats are concerned, their voters may have heard enough. This whole Mueller thing may backfire, especially with the networks pounding away on it nonstop.

Dems in Congress up for re-election this fall might especially wish Mueller would conclude his investigation. Otherwise, Democrats may lose seats. And that would be a very good thing for Republicans.

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

Gwinnett County Public Library

The award winning Gwinnett County Public Library (GCPL) system was formed in 1996 after the dissolution of the Gwinnett-Forsyth Regional Library. For more than 20 years, GCPL has provided resources and services that enrich and inspire our community. The Library has 15 branches that offer free access to computers and Wi-Fi, classes, materials, and programming for people of all ages. In 2016, more than five million items were checked out at GCPL, more than any other library system in Georgia. GCPL was recognized as a Top Workplace by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution in 2017 and 2018.

• For more information about Gwinnett County Public Library programs and services, visit gwinnettpl.org.
• For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.

Two cite illegal immigration as what they and others are against

Editor, the Forum:

A recent contributor is right: most folks support immigration. After all that is how my family came to the USA. What we are against is illegal immigration. Where are your quoted studies that show Americans are in support of illegal immigration? They are two different things.

Interesting that the writer called Janet Napolitano the Governor of Arizona. She is the former governor. To her comment, of a 51 foot ladder on one side of a 50 foot wall will not help on the other side getting down, unless the former governor intends to supply one.

— Tim Sullivan, Buford

Editor, the Forum:

Jack Bernard, like many liberals, has twisted his “facts” to fit his agenda.  Several truth points were avoided: most Americans (voters, not just folks residing here) aren’t against immigration, we’re against illegal immigration. Big difference and therefore the wall is needed to stop this illegal flow of immigration.

Several of the polls cited were from long ago, before this massive illegal immigration started, and before the liberals of the Democratic Party started viewing illegals as a potential undocumented voter to support their socialist agenda. It’s obvious to most legal citizen voters that the socialist agenda that the liberals are pushing is against our interests.

Finally, when you look at a “poll” you need to look at the demographics behind it as, again, that poll can be structured to support any agenda.  The two recent polls cited by Mr. Bernard surveyed heavily liberal Democratic stronghold markets which would obviously lead to the desired conclusion of disagreement on immigration. He does point out that Fox News does that same structure by polling their conservative viewers, which makes their agenda work too, only by a larger margin.

Remember every single poll before 2016 election gave Hillary Clinton a complete total win and showed Trump without a chance.  Sorry Jack, but that’s the facts!

— Steve Rausch, Peachtree Corners

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Genetics

• For more of Bill McLemore’s cartoons, see his page on Facebook.
• Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net

Norcross and Kudzu team up with juried art show

The city of Norcross and Kudzu Art Zone are presenting an exhibit in a new venue for the Kudzu Art Zone’s Juried  Open Show. This year it will be at  The Rectory, which is a restored building from the early 1900s and served as rectory for a former church.

The show was open to any Georgia artist. Paula Linder, the assistant director of Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville, was curator and chose an eclectic group of works for the show.

Among the artists included are

• An almost life-size portrait of a boy painted in oil by Saul Hernandez of Smyrna.
• Maryann Rachelson’s small painting, “Along the Beach,” of Alpharetta.
• Another colorful piece is Alan Stecker’s “Power of Blue,” of Barnesville.
• Anne Labaire, entitled “Sacred Spaces,” Duluth.
• Judy Knight had a realistic painting of a predator plant, “The Honey Trap,” of Decatur.
• Kathy Kitz, who with her committee brought the exhibit into being, shows one of her masterful abstracts titled “Walk Gently,” of Lawrenceville
• An outstanding pastel artist, Cyndi Marble, of Loganville, exhibits her mastery of that medium in her compelling portrait, “Contemplation” of  a strong African American man deep in thought.

The exhibit runs from Friday May 11 through Wednesday May 30, with an opening reception at the Rectory  on Friday, May 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. The Rectory is located at 17 College Street in Norcross and is open  Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Monday through Thursday, a key can be obtained at the Norcross Welcome Center to gain admittance to the building to view the exhibit.  For more information see the Kudzu Art Zone web site   kudzuartzone.org or call 770-840-9844.

Lilburn bridge replacement to be longest of kind in Southeast

The City of Lilburn is preparing to replace a 988-foot wooden boardwalk on Camp Creek Greenway. The new bridge will be the largest structure of its kind in the Southeast.

The original greenway was constructed in 2007 along Camp Creek in Lilburn City Park. The trail now extends 4.2 miles and walkers, runners, and cyclists can travel from Lions Club Park on Rockbridge Road, through Lilburn City Park, to Killian Hill Road. Due to the topography of the land, the greenway includes several wooden boardwalks.

Construction to replace the deteriorating, 988-foot wooden boardwalk, located between Velva Court and Rockbridge Road, began April 30. The existing boardwalk is being replaced with a low-maintenance, pre-cast concrete boardwalk product, called PermaTrak. Once complete, Lilburn’s boardwalk will be the largest installation of PermaTrak in the Southeast. In September 2015, the city replaced another boardwalk on Camp Creek Greenway, which was the first concrete boardwalk installation in the state of Georgia by PermaTrak North America.

This new boardwalk is being funded by SPLOST, the one-cent sales tax approved by voters. The new boardwalk is scheduled to be completed in August of this year.

Laugh-out-loud comedy, Ripcord, debuts May 10 at Aurora Theatre

There’s something humorous brewing in Lawrenceville! David Lindsay-Abaire’s laugh-out-loud comedy, Ripcord is set to round out Aurora Theatre’s 2017-2018 season, May 10-June 3. Audiences will follow the territory battle between Abby and Marilyn, roommates at a senior living facility with clashing personalities, and the hilarity that ensues when the tumultuous pair pushes the envelope to win a seemingly harmless wager.

The presentation is from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire and under the direction of Jaclyn Hofmann. The cast of this uproarious comedy stars Donna Biscoe and Jill Jane Clements.

• Regular tickets range from $20-$55 and can be purchased online at tickets.auroratheatre.comor by calling the Box Office at 678-226-6222.

Kaufman to be keynote speaker at GGC graduation on May 17

Dr. Daniel J. Kaufman, founding president of Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC), will be the keynote speaker for the college’s spring commencement. The ceremony will be held at 9 a.m., May 17, on the college’s main lawn.

Kaufman

Kaufman served as president of GGC from 2005 until 2013 when he became president and chief executive officer of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, one of the nation’s largest suburban chambers of commerce. For the past three years Dr. Kaufman has been named by Georgia Trend magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians. The Atlanta Business Chronicle also designated him as one of the 100 Most Influential Atlantans. Before serving as president of GGC, Kaufman was a brigadier general in the U.S. Army, serving as dean of the Academic Board and chief academic officer at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Peach State makes $5,000 commitment to Northeast Georgia libraries

Peach State Federal Credit Union has committed $5,000 to two Northeast Georgia libraries over the next five years. The Cornelia and Clarkesville libraries will each receive $500 per year through 2022 from the credit union beginning this year. Marshall Boutwell, Peach State’s President/CEO, says:  “Peach State’s commitment to education and our community leads us to many opportunities that support learning. This contribution to these local libraries is a natural extension of that commitment.  We’re proud to support them and the work that they do for our community.”

Cornelia Library Branch Manager Annabelle Wiley says: “This donation will allow us to provide more resources for library guests on an ongoing basis. We are so grateful for Peach State’s generosity.”

Clarkesville Library Branch Manager, Wendy Gera adds: “These donations are an important contribution to fostering literacy in our community—we look forward to putting this donation to work.” The Cornelia and Clarkesville libraries are branches of the Northeast Georgia Regional Library System, which has its headquarters in Clarkesville and works with six affiliated libraries in Habersham, Rabun, Stephens, and White Counties.

Walton EMC announced winners of $4,000 college scholarships

Sixty area students are sharing $156,000 in scholarships awarded by the Walton Electric Trust of customer-owned Walton EMC. Out of more than 250 applicants, 32 students are receiving $4,000 each to help fund post-secondary education at a college or vocational-technical school. Another 28 are the recipients of runner-up scholarships of $1,000 each.”

Listed by school, students receiving a $4,000 Walton Trust Scholarship in Gwinnett are:

• Brookwood: Connor Bowler, David Dutton, Jenna Range and Hannah Taylor.
• Gwinnett School of Mathematics and Science: Justice Bigot.
• Home School: Amber Burgess (Snellville).
• Loganville Christian Academy: Myla Roberts.
• Parkview: Grace Buckley and Emily Sandy.
• Providence Christian Academy: Hayden Grant.
• Shiloh: Tyra Quintanilla.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

Reviewed by Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill  |  Anna Fox, a 35-year-old psychologist with a severe case of agoraphobia lives in the self-imposed prison of her large New York City home. She spends her days spying on her neighbors, watching old mystery movies, chatting online with other agoraphobics and washing down copious amounts of medications with wine. Through her zoom-in camera lens, Anna gets to know her neighbors very well, or so she thinks. The book starts out pretty slowly and it was hard to see where the story is going until suddenly – wham! Action! From then on, it’s a good ride. But Anna has her issues and who wants to believe her? Is she sane or is she mad? There are lots of twists and turns. This is a skillfully written, easy-to-read psychological thriller that I finished in a couple of days. This is A.J. Finn’s first novel and it’s a best seller. Lucky guy!”

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.  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Georgians have always had the poor in their midst

Georgians have always had the poor in their midst. But from the inaccurate story of original settlement of the colony by inmates of debtors’ prisons in England to the modern depictions of such writers as Margaret Mitchell, Flannery O’Connor, Erskine Caldwell, and James Dickey, the prevalence and depth of poverty are often exaggerated.

Still, many of Georgia’s early settlers were poor people seeking a better life. Many found it; some did not. As in the rest of the country, hardscrabble farms and rough frontier were fertile ground for poverty, and slums grew rapidly in urban areas as well. By the 1850s grim tenements for desperate Irish immigrants existed in Savannah, just as in Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City.

Although black enslaved people fared the worst by far, some poor whites faced intensely dire economic conditions. The disruptions of the Civil War(1861-65) and  Reconstruction mired African Americans in a new sort of poverty and dragged many more whites into a similar abyss. Sharecropping and tenant farming trapped families for generations, as did emerging industries, which paid low wages and imposed company-town restrictions. Once-proud yeomen frequently became objects of ridicule, and sometimes they responded angrily and even viciously, often taking vulnerable blacks as their targets.

Financially “poor whites” were increasingly labeled “poor white trash” and worse. The terms, “cracker,” “hillbilly,” “clay eater,” “linthead,” “peckerwood,” “buckra,” and especially “redneck” only scratched the surface of their rejection and slander. Northerners and foreigners played this game, but the greatest hostility to poor whites came from their fellow southerners, sometimes blacks but more often upper-class whites.

Not all white elites shared the general contempt for the poor. Before the Civil War Augustus Baldwin Longstreet sketched the foibles of ordinary, unpolished Georgians with humor, understanding, and even affection. Richard Malcolm Johnston‘s Georgia Sketches and Charles H. Smith’s Bill Arp stories performed a similar service.  But perhaps the most sensitive portrayal of poor whites in antebellum Georgia came in Caroline Miller‘s 1934 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, Lamb in His Bosom, which described the struggle for existence on subsistence farms in the isolated wiregrass region of southeastern Georgia. In her heroes and heroines Miller saw her ancestors: plain, simple men and women who barely survived but never wavered and passed life and hope on to the next generation.

Generally, the view of poor white southerners grew more and more negative, especially in modern mass market movies and television programs, which have often stressed the negative and grotesque. Georgia has borne its full share of this stereotype of lower-class southern whites who share poverty status with immigrants, blacks, and other minorities.

(To be continued)

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

Somewhat fuzzy picture is this edition’s Mystery Photograph

Figuring out this week’s Mystery Photo may cause your eyes to be trouble for you. Just tell us where and what this is, sending your answer to elliott@brack.net.

Last edition’s mystery wasn’t particularly difficult, as several people came quickly with the answer.

Debbie Krewson of Flowery Branch nailed it:  “This tower of books about Abraham Lincoln reaches three floors high and is found in the Lincoln Education Center in Washington, D.C.  In 2012, a group of historians wanted to recognize the legacy of Abraham Lincoln.  To symbolize Lincoln’s importance, they created a tower of books written about him.  The tower measures about 8 feet around and 34 feet tall and rises up through the middle of a spiral staircase in the lobby of the Ford’s Theatre Center for Education and Leadership in Washington, DC.  The tower contains nearly 7,000 “books.”  (They’re actually replicas made of pieces of bent aluminum, with the covers of the real books printed on them.)”

The photo came from Jerry Colley of Alpharetta.

Lou Camiero of Lilburn said: “I’m sure many have answered this as being in the Ford’s Theater Center of Education and Leadership in Washington D. C.” Chris Dooley, Dacula: “I got this one. The picture is of the 35’ tower of books in Ford’s Theatre commemorating the 15,000 books written about him.” Julie Pickens. Flowery Branch: “I enjoyed going there this past Christmas with my three daughters.:

Others getting it included Fran Worrall, Lawrenceville, Neal Davies, Decatur;  Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; Bob Foreman, Grayson; Ruthie Lachman Paul, Norcross; and Emmett Clower, Snellville; of course Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex.; and George Graf of Palmyra, Va., who wrote: “The exhibit designers printed the cover art directly onto the metal book ‘jackets.’ The tower features 205 real titles, most of which are currently in print. To get permissions, more than 50 publishers were contacted.

The titles repeat throughout the tower, and the tower totals approximately 6,800 books. At three stories high, the tower represents just a fraction of the 15,000 titles written about Lincoln. Design for the tower was completed in late 2010, so only books published before 2011 were included. Construction of the book tower took two weeks, and the designers glued each book in place by hand. The designers were able to incorporate many books published within the last five years, including Harold Holzer’s latest book The Living Lincoln, James Swanson’s Manhunt and Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals.”

Peachtree Christian Health breaking ground for remodeled facility

Peachtree Christian Health stakeholders proudly turn the dirt to ceremonially launch their $3M renovation and expansion project. From left to right: Martha Todd, president emeritus; President Anne Mancini; Chris McGahee and Teresa Lynn, City of Duluth; Monty Watson, Piedmont Bank; Luisa Mazzei, Foresite Group; the Rev. Jarrod Longbons, Peachtree Christian Church; Board Chairman Scot J. Kirkpatrick; and Sgt. Dennis Walters, U.S. Marine Corps.

The fourth annual Fast Track 5K is May 26.

(NEW) Final Performance of the season by the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra will be Saturday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the Johns Creek United Methodist Church. The program is entitled “The American Dream, ”conducted by Maestro J. Wayne Baughman, and will feature Roger Wise as narrator and Brent Davis, baritone.

(NEW) A “tale” of Georgia’s Eagles will be presented at the Southern Wings Bird club on Monday, May 14, at 7  p.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. Dr. Robert Sargent will tell of bald and golden eagles at the meeting. As program manager of Georgia Department of Natural Resources’s nongame office in Forsyth, he supervises a team of biologists, and is the agency’s lead for the conservation of raptors.

(NEW) 21st Season Finale of the Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra is Monday, May 14 at the Infinite Energy Center Theatre. Beginning at 6:30, the Youth Orchestra will perform “American Landscapes,” followed by the Orchestra and Chorus at 7:30 p.m. with “Songs of Mother Earth.” In this spectacular homage to Earth, the orchestra presents Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5 conducted by Mr. Robert Trocina and Rossini’s William Tell Overture conducted by Dr. Gregory Pritchard.  The chorus, conducted by Rick Smith, will perform an eclectic mix of spiritually evocative pieces.

(NEW) Free Photography Workshop at the Gwinnett County Collins Hill library, 455 Camp Perrin Road in Lawrenceville, on May 19, at 2 p.m. Join the Georgia Nature Photographers Association for this informal talk and Q&A photography workshop.  There will be information about cameras, editing software, and tips for getting better photographs with the equipment you already have.

(NEW) Open House of the Gwinnett County Human Relations Commission on Wednesday, May 23. Stop in between 6 to 9 p.m. and be welcomed by commission members, learn about the commission’s mission and the progress of the 2018 work plans. The event will be held at Tacos and Tequilas Mexican Grill, 3480 Financial Center Way, Buford.

(NEW) Fourth Annual Fast Track 5K will be Saturday, May 26 at the Southeastern Railway Museum. The race will start at 8:30 am near Downtown Duluth’s Town Green. Proceeds of the race will benefit the education and equipment restoration and conservation programs of the Museum. The event is co-sponsored by the City of Duluth.

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