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TODAY'S
ISSUE
Gwinnett
Ballet Theatre kicks off 2006-07 season on Oct. 8
By Holley Calmes
Special to GwinnettForum.com
SEPT. 26, 2006 -- Gwinnett Ballet Theatre announces its most ambitious
season ever during 2006-2007, with three major productions presented
in the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center in Duluth. Area audiences
will be able to enjoy this technically and artistically brilliant
young company during 2006-2007 in both traditional and modern dance
forms.
And for its 25th Anniversary of "The Nutcracker," the
dancers will be performing to live music provided by its own Gwinnett
Ballet Theatre Orchestra under the direction of Predrag Gosta for
half of the dozen public performances.
The season starts with "Takeoffs and Landings" on October
8, 2006. The program is a gala featuring many of the GBT alumni
who have graduated and gone on to professional careers in companies
across the United States.
Explains Artistic Director Ms. Sheppard Robson: "Our dancers
have 'taken off' from GBT and 'landed' in prestigious companies
across the nation. Now they are 'taking off' from their respective
companies and 'landing' back home to share with us their incredible,
ever-increasing strength as professionals ."
The one-performance only event will feature such dancers as North
Carolina Dance Theatre soloist Alessandra Ball, a winner last year
of the Princess Grace Award; Jessica Collado of Houston Ballet;
Robert Dekkers of Ballet Arizona; Margaret Hannah of Ballet Theatre
of Maryland; Kayley Cortez of Lines Contemporary Ballet of San Francisco;
Sara Chamberlin of Austin Ballet. Other alumni performing will be
Whitney Sue Jones, Jody Blevins, and Lauren Trujillo.
"Takeoffs and Landings" will have only one performance
which will start at 5 p.m. on October 8. Tickets are $12 for adults
and $10 for students and seniors. For information about participation
in the "Fouette-A-Thon," call 978-0188.
As a preliminary launch for both "Takeoffs and Landings"
and the season itself, a special exhibition of ballet photography
by Richard Calmes will take place from September 26 through October
2 at Carisma Gallery in Buford. Photos will be on sale during the
period of the entire exhibition, and proceeds will benefit the Ballet.
The Holidays will usher in the 25th Anniversary Celebration of
the "The Nutcracker," with four performances per weekend
December 1-17, 2006. A cast of 150 young dancers will perform in
this traditionally presented interpretation of the classic story
of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince. The Gwinnett Ballet Theatre
Orchestra will be accompanying the dancers with live music for six
of the performances on December 8, 9, 10, 16 and 17.
For patrons who have always wondered what goes on "backstage,"
the second annual black tie fundraiser "Backstage Pass"
will be held on Saturday, February 3, 2007, beginning at 7 p.m.
Last year's event was one of Gwinnett's most unique and exciting
social events, and this year's rendition is greatly anticipated.
It will be held on the stage and in the audience of the Gwinnett
Performing Arts Center. Eye-popping prizes will be raffled off,
and special surprise performances will be presented. Ticket information
will be forthcoming. Call 770-294-2808.
The magical Russian Fairy tale "The Firebird" will headline
the performances held March 9-11, 2007. The production GBT will
present was created for the Paris Opera Ballet and features sumptuous
costumes and sets of the uniqueness not often seen outside European
stages.
For more information about GBT, call 978-0188 or visit the Web
site at www.gwinnettballet.org.
ELLIOTT
BRACK
Gwinnett more densely populated than even
New Jersey!
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
SEPT. 26, 2006 -- You don't have to tell people in Gwinnett that
there are more people around here than a few days ago. Gwinnett
continues its growth, no matter what. We counted 719,000 in the
April 2005 census estimate, and our guess is that the April, 2006
estimate of people in Gwinnett will come in at between 740,000-750,000
people.
Brack |
Each year people in Gwinnett live closer to one another. In fact,
people in Gwinnett live closer to one another than the most densely-populated
state, New Jersey.
In Gwinnett, there are now 1,359.9 persons per square mile. You
probably already realized that, for sure, just by looking around.
Georgia, comparison, has 141 persons per square mile.
But in all of the state of New Jersey, there are only 1,134 people
per square mile. Of course, in really tight spaces like across from
the Hudson River near New York, people pack in even tighter in high
rises than do people in Gwinnett.
The other most dense states and their persons per square mile are:
Rhode Island, 1,003; Massachusetts, 810; Connecticut, 703; and Maryland,
542. The least dense states are Alaska, one person per square mile;
and Wyoming, 5; Montana, 6; North Dakota, 9; and South Dakota, 10.
The figures show there are 6,284 persons per square mile in Newark,
N.J. Census figures show that there are 2,345 persons per square
mile in Los Angeles. (There's open space in Los Angeles. And all
those hills count as area, and fewer people live on those hills.)
San Francisco counts 16,632, and yes, New York ranks highest, at
25,925. Can you imagine living that tightly-packed? And suddenly,
the 1,359.9 persons per square mile of Gwinnett doesn't seem so
bad!
How about other places in the world?
In all of the Netherlands, there are 1,213 persons per square mile.
While we think of Japan as dense, there are 33,617 persons per square
mile in Tokyo. But this figure is astounding: Paris has 52,180 per
square mile, something we never recognized even when there. The
figures are from the 2000 census. (The figures are from the UCLA
Center for the study of Latino Health and Culture.)
Here in Georgia, Gwinnett isn't as tightly packed as some other
counties.
County Persons Per Square Mile
Cobb County 1,786
Clayton County 1,658
DeKalb 2,482
Fulton 1,543
Don't be surprised that DeKalb is the tightest packed county of
people in Georgia. Remember that Fulton is much larger in land size
(two counties, Milton and Campbell, went bankrupt during the depression,
and were absorbed by Fulton, so it really has a land area of three
counties, and hence the lower population per square mile even though
Fulton has the largest population in Georgia.)
So yes, you are seeing more people in Gwinnett, on its roads, in
its schools, in the stores, and for sure, in its houses. Other people
like what they see, and want to move here. Those who have been around
here for a while have come to accept, if not understand, Gwinnett's
continued growth.
ABOUT
OUR SPONSORS
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is Cartridge
World of Duluth and Lawrenceville. Gwinnett businesses and
consumers can have their laser printers, inkjet, photocopy and fax
cartridges refilled with knowledgeable and fast customer service.
This quick and easy cartridge refill service allows customers to
refill their printer cartridges with as much ease as they refill
the gas in their cars and save up to 50 percent off the cost of
new. Cartridge World of Duluth and Lawrenceville estimates that
it will keep tens of thousands of empty cartridges out of Gwinnett
County's landfills this year which can take up to 450 years to decompose.
The refill service is 100 percent guaranteed, with all of the work
is performed on-site. It is environmentally friendly, and cartridge
World offers free pickup and delivery for orders over $50. For a
free quote, contact the Duluth Cartridge World, 2628 Pleasant Hill
directly across from the Super Walmart (770) 497-4910 or the Lawrenceville
location, 911 Highway 120 in the Publix center, (770) 995-4465.
Or e-mail Nancy McGill - Owner, at: nancy@cartridgeworldlawrenceville.com.
FEEDBACK
Compares
Falwell speech to charges against California church
Editor, the Forum:
The IRS vendetta against a Pasadena church for having a guest speaker
who allegedly made a political statement constitutes the height
of hypocrisy. Jerry Falwell, who makes millions of dollars and owns
vasts amounts of property, regularly exhorts his congregation to
support Republicans. On Oct. 29, 2004, the Baptist Press reported
from Plano Tex., that Fallwell repeatedly urged his congregation
to vote against Democrats and to support Bush -- it doesn't get
any plainer than that. The following is part of the text of that
article:
"Evangelical Christians support President Bush because of
his values, and not because he's a Republican," Jerry Falwell
told the 4,500 people gathered at Dallas-area Prestonwood Baptist
Church October. 26 during the closing session of the Southern Baptists
of Texas Convention's annual meeting.
"We couldn't care less that Bush is a Republican. If (Bush)
were a Democrat, we'd still be behind him because of who he is and
what he believes," said Falwell. A quick reading of Fallwell's
sermons reveals this, the foregoing, is the rule, rather than the
exception.
I intend to forward this letter to the IRS to urge them to try
to recoup some of our tax money from this charlatan who masquerades
as a holy man, while promoting politicians in every sermon.
-- Kyle Bradshaw, Los Angeles, Calif.
UPCOMING
Duluth
plans groundbreaking for new city hall on Friday
Groundbreaking for the new City Hall in Duluth is set for Friday,
September 29 at 1:30 p.m. It will be at the new city hall site behind
Taylor Park near the railroad.
Prior to the groundbreaking, city officials will host a lunch at
the Duluth Festival Center at noon. Then at 1 p.m., the City will
hold a ribbon-cutting for Phase II of the Downtown Development Plan
at the corner of Main Street and West Lawrenceville Street.
Aurora to offer "Glorious"
at city hall stage Oct. 12
Excitement abounds as Aurora Theatre presents the American Premiere
of Glorious! by Peter Quilter, starting October 12.
The Aurora "Season on the Move" continues as Aurora Theatre
opens in interim space on the fourth floor of Lawrenceville City
Hall, an intimate 150-seat theatre with stadium style seating. Free
parking, elevator access, a beautifully appointed lobby, lots of
restrooms and eleven rows of seats that all face front and center
is the perfect venue befitting Gwinnett's first choice for theatrical
entertainment.
Glorious! is a comedy based on the true story of Florence Foster
Jenkins, the worst singer in the world. As Miss Jenkins struggles
to achieve her dream of playing Carnegie Hall, the play becomes
the perfect illustration of what one can accomplish with firm belief
in oneself.
Dissonant Diva Florence Foster Jenkins deemed "the soprano
of the sliding scale" is so eccentric; you'll have to hear
it to believe it. Before American Idol's William Hung, audiences
cheered for the atonal warbles of Florence Foster Jenkins as she
played a sold-out Carnegie Hall in the 1940's.
The all-star cast is led by one of Atlanta's most coveted directors:
the Alliance Theatre's Freddie Ashley. He leads an ensemble that
includes some of the region's best talent starting with Shelly McCook,
one of Atlanta's favorite comedienne as Florence Foster Jenkins.
A proud Anthony Rodriguez, producing artistic director for Aurora
Theatre explains: "We have had a great deal of talent onstage
over the past 10 years, but we have never had the opportunity to
produce an American premiere. This is one of the best new comedies
penned in years but becomes a bit difficult to produce. I can't
wait to share Glorious! with a live audience, with the American
premiere of Glorious!"
The play opens October 12 and will continue through November 5.
Performances are Thursday - Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturday &
Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $18-$25.
NOTABLE
County
opens new 1,440-bed tower at detention center
Sheriff Butch Conway helped cut the ribbon Tuesday for an expansion
of the jail where his department holds detainees awaiting trials.
The ceremony took place at the new Kenneth L. Wimberly Detention
Building at 2900 University Parkway in Lawrenceville. (Deputy Sheriff
Kenneth Wimberly was killed in the line of duty while answering
a disturbance call on September 22, 1998.)
In November 2002, Gwinnett voters approved a $75-million bond issue
to pay for the new facility. The 1,440-bed tower has been under
construction for just over two years. The project also includes
a central laundry, kitchen, and medical facilities designed to handle
the additional load of inmates in a proposed second tower to be
built when funds are available.
"The opening of this tower will bring us some much needed
relief. We've been at 200 percent capacity and this expansion will
bring us back down to 100 percent capacity for the first time in
years. I am glad we have finally reached this phase of the project,
and soon it looks like we will have to start construction for the
second tower to keep up with our exploding growth," said Sheriff
Butch Conway.
Officials have said that the expansion is already inadequate to
meet current needs even before it opened. The average inmate population
is now almost 2,300 on any given day.
In 2002, the County opened a new 800-bed prison to handle inmates
who have been convicted of crimes. It is operated by the Department
of Corrections, headed by Warden Jim Kraus.
Two court divisions
move to Gwinnett jail location
Two divisions of Gwinnett County Courts will move to the Gwinnett
County Jail on Friday, Sept. 29: the Clerk of Superior Court Family
Violence Division and the Magistrate Court Criminal Division. The
Sheriff's Department Family Violence Unit will also move.
All three offices will open for business on Monday, Oct. 2. Following
the move, petitions for family violence, petitions for stalking,
bad check citations and all warrant applications will be accepted
at the new location.
The Gwinnett County Jail is located at 2900 University Parkway
in Lawrenceville. Hours of operation will be Monday through Friday
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Duluth opens Red Clay
Theatre: First play is Oct. 12
Snipping the ribbon signifying the opening of the Red Clay Theatre
and Arts Center in Duluth is co-founder Shelly Howard, Duluth Mayor
Shirley Lasseter and Mark Pitt, the other co-founder. Sizemore Group
was the architect for the project, Realistic Homes Soulutions did
the construction, Barbizon was the lighting consultant, and Thank
Sound was the sound consultant. Duluth's new Theatre has a cutting-edge
lighting and sound equipment. Opening night for the theatre is October
12 with the play "Educating Rita".. For more information
on the theatre visit www.redclaytheatrearts.com
or call 770-622-1777.
Two Gwinnett Tech
students win $1,000 Coca-Cola scholarships
Gwinnett Technical College students Matthew Bacchus and Shelley
Hoster have each been awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Coca-Cola
Scholars Foundation.
Bacchus received his diploma in the college's EMT program and is
now enrolled in its paramedic associate degree program. Hoster,
an early childhood care and education student at Gwinnett Tech,
also recently brought home the gold medal in the national SkillsUSA
competition in the preschool teaching category.
Through the Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program, the
Foundation awards a total of 400 scholarships annually to students
attending higher-education institutions granting two-year degrees.
All recipients have demonstrated academic success and participated
in community service within the past 12 months.
.
RECOMMENDED
Medieval Times
:"My husband, Mark, and I had a special splurge recently at
the new Medieval Times restaurant and show (at Discovery Mills).
It was a rousting, jousting time as we feasted on chicken and ribs,
bread and castle pastries (all with our hands!) and watched a fun
and unique show. You can cheer on your favorite knight and sit tight
while you watch horses, and sword fights, and the King and his daughter
enter into the events, etc. The meal is good and it's a fun and
upbeat atmosphere with all the whistles."
-- Cindy Evans, Duluth
- An invitation: What
Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your
best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have
read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus
what book you plan to read next. --eeb
GEORGIA
TIDBIT
World's
largest azalea garden located at Callaway Gardens
Callaway
Gardens in Pine Mountain, site of the world's largest azalea
garden, encompasses more than 14,000 acres and, in addition to the
gardens, offers golfing, boating, cycling, and other leisure activities.
In the 1950s Cason and Virginia Hand Callaway transformed land left
barren from decades of cotton farming into a place of beauty and
relaxation. Since it opened to the public, Callaway Gardens, located
about 70miles southwest of Atlanta, has attracted millions of visitors.
Callaway's azaleas |
While picnicking near their home one day in the summer of 1930,
Cason Callaway, a textile manufacturer, and his wife, Virginia,
a knowledgeable horticulturist, came upon a bright, orange-red azalea.Virginia
Callaway soon identified the flower as a plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron
prunifolium), which is native to a 100-mile area in west Georgia's
Harris County. Taken with the beauty and local flora of the place,
the Callaways purchased 2,500 acres for a weekend retreat. After
retiring from his textile business in 1938, Cason Callaway considered
making the lands useful again. His initial idea was to create a
place where friends from the business world could build retirement
homes. He also envisioned a golf course, so that they would not
have to travel all the way to LaGrange or Columbus to enjoy the
game.
Callaway Gardens offers a hotel, cabins for rent, a conference
facility, and other attractions, including the John A. Sibley Horticultural
Center, the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center, and the Cecil
B. Day Butterfly Center. Since 1958 the facility has hosted the
Masters Water Ski and Wakeboard Tournament as well as the Florida
State University Circus, which performs each summer under the great
tent. From 1991 to 2002 a PGA Golf Championship called the gardens
home. More recently, the Fantasy in Lights display, with more than
eight million lights illuminating the driving trail, trees, and
lakes, occurs annually during the Christmas season.
The management of Callaway Gardens has gradually been moving the
site away from its automobile focus; instead, trolleys are available
for touring the gardens, and extensive hiking and biking trails
connect the attractions.
THOUGHT
OF THE DAY
Person with active
mind never finds time for all
"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want
to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to
read, and all the friends I want to see."
-- Essayist John Burroughs, (1837-1921), via Roy McCreary,
Dacula.
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is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible
social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett
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