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Philharmonic presents all-ages performance
on Jan. 26
By
Kelly Haggard Olson
Special to GwinnettForum.com
DULUTH, Ga., Jan. 18, 2008 -- The Gwinnett Philharmonic will perform
children's classics Peter and the Wolf and The Toy Symphony
during a special all-ages family concert entitled, "Peter and
the Wolf and the Pediatrician," scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday,
January 26 in the Performing Arts Center of the Gwinnett Center.
The one-hour concert is designed to introduce elementary-aged children
to the orchestra. The timeless tales and accessible music, however,
will appeal to music lovers of all ages. A brief musical preface
will familiarize young people with the orchestra by highlighting
the instruments that play character roles in Sergei Prokofiev's
Peter and the Wolf. These include the lively string section, which
represents the boyish enthusiasm of Peter; the haunting growl of
the French horns, giving ominous voice to the wolf; the silky sound
of the clarinet which represents a skulking cat; the low, noble
bassoon as the cautious grandfather; a cheerful oboe as the waddling
duck; and the lilting notes of a flute for the fluttering bird.
Dr. Jeffery Cooper, a Duluth pediatrician, will narrate the beloved
tale of Peter. Dr. Cooper is a musician and community leader. He
majored in music as a pianist at Emory University before going on
to graduate from Emory Medical School, and is a member of the church
choir at Peachtree Corners Baptist Church, often singing featured
solos or duets with his wife, Lisa. He is also a member of the gospel
quartet Yielded. Dr. Cooper has been a Board Member of the Gwinnett
Philharmonic Association since 1997.
In addition to Peter, the Philharmonic will perform The Toy Symphony.
This classic has been attributed to various composers, including
Franz Joseph Haydn and Leopold Mozart, and was written to feature
toy instruments alongside traditional symphony orchestral instruments.
Child musicians Aneesa Jones, Mackenzie Staples, Andrew Fricks,
Jonathan Lenz, Minji Jang and Hallie Skelton, all third, fourth
or fifth grade students from Buford Academy, will perform on toy
instruments under the direction of their music teacher, Gary Lenz.
As a special feature, the Hudgens Museum of Art will again host
the popular "Instrument Petting Zoo" for children to get
a close-up look at the instruments and meet the musicians in a memorable
hands-on experience. The Zoo will be held in the Great Hall of the
Children's Museum from noon until 12:30 p.m., and again for approximately
half an hour following the concert. In addition to hosting the Petting
Zoo, the Museum will have an arts and crafts area set up, featuring
concert-related crafts and take home art projects for children.
This is the second annual Family Concert to be presented by the
Gwinnett Philharmonic. Last season the event was received with tremendous
enthusiasm, with families attending from all over Gwinnett County
and the surrounding area.
Tickets are $28 adults, $24 seniors or $12 students. Special pricing
is available for members and groups. Tickets for the concerts are
available through the Philharmonic website, via Ticketmaster online,
in person or by phone at 404-249-6400, or in person at the Gwinnett
Center box office, open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth.
For more information on the concert or the Gwinnett Philharmonic,
visit www.gwinnettphilharmonic.org
or call 770-418-1115.
Two people with vision helped gain minor league
baseball
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
JAN. 18, 2008 -- Two people, a decade apart, are the ones who are
most responsible for Gwinnett even thinking about getting a minor
league baseball team.
Brack |
One person was the late Scott Hudgens, a visionary developer. The
other is a sitting Gwinnett county commissioner, Bert Nasuti.
One of the reasons Scott Hudgens was successful as a developer
is that he had this ability to think 10 years ahead. He started
quietly assembling land well before the 1984 opening date of Gwinnett
Place Mall, and well before the Mall of Georgia opened in 1999.
About 10 years ago, Mr. Hudgens had the notion that the Gwinnett
market would be a sound one for a minor league baseball team. That
was before other major league baseball teams began to think that
perhaps they should have an affiliate of their team as a minor league
team close to the city where the major league team played. Now that
sort of thinking has become accepted among baseball moguls.
Even in those early days of day-dreaming about minor league baseball
in Gwinnett, Scott Hudgens had a hunch. "Wouldn't it be great
if the Braves would have a farm team in Gwinnett?" he suggested
to me one day. He reasoned: "That way, the Braves' management
could watch some of their up-and-coming prospects real close by,
rather than sending them to other minor leagues teams farther away."
Though he began some preliminary investigation into the matter,
unfortunately, Scott Hudgens died before there was serious talk
about a Gwinnett minor league team. Many of us believe that had
Mr. Hudgens lived, Gwinnett would already be enjoying minor league
baseball.
The other person who deserves a niche in history about a possible
minor league team in Gwinnett is County Commissioner Bert Nasuti.
He first raised this possibility at the 2006 county commission
retreat at Brasstown Bald. Some may have poo-pooed Gwinnett snaring
a minor league baseball. Yet Nasuti saw to it that funds went to
the Gwinnett Convention and Visitor's Bureau to do a feasibility
study of baseball in Gwinnett. What the study showed was glowing,
saying that the Gwinnett market for minor league baseball was among
the best in the nation.
Yet the study emphasized that Gwinnett could probably only get
an independent league team, since the Atlanta Braves would block
another major league team entering the market, and were themselves
not interested.
But the Gwinnett officials did not know that the Braves had, somehow,
seen a copy of the report, and that, indeed, they had an interest
in coming to Gwinnett. And not with one of their smaller teams,
but with their AAA Richmond team!
The Braves contacted Gwinnett officials in October. Since then,
meetings have run hot and heavy, with things going amazingly well…..and
fast.
So, come next April, Gwinnett will have a minor league baseball
team, the top farm team of the Atlanta Braves. Minor league baseball
will become a reality here, a great attraction, with affordable
prices, a great amenity to add to those already available in the
county.
It comes after the early visions of Scott Hudgens, and because
of Bert Nasuti, who had the foresight to push for a feasibility
study at the right time. Thank you for showing the rest of us the
way.
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Pleased
for Braves, but wants road intersections upgraded
Editor, the Forum:
I want to extend a warm welcome to the AAA farm team Braves! It
is clear that if we build it they will come.
What plans and project have our leaders initiated to maintain or
improve our traffic quality of life? Will the Georgia DOT now come
up with the funds to build the Gravel Springs interchange on Interstate
85? Will Interstate 85 get much needed HOV lanes?
The intersection of Old Peachtree and Georgia Highway 124 stinks
as does Horizon at Lawrenceville Suwanee and Lawrenceville Suwanee
at Interstate 85! Will the Georgia Highway 316 intersections with
Collins Hill Road and Georgia Highway 20 be improved?
Last year Gwinnett citizens took the back seat on major projects
because the DOT spent all of our money on the next version of the
Atlanta Downtown Connector. I wrote the Forum wondering why our
politicians could not bring home the bacon.
Congratulations to our elected officials for having brought home
the bacon as far as the Braves are concerned. Now let's see what
they can do to keep this baseball dream from turning into a traffic
nightmare!
-- Wayne Buchheit, Dacula
Dear Wayne: You raise a lot of questions. One
answer I know is in the works is the eventual HOV lanes up I-85.
When? Don't know, but understand it is in the works. But, as you
note, lots of other areas need improving. It's called just keeping
up with changing conditions. One guy I know who moved here from
Chicago was surprised, by all things, at the smoothness and wideness
of our roads. Guess it's depending if you are used to the potholes
of Chicago! -eeb
Rocky
marriage
Another great cartoon from Bill McLemore:
Norcross fire station
moves to new location on Saturday
Gwinnett Fire Station No. 1 in Norcross will relocate to its new
location on Lawrenceville Street on Saturday, January 19. The station,
the first of the Fire District, was purchased by the county from
the City of Norcross in 1971.
To commemorate the original station, an all-night event will celebrate
the final day of the original station. This will be on January 18
from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. at the original station at 57 College Street.
Former firefighters, local officials and residents are invited
to the event.
Gwinnett FCA plans
banquet Feb. 5 honoring top athletes
On February 5, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Gwinnett
will honor Gwinnett County high school athletes and name the Outstanding
Male and Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year at the FCA's first
awards ceremony and banquet at the First Baptist Church of Snellville.
Jeff Francoeur of the Atlanta Braves will be the speaker and special
guest at the dinner.
Kyle Maynard of ESPN, who is a Collins Hill High School graduate,
will receive the FCA Gwinnett's Legacy Award for exemplifying FCA
values of integrity, service, teamwork and excellence.
WSB television personality David Chandley will be Master of Ceremonies,
and Gwinnett's business, political, religious and sports leaders
are being invited to attend. A silent auction is also on tap for
the evening.
Proceeds from the 2008 banquet will go toward funding FCA staff,
outreach events, and FCA camp scholarships. Those interested in
attending or sponsoring the event should get in touch with Mike
Leone at 770 714 5884.
Physical therapy topic
of symposium for potential students
Gwinnett Medical Center is hosting a symposium for high school
students considering careers in athletic training or physical therapy.
The Gwinnett County High School Sports Medicine Symposium will
take place from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008, at
the GHS Resource Center, 665 Duluth Highway in Lawrenceville.
The Sports Medicine Program of Gwinnett Medical Center is sponsoring
the event, which will feature sessions on taping, injury prevention,
heat illness, first-aid and splinting. Presenters will also provide
a demonstration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the use
of automatic external defibrillators (AED), and the process of managing
a cervical spine injury to athletes, including spine boarding and
on-field facemask removal.
Medical Center presenters include Gary Levengood, MD, chief of
Orthopedic Surgery; Scott Maughon, MD, chair of the Sports Medicine
Committee; Becky Thompson, PT, of Gwinnett SportsRehab; and Tim
Simmons, ATC, coordinator of Athletic Training Services.
Participants will receive a T-shirt, lunch and a comprehensive
manual of the day's events. The fee to attend is $10. For more information
or to register, visit www.gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/sports,
or contact Tim Simmons at 678-312-6018, or mail tsimmons@gwinnettmedicalcenter.org.
Three
areas get DOT grants for transportation projects
The Georgia Department of Transportation has announced three awards
totaling $1.4 million for Lilburn, Norcross and the Gwinnett Village
CID area.
The Transportation Enhancement grants goal is to enrich the transportation
experience of Georgians through specific projects identified as
critical to the revitalization efforts of each jurisdiction.
Up to 80 percent of the funds being used for these projects have
been provided by the Federal Highway Administration, with local
government funding the remainder of the total project cost. The
awarded projects include:
- $471,000 - Gwinnett Village CID for Buford Highway streetscaping
to add sidewalks, transit shelters, and landscaping along the
north side of Buford Highway from Amwiler Road to Jimmy Carter
Boulevard. The project was a recommendation of the Atlanta Regional
Commissions Buford Highway Multi-Modal Transportation Study.
- $370,000 - City of Norcross for streetscape improvements on
Thrasher Street, beginning at Autry Street and ending at Jones
Street/Park; and South Peachtree Street. Beginning at Autry Street
and ending at Holcomb Bridge Road.
- $570,000 - City of Lilburn for construction of a 10-foot wide
hard surface trail adjacent to Jackson Creek beginning at Killian
Hill Road and ending at Arcado Road.
County awards reclaimed
water pipeline contract
The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners have awarded the final contract
for building a 72-inch diameter pipeline that next year will start
returning as much as 40 million gallons per day of reclaimed water
back to Lake Lanier.
The pipeline and diffuser, about 1.4 miles long, will be mostly
underwater. Land portions of the overall 8.4 mile pipeline from
the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center are either finished or
under construction. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the
underwater construction and necessary easements last October.
Oscar Renda Contracting received the $25.1 million contract. The
official "notice to proceed" is expected around the end
of February with scheduled construction time of 510 days, or about
17 months. Total cost of the entire reuse pipeline construction
will be about $63 million.
Lynn Smarr, acting director of Water Resources, said, "This
pipeline will also provide opportunities for developments along
its route to use highly treated wastewater for irrigation."
A map of the route is available online
here.
Groundbreaking Feb.
5 For larges county park in Harbins
Development of Gwinnett County's largest park yet will get underway
following a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, February 5, at 3:30
p.m.
The new Harbins Park, on the eastern edge of the county at the
intersection of Luke Edwards Road and Indian Shoals Road southeast
of Dacula, will have more than 1,900 acres. Phase One will include
three miles of paved, multi-purpose trails plus others for mountain
biking or horseback riding.
Phase One also includes an open-field play area, a large, rustic
picnic pavilion, playground, restroom building, maintenance facility
and an equestrian-only parking lot. Funding for the new park will
come from the SPLOST program.
Suwanee business group
offers scholarship for local seniors
The Suwanee Business Alliance announces that it will sponsor two
college scholarships for 2008, both a $1,000 and a $500 scholarship.
Seniors attending high school in zip code 30024 are eligible. This
includes those at North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge, Collins Hill
schools, and seniors attending private or home school curriculum.
Deadline for the scholarships is March 15, 2008.
Applications should be submitted to the Suwanee Business Alliance
Scholarship Committee, 2950 C Horizon Park Drive, Suwanee, Ga. 30024.
- 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
Storytelling
includes myths, and use of animal characters
(Continued
from January 11)
The storytelling
tradition often includes the use of myths, defined as the sacred
stories supporting a religion. They often explain the present order
of things as the creation of divinities, who are the chief characters.
In the United States, oral myths (as opposed to the literary mythology
of the Bible) are found primarily among Native Americans.
The Cherokees who once inhabited north Georgia maintain a living
tradition of oral myths in western North Carolina. A good example
is the creation story told by Lloyd Arneach, a Cherokee storyteller.
A variation on the universal flood myth, it attributes the formation
of the Cherokees' mountainous homeland to a primeval buzzard that
flapped his wings in the mud as he searched for dry land. Such myths
have rarely figured in the Georgia storyteller's repertoire since
the Native American population was driven off in the early nineteenth
century.
Stories with animal characters that behave like humans have come,
with the popularity of Joel
Chandler Harris's Uncle Remus books of the 1880s, to exemplify
Georgia folktales. Harris heard many of these African American tales,
which feature the amoral trickster B'rer Rabbit, in Putnam County;
folklorist Florence Baer recently confirmed his belief in their
strong West African roots. The most famous of the B'rer Rabbit stories,
"The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story," is first documented in
the South among the Cherokees of Oklahoma in 1845, 32 years before
its earliest report in black tradition. It is likely, however, that
Southeastern Indians had borrowed it from African Americans.
Although seldom published, another important African American "cycle,"
or group of related folktales, replaces the rabbit trickster with
a human one, John, whose cunning sometimes allows him to get the
upper hand on his master (or, in a postbellum setting, boss). Humorous
in tone, these stories nonetheless offer an insider's perspective
on slavery. The Alabama-born master storyteller Lee Drake used them
to entertain fellow workers in Atlanta in the 1960s. One of his
favorites, in which John and his master are both portrayed as numbskulls
who mistake two thieves sharing their loot in a graveyard for the
Lord and the Devil dividing souls on Judgment Day, is in fact one
of the oldest English folktales still told in Georgia. Originally
poking fun at the clergy, it is found in a sixth-century manuscript
and Renaissance jest book and, after coming to the South, was adapted
to fit the Master and John cycle.
King understood that
no man walks alone
"The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro
community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for
many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here
today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our
destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably
bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone." (1963)
-- Dr. Martin Luther King, via Tim Anderson, Fitzgerald.
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
or comments on any issue to Gwinnett
Forum for future publication.
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is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible
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