15.16: From veterans’ resources to barbecue

BIG CELEBRATION: Gwinnett’s biggest Memorial Day celebration was in Dacula, where for the 22nd year, a parade marked the day’s activities. Roving Photographer Frank Sharp caught some of the action, as Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks led the parade, riding with Mill Creek Homecoming Queen Laura Hunter, and her father, County Commissioner Tommy Hunter. A highlight of the parade was a C-130 flyover from Dobbins Air Reserve Base at 1,000 feet over part of the parade route on Dacula Road as Katie Wolf finished singing the Star-Spangled Banner. For more action from Dacula, click here.

IN THIS EDITION

TODAY’S FOCUS: Gwinnett Has Veterans’ Resource Center in Lawrenceville
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Nation’s Best Barbecue: TripAdvisor Says It’s in Blue Ridge
FEEDBACK: Feels Gwinnett Needs Better Tethering Ordinance; Old Quote in Come Back
UPCOMING: Summer Reading Program; Photo Open House; Grayson Concert Soon
NOTABLE: Gwinnett Place CID Expands; FEMA Has New Way To Warn of Hurricanes
RECOMMENDED READ: Dead Wake by Erik Larson
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Oglethorpe Becomes Antagonistic with Stephens Ties with the Trustees
TODAY’S QUOTE: About Living Under Robber Barons
MYSTERY PHOTO: Only Two Spotted Barcelona Statue
LAGNIAPPE: Beautiful American Goldfinch Returns

You can also help veterans at Gwinnett Veterans’ Resource Center

By Ellen Gerstein
Executive director
Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., May 27, 2015 — Thank you for your service to our country” and for my freedom, is my sentiment as I reflect upon what does Memorial Day mean to me and our country.

Gerstein

I have had the honor and privilege of working along some very dedicated volunteers to create the Gwinnett Veterans’ Resource Center. Almost two years ago, members from the Gwinnett Chapter of the DAV (Disabled American Veterans), and DAVA (Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary) and the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services (Gwinnett Coalition) partnered to establish this unique service for Gwinnett Veterans and their families.

Gwinnett County Government very generously provided space in our current location, 750 South Perry Street, Lawrenceville, to house the new Gwinnett Veterans’ Resource Center. The center started out with a DAV and DAVA commander, a couple of Chapter Service Officers and several other part-time volunteers, trying to provide claim filing service and a list of available services and benefits. This has quickly grown into a “one stop shop,” where agencies who serve veterans and their families, offer their services on site daily or weekly.

Currently the agencies and services offered are:

• The Georgia Department of Labor offers job placement services several days a week;
• Weekly visits from Nettles Law, LLC offering free legal advice and guidance;
• The IMPACT Group offers housing and utility assistance;
• Partnership for Community Action offers housing and utility assistance;
• The Salvation Army provides assistance with gas utilities; and
• The Atlanta Food Bank offers help with food and food stamp applications.

We are also working with the new Veterans’ Court to meet with incarcerated veterans and provide guidance and support to help them be successful when they return to society once they are released.

“Bill” came to the Gwinnett Veterans’ Resource Center homeless in need of a hand up. “Bill” is a Vietnam Navy veteran. After having a very successful Naval career, Bill transitioned into civilian life with a great IT job working for Lockheed, living the American Dream with a wife and three kids. Then “Bill’s” life took a turn that spiraled into homelessness. His wife divorced him and left with his children and all the family assets. “Bill” lost his job and everything.

However, now “Bill” is on the road to success thanks to the volunteers at the Gwinnett Veterans’ Resource Center and the Impact Group, who have provided him with a home, clothing, furniture, and many of life’s basic needs. I met “Bill” at the Gwinnett Veterans’ Resource Center, where he is volunteering and offering his computer skills to help other veterans and pay it forward.

The Center is expanding and growing. Since January 2015, we have served 235 veterans. The total since our inception in February 2014 is over 641 Veterans.

We need your help. If you know of a veteran who needs help, or would like to help, send them to the Gwinnett Veterans’ Resource Center. We are a non-profit agency and depend on contributions.

All proceeds go 100 percent to helping veterans at the Gwinnett Veterans’ Resource Center. The Gwinnett Veterans’ Resource Center is staffed with all volunteers, “Veterans Helping Veterans.”

• For more information contact Danny Pagan, DAV Commander and Gwinnett Veterans’ Center director, 678-226-9177, or contact the Gwinnett Helpline at 770-995-3339.

Blue Ridge has what TripAdvisor calls best barbecue in nation

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher

MAY 27, 2015 — Word got out last week that the best barbecue in the nation, says TripAdvisor, is at Joe’s BBQ in Blue Ridge, Ga. Ironically, TripAdvisor said the second best place for barbecue was at another Joe’s Barbecue, this one was in Kansas City, Kan. The two eateries are not related.

Since we were in the Georgia mountains, why not try out the Blue Ridge place? So we arrived at 11:45 a.m., saw this relatively small restaurant on East First Street, and found there were 33 people in line ahead of us. Already we had decided on take-out food, but even though, we were still shuttled to the line to await our turn.

Others in line, we found out, had just heard about the top designation for this relatively out-of-the-way place, and also came to check it out.

Once inside, about 12:15, Joe Ray said: “Might as well wait where it’s cooler.” We had learned that Joe has a Gwinnett connection, having lived in Lilburn and Snellville back in the 70s. He was so busy scurrying around that we didn’t get to talk further with him then.

Up until about four years ago, Joe was in the mortgage business, first with Decatur Federal, and later with SunTrust in Gainesville and later in Blue Ridge. About four years ago, after retirement from SunTrust, he opened the restaurant. “We don’t profess to having the best barbecue, but the readers of TripAdvisor thought otherwise. We’re just thankful for the ranking. After the story came out, we have had the biggest weekend ever since we have been opened.”

Once in, we found one reason for the slow line: not many tables. We counted 26 chairs inside, plus three tables of six outside, and a porch with places for about four tables. Its slogan: “Small place, great taste.”

Joe’s, Blue Ridge, Ga.

Customers place their order, and pay immediately at the cashier.

The menu has dry-rubbed hickory-smoked pork or ribs or smoked chicken, plus Brunswick Stew. Besides barbecue pork ($12.50 a pound), or sandwiches, you can get a half or whole rack of ribs ($11.50 or $21.99). The pulled chicken comes at $12.50 a pound, or half chicken ($5.95) or whole ($8.95).

A featured item is the barbecue stuffed potato, pork or chicken, at $8.95. Drinks include nine types of mostly American beer.

Finally, we emerged about 12:30, all ready to try out the taste.

We found that the pulled pork comes smoked without sauce, though Joe’s supplies sauces in containers. The pork is beautifully cooked, but needs the sauce to add to the taste (mild, spicy, or hot.) The half chicken is smoked beautifully, with a particularly good taste. Of the two, we preferred the chicken. While we didn’t get the ribs, we saw several customers gnawing down on them, and the meat was thick on them.

With this Number One rating in the nation, Joe’s either has to enlarge, or its customers must get there sooner. It’s open only on Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., and on Sunday from11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

While we’re at it, might as well show you the other top 10 barbecue places, according to TripAdvisor. They include:

1. Joe’s BBQ– Blue Ridge, Georgia;
2. Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que – Kansas City, Kansas;
3. Bogart’s Smokehouse – Saint Louis, Missouri;
4. Reuben’s Smokehouse – Fort Myers, Florida;
5. Andy Nelson’s Southern Pit BBQ– Cockeysville, Maryland;
6. Captain’s BBQ– Palm Coast, Florida;
7. HogsHead Café– Richmond, Virginia;
8. Buck’s Smokehouse – Destin, Florida;
9. Franklin Barbecue– Austin, Texas; and
10. Pappy’s Smokehouse – Saint Louis, Missouri.

Our take on Joe’s BBQ: Good, but surprised it’s called best in the nation.

Bidding for last Gwinnett history book continues with new wrinkle

Now we’re down to the third-from-last 850-page Gwinnett history book, Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta. A recent bidder shot the bidding up for $100 for the fourth-from-last book. Again, we’re offering win four “anytime” field level seats to see the Gwinnett Braves this summer if you are the successful bidder for the book. The minimum price for this book is $60, and, and increases must go up by $5 a bid. Bidding will end on Monday, June 1, at 10 a.m. Those bidding on the book will be kept in touch by email. Proceeds in part benefit the Salvation Army.

These books are the last in circulation from the nearly sold-out second printing. GwinnettForum, publishers of the book, says that there will not be a third printing. So, if interested in Gwinnett history, now’s the time to move with this bidding.

Mingledorff’s

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers.  Today’s featured sponsor is Mingledorff’s, an air conditioning distributor of the Carrier Air Conditioning Company. Mingledorff’s corporate office is located at 6675 Jones Mill Court in Norcross, Ga. and is proud to be a sponsor of the Gwinnett Forum. With 34 locations in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina, Mingledorff’s is the convenient local source with a complete line for the quality heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration parts and supplies you need to service and install HVAC/R equipment. Product lines include Carrier, Bryant, Payne, Totaline and Mitsubishi.

• For all of your HVAC needs, and information on the products Mingledorff’s sells, visit www.mingledorffs.com and www.carrier.com.

• For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: https://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm.

More on Gwinnett’s new tethering ordinance concerning dogs

Editor, the Forum:

The letter about the new tethering ordinance is “spot on.”

Why the Board of Commissioners pretended to miss the point of the proposed ban of ANY unsupervised tethering raises my interest.  The point of changing the law from one hour of unsupervised tethering to a straight ban was that Animal Control Officers said the one hour was unenforceable because they could not sit and watch a dog for the 61 minutes necessary to write a citation.

So instead of banning tethering, the commissioners decided to ignore the proposal, put together by dog experts, and write their own ordinance allowing a dog to be tethered on a trolley unsupervised for up to 14 hours.

At a town hall meeting I attended, the commissioners were asked how a dog would be protected against being left out in extreme heat or cold.  The answer was “….that is in the ordinance.”  When asked what the temperature guidelines were, Lynette Howard back- pedaled and said “Well it says freezing  temperatures, extreme heat and inclement weather.”  Then “We need to define what temperatures define extreme and freezing.”

My Papillion freezes in weather that would make an Akita sweat.  What?  Commissioner Hunter stated that “….he didn’t know there was such a thing as an unchained dog until he moved to Gwinnett”.  What?

The point made about Miami-Dade’s diversity and ban was completely valid.  I say that comfortably since I was born and raised in Miami.  What has made these commissioners, except Tommy Heard, decide to refuse to listen to the research and dog experts?

— Vivian Aaron, Peachtree Corners

Pulling out an older quote to come back on Wilson

Editor, the Forum:

In response to George Wilson’s recent comment, let me bring this up:

“Of course, when we speak of the conflict between Left and Right, or between liberals and conservatives, we are talking about a divide wider and deeper than electoral politics. The great issue between the two communities turns on how they feel about the nature of American society.

“Again with all exceptions duly noted, I think it fair to say that what the Left mainly sees when it looks at America is injustice and oppression of every kind – economic, social, and political. By sharp contrast, the Right sees a complex of traditions, principles, and institutions that have made it possible for more freedom – and even factoring in periodic economic downturns – more prosperity to be enjoyed by more of its citizens than in any other society known to human history.

“It follows that what liberals believe needs to be changed or discarded is precisely what conservatives are dedicated to preserving, reinvigorating, and defending against attack.” — Norman Podhoretz, ‘Why Are Jews Liberals?’”

— Steve Rausch, Norcross

Dear Steve: Oh, we wish it were that simple.–eeb

Library’s summer reading program kicks off on June 1

Gwinnett County Public Library will host Summer Reading Program kick-off events for kids and teens at all 15 library branches beginning June 1.

The Summer Reading Program encourages children to develop a lifelong habit of reading. Reluctant readers are drawn in by the numerous activities and programs held throughout the summer.

GCPL Youth Services Manager Amy Billings says: “Reading over the summer also allows children to keep their skills up and helps prevent brain drain. Recreational reading helps develop competencies such as fluency and vocabulary and exposes kids and teens to a wider world.”

• To sign up and find more information about the Summer Reading Program, visit www.gwinnettpl.org.
• Click here for the sign-up form.

Gwinnett Tech photo program plans open house on June 11

Gwinnett Technical College’s Photography program will host an open house for new and prospective students on Thursday, June 11, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., showing aspiring photographers how to turn an eye for images into a rewarding career.

Photography Program Directory Judith Pishnery will conduct the information sessions, with additional faculty members and staff present to answer questions and conduct tours. Current photography students will also be on hand to meet with those attending. A selection of current student and alumni work will be on display and there will be demonstrations of studio lighting for portraiture and of digital printing.

The Open House is in Building 100, Room 302 of the Lawrenceville campus. No registration is necessary.

Grayson concert on June 13 to benefit two charities

Grayson is becoming known for bringing some of the best music to Grayson Community Park, making it a premier destination for those who love music of all genres performed by top artists in the Southeast. On June 13, musical artists will find their way to Grayson for Gimme Shelter, an evening concert to benefit two causes: Partnership Against Domestic Violence and the Grayson Children’s Fund.

The concert is from 6 until 10 p.m. This is a 21 and over event; tickets are on sale now. Grayson area restaurants will be on site cooking up a multitude of dinner options that night; beer and wine will also be sold at the venue. No outside food or beverages will be allowed in the gate. Tickets are $25 and $40 for VIP tables. For more info, go to www.GimmeShelterConcert.com.

Cindy Wilson, of the B-52’s, is the headline artist for the Gimme Shelter Benefit Concert. She’ll be joined on the stage by Donna Hall of Wet Willie, Tommy Talton of Cowboy/Gregg Allman Band/Tommy Talton Band, legendary guitarist Barry Richman, soul sisters Sandra Hall, Caroline Aiken, Diane Durrett, Melissa Massey and Deborah Reece, Lil Al of the Lee Boys and Anne-Marie Perry. Freddy’s Finest will serve as the rhythm section for all of this amazing talent and other VERY special guests are expected.

* The Partnership Against Domestic Violence works to end the crime of intimate partner violence and empower its survivors.

* The Grayson Children’s Fund began in 2005 and has served over 500 Grayson youth with anonymous Christmas gifts and back to school supplies, as well as providing for families in need in our community. Administered by volunteers, 100 percent of all donations are spent on the children and families.

Gwinnett Place CID expands its boundaries with 8 percent jump

An eight percent growth in the total assessed value of the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District (GPCID) is coming as a result of an expansion of the district, approved by the Gwinnett County Commission recently.

The additions of properties are along Satellite Boulevard and along Steve Reynolds Boulevard and Shackleford Road.

Joe Allen, executive director of the Gwinnett Place CID, says: “We are excited to welcome our new commercial property owners as members of GPCID.

Because of their investment, we can continue to lead the efforts to expedite mobility, quality of life and economic improvement strategies for the benefit of the businesses, employees and guests in Gwinnett’s central business district at Gwinnett Place.”

Zac Gruber of Banyan Street Capital, owners of Satellite Place, a half million square foot Class A office park which anchors the Gwinnett Place district, says: “It is because of the CID’s efforts and proven success in redeveloping the area that our organization chose to join the District. We are committed to the area through our investment into Satellite Place and looking forward to working with the Board of the Gwinnett Place CID to help invite change and promote the neighborhood.”

This $47 Million expansion brings the estimated total value of the GPCID to $591,520,600. GPCID first expanded its geographical boundaries in 2007 and again in 2014. The CID now has these statistics:

• Expansion Total Value: $47,122,900.
• Total Number of Individual Commercial Property Owners: 178.
• Total Number of Parcels: 240.
• Estimated GPCID Total Value: $591,520,600.

FEMA providing new mobile app for hurricane season

As the 2015 hurricane season begins, the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) has launched a new feature to its mobile app to help be prepared and stay informed about severe weather. The free feature allows you to receive weather alerts from five locations you select anywhere in the country, even if the phone is not located in the area. This tool makes it easy to follow severe weather that may be threatening your family and friends in other areas.

Visit FEMA’s www.ready.gov/hurricanes for step-by-step information and resources for what to do before, during and after a hurricane.

In addition to this upgrade, the app also provides a customizable checklist of emergency supplies, maps of open shelters and Disaster Recovery Centers, and tips on how to survive natural and manmade disasters. The FEMA app also offers a “Disaster Reporter” feature, where users can upload and share photos of disaster damage. The app defaults to Spanish language content for smartphones that have Spanish set as their default language.

The latest version of the FEMA app is available for free in the App Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android devices.

Dead Wake

A book by Erik Larson

“While the HMS Titanic is better known as a great ocean tragedy, Erik Larson’s newest book shows that the sinking of the HMS Lusitania three years after the Titanic went down was a deliberate German wartime strategy, carried out ruthlessly by a determined submarine captain. Larson brings in the famous people and the unknown, giving dimension to the story. He opens with the burial of President Woodrow Wilson’s first wife in Rome, Ga., and then details how Wilson wooed his second wife, all the time burdened with international events of World War I. However, it was two years before the USA would enter this war. Larson draws upon many facts not known immediately after the sinking to show that perhaps the British Admiralty could have signaled danger to the Lusitania’s captain, who officially bore no blame for the sinking. This well-developed story keeps your interest throughout.”–eeb

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

Oglethorpe becomes antagonistic with Stephen’s ties with trustees

(Continued from previous edition)

William Stephens usually deferred to James Oglethorpe’s opinion in early Georgia, but as he grew more secure with his new duties, he rejected judgments that he thought contradicted the Trustees’ instructions. The two men had never considered themselves close friends, and Oglethorpe grew increasingly antagonistic over Stephens’s ties with the Trustees. He withheld vital papers and information from Stephens, including updates about the war with the Spanish.

Another problem that consistently plagued Stephens during his early years in Georgia was a group known as the Malcontents, who consistently opposed the Trustees’ policies. Stephens was a conservative man at heart and considered most of the Malcontent leaders lazy, unproductive, and far too radical. Yet he conceded that a few of their arguments had merit.

Tensions grew between the Malcontents and the Trustees from 1738 to 1743, and Stephens knew that his precarious financial position would not allow him to antagonize his employers. When Stephens presented the Trustees with an overly favorable report in a 1740 work called A State of the Province of Georgia, the Malcontents angrily claimed that Stephens presented his own views and tried to force colonists to approve the document.

Stephens’s support of the Trustees’ policies reduced his effectiveness among the Malcontents and unintentionally intensified the nascent factionalism in Georgia. Even Stephens’s son, Thomas, joined the Malcontents after he experienced disillusionment with the colony and quarreled with Oglethorpe. Thomas Stephens returned to England and published two pamphlets about harsh conditions in Georgia. Stephens became so angry with his wayward child that he transferred his Georgia lands to another son, Newdigate.

Between 1742 and 1743 both the Georgia colony and Stephens faced numerous changes, as the Trustees began to reverse their policies concerning rum and tail-male land tenure. Oglethorpe left the colony on July 23, 1743, never to return. The Trustees appointed Stephens, at age 71, as president of the entire colony in addition to his position as secretary. He administered most of the colony’s affairs and issued land grants with the help of a board of assistants and, toward the end of his career, a vice president. Stephens served as secretary until March 1750 and as president until the spring of 1751. While he gained his share of complaints from various colonists, and never achieved the popularity of Oglethorpe, he led Georgia well in the absence of a governor or much involvement from the Trustees.

Throughout his sojourn in Georgia, Stephens sought to develop his Savannah estate, named Beaulieu or Bewlie, into one of the leading coastal river plantations. His agricultural experiments included grapes for wine and cotton cultivation. He died in August 1753 and was buried at his plantation, but the family sold the estate in 1772. It later served as the landing site for French troops under Count Charles Henri d’Estaing during the Siege of Savannah in October 1779.

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

Only two recognized where recent mystery photo was taken

This edition’s Mystery Photo is a straight and narrow path between two plateaus, with a train traversing a bridge in the background. Just where is this? What’s the significance? Tell us if you think you with an email to elliott@brack.net, and be sure to include where you live.

We thought that the last week’s Mystery Photo might be a stunner. Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill thought it was in Barcelona, Spain, by being a detective and recognizing the bus in the background, and seeing someone reading what appears to be a map on the steps. She did not recognize the statue, however.

But Ruthy Paul of Norcross pinpointed the mystery: “This is in Barcelona, near El Triangle, a shopping mall at the Plaza de Catalunya. The name of the statue is La Dessa or La diosa or “The Goddess,” and the sculptor is Josep Clarà i Ayats (1878–1958), a Spanish Catalan.” The photo was sent in by Tom Merkel of Berkeley Lake after a recent cruise to the area.

Returning birds

Frank Sharp of Lawrenceville reports that American Goldfinch have returned from their winter homes in South America. Frank’s feeders are stocked in a finch sock and a finch tube filled with seeds.  This photo is of an adult male. These birds are sometimes referred to as “wild canaries.”  They will be in the area until late fall before flying south again.

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