2/28: PCOM expands; Reactor floated up Altamaha; GOP policy and new world

GwinnettForum  |  Number 16.89  |  Feb. 28, 2017  

WINTER IN GEORGIA? No, this isn’t a scene from Gwinnett or even Georgia during this warm winter of 2017. It’s the scene outside the kitchen window of a former Gwinnettian, Joyce Rovetta, which you would expect to see in the vicinity of Highland Ranch, Colo. See her comments in Feedback below.
IN THIS EDITION
TODAY’S FOCUS: Suwanee Campus of PCOM Marks $8 Million Campus Expansion
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Nuclear Reactor Floating Up the Altamaha Was an Amazing Sight
ANOTHER VIEW: Republican Policies Cannot Cope with the New World Realties
SPOTLIGHT: Heaven & Associates P.C.,
FEEDBACK: Gwinnett Needs To Concentrate More on Its Strengths
UPCOMING: Second Sip and Swine Barbecue Festival Is March 3-4 at Coolray Field
NOTABLE: Gwinnett Library Director Wins National Association Award
RECOMMENDED:  The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Hambidge Center Gains International Recognition for Fabric Quality
TODAY’S QUOTE: Two Secrets From Long-Ago Grecian Community
MYSTERY PHOTO: First, What Is It, and Then, Where Is It?
LAGNIAPPE: Knight Elementary School Learning in Their Pioneer Garden
CALENDAR: Start Up Basics for New Business To Be March 7 in Buford
TODAY’S FOCUS

Suwanee campus of PCOM marks $8 million campus expansion

By Barbara Myers  |  Community members joined with Georgia Campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM) to ceremoniously break the ground and cut the ribbon on two separate additions equaling an investment of more than $8 million last week.

A physical therapy education center and additional research space are being constructed in a 20,000 square foot addition to the main campus, while a newly expanded and equipped Simulation Center was dedicated.

Chief Campus Officer Bryan Ginn says: “PCOM continues to invest and grow its health science programs in Gwinnett in response to a demonstrated educational need in our region and our state.”  He adds: “These capital investments of more than $8 million will pay dividends toward our student’s educational outcomes in both existing and new academic programs, and enhance GA-PCOM’s role in educating future healthcare providers.”

Jay Feldstein, DO, president of the college, says: “As you visit the Simulation Center today, you will note the extensive use of high-fidelity mannequins and technology that are available for student education and training. We simulate the miracle of birth and we expose students to cardiac emergencies and other conditions that cause patients to present to an Emergency Department in a hospital setting. Our students conduct simulated surgeries in the Operating Room, both by traditional means of scalpel and by robotics. And, yes, students take great delight when their mannequins make it through the intense illness or procedure.”

Dr. Feldstein spoke about the developing physical therapy program. “We are committed to making a physical therapy education program in Georgia successful,” he said, adding that the 20,000 square feet currently under construction will house the “skills and teaching labs, specialized therapy labs and faculty and student support spaces necessary to deliver a robust curriculum.”

GA-PCOM is seeking accreditation for this program from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). If candidacy status is granted, the college will admit the inaugural class of students in June 2018.

Dan Kaufman, president and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, recalled that he had been present for the ribbon cutting ceremony 11 years ago when GA-PCOM first opened. “The promise of that day has not only been realized, I would argue it has been vastly exceeded,” he said. He noted that the college made three critical contributions to sustain Gwinnett as a world class community. According to Kaufman, the medical college provides educational opportunities for Gwinnett students so that they can attend kindergarten through medical school and never leave the county.  In addition, he said the college attracts world class talent in the students that matriculate at GA-PCOM and that the college “enhances the quality of life for us all.” Feldstein said, “Together we are building a stronger, healthier community.”

The groundbreaking was for a Physical Therapy Education Center and additional research space which is under construction. The ribbon cutting was for a Simulation Center which is currently in use.

Assembled for the groundbreaking recently at the GA- PCOM medical school in Suwanee were Mindy George-Weinstein, Chief Research and Science Officer; Hershika Patel, Student Government Association president for 2016-2017; Doug Ireland, Suwanee City Council; David McCleskey, Board of Trustees; Phillip Palmer, professor and chair of the Department of Physical Therapy; Jay Feldstein, president and CEO; Wayne Sikes, Board of Trustees; Carrie Collins, Chief Advancement Officer; Dan Kaufman, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce President and CEO; Bryan Ginn, chief campus officer; Kenneth J. Veit, dean, provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs; Frank Windle, chief facilities officer; Peter Doulis, vice president for finance and CFO; and H. William Craver III, dean and chief academic officer.

EEB PERSPECTIVE

Nuclear reactor floating up the Altamaha was an amazing site

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher  |  Every now and then, in the course of routine matters, an event takes place that makes you catch your breath. That happened to me about 1970, when Georgia Power Company was building its nuclear Plant Hatch near Baxley.

The reactor vessel for the plant was built in Chattanooga, Tenn., then shipped by barge down the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico, across Florida, and eventually up the Altamaha River to Baxley.

The late Ed Jordan of Jesup and I and a few more people took a small motor boat down the Altamaha looking for the reactor being brought up the river on a massive barge. As we rounded a bend near Pennholloway Creek, there came the tall vessel into view.

Wow! Gasp!  It was monstrous! It was so tall, at least 50 feet tall, that the railroad bridge near the Rayonier plant on the Seaboard railroad had to be swung open skyward. It was the first time in maybe 50 years that the bridge had been raised from its normal closed position. The clearance from rails to the river is 30 feet at most, and this was in March, in the high water season.

All this came to mind recently when hearing that the nuclear power plant at Indian Point, N.Y. would be closed by 2021, after more than 50 years of supplying nuclear power to the New York metro area. Gov. Andrew Cuomo feels the plant is a major risk, located so close to the New York metro area population. The power company that operates the plant also says that it has financial motives for closing the plant. How the New York metro area will be supplied with its needs of 2,200 megawatts of electrical power has not yet been determined.

Why did the Indian Point plant come to mind?

Plant Hatch

When Georgia Power announced that it would build the first nuclear plant in Georgia at Baxley, there was considerable concern, particularly in the immediate area of the plant, in Appling County, and across the river in Toombs County, about safety.

So Georgia Power decided to fly county commissioners from Toombs and Appling to the Indian Point plant as a public relations gesture, showing them how safely the plant operated. They also invited newspapermen of the area, and I was among that group.

We were to fly from the Waycross airport, in a prop plane, a two-engine Martin airliner. There were thunderstorms that summer’s day between Waycross and Atlanta. The airliner arrived about two hours late. During the wait, one county commissioner from Toombs County, who had never flown before, was being kidded about how unsettling and difficult flying could sometimes be. It made him more than a little nervous,

That one-hour flight to Atlanta was about as rough a flight as I have ever encountered, before or since. The clouds were heavy, the plane bucked and bounced like a bronco being broken, with lightening flashing outside the windows, and we were all a little unnerved when we finally landed.

The nervous county commissioner was just behind me getting out the rear-loading plane. “How was the flight?” someone asked him.  “You know,” he said, “It was better than I thought it was going to be!”

The next day we boarded a jet to New York. At one time I looked up, seeing that same county commissioner walking down the jet’s aisle, smiling broadly as we cruised smoothly with no bouncing around whatsoever. That’s what I remember about going to the Indian Point nuclear plant.

By the way, the Hatch plant is jointly owned by Georgia Power (50.1 percent); Oglethorpe Power Corporation (30 percent); Municipal Electrical Authority of Georgia (17.7 percent); and Dalton Utilities (2.2 percent).

ANOTHER VIEW

Republican policies cannot cope with the new world realities

By George Wilson, contributing columnist  |  We are living in a world shaped by vast accelerations in technology, globalization, climate change and population growth. The government’s job is to enable more citizens to thrive in such a world and cushion its worst impacts. These are lessons that the Republicans are struggling with, because of the hold that the oligarchs and special interests, led by the president, have on their party. They are going down a disastrous path.

The new age that we are now in requires trust, teamwork, risk taking, and social investments. These are values that the GOP and their brand are incompatible within their policies and ideology.  The GOP and Trump miss a key ingredient in making America competitive again: they ignore the growing problem of income inequality.

The heartland of America isn’t full of people stupid or unimaginative or afraid to reinvent themselves. Rather, it is full of people who lack the money to do any of the things that they need to change their life. Lack of money makes it hard to learn a new trade or return to school, or even to move somewhere searching for superior opportunities.

Another example is the lack of medical health coverage, making it difficult to be a new start up or entrepreneur. Conditions are created for desperation and willingness for people to grasp at the straws of authoritarianism and demagoguery.

Finally, as a gross example of inequity, 100 CEOs have amassed more retirement savings than 41 percent of all Americans combined. In sum, we need to move forward as a nation, and that’s going to involve some redistribution of the wealth now concentrated in the hands of too few people. We are talking about the top one percent. A collective effort is required to assist and aid the communities devastated by globalization and automation.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Heaven & Associates P.C.

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FEEDBACK

Gwinnett needs to concentrate more on its strengths

Editor, the Forum:

The reason that companies consider relocating closer downtown has much to do with attracting young, tech-savvy employees who prefer to live in the city close to music, dining, parks, and nightlife. I am sure that mass transit plays a role; but not the only role.

The big draw for Gwinnett is from families interested in our great schools. But there is little here to keep young professional singles occupied. We would do well to focus on attracting as many music festivals as we do soccer tournaments, and encouraging more clubs and night life in our town centers.

— Joe Briggs, Buford

Daylight Saving Time comes to USA within next two weeks

Editor, the Forum:

In 2017, Daylight Saving Time begins in the U.S. on Sunday, March 12, and in Europe (Summer Time) on Sunday, March 26. During those two weeks, time zone differences between most of the U.S. and Europe will be one hour less than usual.

Remember for Daylight Saving Time, clocks are turned forward one hour.

Larry Zani, Kaiserslauten, Germany

Thanks, Larry:  you always keep us alert on this subject!—eeb

Politicians forget Georgians said no about “opportunity” schools

Editor, the Forum:

Recently I received a phone call from the Georgia Coalition For The People Agenda, part of the Civil Rights movement, who informed me that our House Legislators are trying to pass the “Opportunity School District”, which was voted down last November, in a different version. The bill in question is HB: 338, which according to the AJC is suppose to be a “kinder and gentler” way to get rid of under performing schools.

To quote President Obama: “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.”  This “kinder and gentler” bill is still a pig. The correct solution is to look at the community where the school is failing and fix those problems first. If improvement still isn’t achieved, then replace the school with something that will benefit all the people in that community. This would mean the whole community, as well as their representatives, should look for a cause as to why the school failed, not just up and abandon the children and hope they get a good education from some over-priced private or charter school that, we the tax-payers, will have to pay for.

We have a secretary of education now who is looking for any excuse to shut down public schools, which have been the backbone of this country, and replace them with charter and private schools, which will make tons of money for out of state companies who aren’t answerable to anyone. Vouchers aren’t the answer to poor school performance.

It’s time for our elected officials to start working for us. Contact them and tell them we said “NO!” last November to make them understand that “No!” actually means “No!”

— Sara Rawlins, Lawrenceville

Finds Hindu Temple amazing in Lilburn area of changing Gwinnett

Editor, the Forum:

Have signed up for GwinnettForum. Both of my kids are in the Denver area and Chip and I moved into Wind Crest, a great retirement home some two and a half years ago. I am still enjoying our good place with great views and good food. Douglas County, Colo. was the fastest growing county in the country when we moved here in 1993, just like Gwinnett was the fastest growing in 1970s when we moved there.  Recently visited in Gwinnett and saw the big Hindu temple.  Amazing and a new view for the county.

— Joyce Rovetta, Highlands Ranch, Colo.

(Editor’s Note: Ms. Rovetta was a reporter for Gwinnett Daily News when she lived in Gwinnett –eeb)

Send us your thoughts:  We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum.  Please limit comments to 300 words.  We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length.  Send feedback and letters to:    elliott@brack.net

UPCOMING

Second Sip and Swine Barbecue Festival is March 3-4 at Coolray Field

The Second Annual Sip and Swine Barbecue Festival will be on March 3 and 4 at Coolray Field. All 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter. The event raised more than $60,000 for the local nonprofit during the festival’s inaugural year in 2016. The festival will feature hundreds of volunteers, 100 barbecue competition teams, 50+ food and craft vendors, and music on Friday evening plus local bands throughout the day on Saturday. Barbecue competition teams will include a blend of pro teams from all over the country and “backyard” teams – featuring a number of local businesses vying for the title of Grand Champion. Admission is free to all. To take part in the judging, visitors can purchase a People’s Choice Taster Kit for $10 each – affording them nine samples plus a chance to cast their vote for best barbecue. This is only available on Saturday, March 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Leadership Gwinnett seeking applicants for 2018 educational program

Applications are now being accepted for Leadership Gwinnett’s class of 2018. Leadership Gwinnett invites high-potential professionals to apply for its signature nine-month educational program. The program has graduated over 1,100 rising leaders since 1985 and serves as the catalyst that exposes our area leaders to the vibrant community of Gwinnett County.

Applications are open now through March 24, 2017 for the August 2017 – May 2018 term. Complete program and application details are available at www.leadershipgwinnett.com.

NOTABLE

Gwinnett Library director wins national association award

The Public Library Association has awarded the 2017 John Iliff Award to Gwinnett County Public Library (GCPL) Executive Director Charles Pace.

Pace

The John Iliff Award, sponsored by Innovative, honors the life and accomplishments of John Iliff, early adopter and champion of technology in public libraries. This award provides a $1,000 honorarium to a library professional or library that has used technology and innovation as a tool to improve services to public library users.

Pace was recognized for his “commitment to customer needs” as he led the implementation of Open+, a system developed by Norcross-based technology supplier Bibliotheca that automatically controls and monitors building access, self-service kiosks, public access computers, lighting, alarms, public announcements and patron safety. GCPL became the first library in North America to offer the service when it launched in June of 2016.

Library Board Chairman Dick Goodman applauds Pace’s efforts. “The board of trustees of the Library is proud that Charles is being recognized for his commitment to customer service,” says Goodman. “The implementation of Open+ is one of many innovations Charles has brought to our library system since coming aboard three years ago, with each one greatly enhancing the library experiences of the citizens of Gwinnett County.”

Available only at the Lawrenceville Branch, Open+ gives customers self-service access to the library from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. during the week, Saturdays from 8 a.m.  to 10 a.m., and Sundays from 8 a.m. to noon.

Lawrenceville selected for 2 awards in SE festival competition

The City of Lawrenceville received accolades for two of its annual community events from the Southeast Festivals and Events Association. It won honors for its presentation of the 2017 Christmas Parade and Rock’n Ribville, as among the best in the Southeast.  The Christmas Parade took home the Gold for Best Photo (photo attached taken by Brad Fryman) and Bronze for Best New Event and Rock’n Ribville received the Bronze Award for Best Event (under $75,000 budget).

RECOMMENDED

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

Reviewed by Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill  |  If you’re looking for an easy read that will entertain you and warm your heart, look no farther than this book. They were married four decades and lived a quiet life in the English countryside. On the one-year anniversary of the death of his wife, Arthur decides it’s finally time to go through his wife’s belongings. When looking through her shoeboxes, he finds a gold charm bracelet he has never seen before. One of the charms is an elephant with numbers inscribed on the bottom. When Arthur calls the number, he is immediately connected to a man in India! Why would his wife have the number of a man in India? From here the story takes off and begins a journey that completely changes Arthur’s life. Far fetched? Yes. Delightful? Yes. Sweet? Oh, so very!

  • An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. –eeb
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBIT

Hambidge Center gains international recognition for fabric quality

The Weavers of Rabun at The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences gained international recognition for the quality and beauty of their fabrics, and a Madison Avenue shop in New York was established as an outlet, where wealthy buyers could purchase these handwoven fabrics, the former center director Mary Nikas Beery wrote in an unpublished history of the center, “The Hambidge Center in the Betty’s Creek Community.” They were commissioned to outfit U.S. president Harry S. Truman’s yacht with their woven fabrics; in 1958 the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., mounted an exhibition of their work. Under Hambidge’s leadership “these mountain weavers contributed significantly to the renaissance of handcrafts in America,” Beery wrote.

With the industrialization of the 1950s and the availability of steady mill jobs, the weavers slowly disbanded. Hambidge broadened the scope of the center and invited creative artists and friends to come for extended stays there. An original caretaker’s house became an artist’s home, a studio was added, and other cabins gradually were built, all in secluded spots that allowed for maximum privacy along the mountainsides that line the Betty’s Creek valley.

Among the visitors was Eliot Wigginton’s father, a landscape architect at the University of Georgia, who often brought his son along with him. Those childhood visits to the Hambidge Center led Wigginton to return to the area as a teacher in 1966. Discussions with other Hambidge guests inspired him to develop the Foxfire program, in which students explored their local and regional heritage for the magazine that they created under Wigginton’s guidance.

Before her death on August 29, 1973, Mary Hambidge provided for the board of trustees to take over the center, thus ensuring the continuation of her mission. Through three subsequent artist-directors, the center developed as a community resource for nature and art programs and formally began a residency program, which now has an international reputation.

Every year, applicants from all parts of the United States and from around the world are selected to spend two weeks to two months in residency. Over the years, a great deal of assistance has been provided to the center by numerous funding sources, including the Fulton County Arts Council and the Georgia Council for the Arts, private foundations, and memberships from the community. Expanding creative vision is the center’s mission; artists taking part in the program return to their communities to share their art and renewed inspiration.

MYSTERY PHOTO

First, what is it, and then, where is it?

For this Mystery Photo, first you may have to figure out what this is. Then where. Send in your thoughts to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include your hometown.

Several people were quickly able to tell where the last Mystery Photo was, though it was known by two names. The photo was sent in by Dr. Slade Lail of Duluth.  Rob Keith of Peachtree Corners told us: “It’s the Moremill Grist Mill near Sparta, Ga., which was built around 1800 and was in continuous production for most of two centuries.  Interestingly, it was recently on the market for $450,000.” Cindy Hall, Snellville, wrote: “This looks like Millmoore at Shoulderbone Creek in Sparta, Hancock County, Ga. It was a working mill for many years and my cousins’ home place. It is a beautiful, serene area.”

Bob Foreman of Grayson wrote: “The photo is of Baxter’s Mill on Shoulderbone Creek in Hancock County between Eatonton and Sparta. Baxter’s Mill is approximately 200 years old.” Otis Jones of Buford adds: “This is the mill on Georgia Highway 16 in Hancock County.”

George Graf of Palmyra, Va. sent in: “This is historic Millmore Mill or Baxter’s Mill on Shoulder Bone Creek in Hancock Co., Ga. The grinding wheel of the old mill that was turned by the flowing waters from this creek have long ago rooted down. It has served the community for over 200 years, though its early history is a bit unclear. The area was the site of an unofficial treaty between pioneer settlers and Creek Indians.  The old gristmill is located at the intersection of Georgia Highways 16 and 77 between Eatonton and Sparta.”

LAGNIAPPE

Knight Elementary teaching garden provides basic understandings

Knight Elementary School is having a Pioneer Garden aimed at improving the health and well-being of the children, their environment, and the school’s community.  It is Knight’s educational philosophy that students who take part in environmentally-themed outdoor learning activities perform better in core academic subjects such as math, reading, science and writing – as well as become better stewards of the environment.

See the Pioneer Garden, which enhances the students’ understanding of Westward Expansion; the Victory Garden, reminiscent of World War I and II eras; the Rainbow Garden, teaching students the importance of pollination; and the Trellis Garden of beans, which is a favorite of the students, where they have added a stone pathway.  The Music Garden features a guitar playing praying mantis and wind chimes made from repurposed items.  The Storybook Beds are each adopted by a class that selects a favorite garden themed book read in class then planting vegetables and plants from the book and maintain the beds. The GFWC Lilburn Woman’s Club is teaming with the Knight Elementary School Teaching Garden for its fourth annual “Behind the Garden Gate” tour of Lilburn area gardens is scheduled for Saturday, May 13.

CALENDAR

Genealogy interest has exploded with the ease and availability of online research.  Learn how to get started in this fun hobby and explore free genealogy databases, including the Library Edition of Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest. Join Gwinnett County Public Library, in partnership with the United Ebony Society of Gwinnett County, Inc., for this free Trace Your Roots:  An African American Genealogy Workshop.  This event takes place on Saturday, February 25 at 11 a.m. at the Centerville Branch, 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

Tree Planting Class: In Lilburn on Saturday, March 4. Learn about tree maintenance and planting form Master Gardener Kate Pittman. This is a lunch and learn, and will be from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Lilburn City Hall. Bring a sack lunch and enjoy the mid-day. No pre-registration is required.

Opening Reception is March 4 for the Spring Juried Art Exhibit at the Tannery Row Artist Colony in Buford. The exhibit continues through April 14.  For more details, visit www.tanneryrowartistcolony.com.

Cartooning for Teens and Cool Adults, with Lawrence Hardy. Drop-ins Welcome. Have you ever wanted to learn how to draw from your imagination? Want to learn how to draw action figures, faces and more? Welcome artist Lawrence Hardy as he shows you the fundamentals of drawing. The class is for the beginning to intermediate artists. Come sharpen your skills and pencil at Kudzu Art Center!  Through March 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To register for classes, go to www.kudzuartzone.org.   Kudzu Art Zone is located in Norcross at 116 Carlyle Street, Norcross, phone 770-840-9844.

(NEW) Business Start-Up Basic Workshop, Tuesday, March 7 at 6 p.m. at the Five Forks Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library. Partnership with SCORE Atlanta, the library, participants will learn financial realities, success factors, assessing the market and business plan elements. The workshop is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

(NEW) Veterans’ Roundtable: Wednesday, March 8 at the Buford Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library. Enjoy free coffee, comradery, and expert advice on filing VA claims, medical and educational resources, housing, and more.  No reservations are needed.  Drop-in between 1-3 p.m. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

(NEW) Painting Flowers, Alla Prima in Oil, at the Kudzu Art Zone in Norcross, March 8-9-10 a.m. from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Pat Fiorello will lead this workshop  with demonstrations, instruction, critique and guidance. while you learn from Pat. Work from a photograph on day one, then from your own fresh flower set ups on the next two days. For details, supply lists or to register for classes, go to www.kudzuartzone.org.

(NEW) Fix-a-Leak Workshop, Thursday, March 9 at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration, 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville. Time: 7 p.m. Plumbers will be on-hand to provide guidance and tips on solving problems at home. To register for this free work­shop, call 678-376-7126 or visit www.gwinnettH2O.com.

(NEW) Electronic Assembly and Forklift Training at the Lawrenceville Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library. Classes will be March 10 at 1 p.m. and March 11 at 12:30 p.m. Presented in partnership with Goodwill Industries and the library. Email events@gwinnettpl.org for questions or information, or visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

(NEW) Spartan Sprint 5K and one mile Fun Run, March 11 at 7 a.m. at Greater Atlanta Christian School Spartan Stadium. Dress like a Spartan! For details, go to : https://www.greateratlantachristian.org/page/campus-life/spartan-sprint-5k–fun-run.

(NEW) Author Visit: Saturday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, 5141 Peachtree Parkway, at the Forum in Peachtree Corners. Brad Parks is the only author to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. Parks is a graduate of Dartmouth College and a former journalist with The Washington Post and The (Newark, NJ) Star-Ledger. This event is free and open to the public.  Books will be available for purchase and signing. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

Quince Girl Expo will be Saturday, March 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pinckneyville Community Recreation Center. Party planning professionals are invited to feature interactive demonstrations, fashion shows and share ideas on planning the perfect Quinceañera celebration! The event is free for attendees and will feature do-it-yourself workshops. Interested exhibitors and demonstrators are encouraged to reserve space early by calling 678-277-0920 or visit the website for information on the event www.gwinnettparks.com.

(NEW) The Foreigner, by Larry Shue, will be presented March 17 through April 2 at the Lionheart Theatre in downtown Norcross. Set in a fishing lodge in rural Georgia, a shy man who “speaks no English” learns more than he should. Runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sunday at 2 p.m. Details: http://lionhearttheatre.org/buy-tickets/.

Exhibition Extended: World Through the Lens Photo Show of Frank Sharp at the Tucker Library, 5234 LaVista Road has been extended until April 28, 2017. The library is open on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. and on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

SERVICES

HANDYMAN SERVICES: Whatever your home maintenance problem is, Isaias Rodriguez can help. An experienced painter, he is dependable in installing or repairing siding, gutters, ceramic tile, plumbing, garage doors, or any other problem around your home. He’ll even fix your bike! He is originally from Mexico and has been in Georgia since 1996. He is legally allowed to work in the United States and is insured. Give him a call at his home in Norcross at 404-569-8825 or email him at rodriguez_isais@yahoo.comVisit his Facebook page at Neza construction and home repair to see some of his past work.

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