2/22: Aurora premiere; Open letter to Unterman; State of county

GwinnettForum  |  Number 18.80 |  Feb. 22, 2019
GWINNETT HAS AN AMAZING number of good artists. Here’s a painting from the Kudzu Art Zone Gallery and Art Center in Norcross from Margaret Evans, entitled Skyline. The studio is located at 116 Carlyle Street in Norcross and is open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

IN THIS EDITION

TODAY’S FOCUS: Aurora Theatre To Present Men With Money March 7 to April 7
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Now Renee, Please Do Not Run for Congress; Stay in the Ga. Senate
ANOTHER VIEW: Nash Concentrates State of the County Talk About Transit Options
SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
FEEDBACK: There Is Reason for Hope for USA, Since Founder’s Ideas Are Timeless
UPCOMING: Six More Open Houses about Transit Vote Coming Up Soon
NOTABLE: GGC’s Spring Commencement Speaker Will Be Four-Star General
RECOMMENDED: Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Julia Flisch Was An Early Advocate for Women’s Rights in Georgia
MYSTERY PHOTO: Today’s Mystery Photo Asks Simply, Whose House and Where
CALENDAR: Second Annual Snellville Youth Summit will be Saturday, February 23

TODAY’S FOCUS

Aurora Theatre to present Men With Money March 7 to April 7

Kenny Tran, Sean Doherty, Marcello Audino and Daniel Wisniewski appear in Men With Money. (Photo by Chris Bartelski)

By Laurel Halslip

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Full of dreams, schemes and lavish musical numbers, Men With Money will raise the curtain for a world premiere at Aurora Theatre from March 7 through April 7.

The romantic romp, set in an imagined 1950’s Manhattan in which being gay is culturally accepted, follows three young bachelors looking to marry their way from rags to riches. Two gay and one straight, the men might just have what it takes to pull off the gig! Adult and teen audiences will enjoy this old-fashioned, brand-new musical in Aurora Theatre’s Peach State Federal Credit Union Signature Series!

Director Justin Anderson says: “Part of what makes Men With Money such a great show is its timely and inspirational storyline. Inspired by classic Broadway shows, Men With Money encourages people to be themselves, to chase after what they want no matter the hurdles and to learn how to listen to their heart. The show will be sure to leave audiences laughing, singing and dancing all the way home!”

Men With Money tells the tale of Louis, Max and Sonny who set out to make their wild dreams come true – marry their way from rags to riches. How many hurdles will they have to leap as they race towards love and happiness? The possibilities are endless in the gleaming, fabulous and mighty Big Apple! This world premiere production is a must-see, filled with hilarious moments and brilliant musical numbers.

With book and lyrics by Bill Nelson, music and additional lyrics by Joseph Trefler and direction by Justin Anderson, Men With Money stars Sean Doherty as Louis, Marcello Audino as Max and Kenny Tran as Sonny for the leading roles. Other members of the all-star cast include Daniel Wisniewski as Hot Dog, Adrianna Trachell as Thursday, Brian Robinson as Tycoon, Jimi Kocina as Frenchy, Cecil Washington Jr. as Marvatech and Candy McLellan as Mugsten. The song and dance are brought to life with musical direction by Ann-Carol Pence and choreography by Ricardo Aponte.

Discount matinees will be on Tuesday, March 19 and 26 at 10 a.m. Tickets are currently on sale; single ticket prices start at $30 and may be purchased online at bit.ly/MenWithMoneyTickets or by calling the Box Office at 678-226-6222. For more information on this production or other programming, visit auroratheatre.com.

Regular show times are as follows:

  • Tuesday-Saturday at 8 p.m.
  • Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

EEB PERSPECTIVE

Now, Renee, please do not run for Congress; Stay in the Georgia Senate

An open letter to  Sen. Renee Unterman

By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum

FEB. 22, 2019  — Now, Renee. Don’t run for the Seventh District seat in Congress.

Gwinnett County, Buford, and the state need you in the Georgia Senate, where you will remain much more effective than you would as a freshman representative in the House of Representatives in Washington.

Yes, we understand that you are miffed because of the current Kemp Administration, and in particular Lt. Gov. Jeff Duncan, who stripped you of your Senate committee chairmanship. That was probably inevitable, since you ended up on the losing side (as a Casey Cagle supporter) in the recent election year.

You may feel you are wandering around aimlessly now. But you are not. You have a wide range of people who can help you get things done throughout the state. You know the issues that our state faces, particularly in health care. Stick around and see that these improvements are made, even though you may not chair a committee making them.

Unterman

You have always been strong, since your basketball playing days at Berkmar High School. You can take a beating, but then turn back around and give your all and continue to fight. You showed good work as mayor of Loganville, and in your time in the Senate. You should not slink away from the Senate obligations that the people of the 45th District elected you for.

But mainly, there’s a major reason you should not undertake a race for Congress. And you, in your funk of being embarrassed by losing the Senate chairmanship, may not be able to see it now.  Though you say you are getting encouragement and favorable comments about running for Congress, there’s a major roadblock you are failing to recognize.

Judging from the last two election cycles, Gwinnett County is turning Democratic pretty quickly. Just look at the recent 7th District vote, where Rep. Rob Woodall won his seat  by just 433 votes!  Carolyn Bourdeaux scared Ralph Woodall into not running. We suspect a Democrat will win in 2020, and Ms. Bourdeaux has already announced and formed a strong committee for that. 

Two years from now, we have little doubt that the Democratic Party will retake the Seventh District seat. Other Democrats may get into the race, but for now, we see Ms. Bourdeaux as the winner.

We say that it’s no matter who is the Republican Party nominee is for this seat. Even you. Far as that goes, it may be in 2020 that any Republican candidate in Gwinnett County will have at best an uphill battle for election. 

Yes, yes, we understand. In politics, you may have had a life ambition to serve in Washington wanting to make serving there the capstone of many years of service to Georgia.   But you must consider the reality, and just as Gwinnett had a serious change in who could get elected in 1984 when the Republicans took over, we see the upcoming 2020 race as a major turning point in local politics.  It’s also a presidential year, when the most voters turn out.

While we would wish that it was not true, Renee, 2020 doesn’t seem to be your year for winning a seat in Congress. However, even if Gwinnett mainly voted Democratic in 2020, we think your solid political experience makes you the best Republican to have a chance of winning in 2020, but not for Congress.  

Stay put in the 45th District, which in 2020 we think you have a far better chance of winning than you would for the 7th District in Congress.  

ANOTHER VIEW

Nash concentrates State of the County talk about transit options

By Shaunieka Taylor

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – In her 2019 State of the County Address, Gwinnett County Chairman Charlotte Nash told an audience of about 900 business and civic leaders that Gwinnett County voters soon will decide the future of transit and the county for decades to come.

Nash

“Transit expansion is the next big decision for Gwinnett, akin to those made in the past regarding water, sewer, and roads,” Nash said. “We have a unique opportunity before us to strengthen one of the most important foundations for a vibrantly connected Gwinnett — transportation and mobility.”

She called the upcoming vote on transit expansion a “trailblazing moment – one that will set the path for Gwinnett’s future.” 

Advance voting on the transit contract referendum begins Monday at the Main Elections Office, 755 Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville. Election Day is March 19. Additional advance voting locations will be open March 4 through March 15 in seven county parks.

Officials expect Gwinnett to add half a million more residents over the next 20 to 25 years, Nash said, “and roads alone cannot provide enough mobility choices now and in the future.” 

She described how the County developed its Connect Gwinnett: Transit Plan last year that would guide future transit service if voters approve the proposed transit expansion contract.

“The plan adopted by the Board last summer balances transit needs across the county with projected funding that includes proceeds from a one-cent sales tax that will be implemented on April 1 if the transit referendum is passed,” Nash said.

Major components of the transit plan she discussed include 50 miles of bus rapid transit (BRT) operating in dedicated rights-of-way, 110 miles of rapid bus service that operates partially in normal traffic, plus expanded coverage and frequency of local routes, door-to-door flex service in less-populated areas and expanded para-transit service.   

“And, yes, the plan includes an extension of rail from Doraville to Jimmy Carter Boulevard and a multimodal transit hub that can easily accommodate transfers among rail, BRT, bus and other modes of transportation,” Nash said.

She stressed that “our agreement allows us to leverage access to MARTA’s expertise and overall system while protecting Gwinnett’s interests.” 

Nash said the funds collected in Gwinnett must be spent for the benefit of Gwinnett, the transit projects built and operated for Gwinnett will be based on the Connect Gwinnett: Transit Plan and Gwinnett will have three seats on the MARTA board. 

“As we begin Gwinnett’s third century, the future of transit in the county will be determined by Gwinnett voters,” Nash said. “In my opinion, transit can give this great county the final competitive edge we need, especially among younger age groups, to keep your businesses successful and Gwinnett vibrant.”

More details about the proposed transit contract referendum and voting are available online at www.gwinnettcounty.com

A video of the speech will air frequently on the County’s government access cable channels of Charter, Comcast, and AT&T- U-verse began Thursday. A text version of the speech and a handout highlighting the previous year’s accomplishments can be found at www.gwinnettcounty.com.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.  The Gwinnett Chamber is the forum for business, government, education, healthcare, arts/culture/entertainment, and philanthropic and public-service communities to come together to advance our region’s economy and enrich Gwinnett’s quality of life. The Gwinnett Chamber strengthens existing businesses, facilitates the growth of quality job opportunities and ensures success continues to live here.  

FEEDBACK

There is reason for hope for USA, since founders’ ideas are timeless

Editor, the Forum:

This essay [Feedback, 2/19] is prescient.  For clarity, ancient Rome’s transition from a Republic to Empire was a transition to autocracy and was rather quick as noted by Byron Gilbert.  Before Julius Caesar, a dictator was a chief magistrate appointed in time of emergency.  It was not to be the last time emergency was used to attain power. 

Our federal legislature has, over time, neutered itself to the benefit of the executive.  What’s functionally left of our republic system is the executive with his only check being the court system.  Perhaps we can limp along for another 250 years with the Supreme Court swinging left to right to left, depending on the vagaries of the Executive.  

We can’t predict the next election much less where our republic is headed politically.  Demographics is probably the best predictor.  An objective interpretation is the body politic which will, over time, lean further and further left.  Will it eventually end up in a Venezuelan dystopia?  Probably not.  Will the ideas of the enlightenment be compromised and authoritarianism rise?  Probably so.  

But there is reason for hope.  The ideas of the Founders are timeless.  Perhaps in another 200 years or so we’ll have expunged the original sin of the Constitution and solved the problem of maintaining civil society without compromising individual liberty.  Posterity certainly hopes so.

— Theirn Scott, Lawrenceville

Reflecting on previous comments concerning the State of Israel

Editor, the Forum:

Comment on Joe Briggs recent letter and Jack Barnard’s recent column:

Joe: Be prepared for AIPAC to have its minions attack you as being anti-Semitic. Having spent time in Israel, I observed first hand their treatment, no, mistreatment, of not only Muslim Israelis, but also Christian Israelis of Palestinian ethnicity. From delaying ambulances with mothers about to give birth until the baby arrives at the checkpoint instead of the hospital, to shooting kids, throwing rocks, with live ammo, to demolishing homes hundreds of years old to make way for a Jewish settlement or a wall, harassment of native Palestinians…all this occurs every day. Without our turning a blind eye and having bottomless purses, Israel would be unable to pursue these policies.

Jack: When Republicans say they are for a strong military, they mean equipment, this paid for by taxpayers. They don’t mean well paid personnel taking care of by good housing, good healthcare or family care. They want military spending on things—-not people. Look up the tanks they made our military buy that the military said it didn’t need or want and probably will never be needed or even ever driven. Most likely the wars of the future will be fought in cities, not deserts or fields.

You both know I could go on and on. Thank you for your comments and keep up the good work.

— Hoyt Tuggle, Buford

Wants Gwinnett to live up to water tanks and be great

Editor, the Forum:

If the citizens of Gwinnett fail to pass the MARTA referendum, they will have to live with the results. Remembering the water tanks on Interstate 85, come on Gwinnett, prove to us you can be great.

         — Billy Chism, Toccoa 

  • 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

Six more open houses about transit vote coming up soon

In preparation for the March 19 Transit Contract Referendum, the County will host a series of open house education sessions. The first meeting was Thursday, February 21, at Shorty Howell Park in  Duluth. Here are some upcoming dates:

  • Saturday, February 23, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Snellville City Hall, 2342 Oak Road, Snellville;
  • Tuesday, February 26, 9 a.m. until noon, Georgia Gwinnett College Student Center, 1000 University Center Lane, Lawrenceville; and
  • Thursday, February 28, 6 to 8 p.m. Gwinnett Fire Academy, 3608 Braselton Highway, Dacula. For more information about later sessions, visit www.gwinnettcounty.com.

Three neighborhood meetings will be held by the Lilburn Community Improvement District to discuss the March 19 Public Transit Referendum in Gwinnett. They will be Monday, February 25, at Plaza Las Americas, 733 Pleasant Hill Road; on Wednesday, February 27 at the Lilburn City Hall, 340 Main Street; and Thursday, February 28 at Lilburn Alliance Church, 5915 Lawrenceville Highway. There will be representatives from Gwinnett County and MARTA in attendance to answer questions. Residents, business owners and employees are encouraged to attend to learn how the potential transit plan will affect the Gwinnett community. The events are free of charge and open to the public.

Here’s your chance to sing the anthem at a Gwinnett Striper’s game

 The Gwinnett Stripers are seeking National Anthem performers for the 2019 season.

All interested singers or vocal groups (five singers or less) must send a video submission of their acapella performance of the National Anthem to stripersinfo@braves.com by Friday, March 1. The team will also be accepting instrumental soloists and small groups.

Candidates will be judged on tone, pace (90 seconds or less), and clarity. Top candidates will be invited to Coolray Field for in-person auditions on Saturday, March 9. No walk-ups will be admitted entry to the auditions.

The Stripers open the season at Coolray Field on Thursday, April 4 with a 7:05 p.m. game vs. Norfolk. Memberships for 2019 are on sale now by calling the Coolray Field Ticket Office at 678-277-0340. For more information, visit GoStripers.com/memberships.

Suwanee Fest seeking artists, craftsmen, vendors and performers

The Suwanee Fest Planning Committee is looking for artists, craftsmen, vendors, food trucks, and performers of all kinds to join Suwanee Fest 2019 on September 21 and 22 in Town Center Park.

The fall festival kick-off to the holiday shopping season, Suwanee Fest is a two-day juried art show for handcrafted and handmade items only. Non-profits and food vendors are also encouraged to apply for a booth, and festival sponsorship opportunities are also available.

City of Suwanee Events and Outreach Manager Amy Doherty says: “Suwanee Fest is searching for creative vendors who make such life-changing items that attendees can’t leave the park without them.”

A high note of Suwanee Fest is the talent that performs on the Town Center Stage throughout the festival. The Planning Committee is looking for dance groups, acrobats, solo artists, bands, and other exhibition groups with very diverse backgrounds.

Suwanee Fest does not charge for admission, therefore entertainers are generally not paid to perform at this event. All performances should be family and little ears/eyes-friendly.

Nearly 200 vendors and exhibitors, 15 entertainment acts, and one parade are just some of the highlights of this fall tradition. The application deadline for artisans, non-profits, and food vendors is March 31. Entertainer applications are due May 1. Applications and guidelines can be found at SuwaneeFest.com.

NOTABLE

GGC’s spring commencement speaker will be four-star general

General Gustave F. Perna, 19th Commander of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, has accepted Georgia Gwinnett College’s invitation to speak during its spring Commencement ceremony Thursday, May 16, 2019, at 10 a.m. at the Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth.

Perna

Gen. Gus Perna is one of only a dozen active-duty Army four-star generals and leads the Army Materiel Command, with headquarters at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. As the Army’s most senior logistician, Perna commands a global organization with nearly 60,000 soldiers and civilian employees supported by another 60,000 contractors. The Army Materiel Command has a presence in all 50 states and more than 150 countries, leading and directing the Army’s logistics and sustainment efforts to ensure the best-equipped and sustained fighting force in the world.

The General obtained an associate’s degree in business administration from Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Penn. He also received a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Maryland in College Park, and a master’s degree in logistics management from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla.

Suwanee names members of its sixth Youth Leaders class

The City of Suwanee recently named the members of its sixth Suwanee Youth Leaders (SYL) class.   

SYL is an eight-month leadership program for high school sophomores and juniors who live within the North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge, or Collins Hills cluster districts. Participants gain genuine exposure to local initiatives and community and civic leaders, while also allowing the city to engage with youth providing a strong voice and active role in planning the city’s success.

Suwanee Youth Leaders recently won a Southeast Festivals and Events Association Bronze Kaleidoscope Award for Most Creative Idea for collaboration with Suwanee Fest. SYL also won an Atlanta Regional Commission 2016 CREATE Community Award in the category of Educational Excellence. 

Thanks to SYL, said Assistant City Manager Denise Brinson, “We now have a group of young people who have more knowledge of their community and how local government works and the work that goes into building community. The City wanted to develop a real connection with our schools and find a way to meaningfully encourage youth involvement as prescribed in our strategic plan – not just checking a box, but building sincere, authentic relationships.”  

Hutchinson, GACS coach, is USTA Tennis Director of the Year

Hutchison

Recently the U.S. Tennis Association awarded Greater Atlanta Christian School tennis director Scott Hutchinson with the 2018 USTA Tennis Director of the Year Award, sponsored by Signature Tennis. This annual awards ceremony seeks to distinguish outstanding individuals in the tennis community. Hutchinson says: “Since our inception in 2017, the GAC Tennis Academy has focused on one primary goal: to provide a pathway for all abilities to learn, engage, and develop as great tennis players. This award is a direct reflection of the passionate work that our staff has put into obtaining that goal. This has been evident in the completion of our two indoor tennis courts, the only indoors courts on a school campus in the state of Georgia. The indoor courts have been a game-changer for our academy, providing the ability for kids to engage in tennis before, during, and after school.” 

RECOMMENDED

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross

From Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill:  Julia Springer was proud to be the wife of Wesley Lloyd Springer, her straight-laced husband of 44 years. He was a dignified town leader, a pillar of the church and the owner of half the county. But when Springer died suddenly leaving Julia to cope alone, she wasn’t sure of her footing. After all, she had been a dutiful, subservient wife leaving every decision to her husband. Needless to say, she was completely unprepared when, only a few weeks after she was widowed, a scrawny, scared 9-year-old boy appeared at her front door and her orderly world came crashing down. This pitiful little boy was Wesley Lloyd ‘Junior,’ the illegitimate son of her sainted deceased husband! What follows this bombshell is a touching story that has something for everyone: suspense, satire, action, ethical indecision, shenanigans, romance, betrayal and, primarily, laugh-aloud humor. This is the first book in a delightful series.

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

GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBIT

Flisch was an early advocate for women’s rights in Georgia

Julia Flisch was an advocate for young women’s rights, education, and independence. She strove to advance the cause of women’s higher education in Georgia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Flisch

Julia Anna Flisch was born in Augusta on January 31, 1861, the second child to Pauline and Leonard Flisch, Swiss-German immigrants. Shortly after her birth, her father, a confectioner, moved the family to Athens, where he opened a sweet shop and ice cream parlor near the University of Georgia (UGA) campus. In 1877 Flisch graduated with honors from the Lucy Cobb Institute, but it was UGA, the all-male state university, that she longed to attend. She applied but was denied admission. This rejection inspired her to work for women’s rights and higher education, first as a journalist and author, then as an educator and scholar.

In 1882 Flisch submitted an anonymous letter to the editor of the Augusta Chronicle, asking the public to give young women opportunities to pursue financial and social independence. She became a regular contributor for the Chronicle, even while a student at Cooper Union in New York City, where she studied business, and her articles were printed in newspapers in Georgia. She also wrote fiction, and her first novel, Ashes of Hopes, which told the story of three young women’s search for independence, was well received upon its publication in 1886.

Flisch’s efforts to improve the state of higher education for women were successful, and in 1890 she was the only woman asked to participate in the dedication ceremony for Georgia Normal and Industrial College (later Georgia College and State University), a women’s institution in Milledgeville. Influential in the development of the new college’s curriculum, she first taught stenography and typing there in 1891 and later served as professor of history, from 1891 to 1905.

While at Georgia Normal, she enrolled in summer classes at Harvard University and at the University of Chicago in Illinois. In 1899, more than two decades after it had denied her admission, UGA awarded her an honorary degree. She left her Milledgeville post in 1905 to enroll as a student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. There she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history.

Upon returning to Georgia in 1908, Flisch resumed teaching history at the Tubman High School for Girls in Augusta. She was a devoted teacher and role model, actively lobbying for woman suffrage and state grants for women’s higher education. Moreover, she was a woman ahead of her time who advocated collective bargaining rights for teachers.

Flisch served as dean of women and professor of history at the Junior College of Augusta (later Augusta State University) after its founding in 1925 until failing eyesight forced her into retirement in 1936. She remained in Augusta until her death on March 17, 1941, and was buried in the Magnolia Cemetery. Obituaries hailed Flisch as “having done more than any other person to advance the cause of women’s [higher] education in the state of Georgia.” In 1994 Flisch was inducted into Georgia Women of Achievement.

MYSTERY PHOTO

Today’s Mystery Photo asks simply, whose house and where?

Today’s Mystery Photo asks two questions: who lived in this house, and where is it?  Try your idea by sending your answer to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.

Several members recognized a scene from the Atlanta Cyclorama as the most recent Mystery Photo.

The photo came from Jerry Colley of Alpharetta. On February 22, 2019, Atlanta History Center opens Cyclorama: The Big Picture, featuring the fully restored cyclorama painting, The Battle of Atlanta. At the centerpiece of this new multimedia experience is a 132-year-old hand-painted work of art that stands 49 feet tall, is longer than a football field, and weighs 10,000 pounds. This painting is one of only two cycloramas in the United States—the other being the Battle of Gettysburg cyclorama —making Atlanta home to one of America’s largest historic treasures.

We asked readers to identify the person getting assistance in the photo. Jerry Colley says he’s always heard that soldier was Clark Gable. “I’ve heard that all my life.  The Cyclorama guides used to point it out to visitors. The artists who designed the soldiers crafted the figures’ faces in their own likeness. Consequently, about four to five faces are repeated over and over among the 128 soldiers. That’s with the exception of one soldier, who was made to resemble Gone With The Wind actor Clark Gable.

As the story, goes Gable and other members of the movie cast were invited to visit the Cyclorama. It was then that Gable joked to then-Atlanta mayor William Hartsfield that the exhibit would be much improved if a statue of him were added.”  (See area circled by blue at left-center bottom to find where the image above was taken.)

Readers recognizing the scene from the Cyclorama included Betsy Pickren, Peachtree Corners; Cheryl Simpson, Clayton, Ga.; John Titus, Peachtree Corners; Elizabeth Neace, Dacula; Doug Rouner,  Lawrenceville; and Lee Klaer of Duluth.

Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. wrote: “To put the mystery photo in perspective, I have attached a photo of a much larger portion of the painting and I added a blue circle and arrow to highlight the specific area shown by the mystery photo. Unlike in the Grant Park building, there are no seats in the Atlanta History Center and the platform doesn’t move, giving visitors a chance to spend more time studying each section of the painting.  Projectors underneath the platform also display a 12-minute educational presentation onto the actual painting at regular intervals.” 

George Graf of Palmyra, Va. adds another note: “When the painting relocated to Atlanta in 1892, it was slightly modified and advertised as ‘the only Confederate victory ever painted’ to appeal to its new Southern audiences that maintained Confederate sympathies. The 1864 Battle of Atlanta was not a Confederate victory, and most of these changes from 1892 were reversed in the 1930s.’

CALENDAR

Travel around the globe without a passport at the annual World Thinking Day on February 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center. World Thinking Day highlights international friendships and reminds everyone that we are part of a global community. The event is in partnership with local Girl Scouts from the Apalachee Service Unit. The event is open to the public. Admission is $2 per person for Gwinnett residents and $4 per person for non-residents. The Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center is located at 2020 Clean Water Drive in Buford.  For additional information about this event, call 678-765-4664.

Second Annual Snellville Youth Summit will be Saturday, February 23, from noon until 4 p.m. at the City Hall, hosted by The Snellville Youth Commission. Created in 2016, the Snellville Youth Commission is designed to promote positive interaction between students and their community and give them a greater understanding of how government works. Guest speaker is Everton “EJ” Blair Jr., a member of the Gwinnett County Board of Education. The event is open to all area students.

MARTA Referendum Discussion will take place Monday, February 25 at 7 p.m. at the Peachtree Corners City Hall. Come hear this discussion by the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association of the proposed one cent tax for transit.

Fifth Leadership Challenge Workshop will begin February 26 with a four hour session, and continue for five other periods, concluding on April 9. The Workshop brings local leaders together to equip them to serve the community. It is sponsored by the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. It will be facilitated by Betsy Corley Pickren, with guest instructors. For more information, visit www.SouthWestGwinnettChamber.com, or call 678-906-4078.

ANNUAL PLANT SALE, from the University of Georgia Extension Service, runs through March 6. Plant experts are offering a host of fruit shrubs and trees. Purchasers must pick up their prepaid order on March 14 at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville. No orders are shipped. For order forms or for more information, visit www.ugaextension.org/gwinnett, or call 678-377-4010.

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