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Aurora Theatre planning weekend of
gala activities
By
Al Stilo
Special to GwinnettForum.com
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., May 15 -- The greatly anticipated unveiling
of the New Aurora Theatre is near. Although Camelot will be the
first official production beginning May 31, Aurora Theatre has an
exciting weekend-long celebration to thank those who have made this
venue possible.
New Aurora Theatre
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The weekend also gives the general public a chance to get a sneak
preview of this region's premiere performance venue. The theatre
complex will house two performance venues, The Strickland Family
Stage sponsored by Metro Waterproofing and the Discovery Point Theatre,
a grand lobby, administration offices, a rehearsal hall, and a scene
shop for set construction.
The Strickland Family Stage can best be described as intimate grandeur
with 200 seats on the main floor and a luxurious 48-seat balcony
nestled in front of a stunning burgundy Wagnerian curtain. The New
Aurora Theatre boasts state-of-the-art lighting, and sound and lift
systems that will enable patrons to enjoy live performances to the
fullest extent. The Discovery Point Theatre is a flexible black
box stage that will host smaller, more modern productions, children's
theatre and comedy nights.
Three days of events are scheduled for the weekend before the opening
production. They include the Gala Unveiling on Friday night, a Gala
Fundraiser on Saturday night and an open house with Community Day
on Sunday.
The Gala Unveiling is an invitation-only evening designed to recognize
those people most influential in making this dream come true. This
event will take place on Friday May 25 with a reception at 7:30
and a full evening of entertainment starting at 9 p.m.
The extraordinary partnership between Aurora Theatre, a non-profit
arts organization, and the City of Lawrenceville has been considered
a cornerstone of the revitalization of the Historic Square in downtown
Lawrenceville. Another important addition to the downtown square
is the new parking deck adjacent to the Aurora Theatre.
The Gala Fundraiser is open to the public with all proceeds going
to support Aurora Theatre. The evening will also include a cocktail
party with drinks and appetizers, plus guided tours of space at
the remodeled church-now-theatre.
Those visiting the Aurora will then adjourn to the theatre for
a performance on the stage of the new Aurora Theatre that will highlight
musical numbers from past shows, interspersed with new numbers,
all performed by veteran Aurora Theatre entertainers. This event
will take place on Saturday, May 26. Tickets are $50 per person
and $75 for VIP seats on the luxurious balcony level.
The Community Day will be on Sunday, May 27, and will give any
visitor a chance to come see the New Aurora Theatre. This event
is free but it will be ticketed, so the first 400 people will get
a guided tour. The Aurora Theatre Volunteer Guild will serve as
tour guides and groups will be taken through the facility at 15-minute
increments between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.. Tickets will be distributed
on the day of the tours and afternoon visitors will be treated to
an open rehearsal of Camelot.
Slow down when driving, and get a calculator
when figuring
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com
MAY 15, 2007 -- Doing financial calculations in your head can be
risky. Some people have an ability to "do the math" on
complex financial transactions in their head easily. Wayne Mason,
for instance, can calculate complex returns on a business deal so
quickly it causes others to break out their calculators to find
he is right.
Brack |
Others of us are slower at this. And we can get it wrong,….way
wrong, sometimes.
We remember a time in Belgium, our hotel was about 15 minutes from
the center of downtown activities---and the acclaimed restaurant
row and near the City Hall. We took the local trolley into town.
My wife asked me what the fare was. Figuring quickly, I said, "Don't
worry. It's only a nickel a ride."
A few days later, making another calculation where I had to convert
what was then the Belgium franc into dollars, I stopped. Somehow
this figuring resulted in me realizing that my calculation about
the trolley ride was wrong. In making the conversion, I had misplaced
the decimal. Those rides were costing 10 times that, or 50 cents
each. Still, only $2 for a roundtrip to downtown was not bad, just
off significantly from the imagined cost.
The other day, walking with Hercules around the block, we got to
thinking of the high cost of gasoline. Realizing that in my Dodge
Durango, I get, when driving around Gwinnett, sometimes only 14
miles a gallon, and with gas costing me $2.79 that day, why, I figured,
that was 50 cents a mile! No wonder even the government was allowing
such a high per mile rate these days.
Three nights later, awakening about 3 a.m., I somehow re-visited
that calculation. Half asleep, I thought: "That 50 cent a mile
is wrong." But in my at-night fuzzy thinking, I couldn't figure
out what it should be. Anyway, as usual, I was soon back to snoring.
But next morning I continued to be troubled. Finally, taking pen
and pencil, I put down the $2.80 (for ease of figuring) cost down,
divided it by 14, and realized the gasoline was costing me only
20 cent a mile! My earlier figuring was wrong. You never know what
is wrong when making erroneous calculations. I was greatly relieved
in figuring my energy cost!
By then I was smiling. A 30 mile trip to Lawrenceville was not
the $15 I had been thinking the day before, but $6. Why, though
today's cost is outrageous for gasoline, suddenly the cost seemed
much better that I had earlier figured.
That got me to thinking more. When making a recent trip to Missouri,
since there was no particular rush, I had eased up on the foot peddle,
and my on-board calculator (not me!) told me I was getting 20.5
miles per gallon, much better than the 14 MPG around Gwinnett.
Figuring the per gallon cost at $2.80, reducing my speed from 70
to 60 mph, meant a cost of 13.6 cents per mile, rather than 20 cents
a mile. Why that's a 47 per cent reduction in my gas cost!
Realize that I'm not making these number up in my head, but punching
them into a calculator. And I'm feeling better about doing my part
in this energy savings quest by simply slowing down.
If you aren't making a frenzied road trip, slow down. You'll be
safer and save some energy yourself. But don't try to do any calculations
automatically in your head, unless you can run circles around the
rest of us in figuring. Doing so can cause frustration, worry and
even more stress! Use your calculator!
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. Today's featured sponsor is The
Gwinnett Center, which is home to three distinct facilities
right here in Duluth. The Convention Center offers patrons the opportunity
to host or attend a wide variety of events; from corporate meetings
to trade shows, to social occasions. The Performing Arts Center
has an intimate capacity of 700 guests, which is home to many local
events, family shows and even the occasional comedic performer.
The Arena now entering its fourth year and has experienced tremendous
success. The spring lineup includes Nickelback, Mana, Bill Gaither,
My Chemical Romance, Christina Aguilera and Martina. We are also
proud to announce that the Gwinnett Center is now completely wireless
to meet your technological needs. Visit www.gwinnettcenter.com
for updates on events at the three great facilities.
Amazed
that Georgia DOT can find Connector funds
Editor, The Forum,
In March of this year I wrote to you lamenting the Georgia Department
of Transportation delaying of the expansion of Interstate 85 in
north Gwinnett. The DOT stated that it did not have enough funds.
Now I hear on the radio that the DOT will be reworking the downtown
Atlanta connector. I wonder what the political connection was that
found the money for and moved the connector project forward. Why
don't the citizens of Gwinnett have similar political clout?
-- Wayne Buchheit, Dacula
Dear Wayne: Some counties have clout when their
state legislators are in the same party as the governor. That
raises even more questions, would you not say?---eeb
Last
Philharmonic concert features Big Band jazz group
The Gwinnett Philharmonic Association final concert of the 2006/2007
season, "Big Band Jazz," will be Tuesday, May 15, at 8
p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at the Gwinnett Center.
For the Big Band Jazz concert, the jazz musicians of the Gwinnett
Philharmonic will perform alongside exciting guest artist Joe Gransden,
a jazz trumpeter and vocalist who is currently making his mark in
jazz circles around the nation. The concert will feature big band
jazz in the tradition of Frank Sinatra and Count Basie, and is expected
to sell out early.
This features the launch of the Philharmonic Big Band, a new group
formed of professional Gwinnett Philharmonic musicians, which consists
of five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones, a pianist, a
bass and a percussionist.
The Big Band group is a Philharmonic venture towards greater outreach,
its small size and relatively low overhead making it possible to
present performances beyond the current performance hall.
Free stroke risk screenings
May 19 at Lawrenceville center
Gwinnett Medical Center will be offering free stroke risk screenings
at Stop Stroke Saturday, from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on May 19
at the GHS Resource Center, 665 Duluth Highway in Lawrenceville.
This event is made available to help you know your risks and to
prevent the likelihood of stroke. Stop Stroke Saturday is free,
but registration is required. To register, call the HealthLine at
678-442-5000.
Every 24 minutes a Georgian is hospitalized for stroke. Some debilitating
effects of stroke can be minimized in the emergency room if you
arrive within three hours after the first symptoms. If you think
you're having a stroke, call 911 immediately.
Chamber plans session
with African-American leaders
Join the African-American community, elected officials and business
leaders in a networking session at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.
The meeting will be May 21 from 6-8 p.m.in the Stephens Room at
the Chamber.
The goal of the meeting is to identify and resolve issues facing
the county today.
Speakers include Dr. James Taylor, executive director of Academic
Support, Gwinnett County Public Schools; Ellen Gerstein, Gwinnett
Coalition for Health & Human Services; Nick Masino, vice president
of Economic Development for the Chamber; Bryan Allen, Gwinnett Transportation
Department; and Tom Fricano, of the Chamber's Membership/Advanced
Technology Department.
To RSVP, email Angelia Risher at angelia@gwinnettchamber.org,
or call the Chamber at 770 232-3000.
Suwanee Farmer's Market
sets first spring date for May 19
"Fresh" will be in season all spring and summer long at
the Suwanee Farmers Market, which opens Saturday, May 19. The Market
will be at Town Center Park from 8 a.m.-noon every Saturday through
September 29 (with the exception of September 15). Town Center Park
is at the intersection of Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road and Buford
Highway.
Among the produce in season and generally available at the market
in May and June are beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, English
peas, green beans, herbs, kale, lettuce, potatoes, radishes, snow
peas, spinach, spring onions, sugar snap peas, turnips, and yellow
squash. Other items at the Suwanee Farmers Market will include beef
cuts, cut flowers and perennials for planting, free range eggs,
jams and jellies, and relish.
Two
women with Gwinnett Tech ties achieve distinction
Two members of Gwinnett Tech's college and advisory boards have
been recognized for their achievements and leadership roles.
Gwinnett Tech Board Member Marian Lucia will be inducted into the
YWCA Academy of Women Achievers later this month. Lucia is executive
vice president and chief information officer of the Federal Home
Loan Bank of Atlanta. She also serves on the advisory board of the
Information Management Forum and chairs the board for the Georgia
CIO Leadership Association.
Marie Mouchet, a member of the Gwinnett Tech CIS Advisory Board,
received the 2007 Woman of the Year in Technology award from the
Women in Technology organization. Mouchet is vice president and
chief information officer of Southern Company Generation, Southern
Nuclear and Southern Power.
Three Gwinnett seniors
among 19 winning UGA recognition
Duluth High School senior Steven Lau, Grayson High School senior
Opeoluwa Fawole, and Parkview High School senior Nicole Nation are
three of 19 high school seniors in Georgia identified as "Promising
Scholars" by the University of Georgia's Center for Undergraduate
Research Opportunities (CURO).
The 19 students were recognized by CURO for their outstanding academic
achievements in mathematics and science as well as the arts, humanities
and social sciences. Each Promising Scholar received a certificate
and a $250 stipend.
Fawole, who has indicated she will attend UGA in the fall as a
CURO research apprentice, said she appreciated the chance to find
out more about undergraduate research. "Undergraduate research
is very important because it gives students an early opportunity
to develop their interests and decide what they would like to pursue
in life," she said. "The doors that undergraduate research
opens are endless."
Nation will also attend UGA in the fall as a recipient of UGA's
prestigious Ramsey Honors Scholarship. Lau will attend Harvard University.
Proposal being considered
for Norcross Lillian Webb Park
For 32
views of the way that planners are considering changing Lillian
Webb Field in downtown Norcross, take a look at these proposals.
The work is from the firm of Stephen Fuller Inc. of Norcross.
Click picture to see 32 park views
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Texas Roadhouse
in Snellville
"Our revisit to Texas Roadhouse made a believer out of us.
The Texas Roadhouse is a great place to eat steak and ribs. Wednesday
night my wife, son and I returned to the Texas Roadhouse. The waitress
immediately brought out the hot rolls and cinnamon butter which
were great, and set the tone for a pleasant dining experience. The
ribs were delicious with a great sweet smoky flavor and were so
tender and moist. My wife and son said they were the best ribs they've
ever had and they are both barbecue rib aficionados. The loaded
sweet potato with cinnamon, butter and marshmallows was good enough
to be served for dessert. I had an 8-ounce filet, properly cooked,
very tender, with a great taste. You'll like the food and the service."
-- Marshall Miller, Lilburn
- 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
Namesake
of Elberton, Elberton County was Revolutionary general
Before his governorship of Georgia in 1785, Samuel
Elbert served as commander of both Georgia's militia and Continental
Line during the Revolutionary War. He later commanded a brigade
under General George Washington at Yorktown, Va., and he was brevetted
a brigadier general in November 1783. Both Elbert County and its
seat, Elberton, are named in his honor.
Elbert |
Born in 1740 in Savannah, Elbert wasthe son of a Baptist minister,
William Elbert, and his wife, Sarah. In 1754 young Elbert was a
successful merchant in Savannah, and by the mid-1760s he owned numerous
tracts of land and possessed a number of slaves. In 1769 he wed
Elizabeth Rae, the daughter of a prosperous planter and merchant;
they had six children together.
Elbert organized and was commissioned captain of a grenadier company
of Savannah's First Regiment of militia in June 1772, and soon after
he sailed for England to "perfect himself in the duties of
military life." Upon his return he applied himself to exercising
his unit in proper military drill.
Politically, Elbert was a conservative Whig and a sympathizer to
the colonial cause. In January 1776 Elbert assumed command of the
militia in Georgia. Upon the formation of the Continental Line in
Georgia in February 1776, Elbert was commissioned a lieutenant colonel
of the First Battalion. He was subsequently promoted to colonel
and given command of a planned expedition against St. Augustine
and East Florida, which ended unsuccessfully. Elbert ultimately
gained command of Continental Line forces in Georgia and spent much
of 1778 attempting to improve the training of his forces, as well
as defending Savannah.
Savannah fell to the British in December 1778. In March 1779 Elbert
was wounded and taken prisoner by the British at the Battle of Briar
Creek. He remained a prisoner until his exchange after the fall
of Charleston, in June 1781. Elbert then made his way to Washington's
encampment, where he was given command of the "grand deposit"
of arms and military stores. From June through November he commanded
a brigade at Yorktown.
He was elected for a one-year term as governor in 1785. During his
governorship Elbert oversaw the chartering of the University of
Georgia. Later he served briefly as sheriff of Chatham County before
dying at the age of 48 on November 1, 1788.
Oh, the problems of
the business of news anchoring
"To get out of your comfort zone is not always comfortable"
-- CBS Anchor Katie Couric explaining the low ratings of The
CBS Evening News in the USA Today, May 10, 2007, via Pat Malone,
Snellville.
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