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Suwanee Town Center to host Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
By Jane Keegan
Downtown Suwanee Manager
Special to GwinnettForum.com

SUWANEE, Ga., June 22, 2007 -- Take note: June 30th will mark a very special occasion in the cultural life of Suwanee, indeed of Gwinnett County. The City of Suwanee, with the financial support of Peoples Bank and Trust and other generous community businesses, is presenting a free concert by the internationally renowned Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. in Town Center Park.

For adults, there's the pleasure of a leisurely picnic on the lawn accompanied by the sounds of the first-class Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. As a special touch, Suwanee's arranged for a full moon that evening.

For kids, there's the appeal of frolicking in the Big Splash interactive fountain or playing on the Town Center lawn. But there's also the chance to experience wonder, curiosity, and reverence. Trumpets will blast, violins will sing, oboes and flutes will be melodious, and timpani will BOOM.

In a summer full of events---jazz concerts, movies, festivals, and more---this event will be a stand-out. For the first time, Suwanee is adding classical music to its event mix, and the City decided to do it right. That meant inviting the crown jewel of the Atlanta arts scene, the full Atlanta Symphony, to perform outdoors in Gwinnett for the first time in some 20 years or more.

And what a performance it will be, opening with Dvorak's brilliant and exuberant Slavonic Dances No. 1 and No. 8, followed by the most famous opening notes ever written! da-da-da-DAH. This is, of course, the rest of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. A suite from the opera Carmen includes the sultry "Habañera," the triumphant "Toreador Song," and the beguiling "Seguidilla."

Leonard Bernstein's dance number from On the Town, "1944:Times Square," will evoke the jazzy jangling rhythms of New York.

For Gershwin lovers, there will be the overture to Girl Crazy, the Broadway show that was equally smashing in the original 1930's and its 1990's revival. "I Got Rhythm," "Embraceable You," and "But Not for Me" are among the familiar tunes in the score. George and Ira Gershwin's "Swanee," made famous by Al Jolson, will be played in tribute to the citizens of Suwanee for their great enthusiasm and support for Suwanee's parks and special events.

Conductor Jere Flint's grand finale will be Tchaikovsky's thrill-a-minute 1812 Overture. With this concert by the Atlanta Symphony, the City of Suwanee is broadening its musical offerings. To a well-rounded community, the arts are an essential community benefit and a key ingredient in the quality of life. Suwanee is fast becoming a culturally vibrant city.

With the help of sponsors like Peoples Bank and Trust, the underwriter of the ASO concert, Suwanee is able to make its events free and accessible to everyone.
Music is a language that all people speak (and we know how diverse Gwinnett County is), and contrary to popular beliefs about classical music, it's easy to love. People can simply come and listen for the sheer pleasure of the music, some of it familiar, all of it appealing. There are no stuffed shirts at an outdoor performance. Shorts and sandals are preferred attire; there is no concert hall etiquette to remember; and you don't have to wait until intermission for refreshments. It's a shared experience between the audience and orchestra, and it only happens once this summer in Gwinnett: on June 30 in Suwanee's Town Center Park.

Gwinnett may be throwing paperwork at immigration problem
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

JUNE 22, 2007 -- Lots of Gwinnettians, we realize, get hot and exercised about immigration. Somehow, we see more pressing problems facing us. We wish that these same people would get more energized, for instance, on the senseless involvement of the United States in Iraq. But we won't veer off on that subject today, but consider some aspects of the immigration question.

Up before the Gwinnett County Commission is a provision that would require companies doing business with the county to make a diligent effort not to hire illegal immigrants.

In one light, this is a commendable move, and reasonable one. After all, a government should not routinely be in the business of hiring people who are illegally in this country.

a. One of the major water lines that flows through the county and into our homes has a break, disrupting the water supply to 100,000 people.

b. An all-too-familiar scene in Gwinnett takes place on Interstate 85. A tractor trailer overturns, spilling toxic materials all over the roadway, causing major disruption to the traffic flow, stranding motorists and backing up traffic for miles and no telling how long.

Two distinct, and somewhat routine, emergencies. In both instances, let's say that the problem is so great in each that the county work crews cannot solve the problem with their work force, and independent contractors are called in to help eventually repair the problems.

The contractor, in most likelihood, employs several foreign nationals routinely on his work crews. As far as this contractor knows, his force is capable, credible and legal. But from time to time there are absences for sickness and other reasons and he must employ temporary workers.

Should this company get the contract? What if in the past, the company has been cited for having employed an illegal? But what if this firm is the only one capable of cleaning up the current mess? What to do then?

We're more concerned about whether the regulations that Gwinnett might pass to "solve" the problems of employing illegals are reasonable. Far as that goes, we wonder if our country has gone so far already that we are stuck with the presence of many illegal workers, whom we desperately depend on to keep our economy sound.

But mainly, we're not sure that approving more paperwork for our private firms is the way to go toward solving the problems of immigration. We also are not sure that the Federal Government can solve it so easily, either.

We see no solution. We hope some of our clear-minded readers can propose easily-adopted solutions that will prove workable. But so far, we haven't seen an anti-immigration proposal that seems reasonable.

We suspect Gwinnett's efforts at the county level to regulate the use of immigrant work forces on solving our problems will have little effect. It may be a useless piece of regulation on business.

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc. of Snellville. Founded in the 1920s, ERS was built on Christian beliefs with honesty and integrity leading the way. Specializing in roads, bridges and culverts, its goal is to build a safe and modern highway system while preserving our natural environment. Through quality production and high safety standards, it strives to be the best contractor possible, while continuing to be a positive influence on its employees and the community. Internet access is available at www.ersnell.com.

Thousands of Ham Radio operators will be showing off their emergency capabilities this weekend. This annual event, called "Field Day," is the climax of the week long "Amateur Radio Week." Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and back yards around the country. Their slogan, "When all else fails…"is more than just words to the hams as they prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 30,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year's event.

In the Gwinnett area, the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society and Gwinnett ARES will be demonstrating Amateur Radio at Rhodes Jordan Park in Lawrenceville on June 23-24. People are invited to come and see ham radio's capabilities and learn how to get their own FCC radio license before the next disaster strikes.

There are 660,000 Amateur Radio operators in the US, and more than 2.5 million around the world. Through the ARRL, ham volunteers provide emergency communications for the DHS Citizens' Corps, the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, FEMA and thousands of state and local agencies, all for free.

To learn more about Amateur Radio, go to www.emergency-radio.org.

Gwinnett County resident Bill Osinski, author of Ungodly: A True Story of Unprecedented Evil and reporter with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, will sign his controversial new book at the Snellville Barnes and Noble Booksellers, Avenue at Webb Gin, in Snellville, Friday, June 22 from 6 to p.m. The author will host a short presentation on the Nuwaubian cult and then be on hand to sign books.

Osinski and Indigo Publishing Group launched the book, which chronicles the tragic tale of the Nuwaubians and their cult leader, Dwight "Malachi" York near the town of Eatonton. York was convicted in the nation's largest child molestation case. Last week, Nuwaubians staged a protest at Macon's City Hall.

In Ungodly, Osinski narrates the strange story of how a street kid declared himself a god and was thus granted himself immunity for a long career of crime. Paralleling this, readers follow the story of how the fear of being politically incorrect and of being accused of practicing discrimination based on race and religion, paralyzed the people who had the power to stop the abuses that destroyed many lives. Go to www.ungodlybook.com for more information.

Quality of Life office ribbon-cutting on tap on Tuesday

Ribbon cutting ceremonies for the Gwinnett Quality of Life police unit will be held Tuesday, June 26, at 11 a.m. The event will take place at 5555 Oakbrook Parkway, Suite 650, in Norcross.

The unit partners with other governmental and community organizations to attack small problems before they become larger by enforcing existing codes and laws. Officers primarily enforce ordinances regarding such items as property maintenance, junk vehicles, illegal signs, graffiti and similar situations that detract from qualify of life in a community.

Expected to be present for the occasion will be Gwinnett Police Chief Charles Walters; Board Chairman Charles Bannister and District Commissioners; County Administrator Jock Connell; Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful Executive Director Connie Wiggins; and representatives from Gwinnett's Community Improvement Districts. Members of the community are invited to the event.

Dr. Ferrol Sams featured for 2007 Gwinnett Reads program

Fayette County's Dr. Ferrol Sams will be the featured author at the Gwinnett County Public Library's 2007 "Gwinnett Reads" program. It is the annual countywide event to encourage Gwinnett citizens to come together to read the same book.

Gwinnett Reads activities includes public lectures, panel discussions, and book discussion groups at library branches and other locations throughout the county. This year's Gwinnett Reads program will culminate with a Saturday, August 11 event featuring Dr. Sams.

Ferrol Sams is the author of seven previous books, including his highly acclaimed first novel, Run With the Horsemen, which he published in 1982, at age 60, and which went on to become a national bestseller. Often described as a consummate story teller, Dr. Sams has practiced medicine with his family since 1951 in Fayette County.

Down Town, the new novel by Sams, recounts life in a small Georgia town, from the period just following the end of the Civil War up to the modern era. The setting of the new novel is a rural Georgia county that will in time become part of the larger Atlanta metropolis.

Gwinnett Reads was first introduced by the library in 2003, and has continued to grow in popularity and attendance. In 2006, the library sponsored two Gwinnett Reads events.. For updates pertaining to Gwinnett Reads programs and activities, or to reserve a copy of Down Town, visit the Gwinnett County Library online at www.gwinnettreads.org.

The Gwinnett County Public Library was recently presented with an Award of Recognition from the national organization Family Friendly Libraries. Library Executive Director Nancy Stanbery Kellam, right, accepted the award. At the left is Denise Varenhorst, president of Family Friend Libraries, while Gwinnett County District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau is in the center and presented the award on behalf of Family Friendly Libraries. The Gwinnett County Public Library was one of only two library systems in the nation to have received such distinction in 2007.

Seniors helping other seniors learn to use computers---that's what the County-sponsored SeniorNet Learning Centers are all about. Now the program is getting national recognition with the presentation of a 2007 Acts of Caring Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo).

Division Director Sharon Plunkett of Parks and Recreation Operations says: "This program keeps seniors involved in their community and learning new skills that help keep them connected. SeniorNet adds a critical activity for the mind to the usual programming for seniors. Instead of just taking classes, seniors actually run the organization and its operations."

In 1995, Parks and Recreation partnered with community businesses and organizations in opening the Gwinnett SeniorNet Learning Center at Bethesda Park in the Gwinnett Senior Center. Last December, a second satellite SeniorNet Learning Center opened in the new senior activity center at George Pierce Park Community Center and Prime Timers Pointe.

Learning Center volunteers over age 50 write course materials and teach other seniors to use computers and the Internet. Both sites are run by volunteers serving as board members, officers, instructors, coaches, equipment managers, course developers, and administrators.

Milton County, where cotton was king for most of its 75 years of existence, was one of only two Georgia counties in modern times to be abolished (the other was Campbell County, south of Atlanta).

Its county seat, Alpharetta, was the hub of city and county activities and events. Located 25 miles north of Atlanta, on the south Milton County bordered the town of Roswell, just two miles from the Chattahoochee River, and it was surrounded by Cherokee, Cobb, and Forsyth counties.

The need for a more accessible county seat led to the creation of Milton County on December 18, 1857, from parts of Cherokee, Forsyth, and Cobb counties. In 1859 small portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties were added, with the land from DeKalb transferred to Fulton County in 1929. Milton County was named for John Milton, Georgia's first secretary of state, who was elected three times.

The Alpharetta Free Press was a widely known and respected newspaper. Many communities dotted the countryside, and some of these-for example, Birmingham, Crabapple, Hopewell, Newtown, Ocee, Warsaw-remain identifiable today.

Because the county had virtually a one-industry economy supplemented with other agricultural dependencies, the weather could play havoc with income and assets. Eventually, boll weevil infestations of the 1910s and 1920s and the depression of the 1930s left Milton County destitute, with almost no paved roads, dilapidated one- and two-room schools, a dearth of health accommodations, and high taxes.
Milton County, with a population of 6,730 in 1930, merged with Fulton County on January 1, 1932, through an act of the state legislature. The annexation meant lower taxes, an improved economy, the advantages of the Fulton County school system, and county medical offerings for the residents of the former county.

In May 1932 the Roswell Militia District, including the city of Roswell, seceded from Cobb County and also merged with Fulton County. Thus was born what is known unofficially and variously defined today as north Fulton County

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