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Ballet Moms busy with variety of chores
for their offspring
By
Maureen Hardegree
Special to GwinnettForum.com
LILBURN, Ga., May 13, 2008 -- Soccer moms seem to get all the glory,
but are they the only moms who put their time toward their children's
pursuits? What about the ballet moms who quietly sew holes in tights,
grieve their daughters' dead pointe shoes, and keep the domestic
steel industry alive by purchasing millions of hairpins for their
daughters' perfect buns? Where are their accolades?
Jennifer B. Gordon, artistic director of the Northeast Atlanta
Ballet (NEAB) of Gwinnett, would be the first to shout their praises.
One of the cornerstones of the pre-professional company's program
is volunteerism. All families are required to contribute to the
three productions the company performs each season. Moms serve on
and often chair the various committees: Hospitality, Production,
Marketing and Public Relations, Boutique and Costumes.
When the NEAB Seam Team volunteers aren't sewing, they pursue a
variety of careers from kindergarten teacher to published author,
from office manager to photographer, from midwife to preschool director.
While their daughters take classes and rehearse parts in upcoming
productions, these ladies repair old costumes, construct new ones,
fit costumes to dancers, and keep the sewing room organized (most
of the time).
One typical ballet mom, Tricia Blackburn, leads a busy life, yet
manages to squeeze in time to sew for the NEAB. Tricia is an Implementation
Specialist in Information Technology at Quest Diagnostics, working
with their clients to interface their computer systems with Quest.
While working for Quest for 28 years, she and husband, Michael,
have raised five children. Now she dotes on her two grandbabies.
As if this weren't enough to keep her busy, Tricia is a trained
Stephen Minister and she sews bears for her church's cancer ministry
as well as quilts for relaxation.
Co-chair Anna Elliott, who teaches kindergarten at Corley Elementary,
has lived in Gwinnett County with her two daughters and husband
Nick, a math specialist, for seven years. Since moving to Georgia
from Massachusetts, she's decided she likes the weather here much
better. Apparently she also likes sewing for the ballet company,
and they're glad to have her.
One of the biggest projects the Seam Team has undertaken this year
was the construction of costumes for the Fiddle Faddle piece, which
the dancers will perform at the Gwinnett Center on May 16h at 7:30
p.m. and on May 18 at 3 p.m. The 33 satin and silk costumes in mauve,
spring green, deep purple, and hot pink were a true team effort.
Mom Angelia Clark designed the costume, lettuce-edged the skirt
layers, and, along with Anna Elliott and Kathy Williams, cut the
many bodice, basque and lining pieces. Midwife and mom Debi Thomas
put all the bodices together. Artistic Director and fellow mom Jennifer
B. Gordon gored the skirts and serged the ruffles. A village of
volunteers added hook and eye tape, adjusted bodices, sewed the
ruffles to the top of the costumes, and lock-stitched the bodices
to the basques.
If you'd like to see these unsung ballet moms' work in action,
tickets for Little Mermaid and Other Classical and Contemporary
Pieces, including Fiddle Faddle, are available through the Lilburn
School of Ballet (770) 921-7277, the Gwinnett Center box office
and all Ticketmaster outlets.
The Northeast Atlanta Ballet, founded in 1996, is the official
company in residence of the Lilburn School of Ballet (www.northeastatlantaballet.org).
Find warmth, good food, fun at Alabama's Gulf
Shores
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
MAY 13, 2008 -- If you haven't been to Gulf Shores, Ala., since
the hurricanes' last hit, you must return. Lots of changes have
taken place, making this destination a worthy place to visit.
Brack |
The cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are on a 30,000 acres
island, with 32 miles of "sugar white" beaches between
Mobile Bay and the Florida line. They are primarily a condominium
destination. Showing how the place bounced back, the two towns have
added 4,000 condo units, now totaling 15,000, since 2004 when Hurricane
Ivan hit. Since then, several new entertainment and recreational
venues have sprung up, making this Lower Alabama area a most attractive
site, especially for children.
They'll like the beach and the sun, naturally, as the primary attractions.
But what we particularly liked about the area is the genuineness
of the people. They are not the fast-talkers trying to wrest every
buck from tourists. These are everyday people, often area natives,
who know that they have an attractive location, and seem to genuinely
want to serve their visitors well. These people are "down home"
and friendly, and want to get you and your family back year in and
year out.
A few of the places we would recommend:
-
The beach. Anywhere along the white sanded stretch is great!
- Fishing: Orange Beach has 1,000 boats available for charter,
offering year-round fishing.
- Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge, a 7,000 acre habitat to preserve
the coastal dune ecosystem.
- Fort Morgan: it's an historic site from the Civil War.
But get the guides to show you where the artesian well will literally
"catch fire" from the water flowing, with the imbedded
natural gas.
- A cruise on the bay: we went out with Capt. Skip Beebee,
and learned more about oysters, crab and shrimp than we ever knew.
Capt. Skip gives a two hour cruise on a pontoon boat, but takes
the time to dig up oysters, show you live crab in a pot, and drags
a net a few hundred yards and pulls up shrimp, fish and other
creatures of the deep. Then he explains details about each of
these tasty species. It's a great way for children (and you) to
learn about sea life.
- Dining spots: You won't meet a more genial host than
Al Sawyer at King Neptune's on U.S. Highway 59 a half mile from
the beach. It's a simple place, unassuming on the outside, but
producing major tasty seafood dishes. There are 60 seats, and
on a slow day they may feed 375 people, or double that on a busy
day. Try the steamed local red shrimp, available in few places.
And their oysters were the biggest we saw on the trip.
- Magnolia Springs: North of Gulf Shores and west of Foley,
this 650 resident town sports the beautiful restored home now
Magnolia Springs Bed-and-Breakfast. There's also a great restaurant,
Jesse's in the old post office, which also has an` upscale village
market. While the seafood is good, go for the steaks here (the
Whiskey Steak is their speciality, "100 dishes to eat in
Alabama before you die"), since much of the bulk of area
restaurants specialize in seafood. Magnolia Springs is just off
the beaten path, but well worth a visit.
Though many Georgians flock to Destin and Panama City, it's somewhat
easier to head for Gulf Shores, since you travel all but the last
45 minutes or so on the interstate. You can make the trip in a little
over six hours (370 miles from Atlanta), though it took miserly-me-saving-gas
seven hours (stopping twice) at 60 mph. It was an easy drive all
the way. We'll re-visit Gulf Shores (both in person and in print)
soon.
Alabama's Gulf Shores: a genuine place, where visiting is a pleasure.
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
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part of what's great about Gwinnett! In fact, no aspect of a community
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Hospital Award for clinical excellence, ranking among the top five
percent of all hospitals in the nation. The new Gwinnett Medical
Center-Duluth is the first all-digital hospital in north Atlanta.
More: http://www.gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/
Wants
big turnout to oppose zoning 24-hour drug store
Editor, the Forum:
In the City of Lilburn, Match Properties recently applied for a
rezoning of property on the corners of Killian Hill and Arcado Roads.
The proposal was to change the currently residential R-100 to C-2,
general business. I have heard mention of a 24 hour CVS from some
of the local residents, 200 of whom were present wearing orange
shirts in opposition at the April 24 Planning Commission meeting.
The wording on the Planning Commission's Agenda for LRZ-01-08 states
"a retail shopping center with a buffer reduction from the
required 75 to 38 feet."
At the April meeting, the re-zoning was denied tabled for revision
until the t next month, maybe because of such big a turnout opposing
it. The Commission recommended that the re-zoning be rewritten if
possible to gain better support from the community. Doug Stacks,
the newly hired Director of Planning and Economic Development (as
of March 31, 2008) stated in an email that the revised plan is not
very different than the first version. The result of which could
be a denial, as before in the April meeting.
The City of Lilburn website does not have the May 22 Planning Commission
Meeting listed yet on its schedule of events. The office of the
director stated over the phone that the meeting will be at 7:30
p.m. at Lilburn City Hall. Even with Mr. Stacks' forthright and
prompt response - which is I must say is quite refreshing and impressive
- of potential denial, I am still recommending that people show
up in large numbers to oppose this.
The message is not so much for the City of Lilburn Planning Commission
or the City Council, but to all developers in the greater area of
Lilburn, Snellville and South Gwinnett. People will not sit by and
watch a residential neighborhood have 24 hour anything within a
thousand yards from a Middle School. I don't believe anyone opposes
progress or real development. What most of us oppose is leaving
common sense at the door for the sake of simply making money. Developers
need to hear from us that ridiculous attempts to drive down neighborhood
property prices to buy it up later will be met with strong local
and vocal opposition.
-- Roger Hagen, Lilburn
New
London Buddy Awards to be given on Saturday night
New London Theatre will host its annual celebration of volunteers
and contributors on May 17 at 8 p.m. in the New London Theatre.
Known as the "Buddy Awards", the name is a derivative
of "BOD", or Board of Directors, with awardees selected
from nominations by peers and the New London Theatre Board of Directors,
who have given exceptional contributions to the theatre for the
past season.
The categories for the awards include business achievement awards,
as well as a presentation to one recipient for overall achievement
for the entire season. The
awards will be interspersed with short interludes of songs, dance,
and entertaining moments taken from the season's performances. The
public is cordially invited to attend, though reservations are mandatory,
since seating is limited.
To learn more about The New London Theatre, go to www.newlondontheatre.org
or call (770) 979-3691. New London Theatre is located at 2485 East
Main Street in Snellville.
Stone Mountain Barbershop
Chorus seeks new members
The Stone Mountain Barbershop Chorus, led by director Drew McMillan,
invites all men who like to sing to enjoy an evening of four-part
harmony at a special open house program planned for Monday evening,
June 2, at the Hudgens Center for the Arts in Duluth at 7:30 p.m.
The popular 65-man a cappella choral group is currently auditioning
new singers in all voice parts for its 2008-2009 performance calendar.
If you are a man who likes to sing, this is your chance to experience
the joy of close, four-part harmony singing in the barbershop style
and to learn more about how your involvement in this wonderful hobby
can bring not only personal satisfaction, but also listening pleasure
to hundreds of audience members. This opportunity is especially
for you if you like the challenge of:
- improving your singing skills
- improving your performing skills
- enjoying the fun and fellowship of close four-part barbershop
harmony singing
Call the Stone Mountain Chorus information line at 770-978-8053
for additional information or visit the group‚s web site at
www.stonemountainchorus.org.
SE Rail Museum starts
moving Stone Mountain engine
The volunteer staff at the Southeastern Railway Museum will load
and truck Stone Mountain RR locomotive #104, also known as General
II and relocate it to the museum's facility in Duluth starting Tuesday,
May 13. This follows the August 2007 agreement by the Stone Mountain
Historical Association to donate the locomotive to Railway Museum.
Originally built in 1919 as engine No. 104 for the Red River &
Gulf Railroad, the locomotive moved to Gulf Sand & Gravel Co.
in 1950. The Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad acquired the engine
in 1961. It became known as "General II" when it was rebuilt
and cosmetically altered to resemble the "General," the
locomotive made famous by the Andrews Raid and locomotive chase
through northwest Georgia during the Civil War.
"General II" was the last steam locomotive operating
under its own power at the Stone Mountain railway. It stopped making
regular runs in 1986, when the need for costly boiler work relegated
the engine to making only cosmetic appearances. In 1991, Stone Mountain
placed the locomotive, which had developed other mechanical issues,
on static display.
Locomotive technical details:
- Class 4-4-0 under the Whyte classification system;
- Driving wheel diameter: 60 inches;
- Tractive effort: 13,800 pounds using a boiler pressure of 180
psi.
At the Railway Museum, the locomotive will be cosmetically restored
and placed on display as a reminder of the days when it puffed along
at Stone Mountain.
* * * * *
The Southeastern Railway Museum will honor our country's servicemen
and women with free admission for service members (or former service
members showing) IDs during Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 17.
Deadline approaching
for submission of Suwanee Day logo
Get real creative real fast for your chance to win $500. The deadline
for submissions to the 2008 Suwanee Day design competition is June
6. This year's festival, to be held Saturday, September 20, at Town
Center Park, marks the 25th celebration of Suwanee Day.
The winning designer of the 2008 official festival logo not only
will receive $500 cash, they also will see their design on t-shirts
worn this fall by hundreds of Suwanee Day volunteers and festival-goers.
In addition, the winning design will be used on 2008 Suwanee Day
posters and other promotional materials.
Original artwork including paintings, drawings, and photographs
will be accepted as will digitally created designs. Designs should
be versatile and reproduce well on T-shirts and as posters. Guidelines
and an application are available at www.suwaneeday.com.
Gwinnett Tech offers hybrid vehicle technology training
With gas prices skyrocketing and consumers driven to conserve,
hybrid vehicles are becoming ever more popular. This new engine
technology requires specialized service---delivered by technicians
with specific hybrid training. Gwinnett Technical College has just
expanded its hybrid training fleet in the college's Automotive Technology
program, anticipating growing demand from students, employers and
ultimately, car owners.
Southeast Toyota Distributors have provided a second Toyota Prius
to Gwinnett Tech to be used by students in the Toyota T-Ten Technician
Development Program at the college, reflecting the growing use of
hybrid technology in the automotive industry.
Steve Conway, automotive program technology director at Gwinnett
Tech says: "We now have two hybrid Toyota Prius models for
our students to learn and train with, enabling them to become experienced
with hybrid technology even before they graduate."."
Hybrid technology, which uses both gasoline and electricity, requires
the work of specially trained automotive technicians who have mastered
additional performance and safety requirements.
Gwinnett Technical College is the only Georgia college that offers
the Toyota T-TEN Technician Development Program. Gwinnett Tech offers
similar cooperative programs with other automotive manufacturers,
including General Motors and DaimlerChrysler.
For more information about Gwinnett Tech's Automotive Technology
program or any of college's more than 45 program options, call 770.962.7580
or visit www.gwinnetttech.edu.
- 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
After relenting
on slavery, 17,500 flood state in five years
The lifting
of the original Georgia Trustees' ban on slavery opened the
way for Carolina planters to fulfill the dream of expanding their
slave-based rice economy into the Georgia Lowcountry. The planters
and their slaves flooded into Georgia and soon dominated the colony's
government. In 1755 they replaced the slave code agreed to by the
Trustees with one that was virtually identical to South Carolina's.
This code was amended in 1765 and again in 1770.
The South Carolinian migrants enjoyed a significant wealth advantage
over the original settlers of Georgia. They quickly established
socioeconomic structures and relationships that were nearly identical
to those they had known in their own colony. Within 20 years some
60 planters who owned roughly half the colony's rapidly increasing
slave population dominated the apex of Lowcountry Georgia's rice
economy.
Between 1750 and 1775 Georgia's enslaved population grew in size
from less than 500 to approximately 18,000 people. Beginning in
the mid-1760s, Georgia began to import slaves directly from Africa---mainly
from Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia. Most were given physically
demanding work in the rice fields, although some found employment
in Savannah's expanding urban economy.
Slaves had no legal right to private lives, and they struggled
against daunting odds to establish some degree of autonomy for themselves.
With varying degrees of success, they tried to recreate the patterns
of family and religious life they had known in Africa. The circumstances
of slavery in the Georgia Lowcountry precluded the possibility of
organized rebellion. Yet enslaved people resisted their owners and
asserted their humanity in ways that included running away as well
as acts of verbal and physical violence. The American Revolution
(1775-83) would offer them the best prospect of freedom.
By the mid-1750s the earlier debate on the introduction of slavery
to Georgia seemed never to have taken place. Almost every white
person in the Georgia Lowcountry at that time believed that the
institution of slavery was essential to his or her economic prosperity.
During the remainder of the colonial period, no white Georgian voices
were raised to challenge that assumption.
GOP congressman sees
little conservatism in Iraq policy
"There is nothing conservative about the U.S. policy in Iraq."
-- Conservative Congressman John J. Duncan Jr. (R-Tennessee),
via Marshall Miller, Lilburn.
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
or comments on any issue to Gwinnett
Forum for future publication.
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is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible
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