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A dream realized: Payne-Corley House
changes hands
By
Charles Summerour
Special to GwinnettForum.com
DULUTH, Ga., June 6, 2008 -- Dreams really do come true -- even
when friends go into business together. At least that is what happened
with five ladies who 10 years ago formed Dreamkeepers, Inc., to
fulfill a dream of owning and operating a special events facility,
the Payne-Corley House on Main Street Duluth.
Payne-Corley
House |
The five ladies, Judy Burel, Emma Deavours, Margie Ross, Annette
Summerour, and Jane Wilson, had been lifelong friends. They just
wanted to take an old Southern residence and try to do a few weddings
and maybe open a tea room for lunch a few days a week.
After making what they thought was fairly major renovations, they
opened for business, Each partner did her own thing, from cooking
to decorating to accounting, with all having a hand in managing
events. After a short tenure, the tea room, which was only opened
during the week, soon was found to be fun, but laborious and minimally
profitable. So then they settled down to staging weddings, receptions
and a few corporate events.
After some really major renovations and the financial commitment
that naturally came along, the main house would soon accommodate
up to 200 guests at seated events, and sometimes was expanded to
events of over 500 with the addition of tents on the lawn. Magnolia
Cottage, a smaller facility, was added later to accommodate smaller
events.
Long before the five-year mark, the ladies realized that they indeed
had created a now-thriving business, which required more time and
effort, most often translating into late nights and long weekends.
So, in 2004, they contracted the business operations to a management
group, by Michael and Krista Ganley, who brought their experience
and skills as an executive chef and events planner with the Ritz
Carlton Hotels to Main Street Duluth.
Over the next three years, the ladies continued as owners of the
facility, while the younger generation took the business to a new
level. Volume doubled and profits increased nicely as well. During
this time, the Ganleys firmly established the Payne- Corley House
reputation as one of excellent food and a meticulous commitment
to service that resulted in many Five Star reviews from their brides
and grooms, guests and others.
On May 30, the Dreamkeepers and the Ganleys celebrated the 10th
Anniversary of the Payne-Corley House with a gala event for their
friends, family, employees as well as Betsy Corley Pickren, who
once lived in the house named for her parents and grandparents.
During the event, it was announced that the dream really had been
realized, and that the future of the Payne-Corley House was officially
in the hands of Michael and Krista Ganley, as they will soon become
the owners of the facility and the business. It was just time for
these Dreamkeepers to move on to better things, including their
major role as grandmas, their rewards in hand, and having realized
their dream, which began with a vision, continued for a fun-filled
10 years, and ended with a successful, thriving business.
* * * * *
P.S. With great personal pride and admiration for what they have
and will accomplish, I must add that Annette Summerour is my wife
and Krista Ganley is my daughter. So, the dream continues…………
Turnout for ballpark groundbreaking means
something
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
JUNE 6, 2008 -- The turnout at the ground breaking for the minor
league baseball park in Gwinnett overwhelmed me.
Brack |
Now don't get me wrong. I don't want to sound cavalier, but when
you're in the media in Gwinnett, you get invited to many groundbreakings.
They have become somewhat routine, with the event a big deal for
the individuals risking money on a new venture, but so commonplace,
that they are "ho-hum" to all but the participants.
And as such, you may have 25-30 people, 50 at most, at most Gwinnett
groundbreakings. (The contrast to groundbreakings in Gwinnett, and
to those in South Georgia, where we lived previously, is striking.
Even the opening of a small McDonald or Krystal in South Georgia
draws crowds.)
Simulated
grass gives diamond effect at new Gwinnett Stadium (Photo
by Dick Daneke). |
Tuesday at the Gwinnett Braves minor league stadium site, there
must have been at least 250 people present in the hot sun for the
ceremony. Only about 50 seats were in under the tent, all full,
with about another 50 people squeezing in around the edges of the
tent, plus the television crews at the back, for a total of perhaps
100 people in the shade. There were at least 125, if not 150, standing
around outside for the short ceremony.
There's a reason. There is tremendous interest in having the triple
A Braves playing out of a Gwinnett stadium. Gwinnettians are proud
of the fact that the team is coming here, and even more pleased
that this minor league team is an affiliated of the "hometown"
Atlanta Braves. The fans in Gwinnett look forward to a relatively
inexpensive outing with their family….and not too far from
home. We suspect fans will also flock to the AAA Braves from all
over Northeast Georgia.
This surge of interest in the Braves goes so far that we have heard
no negative comments, except in the big city media, about the new
stadium and the Braves coming. If this was something to invest in,
we think it is about as close to a sure-fire bet as you could make.
We're all hyped about the new Gwinnett Braves, and can hardly wait
until the year 2009 gets here, though we'll be a year older!
One particularly innovative aspect of the groundbreaking on Tuesday
was the placement of the official's tent and groundbreaking site.
It was just past what will be the bleachers in center field. You
could look past the dignitaries to see in the distance what will
be the playing field.
Now here's the real innovation. The construction firm building
the stadium, Barton Malon, had taken the time to spray a simulated
diamond on what will be the playing surface either green paint,
or a green seeded mixture, where the grass will be. You could clearly
delineate the baseball diamond, with its running paths, and even
a circle in the middle in natural colors where the pitcher's mound
would be. Looking at what will be the playing field, you could almost
pause…And hear the crack of a bat.
It was a stunning groundbreaking, complete with much larger crowd
than I had imagined. It's a foretaste of what is to come, we suspect,
next spring!
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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, enjoying its fifth year, has experienced tremendous success.
The lineup includes American Idol, The Cure, Keith Urban and Carrie
Underwood,, our first urban show with Kanye West and the ECHL American
Conference Champions Gwinnett Gladiators. We welcome the return
of the Georgia Force for their 2008 season, which began March 1.
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.
Sees
wish fulfilled, but now questions state solution
Editor, the Forum:
I heard on WSB AM-750 recently that the auto license plate office
is issuing larger auto tag (stickers, I assume) so that the tag's
expiration date can be read by law enforcement better from a further
distance.
You might recall a few months ago I wrote about this issue in the
Forum. It's good to know that the state is doing something about
it, but this is a prime example of "if it ain't broke, don't
fix it." The new tags continue to bother me because the lower
left and right corners are still available and it makes perfect
sense to have month and year stickers in each corner, like we used
to have.
Apparently the new tags (or stickers) will be 56 percent larger
to help law enforcement. I can only imagine how much that cost the
state to increase the sticker size. Larger stickers means higher
material cost and "re-tooling" for printing and cutting---more
wasted tax dollars at work to fix something that shouldn't have
been changed to begin with.
Why not just return to the month in the lower left hand corner
and the year in a special color on the right corner? That way the
sticker printer company wouldn't have to change the size used. It
should be a primary offense to stop a car if the stickers are not
in the proper location because it isn't that difficult to follow
directions and apply the sticker the way it is shown and described.
It's nice to see this "fixed", but it wasn't broken to
begin with.
-- Scott Phillips, Dacula
Dear Scott: This sounds like the old saw, "Be
careful what you wish for." You got action, but at what expense?"
At least keep being alert for the sake of the rest of us.--eeb
"Cleaning
house" takes new meaning
Another great cartoon by Bill McLemore:
Three
different events on tap for Buford Business Association
Several events are on tap in Buford soon. The activities kick off
on June 7 at 7 p.m. with the Buford Business Alliance at the Buford
Majic basketball game.
This is developmental professional style basketball featuring several
former local high school stars! For more info on the team go to:
www.BufordMajic.com.
On Tuesday, June 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. the Buford Business
Association will have a Open House Party at the Bona Allen Mansion.
Visitors are welcome to come celebrate with us. Last year over 200
folks had a great time mingling, eating and drinking. This year
there will be eight to ten restaurants participating. Attendance
will approach (or possibly exceed) 300!
Then on Saturday, July 12 from 10 a.m. to 5p. m. visit the Buford
Expo at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center. It will
be a family day with children's activities and booths available
for BBA members and prospective members. Contact Jan Borregard for
booth reservations at 770-614-7280 or 678-488-5187 or janb@posthastedm.com.
Food and other vending opportunities at booths available.
Chairman's candidates
invited to Sierra Club Forum June 19
The Greater Gwinnett Group of the Sierra Club will host a candidates
forum for chairman of the County Board of Commissioners on June
19 at Berkmar High School at 7 p.m. with a focus on environmental
issues and challenges in Gwinnett County.
The group has invited Chairman Charles Bannister, Commissioner
Lorraine Green, and Glenn Pirkle to present their visions for the
environmental future of Gwinnett and the surrounding region. Following
their opening statements, the candidates will take prepared questions
and questions from the audience. The public is invited to attend.
Submit questions pertaining to Gwinnett environmental issues for
the candidates to Tamyra Hyatt at tamyrahyatt@hotmail.com.
For more information, contact Tom Morrissey at thmorrissey@bellsouth.net
or call (404) 513-4069.
Second Pink Ribbon
Golf Classic set for September 25
The American Cancer Society is currently planning its second annual
Pink Ribbon Golf Classic, to be held at Bear's Best Golf Club on
Sept. 25, 2008. Atlanta Classic Cars is the presenting sponsor,
and Georgia Secretary of State, Karen Handel is the honorary chair.
The Honorees for this event are Ann Mason, Sara Williams and Jean
Miles.
Atlanta Classic Cars will host a Player's Party for golfers and
guests on the evening of September 24. Those who attend can enjoy
an evening of food and drinks and a Silent Auction featuring golf
packages to local clubs.
The player gift the day of the tournament is a pair of Ladies Nike
Golf Shoes. The tournament's goal is to raise $40,000 in the fight
against breast cancer. People may sign up on the website, by visiting
www.pinkribbonclassic.org
or by contacting Kevin McQuilken at (770) 814-0123.
Gwinnett Tech to offer
courses at Gwinnett Place Mall
Gwinnett Technical College will soon offer Continuing Education
Division courses in new classroom space at Gwinnett Place Mall,
expanding high-demand language and business services training courses
from the college's main campus into the community.
Gwinnett Tech's Continuing Education Division will occupy 32,600
square feet at Simon Property Group's Gwinnett Place Mall, opening
in mid-September with classes starting in early October 2008.
Sharon Bartels, president, Gwinnett Tech, says: "With continued
and significant growth at our main campus, we've been looking for
ways to best increase capacity and serve more people. Taking these
Continuing Education courses into the community where residents
can benefit supports our mission on two fronts---improving access
to education for all who desire it and supporting economic development
in the communities we serve."
Courses to be taught at the new Gwinnett Tech location at Gwinnett
Place will focus on workforce training to meet the needs of individuals
and companies in the area. These classes will include:
- English as a Second Language;
- Serve Safe
- OSHA Safety Training (English and Spanish;
- General Industry and Construction course;
- Real Estate;
- Starting and Owning Your Own Business;
- Supervisory Skills; and
- Master Electrician Training.
For more information about Gwinnett Tech's Continuing Education
courses, call 770-995-9697 or visit www.gwinnetttech.edu/ce,
or call 770-962-7580.
94-year-old Gwinnettian
gets daily Point of Life Award
Mrs. Edith Harvey, 94, of Lawrenceville receives the Daily Point
of Light award at the 2008 National Conference on Volunteering and
Service in Atlanta from former President Jimmy Carter, before 4,000
people. At the right in the photo is Gary Galloway, volunteer coordinator
of Gwinnett Senior Services.
Mrs. Harvey raised 19 children, 11 of her own, six stepchildren
and two foster children. She survived two marriages. Meanwhile,
she has found time to prepare meals, rock babies to sleep at Gwinnett
Medical Center in Duluth, serve on the choir at New Bethel African
Methodist Episcopal Church and mentor inmates assigned to work in
the kitchen at the Lawrenceville Senior Center. She's been a volunteer
at the Senior Center since 1978, contributing 17,000 hours, and
has assisted in preparation of over one million meals there.
Her tireless and countless hours of volunteering have also been
recognized by other organizations, including the United Way of Metropolitan
Atlanta, the Met Life Foundation, 11 Alive, Bank of America, Hands
on Georgia and 100 Black Women. Her advice to all, "Do the
best, when you can, even if it's for an hour and mean it from the
heart."
- 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
Oglethorpe
Power largest electric co-op in United States
Oglethorpe
Power Corporation is the largest electric power cooperative
in the United States, with $1.2 billion in revenues, $4.8 billion
in assets, and 3.7 million customers, as of 2005. It supplies wholesale
electric power to thirty-eight of Georgia's forty-two electric membership
corporations (EMCs), with a service area that covers 37,000 square
miles, or 65 percent of the state, in 150 out of 159 counties. The
cooperative has 160 employees, and its headquarters are in Tucker,
in DeKalb County.
Thirty-nine Georgia EMCs incorporated Oglethorpe Power Corporation
in August 1974 to acquire generating capacity and transmission lines.
In the 1970s Oglethorpe Power purchased co-ownership of four plants
either under construction or planned by the Georgia Power Company.
Since then, Oglethorpe Power has acquired or built plants financed
primarily through loans from the REA and its successor agency, the
Rural Utilities Service.
In 1997 Oglethorpe Power restructured into three separate, interrelated
cooperatives. Oglethorpe Power retained control of power generation,
Georgia Transmission Corporation owns and operates the transmission
lines and substations, and Georgia System Operations Corporation
provides system and administrative support.
Oglethorpe Power is significantly involved with Georgia Power,
the state's largest supplier of electricity. Together they own the
Rocky Mountain hydroelectric plant in Floyd County, and along with
two other utility companies, they co-own the Hatch and Vogtle nuclear
plants in Appling and Burke counties respectively, the Wansley and
Scherer coal-fired plants in Heard and Monroe counties respectively,
and the statewide Integrated Transmission System. Oglethorpe Power
also purchases power from Georgia Power.
Changing demographics have affected Oglethorpe Power's development.
Georgia's rapid population growth has been reflected in the increase
of megawatt-hour sales, which rose from 6.75 million in 1979, to
16.06 million in 1989, to about 32 million in 2005. As urban areas
have expanded, EMC service areas have become less rural and more
suburban. Oglethorpe Power's two largest EMCs, Jackson County and
Cobb County, are particularly good examples of this trend.
Author analyzes just
what word "democracy" means
"Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half
of the people are right more than half of the time." '
-- Word craftsman and author E. B. White (1899 - 1985), via
Roy McCreary, Dacula.
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
or comments on any issue to Gwinnett
Forum for future publication.
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