3/23: Church’s anniversary: No One Eats Alone; AARP defends

COMING SOON where the present Lawrenceville fire station will be Bicentennial Plaza, a new gathering space. This will provide more open space near Lawrenceville Lawn, replacing where Fire Station 15 is now located. A new fire station is soon to be rising on Scenic Highway between Georgia Highway 20 and Constitution Boulevard, at 199 Scenic Highway.  This is a relocation of one of the busiest fire stations in the county. The new station will be a 10,788 square foot building, with three bays for an engine, ladder, and medic unit.   For more on the future plaza, see Upcoming below.

TODAY’S FOCUS: St. Edward’s Episcopal Church Will Mark 50^th Anniversary This Year

EEB PERSPECTIVE: No One Eats Alone Program Makes Sense; UGA Football “G” Logo

ANOTHER VIEW: AARP Is An Organization Defending Senior’s Earned Rights

SPOTLIGHT: Gateway 85 Gwinnett

FEEDBACK: Two from Community Remember Work of Patsy Rooks

McLEMORE’S WORLD: Tofu

UPCOMING: Bicentennial Torch Now in Lilburn, Moves to Bethesda Park Next

NOTABLE: GGC Faculty Member Wins State’s Highest Faculty Award

RECOMMENDATION: The Hours (2002 film)

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Gram Parsons Comes Out of Waycross and Into Alt-Country Music

MYSTERY PHOTO: Beautifully Lighted Seaside Scene Is Today’s Mystery

LAGNIAPPE:  Myrtle Beach

CALENDAR: Muddbuggs and music returned to Duluth on March 31

St. Edward’s Episcopal Church will mark 50^th anniversary this year

By Diane Van Slyke

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. |  St. Edward’s Episcopal Church began as a mission to Gwinnett County in the fall of 1968. The first service was held in a Duluth living room with a total attendance of just 14 people.  As the humble congregation grew, the services relocated to the Gwinnett Daily News offices before the congregation was officially chartered as a parish on Nov. 17, 1968. On this day, the church elected its first Vestry (governing board) and claimed its name as St. Edward the Confessor Episcopal Church.

The growing congregation later moved into space in a strip mall in Lawrenceville and began ministering to the wider Gwinnett County community. During these early years, the parish was faithfully served by Vicars, Doug Turley, Victor Nickelson (Vicar Emeritus), Tom Kehayes, Bill Payton and more recently Kent Branstetter. Parishioners sold barbecue along the highway to pay for the first organ.

It started two bedrock ministries within the congregation: the ambitious and varied Music Ministry, and the “Pit Crew,” who produce not only the main course for St. Edward’s feasts, but also the church’s favorite incense – when the smoky barbecue cooks walk down the aisle to receive communion!

On December 10, 1972, St. Edward’s moved to its current location at 737 Moon Road in Lawrenceville, a former strawberry field.  The ambitious young church soon undertook an expansion campaign, adding the administration and Christian Education buildings.   The ministries housed in these facilities continue to be central to parish life.

Today, St Edward’s is a flourishing global community that embraces parishioners and diverse cultures from Africa, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, Asia and Latin America. As a church of inclusion — and reflecting our own diversity, in 2014 St. Edward’s welcomed missioner Fr. Fabio Sotelo and a Spanish language service, which now boasts a growing vibrant congregation.

Under the loving, pastoral guidance of The Rev. Gordon Okunsanya, St. Edward’s is forging a new path as it seeks to draw its circle wider — living into our mission statement which exhorts the church to  “Empower discipleship in Christ through worship, Christian education, music, community activities, and stewardship through the love of Christ.”

St. Edwards continues to be a community-oriented parish that fosters rich, meaningful worship, ministry, diversity — and fabulous potluck meals.  Its members believe that its communion will continue to grow as it welcomes all believers and seekers to the Lord’s table.

With thanksgiving for the past, joy in the present, and hope for the future, the church celebrates 50 years of praising God in this place of worship.

In the area? Join the congregation for Sunday worship.

• 8 a.m.: Holy Eucharist;
• 9:15 a.m.: Christian Formation – for all ages (during the school year);
• 10:30 a.m.: Holy Eucharist; and
• 12:30 p.m.: La Santa Eucaristía.

You may visit the church website at: www.stedwardsonline.org for more details of the 50th Anniversary events.

• Have a comment? Send to:  elliott@brack.net

No One Eats Alone program makes sense; UGA football’s “G” logo

By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum

MARCH 23, 2017  |  Often some of the better ideas are so simple that we think: “Wonder why we did not think of that earlier?”

This came to mind when reading Tim Anderson’s column in the Fitzgerald Herald-Leader recently. Tim was writing about an idea he heard from Jenkins County Middle School in Millen.

Tim wrote: “It’s always refreshing to see common sense break out. I read last week about a program started in Millen at Jenkins County Middle School. School administrators have introduced their students to a nationwide program called No One Eats Alone.

“In the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. many experts are noting that isolation and bullying are leading contributors to school shooters’ actions. Eliminating isolation could go a long way toward solving this tragic problem. The thinking is that if the targets are people you know and people for whom you feel empathy or compassion because you have relationships, the trigger is less likely to be pulled.

“The program is just what its name implies. Students are encouraged to sit together and interact with students they may not know in order to put an end to social isolation.

“Middle school is a great place to start that program. Few places have the angst and daily drama of middle school. Young preteens and teens are facing enormous peer pressure and are attempting to define themselves as people while battling the hormonal and emotional roller coaster of their age group. Fitting in is tough. Some student comments indicate many kids are unaware that the isolation is going on.

“Students learn icebreakers and ways to connect with their peers. Experts say the program can teach students empathy and caring for other people, making school a healthier, more friendly environment. Students will learn the skill of connection and take it with them into high school, possibly vastly improving their education experience.

“It just makes so much sense. What do we all remember about school? Our friends and social interactions for sure. And if we were bullied or isolated, we remember the pain of it. I think No One Eats Alone could be a life-changer.”

Thanks, Tim, for spotting what could be a really worthwhile program for many schools, students and communities!

THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA WEBSITE last week told of losing another legendary figure. This time it hit home to me, for it was telling of the death of John Donaldson, 92, whom I knew personally.

Donaldson was a native of and the long-time coach of Jesup High School, where he won two state championships as a football coach, in 1954 and again in 1959.

Afterward, he was first an assistant football coach at the University of Florida, and then spent two long stints as an assistant coach with Vince Dooley at the University of Georgia. As a player, he had been in the backfield with Georgia’s legendary Charlie Trippi.

When Donaldson brought home a football helmet and told his wife, the former Anne Cappleman, also of Jesup, that Dooley wanted a new “G” logo for the helmet, she got to work. A graphic design major, Anne got inspiration from the CBS “Eye” logo, and the new “G” was born, still used by the Bulldogs today.

• Have a comment? Send to:  elliott@brack.net

AARP is an organization defending seniors’ earned rights

By Jack Bernard

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga.  |  I am an unpaid AARP volunteer and have been for some years. With the recent pressure from GOP Congressional conservatives like Speaker Ryan (and our president, contrary to his campaign promises) to cut Medicare and/or Social Security, I would urge seniors to join AARP, a fine organization that supports maintaining our earned benefits. AARP also supports the ACA (Obamacare), which is an absolutely essential program for those 50-64 who previously had a very hard time getting affordable coverage due to their age and illnesses.

As opposed to some other organizations purporting to represent seniors…but actually set up as extremist fronts to gut our benefits by demanding people “tear up their AARP cards” …the AARP opposes these earned benefit cuts. AARP lets these politicians know that they will pay a price politically if they ship our elderly down the river into financial distress.

Here is a summary of just a few of the many free reports available to the public on their web site, https://www.aarp.org:

• Social Security: A Key Retirement Income Source for Older Minorities;
• Medicare Beneficiaries’ Out-of-pocket Spending for Health Care;
• Who Relies on Medicare? A Profile of the Medicare Population;
• Premium Support is the Wrong Direction for Medicare;
• Graham-Cassidy Would Lead to Unaffordable Costs for Older Adults;
• Health Insurance Cost-Sharing Reductions Are Critical;
• How the Better Care Reconciliation Act Jeopardizes Medicaid;
• Basing Per Enrollee Caps on Historical Medicaid Spending Just Does Not Work;
• Under the Health Reform Bill, People with Preexisting Health Conditions Would Face ;
• Unaffordable Premiums in State High-Risk Pool;
• Health Care Bill Harms People with Job-Based Coverage (author’s note: refers to Trumpcare);
• Premium Tax Credits are Vital to Maintain Access to Affordable Health Coverage for Older Adults;
• Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries Rely on Medicaid ;
• In Health Reform, Stakes are High for Older Americans with Preexisting Health Conditions;
• Who’s Gained Affordable Care Act Coverage with Financial Help?

This last report zeroes in on how Obamacare (the ACA) has been essential in obtaining affordable coverage for many of those 50-64 years of age. Of course, the best situation for these workers would be expanding Medicare to cover those 50-64, a position endorsed by Senator Sanders and 16 other Senators.

Because those under 65 are not as ill as those currently on Medicare, this move would also improve Medicare’s financial position. I hope that someday soon AARP will adopt this far sighted, progressive position.

•  Have a comment?  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Gateway85 Gwinnett

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Gateway85 Gwinnett and is a self-taxing community improvement district that includes just over 800 commercial property owners with a property value of over $1 billion. Gateway85 includes the southwestern part of Gwinnett County including properties along Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Buford Highway, Indian Trail, and Beaver Ruin Rd. Gateway85 is one of six CIDs to be created in Gwinnett County and is the largest of all CIDs in the state. The community is an economic powerhouse that helps fuel the regional economy. More than 3,600 companies (employing roughly 36,000 people) call Gateway 85 home. The jobs in the district account for almost 12 percent of Gwinnett County’s total employment and support $2 billion in annual payroll. Gateway85 Gwinnett‘s mission is to improve property values through increased security, a decrease in traffic congestion, and general improvements to the curb appeal of the area. The CID moved their offices to 1770 Indian Trail-Lilburn Road, Norcross and recently rebranded to reflect the strong future of this area.  It was previously known as Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District. For more information visit  https://www.gateway85.com/ or call 770-449-6542.

• For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.

Two from community remember work of Patsy Rooks

Editor, the Forum:

I was saddened to hear about the death of Patsy Rooks. She was always so nice to me. I enjoyed working with her in the 70s and 80s.

— Lou Camerio, Lilburn.

I was so sorry to hear about Patsy Rooks’ death.  I met her when she was on the board at Hi-Hope Center. She was an incredible lady.  Your article was spot-on!

— Yvonne Whitaker, Chamblee

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

Tofu

• For more of Bill McLemore’s cartoons, see his page on Facebook.
• Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net

Bicentennial Torch now in Lilburn, moves to Bethesda Park next

Gwinnett County’s bicentennial torch is now housed in Lilburn; it will travel to Bethesda  Park Senior Center on April 9 as it continues a yearlong, 200-mile tour of the county. The torch made its debut at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse last December 15 and has since been on display at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, Lawrenceville City Hall and the Collins Hill and Lawrenceville branch libraries.

Students from various local high schools along with the occasional local dignitary carry the LED-powered torch. The torch relay was suggested by Bicentennial Advisory Committee member and Lawrenceville Mayor Judy Jordan Johnson.

Johnson said, “As the torch is carried to historical sites, I hope the past is illuminated. When the torch stops at city halls, I hope the present is illuminated; and as the torch is carried by young runners, I hope the future is illuminated.”

The bicentennial torch represents the goodwill and connection between communities. The relay represents Gwinnett’s journey from 1818 to today, evolving from a largely agrarian community to one of the fastest growing, most diverse counties in the Southeast.

Gwinnett Board Chairman Charlotte Nash said, “My fellow commissioners and I are very excited about the bicentennial’s potential to get residents involved with their local government. The torch relay gives students the opportunity to contribute to the celebration.”

A traveling history exhibit will accompany the torch to many locations. The torch relay will end at the County’s 200th Birthday Celebration on December 15, 2018, at the Infinite Energy Center.

• To follow the Gwinnett County Bicentennial Torch Relay, view photos from the torch’s journey and learn about other Gwinnett 200 events, click here.

Bicentennial Plaza will replace Fire Station 15 in Lawrenceville

Gwinnett County will demolish its old Fire Station 15 at 275 South Perry Street in Lawrenceville and build a Bicentennial Plaza in its place. The project will also upgrade an existing walkway and trail along Constitution Boulevard to create the Bicentennial Trail, which will connect the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, the Bicentennial Plaza and the Lawrenceville Lawn.

Board of Commissioner Chairman Charlotte Nash said, “This project not only helps commemorate Gwinnett County’s bicentennial with a permanent legacy, but it also recognizes Lawrenceville’s role as Gwinnett’s county seat. We welcome the chance to add the Bicentennial Plaza to the many great things that are happening in the city.”

Commissioners awarded the $1.875 million construction contract to low bidder Surfaces Group, LLC of Marietta on Tuesday. The work will begin on the walkway and trail next month, and the entire project is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

Edwards Wins William Day DAR Chapter Essay Contest

Duluth High School Senior Jade Edwards has won the Christopher Columbus Essay Contest, of the William Day Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution chapter.  The topic this year was “Advantages and Disadvantages of Working Relationships Between Foreign Parties.” From left are Vanessa Watkins-Nutty, Chapter Regent; Jade Edwards, contest winner;  Kris White, American History Essay chairman;   and Anne Marie Edwards, Jade’s mother. The Chapter awarded Jade a medal, certificate and a monetary $50 award at its March meeting, while chapter members and her family looked on. The annual essay contest is sponsored by NSDAR and the National Italian American Foundation and is open to all public, private, or home-schooled students in grades 9-12.

New Kudzu Art Zone fine arts exhibition open to all Georgia artists

Calling all artists! Kudzu Art Zone and Gallery and the City of Norcross announce a collaboration on a juried fine arts exhibition open to all Georgia artists. The exhibition will be held at The Rectory, an historic Norcross facility from  May 8 to May 30.  The Rectory is located at 17 College Street in Norcross and is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. A reception will be held Friday May 11 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Online entry details are available at the Kudzu Art Zone website www.kudzuartzone.org.  Participating artists must be 18 years of age and both 2-D and  3-D works are eligible.

The deadline for entering is March 30.

• Kudzu Art Zone and Gallery is located in Norcross at 116 Carlyle Street and offers ongoing exhibits, classes and workshops. Phone number is 770-840-9844 and the website is www.kudzuartzone.org.

Langley Drive entrance to GJAC to be closed for two weeks

One entrance to the public parking lot at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center will close for construction beginning March 26 while a project to reopen Langley Drive and upgrade the building’s entry plaza progresses.

The east entrance to the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center parking lot on Langley Drive will be closed for approximately two weeks. During the closure, traffic will detour to the west entrance at Constitution and Langley Drive to enter and exit the front parking lot. Once completed, access to the parking lot from the east entrance will be restored.

The road closure will allow crews to realign the parking entrance. The construction project at the building, also known as GJAC, will reopen one lane of traffic in each direction on Langley Drive. Additional improvements include a new front plaza and main walkway, which opened February 20; a passenger drop-off area; an additional handicap parking area; and replacement of the walkways. The front building entrance and parking lot will remain open during construction.

GGC faculty member wins state’s highest faculty award

George

Dr. Bagie George, associate professor of biology and assistant dean in Georgia Gwinnett College’s School of Science and Technology, has received the 2018 Felton Jenkins, Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Award.

The University System of Georgia’s (USG) highest faculty honor, the award was presented at the recent 14th Annual Regents’ Scholarship Gala. George is the sixth GGC faculty member to receive this award since the college opened in 2006.

George had wanted to be a doctor since she was a young child and obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology in preparation for medical school. However, after receiving recognition for her teaching skills during graduate school, she realized that she enjoyed being in the classroom.

After obtaining her Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Georgia, George taught at two USG institutions before joining Georgia Gwinnett as a charter faculty member in 2006. She quickly made her mark.

Dr. Stas Preczewski, GGC president says: “Dr. George was instrumental in the creation of our enviable biology program and the design of our newest laboratory science building. Perhaps most importantly, she served as the sole author of our initial faculty manual, a document that set the cultural tone of student-focused instruction for all GGC faculty.”

Deadline is April 1 to apply for homestead exemption

Tax Commissioner Richard Steele reminds homeowners that the deadline to apply for a homestead exemption is April 1 and urges them to apply.  “Now is the time to make sure you are taking advantage of everything that can reduce how much you have to pay,” says Steele.

You must own and occupy the property as your primary residence as of January 1 of the tax year for which application is being made. No exemptions are granted automatically; however, once an exemption is granted, there is no need to apply each year.

• Visit www.GwinnettTaxCommissioner.com to apply online and upload supporting documentation, check your application status or view exemption requirements.

Snellville City Hall now displaying rock artifacts

Artifacts dating back millions of years are now on display at Snellville City Hall. Owned by Steve and Deedie Golden of Grayson, the collection of fossils and other rare geologic artifacts are located in the display case in the lobby of City Hall, 2342 Oak Road. They will be on display for six months. Deedie has been collecting rocks and seashells her entire life while Steve has been collecting for 14 years. Steve cuts, shapes and polishes the specimens while Deedie takes his finished products and creates jewelry and art. The couple can be found at the Snellville Days Festival May 5 and 6 and the Snellville Fall Festival Oct. 20 at the Pop’s Rocks and Pegasus Custom Creations booth.

The Hours (2002 film)

Reviewed by Karen Burnette Garner, Dacula: Starring Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman and Ed Harris, The Hours tells the stories of three generations of women.  One is writing a story, the second is reading the story, and the third is living it.  Nicole Kidman masterfully plays the real-life writer, Virginia Woolf, as she struggles to write Mrs. Dalloway.  Her struggle with depression, her hovering and worried husband, and her desire to create, consume her days.  Laura Brown, played by Julianne Moore, is trapped in an unhappy marriage, pregnant, and struggling with her own demons.  She uses the book as an escape.  Meryl Streep plays Clarissa, the champion and former lover of a poet/writer who is spiraling into madness, as she plans her party, denying the truth that he is losing his fight with mental illness.  A movie to be watched more than once, you will find different, poignant things each time. It will make you want to read Mrs. Dalloway.      

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

Parsons comes out of Waycross and into alt-country music

Gram Parsons is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important pioneers of the country-rock genre. Though he lived to be only 26, Parsons created an influential body of work that includes, most notably, albums recorded with the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, and his two solo records. Parsons’s critical reputation has grown steadily since his death in 1973, and his music has influenced a younger generation of so-called alternative country, or “alt-country,” musicians.

Parsons

Parsons was born Ingram Cecil Connor III in Winter Haven, Fla., on November 5, 1946. His father, Cecil, was a major in the air force. His mother, Avis, was the daughter of the prominent Snively family, who had made a large fortune in the Florida orange business. After retiring from the air force, Cecil moved to Waycross, where Parsons and his younger sister, Avis, grew up. He listened to the country radio that dominated Georgia and sang hymns in church. His father, an amateur musician, encouraged his son to learn piano. In 1956 the ten-year-old Parsons saw Elvis Presley play at the Waycross City Auditorium, an experience that changed his musical outlook.

When Parsons was 13, his father committed suicide. His mother then married Bob Parsons (whose name Parsons would take despite their uneasy relationship), and she died on the day of Parsons’s high school graduation.

Parsons’s first important foray into music was with the International Submarine Band, which formed during his freshman year at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. He left school after only one semester. The band moved to Los Angeles, Calif., where Parsons quickly connected with the West Coast scene. The band recorded one album, Safe at Home (1968), a mix of classic country music covers and Parsons originals.

In 1968 Parsons joined the rock band, the Byrds, as the piano player. His powerful personality and musical vision immediately transformed the band. The Byrds were invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry—the first rock-and-roll act to appear on that stage. When he opted to stay in London, England, and hang out with friends instead of playing with the group in apartheid-run South Africa, he was fired.

Parsons immediately formed the Flying Burrito Brothers and recorded Gilded Palace of Sin (1969). Parsons never liked the term country-rock; he preferred to call his sound “cosmic American music.” The band was considered to be too country for rock radio, yet did not fit the rigid Nashville country mold either. Parsons made only one more record with the Flying Burrito Brothers, Burrito Deluxe (1970), which features the first recording of Wild Horses, the well-known Rolling Stones song.

After two years out of the studio, Parsons enlisted the then-unknown folk singer Emmylou Harris to accompany him on vocals for his comeback solo record, GP (1973). He asked Harris back to the studio for his second album, Grievous Angel (1974).

On September 19, 1973, only months after he had finished recording Grievous Angel, Parsons died from an overdose of morphine and tequila while on vacation in Joshua Tree, Calif.

In a bizarre incident that would help to feed Parsons’s cult status, his road manager and friend Philip Kaufman—acting on a request by Parsons to have his ashes spread across Joshua Tree National Park—stole Parsons’s corpse and coffin from the airport, where it was waiting to be flown home. Kaufman and another man took the coffin to Cap Rock in the park, doused it in gasoline, and lit it on fire. The casket and body were, according to Kaufman, completely consumed on the spot. Because there was no law in California against stealing a dead body, Kaufman was charged only with stealing a coffin.

• To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org

Beautifully lighted seaside scene is today’s mystery

What a gorgeous scene this is, but where is it?  Send your thoughts about this Mystery Photo to elliottt@brack.net, and include where you live.

The previous Mystery Photo was a throwback to history, sent to us by Ross Lenhart of Pawley’s Island, S.C. First in with the right answer was Jim Savedelis of Duluth, identifying the Berlin Wall. Right behind him was Lou Camerio, Lilburn, who observed: “Looks like the Berlin wall. It was built to keep people in, not out and was torn down in 1989, thanks to President Reagan.”

Allan Peel, San Antonio, Tex.: “The Berlin Wall Monument (Baudenkmal Berliner Mauer), located at the historical site called “Topography of Terror” at #8 Niederkirchnerstraße 10963 Berlin, Germany. The photo was shot on the south side of the Wall Monument facing east along Niederkirchnerstraße street.

“At the request of the Topography of the Terror organization, the remaining 200 meters (660-ft) of the Wall at Niederkirchnerstraße, which marked the border between the districts of Mitte (East Berlin) and Kreuzberg (West Berlin), have been preserved with all traces of destruction that occurred during the transitional period – the period from the official “fall” of the Wall (i.e. November 9, 1989) and the official reunification of Germany (October 3, 1990). This fragment of the Wall, designated a historic monument in 1990, now forms part of the Topography of Terror Documentation Center. As one of the few surviving sections of the Wall in the city, it is also one of the central sites in the “Overall Concept for the Berlin Wall” developed by the Berlin Senate.”  Good info, Alan!

Of course, George Graf of Palmyra, Va. also identified it, adding: “When I was stationed in Germany almost 50 years ago, I held a Top Secret clearance and I wasn’t allowed to go to West Berlin on the duty train and I wasn’t allowed a certain distance from the Iron Curtain.  When I was stationed in Germany once again in the early 1990’s, I got to visit Berlin and see Checkpoint Charlie, some of East Berlin, the zoo, museums, airlift memorial, and other stuff.”

George  then added: “I wonder if President Trump builds his wall, that a future Mexican President (like our President Reagan did in the past) will challenge our future President to tear down that wall.”

VISIING THE MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., area recently, Roving Photographer Frank Sharp brought back these scenes. He notes: “We rode The Wheel, which is the largest Ferris wheel on the East Coast.  It was rather gentle, no shaking at all but the glass in the window created glare for the camera. One of the scenes shows the main street, called the Strip.  It was chilly when we were there, so there were few people on the beach. After riding the Wheel we drove to the Myrtle Beach state park, nearby.  It normally cost $5 per person to get in but we got a free pass from the resort where we were staying. Bald Eagles have been sighted there.”

Steve Berry is the New York Times bestselling author of over 15 novels including The Lost Order, The 14th Colony, and The Patriot Threat .His latest book, The Bishop’s Pawn, marks the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death with a thriller that examines what happened in a shocking new way.  It stars Berry’s recurring hero, former Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone. Hosted by the Gwinnett County Public Library, meet Steve Berry on Monday, March 26 at 7 p.m. at Prototype Prime, 147 Technology Parkway NW, #100, Peachtree Corners.  The session is free and open to the public.  Books will be available for purchase and signing. For more information, call 770-978-5154 or visit www.gwinnettpl.org.

(NEW) Food truck at Prototype Prime, 147 Technology Parkway in Peachtree Corners at lunch on Wednesday, March 28 from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Come enjoy lunch with your friends. . If you plan to attend, RSVP  prototypeprime.com/events, so there will  be enough seating and food for everyone. This is a rain or shine event.

Spend an evening with S. Lorraine Norwood as she discusses her book Images of America:  Duluth.  Norwood is a former journalist whose short stories and essays have won numerous awards. The event will be at Duluth City Hall on March 29 at 7 p.m., hosted by Gwinnett County Public Library. This event is free and open to the public.  Books will be available for purchase and signing. For more information, call 770-978-5154 or visit www.gwinnettpl.org.

(NEW) Muddbuggs and music return to Duluth on March 31. Besides crawfish and low country boil, there will be five musical acts at this event in downtown Duluth. Activities begin at noon and the event runs till 8 p.m. Kids ten and under are free with accompanying adult.  There will be a kid zone where there will be games and inflatables. For more information and/or to purchase a ticket, visit https://www.freshtix.com/events/muddbuggs–music-.

Photo Exhibit of Frank Sharp’s roving-around-the-world photography is on display now through June at George Pierce Park activity building, at 55 Buford Highway  in Suwanee. The show is entitled “Photos of Six Continents.”  Free admission on Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; on Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Sunday. For more information, phone 678 277-0910.

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• Editor and publisher:  Elliott Brack, 770-840-1003
• Managing editor: Betsy Brack
• Roving photographer: Frank Sharp
• Contributing cartoonist: Bill McLemore
• Contributing columnist: Jack Bernard
• Contributing columnist: Debra Houston
• Contributing columnist: George Wilson

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