2/8: Gwinnett Rotary projects; Girls’ flag football; Military spending

NEW MAYOR’S CHAIR: Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris has been elected chair of the Metro Atlanta Mayors Association (MAMA) during the annual Mayors’ Day Conference on January 27 in Atlanta.  The association is a cooperative alliance of the mayors of more than 70 cities in the 10-county metro Atlanta region. She is shown with Chamblee Mayor Eric Clarkson, who she succeeds. Mayor Harris says: “It is an honor to serve as chairperson of MAMA, a position that allows me to engage the collective strength of the cities in the metro Atlanta region. I look forward to working collaboratively with other organizations to assist in moving MAMA’s vision and goals forward with impact.”  Harris was elected to a two-year term. Tyrone Mayor Eric Dial was named vice chair of the organization.

TODAY’S FOCUS: Nine Gwinnett Rotary Clubs Work Together on February Projects

EEB PERSPECTIVE: High School Girls Flag Football Completes First Season in Gwinnett

ANOTHER VIEW: Worries That Military Spending Is an Addiction of the Conservatives

SPOTLIGHT: Mingledorff’s

FEEDBACK: Was a Beautiful Sight To Watch Buford Father-Daughter Dance

UPCOMING: County Approves $73 Million Expansion of Infinite Energy Center

NOTABLE: Lawrenceville Appoints Victoria Jones To Fill One Year Vacancy

RECOMMENDED: Destination: The Jekyll Island Club

GEORGIA TIDBIT: First Camp Meeting in Georgia Was in Hancock County in 1803

MYSTERY PHOTO: Unsuspecting Clue Could Complicate Identification of This Mystery

CALENDAR: Open House Saturday Afternoon at Tannery Row Artist Colony in Buford

Nine Gwinnett Rotary clubs work together on February projects

Members of the Sugarloaf Rotary Club herd ducks prior to its charity duck race in June 2017.

By Barbara Myers

DULUTH, Ga.  |  The Rotary Clubs serving Gwinnett County, comprised of more than 300 Rotarians in nine clubs, are working together to address county-wide needs in February. With the theme, Rotary Has Heart, food drives, food packing, and providing warm blankets and clothing are on the clubs’ agendas.

In January, the Rotary Club of Duluth began a 30-day food drive for the Duluth Cooperative Ministry which cares for families and individuals in the Duluth area. The ministry provides food, emergency financial assistance, and connections to other resources while encouraging self-reliance and spiritual growth. The club plans to deliver all of the food collected and stock the shelves of the co-op on Wednesday, February 13, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

The Rotary Club of Sugarloaf is working with Nothing but the Truth Ministries in Lawrenceville to supply and pack weekend food bags for more than 850 students in 41 local elementary schools. The Rotarians are collecting food and paying for more than a week’s worth of groceries for the children who have been identified by their school counselors as being in need of additional food for the weekend. The ministry provides weekly bags, filled with easy open/self-serve foods, which are placed in the children’s book bags every Friday.  On Thursday, February 14, club members will meet at the ministry in lieu of their regular meeting to pack the weekend food bags. The Rotary Club of Lawrenceville will also be packing food bags for the ministry at their meeting on Monday, February 11.

With a focus on food insecurity and homelessness, the Rotary Club of Gwinnett will provide funding and labor to stock the shelves of the Norcross Cooperative Ministry on Tuesday, February 12. The co-op is a faith-based, non-profit ministry which provides emergency assistance to Gwinnett families in Norcross, Peachtree Corners, Doraville and Tucker.

Each week, the Peachtree Corners Rotary Club is “Filling the Podium for Those In Need.”  This week, they are collecting cold weather items which will be delivered to the Norcross Cooperative Ministry.  In Snellville, the Rotary Club of Gwinnett Sunrise is leading a food drive for the entire month of February. Donations will be made to the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry.

The presidents of the nine clubs, convened by Mark Willis of the Rotary Club of Gwinnett, in addition to other leadership team members, meet regularly to determine how they can work together to make the greatest impact in the county. In addition, two assistant district governors, Mark Abrams of the Rotary Club of Sugarloaf, and Jef Fincher of the Rotary Club of Duluth, provide guidance to the team.

Abrams said, “As part of Rotary International, our focus is not only to improve the lives of people around the globe, but also in our local communities. We are grateful for the opportunity to make a difference and welcome building on our current success by partnering with other Gwinnett business, community and professional leaders to serve our community.”

“Service above Self” is the official motto of Rotary International which has nine chartered clubs in Gwinnett County. The clubs include the Rotary Club of Buford/North Gwinnett; the Rotary Club of Duluth; the Rotary Club of Gwinnett; the Rotary Club of Gwinnett Mosaic; the Sunrise Rotary Club of Gwinnett; the Rotary Club of Gwinnett Tomorrow; the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville; the Rotary Club of Peachtree Corners; and the Rotary Club of Sugarloaf.

• For more information about the Rotary Clubs serving Gwinnett County, visit the Rotary Serving Gwinnett Facebook page.
• Have a comment?  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

High school girls flag football completes first season in Gwinnett

By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum

FEB. 8, 2019  |  Gwinnett County has a new sport for high schools, girls flag football. Each of all 19 high schools of the Gwinnett County Public Schools fielded a seven-woman team last year, with Peachtree Ridge High coming out the county winner in a playoff over Grayson, 20-0. The Gwinnett public schools offer the only girls high school flag football program in the state.

The new program was funded through a grant from the Arthur Blank Foundation, plus smaller grants by ESPN and USA Football, says Jon Weyher, the school system’s director of athletics, student activities and community schools.

If you are familiar with college intramural flag football, you will understand the girls’ rules.  Weyher says: “We figured we would use college rules, so that once we got the program going, and if the players wanted to compete at the college level, at least they would know the rules.”

The players wear belts with three flags attached, one on each side, and another flag on the back. Whenever a flag is pulled (stopping play), the entire belt is released. Weyher says: “Pulling the flag releases the buckle and whole belt. The player puts the belt back on and is quickly ready to go.”  One team wears a yellow flags, the opponent red flags. Each team has 25 members, and there is unlimited substitution.

The playing field measures 40×80 yards.  “Each game uses half a football field to play on, and have two games of four teams going at the same time. There are two 20 minute halves with the clock continuing to run the first 19 minutes. The last minute of each half is similar to boys football, with a pass stopping the clock.”  There is only a two minute halftime. Each of the high schools played 14 games. With 19 teams, one team had a bye each week. Games were played on either Tuesday or Wednesday night at 6:30. Games saw an average attendance of about 100 spectators, paying $3 to enter the game.

The four top teams went to the playoffs. That included Grayson, North Gwinnett, Collins Hill and Peachtree Ridge.

Weyher says that the game was much easier on the body than tackle football. “It’s a non-contact sport. We had bumps and bruises, and a couple of knee and ankle injuries. We had a trainer there for each team.

“The teams soon learned that screening is a big deal. At first, they were more hesitant, but got more confidence as they went along. We saw great improvement in play and execution during the year, and in strategy, for at the end of the season, there were more complicated plays, reserves and double passes.”

The games turned out to be highly competitive. Weyher says:  “We were surprised at how athletic and hard working the girls were. You could tell that they were really having fun.”

Of the 19 teams, there were both male and female coaches from the teachers and counselors. “Some had played flag football in college, and at first had more advanced offenses, but the others caught up quickly.”

Weyher has been in Gwinnett for 20 years. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University, and has a master’s from Shippensburg (Pa.) University. He and his wife have two adult children and live in Lilburn.

There is a sanctioned girls flag football sports program in Florida, but so far, this has not advanced further in Georgia. Look for another Gwinnett season of this sport come fall, 2019.

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

Worries that military spending is an addiction of conservatives

By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. |  If not for our vaunted military, I would not be free. Neither would you…or any other American. Period. But conservatives have simply got to get over their long-time addiction to constantly…and blindly…increasing our military spending without any public oversight.

All defense spending isn’t automatically good and all domestic spending isn’t bad.

Unfortunately, this is exactly the way that most of my right-wing friends see our world.

When they make overreaching statements regarding the complete worthlessness of various social programs, I often respond: “you just don’t like the Federal government spending our tax money” …to which their knee jerk response is always: “defense and national security spending is fine by me.” Their assumption is that non-defense spending is not a government responsibility, but rather a personal one of some sort.

I will not detail the basic fallacy of this severely limited line of thinking, nor that facts of any sort would ever change a zealots’ mind. So, let’s just address military spending per se.

The bottom line is we spend as much as the next seven powers combined on our military. We also spend four percent of our Gross National Product versus most NATO nations spending around one percent.

There is a major difference between efficiency and effectiveness, although many Americans incorrectly use the terms interchangeably. Effective means accomplishing your goal or aim. Efficient means achieving that goal in a cost-effective manner.

Our military has certainly been shown to be effective in maintaining the goal of world order. We are without any doubt the strongest military power the earth has ever known. But is our military spending efficient? Probably not. That’s because of the frenzied name calling (“unpatriotic”, “un-American”) that results when anyone proposes a cut in national defense spending, or wants to analyze inefficiencies.

Certainly, few right-of-center think tanks want to address the issue.

As a fiscal conservative, I want groups like the Heritage Foundation to objectively analyze defense spending with an emphasis on reallocations. Instead, virtually every military paper done by Heritage simply advocates for more and more resources. How is this being fiscally conservative?

As any Overspending Anonymous (OA) member knows, fiscal detox is very hard. Many a good American has tried and failed, going bankrupt in the process.

But, my conservative friends, for the good of our nation and its deficit, please try to come off your defense money fix. We Americans don’t insist that it be cold turkey. But, at least cut back a bit just so we know you are serious for a change. Please, as Nancy Pelosi said, just say “no.”

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

Mingledorff’s

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s featured sponsor is Mingledorff’s, an air conditioning distributor of the Carrier Air Conditioning Company. Mingledorff’s corporate office is located at 6675 Jones Mill Court in Peachtree Corners, Ga. and is proud to be a sponsor of the Gwinnett Forum. With 37 locations in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina, Mingledorff’s is the convenient local source with a complete line for the quality heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration parts and supplies you need to service and install HVAC/R equipment. Product lines include Carrier, Bryant, Payne, Totaline and Bard.

• For all of your HVAC needs, and information on the products Mingledorff’s sells, visit mingledorffs.com and www.carrier.com.
• For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.

Was a beautiful sight to watch Buford Father-Daughter Dance

Editor, the Forum:

When people of all ethnicities, faiths, cultures, political opinions, and life experiences come together as one, it is truly a beautiful thing.  That was the case this past weekend at the Buford Community Center.

While the City of Buford has recently been portrayed in the media for what it is not, Buford remains a strong knit community as displayed this past weekend. The Kiwanis Club of North Gwinnett hosted their 11th annual Father-Daughter Dance and entertained over 900 dads and daughters, stepdads and daughters, and  grandfathers and granddaughters through three dances.

Williams

One grandfather flew in Thursday from California so he could take his 11 year old granddaughter to the annual event.  Another grandfather brought his totally vision- impaired son and his young daughter so the two of them could enjoy this special father-daughter evening.

As the dances are not age-restricted, another dad invited his married daughter to continue their treasured memories from her earlier school father-daughter dances.

With two evenings of dances, the amount of labor and service required is immense.  Forty plus high school students from four local Buford high schools volunteered their time as greeters and servers.  Each couple entered the ballroom walking down a 100-foot span of red carpet. Each young lady received a long stem red rose as they departed for the evening.

It is refreshing to see such unity!  I only wish anyone judging Buford from outside our community could have visited this event and seen firsthand a “snapshot” of a unified Buford community.

— David E. Williams, Buford

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

County approves $73 million expansion of Infinite Energy Center

The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners recently approved a $73 million contract with Holder Construction Group to manage expansion and renovations at the Infinite Energy Center. The project is expected to transform the venue and surrounding area into Gwinnett’s downtown and a major entertainment, shopping, and dining center.

Funded by the 2017 SPLOST program, the project will add about 50,000 square feet of exhibit space, almost doubling the existing space and attracting more conventions. The performing arts center and the grand ballroom will be upgraded, and a new entrance wing with more special event and meeting rooms added.

The improvements complement the new privately funded Revel mixed-use development and hotel to be built on the site. The entertainment district is being developed separately on the 118-acre site by North American Properties.

Three new exhibits open Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Hudgens Center

On Saturday, February 9, 2019, the Hudgens Center for Art and Learning will celebrate the opening of three new exhibitions in its galleries. A special reception will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. to welcome the new showings.

Two of the exhibits, Page by Page: Contemporary Artist’s Books and Visual Thought: A Peek Inside Artists’ Sketchbooks, will be on view through April 20. The third, My View from Seven Feet, will show through April 27.

Page by Page, showing in The Hudgens’ Fowler Gallery, offers visitors the chance to discover what makes an artist’s book — intent. During the mid-20th century, artists began to experiment with book form and function. The art objects they created encompassed a wide variety of features (i.e. fine press books, altered or reconstructed books, sculptural structures, installations, books with no narrative quality, etc.) Today, artists’ books exist in museums, art galleries, rare book libraries, and private collections. This exhibition brings the engaging world of book arts to The Hudgens’ community.

Jerushia Graham, curator of Page by Page and Visual Thought and museum coordinator with the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking at the Georgia Institute of Technology, says:  “This Page by Page exhibit provides a full range of artist’s books which includes wall-mounted sculptural abstract forms without text, to fine press books that reflect the traditional standard for a book form. This show is meant to expand your perceptions of what a book can be.”

Visual Thought, on display in the Kistner Atrium, gives visitors the chance to peek behind the curtain of creative thought via artists’ sketchbooks. Sketchbooks offer the space to experiment and tweak ideas. They capture moments of inspiration and are repositories to revisit ideas when there isn’t enough time to make each creation a reality. Looking at the inside of an artist’s sketchbook is like looking at a map of an artist’s creative thought.

Graham explains: “Most exhibitions highlight the tip of the iceberg, the finished pieces. This exhibition presents an opportunity to see what treasures are captured in the judgement-free zone of the sketchbook. What unexpected correlations and observations come about when the unconscious mind is given freedom to roam?”

My View from Seven Feet, showing in the Georgia Gallery, includes paintings and narratives from NBA All-Star Joe Barry Carroll. This exhibit muses about the mythical qualities sometimes assigned to a person who stands seven feet tall, suggesting their view may be different. This view, an accumulation of what is seen and felt, jumps into the deep end with the intention of conveying truth and honesty as a reflection on shared humanity.

Carroll says: “I am unable to say precisely what determines this composition of colors, shapes, and themes. Perhaps everything is forming at the same time, resulting in a complete story. I have been drawn to the art of storytelling from the time I was a child being entertained by my father, as we sat near one of those old open-face gas heaters in the Arkansas winter or on the front porch during the summertime.”

The Hudgens is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• To learn more, visit www.thehudgens.org.

Applications being accepted for 35th Leadership Gwinnett program

Applications are now being accepted for the county’s 35^th premier leadership program.

Leadership Gwinnett, the county’s award-winning, nine-month program, allows participants to fully explore Gwinnett’s infrastructure, educational system, economic development, health and human services, justice system and regional relations. Participants develop by expanding knowledge and skills, cultivating a greater understanding of social and civic issues, leveraging connections for Gwinnett’s greater good, engaging in community service opportunities and developing even deeper connections to classmates, alumni, and the community.

Still not sure? Need some help on your application? Ever wonder how a class is selected? Attend a complimentary workshop designed specifically for those with a desire to apply for Leadership Gwinnett. Two sessions offered: February 11, from 3:30-5 p.m. or February 27, from 8:30-10 a.m. at the Gwinnett Chamber.

Lawrenceville appoints Jones to fill one-year vacancy

Lawrenceville Mayor and Council have named Victoria Jones to serve out former Councilman Tony Powell’s remaining term in Post Two. This term will expire December 31, 2019 and is up for election in the fall of this year with the new four-year term beginning January 1, 2020. Council reviewed a number of letters from qualified candidates and chose Jones for her extensive public sector experience and recent engagement in local affairs.

Jones

Jones says: “As a resident of Lawrenceville, I have a keen interest in the growth of our community and its impact on our infrastructure. I am excited about the City’s effort to become a walkable activity hub and look forward to serving our community as a voice for the people and a leader who desires excellence above all.”  She will be the first African-American on the council.

Jones comes to the Council with work and volunteer experience in the public sector from both Gwinnett County and the City of Lawrenceville. She is a retiree of 26 years with Gwinnett County Water Resources, has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Shorter University and is a graduate of the leadership program, Glance Gwinnett.

Jones also serves on both the Lawrenceville Development Authority and the Downtown Development Authority of Lawrenceville, working to support the progress of projects such as the South Lawn development, the Lawrenceville Performing Arts Center expansion and the future Downtown hotel and parking deck initiative. She is a member of the Lawrenceville Neighborhood Alliance.  Her husband is Clay Jones.

City of Duluth joins with Uber offering rides to downtown district

The City of Duluth’s Downtown Development Authority is partnering with Uber again to offer free roundtrip rides (up to $25 each way) on Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. until midnight to its downtown restaurant and retail district. The promotion launches February 7 and will run through March 28. Riders will be able to redeem their rides with a unique promo code each week that will be posted on the city’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Economic Development Director Chris McGahee says: “This promotion is part of a larger plan to attract more people to downtown Duluth to see all the great things Duluth has to offer. Growth continues in Duluth and we are so proud of it. It’s the perfect opportunity for both newcomers and regulars to check out all of the exciting changes happening to our downtown district.”

Visitors will be able to take advantage of downtown Duluth’s to-go drink district, and try out a variety of establishments new to the block, including Vom Foss (selling a variety of products including vinegars, oils, and spices); Local on North (serving up traditional cuisine); and the newest restaurant, Nacho Daddy (a local restaurant/bar featuring gourmet nachos known for its “Scorpion Shot”).

County gives approval to final draft of 2040 Comprehensive Plan

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved the final draft of the 2040 Unified Plan following a favorable review by the state Department of Community Affairs and the Atlanta Regional Commission.

The 2040 Unified Plan, also known as a comprehensive plan, contains analysis, maps and policies to help guide progress and development countywide on multiple fronts through 2040. It was crafted after months of public input from stakeholder meetings, open house information sessions across the county, intercept interviews at parks and surveys.

The Unified Plan addresses community goals, needs and opportunities, housing, transportation, economic development and land use and establishes a community work program.

Developed by consulting firm Pond and Company, the plan traces Gwinnett’s history, covers the results from public input sessions, incorporates demographic trends, and inventories the county’s infrastructure, community amenities, land use and built environment. It establishes a vision taking into account the County’s needs and opportunities and incorporates five themes: Maintain Economic Development and Fiscal Health, Foster Redevelopment, Maintain Mobility and Accessibility, Provide More Housing Choices, and Keep Gwinnett a Preferred Place.

• To read the plan, visit  http://www.gwinnettcounty.com.

Destination: The Jekyll Island Club

From Tim Anderson, Fitzgerald: Many Georgians have long known about the elegant retreat at the Jekyll Island Club. The historic hotel, nestled on the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway, is truly a step back in time to the golden era of millionaire retreats. We have visited the hotel many times and have never been disappointed by the service or the quiet refinement. The hotel felt challenged to improve on the island experience. In 2017 they built and opened a brand new hotel on the beach — The Jekyll Ocean Club. The beachside hotel is surely one of the finest on the Georgia coast. It is comprised of 41 suites that are beautifully appointed. All rooms face the ocean and the rising sun. The on-site restaurant is first-rate. The hotel is a bit pricey by middle-class standards, but it is certainly worth a treat for a birthday, anniversary of special occasion.

• 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

First camp meeting in Georgia was in Hancock County in 1803

In early the 21st-century Georgia, stadium-sized revival meetings featuring Billy Graham or the Promise Keepers attract tens of thousands of people. Such revivals are the modern-day descendants of early-19th-century camp meetings, held on grounds around the state, and a method of evangelical preaching that gained popularity in the late 18th century.

Hancock County (in red)

The tradition of revivalism in the South, and in Georgia in particular, traces its roots to what some historians call the Great Awakening. The Great Awakening, which occurred from about 1720 to 1780, was a series of revivals that sparked a move away from formal, outward, official religion to experiential, inward, personal religion. Its central figure, George Whitefield, was a traveling Anglican preacher from England who cooperated with Protestants of every sort to gain converts.

From his home base in Savannah, Whitefield brought a riveting new preaching style to the colonists. He spoke extemporaneously rather than read from a prepared sermon; he spoke to, not at, his listeners; he used pamphlets and newspapers to promote his sermons; and he used emotional entreaties rather than formal theology to convert thousands.

Democratic in its appeal and egalitarian in its preaching, revivalism fit the social and political spirit of the new nation. Members of the lower and middle classes were empowered by the Evangelical Protestantism preached by revivalists, through which they achieved identity and solidarity. Soon Methodist circuit riders and Baptist farmer-preachers replaced learned pastors as leaders of those churches.

Camp meetings lasted up to five days and featured revival preaching day and night. The first recorded camp meeting in Georgia took place in 1803 on Shoulderbone Creek in Hancock County. Methodist preacher Lorenzo Dow, who witnessed that meeting, was so impressed that he took the concept back to England, where he duplicated it with much success.

Camp meetings were popular with rural Georgians. Not only a time for spiritual renewal, camp meetings were also gathering grounds where families and friends could reunite.  Camp meetings were festive affairs celebrated annually at a time when crops were laid by, thus providing a reprieve from the rigorous routine of farm life.

But by the late 19th century Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians around Georgia disdained the behaviors and emotionalism associated with the camp meeting. In the latter half of the century these denominations had become the most powerful in the state, and it was the emerging Holiness and Pentecostal groups who embraced the egalitarian camp meeting. While these groups maintained the tradition of holding extended revival meetings, they shed the excessive emotional attributes that marked early camp meetings.

Today there are nearly 100 active Methodist, Holiness, and Pentecostal camp meeting sites in Georgia each year. Camp meetings are still used to reinvigorate churches through extended revival meetings.

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

Unsuspecting clue could complicate identification of this mystery

Watch out! Don’t be thrown off by one of the clues in this edition’s Mystery Photo.  Figure out where this photograph was taken, and send your ideas to elliott@brack.net. Be sure to include your hometown.

Last week’s mystery came from Ross Lenhart of Pawley’s Island, S.C.: “It is a statue of Joan of Arc found on Plaines d’ Abraham in Quebec City. When we were there, Kathy and I found it particularly interesting as it is by Anna Hyatt Huntington, who, with her husband Archer, founded Brookgreen Gardens near our home, where we volunteer.”

Allan Peel, San Antonio, Tex. was first to make the identification: “Today’s mystery photo is of the statue of Joan of Arc that is located in Jeanne d’Arc Garden, a landscaped park with flower gardens on the Plains of Abraham, a colonial battle site on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec City. This statue is actually an identical replica of the original one that stands in the Joan of Arc Park, at the corner of Riverside and 93rd Street on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, on the banks of the Hudson River.

“What on earth is a statue of Joan of Arc doing as a tribute to the heroes of the battles of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 and 1760? Joan of Arc was long dead by the time the idea of a new France was sparking the imagination of 16th-century monarchs. And she was ancient history by the enlightened 18th century, when the French and English were fighting on the Plains of Abraham. By the early 20th century, however, Joan was prominent again in the public consciousness. Beatified in 1909 and sainted in 1920, she was brought back to life by writers such as Alphonse de Lamartine, Jules Michelet, and Mark Twain. And so it came to be that when a rich, anonymous couple from New York City visited Quebec in the early 1900’s, they were surprised to learn that French was still spoken by the locals, despite being surrounded by the English. The couple thought it would be a great idea to donate a copy of the statue to be placed on the Plains of Abraham.”

Others making the identification include Jim Savadelis of Duluth; Fran Worrall of Lawrenceville; and Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill.

George Graf of Palmyra, Va. also identified the photo, adding: “The year 2013 marked the 75th anniversary of the Joan of Arc Garden, the Battlefields Park’s gem. Created in 1938 by landscape architect Louis Perron, this garden combines French classic style with English-style mixed borders. More than 150 species can be admired: annual flowers and bulbous plants but most of all, perennials.”

Open House at Tannery Row Artist Colony on Saturday, February 9, from noon to 4 p.m. Check out distinctive fine art while enjoying refreshments. Meet artists and watch them work in their studios. See the new exhibit, Winners Circle, from the 2018 juried exhibition. The Colony is located at 554 West Main Street in Buford.

CHOCOLATE WALK and fun strolling in downtown Braselton, Saturday, February 9, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. The fifth annual Chocolate Walk treats you while you shop. Tickets are $10, and have sold quickly in the past. For details, visit this site.

Journey through Jazz and Blues: Join musicians from the Atlanta Blues Society and learn about influential blues and jazz musicians.  Connect today’s popular music with old tunes and make some music of your own! This Journey through Jazz and Blues program takes place on Saturday, February 9 at 1 p.m. at the Gwinnett County Public Library’s Lilburn Branch, 4817 Church Street, Lilburn.  It is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.orgor call 770-978-5154.

An HBCU College Fair will take place Saturday, February 9 at Meadowcreek High School, 4455 Steve Reynolds Boulevard in Norcross. Representatives from Historically Black Colleges and Universities will be present, including, Howard University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Tuskegee University, Clark Atlanta University, Tennessee State University and Florida A&M University. The college fair is free and open to the public. The Fair is sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Upsilon Alpha Omega Chapter, and the Gwinnett County Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Trace Your Roots at an African American Genealogy Workshop. Learn how to overcome the challenges of tracing African American genealogy through free genealogy databases, including the Library Edition of Ancestry.com. Presented by Gwinnett County Public Library, this workshop will take place on Sunday, February 10 at 3 p.m. at the Collins Hill Branch, 455 Camp Perrin Road, Lawrenceville.  It is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

Celebrate Virtuosity with the Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, February 10, at 4:30 p.m. at Discovery High School Theater, 1335 Old Norcross Road in Lawrenceville. Under the director of Robert Trocina and Gregory  Pritchard, conductors, this program will feature Jose Manuel Garcia on piano  and Nancy Schechter on violin. Tickets are $10 and will be sold at the door. For more information, visit www.GwinnettSymphony.org.

QUR’AN EXHIBITION, exploring women’s empowerment, is scheduled for the Five Forks Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library on February 10 from 12:30 until 3:30 p.m. The purpose of this exhibition is twofold. First is to eliminate the misconceptions about the Qur’an and second is to highlight the peaceful message of Islam. Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will be available to answer questions about Islam.

Meet Historian and Author Jim Jordan: He won the 2018 Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council Excellence Award for his book The Slave-Trader’s Letter-Book:  Charles Lamar, the Wanderer, and Other Tales of the African Slave Trade.  These 70 long-lost letters detail the illegal landing of 400 African slaves on American soil by Charles Lamar who used the yacht the Wanderer as a slave ship dropping off slaves on Jekyll Island. Gwinnett County Public Library, in partnership with Liberty Books, presents this author event on Saturday, February 16 at 3 p.m. at Liberty Books, 176 West Crogan Street, Lawrenceville.  This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

LILBURN POLICE ADADEMY is accepting applications for its 13 week course. Registration deadline is February 15. Preference is given to Lilburn residents or to someone working in Lilburn. The minimum age is 21. For more information, go to https://www.cityoflilburn.com/281/Citizens-Police-Academy.

State of the County Annual Report will be February 20 at 11:30 a.m. at the Infinite Energy Center. Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash will review 2018 achievements and present the vision for 2019 and beyond.

Fifth Leadership Challenge Workshop will begin February 26 with a four hour session, and continue for five other periods, concluding on April 9. The Workshop brings local leaders together to equip them to serve the community. It is sponsored by the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. It will be facilitated by Betsy Corley Pickren, with guest instructors. For more information, visit www.SouthWestGwinnettChamber.com, or call 678-906-4078.

ANNUAL PLANT SALE, from the University of Georgia Extension Service, runs through March 6. Plant experts are offering a host of fruit shrubs and trees. Purchasers must pick up their prepaid order on March 14 at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville. No orders are shipped. For order forms or for more information, visit www.ugaextension.org/gwinnett, or call 678-377-4010.

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