GwinnettForum | Number 25.37 | May 9, 2025
GGC PLANS TWO graduation ceremonies Saturday. There will be a lot to celebrate on Saturday, May 10 at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC). Leading the way will be over 850 students excited to turn their tassels during two commencement ceremonies on the GGC campus at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
GGC itself is celebrating these graduates, and its 20th anniversary. GGC was signed into existence by then Governor Sonny Perdue on May 10, 2005. Along with the emotions of joy and a few tears, highlights include:
* Morning commencement student speaker Sumayyah Yoonas originally wanted to go to medical school and graduate before her children started school. Fourteen years later, the mother of three started at GGC, where her path led her to study to become a middle school teacher. Her daughter is following her at GGC and is in pre-education.
* Afternoon commencement student speaker Nolberto Sanchez started at GGC in 2015 and failed, unable to balance a full-time job to help support his mother and siblings, and full-time school. He will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. He is applying to medical school and wants to become a cardiac surgeon.
David Still, mayor of the city of Lawrenceville, is the keynote speaker for both ceremonies. (Photo from 2024 commencement.)
TODAY’S FOCUS: Rowen names 15 Georgians to advisory council
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Ethical concerns arise in Norcross city council meeting
SPOTLIGHT: Walton Gas
ANOTHER VIEW: Changing future of single parents – through HOPE
FEEDBACK: Watch tariffs bring you a double whammy!
UPCOMING: Waitress coming to Aurora Theatre this month
NOTABLE: Graduate finds calling by taking care of teachers
RECOMMENDED: Careless People, by Sarah Wynn-Williams
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Atlanta kindergarten teacher wins Pulitzer
LAGNIAPPE: Brookwood Teacher wins local and state award
MYSTERY: Surprise, surprise. Yes, another lighthouse to identify
CALENDAR: Sugar Hill choir to perform May 17, 18
Rowen names 15 Georgians to advisory council
An artist’s rendition of the future Rowen community. Credit: Rowen Foundation
By Brian Broderick
AUBURN, Ga. | The Rowen Foundation is forming its inaugural executive advisory council – a diverse collection of 15 leaders who will help inform the vision of Georgia’s largest knowledge sharing community.
Working in partnership with the Rowen Foundation Board of Directors and staff, the council will offer strategic guidance on matters of economic development, partnerships and long-term growth, while serving as ambassadors for Rowen’s mission across the state and beyond.
Rowen President and CEO Mason Ailstock says: “This council is a collection of some of Georgia’s most respected business, academic and scientific leaders providing a network across the state. Their partnership creates a mutually beneficial network that not only strengthens our purpose but also advances a shared vision for Georgia that connects people, ideas and communities.”
Below are the inaugural members of the executive advisory council:
- Bert Brantley, CEO of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce;
- Fabiola Charles Stokes, head of Global Sites Strategy at Google;
- Chris Clark, president of the Georgia Chamber;
- Dr. Tim Denning, president and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance;
- Greg Dozier, commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia;
- Kim Greene, president and CEO of Georgia Power;
- Nicole Love Hendrickson, chairwoman of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners;
- Doug Hooker, retired CEO of the Atlanta Regional Commission;
- Dr. Russell Keen, president of Augusta University;
- Teresa MacCartney, COO of the University System of Georgia;
- Dr. Kyle Marrero, president of Georgia Southern University;
- Misty Martin, deputy commissioner of Global Commerce at the Georgia Department of Economic Development;
- James McCurry, chief administrative officer of the Georgia Ports Authority;
- Anna Roach, executive director and CEO of the Atlanta Regional Commission; and
- Dr. Kathy Schwaig, president of Kennesaw State University.
The members of the advisory council were carefully selected because of their experiences in the public, private and international sectors across business, higher education, economic development and state government.
Ailstock stressed he anticipates Rowen benefiting tremendously from the wisdom of the group and the communities they serve.
“Members of our advisory council are helping Georgia grow the right way,” says Ailstock. “At Rowen, we exist to do more than sell our own real estate. We want to support Georgia innovators and industry, connect its citizens and work together to shape a shared future.”
- For more information about the work Rowen is doing in Gwinnett County, click here.
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Ethical concerns arise in Norcross city council meeting
Norcross City Hall.
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MAY 9, 2025 | A contentious meeting of the Norcross City Council on Monday has raised eyebrows about operations of city government.
One concern is an alleged ethics violation by Mayor Craig Newton. In addition there was public discussion that a former city finance director has brought suit against two members of city government, the city manager and the city, about being fired.
As a result of Monday’s meeting, the city council voted 6-0 in an amended motion, to hire a special investigator to look into ethical concerns. The initial motion to hire the investigator was 5-1, with Councilman Josh Bare voting against it, while the four other council members (Marshall Cheek, Bruce Gaynor, Andrew Hixson and Matt Myers) and Newton voted for the hire. Newton usually does not vote except when there is a tie vote.
Most of this controversy stems from a lawsuit filed on Nov. 1, 2024, in federal court for the Northern District of Georgia by Paul Hanebuth who was the director of Finance and Administrative Services for the city at one time, and who currently resides in Mobile, Ala. He brought suit against the city, Newton, Councilwoman (at that time) Arlene Beckles and City Manager Eric Johnson.
In the lawsuit, Hanebuth maintains that he was fired for blowing the whistle on what he thought was a scheme to circumvent “applicable policies, procedures, rules, laws and other ordinances by funneling donations to the nonexistent ‘Mayor’s Special Fund.’” Hanebuth said he refused, saying that the City Council would have to approve the measure. Eventually checks to the city from two different entities, one private firm and one nonprofit, reportedly were returned to the senders. Hanebuth maintains that afterward, Newton and others began retaliating against him.
The lawsuit also includes other descriptions on how Hanebuth said he was mistreated by the city, and felt he was discriminated against. Hanebuth also alleges harassment by Ms. Beckles, currently a statehouse representative, and by Johnson. Hanebuth asked for a trial by jury, compensatory and punitive damages and reinstatement as an employee. No date has been set for a trial.
When former Mayor Bucky Johnson heard of the federal lawsuit this year, he filed an ethics complaint and asked city council to investigate the matter. The city eventually hired a special master, Jody Charles Campbell of Peachtree Corners, who completed his investigation, saying that Bucky Johnson had not filed his complaint in a timely manner, “and thus, this Ethics Complaint must be dismissed as untimely,” which was was completed by the special master on April 24, 2025. GwinnettForum filed and obtained a freedom of information request for the results of the completed special master results.
The special master’s report by Campbell to the city led the council at its meeting on May 5 to call for another investigation by a new special master on the ethics matter. The city’s law firm, Thompson and O’Brien, was asked to recommend a new special master, who should be selected by May 20. The second master’s report is expected after 45 days.
Newton sent this statement to GwinnettForum on Thursday morning:
“I’m aware of the recent false allegations being circulated. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon during election season for misinformation to be used as a tool to divide, distract, and mislead voters. I’ve always believed in leading with transparency and integrity—values I’ve upheld throughout my 25-plus years of service to this city.
“I welcome the adjudication process, which will confirm that neither I nor the city has engaged in any wrongdoing. I remain focused on the real issues that matter to our community and trust that the truth will speak for itself in time.”
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Walton Gas
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Walton Gas is a local natural gas provider that serves homes and businesses all across Gwinnett – and the greater Atlanta area! With an office in Gwinnett, they have a rich history of investing in this community – from civic and business groups to non-profits organizations and scholarships/grants for school students and classrooms. They have received the highest customer satisfaction ratings among all of Georgia’s competitive natural gas providers. To learn more about their outstanding value and service, call 770-427-4328 or, visit:www.waltongas.com/gwinnett.
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Changing future of single parents – through HOPE
By Kenita Smith
President and CEO, H.O.P.E, Inc.
DULUTH, Ga. | The rising cost of living across Gwinnett County isn’t just numbers in a report—it’s the daily reality for single parents choosing between groceries or gas, rent or textbooks, childcare or staying in school. At H.O.P.E, Inc., we believe no one should have to choose between survival and a better future. Since 2009, our mission has been to empower low-income single parents to earn college degrees and build self-sufficiency—and we’re proud to call Gwinnett County home.
Smith
With inflation and housing costs climbing faster than incomes, the struggle for single parents in Gwinnett has deepened. Many of the families we serve begin with incomes under $20,000 and little or no savings. But with our support, they’ve defied the odds.
Through rent and childcare assistance, quarterly grocery and gas cards, financial coaching, tutoring support, and access to counseling, we’ve helped single parents keep their families stable while staying in school. In 2024 alone, five single parents in our program graduated, and more than 30 families received wraparound support—including 48 children whose lives were transformed in the process.
This year, we will reach an incredible milestone: 100 single-parent college graduates. These are parents who were once at risk of dropping out, facing eviction, or overwhelmed by the cost of raising children while attending college. Today, they are gainfully employed, financially stable, and leading their families forward.
But we’re not stopping at 100. Our HOPE Accelerated Growth Plan aims to double our impact by supporting 100 single parents annually and helping another 100 graduate over the next five years. That means expanded capacity, deeper partnerships, and more families moving from crisis to confidence.
Why does that matter? Because research shows it can take up to 15 generations for families living in poverty to reach middle-income stability. By helping parents earn college degrees now, we accelerate that trajectory. We’re not just changing lives—we’re collapsing timelines and creating generational shifts.
In Gwinnett, where 17 percent of our participants reside, this work is more than charitable—it’s strategic. When single parents graduate, they increase their income by an average of 179 percent, with many surpassing $50,000 annually. Nearly all of them now have savings, improved credit scores, and employment in their chosen career field. Their children thrive, their households stabilize, and our local economy grows stronger.
We are grateful to our partners, donors, and community members who make this possible. But the need continues. As economic pressures rise, so does our commitment to ensuring that opportunity isn’t out of reach for the families who need it most.
In Gwinnett County, we don’t just believe in hope—we build it. One degree, one job, one family at a time.
- To learn more or support our work, visit https://hopbe.org.
Watch tariffs bring you a double whammy!
Editor, the Forum:
Do many people realize that the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump will affect us in two ways?
First, retail prices will rise by the amount of the tariffs (25 percent in most cases, unless I’ve missed something.) This means that the television set I bought for about $100 in February, will cost $135 when the effects of the tariffs start to reach the retail level.
But wait! There’s more!
In addition to the obvious increase in prices caused by the tariffs, we’ll be paying an additional amount of sales tax on our purchases. Assuming an eight percent tax rate (for illustration,) that $100 TV plus the tariff with the tax on both will now cost $135. Yes, that makes it a double whammy!
The governor of every state that has a sales tax ought to send a thank you note to the White House for the increase in tax revenue each state will get without lifting a finger.
In my case, I’m glad I bought that TV in February and am not shopping for one now.
– Robert H. Hanson, Loganville
Enjoyed comment on senators standing on hind legs
Editor, the Forum:
Thank you for your latest column, “Senators, stand on your hind legs and curtail Trump” in the May 6 edition of GwinnettForum.
I’m waiting for the “Go Ahead and Primary Me!” caucus to coalesce around Murkowski, Collins, Paul and McConnell. Just a few more Republican senators who want to do the right thing – including losing their Senate seat for doing so – is what is needed to stop Donald Trump. I count five Republican senators who have five more years to undermine Trump’s authoritarian tendencies.
Our democracy is more important than their re-election.
– Jodie (Powers) Olson, Tacoma Park, Md.
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, and include your hometown. The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: ebrack2@gmail.com.
Waitress coming to Aurora Theatre this month
Aurora Theatre will present Waitress, a Broadway musical featuring music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winner Sara Bareilles, running May 22–June 15, 2025, at the Lawrenceville Arts Center.
Based on the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly, Waitress tells the story of Jenna, a talented pie-maker who dreams of a fresh start away from her small town and troubled marriage. When a pie-baking contest offers a chance at a new beginning, Jenna must summon her strength to reshape her life. With a heartfelt score and relatable characters, Waitress has been praised as “a little slice of heaven” by Entertainment Weekly.
Waitress is directed by Amanda Wansa Morgan who serves as the artistic director of the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies at Kennesaw State University. With music direction by Aurora Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director Ann-Carol Pence, Waitress delivers a story of resilience, friendship, and the family we choose, told with Bareilles’ signature warmth and humor.
Says Pence: ”What I love about Waitress is how honest it is. It’s about the real struggles we as women face – juggling work, families, life’s pressures and how we still try to hold onto a piece of ourselves. When our patrons walk into Joe’s Pie Diner they will see themselves on stage. Since the show is set off of U.S. Highway 27, which runs right through Georgia, our story will be about our friends, our neighbors; it’s a story about us.”
For the run of Waitress, Aurora Theatre is proud to be partnering with local bakery Puzzle Piece Pastries of Gainesville to offer mini pies at the bar—perfect for enjoying during the show! Pies will be available for purchase the day of and are also available for pre-order. Flavors may vary.
Puzzle Piece Pastries is a non-profit organization that empowers individuals with special needs by providing job opportunities, delicious desserts, and supporting programs for children with disabilities.
Graduate finds calling by taking care of teachers
Sumayyah Yoonas planned to finish medical school long before her children started kindergarten, but, as she said, “Life has a way of taking our carefully drawn maps and scribbling new routes in permanent marker.”
Yoonas
Yoonas grew up in Dubai and immigrated to the U.S. in 2005 with her husband, Adnan, who works in health care administration. Yoonas put her dreams of being a doctor on hold to raise the couple’s three children.
In 2010 she passed the GED exam, which allowed her to start working as a pharmacy technician. She worked in that field to keep herself plugged into the world of health care as she raised her children, always determined to pursue medical school once her kids were older.
After 14 years, it was time. Yoonas enrolled at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) in 2020, when she was 33.
“That first semester tested every ounce of my resolve,” she said. “As the pandemic raged, my youngest daughter was diagnosed with a serious condition that landed her in the ICU. There I was – navigating online classes for the first time while sitting beside her hospital bed, struggling with subjects like math that I hadn’t touched in over a decade.”
Amazingly, the pandemic that threatened to derail her education led her to her true calling. As a pharmacy technician, she became immunization-certified to help during the crisis. She worked at the vaccination clinic at St. Philip AME Church in Atlanta, where she administered shots to dozens of schoolteachers. Between injections, they would share stories about their classrooms and students.
“Something awakened in me during those conversations,” said Yoonas. “The desire to heal that had drawn me to medicine suddenly found a new expression – education.”
The notion that she should become a teacher made more sense with each passing day.
“It turns out that after years of managing three teenagers’ homework, schedules and attitudes, and also training new pharmacy technicians, I had unknowingly been in teacher training mode all along!” she said.
Yoonas switched gears and enrolled in GGC’s School of Education (SOE). Her carefully drawn map now had a new path leading her to where she was meant to be.
She fell into her studies with ease and excelled in her classes. She was selected as a resident through a Teacher Quality Partnership grant, was nominated for one of GGC’s Outstanding Student Awards and was featured in SOE’s newsletter for implementing AI in her teaching practice. Her 4.0 GPA earned her a Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society membership.
“These opportunities weren’t just lines on a resume – they were affirmations that I had finally found my path,” she said.
Yoonas and her family will celebrate another milestone when she receives her diploma May 10. Her oldest son, Asim, will graduate from Peachtree Ridge High School two weeks later.
“After he upstaged me by being born one day before my birthday 18 years ago, I finally get my moment back!” she says. “I realize the journey that seemed so interrupted – from the U.A.E. to America, from medical aspirations to teaching, from mother to student, and back to mother – wasn’t interrupted at all. It was simply taking the time it needed to unfold as God planned.”
Lilburn Woman’s Club awards four scholarships
Lilburn Woman’s Club Scholarship recipients from left are Tina Karmon from Gwinnett Technical College; Vicky Le from Parkview High School; and Allison Wong and Makenna Hollis from Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology.
The Lilburn Woman’s Club recently made a significant investment in the future of its community by awarding three $2,500 scholarships to exceptional female graduating seniors at their recent monthly meeting. These scholarships celebrate students from public, private, and home schools who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, active engagement in their school and community, and a strong commitment to pursuing higher education. In addition, they awarded a $1,500 scholarship to a deserving student graduating from Gwinnett Technical College.
This year’s accomplished scholarship recipients are: Makenna Hollis and Allison Wong, both representing Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology; Vicky Le from Parkview High School; and Tina Karmon from Gwinnett Technical College.
Kathy Mattox, president of the Lilburn Woman’s Club, says: “We are incredibly proud to support these bright young women as they embark on their higher education journeys. Their dedication and achievements are truly inspiring,”
In addition to recognizing these promising students, the Lilburn Woman’s Club also honored the Teachers of the Year from local Elementary, Middle, and High Schools in the Lilburn area for their dedication and impact on the community’s youth.
Careless People, by Sarah Wynn-Williams
From Sara Burns, Duluth: Ms. Wynn-Williams served as Facebook’s director of public policy from 2011-2018, after more than a year of attempting to be hired by the company she believed to be an engine for positive change in the world. When she came on board, this starry-eyed young woman found executives who had no idea there was a need for her self-described role. She eventually found she could not stomach the inside machinations of a company bent on profit above all. As she testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee recently: “I saw Meta (formerly Facebook) executives repeatedly undermine United States national security and betray American values…[in order] to build an $18 billion dollar business in China.” This memoir reads like an exciting novel and opens our eyes to what, disturbingly, often goes on behind the scenes in big business.”
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Atlanta kindergarten teacher wins Pulitzer
Margaret Edson, a playwright and kindergarten teacher in Atlanta, is best known for Wit, a play about a literary scholar diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. Although Edson considers herself first an educator and then a playwright, her play has won many prestigious awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1999.
Edson was born in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 1961. Her father, Peter Edson, was a newspaper columnist, and her mother, Joyce Edson, was a medical social worker. Edson briefly pursued her interest in drama during high school at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.
After majoring in Renaissance history and graduating magna cum laude in 1983 from Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Edson worked in a series of odd jobs. She returned to graduate school at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1991. She began to write Wit in the summer of 1991, a year before receiving her master’s degree in English literature from Georgetown.
Wit’s main character, Vivian Bearing, is a 50-year-old renowned literary scholar of John Donne’s 17th-century metaphysical poetry. The play concerns Bearing’s attempts to put her life together as it comes to an end.
Edson creates an extraordinary character of fortitude and wit. Edson’s use of wit, referring to intelligence and wisdom, develops this multilayered work into a play about grace and redemption. An uncompromising look at cancer, the play shows how language has the power both to complicate and to ameliorate understanding. “The play is not about doctors or even cancer. It’s about kindness, but it shows arrogance. It’s about compassion, but it shows insensitivity,” Edson explains. By showing the opposite of kindness, Edson’s play effectively leaves the audience “yearning for kindness.”
The play premiered at the South Coast Repertory in 1995 in Costa Mesa, Calif. In 1997 it continued its run at the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, Conn. In 1998 the play made its off-Broadway debut in the M.C.C. Theatre. Edson was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1999. The play has since received numerous other awards, including the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Oppenheimer Award, and the Drama Desk Award.
An HBO production of the play, directed by Mike Nichols and featuring Emma Thompson as the main character, won an Emmy Award in 2001 for Outstanding Made for Television Movie of the year. Nichols also received an Emmy for directing, and in 2002 the television production of Wit won a prestigious Peabody Award.
Edson’s teaching career progressed along with the success of her play. Despite her newfound fame as a playwright, she continued teaching elementary school in Washington, D.C.–English as a second language for five years and first grade for one year—until she moved to Atlanta in 1998 and began teaching kindergarten.
Fully dedicated to teaching elementary school in her adopted town of Atlanta, Edson does not intend to write another play. She lives with her partner, Linda Merrill, and their two sons, Timmy and Pete.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaecyclopedia.org
Surprise, surprise. Yes, another lighthouse to identify
What have we here? Surprise, surprise! Yep, another lighthouse, a rather unusual one. Figure out where it is, and send your answer to ebrack2@gmail.com, and include your hometown. This might be a cream puff for some of you.
George Graf of Palmyra, Va. pinpointed the recent mystery. “It’s Tidalholm Mansion, a historic antebellum mansion along the Beaufort River in Beaufort, S.C. Commissioned by Edgar Fripp (1806 – 1860), a prominent and wealthy Sea Island cotton planter, the house was completed in 1853 as a summer retreat from his Seaside Plantation on St. Helena Island.”
Sara Rawlins of Lawrenceville added: “During the Civil War, the Union seized the city, and the mansion became a hospital. After the war, the Fripp family regained the home. Legend has it that the home was to be auctioned off for taxes, and a Frenchman bought the place and, seeing Mr. Fripp in tears, kissed him on both cheeks and handed him the deed to his home. The Frenchman left for France before Mr. Fripp could repay him. Then, around the 1930s, the home became a Bed and Breakfast.
“In 1979, Hollywood came calling, and the movie The Great Santini was filmed there. This was Robert Duval’s character’s home. The author, Pat Conroy, lived in that area, which could explain why the movie was made there and used the Tidalholm mansion as part of the scenery. The movie The Big Chill was also filmed there, making this home now a landmark for Beaufort, S.C.”
Others recognizing the house were Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; Ruthy Lachman Paul, Norcross; Stew Ogilvie, Rehobeth, Ala.; Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; and one other person, whose name we misplaced. (Sorry). The photo came from Rick Krause of Lilburn.
- SHARE A MYSTERY PHOTO: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Click here to send an email and please mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Brookwood teacher wins local and state award
A Gwinnett teacher garnered two honors recently. In a celebration of historical preservation, education, and patriotism, a local high school history teacher has been honored with the prestigious “Outstanding Teacher of American History” award by the Lawrenceville-based Philadelphia Winn Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is Ms. Danielle Kaiser of Brookwood High School, shown here at right with Randi Minor, chapter regent. Mrs. Kaiser also won the statewide American History teacher award.
Ms. Kaiser is known for her dynamic teaching style and heartfelt relationships with her students. Rather than simply recounting dates and events, she transforms teaching history into narratives with living, breathing stories for her students. Utilizing interactive discussions, role-playing exercises, and primary source documents, she invites her students into the past, challenging them to think critically about the forces that shape societies. Her approach not only sparks curiosity but also fosters an environment where every student feels empowered to express their thoughts and draw connections between history and their own lives.
Besides teaching, she also served as a club sponsor for several organizations such as the Student Government Association, and Model United Nations. She also served as a sponsor of Brookwood High School’s Georgia Secretary of State Student Ambassador Program.
Sugar Hill choir to perform May 17, 18
The choir will perform May 17 and 18.
A special screening of the 2023 documentary, Budapest Memorandum, will be presented on Friday, May 9, at Tara Theatre, 2345 Cheshire Bridge Road in Atlanta. This thought-provoking film explores Ukraine’s historic decision to give up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal — and the consequences it faces today as it fights for its sovereignty. The reception begins at 6:30 p.m. with the screening starting at 7 p.m. Stay after the film for an engaging Q&A with the producer. Enjoy a light reception featuring treats from Lviv Croissant.
Join acclaimed author Nancy Johnson in discussing her newest novel, “People of Means,” about a mother and daughter each seeking justice and following their dreams in 1960s Nashville and 1990s Chicago. This will be at the Lawrenceville Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library on Friday, May 9, at noon.
The season finale of the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra will be May 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Johns Creek Methodist Church. The theme will be “A Kaleidoscope of American Music,” playing music from Hitchcock and Hermann films, from John Williams and Gershwin. This concert will include the world premiere of a piece by Atlanta composer Michael Kurth. Los Angeles Philharmonic Principal Trumpet Tom Hooten, formerly with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, will be the featured performer.
Learn about happenings in downtown Norcross at Coffee Connections Spotlight of the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber. This will be at Atlanta Tech Park on May 15 at 8:30 a.m. Speaker will be Stephanie Newton, downtown manager and cultural arts and tourism director of the City of Norcross. This is free to all. No registration is required.
Calling All Artists! Light Up the Peachtree Corners announces T-shirt design contest. Send in your best logo design and, if yours is selected, you’ll win $1,000 and have bragging rights on this year’s race t-shirt. Artwork and entry forms are due by May 16, and judges will be looking for one dynamic image to represent the Light Up the Corners Glow Run on the race banner, t-shirts and all multimedia. The winning artist will be presented their prize check during the event on Saturday, August 16. An entry form and additional details can be found here.
Author Talk: Rosey Lee will discuss her newest book, A Gardin Wedding, at the Centerville Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library, on Friday, May 16, at noon. This is a heartwarming story about love, forgiveness, new beginnings, and what it takes to get there. She lives in Atlanta, and grew up on the Westbank of New Orleans, La. Books will be available for sale and signing from Tall Tales Book Shop. Registration is requested.
Spring Concert: The Sugar Hill Choir of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presents a two-day concert on May 17 and 18 that features nearly 70 musicians celebrating music and the community. Themed Safely Gathered Home, the evening will be filled with harmonies and melodies reflecting the love and peace that can be found not only at our earthly home but also at our heavenly home. No ticket or purchase is necessary for the concerts being held at 7 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church at 4833 Suwanee Dam Road, Suwanee, Ga Call 470-822-3107 for more info.
Gwinnett County is hosting the 11th Annual Multicultural Festival and County Government Open House on Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival will be at Gwinnett Place Mall.
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