GwinnettForum | Number 25.92 | Nov. 21, 2025
CHILLING PAINTING: Though it is fall, 2025 in Gwinnett has been relatively warm, we know cold weather is on the way. This week we heard from Karen Burnette Garner, a former Gwinnett County Public School employee, who now lives in Robesonia, Penn. She’s enjoying life there, particularly since she is living close to her daughter’s family, including grandchildren. She is an artist, a painter and sculptor, in retirement, exhibits her works in that area. She sent along this depiction of one of her paintings, which she calls “Rose at Dawn,” which can give you chill bumps just looking at it. –eeb
TODAY’S FOCUS: Perhaps Washington met an aviation pioneer in Augusta
EEB PERSPECTIVE: On football, third term, ships and 50-year mortgage
SPOTLIGHT: Peachtree Campus
FEEDBACK: Good to see judge stand up to ogre in D.C.
UPCOMING: 2026 county budget is lower than 2025 budget
NOTABLE: GGC explores opportunities for film students
RECOMMENDED: History Matters, by David McCullough
OBITUARY: Anna Nolan Shackelford
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Blitch becomes Georgia Congresswoman
MYSTERY PHOTO: Take your chance at identifying today’s Mystery
LAGNIAPPE: EMC Foundation grants $30,350 to Gwinnett groups
CALENDAR: Lilburn kicks off holiday season on Saturday
Perhaps Washington met an aviation pioneer in Augusta
(Editor’s note: Former Georgia Gwinnett history professor continues to do research on early history, as this contribution shows.—eeb).
By Michael Gagnon
Professor emeritus of history, Georgia Gwinnett College
PORT ANGELES, Wash. | On May 18, 1791, George Washington began his three-day visit to Augusta, Ga., while on his presidential tour of the southern states. He previously toured the middle states and New England.
Like a royal procession, he intended his Presidential tours to introduce himself to local elites to gain their fealty to their new federal government. Since Augusta served as Georgia’s capital, the state militia and all the state’s constitutional officers escorted the President into town as he approached from Savannah.
The next morning Governor George Walton, the Richmond County’s sheriff, Augusta’s mayor and two members of the town’s elite formally offered their welcome. Among the town’s elite who signed the written welcome was Peter Carnes, an aviation pioneer who was possibly the second most famous man in America at the time. Thus, Carnes’ name added prestige to Georgia’s official welcome.
Here’s what we know of Carnes. In 1784, he built the first manned flying machine in America, a hot air balloon. A carpenter, inn-keeper and self-taught lawyer in Bladensburg, Md., Carnes likely based his plan on detailed instructions in the news accounts about French hot air balloon experiments, published only three months earlier. Carnes built a silk balloon, 35 feet in diameter by 30 feet tall, constrained by hoops, with an iron wood burning stove stoked by the passenger.
Carnes first tested this balloon near his inn and then displayed it in Bladensburg. To gain publicity for a demonstration, he advertised in Baltimore at $2 per ticket. While he may have ridden the balloon in private, he did not ascend it at Bladensburg, nor in his Baltimore demonstration on June 24, 1784, because the balloon would not lift his weight.
On his last Baltimore flight, a 13-year-old boy named Edward Warren volunteered to become America’s first aeronaut and safely made a flight for the large crowd which rewarded him by passing the hat. Carnes next launched a larger balloon made of linen in Philadelphia, on July 19, 1784, from within the city’s new “work house” yard to shield the event from view of people who did not pay.
After riding the balloon a short distance, it crashed into a wall ejecting Carnes without injury while giving those outside the walls the idea that he had died in a fiery crash. Accounts of these events were reprinted all over the country, including in Georgia.
Carnes abandoned Maryland shortly afterwards and moved south with his family after he could not pay the back rent on the inn. First Carnes practiced law in South Carolina and then moved to Augusta by 1787. Working as a lawyer and investing in real estate, he did well financially. Peter Carnes died in 1794. His widow later married the father of A. S. Clayton, for whom Clayton Street in Lawrenceville is named.
While there is no record of Washington and Carnes either meeting or talking, they would have shared a table at the dinner held for Washington. Someone would have told Washington that he was “that” Carnes of aviation.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
On football, third term, ships and 50-year mortgage
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
NOV. 21, 2025 | This and that day: Lots of Gwinnettians will be watching Georgia Public Broadcasting Friday night when the North Gwinnett Bulldogs host Lowndes County Vikings in the high school playoffs.
Lowndes’ record is 9-1. Their only loss was to hometown Valdosta, 23-14.
North Gwinnett is 10-1 with their only loss to Douglas County 21-7 in the first game of the season.
More on football: While the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech football teams have the same nine victories and one loss record, we see a world of difference between them. Georgia looked mighty strong against Texas last week. Georgia Tech just slipped past Boston College by two points on a field goal toward the end of the game. And Boston College had won only one game this year, yet ripped the Georgia Tech defense all night. Georgia Tech’s previous game against North Carolina State also showed the weakness of its defensive team.
So Tech seems heading south, while Georgia is looking better each game. Georgia Tech plays Pittsburgh this week. Will Tech’s defense show up? Georgia is against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. To that you can only say “Ho-hum.”
Heard on the street: So Donald Trump wants to run for a third term? In fairness, wouldn’t that allow Barack Obama to run again, too? Think about it. That would be some race, but do we really want former presidents running for a third term?
Disturbing for our future: We read the other day that in the last 10 years, the United States constructed 38 large commercial shipping vessels. But China, in the same time, built 7,500 similar ships! And we think China will someday surpass us? They already have, in so many ways!
Makes no sense: Now we are hearing of 50-year real estate mortgages so buyers can reduce the monthly payment amount. We calculated what the long term cost would be to buy a $400,000 home at six percent interest (near today’s rate) for 15, 30 and 50 years.
Look at this table:
For a $400,000 house at six percent interest, the principal and interest portion of the monthly payment and the total cost to buyers will vary significantly by the loan term. (Presumes a 20 percent down, so mortgage of $320,000),
All people cannot finance for 15 years, but it sure saves money. Also note the payment difference for 30 and 50 years is only $292 a month, but the 50-year mortgage costs you $400,018 more over the term of the loan.
Takeaway: a 50-year loan isn’t just bad, it’s awful!
Physical therapy advice: When you are walking, take longer strides to help you keep in balance. Short steps cause an unnatural distance between your feet, since they are closer together. That makes it easier to fall, and you don’t want that at all.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
Peachtree Campus
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today our sponsor is Peachtree Campus, North Atlanta’s campus for education, production, and events. Located in historic Norcross, with abundant parking and easy access to Peachtree Boulevard, Peachtree Campus should be on the short list when looking for a workspace with creative vision.
It’s the home of Brenau University’s North Atlanta Campus and to Boswell Edward Academy, a Georgia Pre-K School and Daycare. The Veranda on Reps Miller provides flexible space for small events and larger community events. It annually hosts the Neighborhood Christmas Train Experience. Now available is 3159 Campus Drive, which has 27 classrooms and a large multi-purpose space, which can be the perfect location for a growing school, event facility, film/video production studio, or faith community. Learn leasing opportunities by contacting Jonathan Galucki, email jg@optimaproperties.net or texting 678-612-3385.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Good to see judge stand up to ogre in D.C.
Editor, the Forum:
It is very gratifying to have a judge stand up to the unlawful behavior of a would-be dictator. The ogre in the White House has flaunted the law on so many occasions that we have come to expect it of him.
Judges’ decisions, which he has ignored recently, and his constant lying, may yet be his undoing. I hope so.
– Michael Eberlein, Peachtree Corners
Judge’s action keeps her flame of hope alive
Editor, the Forum:
I appreciate the clarification on the Lindsey Halligan debacle. (Nov. 18 GwinnettForum: “S.C. district judge looking into critical cases in D.C.”). Everyone should be held to the same standards.
I was beginning to lose hope in our judicial system. However, people like Judge Currie keep my flame of hope alive.
– Yvette Summerour, Snellville
Stanford experiment is chilling forecast of USA today
Editor, the Forum:
You need to read about the Zimbardo Prison Experiment, which took place in about 1972. Phillip Zimbardo,, whom I knew at the time, a psychologist at Stanford University, had an experiment, also called the Stanford Experiment, where he set up a group of volunteer students to be in cells while setting up another group of jailers. The jailers had control over the jailed. In reality, it was a role playing experiment, but it got out of hand. The jailers started to literally get rather cruel. However what it showed was when a group of people, or one man, maybe, were given supreme control over another, it will quickly get out of hand with his authority.
We have a president who is doing just that. We have a National Guard and military troops in Los Angeles and Chicago doing that. We have guards beating prisoners in Brandon, Miss. It is so often a problem that you could call it pro forma. It is to be expected and that is that.
– Raleigh Perry, Buford
Airs some ideas from our Founding Fathers
Editor, the Forum:
Let me respond to Jack Bernard’s tome in the November 14 GwinnettForum. Our country needs some change, but Jack’s laundry list of stuff seems to foist more value in JB’s opinion than the wisdom of the Founding Fathers. A few things:
- Now that SCOTUS has a more conservative bent, why is there such outcry? Why no outcries when for decades we had a liberal SCOTUS?
- As we know, “direct democracy” is mob rule which would wrest power from underrepresented areas of the country and pass that power on to big cities disenfranchising (a neat lib term) the general public. Some of the Federalist Papers speak to:
- a balanced state interest;
- mitigating direct democracy;
- accommodating for regional differences; and
- independence from Congress.
- Gerrymandering has been around for a long time. My sense is he is alluding to the Texas redistricting plan. What I’d love for him to examine are the congressional districts in some states where, in many cases, R’s are minimally 40 percent of the vote yet have no representation in Congress (that is, D’s gerrymandered in those states).
- Campaign finance: I’m with you. But that also means we need to mitigate non profits and NGOs that fund or launder campaign money, irrespective of political party.
Some of his ideas are dead-on. It’d be nice to meet up on common ground.
– Jeff Gorke, Suwanee
Brings possible ideas to fix Big Government
Editor, the Forum:
The United States is a republic, not a democracy. As far as I know, the aristocracy of other countries were not colonists. The republic in which we stand clearly spells out that this country has no kings or queens.
One way to fix some of our problems is to make Big Government accountable for its actions. Elections should be with photo ID, on Voting Day (which should be a national holiday) with paper ballots.
No absentee ballots except for the military families serving abroad. We must come together as American citizens and stop labeling each other; judging others’ views. For America to work, we need small government and strong Americans in both mind and spirit.
We all should take a look at the great and wise Davy Crockett while he served Tennessee. Davy Crockett’s notable speech in the House of Representatives is known as “Not Yours to Give.” In this speech, he argued against a bill that would use public funds for charity, emphasizing that while individuals can give their own money, Congress should not appropriate taxpayer money for such purposes.
– Barbara Warden, Norcross
Takes issue with previous comments in Forum
Editor, the Forum:
Yes, I do feel sorry for Jack Bernard. He apparently was left out of his school lessons on the United States being a Democratic Republic. He is much more in tune with Mangami being a “democratic socialist.”
First of all, there is only one—one– voter restriction and that is there should only be US citizens voting. Counting them in the census in blue states is chilling and no less disgusting than redistricting to suit ones mandates. I believe Gavin Newsom has the claim for that in California.
All states have their own needs and should not be ruled by an autocracy as Mr. Bernard suggests. Their needs should be met as well and much law should be left to those individual states. Thus, the need for the Electoral College.
As far as Justices, they have taken an oath to follow the law. If they do not follow the law, then they should be removed from the bench. There is no “revenge” taking place as Mr. Bernard suggests–only a pursuit of justice.
Many states are finding evidence of the 2020 election being tampered with and simply are looking for ways to prevent any shenanigans in the future. Mr. Bernard’s attitude is that of Hillary Clinton’s “excuse” for wiping her servers and smashing her phone–“What does it matter now?”
I’m all for transparency in funding campaigns. George Soros and his foundations and Stacy Abrams are those who should be stopped along with others.
– Roberta Cromlish, Stone Mountain
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.
2026 county budget is lower than 2025 budget
Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson on Tuesday presented her proposed $2.6 billion budget to guide County government spending for the 2026 fiscal year. The proposed budget represents a $66 million decrease from 2025’s approved $2.67 billion budget.
The proposed 2026 budget is made up of a $2.19 billion operating budget and a $409 million capital improvements budget, which includes funds from the County’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax program.
Chairwoman Hendrickson explained that the proposed budget prioritizes the County’s ability to deliver superior service while remaining fiscally responsible. She said: “Just like our residents and businesses, the County has been grappling with the impact of inflation and other economic uncertainties. Our departments worked hard to identify areas where we can reduce spending to make up for the rising cost of goods and services, and our strong financial foundation positions us well to continue to deliver critical services at the high standard our community deserves.”
The proposed budget includes public safety initiatives such as upgrading the County’s 911 phone system to enable faster call processing and enhance emergency response.
In the proposed budget, the County will continue to invest in community resource centers, which serve as hubs to bring services closer to residents in their own neighborhoods. This includes the completion of the Community Resource Center at Grayson Highway, a first-of-its-kind facility for Gwinnett that will serve as the central hub for the County’s human services.
The proposed 2026 budget resolution is available online at GwinnettCounty.com. Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Dec. 2. Residents can also offer input on the County’s website through Dec. 31. Commissioners will consider the 2026 budget at their first meeting of the new year on January 6, 2026.
GGC explores opportunities for film students
The future of storytelling looks bright, thanks to the enthusiasm of 65 high school students, Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) professors and student volunteers, and the Georgia Film Academy (GFA). On November 14, students from area high schools arrived on GGC’s campus to explore opportunities in film, television, digital entertainment, E-sports and game development.
Dr. Marc Gilley, interim dean of GGC’s School of Liberal Arts, says: “Collaborating with the GFA builds that bridge between the liberal arts education and foundational knowledge students receive along with additional hands-on experiences. GFA builds upon that with instruction from industry professionals. Together, this helps students be ready to enter their field.”
Scott Votaw, assistant vice chancellor of GFA, said events like this open doors students may not have known existed. “Most high school students don’t know where the jobs are or even where to begin looking. By collaborating with GGC, we build on the success they have and get them ready to move into the industry.” Votaw, who spent 25 years in Los Angeles working in the film industry, said the partnership creates a clear pathway. “It’s like connective tissue, we build on the knowledge and experience students have and help them adapt to the ever-changing film industry,” he said.
Bryan Krass, an instructor at GFA and former GGC instructor, said: “We wanted to show students that the film industry is accessible and fun. Students get to see that this is a viable and fulfilling career option.”
History Matters, by David McCullough
From Billy Chism, Toccoa: This is a collection of McCollough’s speeches, essays, tributes, interviews, many previously unpublished. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Truman and another for John Adams. His first book, The Johnstown Flood, was published in 1968. Among his other books, he brought to life the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, the construction of the Panama Canal, the first flight by the Wright Brothers, and the birth of America (the best seller, 1776). McCollough writes that ‘…history teaches us how to behave. History teaches, reinforces what we believe in, what we stand for. History is–or should be– the bedrock of patriotism. At their core, the lessons are largely lessons in appreciation.’ He also reveals the secret to making history come alive. ‘Tell stories. The pull, the appeal, is irresistible, because history is about two of the greatest of all mysteries: time and human nature.’ He died in 2022 at age 89.
- An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Click here to send an email.
Anna Nolan Shackelford
Anna Nolan Shackelford, 87, of Loganville, formerly of Snellville, went home to be with her Lord on November 14, 2025, surrounded by love and with her family by her side at Cristian’s House in Loganville. Anna was preceded in death by her husband of almost 50 years, Robert Wayne Shackelford, former Georgia DOT Commissioner, who died on Tuesday, September 1, 2009. They were married on December 20, 1959.
Born on December 31, 1937, in Rockmart, to the late Hubert Lester Nolan and Julia Elizabeth Jameson Nolan, Anna graduated from Bel Air High School, Bel Air, Md., where she was editor of her class yearbook. She graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics.
A member at Lawrenceville First Baptist Church, Anna gave her time generously as a volunteer to numerous organizations, both within and beyond her church community. At First Baptist, she served as a deacon, sang regularly in the church choir, led the church’s clothing mission and donated generously, including to the church’s mission and building funds and the church’s prayer garden. She was known to her friends as a “professional volunteer” and was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.
She was active with the Gwinnett County United Way, where its annual Legacy Award bears her name, the American Heart Association, Leadership Gwinnett, Gwinnett Senior Leadership, the Pilot Club international service organization, serving as an officer and board member, the Lawrenceville Cooperative Ministry, serving as a board member, and, with her husband Wayne, the Gwinnett County Fair Association and Georgia 4-H.
In addition to her role as mother and homemaker, Anna had a successful career as a real estate broker and, later in life, as the founder of Sinful Sweets, a baker of wedding and other elaborate cakes, where she also served as a board member of the International Cake Exploration Societe (ICES). Fond of gardening, she also served as caregivers for her aunts, mother and father and husband during their later years. Anna was a bright light in every room she entered, with a smile always on her face.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Carolyn and David Gazda of Athens; son, Larry Shackelford of Atlanta, son and daughter-in-law Steven Nanette Shackelford of Clay Center, Neb.; seven grandchildren, Katie Gazda Duvall (Zeb) of Buckhead, Taylor Gazda of Stillwater, Okla., Matthew Shackelford (Cassidy) of Huntington Beach, Calif., Andrew Shackelford of San Francisco, , Rachel, Lauren and Noah Shackelford of Omaha, Neb., and two great grandchildren, as well as by her sister, Linda McAllister of Leesburg, Fla., two brothers, Michael Nolan of Cleveland, Ohio, and Phillip (Sam) Nolan of Jefferson, Ga., and numerous other relatives, and a host of devoted friends.
Anna was preceded in death by her parents, Col. Hubert Lester Nolan, U.S. Army (Ret.), and Julia Elizabeth Jameson Nolan. Anna’s radiant spirit and laughter will be deeply missed, but her light will continue to shine through every life she touched.
The family wishes to thank Simona Iovescu and the rest of the staff at Cristian’s House for their devoted care of Anna in her last years. Her funeral service will be held on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Lawrenceville First Baptist Church with Dr. G. Lamar Holley and Brian Fillingim, Senior Pastor, officiating. Interment will follow at Gwinnett Memorial Park.
Those desiring may make donations to Lawrenceville First Baptist Church, the Wayne and Anna Shackelford Scholarship Fund, care of the Georgia 4-H Foundation, 304 Hoke Smith Annex, Athens, Ga. 30602, or The United Way in memory of Anna Nolan Shackelford. Condolences may be sent or viewed at www.wagesfuneralhome.com. Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, Lawrenceville has been entrusted with the arrangements.
Blitch of Homerville becomes congresswoman
Known for her “progressive feminism and southern conservatism,” Iris F. Blitch broke political ground for women during the 1950s and 1960s. When elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1948, Blitch was the only female legislator in Georgia, and she became the first to serve two terms in the state senate. In 1958 she was one of only 15 women in the U.S. House of Representatives, and she later became the first woman from Georgia to serve a full term in the U.S. Congress.
Iris Faircloth Blitch was born the second youngest of eight children in Normantown—near Vidalia—in Toombs County on April 25, 1912. Her parents, Marietta Ridgdill and James Louis Faircloth, both died by the time she was nine, and the young Iris moved to Maryland, where she lived with her older sisters. There she developed a passion for politics as a member of the debate team at Hagerstown High School.
After graduating in 1929, she enrolled at the University of Georgia in Athens, where she met Brooks Erwin Blitch Jr., who owned thousands of acres of farmland and the ACME Pharmacy in Homerville, the seat of Clinch County. She left school to marry him in Jacksonville, Fla., on October 11, 1929. The couple settled in Homerville, and Iris Blitch returned to school in 1949, attending South Georgia College in Douglas.
After witnessing fellow Georgians suffer during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Blitch began participating in politics and writing for a local newspaper. She first ran for election to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1940 but was defeated by 27 votes. In 1946 she won a seat in the Georgia Senate, serving from 1947 to 1948. In 1948 Blitch won a seat in the Georgia House, serving until 1950 when she lost a bid for reelection. In 1952 she returned to the state senate, serving from 1953 to 1954 and emerging as a top leader in Governor Herman Talmadge’s political machine. She also served as the state’s Democratic national committeewoman from 1948 to 1956 and was one of only eight members composing the national party’s executive committee. Active in the state party as well, she served as the assistant secretary to the State Democratic Executive Committee from 1946 to 1956.
In 1954 Blitch ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress, facing four-term incumbent Representative William McDonald “Don” Wheeler. Blitch won the election and ran unopposed in successive elections, representing the rural Eighth Congressional District of Georgia from 1955 to 1963.
After fires devastated the Okefenokee Swamp—located in her district—the congresswoman became concerned with conservation and sponsored legislation known informally as the “Blitch Bill.” Under her guidance the Okefenokee Swamp Bill passed in 1956. This legislation provided funds to build sills for maintaining water levels along the Suwannee River and to construct the Swamp Perimeter Road, which improved access to the swamp in the event of wildfires.
In 1962 Blitch chose not to run for a fifth term, a decision based in part on her own severe arthritis as well as her husband’s poor health. Erwin Blitch died in 1967 at the age of 59. Iris Blitch retired to St. Simons Island, and in 1988 she moved to San Diego, Calif., to be closer to her daughter. Blitch died on August 19, 1993, and is buried in Pine Forest Cemetery, in Homerville.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Take your chance at identifying today’s Mystery Photo
The mystery for today is obviously a theatre, but which one? Send your idea to solve the mystery photo to ebrack2@gmail.com, and include your hometown.
The most recent mystery was solved by three people. Jay Altman of Columbia, S.C. wrote that it was “…a statue of David Livingstone at the Victoria Falls, located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. He was a Scottish physician, missionary, and explorer who spent 33 years traveling through Africa. He was the first European to bring the Victoria Falls to the attention of the Western world. The bronze statue, ten-and-a-half feet (3.2 m) high, stands on a 37-ton rough-hewn solid granite base. It overlooks the Devil’s Cataract at the western end of the falls.” The photo came from Paige Havens of Hoschton.
Also identifying the statue were George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Lou Camerio of Lilburn; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas., who told us: “Over the years, there have been two failed attempts to remove the statue from its current location. The first attempt was in 2001 by Zimbabwe’s liberation war veterans, who regarded the artwork as a painful reminder of the British colonial era. The second attempt was in 2004 by the Zambian government, who wanted the statue moved to the Zambian side of the falls during their 150th anniversary celebrations of David Livingstone’s discovery of the falls. That plan was rejected by Zimbabwe, and instead, Zambia erected its own statue of Livingstone in 2005.”
- HEY! MYSTERY LOVERS: How about some Georgia and Gwinnett mystery photos. Granted, Gwinnettians travel far and wide and send back loads of photos from all around the world. But many of you take landmark scenes around here, so share your more local photos with us. Thanks—eeb,
- 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.
Foundation grants $30,350 to Gwinnett groups
The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded a total of $77,100 in grants for organizations during its recent meeting, including $30,350 to organizations serving Gwinnett County.
- $15,000 to Nothing but the Truth, Dacula, for its Weekend Food Bag Program to purchase bags of food for students in need in Gwinnett and Barrow counties.
- $10,350 to Block Community Outreach, Sugar Hill, for its Weekend Food Program to purchase shelf-stable items and produce for children in need in Gwinnett County.
- $5,000 to First Foundation Kids, Duluth, for its Food for Youth Development Program to purchase food for foster children in need in Gwinnett County.
Jackson EMC Foundation grants are made possible by the 224,269 participating cooperative members who have their monthly electric bills rounded to the next dollar amount through the Operation Round Up program.
Lilburn kicks off holiday season on Saturday
Lilburn will begin the holiday season on Saturday, November 22 at Lilburn Park. Starting at 4 p.m., families can enjoy a tree lighting ceremony plus a one-of-a-kind holiday drone show lighting up the night sky. Local school groups and churches will fill the air with festive music while food trucks and holiday treats will be present. Kids can get hands-on in the craft corner and capture special memories with photos with Santa. The holiday fun continues with the Holiday Parade on Saturday, December 6, beginning at 10 a.m.
Benefit concert for Ukraine will be November 22 at 6 p.m. at the Lawrenceville Arts Center. It will be a night of music, storytelling and compassion with John McCutchen, a six time Grammy-nominated folk legend, author and performer. Joining him will be Ukrainian bandura player Olena Kovban, who will share the soulful sounds of Ukraine’s national instrument, and an art exhibit featuring children’s works from Kharkiv, created in underground shelters during the war. Proceeds provide safe classrooms, education, and art therapy for nearly 200 Ukrainian children.
Gwinnett Symphony Chorus will start the Christmas season with a Messiah Sing-along! This event is free and all are welcomed. This will be at the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church, 800 Lawrenceville Highway, at 3 p.m. on November 23. Audience members are invited to sing or simply sit back and enjoy the performance. (Choral scores will be provided.) Singers interested in joining the choir may attend the rehearsal on Sunday, November 15, from 6-8 p.m.
Enjoy a free holiday quilt exhibition at the Norcross Welcome Center and Museum, 17 College Street, from November 24 to December 30. See more than 15 festive quilts created by members of the Spirited Quilters Guild. Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. , except holidays. After-hours and weekend visits available by appointment. Contact exhibition organizer Linda DeMaris with questions at 414QuiltsnMore@gmail.com.
The annual Cravin’ Bacon Walk in Braselton will be on December 4 (a Thursday) from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Squealer Tickets will include a map of stop locations where walkers pick up a creative bacon-inspired tasting from each participating business. All walkers will be eligible to win a $100 Buy Local Braselton e-gift card.
GwinnettForum, which has been published online since 2001, is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday. The publication offers an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. Learn more:
- Editor and publisher: Elliott Brack, 770-840-1003
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 1365, Norcross, Ga. 30091
- Work with us: If you would like to learn about how to be an underwriter to support the publication of GwinnettForum as a community resource for news and commentary, please contact us today.
Subscriptions to GwinnettForum are free.
- Click to subscribe.
- Unsubscribe. We hope you’ll keep receiving the great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, go to this page and unsubscribe in the appropriate box.
- © 2025, Gwinnett Forum.com.
