GwinnettForum | Number 26.17 | Feb. 27, 2026
TWO LOCAL BANKS have announced a merger. Georgia Banking Company, Inc. and Tandem Bancorp, Inc,. the parent company of Tandem Bank, jointly announced this week the signing of a definitive agreement under which Tandem will merge with and into GBC in a stock and cash transaction. Here is a photo of one of GBC’s branch offices, this one in Lawrenceville. For more about the merger, see Upcoming beow.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Who decides Georgia’s vaccine policy?
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Searching for information about Frank Sharp
SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District
ANOTHER VIEW: Peace treaties are complicated and boggle the mind
FEEDBACK: Agrees that midterm elections hold key to future
UPCOMING: Georgia Banking, Tandem announce bank merger
NOTABLE: GHC buys extended-stay hotel for affordable housing
RECOMMENDED: Time to Say Goodbye. by David Brooks
OBITUARY: Addison Lorraine McGarrity, Jr.
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Columbus hosts National Civil War Naval Museum
MYSTERY PHOTO: Full-masted sailing ship is today’s mystery
CALENDAR: Maguire-Livsey Family community event is Feb. 28
Who decides Georgia’s vaccine policy?
Editor’s note: Tia Severino is a mother of two adults with autism, an advocate, and content creator dedicated to promoting medical freedom and truth in health. She hosts the platform, Agents of Truth, sharing investigative insights and interviews with experts in health and policy. Passionate about community and education, she engages in projects highlighting transparency and accountability in public health.—eeb
By Tia Severino
TUCKER, Ga. | Many Georgians assume vaccine requirements for school attendance are set by the federal government.
They are not.
Under state law, the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH) holds statutory authority to establish and enforce immunization requirements for school entry. Those rules determine which vaccines are required, scheduling, documentation standards, and recognition of exemptions. The authority rests at the state level.
Historically, GDPH has aligned its guidance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CDC recommendations are developed through a formal advisory process and serve as the foundation for immunization policy in most states.
Recently, however, GDPH’s public-facing materials began referencing guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a private professional association that publishes its own immunization schedule and engages in legislative advocacy, including support for eliminating non-medical vaccine exemptions.
The distinction is not trivial. The CDC is a federal agency funded through congressional appropriations. The AAP is a private membership organization that participates in policy debates. When a state agency relies on one versus the other, it reflects a choice about the source of policy guidance.
The timing has heightened public interest. The AAP is currently named in a federal civil RICO lawsuit alleging misrepresentation of vaccine safety claims. Those allegations remain unresolved, and no findings of liability have been issued. Nonetheless, when an organization is engaged in active litigation and controversy, transparency regarding state reliance on its guidance becomes especially important.
To better understand why GDPH’s alignment had formally shifted, I submitted an Open Records Request seeking communications reflecting consideration of AAP guidance. The initial response stated that no responsive records existed. Shortly thereafter, two internal emails were produced. A subsequent targeted request identified more than 7,600 potentially responsive emails from one official over roughly a year. That volume does not establish misconduct, but it confirms internal discussion.
GDPH projected review and redaction costs exceeding $1,000. Georgia’s Open Records Act permits reasonable fees, but it also requires that the law be construed broadly in favor of disclosure.
Because GDPH’s rulemaking authority directly affects school attendance statewide, I have also shared my concerns and records findings with members of the Georgia General Assembly. Legislative oversight is a fundamental part of the balance between agency authority and elected representation. When administrative decisions carry statewide consequences, lawmakers should be aware of how policy alignment decisions are made and whether statutory authority is being exercised as intended.
This is not a partisan issue. It is a matter of public process. When an agency exercises rulemaking authority affecting school attendance statewide, clarity about how alignment decisions are made is essential to maintaining public trust.
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Futile search for information about Frank Sharp
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum
FEB. 27, 2026 | Earlier readers of GwinnettForum may remember the contributions of the person we called our Roving Photographer, Frank Sharp of Lawrenceville. Frank was a camera buff; he had a lot of up-to-date cameras. He was an excellent photographer, and sent us all sorts of quality pictures, which delighted our readers.
Frank was an excellent computer scientist, was employed with several scientific companies, and retired comfortably with his wife to Lawrenceville.
He and I became good friends, often having lunch or breakfast in haunts around the county. We swapped paying for our meals and enjoyed conservations.
When working near Knoxville, Tenn., Frank met his wife, Pearl Chao Sharp. She was born in mainland China, but escaped to Taiwan, where she got her early education. She later came to the United States and earned a degree at Western Kentucky State University. She worked with the Tennessee Valley Administration as a database analyst.
That’s where she and Frank met when he was working in that area. When they moved to Lawrenceville, she was a computer specialist for the Center for Disease Control, where she retired. She died on October 1, 2022, which devastated Frank. He had adopted her son, Terry Hen Sao Sharp, who now lives in Warner Robins. However, he and Frank did not have a good relationship.
Here’s why Frank is the subject today. For more than a year, we have not heard from him. Previously, he would often call, or email some of his photographs to the Forum. But lately, nothing.
Then about a week ago, out of the blue, Jim Steiner of Maynardville, Tenn., in Union County, called me. He, also, had not heard from Frank in ages, and wanted to know if I had any current information about him, which of course, I had not.
Frank was a regular visitor to Maynardville, especially to the annual reunion of the 1960 graduating class, which included 102 people, including Steiner. Frank photographed each year’s reunion and shared his work with class members.
Steiner told me: “Frank would often visit here and had never missed many high school class reunions. We were concerned about him and thought you might know something.”
Steiner said that their graduating class consisted of 102 students from the county. In those days, Maynardville had a population of only 300-400. Today, a suburb of Knoxville 15 miles away, Maynardville’s population is still small, 2,456 people in 2020. Besides being the county seat of Union County, it was the birthplace of country music legend Roy Acuff. And Norris Lake is five miles north of Maynardville.
The last time Frank made it to his high school reunion was in 2024. Since then, Steiner, a retired banker and underground utility person, has not heard from him. That was also about the last time we had heard from him. We sought information from many, including his neighbors, but learned nothing.
Frank regularly attended the Lawrenceville Senior Center meetings and enjoyed their lunch. We learned that one of the regulars at their luncheon had told one of the Senior Center officials that Frank Sharp had died over a year ago but had no further information. A search of local records found no added information.
So, unfortunately, we can add no more about the life of Frank Sharp, a friendly, kind and good person. Perhaps you have information you can share.
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Gwinnett Place CID
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s underwriting sponsor is the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District (CID). It is a self-taxing district that uses additional property taxes to accelerate infrastructure improvements, security enhancements and economic development initiatives. The CID is leading the effort to expedite mobility, quality of life and job creation strategies for the benefit of businesses, employees, and visitors to Gwinnett’s central business district.
Through partnerships with Gwinnett County Government, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, the State of Georgia and others, the CID has a proven track record of improvements that are transforming Gwinnett Place. While the Gwinnett Place CID comprises less than one percent of Gwinnett County’s landmass, the area has a $15.9 Billion annual economic impact on the state of Georgia. Representing seven percent of all Gwinnett County jobs, the district’s 2,054 companies and 28,688 workers produce $7.5 billion in sales each year and $2.1 billion in earnings (wages + benefits). For more information, visit GwinnettPlaceCID.com and VisitGwinnettPlace.com.
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Peace treaties are complicated and boggle the mind
By Raleigh Perry
BUFORD, Ga. | You might not know everything that is involved in a peace treaty. There are some things that will boggle your mind.
Basically, there are five separate treaties to end World War One. That is because Germany was at war with a lot of places.
Specifically, the five countries are:
- Treaty of Versailles (June 28, 1919): Signed with Germany.
- Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Sept. 10, 1919): Signed with Austria.
- Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine (Nov. 27, 1919): Signed with Bulgaria.
- Treaty of Trianon (June 4, 1920): Signed with Hungary.
- Treaty of Sèvres (Aug. 10, 1920): Signed with the Ottoman Empire, which was later superseded by the Treaty of Lausanne (1923)
Germany just got into wars with a lot of countries and each had a treaty that was different than the others.
Let us consider the Treaty of Versailles. The normal things you find when you read treaties to end a war, but there are four add-ons that you might find interesting.
The German rifle, the Mauser, perhaps the finest rifle ever made – at least that is my opinion. One of a couple of rifles used by the United States in World War One was the 1903 Springfield. It was a virtual carbon copy of the Mauser. At the time of WW1, Mauser was suing Springfield for such things as patent infringements. The treaty of Versailles included a clause that voided all the patents of that Mauser, making the Mauser action generic. The Springfield was the rifle used by the US until the mid 1930s when the M1 Garand became the standard. It was used during the most of World War Two and the Korean War.
The German company Bayer had a patent of Bayer Aspirin and that, too, was made generic by treaty so that people could use it to stop various and sundry pains and headaches. There is a clause in the treaty than voided the Bayer patent. Thus it is universally available all over the world.
Other treaties have caused more problems that you could ever imagine. The Balfour Declaration literally gave part of Palestine to the Jews. But with the second part, it specifically admonished the two dweller nations in Palestine that the Jews and the Palestinians were to live in peace.
Virtually never mentioned, the last of the four items, the Sykes-Picot agreement, an agreement between Great Britain and France tied up the populations and the country borders.
The United States has a policy that all treaties of this kind have to be approved by the Senate. The Treaty of Versailles was the only one that the US would have been a part of. However, the US would not ratify that treaty, and never has, and thus the US is not a part of the Treaty of Versailles.
This has been said by historian after historian and it is true: every war in Europe and in the Middle East has been caused by the Balfour Declaration and the Sykes-Picot Agreement.
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Agrees that midterm elections hold key to future
Editor the Forum:
I say the upcoming midterm elections are not only huge, they hold the key to whether our country becomes an autocratic government.
Since the new Administration took office in 2025, we never have seen anything like this. National institutions gutted, environmental protections ignored, masked government thugs roaming the streets of our cities, the rule of law tossed aside when it pleases the man in the High Castle… er, White House.
The midterm elections, if they remain fair, are more than huge. A majority win in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate for Democrats will stop Trump in his tracks.
If this doesn’t happen, I fear the worse. The stakes are simply not the same as in the past. The American people will decide. Democracy or autocracy. If we lose our democracy, going back just may be impossible.
– Billy Chism, Toccoa
Doesn’t understand need to impeach Donald Trump
Editor, the Forum:
Your recent editorial on the midterm elections is certainly full of hyperbole and short of examples. What would you impeach Trump for? Curious. And if he claimed to be a “king,” why wouldn’t he just go about locking up dissenters, D senators, D congressman, etc.? This is such sophistry.
What would you “restore?” The USAID, larded up w/$$$ for NGOs that foster color revolutions throughout the world (and here at home)? Or the Dept. of Education that has received billions of dollars and yet our students are scoring worse on “standardized” testing?
Or would you continue to disproportionately fund NATO to the detriment of the US and the benefit of our allies who do not meet, and haven’t met, their funding requirements? Or would you totally re-fund National Public Radio with Katherine Maher at the helm? You know, the CEO who suggested, in a TedX talk, that the truth is a “distraction?”
What should we restore, per se? I’m academically curious.
– Jeff Gorke, Suwanee
Dear Jeff: You are politically curious. We would suggest the midterms would restore our basic freedoms. –eeb
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Georgia Banking, Tandem announce bank merger
Tandem Bank, based in Tucker, has approximately $304 million in assets, $239 million in deposits, and $229 million in loans as of December 31, 2025. Tandem operates a footprint complementary to Georgia Banking Company (GBC)’s branch network, with one branch in Tucker and three loan production offices in Decatur, Peachtree Corners, and Woodstock.
GBC’s merger with Tandem further enhances the combined bank’s scale and complements its footprint across metro Atlanta. This will be the second transaction for the GBC management team in the market in as many years, validating the ongoing mission to create Atlanta’s premier locally based banking institution. On a pro forma basis as of December 31, 2025, the combined bank would have $3 billion of total assets, $2.6 billion of deposits, and gross loans of $2.5 billion.
Bartow Morgan, Jr., chief executive officer of GBC, says: “We’re excited to welcome the Tandem team to Georgia Banking Company. Tandem is a high-quality banking franchise built on prudent risk management and strong reputation for serving its customers well. We look forward to collaboratively working with Charles DeWitt and his colleagues.”
DeWitt, chief executive officer of Tandem, responds: “Partnering with a well-established, Atlanta-based institution like GBC strengthens our ability to deliver lasting value to shareholders, customers, and team members. We are confident that GBC has assembled the scale, expertise, and cultural alignment required for long-term success in an evolving banking landscape.”
Subject to the merger agreement’s terms, Tandem’s shareholders will receive a combination of a fixed exchange ratio of GBC common stock and cash consideration. One Tandem director will join the GBC Board of Directors and Charles DeWitt will join the combined company’s management team. The merger agreement has been approved by the respective Boards of Directors of Tandem and GBC. Completion of the merger is subject to normal and customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals and approval by the shareholders of Tandem. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2026.
Peachtree Corners launches new mobile app
The City of Peachtree Corners announces the launch of its new mobile app, designed to make it easier than ever for residents and visitors to stay connected, informed, and engaged with the city. The free, user-friendly app is now available for download in both the Apple App Store and Google Play.
The new Peachtree Corners mobile app serves as a centralized digital hub, offering quick access to City government information, news, community events, social media updates, points of interest, live streaming, and a newly enhanced PTC Report It feature. The app was thoughtfully developed to streamline access to the most frequently used services and information found on the City’s website.
The app was developed through a collaborative effort between an in-house city team and an external development partner, ChopDawg Studios, Inc., with a focus on usability, accessibility, and delivering the information residents and visitors value most. Users can easily find the app by searching City of Peachtree Corners in their preferred app store.
GHC buys extended-stay hotel for affordable housing
The Gwinnett Housing Corporation (GHC) has acquired Spring Swallow Lodge at 7065 Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Peachtree Corners for transforming it from an obsolete extended-stay hotel into long term affordable housing. This project will benefit Gwinnett’s groups most at risk of homelessness: vulnerable seniors and homeless youth.
With the 4.69-acre site, GHC will provide 73 permanently affordable studios and one bedroom units (consisting of 450-650 square feet) supplied with full kitchens, converting what was previously a source of neighborhood instability into a locally-owned, professionally managed community asset.
Karen Ramsey, GHC CEO, says: “As the need for affordable housing continues to increase, we have to find innovative ways to increase the affordable housing stock, diverse financing structures, and intentional partnerships to expand our reach. This project is an example of all of these elements working together to bring that vision to reality. This also serves as the first of its kind project for Gwinnett County.”
The total development cost is $14.5 million, with Praxis 3 operating as architect and Aapco as General Contractor. The occupancy is scheduled to start in the fall of 2026, and GHC is partnering with several nonprofit service providers to create a full array of social services for the residents.
Lejla Prljaca, GHC Chief Development Officer, further supports Ramsey, pointing out that “this project represents a full-circle milestone for our organization. More than a decade ago, we began elevating the voices of families experiencing hidden housing insecurity. Through our When Extended Stay Becomes Home study in Norcross, we found that 84 percent of respondents were relying on extended stay hotels as housing of last resort. That finding propelled our advocacy at the county and state levels to advance policies supporting the conversion of these properties into stable, permanent affordable housing.”
Time to Say Goodbye, by David Brooks
From Michael Wood, Peachtree Corners: In Time to Say Goodbye, his farewell thoughts, David Brooks provides a reflective and sober perspective on the end of an era in American public life. Writing with characteristic moral seriousness, Brooks argues that the country is undergoing profound shifts—political, cultural, and institutional—and that many of the norms and assumptions that once anchored civic life are fading. Rather than simply lamenting the change, he frames this moment as both a loss and an opportunity. Brooks blends personal reflection with social analysis, urging readers to recognize the depth of these shifts and to approach them with humility and courage. By calling for renewal grounded in character, community, and responsibility, Brooks challenges Americans to rebuild public life thoughtfully. The essay is persuasive in its moral clarity and invites readers to consider what Americans must relinquish in order to build anew.
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Addison Lorraine McGarrity Jr.
Addison Lorraine McGarrity Jr., 90, passed away peacefully at home in Lilburn, Ga. on February 22, 2026 after suffering a lingering illness of Parkinson’s Disease. He was born in Atlanta on August 18, 1935, and grew up in Macon.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Addison Lorraine McGarrity Sr. and Frances Edith Whitehead, and his step-son David Dwayne Hopper. He is survived by his wife, Juanita Louise Smith; step-daughter, Cheryl Wilson (Matthew); son, Scott McGarrity (Samantha); grandchildren Gregory, Marshall Wilson (Emily), Sophia, and Sabrina McGarrity; brother, Richard McGarrity (Jayne); and nephews Robert L. and Addison McGarrity, and great-nephew Robert M. McGarrity.
Addison graduated from Lanier High School in Macon and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Class of ’58) with a degree in mechanical engineering. After serving six months as a second lieutenant in the U. S. Army, he began a 40-year career with General Electric. This job, working with computers, led to many relocations. While living in Alabama he met his wife of 57 years.
In 1973, he realized his wish to return to Georgia. Addison enjoyed a long retirement beginning in 1998. One feature of his retirement was monthly dining out with the R.O.M.E.O.s (Retired Old Men Eating Out), all former GE employees.
Addison was a devoted family man. He was part big brother, part father to Richard, his much younger brother. When Addison established his own family, he was a good provider, responsive to needs and wants. Early in their marriage he promised Juanita he would install all the shelves she wanted, never dreaming how many shelves she would want over the years. He took up ballroom dancing to please Juanita and came to enjoy Friday night dances.
He was very involved in raising the children, playing and teaching them. A favorite game of the older children was “Monster in the Park.” Scott fondly remembers the tree fort his dad built for him. Addison had infinite patience in helping with homework, especially math. He would make props for school projects, one example being a wooden ax. He taught all the children to drive. His involvement extended to the grandchildren.
Aside from his family and computers, Addison had other major interests. Growing up he was a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, but the team lost his loyalty after moving to Los Angeles and he eventually became an Atlanta Braves fan. As a result of his son attending UGA, Addison became a Georgia Bulldog football fan. Cars were another interest and in early years he owned MGs, a Mustang, and a Corvette. Retaining his engineering interest he enjoyed reading about engineering feats.
Two of his favorite books were about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Panama Canal, both by David McCullough.
A private internment at Floral Hills in Tucker is planned for a later date. The family would like to thank Gee’s Caring Agency and in particular Ellizabeth Wallace and Arifa Billa for their caring help and Longleaf Hospice for the help they provided during the last two years.
Columbus hosts National Civil War Naval Museum
The National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus, formerly the Confederate Naval Museum, is the only institution in the nation dedicated to telling the little-known maritime story of the Civil War (1861-65).
This 40,000-square-foot facility located on the Chattahoochee River in Columbus opened in 2001 and features the remains of two original Confederate navy ships, along with full-scale reproductions of parts of three other famous Civil War ships and numerous artifacts. Port Columbus is operated as a public-private partnership project between the City of Columbus and the Port Columbus Civil War Naval Center, Inc., a private nonprofit organization. The first phase of the project was funded by nearly $8 million in private local donations.
A major feature of Port Columbus is the CSS Jackson, a 225-foot ironclad ship built in the Confederate Navy Shipyard, which is located less than a mile from the current museum. Though under construction for more than two years, the ship was not quite completed when a U.S. Cavalry column under General James Wilson captured Columbus in April 1865. All military and Confederate government property in Columbus was burned, including the shipyard and the CSS Jackson, which was set on fire and left adrift in the Chattahoochee River.
The fire persisted for nearly two weeks, until the ship finally burned to the waterline and sank about 30 miles south of Columbus, where it remained for 96 years.
The Jackson was raised in 1961 and brought back to Columbus, where today it forms the nucleus of the museum. The CSS Chattahoochee also burned at the war’s end; it too was recovered and returned in the early 1960s.
In 2009 the museum completed and commissioned a replica of the wooden gunboat USS Water Witch. The ship served as part of the Union naval blockade during the Civil War before its capture by Confederate forces in 1864.
Port Columbus is designed to place its visitors inside the stories it tells. Reproduced ships, including the USS Hartford, the USS Monitor, and the ironclad CSS Albemarle, are open so that Civil War naval life can be experienced from the inside. A visitor can hear the ships creaking and the water lapping at their sides; in the Albemarle, visitors enter the ironclad combat “simulator” and witness the U.S. Navy fleet sailing up and sending 455-pound cannonballs bouncing off the casemate in which they stand.
Years of collecting have resulted in an extraordinary array of artifacts on display. The uniform coat worn by Catesby Jones, skipper of the CSS Virginia (popularly known as the “Merrimac”), on the day he fought the USS Monitor in one of naval history’s most famous battles is featured, along with weapons, equipment, documents, paintings, and a stunning flag collection.
Special events are held year-round at Port Columbus and range from academic symposia to living-history activities in which an original Confederate navy cannon is fired over the river. The museum’s largest annual event is “RiverBlast,” held in early March on the weekend nearest the anniversary of the facility’s opening. Port Columbus also features educational opportunities; a teacher’s guide is published, and special tours and programs are available to student groups visiting the museum.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Full-masted sailing ship is today’s mystery
Today’s mystery photo is a full masted ship. Tell us about it and send your idea to ebrack2@gmail.com. Be sure to note where you live.
Jay Altman of Columbia, S.C., identified the recent Mystery: “It is the World War II Home Front Museum, located in the historic St. Simons Coast Guard Station in Georgia, which was opened to the public in 2018. The Coast Guard Station was constructed as one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Public Works Administration projects in 1936.” The photo was sent to us by Tim Keith of Sugar Hill.
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas offered more: “The building served as an active U.S. Coast Guard station from 1936 until 1995. During World War II, the station played a critical role in local defense, including saving the crews of two merchant ships, the SS Oklahoma and the SS Esso Baton Rouge, after they were torpedoed by a German U-boat (U-123) off the coast on April 8, 1942. After the station was decommissioned in 1995, it was transferred to Glynn County, and the Coastal Landmark Preservation Society was formed to protect the site and pursue its restoration as a museum, first opening as the Maritime Center at the Historic Coast Guard Station, featuring exhibits on natural history and Coast Guard service, and then reimagined in December 2018 as the World War II Home Front Museum to chronicle the region’s wartime activities.”
Also sending in the correct answers were George Graf of Palmyra, Va., Cindy Hall of Canton; and Stewart Ogilvie of Rehobeth, Ala.
- 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.
Maguire-Livsey Family community event is Feb. 28
Be part of the conversation and stop by the Community Resource Center at Bethany Church Road on Saturday, February 28 for our next Maguire-Livsey Family Big House community event. Join neighbors and community stakeholders between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. for lively small-group conversations and interactive stations that invite your voice and vision into the future of the Big House. People of all backgrounds and experiences are welcome. Can’t make it in person? Join us virtually on Tuesday, March 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. Visit GwinnettCounty.com/MaguireLivsey to learn more and register.
Coca-Cola Preseason Party returns to Gwinnett Field on Sunday, March 1. Enjoy hot dogs and drinks, plus self-guided tours during a free event at Gwinnett Field in Lawrenceville, where the Gwinnett Stripers play. The rain-or-shine event runs from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free, but fans will need to reserve tickets online in advance.
Speaking at the Snellville Commerce Club on its March 3 noontime luncheon will be Capt. Chris Raymer, of the Salvation Army in Gwinnett County. The meeting is in the Community Room of Snellville City Hall. Reservations are required. Register at this link.
Property Tax Information Session will be on March 3 at 6 p.m. at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Join the Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner’s Office to learn about property taxes and how to apply for exemptions to save money.
Georgia Gwinnett College history class on Revolutionary America on March 4 at 6:30 p.m.is open to the public. It will be at the Belonging Center in Room B-1000. It is also part of the Gender Studies in the Classroom: Traveling Series, helping to mark Women’s History Month. Given that Abigail Adams wrote her famous “Remember the Ladies” letter to husband and Declaration signer John Adams 250 years ago this March, it seemed appropriate to make this part of the “Unbuttoning the Declaration @ 250” series.
Gwinnett Ballet Theatre brings this timeless fairy tale, Cinderella, to life at the Gas South Theatre in three performances on March 6, 7, and 8. This is the kind of evening that becomes more than a show. For tickets, go here.
Gwinnett will have a chalk fest festival in March. Gas South District, in partnership with Sugarloaf Community Improvement District and the Hudgens Center for Art and Learning, will host Draw the District: A Chalk Arts Festival on Saturday, March 7. It will bring a free, community-wide celebration of art, culture, and creativity to the area.
Irish Fest will take place in downtown Norcross March 7, from noon to 5 p.m. Come celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style, with lively music, spirited Irish dancing, good food, balloon typing and other events. This is a partnership between the Norcross Business Association and the Drake School of Dancing.
Author Terri Parlato discusses her newest psychological suspense novel, She Thought She Was Safe, where a young woman is reunited with the famous father she never knew. This will take place on March 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lilburn Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library.
The Southwest Gwinnett Chamber will have its next Thursday Thought Leaders luncheon at Hilton Atlanta Northeast on March 12 at 11:30 a.m. The guest speaker will be Ken Bernhardt, professor at the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. The topic: “Why Strategic Plans Fail: 10 Pitfalls Every Leader Should Know.” Buffet lunch is included. Registration is required and closes at noon on March 10.
A Night at the Hunnicutt Inn will be at Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church. This is an original play sharing the history of Mt. Carmel and the Pinckneyville community! Performances are Friday, March 13 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, March 14 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the church at 5100 S. Old Peachtree Road, Norcross. Tickets are $15 and include dessert! Purchase tickets here.
Participate in the Peachtree Corners Baptist Church 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, March 14 at 9 a.m. for the Neighborhood 5K Run/Walk benefiting Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries. Enjoy as a runner, walker, and family friendly 5K, running along a quiet neighborhood course. Race is chip-timed, and registration includes a t-shirt, post-race refreshments, and medals for Top 3 Overall and Masters M/F finishers as well as top three M/F finishers in each age group. To register, click here.
Join the Gwinnett Historical Society’s next meeting on Monday, March 16 at 7 p.m. at Rhodes Jordan Park Community Recreation Center, 100 East Crogan Street, Lawrenceville. This meeting will feature guest speaker Susan Hogue from Master Framing and Preservation in Chamblee, who will discuss the proper care and restoration of family heirlooms.
Gwinnett Master Gardeners will meet at the Bethesda Senior Center, 225 Bethesda Church Road, on March 16 at 7 p.m. Speaker will be Dr. Allan Armitage, renowned horticulturist, will be discussing his new book, The Common-Sense Gardener, which offers hands-on gardening with wisdom, humor and no-nonsense advice.
Opening the Door to Yiddish: Join us for a fascinating lecture with literary scholar Dr. Miriam Udel, explore a vibrant culture through the stories told to its children, and gain insight before diving into the Library’s 2026 Yiddish Book Club Series. This will be March 16 at 7 p.m. at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library.
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