From JJ McKelvey, Taste of East Cobb event coordinator (and main fundraiser for the Walton Band programs), comes word of a free community show the Walton Raider Marching Band is performing Tuesday.
It starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Raider Valley football stadium (1591 Bill Murdock Road) and it’s the “Alice Underground” show that has won recent multiple awards, including first place at the Buford Marching Band Classic (outstanding music, outstanding visual, and outstanding effect).
Two weeks ago, the Walton band was named Grand Champion, Highest Music Award, Most Entertaining, and several 10 other awards at the Super Bowl of Sound Marching Band Competition at Central High School in Carrollton.
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Famed socialite Tracy Lord is planning a lavish wedding at her Oyster Bay estate, despite the meddling of her ex-husband and a couple of snooping reporters. Based on the 1939 play, “The Philadelphia Story,” with Katharine Hepburn and the 1956 musical film starring Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra, High Society sparkles with Porter standards such as “Ridin High,” “She’s Got That Thing,” “True Love,” “Let’s Misbehave, and “Well, Did You Evah?”
Join Wheeler Theatre for an elegant, ‘swellegant’ night of mayhem, moonlight, and gorgeous music! High Societyis presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Arthur Kopit, and additional lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. The production is directed by Atlanta theatre favorite Nick Morrett, with music direction by Thomas Chafin and choreography by Elizabeth Neidel Wexler. Rated PG (11 & up) for depiction of social drinking.
CCSD Faculty/Staff receive one free ticket with ID.Advance Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at: WHEELERHS.BOOKTIX.COM. Tickets at the door: $15.
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Following up our story last week about the possibility that CenterStage North might halt its 2024 season at The Art Place-Mountain View due to Sunday staffing issues with Cobb PARKS:
Jonathan Liles, CSN’s managing director, told East Cobb News Friday that the community theater organization and the county have come to an agreement to continue Sunday staffing by employees of The Art Place.
He said he met with Cobb PARKS staff Friday and said that CenterStage North Sunday shows and Sunday musical recitals will continue into 2024.
“We discussed the potential of future partnerships and how it could benefit The Art Place,” Liles said without elaborating.
The county told CenterStage North last month that starting next year The Art Place would be closed to all Sunday activities due to staffing issues at the county-run facility on Sandy Plains Road, located in a complex with the Tim D. Lee Senior Center and the Mountain View Regional Library.
Liles said CenterStage North had been getting inquiries from patrons about the 2024 season. He previously told East Cobb News the all-volunteer non-profit couldn’t exist financially without ticket sales from Sunday matinee performances, and there was no other place to go.
“Without the Sunday revenue, I cannot afford to stay open,” he said.
The Art Place also offers art classes and holds special arts exhibits and receptions. Earlier this year, Sunday musical recitals there were discontinued due to the staffing issues.
East Cobb News has left a message with the county seeking more information.
CenterStage North will soon proceed with planning its 2024 season, which includes four to five performances a year, including a special Christmas event.
“We’d like to thank The Art Place Staff, Cobb Parks and Rec Assistant Director Mario Henson, and Marie Jernigan, the Cultural Affairs Director, for their support and partnership,” Liles said.
The 2024 season is as follows, with ticket sales starting in October:
The 39 Steps – Feb 2024
Drinking Habits – May 2024
Maytag Virgin – August 2024
Little Shop of Horrors (Musical, rights pending) – October 2024
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A few hundred spectators decked out in garden-party attire watched as a large green curtain was pulled down Thursday to reveal a new public plaza at Avenue East Cobb.
The centerpiece of the retail center’s redevelopment also features a live music stage, and a high-energy cover band rocked the venue for a couple of hours after that, as guests munched on appetizers from current and forthcoming restaurants, enjoyed cocktails and danced.
More than a year in the making, the new open-air plaza signals a new phase for Avenue, which has been rebranded as it has been re-energized.
An official from North American Properties, which signed on as a management partner last year, calls it “East Cobb’s hometown hangout,” with the purpose tied to getting the public to come, and stay.
Two new “jewel box” restaurants are still under construction, and some outdoor seating has been set up in front of Round Trip Brewing Co., which will be opening a German-style taproom next spring.
But the plaza is officially open to the public, and continuing events such as Friday night live music are on tap. That includes “Electric Avenue” concerts every Friday from 6-8 p.m. through October.
The plaza features a variety of comfortable chairs and sofas and two bar areas, along with a green turf in front of the stage suitable for spreading out blankets.
Rev. Dr. Ike Reighard, CEO of MUST Ministries, thanked the attendees.
The venue also includes optional valet parking, which some cocktail party guests took advantage of at Thursday’s event.
The cost was $75 a person, but all the proceeds went to MUST Ministries.
CEO Ike Reighard said the result was $10,000 for the Marietta non-profit, which typically served around 300 homeless clients per night before COVID-19.
That figure shot up to 1,500 a night during the height of the pandemic.
“The only thing that exceeded the level of need was the level of generosity, and that’s what you did,” he said.
Reighard, who’s also senior pastor at Piedmont Church, told the audience that “you won’t hear a minister saying ‘drink up,’ but thank you.”
Pimiento cheese grit fritters from Peach State Pizza.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The 2023–24 Atlanta Opera season will be getting underway in a week, with most performances at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center.
The opener will take place Sept. 15-Oct. 1 at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, and it will be the East Coast premiere of “The Shining,” based on the Stephen King novel.
The Cobb Energy Center is the venue for the rest of the way, with another horror classic, “Frankenstein,” leading off on Oct. 28 in what’s being called an “imaginative presentation of vintage cinema.” The performance includes a new score for the full orchestra and singers performing live to the film.
Guiseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto will be performed on Nov. 4, 7, 10 and 12 to round out the 2023 calendar year.
Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème will be presented on Jan. 20, 23, 26 and 28, with star tenor Long Long making his Atlanta Opera debut.
Benjamin Britten’s adaptation of the Shakespeare comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” runs on March 2, 5, 8 and 10 featuring countertenor Iestyn Davies and soprano Liv Redpath.
The season finale takes place on April 27 and 30 and May 3 and 5 and it’s Richard Wagner’s “Die Walklüre,” following last year’s Atlanta Opera presentation of Wagner’s “Das Rheingold.”
Tickets are available atwww.atlantaopera.org or by calling the ticket office at 404-881-8885 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
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Lisa Clark and Bob Winsted played leading roles in “Fireflies,” a Texas-based romantic comedy staged at The Art Place in August. Photo: CenterStage North
One of metro Atlanta’s longest-running community theaters said it may not be able to offer a 2024 season due to changes at the Cobb County-owned facility where it stages performances.
Jonathan Liles, managing director of CenterStage North, told East Cobb News that Cobb PARKS (Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs) officials informed him last month that the theater organization won’t be able to have Sunday shows at The Art Place-Mountain View in East Cobb starting next year “due to staffing.”
He said The Art Place will no longer furnish an employee for Sunday activities, including rehearsals and stage set-up, even though CenterStage North pays for an employee to assist with lighting and other technical issues on its show days.
This year, The Art Place discontinued Sunday piano recital activities.
CenterStage North shows take place on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons, typically over a two-week period in The Art Place’s theater that seats between 125-210 people.
Ticket sales fund operational costs for CenterStage North, including rental fees at The Art Place. The board members and actors are all volunteers, as are those who assist with the performances.
“CSN is on a mission to save the arts in Cobb County,” Liles said in a message responding to a request for from East Cobb News for comment. “Without Sundays, we are unable to support this mission.”
The Art Place holds art classes and exhibitions as well as CenterStage North shows.
But Liles said the main concern isn’t operational but financial.
“Without the Sunday revenue, I cannot afford to stay open,” he said.
“The majority of our revenue comes from subscription sales to shows and donations, and we are one of the few arts organizations that stays solvent using this model.”
In addition to Sunday being the best day for volunteer availability, Liles said the Sunday matinees are “the only time some patrons can see a performance. . . . It generates critical revenue that funds operating costs covering the next production.”
Liles said he is meeting with county officials next week to discuss the matter, and he said he’s proposing “creative scheduling with the existing staff” to come up with a solution.
East Cobb News contacted the county for more information.
Spokesman Ross Cavitt said that Cobb PARKS “is dealing with the fact that the Art Place is not staffed for a seven-day-a-week operation with only two full-time and two part-time staffers. The Art Place is the only art center open on Sundays for rentals.”
He said with the center’s hours—10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday—”it has been challenging to keep them staffed,” and that the average Sunday patron turnout is around 30.
The rest of CenterStage North’s 2023 schedule—including a political comedy, “The Outsider,” and its annual Christmas holiday show—will go on.
But this is the time of year that the theater finalizes its schedule for the next year. Liles said that hasn’t been happening, and subscribers have been asking.
“When our patrons ask us why we have not announced our next season, we had to inform them what was happening and that we are unsure that we will be able to have performances next year,” he said.
He said that CenterStage North has no other place to go if it can’t work something out to remain at The Art Place.
“We would have to go on hiatus” in 2024 at the very least, he added.
CenterStage North is an all-volunteer non-profit that has staged community theater performances in Cobb County since the 1970s, initially in the Smyrna area.
The theater group’s current name was adopted in the 1980s and it staged shows at The Steeple House Arts Center, which was located on Johnson Ferry Road at Paper Mill Road.
Center Stage North volunteers work on a set design at The Art Place.
CenterStage North later began leasing space at The Art Place, located on Sandy Plains Road near the Mountain View Regional Library and the Tim D. Lee Senior Center, and began staging full seasons, with quarterly performances, plus special shows for the Christmas holidays.
CenterStage North was set to expand its season subscription to five shows in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic was declared and performances stopped in 2020, and returned in limited fashion in 2021.
Liles said support for the arts has been decreasing since then, and that only CenterStage North and a few children’s theaters serve the East Cobb area.
He noted that in Cobb County “ball fields are open on Sundays. Why not the performing arts facilities? There are organizations clamoring to rent on Sundays if the facility is open.”
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The work of South Carolina artist Michael Allen will be featured at Art in the Park.
Submitted information:
Art in the Park has been a part of the Marietta Square’s history since 1986 and takes place in and around the Historic Marietta Square and Glover Park on Labor Day weekend. It is a Marietta signature event and tradition that celebrates the arts featuring local and national artists from around the country.
This fine art extravaganza features an artist market, children’s art alley, and the famous Painted Pots. Art displayed will include paintings, photography, pottery, graphic arts, sculptures, jewelry, and woodworking from 175 of the country’s finest artists. Festival guests will also have the opportunity to visit the unique shops and boutiques; restaurants, museums and galleries, take in a historic walking tour plus much more, all within walking distance of the festival.
The festival is free with plenty of available parking in the Cobb County Park Decks located on Waddell St. at Lawrence St (daily rates apply).
The festival was selected as a Top 200 Art Festival by Sunshine Artist Magazine. As a matter of fact, Marietta Art in the Park is listed as #13 in the nation in the Fine Art and Design category. The festival has always been about the art and artists and we are proud of this accomplishment. The festival began 37 years ago and has become one of the premier fine art shows in Atlanta, and the only one in Cobb County. This fine art extravaganza features the Artist Market, representing the best in fine handcrafted works by 175 artists from all over the country. Art displayed during the festival includes paintings, photography, pottery, graphic arts, sculptures, jewelry, woodworking and much more. Also included in the festival is the Children’s Art Alley and the Chalk Spot. The festival supports both Marietta City Schools and Cobb County Schools through fund raising efforts during the festival.
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Conservatory students performing a recital in April. Photo: Johnson Ferry Conservatory for the Arts
A music school at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church that provided private one-to-one instruction to children closed earlier this month after 27 years.
The Johnson Ferry Conservatory for the Arts announced on a social media posting Monday that it was with “heavy hearts” that it was closing its doors.
The church website noted in a separata message that Johnson Ferry recently hired a consultant to conduct a child safety review across the organization.
“It has been determined that we can no longer allow one adult to be in a room alone with one child. Of course, this directly impacts our model for private music lessons. So, after much prayer and discussion, we have decided that we will be closing the doors of the Conservatory.”
The final day of operation was Aug. 5.
East Cobb News left a message with the church seeking further information. Communications director T.J. King sent a statement nearly identical to the conservatory message, adding that since its inception, the school’s objective has been to “give each student a first-class music lesson in a safe Christian environment.”
The conservatory had more than 20 teachers at the time of its closure, offering instruction in guitar, piano, bassoon, oboe, saxophone, clarinet, viola, violin and voice. The school also conducted recitals (see video below, from April) and other special events featuring the students.
The conservatory message ended by saying that “it has been a privilege to teach thousands of children in East Cobb, and watch them develop their God-given gifts. We pray God’s very best for all of them!”
King added that Johnson Ferry is continuing a children’s music program on Wednesday evening and has student choirs during the week.
“Our church and its many ministries are healthy and growing and we are excited about what the future holds,” King said.
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Two well-known musicians will headline the third annual “Harmonies for Homes” concert to be held on Sunday, October 8 benefiting Habitat for Humanity of NW Metro Atlanta. The concert will be held for the first time at the beautiful outdoor City Green amphitheater in Sandy Springs. Tickets and sponsorships are available at: citysprings.com/events/harmonies-homes.
The singer-songwriter event will feature renowned artist, Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls, and guitarist and singer, David Ryan Harris of John Mayer Band. This year Habitat will also welcome Chesley McNeil, Morning Meteorologist from 11Alive, as emcee for the event.
Emily Saliers is one half of the Grammy Award-winning folk rock music duo, Indigo Girls, along with Amy Ray. Over the years, they have sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, as well as earned six Grammy nominations. In 1989, they were nominated for Best New Artist and took home the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Indigo Girls’ latest critically acclaimed album Look Long was released in the spring of 2020.
Saliers plays acoustic and electric guitars, as well as banjo, piano, mandolin, and ukulele. Saliers has written many of the Indigo Girls’ fan-favorite songs and concert standouts such as “Closer to Fine,” “Get Out the Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Power of Two,” and “Galileo” to name a few. A documentary about the 40-year journey of the Indigo Girls, “It’s Only Life After All,” intimately covering their lives as artists and activists, debuted to rave reviews at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
David Ryan Harris is an American guitarist and singer based in Los Angeles, California. Born in Evanston, Illinois, Harris moved to Atlanta at a young age to launch his career. Harris has had a varied career as a musician.
He has been performing on stage since the 1980s when he served as the front man for the Atlanta rock group, Follow for Now. The band was given a record deal and released their self-titled in 1991. The band toured with such acts as Fishbone, HR of Bad Brains, Pearl Jam, Faith No More, and 24–7 Spyz. While Harris continues to promote his solo act, he can frequently be seen on stage performing with artists such as John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Santana, Sister Hazel, Better Than Ezra, and Collective Soul.
Tickets for the concert are $200 each and tax-deductible sponsorships begin at $1,000. Every guest receives two drink tickets with admission. Guests should bring a chair or blanket, and food truck selections and beverages will be available for purchase. This year’s concert is being presented by sponsor Bercher Homes. This event raises proceeds to support Habitat’s mission to continue building, refurbishing, and repairing homes for families in need in Cobb, Douglas, and Paulding counties.
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In celebration of its 16th anniversary and to thank the community for its continued support, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre will host a Sweet 16 Community Day & Open House Celebration on Sunday, Aug. 27 from 12 to 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Pre-register at cobbenergycentre.com.
Those who pre-register can enter to win select prizes throughout the day (check-in required). Patrons new and old will be introduced and reintroduced to the magic that happens within the state-of-the-art Centre year-round, including free performances by resident companies Atlanta Ballet and The Atlanta Opera and the Centre’s arts education arm, ArtsBridge Foundation. The event also will include appearances by Blooper, the Heavy Hitters and Harry the Hawk; Anchor Lana Harris and Meteorologist Rodney Harris from Atlanta News First; Star 94 DJ Skye Smith, music, food trucks, children’s activities (face painting, balloon artist, magician and crafts), building tours, free classes and much more.
Prize drawings throughout the afternoon will include a Golden Ticket package with tickets to The Atlanta Opera, Atlanta Ballet and select other concerts and comedians at the Centre; Braves tickets, a 50-inch TV, an Igloo IMX24 cooler, stays at multiple area hotels and more!
Don’t forget to visit the Kessel D. Stelling Ballroom for cooking demonstrations by the Centre’s culinary team and a showcase of the versatile meeting and event space featuring several event industry partners.
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Cobb PARKS is accepting entries in its 18th annual Fun in the Park Photo Contest. (The photos in this post are what we’ve taken in the past on our visits to parks in the East Cobb area; we’ve never submitted them for the contest.)
Participants can submit up to 10 of their favorite photos taken at county and city parks until Nov. 2. Entries are not accepted for photos taken at national parks or those outside Cobb County.
The categories include nature and wildlife, sports and action and general, and there is no charge to enter the contest.
Here’s some very specific information on photo files and how to label and submit them:
Photos should be in full-size jpeg format with no watermarks or signatures on the image. Name the files with your name, category and photo # – (example: John Doe_NW_01). This would represent your file as John Doe > Nature and Wildlife > photo #1. Digital photos must be accompanied by an entry form. Entries that are submitted by email will need entry information in the email with the category for each picture and number indicated. Cobb PARKS reserves the right to not accept photos deemed inappropriate.
Submit entries to Mark.Chandler@cobbcounty.org.
Plaques will be awarded for first, second, third and honorable mention for each category.
Judges will be provided by the Cobb Photographic Society and Cobb County PARKS. Winners will be notified by email by the first week in December.
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Charlie and Erin Chesnutt confirmed as the event’s chairpersons, while Allen Devlin of Atlanta News First will be the master of ceremonies. Mr. Chesnutt is a senior vice president and treasurer/special advisor to the CFO with Atlanta-based Genuine Parts Company while Ms. Chesnut is a marketing and communications executive contributing writing to Alabama-based TPI Publications/Tallapoosa Publishers Inc. Devlin is weekday anchor for ANF’s afternoon and evening broadcasts.
Themed “A Night at the Cabaret” the Gala celebrates ArtsBridge Foundation’s year-round mission impacting the lives of thousands of Georgia K-12 students through arts education and financial aid subsidy programs.
The Gala will feature a cabaret cocktail hour, a sumptuous gourmet three-course meal prepared by Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Executive Chef Nick Alvarez, theater-in-the-round style entertainment by winners of the 2023 Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards (a.k.a. “The Georgia Dozen”), a live auction featuring stellar packages and big-ticket bidding encouraged by Auction Horizon, and an after-party featuring a live band in the Kessel D. Stelling Jr. Ballroom.
Alvarez’s cabaret-themed menu for the occasion includes a baby romaine salad featuring heirloom tomatoes, shaved parmesan, frico and sherry Caesar dressing, followed by a duo of grilled New York steak and Chilean sea bass accompanied by confit fingerling potatoes, crusted baby fennel, Swiss chard, soubise and Périgueux. The evening’s vegetarian main course option features spiced baby eggplant, fennel, fingerling potatoes and quinoa almond crumble with skordalia. Dessert features a peach ricotta cheesecake, gluten free shortbread, bruléed marshmallow and almond crumble.
“We greatly appreciate the generosity of our longtime sponsors and supporters of ArtsBridge Foundation who already stepped up to support ‘A Night at the Cabaret,’” said Jennifer D. Dobbs, executive director. “As we countdown to the big event, we are looking for additional community businesses and leaders to join us in support of youth arts education through any of our Gala sponsorship levels.”
The Gala fundraising goal is $150,000 to support the organization’s Title I Adopt-A-School Financial Aid Subsidy Program, which subsidizes admission and bus transportation for thousands of deserving children throughout the state. Gala sponsor levels include Supporting Cast Member ($1,000), Spotlight Sponsor ($3,500), Showstopper ($5,000), Headliner ($10,000) and Premier ($25,000). Additional details for each level of support, including individual tickets ($350), may be found at https://bit.ly/ArtsBridge2023OvertureGala or by contacting Dobbs at 770-916-2803.
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LM Frame and Gallery of East Cobb will be the venue for an upcoming exhibit displaying the work of a notable sports artist.
An opening event for the exhibit will take place on Thursday, July 20, from 5:30-8 p.m. at its location at 1062 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 150.
The exhibit features the work of Jace McTier, based in Augusta, and will continue through Aug. 15.
He’s part of a family of artists that specializes in Impressionist, figurative and sports painting (Lucy and Jace McTier). His mother, Lucy McTier, has been among his influences, along with William Turner, Vincent Van Gogh, and the sports art of George Bellows and LeRoy Nieman.
Jace McTier’s sports art portraits include Tom Brady, Muhammad Ali, Serena Williams and Rory McIlroy.
A portion of sales from the exhibit at LM Frame and Gallery will be donated to the Tim Luke Hope for Minds charity, helping children with brain injuries.
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Bookmiser, an independent bookstore in East Cobb, is starting a reading club for middle school students that has its first gathering next week.
The Middle Grade Book Club will hold its first meeting July 14 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Bookmiser (3822 Roswell Road).
The club, which is limited to 10 participants in grades 4-7, will meet the second Friday of every month after that.
Participation is free but books must be purchased from Bookmiser.
July and August books have been selected but future books will be chosen by participants and the club’s moderator, Carlie Sorosiak, a children’s author, creative writing teacher and former bookseller.
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MiniCon 2023 – a day of fantasy, sci-fi, anime, fandom, and gaming – will be held 10 am to 5 pm Saturday, June 24, at Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center, 2051 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta 30068.
The third annual free family-friendly MiniCon features activities for all ages, including crafts, panels, a photo booth, role playing game demonstrations, miniature war gaming, a board game room, costume/cosplay contests, cosplay karaoke and more. Entertainment will include live music by Phantasm, Tim Between, and Stone Soup.
“If you like anything in the realms of gaming, cosplay, anime, sci-fi, comics, or fantasy, you will find something amazing to do at MiniCon,” said Jay Morgan, Creative Studios Librarian. “We’re also going to have special guests, live music, and even a theatrical performance of Beowulf. There’s even going to be a special storytime and crafts for the younger patrons. When I say MiniCon has got it all, I mean it has got it all.”
The 2023 line-up of MiniCon panels include:
11 am: Voicing Acting
Noon: Cosplaying on a Budget
1 pm: Pokemon Trivia
2 pm: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Writer’s Workshop
3 pm: Tabletop RPG: There and Back Again
MiniCon 2023 is presented by the Sewell Mill Library and Cobb County PARKS department.
For information on MiniCon 2023, call 770-509-2711 ext. 2.
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New York playwright and actress Ingrid Griffith will be presenting her one-woman “immersive and interactive” show about 1972 presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm Saturday night at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road).
She was dubbed “Fighting Shirley” for her tenacity on racial, gender and social issues during her political career.
She was the first black female member of Congress when she was first elected in 1968, and served until 1983.
In her presidential bid, Chisholm received votes in 14 states and finished seventh among Democratic candidates. She also was the first woman to be invited to a presidential debate.
Chisholm died at the age of 80 in 2005.
Griffith, who has been involved in numerous off-Broadway theater productions, has performed the Chisholm show in the New York area and is in the Atlanta area this weekend with another show scheduled for Decatur.
She said on her website about the showthat “I’ve been moved to write and share Shirley Chisholm’s story in the hope that more people will become aware of her contributions and appreciate how her voice resonates today.
“I’m drawn to tell stories about the immigrant experience, about being an outsider and daring to be one’s self. I’m interested in social norms and cultural barriers that keep girls and women down, and in stories that promote and celebrate girls and women’s empowerment.”
The Sewell Mill Library performance of “Unbossed and Unbowed” is free but you’re asked to sign up in advance by clicking here.
Griffith also is accepting donations for her work at this link.
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The Cobb County Public Library System has compiled an extensive booklist for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month, which is observed in June.
The titles range from children’s picture and non-fiction books to teen and young adult fiction and adult titles.
The Cobb library system provided similar resource lists for Black History Month and Women’s History Month earlier this year.
In her weekly e-mail newsletter, Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid referenced the Pride Month booklist, saying “this month-long observation recognizes all members of the LGBTQ+ community, their historical roots, and allies that fight for their fundamental human rights and equality. It honors their bravery and influence. We take time to consider LGBTQ+ victims of hate crimes and those who continue to face violence, discrimination, and other injustices.”
Pride Month has been observed in June to honor the start of the modern gay rights movement, stemming from the Stonewall protests that took place in New York in June 1969.
More information about the Cobb Library Pride Month booklist can be found by clicking here.
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The two Cobb Department of Parks, Recreational and Cultural Affairs facilities in East Cobb with summer art programs are continuing registration.
Some classes are close to filling up for camp slots in June and July, and those parents wishing to sign up their children can check availability and costs by clicking here.
The Art Place-Mountain View (3330 Sandy Plains Road) is calling its summer programs “The World Tour Art Camp,” which start June 5 and conclude on July 28.
The age groups range from ages 6-18, and explore art history, music and dance across continents and geographic regions of the world.
There are special cabaret camps, camps for wheel pottery, 3D sculpture and manga and anime drawing.
At the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road), the theme is “The Great Create,” with a variety of classes in painting, pottery and performing arts.
The format includes two half-day camps that combine for an all-day experience and occasionally will include non-art field trips, activities and outdoor play.
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