Wheeler Holiday Showcase features the sounds of the season

Wheeler Holiday Showcase

The various bands, orchestras, coral music groups and other fine arts groups at Wheeler High School performed two shows Saturday in the Holiday Showcase at the school’s performing arts center.

The event was the culmination of many weeks of rehearsals and involved dozens of students in the Chorale Chorus, the Beginning Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Sinfonia Orchestra, the Concert Band, the Symphonic Band and the Full Orchestra.

In the second show, the Bel Voce Chorus, the Wind Ensemble Band, the Chamber Orchestra and the Theater took the stage.

The music teachers include Mark Hoskins and Anthony Higdon (band), Ebony Collier (chorus), Dwayne Wasson and April O’Keefe (orchestra), Dayna Strickland (theater) and Lisa Casey and William Rembert (visual art).

The photos and videos are from the opening concert.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

John Driskell Hopkins to perform holiday show at Olde Towne

John Driskell Hopkins, Olde Towne holiday concert

Submitted information and photo:

John Driskell Hopkins (founding member of the Zac Brown Band) has released his third holiday album, entitled Our Finest Gifts, this time with  ATL Collective.The new album, with R&B-themed holiday tunes, is available for purchase or download on johndriskellhopkins.com, and is now available for download wherever you get your music — including iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and Pandora. 

WATCH VIDEO FOR “HAPPY SEASON”

ATL Collective is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching Atlanta’s music community by connecting artists to professional development, financial support and exposure to audiences. They are known to hand pick the finest musicians in town to collectively recreate the greatest albums ever recorded. 

The new album follows the success of the 2017 holiday album, You Better Watch Out, with The Joe Gransden Big Band; and In the Spirit: A Celebration of the Holidays, released in 2015 with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra (and on vinyl in 2016). 

Recorded at Hopkins’ studio — Brighter Shade Studios — Our Finest Gifts will feature appearances by Trombone Shorty, Ruby Velle, Dionne Farris, David Ryan Harris, Jason Eskridge and Maureen Murphy.

“I can’t begin to express how excited I am to be releasing my third Christmas album,” said Hopkins. ”I am so grateful to ATL Collective and all of these amazing artists who are part of this collaboration. It means so much to share my love of the holidays through music, and I think everyone will enjoy these R&B-themed holiday tunes.”

The new album was recorded at Hopkins’ own Brighter Shade Studios — a stunning and expansive 2500 square feet, includes an oversized, flexible-use main recording space large enough to hold a 30-piece orchestra. The space also boasts a voice-over booth, machine and mixing room, lounge and full-service bar — made of Sapele (from Taylor Guitars) with customized song lyrics carved into the wood. The space is garnished with hallmarks of Hopkins esteemed career, including guitars, awards, photos and mementos from his musical journey.

HOLIDAY CONCERTS
PUDDLES’ PITY PARTY HOLIDAY JUBILEE
Friday, November 29 | 7:30 p.m.
Center Stage
1374 W Peachtree St NW
Atlanta, GA 30309

CAMP TRACH ME AWAY HOLIDAY CONCERT
FEATURING JOHN DRISKELL HOPKINS
Sunday, December 1 | 3:00 p.m.
Heritage Sandy Springs
610 Blue Stone Road
Sandy Springs, GA 30328
Holiday Music featuring John Driskell Hopkins

BALSAM RANGE ART OF MUSIC FESTIVAL
Saturday, December 7 | 7:00 p.m.
Lake Junaluska, North Carolina
John Driskell Hopkins and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra

JOHN DRISKELL HOPKINS’ SOUNDS OF THE SEASON
Saturday, December 14 | 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Olde Towne Athletic Club 
4950 Olde Towne Pkwy
Marietta, GA 30068
John Driskell Hopkins And The Joe Gransden Big Band — both performances will feature an evening benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

LM Frame + Gallery holding ‘We Are Artists’ show, reception

The LM Frame + Gallery store (1062 Johnson Ferry Road) is having another artists event on Sunday, and an opening reception tonight. The show is being put together by Marietta-based artist Renee Adams:

We Are Artists show

 

More Arts News

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre presents ‘The Nutcracker’

Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre The Nutcracker

Submitted information:

A not to be missed holiday tradition is back to delight audiences of all ages. The Nutcracker presented by Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre, Thanksgiving weekend. Immerse yourself in the magical tale of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince on a journey through the delectable Kingdom of Sweets with the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Audiences will enjoy the gorgeous sets, updated costumes, magical special effects, and original choreography set to Tchaïkovsky’s timeless music. Prepare to be thrilled by exquisite solo performances from youth company dancers. The Nutcracker includes performances from our ten high school seniors in lead roles and the full company of over 120 local dancers, ranging in age from seven to eighteen, who train at Georgia Dance Conservatory on the Marietta Square.

Professional dancers D Patton White as Godfather Drosselmeyer and  Raul Peinado as the Cavalier join our cast. We are pleased to welcome back former company dancers, Scott Reed and Michael Duncan, returning to perform from Cincinnati Ballet’s Professional Training program.

With four performances on Thanksgiving weekend, this awe-inspiring holiday classic promises to captivate audiences of all ages. Tickets on sale now!

Tickets: $15 to $35  www.georgiametrodance.tix.com

The dates are as follows:

  • Friday, November 29, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, November 30, 2:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, November 30, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, December 1, 2:00 p.m

The venue is the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre at the Cobb Civic Center (548 S. Marietta Pkwy SE, Marietta).

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Sewell Mill Library showing ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy Tuesday

Submitted information from the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road): Sewell Mill Library Lord of the Rings

We’re starting Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings trilogy at 10AM and watching all three films back to back.

Cool Beans Coffee and Good Food will provide beverages and snacks during the marathon and the movies will be streaming into the cafe, so you can get your snack on and not miss a minute!

  • Crafts for the kids
  • Prizes for anyone who up in costume
  • Cool beans Coffee serving second breakfast, elevensies and luncheon (10AM-5PM)
  • Good Food serving afternoon tea, dinner, and supper (5PM-8PM)

 

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Marietta Museum of History celebrates photography exhibit opening

The Man with the Camera, Marietta Museum of History photography exhibit

Submitted information:

On Monday, October 28, 2019 from 4pm till 7pm, the Marietta Museum of History will host a VIP Reception to commemorate the closing of its special exhibit, Spalding: An American Sports Empire which ends, Saturday, November 2, 2019. This exhibit showcases A. G. Spalding, his company and early American sports’ history. Not only was A.G. Spalding the master of a sporting goods empire, he was also a professional athlete, sportsman and marketing genius. Spalding memorabilia on exhibit includes vintage baseball, football, golf, fishing, cycling, basketball history, uniforms and equipment. A highlight is “Babe” Ruth’s 1935 Boston Braves cap! Other items feature Cobb County’s own, Atlanta Braves’ history including a 1970 Braves uniform top, 1958 World Series bunting and Boston Red Stockings items. In attendance Monday night will be Jeff Mann, the owner of this impressive private collection.

Also, on Monday night, the Museum will be celebrating the opening of the newest exhibit, The Man with the Camera: Photographs by Raymond T. Burford. This unique exhibit highlights African American photographer Raymond T. Burford, known locally as “The Man with the Camera,” and the local black communities that he documented. For over twenty years, from the 1940s through the early 1960s, Burford seemingly attended and documented every important social event, family party, school function and community activity in the Marietta areas of Baptist Town, Liberia and Louisville among others. Photographs include scenes at Marietta’s segregated school, Lemon Street School, and intimate looks inside the homes and lives of African Americans around town.

When: Monday, October 28, 2019, 4pm till 7pm

Where: Marietta Museum of History, One Depot Street, Marietta, GA 30060

Cost:  FREE for Museum Members, $10 for Non-Members 

The Marietta Museum of History uses ordinary objects to tell the extraordinary stories of Marietta and Cobb County’s rich history and culture. Galleries and exhibits cover topics such as military history, home life throughout the centuries, technology and local businesses from our past.

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb art show to benefit suicide prevention efforts

East Cobb art show, Passionate Artists with a Cause

Thanks to Mary Wyman for asking us to share information about an art show in East Cobb  she’s involved in next weekend that will aid suicide prevention efforts.

The show, called “Passionate Artists With a Cause,” will take place next Sunday, Oct. 27, from 3-6 p.m. at LM Frame + Gallery (formerly Thompson’s Frame Shop).

She’s among the artists, many of them from the Indian Hills area, who will have their artwork on display. A percentage of the sales will be going for suicide prevention work.

Wyman said this is the second year for the art show, which benefitted ALS research in its first year after the death of a golfer in the community.

This year, the decision to assist the American Association for Suicide Prevention came after an “unfortunate death.”

The art show is free to attend and is open to the public.

LM Frame + Gallery is located at the Shops at Woodlawn, 1062 Johnson Ferry Road, next to Big Peach Running Co.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Pope Band to perform community show on Wednesday

East Cobber parade, Pope Band community show

 

Submitted information:

Join us on Wednesday, October 16th for the Pope High School Marching Band’s Community Show where the band will perform both their marching band competition show, 9 3/4, as well as their rockin’ football halftime show featuring Sweet Child O’ Mine from Guns N’ Roses.

Join us for dinner beforehand with Food Trucks beginning at 5 pm. Boss Lady’s Grillers, Peace of Pita, Tom + Chee and Kona Ice will be there!

The show will start at 7 pm in Pope’s football stadium.

Join us for this wonderful evening to celebrate the band’s accomplishments, and send them off to their final competition in style!!

Please invite your friends, families and neighbors – they won’t want to miss this event!

Admission is $5.

That final competition is the Tarpon Springs Outdoor Marching Festival this weekend in Florida.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

PHOTOS: Art in the Dark installation show at The Art Place

Art in the Dark

Thanks to Caitlin King, art center coordinator at The Art Place, for the photos from last Friday’s “Art in the Dark” installation show.

She said more than 200 people turned out, taking in various light exhibits, including sculpture, pottery and glowing art, and improv radio show in the dark.

On Thursday, The Art Place will hold an opening reception for its new gallery show, featuring Photographer Appreciation Month and the Cobb Photographic Society and that runs through Oct. 31.

Also on Thursday at The Art Place (3330 Sandy Plains Road) is the opening of CenterStage North‘s production of “Point of Order.” It’s a comedy by playwright Ed Simpson about how a small Pennsylvania town in decline tries to turn around its fortunes by honoring a famous, long-gone citizen with a statue and gala event that reveals the vanities and egos of the locals instead.

For ticket information click here.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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 Art Place to hold ‘Art in the Dark’ installation event

Submitted information:Art in the Dark, The Art Place

Art in the Dark is a one night Art Show consisting entirely of light dependent art installations, performance art and activities. Projects placed inside and outside TAP will range from wall projections, lighted sculptures, lighted pottery, and glowing art.

Additionally, in the black box theatre 2 improv performances of Séance will occur – an entirely improvised radio show performed in the dark.

Outside we will also have glow bocce ball for guests to play with 

Finally, one classroom will be transformed into an interactive glow wall where guests can take pictures and another classroom will 6 different types of glow slime you can take home. 

Event is open to all ages, but if you are over 21 you can purchase a ticket that includes a glass of wine. 

Tickets are $5, $10 and $15 and can be purchased here.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Marietta Blues Bash moving to new East Cobb event space

Brick and Ivey, Marietta Blues Bash

The Extension, a Marietta-based non-profit agency, provides recovery services for those with addictions and who have been homeless.

Its annual fundraiser, the Marietta Blues Bash, is coming up on Sept. 12, and this year it’s being held at Brick and Ivey, a new event space next to Hoyle’s Kitchen + Bar (1440 Roswell Road).

Here are the event details The Extension is putting out, and they’re expecting tickets to go quickly:

Join co-host Cobb County Commission Chairman Mike Boyce for our annual Marietta Blues Bash event.

For the last 32 years, The Extension has saved, transformed, and restored the lives thousands of men and women struggling with drug and alcohol addiction in our community. 

Enjoy a traditional low country boil meal by Southern Charmed Catering featuring shrimp, Andouille Sausage, corn, baby red potatoes, southern collard greens, Wisconsin Cheddar macaroni and cheese and select pies to finish the meal.

Kenney Bentley Presents and his band will be paying tribute to jazz and blues greats. The silent auction will feature sports memorabilia, tickets to entertainment and sporting events and travel opportunities.  

There is a $50 suggested donation per person. Sponsorships and reserved tables for eight are currently available. For more information, call Renee McCormick at 770-590-9075 x309 or visit us online at www.theextension.org/bluesbash

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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 Art Place launches new website, announces fall programs

There’s a new look—and a new link—for the online presence for The Art Place, which also has released some details of what’s its offering this fall.

The old website isn’t being updated any longer, but here’s the new URL, where you’ll find information on upcoming art classes (and registration links), as well as art gallery events, Center Stage North community theater showings and more.

The Art Place (3332 Sandy Plains Road) also rents out its black box theater and conference rooms and classrooms for private events.

Some fall classes have already begun (here’s a full listing of what’s available) and there’s also a signup link to arts and other classes offered by the Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department.

Each month The Art Place showcases the work of local artists, and next Thursday is the opening reception for a month-long gallery show featuring fused glass artist Nancy Cann starting at 7 p.m.

On Oct. 4, The Art Place will present and interactive glow event, “Art in The Dark,” from 7:30-10 p.m., featuring art installations, hands-on activities, a glow wall and theater in the dark.

The Art Place also is the home for Center Stage North, which will have staging of the play “Point of Order.” from Oct. 11-19.

The community theater organization also recently announced its 2020 season and will soon be selling subscriptions.

The Art Place, which is part of the Cobb Parks and Recreation Department, works in conjunction with the volunteer support of the Mountain View Arts Alliance, which helps raise funds for classes and events and conducts outreach.

The Art Place has resumed fall hours, and is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Oct. 25.

For information email: info@artplacemarietta.org or call 770-509-2700.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Steal It! Pop Up Art Festival is Thursday at The Art Place

Steal It! Pop Up Art Festival

Last call to RSVP for Thursday’s Steal It! Pop Up Art Festival event from 7-9:30 p.m. at The Art Place (3330 Sandy Plains Road), which will feature the work of more than 30 local artists.

Admission is free, but drink tickets are $5 each, or two for $10 (and you’ll need to show your ID).

Like other similar events at The Art Place, this one is being presented by the Mountain View Arts Alliance, which supports the center’s work. It’s also the opening reception for an ongoing art sale, with items hanging in the hallway, gallery and lobby space in The Art Place.

All art on display will be under $50.

On Thursday, there will be 10 “pop up” booths featuring art for sale, live music from the Americana duo of Buttered Bourbon on the patio, previews for CenterStage North Theatre‘s upcoming show “Sylvia,” service dogs from Canine Assistants and light appetizers.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb author meets Tams singer at Marietta book signing

East Cobb author, Atlanta Pop book
Co-authors Andy Lee White of East Cobb (left) and John Williams flank Robert Lee Smith, the last surviving member of the original Tams. (author photo)

Following up a post from a couple weeks ago, about a July 26 book signing and Marietta Square concert with The Tams, and a book that includes the 1960s singing group, here’s a report from co-author Andy Lee White, an East Cobb resident, after the event:

Atlanta Pop book cover
Robert Lee Smith (circled in red) appeared at a Tams concert on the Marietta Square July 26.

The book signing for east Cobb author Andy Lee White’s, Atlanta Pop in the ‘50s, ‘60s & ‘70s: The Magic of Bill Lowery, held at The Local Exchange on the Marietta Square before The Tams concert in Glover Park, saw a very special guest make an appearance.

Robert Lee Smith, the last living original member of The Tams, stopped by for a visit with authors Andy Lee White and John M. Williams.

Robert and the other original members of The Tams are featured in a photograph on the cover of the new book and in a chapter dedicated to The Tams.

Robert even performed a couple of songs with the current Tams lineup (the first time together in 25 years) at the concert.

Estimates put the Friday night concert crowd on the Marietta Square at almost 10,000 people.

The book was published April 1 is available through The History Press.

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Book clubs and other activities resume at East Cobb library branches

East Cobb library book clubs

Submitted information:

Book discussion groups meeting at Cobb County Public Libraries cover a range of topics and interests. Adult book clubs are fun social gatherings and a good way to meet your neighbors and gather with friends.

Expand your knowledge about the world and literature. New clubs have been added to expand your options.

Upcoming Book Club sessions include:

  • Page Turners Book Club at Mountain View Regional Library meets on Wednesday, August 7 for sessions at 10:30 am – noon and 1 pm – 2:30 pm.  The August selection is The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. 770-509-2725
  • Men’s Book Club at East Cobb Library on Saturday, August 10 from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm. We’ll be discussing A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman. Although called Men’s Book Club, women are certainly welcome. 770-509-2730.
  • Gritters Tuesday Afternoon Book Group at Gritters Library on August 13 from 2 pm – 3 pm. We’ll be discussingLittle Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. 770-528-2524
  • Story to Screen at Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center on Wednesday, August 14 from 6 pm – 9 pm. In this book club with a twist, we discuss what’s better: Book or Movie. We’ll be discussing “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long” by Bryan Aldiss and then watching Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Rated PG-13. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. 770-509-2711
  • East Cobb Book Club at East Cobb Library meets for sessions on Thursday, August 15 from 11 am – 12:30 pm and 2 pm – 3:30 pm. The selection for both sessions is Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. Please call 770-509-2730. to confirm the title.
  • Read. Think. Talk at Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center will meet on Wednesday, August 21 from 10:30 am – noon to discuss The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith. 770-509-2711
  • Cobb Cooks the Books at Mountain View Regional Library on Monday, August 26 from 7 pm – 8 pm. Select a recipe from the cooksbooks on display at the library, find your own recipe or use one you already have and join us for a potluck meal and discuss the recipes of the theme for the month. The August theme is vegetarian. To register click here.  770-509-2725

Are you interested in launching your own book club, but you’re not sure where to start? Join us at Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center at Help! I Want to Start a Book Club! on Tuesday, August 27 from 7 pm – 8:30 pm. We’ll offer tips on how to organize a group and how to go about getting the best resources to start your own book club. 770-509-2711

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

2nd annual MiniCon returns to Sewell Mill Library on Saturday

Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center Mini Con

Last summer the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road) staged the inaugural “Minicon,” a day-long celebration of the arts and crafts of comics, sci-fi, fantasy, anime and gaming. On Saturday, it’s coming back for its second year, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The schedule is similar, including a costume contest (as seen above last year), along with gaming and other demos, cosplay and other workshops, face painting, food, vendors and many other activities.

What follows below more detailed list of what’s being featured. Anyone in the public is welcome to attend, and there is no admission:

Artists and Vendors:
BUTTON GIRL
CAIN 9 SEWING DESIGNS
DORIAN DARKSTAR
DOUBLE PRIMER
EK STUDIO
FELT NERDY
FLINT & FEATHER
GEMINI AND THE WOLF CANDLES
GENE MARKEY
GIGA-BITES CAFE
GOTHBOT
THE HAPPY KAT
JEWELRY BY JACK COLLINS
KNITS BY CAREY
LEGACY A.D.
MARK’S MUGS
MARLENA FRANK
MEGANEBII
MORBID SMILE
P.C. HESTER
SHINY TURTLE STUDIOS
WE THE DREAMING DESIGNS

Food:
COOL BEANS COFFEE
DADDY O’BRIEN’S ICE CREAM
GOOD FOOD
TOM + CHEE
ZAXBY’S

Featured Panel:
THE GREAT JAWA BUILD WITH GEORGIA 501ST

Workshops:
COSPLAY Q&A
FX MAKEUP FOR BEGINNERS
MINIATURES PAINTING* (Limited Space. First come first served)
WEB COMICS
ZINE MAKING

Featured Activities:
COSPLAY CONTEST (ADULTS AND TEENS)
CHILDREN’S COSTUME PARADE
CRAFTS
DEMOS BY THE MAKER STATION
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
FACE PAINTING
FANDOM MEETUPS
PALM READINGS BY HANDFUL OF STARS ($20)
PATHFINDER
TABLETOP GAMING WITH GIGA-BITES CAFE
TRIVIA

For information contact the Sewell Mill Library at 770-509-2711.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb author to have Marietta Square signing for ‘Atlanta Pop’ book

Atlanta Pop co-authors

Andy Lee White, at left, an East Cobb resident and author of the newly published “Atlanta Pop in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s” writes in to say that he and his co-author, John Williams, at right, will be having a signing event July 26 on the Marietta Square.

Their book, published in April by Arcadia Publishing and the History Press, focuses on Bill Lowery, an Atlanta music talent scout and promoter who discovered and developed homegrown Cobb County talent that includes Billy Joe Royal, Joe South and Ray Stevens.

Lowery also launched the careers of Atlanta natives Tommy Roe and Jerry Reed and managed and recorded The Tams. The emergence of Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special, Atlanta Rhythm Section and Classics IV also are included in this book, which covers a critical period in the history of Southern rock and popular music. Atlanta Pop

White and his wife Trisha operate the Your Extra Attic storage business on Lower Roswell Road near Johnson Ferry Road, but he’s also a singer, songwriter and musician who’s played live music and released two solo albums.

His most recent album, he says, is being completed with Rodney Mills, the noted Atlanta-area music producer and engineer.

This is White’s first book (he’s working on another, he says, that will include “some local Cobb County names and personalities and centers around a story that, for the most part, takes place in Marietta.” Williams, who has taught English at LaGrange college, is a published author, essayist, playwright and novelist.

The book signing event will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. July 26 at The Local Exchange (130 S. Park Square), and books can be purchased on-site.

The event takes place right before an 8 p.m. concert at Glover Park featuring The Tams, an Atlanta-based vocal group that had several hit records in the 1960s, including “What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)” and “Be Young Be Foolish and Be Happy.”

“Atlanta Pop” features a chapter on the Tams, who also are included on the book’s cover, and who are scheduled to appear at the book signing.

The authors have created a Facebook page with more information about the book and related events.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

 

Apollo 11 50th anniversary events slated for East Cobb library branches

With the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission coming up on July 16, a special PBS miniseries will be airing to commemorate the event. On Friday, the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road) will be screening a portion of that series, entitled “Chasing the Moon.” Chasing the Moon Apollo 11

The screening is free and will be held from 6-7 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre and unlike other film screenings there, no food or drink will be allowed.

Here’s more about the PBS “American Experience” miniseries, which airs on July 8-10, and what’s in store during Friday’s screening:

Chasing the Moon, a film by Robert Stone, re-imagines the race to the moon for a new generation, upending much of the conventional mythology surrounding the effort. The series recasts the Space Age as a fascinating stew of scientific innovation, political calculation, media spectacle, visionary impulses, and personal drama.

Our selection is taken from “Part Three: Magnificent Desolation.” It takes a look back at the tension and excitement surrounding the launch of Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969, all the way up until the lunar module finally lands on the moon.

For more information, visit:

On Monday, July 16, a celebration of the Apollo 11 event will take place from 7-8 p.m. at the Mountain View Regional Library (3320 Sandy Plains Road), featuring  NASA Ambassador Chris Thompson. Here’s on tap for that free event for those age 18 and above:

Mountain View patrons will join the history books by being able to touch space rocks just like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Lunar and space meteorites and other NASA memorabilia will be on display for patrons to look at and touch. Mr. Thompson will also discuss the history of the Apollo missions and the future of NASA and space exploration.

Chris Thompson is a human resource professional who also shares his love of Astronomy and Space in his role as a NASA Ambassador. Mr. Thompson conducts workshops and lectures to adults and children. He is also the president of the Meteorite Association of Georgia and a member of theInternational Meteorite Collectors Association, (NASA, 2019).

For more information, call the Mountain View Regional Library at 770-509-2725, or visit the Adult Reference Desk.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

ArtsBridge Foundation earns regional Emmy for high school musical theatre awards

Sarah Clay Lindvall, ArtsBridge Foundation Emmy award

Submitted information and photo:

They did it again! ArtsBridge Foundation and Georgia Public Broadcasting earned their second-straight Emmy Award for their production of the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as The Shuler Awards.

The two nonprofit partners picked up their latest Emmy Award hardware at a ceremony held June 15.

Presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Southeast Chapter, the regional Emmy Award for Special Event Live Coverage went to ArtsBridge Foundation and GPB for the live broadcast and production of The 2018 Shuler Awards held in April of last year.

The team previously won an Emmy Award in the same category for The 2017 Shuler Awards, and in both years, the live broadcast earned back-to-back Emmy Awards for GPB’s Anthony Marshall in the category of Director–Live or Recorded Live broadcast.

Presented as the Shuler Hensley Awards—also known as the “Shuler Awards” or “The Shulers” and named for the Atlanta-born star of the stage and screen—during the event, Georgia high school student recipients are recognized as the best of the state’s musical theatre students and schools for grades nine through 12. Two students are currently in New York preparing for the national 2019 Jimmy Awards taking place June 24 on Broadway after winning in the most recent competitions for best actress and best actor at The 2019 Shuler Awards.

“The back-to-back Southeast Emmy Awards for The Shulers are indicative of the superb quality and high production value Georgia students bring at show time,” said Jennifer Dobbs, executive director of ArtsBridge Foundation. “Producing this live event takes a team of dedicated staff and volunteers at ArtsBridge Foundation, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, many sponsors and our partners at GPB, and it is so rewarding to share this honor with so many contributors.”

Fashioned after Broadway’s Tony Awards, the Shuler Awards competition includes 17 categories with entrants from nearly 60 public and private schools from across the Peach State.

In photo above: Sarah Clay Lindvall of ArtsBridge Foundation.

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Big Chicken Chorus to hold tribute show this weekend

Big Chicken Chorus tribute show

Submitted information and photos:

Marietta’s Big Chicken Chorus is producing a major Tribute Show on June 22 at 3:00 p.m. in the Byers Theatre at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. The “Celebrating the Gentlemen” Show will pay homage to an iconic barbershop quartet, Gentlemen’s Agreement, the 1971 Barbershop Harmony Society international gold medal winner. The performance also will honor the group’s sole surviving member, Drayton Justus, a former member of the Big Chicken Chorus who has served in a variety of leader and mentor roles in the Society for 60 years and who will be a treasured guest at the Show.

Three local barbershop choruses — the Big Chicken Chorus, the Atlanta Vocal Project and the Stone Mountain Chorus — will be joined by four outstanding quartets in presenting a wide variety of selections from the Gentlemen’s Agreement repertoire. Be ready for a “big finish” when all of the singers combine for a familiar finale.

A gala “Afterglow” will be held following the show with a catered meal and more singing. Tickets for the Show and Afterglow are available at wwww.bigchickenchorus.org or www.citysprings.com.

Big Chicken Chorus tribute show

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!