This weekend’s events in East Cobb are heavy on sports and recreation, including a cluster of events Saturday morning in the Mountain View area:
The East Cobb Triathlon starts early at the Mountain View Aquatic Center. About the same time, 5k and fun runners will be on their marks at Lassiter High School for the Lutzie 43 Road Race, honoring the memory of former Trojans football star Phil Lutzenkirchen and benefit the East Cobb chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes;
Later in the morning, at the adjacent Harrison Park, two events are going on simaltaneously, both starting at 11. The dedication of a new “Chipper Jones” ball field courtesy of the Atlanta Braves Foundation, for the Sandy Plains Baseball Association, takes place on Field 2. From 11-1, the Sandy Plains Softball Association is holding its “fun day” and walkup registration for the fall season;
The high school football season is fast approaching, and the Pope Greyhounds are having their pancake breakfast and picture day starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday. From 2-4 Sunday, Raider Day takes place at Walton High School;
Also on Sunday, the Good Mews cat shelter is having a microchip and vaccination clinicfrom 10-3, and nail clippings also will be available.
Check out more calendar listings here, for this weekend and beyond. Didn’t see your event? Would you like to share your calendar listing with the community? Please e-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com.
The start of the Rotary Club of East Cobb’s Dog Days Run at the McCleskey-East Cobb YMCA. (East Cobb News photos and slideshow by Wendy Parker).
Several hundred runners and onlookers gathered early Saturday morning at the McCleskey-East Cobb YMCA for one of the top sports and recreation events in East Cobb: The Rotary Club of East Cobb’s 12th annual Dog Days Run.
The 5K course started at the YMCA, then wound its way up East Piedmont, east along Sewell Mill Road, south on Old Canton Road, and westbound on Roswell Road on the return to the Y.
As they finished, participants were cooled off by water sprayed from a Cobb Fire Department engine (and the dogs liked it too).
While many brought their dogs—big and small—to run or jog along, watch, or just splash around, there were serious runners, age-group medals and plenty of raffle prizes, courtesy of race sponsors such as Muss & Turners (wine tasting), Honest-1 Auto Care (oil changes) and McKendrick’s (steak dinners).
For many participants, getting out and running, jogging or just walking on a cool, pleasant morning with friends, family and neighbors was reason enough to take part in one of East Cobb’s more popular outdoor events in the Dog Days of summer.
Because one school ribbon-cutting event this week isn’t enough (and also, because it’s right before the start of a new school year): The new Walton High School administration and classroom building will be officially opened on Sunday, starting with ribbon-cutting ceremonies at 1:30 p.m. and an Open House to follow (1590 Bill Murdock Road).
The next day, students will finally get to enjoy some elbow room as they start classes in a building that can better accommodate them. Having been subject to massive overcrowding myself (as a Wheeler student when Walton opened, too many years ago), I understand the feeling. We’ll be out there on Sunday to document all the proceedings.
The Walton ribbon-cutting comes at the end of a busy and varied weekend of events in East Cobb. See our full calendar listings for so much more, and send yours along if you don’t see it to: calendar@eastcobbnews.com). We’ve pulled out a few highlights here:
The Rotary Club of East Cobb is holding its 12th annual Dog Days Run that starts at 7:30 Saturday morning at the McCleskey-East Cobb YMCA (1055 East Piedmont Road), and race-day registration is available for both the 5K and fun run;
The East Cobb-based Good Mews Animal Foundation is holding a bowling fundraiser Sunday from 2-4 at AMF Bowling on Cobb Parkway. Pins for Paws includes lots of related fun, including raffle tickets;
If you’re thinking of buying a home for the first time, the Janice Overbeck Real Estate team is holding a free seminar from 11-1 Saturday at its Keller Williams North Atlanta office at 2249 Roswell Road;
At the end of a long week why not enjoy some Open Mic entertainment? From 7-10 p.m. Sunday at Keegan’s Irish Pub (4401 Shallowford Road), the local acoustic duo The Woodys (who were in action earlier this week at the Paper Mill Village food truck) will perform your requests. Sign-up starts at 6:30 p.m.
Did we miss something? Do you not see an event you think the community ought to know about? Let us know if you have calendar items to share, for this weekend and beyond. We’re working to have the best calendar listings in East Cobb, so have a look around and let us know what you think!
A dusk shot of the Noonday Creek Trail Head at Bells Ferry. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
Since late April, the Cobb Department of Transportation has been holding public meetings and conducting surveys to gain citizen feedback on the county’s first-ever master plan for greenways and trails.
Two such meetings have taken place in East Cobb in the last two weeks, at the East Cobb Library and at Covenant Presbyterian Church, to reveal some of the public comment thus far and show citizens how the plan might be taking shape.
While the plan is a work in progress, the potential map of what may be finalized later this year shows a hodgepodge of trails desperately seeking connections.
“There are little pieces here and there,” said Erin Thoreson of Gresham, Smith and Partners, an Atlanta architectural, engineering and design firm which is consulting with Cobb DOT on the project. “When you look at the map, you see obvious places where connections are needed.”
Cobb County, its six cities and three Community Improvement Districts currently have around 50 miles of multi-use trails and greenways. There are an estimated 150 and more miles of prospective trails that could be linked to existing trails.
In Northeast Cobb, one area that might benefit from more connectedness is the Noonday Creek Trail head on Bells Ferry Road, just north of Piedmont Road/Barrett Parkway. Opened in 2014, the Bells Ferry site has become very popular for bikers, walkers and runners.
Hooking up close to other trails at the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield is one of the attractions of the Bells Ferry Trail Head, which is a project of the Town Center CID.
To the north, a possible extension of the Noonday Creek Trail projects a connection to the Cherokee County line with access to Woodstock, but the route would go through neighborhoods that could likely draw some community opposition.
One of the major objectives in designing the master plan, Thoreson said, is to get citizens to think about the practicalities of local travel.
“Think about how people get from one place to another,” she said. “It’s important that [trails] get you to the places where you want to go.”
According to the Cobb Trail Plan interactive map, plenty of new routes in East Cobb—which is not served amply by existing trails—have been suggested by citizens (indicated by the orange broken lines). A major issue, however, is heavy residential development. There’s not much greenspace available, and much of that is going to new housing construction.
Some commenters have suggested trail head access points near Lassiter and Pope high schools for cross country runners, and at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church.
Soon the project staff will be putting together a draft master plan with an open house to be scheduled in the fall, unveiling preliminary ideas that include citizens’s suggestions.
They can continue to offer comments on the project’s interactive map, or leave messages at info@CobbTrailPlan.com or by calling 770-754-0755.
Citizens also can offer their thoughts by filling out an online survey.
The long-awaited new Mountain View Elementary School campus will be christened on Thursday. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
The last full week of summer vacation will be a busy one for East Cobb students and their parents, beyond shopping for clothes and supplies and getting oriented with the academic year ahead.
The ribbon-cutting for the new Mountain View Elementary School takes place Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. (yes, bright and early, but before the searing heat sets in) at its new location at 3151 Sandy Plains Road, just down the road from where it had been for decades;
It’s guaranteed to be hot and stifling Sunday afternoon when the new Walton High School campus (same location, 1590 Bill Murdock Road) will be dedicated, with ribbon-cutting starting at 2 p.m. An Open House takes place from 2:30-3:30 p.m.;
The final Paper Mill Village food truck of the summer will be Monday from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. in the main parking lot (255 Village Parkway). Admission is free and so is the live music; cost of food tickets vary according to vendor;
Two East Cobb library branches are holding a joint summer farewell party for students on Thursday from 2-4: The event is at Gritters Library (880 Shaw Park Road) and also includes staff from Mountain View Regional with crafts, games, snacks and other fun activities;
Early Saturday morning, the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA (1055 East Piedmont Road) is the venue for the Dog Days Run presented by the Rotary Club of East Cobb. You can still register (race-day fee of $30 starting at 6:30 a.m.), and the organizers are looking for volunteers and sponsors.
There’s so much more on our Events Calendar to check out, and if you have an item to share, please e-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com.
A major project for summer ARTSCAPE! students at East Cobb Park was celebrated on Saturday, with a ribbon-cutting and dedication of the “Sunny” piano at the upper pavilion.
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The piano, which is part of the Atlanta-based Play Me Again pianos non-profit, was painted by children at this summer’s ARTSCAPE! Program at East Cobb Park. It is named after Sunny Walker, one of the driving forces behind the creation of East Cobb Park and the first board president of Friends for the East Cobb Park.
After the ribbon-cutting, East Cobb youngster Nico Brett, age 12, played the debut music on “Sunny,” Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag,” along with the theme song from the “Peanuts.”
Not long after legendary Wheeler High School boys basketball coach Doug Lipscomb announced he was stepping away from his duties, the Wildcats found the man to succeed him.
He’s Larry Thompson, who has guided Greenforest-McCalep Christian Academy of Decatur to the 2013, 2016 and 2017 state championships in the Georgia High School Association’s Class A private school division.
Wheeler principal Peter Giles tweeted the news Thursday evening.
Lipscomb won more than 600 games and six state titles, the latest in 2015, in a 25-year career at Wheeler. He has coached several players who went on to the top levels of college basketball, as well as the NBA. Lipscomb’s first star, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, is currently an executive with the NBA.
Most recently, former Wheeler standout Jaylen Brown finished his rookie season with the Boston Celtics.
One of the youth baseball fields at Harrison Park is getting a makeover, thanks to the Atlanta Braves Foundation, as part of its continuing “Chipper Jones” projects in the Atlanta area.
Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell announced at the Northeast Cobb Business Association luncheon on Wednesday that construction work began last week, and will include upgrades to the field, dugouts and fencing.
The new field, a venue for the Sandy Plains Baseball Association, will have a ribbon-cutting on Saturday, Aug. 5, at 11 a.m. Harrison Park is located at 2653 Shallowford Road, adjacent to Lassiter High School.
The Atlanta Braves Foundation embarked on a “10 for 10” youth baseball field refurbishment program upon Jones’ retirement in 2013, funding the completion of one project a year over 10 years. In January 2015, a field at Fullers Park in East Cobb, home of the East Side Baseball Association, was renamed after Jones, who donated materials for a renovation project there.
Birrell said she’s been told some Braves players will be in attendance for the ribbon-cutting at Harrison Park.
