East Cobb Sports & Recreation

Walton announcer misses cut for Braves job: ‘It was a fun experience’

by

East Cobb resident Atlanta Braves PA announcer

Following up our recent story on Mark Aston, an East Cobb resident who auditioned for the Atlanta Braves’ public address job:

He wasn’t among the final three candidates whom the Braves announced at the end of last week, but tells East Cobb News “it was a fun experience. It was more than I expected.”

The Walton High School public address announcer was one of 12 who had a formal tryout to be the in-game voice at Truist Park, and said the last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind.

Everywhere he went—restaurants, shopping, etc.—people in the community were excited for him and wishing him well.

He was at Costco on Sunday, and a woman there told him she had seen a segment involving him on a local television newscast.

“I saw you on Channel 2. You’re famous now, aren’t you?”

For as familiar a figure as Aston is in the Walton sports community, he said he’s still taken aback by the attention.

“It was unreal to go through something for such a highly publicized position,” Aston said. “I appreciate the opportunity. The Braves now know my voice.”

While he waited to hear whether he’d be advancing, Aston looked at his packed schedule—voice-over work for Auburn University athletics and other clients as well as volunteering PA work for Walton sports teams and his regular job in medical sales.

He noticed that if he got the Braves job, with 81 home games to call, he’d have a conflict with just one Raiders football game.

“I thought the audition went fine,” he said. “But you don’t know what they’re looking for.”

For the time being, there’s plenty on the Walton sports docket to tend to. On Tuesday, he’ll be behind the mic as the Walton girls basketball team plays at home in the first round of the state tournament.

And the Walton lacrosse season starts soon, and his son Andrew is a member of the boys varsity team.

Even though he says he’s one of many parent volunteers who helps with Walton sports, Aston doesn’t take his Braves experience for granted.

He was thinking of other parents who’ve expressed their appreciation for what he does, and are especially grateful for such seemingly simple things as pronouncing their child’s name correctly.

“The people out there cheering for you—that makes you feel good,” he said.

Related:

 

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 Park volunteer group seeks new members, energy

by

East Cobb Park group seeks new members
A soccer kickabout on the front quad is a frequent activity at East Cobb Park.

East Cobb Park was formally dedicated in June 2003 as the first public-private partnership for a park in Cobb County.

The all-volunteer, non-profit group that worked with Cobb County Parks, the Friends for the East Cobb Park, was founded four years before that, from an initiative of the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.

The interest, excitement and support of that start-up period is reflected on plaques on a kiosk at the entrance to the park. East Cobb Park group seeks new members

The “Charter Leaf” members represent notable East Cobb individuals, businesses and other organizations. A cluster of special stones on the ground around it also contain the names of financial contributors, as do names emblazoned on park benches.

By almost every measure, East Cobb Park has been a spectacular success and increasingly popular, as citizens and groups frequent its 13 acres as the area’s first passive park.

But as the park is set to mark its 20th anniversary this summer, the volunteers organization that stages concerts and other special events is looking for a few more volunteer hands to help out.

The Friends for the East Cobb Park is seeking new members, not just to donate time and money, but also to help take a more active role in plotting out the future of the park.

“Our mission is to enhance the community experience,” Friends president Kurt von Borries said in a recent interview with East Cobb News. “It’s the best cultural asset we have in East Cobb.”

He said the Friends group currently has around 60 members, and there’s no specific target for growth, just to add “as many as we can.”

The group, which relies 100 percent on donations, spent $20,000 last year to replace the front playground fencing.

East Cobb Park group seeks new membersCobb PARKs provides most of the maintenance, including recent repairs along the Sewell Mill Creek streambank extending to Fullers Park, and citizens wishing to book a pavilion also go through the county.

The Friends group handles special events and what he generally calls cultural programming.

There are limits on what it can do, von Borries said, because of parking and restroom facilities.

When planning for a concert, he said, the estimated cap is around 150 people, although that figure is often exceeded.

“There’s nowhere to expand,” he said. 

Attracting vendors also is a challenge because any money they make above costs goes to the Friends group.

Raising funds through individual sponsorships poses other issues. All 47 park benches, Borries said, have been dedicated, and they’re not adding any more for the time being due to supply chain issues.

“We’re out of room” for additional revenue opportunities in that regard.

The Friends group also sells sponsorships for newly planted as well as existing trees in the park.

The organization is seeking out additional corporate sponsors, in addition to Wellstar Health Systems, which makes a donation for Music in the Park, a series of spring and fall concerts, and the Holiday Lights celebration in December.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, a long association with the East Cobb Civitan Association, which raised funds for the park through its Wine and Vine event, has come to an end.East Cobb Park group seeks new members

That’s diminished what’s available in the Friends’ banking account, which von Borries said is generally healthy and that “we can do some things.”

The desire to do more things has spurred some new creative approaches as the group shores up its financial resources, including borrowing from its foundation to help fund the playground fence.

Von Borries, who’s also a member of the Rotary Club of East Cobb, said plans are in the works with that organization to stage two family-friendly movies—one in spring and the other in the fall—on a big screen at the concert shell.

“We’re excited about that,” he said.

Streamlining the process for membership renewal is another task the Friends group is undertaking. Getting automatic notices online that can be paid electronically is a top priority.

Members can renew or join at various levels, starting with the $25 “garden leaf supporter” category to $1,000 as a “diamond leaf” sponsor, either at a monthly or annual rate.

East Cobb Park group seeks new membersThey also can donate at custom levels and in honor or memory of someone. All contributions are tax deductible, since the Friends group is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Volunteer opportunities are across the board, from events and marketing to fundraising and creek clean-up activities.

Von Borries said a clean-up has been tentatively scheduled for May 6, and the Friends group also wants to hold a member appreciation event in the near future.

“It’s my wish that it will be stylish to say that you’re a supportive member of East Cobb Park,” he said. “How we can get there, we haven’t yet figured that out.”

East Cobb Park Events in 2023

 
  • Music in the Park: April 2, April 16, April 30 and May 21, Sept. 17, Oct. 1, Oct. 15, and Oct. 29; all 4-6 p.m., free
  • Holiday Lights: Dec. 3 6pm-till, free,

Related stories

 

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!

 

Cobb DOT to hold Noonday Creek Trail extension open house

by

Noonday Creek Trail Head

Submitted information:

Join Cobb County Department of Transportation on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 for a drop-in community open house to learn more about the Noonday Creek Trail Extension study. Stop by any time between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to learn about the project background and existing conditions within the study area. You will also have an opportunity to review and provide feedback on potential trail options that may be considered, as well as potential trail amenities and features.

When: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Where: Bells Ferry Elementary School | 2600 Bells Ferry Road NE, Marietta, GA 30066

For more information click here.

Related stories

 

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 resident vying to be Atlanta Braves PA announcer

by

East Cobb resident Braves PA announcer
Mark Aston is the public-address voice at Walton High School basketball, football and lacrosse home games. (Andrew Pollock, apPhotoMarietta, LLC)

An all-around sports dad some Walton High School athletes call “VOMA” is in contention for the big leagues.

Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves, to be specific.

East Cobb resident Mark Aston has done sports-related and other professional voice over-work for more than 30 years, including for his alma mater, Auburn University.

In recent years, he’s been the public address announcer for Walton football and lacrosse games, and this season added basketball duties to his already-busy schedule.

Aston does voice acting projects for Auburn athletics and other business clients from his home studio, in addition to his full-time work in medical sales.

“I’m a parent volunteer,” Aston said. “I just happen to be the parent volunteer they hear at the games.”

Come April 6, Aston could be sitting behind the mic at Truist Park as the public address announcer as the Braves play their home opener for the 2023 season.

After more than 130 people sent audition videos and several hundred more did auditions at the Braves’ FanFest last month, he’s been named one of 12 finalists for the job.

They’re in the running to succeed Casey Motter, the Braves’ PA man since 2006, and who died last June.

Aston said East Cobb resident Larry Haber, who’s also involved in youth sports in the Walton area, mentioned the opening to him.

A Braves spokeswoman told East Cobb News that the top three finalists will be announced between Feb. 17-20, and that fans will be invited to vote for their favorite.

Aston said he hasn’t been told anything since the audition. It’s a part-time job, like the rest of his voice-over work, and would consist of informing and entertaining fans at 81 home games and any post-season events at Truist Park.

East Cobb resident Atlanta Braves PA announcer
Mark Aston at his Atlanta Braves audition on Feb. 3. A snippet is shown on the video below, around the 10-minute mark.

“I used to pretend I was a Braves announcer,” Aston said, referencing Marshall Mann, who was the Braves’ PA announcer fro 1967 to 1996.

“I’ll go as big as the Braves want me to go. You’re there to enhance the Braves’ experience. It’s not about you.”

A native of Columbus, Ga., Aston finished second in the state high school shot put competition to a future University of Georgia football star named Herschel Walker.

He then attended Auburn on a football scholarship in the early 1980s, and was a teammate of another Heisman Trophy winning running back, Bo Jackson.

Aston said he played enough to keep his scholarship and earned a degree in business administration and finance.

He started his public address work right out of college, with World Championship Wrestling and the National Wrestling Association, and moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s as a voice-over actor for the William Morris Agency and the Solid Talent Agency.

He also was a venue announcer at the Rose Bowl and UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion basketball arena.

His work with Auburn commenced in 2016, after he moved his family to East Cobb. He does podcast and highlight program intros and narrates videos and other productions for a number of college clients, including Georgia Southern University athletics.

But he said some of his proudest moments in sports involve his sons. Andrew is a Walton junior and the football team’s long snapper and also plays lacrosse.

Taylor Aston, now a student at Auburn, played on Walton’s state championship lacrosse team in 2019, and his father got to call the home games in the state tournament.

The finals were played on a neutral field, at Kennesaw State University. “VOMA,” which the kids meant as “The Voice of Mark Aston,” was a very happy onlooker.

His son scored two goals and an assist as Walton won 8-7 in sudden-death overtime against Lambert on a goal from Tate Harran.

“I was literally crying,” he said. “What a moment. When he scored that goal, that was so special.”

Aston said his enthusiasm for sports is about more than winning and losing. The lessons he learned from his Auburn coach, Pat Dye, and others, are about developing character, sportsmanship and team work.

The best things that adults can do for their children through sports, Aston said, “is to model the kind of behavior they want their kids to follow.”

East Cobb resident Atlanta Braves PA announcer
Mark Aston after his audition at Truist Park, where the Braves play their 2023 home opener on April 6. From his Voice of Mark Aston Instagram page.

Related:

 

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!

Registration underway for Noonday Shanty 5K/10K road race

by

The second annual Noonday Shanty 5K and 10K road race takes place March 25, and will be the first USA Track and Field-certified race to take place at the Noonday Creek Trail.Noonday Shanty 5K registration underway

Registration is underway for the event, which is sponsored by the Town Center Community, including the Town Center CID and its nonprofit partner, the Town Center Community Alliance.

There’s an updated course for 2023, driven by runner feedback from the first race last year, and is designed to offer “a great way to enjoy the outdoors while supporting future greenspace and trail projects in the Town Center area,” according to Town Center Community officials.

The 10- to 12-foot-wide paved Noonday Creek Trail was completed in 2014 and spans seven miles, connecting the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park’s visitors center to the Bells Ferry Trailhead through the heart of Town Center.

“After last year’s huge success and remarkable turnout, we’re excited to bring this event back to the community and create an opportunity for people to experience Town Center in a different way,” Jennifer Hogan, director of community for the Town Center Community, said in a release. “Town Center is more than retail and commercial properties with more than eight miles of walking trails, multiple public art installations, and several parks and greenspaces throughout the district.”

Participants will experience scenic views, wetlands, bird habitats and public art along the Noonday Creek Trail as well as other Town Center attractions like Aviation Park, Cobb International Airport, and Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

The 10K race starts at 7:45 a.m., followed by the 5K at 8 a.m. Awards will be presented to overall and age-group winners of both sexes, from 10 and under to 70 and over.

The registration fee is $30 through March 21, and $25 for virtual and ghost runners, and $35 for all runners after March 22.

For more information and to register, click here.

Sponsorships are still available by contacting jennifer@towncentercid.com.

 

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 youth sports programs to hold registration events

by

Sewell Park baseball improvements

The spring youth sports season is just around the corner, and several East Cobb organizations have scheduled special events to encourage sign-ups.

You can find all the details on our Events Calendar, and they begin this Saturday with the Walton Girls Youth Lacrosse Clinic, 2:30-4 p.m. at the Walton HS stadium (1590 Bill Murdock Road).

Next Saturday, Jan. 28, the East Marietta Little League will holds its Baseball Bash from 2-4 p.m. at Sewell Park (2085 Lower Roswell Road).

And the Saturday after that, Feb. 4, is the Sandy Plains Softball Fun Day from 1-4 p.m. at Shaw Park (900 Shaw Park Road).

 

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!

 

Flooding update: East Cobb Park reopens; Noonday Park closed

by

Flooded Noonday Park closed
Noonday Park. Photo Cobb PARKS

Cobb PARKS said Wednesday that heavy rains Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning had flooded some county parks, prompting their closures.

Noonday Park remains closed, and East Cobb Park reopened at 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to the department’s social media postings.

Also closed is Fullers Park off Robinson Road.

The sun came out on Wednesday afternoon, as the rainy weather that greeted the new year began to taper off.

A flood warning had been in effect until noon Wednesday, as several inches of rain fell in the Cobb area and metro Atlanta.

Some roads were closed in parts of North Fulton, but there were no specific reported closures in Cobb.

Cobb government said in a social media message Wednesday morning that “Cobb DOT is not reporting any significant travel issues at this hour.”

A flood warning was issued in Cobb along the Chattahoochee River at Georgia Highway 280.

Motorists should turn around and drive away from flooded roads instead of trying to pass through them.

The weather system included thunderstorms and flash flooding, and a tornado reported south of Atlanta.

Today’s highs are expected to reach around 70, with lows in the low 50s, and the temperatures will be getting cooler.

Highs will drop to the high 50s and around 60 over the next few days, with lows falling into the 40s and 30s over the next several nights, according to the National Weather Service.

But we will have sunny skies through Saturday, with a 40 percent chance of rain on Sunday.

Rain also is in the forecast for early next week.

 

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 softball, volleyball state champions honored by Cobb schools

by

Pope softball team honored Cobb schools
Members of the Pope Class 6A softball state championship team with Cobb school board members and Superintendent Chris Ragsdale. Photos courtesy Cobb County School District

The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday recognized the 2022 state champion softball and volleyball teams from Pope High School.

They were honored before a Cobb school board meeting and introduced to the audience.

The Pope softball team went 35-1 in capturing the Georgia High School Association Class 6A title, the third state championship in school history.

The Extra Innings softball information service named the Greyhounds their “national champion” in their final rankings.

The senior class of Natalie Klingler, Jadyn Laneaux and Emily Ricci ended their careers with their second state championship and an overall record of 126-17.

Laneaux and pitcher Kendall Scott earned region player of the year honors.

The Pope volleyball team claimed its fifth state championship in winning the Class 6A title, led by Cooper Abney. Coach Erica Miller was a regional honoree by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

After winning the Region 7 championship, the Greyhounds went 5-0 in the state playoffs. They trailed Sequoyah by two sets in the state championship match before rallying for a 3-2 victory.

“Our sports state champions are more examples of why Cobb is the place to be and where families want to raise their children. In Cobb, success extends beyond the classroom and long after graduation,” Cobb school board chairman David Chastain said in a statement issued by the Cobb school district.

Pope volleyball team honored Cobb schools
The Pope volleyball team won the school’s 5th state championship in November.

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 resident preps for ‘golf until you drop’ charity event

by

East Cobb resident golf marathon
A former amateur golfer paralyzed in a traffic accident, tees off not far from the Shepherd Spinal Center on a special golf cart funded through the Georgia State Golf Association. Photo: GSGA

To say that Jim Ingram is a golf enthusiast is putting it mildly.

The East Cobb resident is a longtime avid golfer, and has served as a volunteer and executive board member of the Georgia State Golf Association for 30 years.

The president of Evans and James, an executive search firm serving the plastics and packaging industry, Ingram remains involved in GSGA events and activities, including a relatively new charity fundraiser.

He’s played a lot of golf at a lot of local courses, including Indian Hills Country Club and Brookstone Country Club in Cobb County.

He makes fun of his “lousy golf swing” (see below) but has a 9 handicap, and often is accompanied by his dog Rover.

Ingram also has played plenty of times at the nine-hole Bobby Jones Golf Course in Buckhead, where the formerly East Cobb-based GSGA now has its headquarters.

But on Oct. 21, Ingram will play Bobby Jones like he never has before—as in over and over and over again, set to make the turn many times.

East Cobb resident charity golf marathon
Rover is Jim Ingram’s frequent companion on the golf course.

That’s because he’s taking part in the GSGA’s charity marathon fundraiser to benefit the organization’s adaptive and junior golf programs.

(You can pledge per round or make a one-time donation to Ingram’s marathon by clicking here.)

In last year’s event, he played 81 holes in one day at the Druid Hills Country Club. In a couple of weeks, he’ll likely play just as many, if not more, on the storied public course named for a Georgia golf legend.

“You just golf until you drop,” Ingram said of the marathon, which raised more than $50,000 overall. The GSGA is aiming to surpass that figure this year with around 20-30 participants having signed up.

The proceeds enable youths 16 and under from economically challenged backgrounds to play for $5 a round, and for the GSGA to purchase special equipment and provide instruction for the physically handicapped.

Among them is Chance, a former amateur golfer and a police officer who was paralyzed from the chest down in a 2018 traffic accident.

As he rehabilitated at the Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta, his visitors included some who introduced him to adaptive golf.

He plays golf once again, thanks to a solorider cart provided by the GSGA with funds from last year’s marathon.

It’s a story the GSGA is encouraging its marathon participants to share as they collect pledges. The GSGA has raised nearly $100,000 in subsidies for the youth program (the GSGA makes up the greens fees to the golf courses) and is close to having enough money to purchase another adaptive cart.

“We’re trying to set good examples,” Ingram said of the GSGA’s initiatives to expand golf access.

More than 2,000 people have gotten involved in the adaptive program, and it’s something that “changes people’s lives,” Ingram said.

Like Chance and others at the Shepherd Center, “we’re trying to get them involved.”

East Cobb resident golf marathon
Ingram played 81 holes in a single day at the 2021 GSGA marathon fundraiser.

Related stories

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!

Kyle Wright of Braves to appear at East Cobb Flying Biscuit

by

The Atlanta Braves are playing host to the New York Mets at Truist Park this weekend in a big series that likely will determine the winner of the National League Eastern Division.Kyle Wright, East Cobb Flying Biscuit

The Flying Biscuit Cafe in East Cobb is marking a big slate of events in October during its grand reopening, and has snagged one of the team’s stars to make an appearance this Sunday.

Pitcher Kyle Wright, the only player in Major League Baseball with 20 wins this season, will sign autographs and meet with fans Sunday starting at 10 a.m. at Flying Biscuit, located at Parkaire Landing Shopping Center (4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 70).

Wright won his 21st game Saturday as the Braves defeated the Mets 4-1 to take a one-game lead with four games remaining for each team in the regular season.

The Braves and Mets will play Sunday night at 7 p.m. in a nationally televised game on ESPN.

Flying Biscuit opened at Parkaire Landing in March 2021 but closed in August for a month to undergo training following an ownership and management change.

The restaurant kicks off a month of specials this week that include $1 and $5 meals. Gift giveaways are scheduled for next week, and the promotions are updated on its Facebook page.

Related posts:

 

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 Park bridge to Fullers Park to close for construction work

by

East Cobb Park bridge closed
Friends for the East Cobb Park

The pedestrian bridge and trail joining East Cobb Park and Fullers Park will be closed temporarily for construction work.

The closure is expected to begin Monday and could last a month, according to information released this week by Cobb County government.

Cobb Parks and Recreation is set to restore and stabilize a portion of Sewell Mill Creek that runs between both parks and that was affected by severe flooding last September.

More recently, spring rains “caused considerable erosion to the stream bank in that area,” according to the department in an item about the project in an e-mail newsletter.

Cobb commissioners recently approved spending $104,500 from new Cobb 2022 SPLOST revenues to complete the project.

Previously, repairs along the Sewell Mill Creek stream bank at the front of East Cobb Park were made to produce a crest protecting the walking path and quad areas.

Grass was planted over Flexamat, which are “small concrete blocks locked together and embedded into high-strength geogrid.”

Flexamat also will be used in the upcoming project, the department said, to “prevent further deterioration of the stream bank and help beautify the area’s natural landscape.”

Related stories

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!

Cobb high school football games moved up to Thursday night

by

Cobb high school football games moved up
The National Weather Service map tracking the possible path of Hurricane Ian that was released late Tuesday afternoon.

Due to possible heavy rains and storms stemming from Hurricane Ian, a number of high school football games in Georgia have been moved up to Thursday night, including those involving teams from Cobb schools.

The Cobb County School District Media Relations office said in a message that all of the Cobb teams in action this week are playing games on the road—out of the county—and Thursday’s kickoff times are the same for what had been scheduled on Friday.

Although Cobb schools are on fall break, sporting events are taking place. Only four Cobb public high schools were to play this week, three of them from East Cobb:

  • Lassiter at Johns Creek
  • Sprayberry at Alpharetta
  • Walton at North Paulding

According to the National Weather Service, Ian is on a track to the Florida Gulf Coast near the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, and is projected to make landfall Wednesday afternoon, possibly as a Category 4 hurricane.

Ian passed over Cuba Tuesday as a Category 3 storm, and more than 2.5 million people in Florida have been encouraged or ordered to evacuate.

The storm system is expected to reach southern Georgia early Friday and could move into the Atlantic Ocean and threaten the Georgia coast. Gov. Brian Kemp has declare a state of emergency for all Georgia counties from 7 a.m. Thursday to midnight Friday.

The preliminary forecast doesn’t include Cobb County and metro Atlanta in those warnings. The NWS is forecasting a 40 percent chance of rain Friday, from the mid-afternoon through the evening.

The Atlanta area could get between 1-3 inches of rain during that time, and possibly more in some areas of north and central Georgia.

Strong winds between 30-45 mph could be felt in some areas, and there could be power outages and isolated flash flooding.

Rain will continue all weekend, with a 60 percent chance Saturday and tapering off to a 40 percent chance Sunday and 20 percent on Sunday night and into next week.

For more information and to track the hurricane click 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!

Kell HS students create art for Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame inductees

by

Kell art students Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame
Retired Atlanta Falcons kicker Morten Andersen with Laura LaQuaglia, the former art director at Kell High School, and artwork created by former Kell student Kennedy Leggett. Photo: CCSD

It’s taken a couple of years, but some artwork created by former Kell High School students in conjunction with the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame finally got a public viewing this week.

A belated 2020 induction ceremony took place on Monday, Aug. 1, the first day of the new school year in the Cobb County School District, and artwork prepared for each inductee was presented in person.

The Kell art department began a partnership with the Hall of Fame in 2014 when Corky Kell, the late Wheeler High School football coach and Kell school namesake, was inducted posthumously.

Laura LaQuaglia, the former Kell art director who’s now the Supervisor of Learning Design and Visual Arts for the Cobb school district, was on hand for the presentations.

The inductees included former Atlanta Falcons placekicker Morten Andersen, former Atlanta Hawks center Dikembe Mutombo, and ex-Georgia Tech football All-American Calvin Johnson.

Mutombo’s artwork was created by a basketball player—Kya Williams, a star point guard on Kell’s 2020 Georgia High School Association Class 5A state runner-up team.

“The induction ceremony events are always an exciting time where student artwork is celebrated,” LaQuaglia said in a release issued by the Cobb school district.

“Normally, the students would get to meet the esteemed athletes they have researched, but because of the quick notice of the rescheduled event, we were not able to have the former students present at the event.”

Since 2017, the partnership has continued under her successor, Julie Denison.

Related posts:

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!

Youngsters earn trophies at Ebenezer Downs fishing rodeo

by

Ebenezer Downs fishing rodeo

Cobb PARKS held several fishing rodeos over the summer to give kids a chance to cast a line and see what they can catch.

At each of the rodeos, including Hyde Farm in early July and Ebenezer Downs Park on July 30, trophies were given for youngsters who caught the five biggest fish overall.

District 3 Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell (pictured above at second from left with Cobb PARKS staff) was on hand as the kids got their awards last Saturday:

  • 1st Place: Sean McGinnis
  • 2nd Place: Maximus Patthammayong
  • 3rd Place: Jackson Woodruff
  • 4th Place: Matthew Martinez
  • 5th Place: Landon Perry

Her office provided the info and photos, and gave a big thanks to Cobb PARKS operations staffers Mackie Temple and Brett Alfosin and Keith Weaver and Michael Sellars with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Ebenezer Downs fishing rodeo

Related stories

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!

2022 East Cobb high school football teams keep rivalry games

by

East Cobb football schedules

After enjoying plenty of rivalry games over the last two years, five of the six East Cobb high school football teams are no longer in the same region.

The Georgia High School Association did keep three of them—Lassiter, Pope and Sprayberry—in the same region, and reunited two other longtime rivals together in Walton and Wheeler.

But a number of those backyard brawl games remain on their schedules in non-region format for the 2022 season, which gets underway in mid-August.

As has been the case in recent years, Kell and Walton will be getting an early start in the Corky Kell Classic.

The Longhorns, who have a new coach in Bobby May, formerly of Westlake High School in Atlanta, have dropped from Class 6A to Class 5A (classification is based on overall student enrollment).

He’s the only newcomer to the coaching ranks among the six East Cobb schools.

Before Kell gets into Region 6 play, it will be facing neighboring rivals Pope and Sprayberry in September.

In Class 6A Region 7, games between Lassiter, Pope and Sprayberry will take on extra meaning in a region with several schools in North Fulton.

Lassiter is maintaining a non-region rivalry game with Wheeler in the season opener for both teams, and a Pope vs. Walton game continues this season. Pope also will be meeting Wheeler in non-region play.

Walton, which reached the Class 7A semifinals last year, remains there, but is now in Region 5, which includes North Cobb, Kennesaw Mountain, Osborne,  Cherokee and Wheeler.

The Raiders will once again play at Mercedes Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta against Mill Creek in the Corky Kell Classic, then plays at Brookwood.

For the first time since 2017, Walton will square off against Wheeler at Raider Valley on Nov. 4, in the regular season finale for both schools.

The head coaches and select players from all six public high schools in East Cobb will appear before the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 11.

It’s the annual East Cobb Pigskin Preview, and more information and a registration link can be found by clicking here.

Opponents with a * indicate region games.

Kell Longhorns

Class AAAAA Region 6
2021 Record: 6-5
Aug. 17, 5:30 p.m. vs. Cedar Bluff (Corky Kell Classic at Johns Creek HS)
Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. vs. Allatoona
Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. vs. Pope
Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. at Sprayberry
Sept. 23 7:30 p.m. at Centennial*
Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. at Northview*
Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. vs. Cambridge*
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. at Greater Atlanta Christian*
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. vs. North Springs*
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. vs. Chattahoochee

 

Lassiter Trojans

Class AAAAAA Region 7
2021 Record: 4-6
Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. at Wheeler
Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. at Woodstock
Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. vs. Dalton
Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m. at Johns Creek*
Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. vs. Roswell*
Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. vs. Alpharetta*
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. at Pope*
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. at Sprayberry*
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. vs. Blessed Trinity*

 

Pope Greyhounds

Class AAAAAA Region 7
2021 Record: 7-4
Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. vs. River Ridge
Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. at Kell
Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. at Walton
Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. vs. North Paulding
Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. vs. Alpharetta*
Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. at Blessed Trinity*
Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. vs. Roswell*
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. vs. Lassiter*
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. at Johns Creek*
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. at Sprayberry*

 

Sprayberry Yellow Jackets

Class AAAAAA Region 7
2021 Record: 3-6
Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m. at Campbell
Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. vs. Paulding County
Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. at River Ridge
Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. vs. Kell
Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. at Blessed Trinity*
Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m. at Alpharetta*
Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. vs. Johns Creek*
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. at Roswell*
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. vs. Lassiter*
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. vs. Pope*

 

Walton Raiders

Class AAAAAAA Region 5
2021 Record: 9-4
Aug. 20, 7 p.m. vs. Mill Creek (Corky Kell Classic at Mercedes Benz Stadium)
Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. at Brookwood
Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. vs. Pope
Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. at Marietta
Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m. at North Paulding
Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. vs. North Cobb*
Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. at Kennesaw Mountain*
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. vs. Cherokee*
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. at Osborne*
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. vs. Wheeler*

 

Wheeler Wildcats

Class AAAAAAA Region 5
2021 Record: 1-9
Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m. at Centennial
Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. vs. Lassiter
Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. at South Cobb
Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. vs. North Atlanta
Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. at Campbell
Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. vs. Cherokee*
Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. at North Cobb*
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. vs. Osborne*
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. vs. Kennesaw Mountain*
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. at Walton*

 

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!

Temporary closures underway at Johnson Ferry North trails

by

Johnson Ferry North Trail closures

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area announced Monday that closures and restricted areas are in effect along portions of the Johnson Ferry North trails.

Specifically, trails are closed between the J8 and J9 markers, located at the Owl and Arrowhead branches respectively. (see map above) for the duration of the construction, which is expected to last two months.

The Chattahoochee River NRA said that access to the northern trails ending at Mulberry Creek is possible by hiking between markers JN3 and JN4.

For more information, visit the Chattahoochee NRA website.

Related stories

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!

Cobb Parks offering free pickup spikeball at Terrell Mill Park

by

The Cobb Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs offers free pickup spikeball activities for adults each Wednesday at Terrell Mill Park.Terrell Mill Park spikeball

Spikeball, according to Cobb Parks, “is a team sport played by two teams of two players. Opposing teams line up across from each other with the Spikeball net in the center. Once the ball is served players can move anywhere they want. The object of the game is to hit the ball into the net so that the opposing team cannot return it.”

The pickup sessions are free and take place each Wednesday from 6:30-10 p.m. at the turf field at Terrell Mill Park (480 Terrell Mill Road).

Spikeball sets will be provided but participants may bring their own.

For more information click here or contact Conor Hoyne at 770-528-8861.

Related stories

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!

Public comments sought for Noonday Creek Trail extension

by

Noonday Creek Trail Head
The Noonday Creek Trail Head at Bells Ferry Road (ECN file photo).

The Cobb Department of Transportation is seeking public feedback on the possibility of extending the Noonday Creek Trail as part of its 2018 Greenways and Trails Master Plan.

The Noonday Creek Trail Scoping Study began this spring, and Cobb DOT is proposing the extension run from the Bells Ferry Trailhead northward to Noonday Creek Park.

“This study aims to evaluate various options for closing this critical gap in the regional trail network between Bells Ferry Road and Shallowford Road,” according to Cobb DOT, which is accepting comments through July 8.

The aim is to assist Cobb DOT in understanding “how people use the existing trail and nearby public spaces” and “get ideas for a potential future extension of the trail.”

More information and a link to the survey can be found by clicking here. To enlarge the map below, click here.

Noonday Creek Trail map

Related stories

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!

Mt. Bethel Christian Academy to hold athletic groundbreaking

by

Mt. Bethel Christian Academy athletic field site plan

Mt. Bethel Christian Academy is inviting the public to a groundbreaking ceremony for its new athletic complex at the school’s north campus.

The event takes place on Wednesday, June 29 at 7 p.m at the Upper School campus (2509 Post Oak Tritt Road).

That’s where the academy’s high school is located, and the facility will include turf football, soccer and lacrosse activities and a fieldhouse, spectator seating, campus improvements and parking expansion (previous ECN coverage here).

A release sent by Academy said the new facility “is the start of what we trust will be a period of tremendous growth and energy that will dramatically impact every division of the school.”

Enrollment last year at the school was nearly 700 students total.

Mt. Bethel Christian Academy began in 1998 with K-5 classes on Lower Roswell Road, adjacent to Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church.

The school expanded to high school grades in 2014 after Mt. Bethel purchased land from the Marcus Jewish Community Center on Post Oak Tritt Road near Holly Springs Road.

Mt. Bethel Christian began a football program in the 2021-2022 school year for fifth and sixth grade students, and will have two teams in the 2022-2023 school year for fourth-through-eighth grade students.

The new field and the growth of the football program “go hand-in-hand, as the school plans for Junior Varsity and Varsity football teams in the near future,” the Mt. Bethel Christian release states.

MBCA is a member of the Georgia High School Association and has teams in other sports competing in the Class A private schools division.

An attempt to build an athletic complex at the Upper School campus was withdrawn in 2019 after community opposition surfaced, and nearby residents expressed concerns about a renewed application last year.

But the site plan was changed in several areas, buffers were added and stipulations include limiting the scope of lighting and the hours for a public address and sound system to operate.

Cobb commissioners unanimously approved the request in March.

Related posts:

 

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!

Walton earns all-sports championship; Lassiter, Pope finish strong

by

Walton High School has been named the recipient of the Georgia Athletic Directors Association Directors’ Cup trophy for the school’s performances in high school athletics in the 2021-22 academic year.Walton High School logo

The honors are given in each of the eight classifications of the Georgia High School Association.

Walton is the overall and boys’ and girls’ winner in Class 7A, the largest of the classifications. The Raiders collected 1,281 points, winning state championships in four sports: girls volleyball; girls swimming, and boys and girls tennis.

Lambert was second with 1,143 points, followed by Mill Creek with 1,140.

In the girls division Walton had 599 points, while North Gwinnett had 552. On the boys side, Walton collected 682 points to 624 to Hillgrove.

(You can read through the standings here.)

The GADA totals points based on how teams finish in all sports for which the GHSA awards state championships.

Walton, the only high school in East Cobb in Class 7-A was second in the Directors’ Cup standings in 2021, and last won the all-sports trophy in 2019.

In Class 6A, Lassiter finished third with 1,082 points and Pope was fourth with 1,073 points, trailing Buford and Cambridge.

The Lassiter girls topped their division and the Trojans boys were 9th, and the Pope girls were 4th.

Lassiter teams won state Class 6-A championships in fast-pitch girls softball, girls swimming and boys and girls soccer.

The Pope baseball team won the state championship in late May at Truist Park.

Also in Class 6-A, Kell finished 32nd, and Sprayberry was 54th.

In the Class A private school division, Mt. Bethel Christian came in at No. 45.

 

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!