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 Commissioner Jerica Richardson said she is pursuing legal options after a Cobb judge this week declared her seat immediately vacant.
Superior Court Judge Ann Harris on Tuesday upheld the commission’s vote to declare a vacancy after the county lost a legal effort in court to keep her in office. You can read the ruling by clicking here.
“I will be reviewing the Court order to determine what, if any, other options are available in the attempt to continue to fight for Georgia’s Republic,” Richardson wrote in a social media posting shortly before her term expired on Tuesday.
She had filed an appeal to remain in office until her successor is chosen in a special election in April.
In a statement issued by the county, Cobb County Attorney William Rowling said “the Court’s well-reasoned decision affirmed the correctness of the County’s determination that the Office of BOC District 2 Commissioner is vacant, given that Commissioner Richardson does not reside within BOC District 2 under the currently applicable state legislative map.”
It’s unclear how the commission will be constituted when it holds its first meeting on Jan. 14. An interim replacement for Richardson could be appointed through the special election.
The term of District 4 Commissioner Monique Sheffield also expired on Tuesday. Special elections for District 2 and District 4 will culminate in April.
County ordinance requires that commissioners reside in the district they represent.
Richardson, a Democrat elected to the District 2 post in 2020, moved to a home in East Cobb that was later drawn into District 3 during reapportionment.
She and the board’s other two Democrats tried to claim home rule powers in 2022 to draw commission electoral maps after balking at the Georgia legislature’s maps.
Her District 2 initially included some of East Cobb, but the redrawn maps placed most of East Cobb in District 3, represented by Republican JoAnn Birrell.
For more than two years, commissioners used the “home rule” maps to conduct county business, and the Cobb Elections Board used those maps in the May primaries.
Along the way, Richardson reiterated what she said was an “unprecedented” action to force her from office. As the dispute lingered, she decided to run for the 6th Congressional District, but was routed by U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath in the Democratic primary.
And court rulings later reaffirmed that only the legislature can conduct county reapportionment in Georgia.
The May primary elections in District 2 and District 4 were thrown out by a Cobb judge, who ordered the special elections.
Here’s more of what Richardson posted on Tuesday:
“It is now precedent that the General Assembly has the blanket permission to remove a sitting elected official, at any time, and for any reason.
“While the General Assembly should not work to unilaterally overturn elections, they clearly and legally have the ability to, in accordance with this ruling. The future of elected representation is at stake in this state. Not only does the ruling reaffirm this undemocratic power, it also renders the purpose and authority of local state delegations powerless, local law unnecessary, and local calendars a voluntary exercise. A state representative in one area can override a whole group of state representatives in a completely different part of the State with impunity.
“Then, to know that the cosponsor of this bill felt it was inconsequential to remove me because I was ‘young and urban and should move to the Southside’ to ‘protect his community’ and make sure that the ‘representation matched’ bodes an unstable future for this State and is indicative of the fear that has permeated our communities
“Trust and believe that my vacancy is but a canary in the coal mine for what is to come. We have already seen other legislative bills chip away at the essence of the delicate checks and balances that have made our Country great. It is a slippery slope that we find ourselves on, and the fact that I am being removed from office this much later than originally thought is only because those in opposition struggled to file a legitimate legal challenge against the County for over a year.
“The County fought hard to prevent this precedent and stop a government branch from encroaching on local control. As an institutionalist, I am quite proud of the County’s legal work in defending a Constitutional procedure put in place to specifically protect the checks and balances between the State and the County, and the diligence of the community along the way.”
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 Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid will take the oath of office for her second term on Monday at a swearing-in ceremony at the Cobb Civic Center (548 S. Marietta Parkway).
The event is free and is open to the public and starts at 6 p.m. You’re asked to contact her office at 770-528-3306 or email allin@cobbcounty.org if you’d like to attend.
A Democrat, Cupid won re-election in November over Republican Kay Morgan.
Cupid was the first woman and first African-American to hold the position, which is elected countywide.
But her tenure thus far marked by a number of mostly partisan issues that were eventually shelved.
They included a major overhaul of private trash services, a proposed stormwater fee and a plan to allow accessory dwelling units in residential backyards.
Cupid and her Democratic colleagues also claimed home rule powers to draw commission electoral maps in an attempt to keep Commissioner Jerica Richardson in her seat.
That move was eventually struck down in the courts, and Richardson’s seat has been declared vacant and special elections will be held early this year for two commission district seat.
Cupid also pushed through a vote to call a referendum to impose a transit tax in Cobb. It would have collected nearly $11 billion over 30 years, but was soundly defeated by voters in November.
An ethics complaint was filed against Cupid by Lance Lamberton of the Cobb Taxpayers Alliance, who claims she “engaged in unethical behavior by using taxpayer dollars to promote passage” of the transit tax.
A Cobb Ethics Board hearing was to have been held in December but was cancelled because there was not a quorum.
Lamberton said the meeting has been rescheduled for Monday at 4 p.m., two hours before Cupid’s swearing-in ceremony.
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 Cobb Board of Education is holding a special called meeting Tuesday to swear in newly elected members and vote for officers for 2025.
The meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. in the board room at the Cobb County School District Central Office, 514 Glover St., in Marietta.
The meeting also will be live-streamed on district’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24.
The board maintained a 4-3 Republican majority in November elections, as GOP incumbents Randy Scamihorn and Brad Wheeler won re-election.
In East Cobb’s Post 5, Republican newcomer John Cristadoro was elected to succeed retiring GOP member David Banks.
They will take the oath of office, along with Democratic incumbent Tre’ Hutchins, who was unopposed.
Then board members will then choose a chairman and vice chairman for the 2025 meetings. Last year, Scamihorn served as chairman so he cannot be elected to the same post this year.
Republicans have rotated officers among themselves in recent years, as the votes have been along partisan lines.
The board also will set the schedule for its 2025 meetings on Tuesday.
The first official meetings of 2025 are on Jan. 16.
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!
Saturday, January 11th, 2025 9:00am – 2:00pm Northeast Cobb Family YMCA (next to WALMART) 3010 Johnson Ferry Road, 30062
ALL PROCEEDS SUPPORT POPE HIGH SCHOOL BAND!
We accept paint, metals, electronics, appliances, and paper shredding – while you watch! DONATION $15 per car + disposal fees, where applicable. For details, disposal fees, and to view our flyer along with a list of accepted recyclables, please visit our website:
Onsite Payment can be made in cash, credit card, or check payable to PBPA.
Pick-Up services are available WITH ADVANCED RESERVATION, within a 5-mile radius of Pope HS, based on truck and volunteer availability. (Sorry, for your security – NO document pick-ups)!
**RESERVATION IS REQUIRED** for pick up and payment must be made in full by cash or check (no credit cards) at time of pick up. These slots are very limited. To make a reservation for residential or business pick up, please visit our website at http://www.popeband.com/recycling.html
Business Pick-Up Fee: $100 plus any TV, monitor, laptop, large item or paint charges.
Residential Pick-Up Fee. $50 plus any TV, monitor, laptop, large item or paint charges.
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 National Weather Service said that a tornado briefly touched down in East Cobb in storms Sunday night.
Cobb government said in a release Tuesday that around a dozen homes were damaged on Corral Drive and Bridal Path.
That’s located off Bryant Road, north of Sandy Plains Road
The Cobb release said NWS observers visited the area Tuesday to survey the damage, and determined the tornado to be in the Ef-1 category, with winds up to 95 mph.
“Several residents were displaced, and fire crews reported one minor injury,” the Cobb release said. “No tornado warnings were issued in Cobb County during the storm.”
The Cobb County Emergency Management office asking anyone who has property damage from the storm to visit the Damage Assessment Reporting Form.
Cobb government said Cobb DOT crews responded to 45 calls of trees blocking roads following the storm.
The injury in East Cobb came to an individual in a home that was struck by a tree, according to Cobb government, and that person sought medical attention.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Pretty much every time around the New Year’s holiday, we receive a lot of questions on fireworks usage in Cobb. 911 receives a lot of calls complaining of illegal use of fireworks.
Cobb County Code bans the use of fireworks from 9 p.m. to 10 a.m. with some exceptions including these for the New Year’s holiday:
Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve) – Fireworks may be discharged until 1 a.m.
Jan. 1 (New Year’s Day) – Fireworks may be discharged until midnight.
Fireworks and other pyrotechnics are prohibited at ALL county parks. This includes historic sites, recreational areas or state property. It is illegal to use them within 100 yards of an electric plant, water or wastewater treatment plant, gas station, refinery, electric substation, jail, helipad, hospital, nursing home or other health care facility.
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!
Rabbi Ephraim Silverman of Chabad of Cobb synagogue leading children in Menorah lighting festivities. ECN photos and videos.
The weather was inviting and the atmosphere was festive for the annual Menorah lighting Sunday at Avenue East Cobb.
Coming midway during the Hanukkah celebrations, the event sponsored by Chabad of Cobb drew many families with children, including students at the synagogue’s Cobb Jewish Preschool.
There was plenty of food and refreshments to nosh on, music aimed at youngsters and plenty of holiday lights festooning the Avenue’s public plaza area.
Kids chanted and sang along with Rabbi Ephraim Silverman, who reminded onlookers of the spiritual nature of the Jewish holiday that’s an eight-day tribute commemorating Jewish liberation from oppressors.
Silverman called for prayers for Israel and the Jewish people, especially in light of the continuing conflict with Hamas and other entities in the Middle East.
Hanukkah, he told East Cobb News later, reflects “the battle for the soul of Jewish life.” And each of the eight daily candles that are lighted “are the flames of the soul of Jewish life.”
The celebration of light, he added, is to encourage Jews to “live a soulful life, connected to God.”
He was asked how that message resonates with Jews today given the circumstances that include widespread anti-Israeli protests in the West, including the United States.
“In many ways, for a lot of Jewish people, it’s been kind of an awakening,” Silverman said.
He said that the prostestors—many of them waving Palestinian flags—”don’t represent many in this country. The same people who were burning Israeli flags were also burning American flags.”
Sunday’s festivities concluded with a traditional dropping of the gelt—chocolate coins–by ladder crew members of Cobb Fire Station 21.
Hanukkah continues continues through Thursday.
Spectators wait for the gelt drop provided by Cobb Fire Station 21.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
While enjoying some days off for the Christmas holiday, I wanted to take some time to thank East Cobb News readers as 2024 draws to a conclusion.
As I write this, we’ve surpassed 1.4 million page views and more than 725,000 unique visitors for the year.
In a year with some eventful happenings, including some major elections, those are good numbers to have.
Our newsletter growth also has been very solid this year, as we recently surpassed 9,300 subscribers.
We’ve done this through the daily grind of sustained news coverage and word-of-mouth promotion, as readers come to us when they want to know what’s happening in this community.
Whether it’s coverage of local government and politics, schools news, crime, traffic, zoning, or new businesses and restaurants, readers have told us repeatedly how much they value what they get in one place—whether it’s daily on our site, via social media postings or through the newsletter.
I also want to thank those of you who have contributed to our continuing readership campaign this year, and our advertisers who appreciate the value of regular exposure to a dedicated, growing audience that makes up the East Cobb News readership.
The deeply hyperlocal focus of all that we do—editorial and advertising—has been a successful formula as we continue in our eighth year of operation.
East Cobb News is all-online, publishing every day, with timely, professionally reported news and useful community information that makes a difference for the people who live here.
That’s who we do this for, and if you like what you see here and you haven’t donated before, consider making a contribution at whatever amount you like.
Simply put, East Cobb News readers are at the center of what this is all about. Unlike many other media outlets, we don’t charge to read our coverage, and we never will. No paywalls here.
As 2025 commences, we want to go more in-depth with the news and features that our readers come to expect.
Our community continues to grow and evolve in many ways, and some of our best story ideas come from you.
So if you have story ideas, news tips, photos or anything else to share that you think might be of interest to our readers, let us hear from you!
I want to hear from you about what you value in East Cobb News, and ask how we can make this site better. I will be sending a reader survey out in early January, and I would appreciate the feedback.
In the meantime, I’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year! We’ll be on a lighter posting schedule for the rest of the year, but stay tuned for our roundup of top stories of the year and other features as we approach New Year’s.
Seasons Greetings East Cobb and thanks for your readership!
AAA will help stranded motorists while keeping impaired drivers off the road this holiday season, as the Auto Club Group has activated its Tow to Go program in Georgia and other select states.
“At the moment when you’re tempted to get behind the wheel while impaired, think again and allow wisdom to guide you. Set aside those keys and let your fingers dial Tow to Go,” said Montrae Waiters, AAA – The Auto Club Group spokeswoman. “AAA will then send a truck to take you and your vehicle to a safe location within a 10-mile radius.”
It’s important to note that AAA service technicians expect to respond to calls from more than 860,000 drivers with car trouble during the upcoming holidays. So, treat Tow to Go as a last resort. Before you party, identify a designated driver or ride-sharing service to plan for a safe ride home.
Tow to Go is active from 6 p.m. Tuesday, December 24th to 6 a.m. Thursday, January 2nd.
For service, call (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246.
Available in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Colorado (Denver), North Carolina (Charlotte), Indiana (Fort Wayne/South Bend).
The Auto Club Group has provided the Tow to Go program for over 25 years. Since its inception, Tow to Go has removed more than 30,000 impaired drivers from the roadway.
‘Tow to Go’ Guidelines
Free and available to AAA members and non-members.
Confidential local ride for one person and their vehicle to a safe location within a 10-mile radius.
Appointments cannot be scheduled in advance to use Tow to Go. It is designed as a safety net for those who did not plan ahead. Always choose a designated driver before celebrating.
In some situations, AAA may need to make other arrangements to get an impaired individual a safe ride home.
Tow to Go may not be available in rural areas or during severe weather conditions.
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!
Keeping it light and fun: The Atlanta-based Gate City Brass takes a bow after performing a Christmas concert last weekend.
Well, all that’s left now is to enjoy Christmas.
All the rushing around in busy stores and weaving through East Cobb traffic is over.
I don’t know why, but I’m like many who wait until the last minute to tie up loose ends.
But what’s been a festive season is reaching its peak.
While Christians will be celebrating the birth of Jesus on Wednesday, our Jewish neighbors will begin eight days of Hanukkah as well.
It’s a time for all of us, regardless of our religious views—or whether or not we even have them—to step back and take stock of the many blessings we have in our community.
I write this, on Christmas Eve, shortly before attending a candlelight service.
This day has been difficult personally for the last few years because it’s the day my mother began her final journey after a long battle with lung cancer.
But this was always her favorite time of year, and I know she would have enjoyed the Christmas concert at the church I’ve been attending.
Last Sunday, the Atlanta-based Gate City Brass performed at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church, which has magnificent acoustics in its sanctuary.
For several years, they’ve had a group of members organize three or four concerts a year and invited the public. They asked me to help out with publicity, but for someone who can’t carry a tune across the room, I’ve enjoyed the experience immensely.
The talent and dedication it takes to learn to play music, and do it well, has always amazed me.
The Gate City Brass members arranged many of the Christmas classics that we’re familiar with, and I recorded a couple of those tunes for you to enjoy below.
They’re a bit different than what you may be used to hearing, but these renditions certainly added more fun and enjoyment for the Christmas season for me.
We’ll be taking off Christmas Day but will be back later in the week with more holiday coverage, including a Hanukkah Menorah lighting and other festivities to bid farewell to 2024 and say hello to the new year to come.
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!
Less than three years after its opening, the 101 Bagel Cafe has closed in East Cobb.
There’s a sign on the door acknowledging the closing and green mesh around what had been a small patio in the front of the location at 4811 Lower Roswell Road, at the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road.
The chain’s website still lists the East Cobb location, but a button for online ordering goes to the Milton/Crabapple location.
The closure in East Cobb follows other 101 Bagel Cafe closures in recent months, including on Akers Mill Road.
That was the original 101 Bagel Cafe opening in 2018. Rob Miller was the franchisee there and in East Cobb, and he also operated a location in Duluth that also has since closed.
The Dunwoody location also has closed, while the Milton location opened last year.
When Miller opened in East Cobb in April 2022, he said the New York-style concept—featuring Catskills water for boiling and then baking bagels—would find a niche in a competitive market.
He was going up against East Cobb mainstays Bagelicious and Goldbergs Bagel, not far away in the Johnson Ferry corridor.
101 Bagel Cafe’s closing follows the Flying Biscuit, which shuttered in September at Parkaire Landing, and as the Lower Roswell-Johnson Ferry area is preparing for major traffic improvements that have caused concerns for some business owners in the area.
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!
Two Home Depot locations and Fullers Park will be accepting Christmas trees for free recycling from Dec. 25-Jan. 4.
It’s part Keep Cobb Beautiful’s “Bring One for the Chipper” drive in which used trees are chipped into mulch and used for a variety of beautification projects around the county.
You can go by the Home Depot at Highland Plaza (3605 Sandy Plains Road) and Providence Square (4101 Roswell Road) or Fullers Park (3499 Robinson Road).
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 Cobb Sheriff’s Office said Monday that a woman being held at the Cobb Adult Detention Center has died.
In a release, sheriff’s spokesperson Randi Okray said that Clara Palmer was pronounced dead at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital Saturday evening.
Okray said she had been rushed there after being found unresponsive in her cell and that emergency responders began administering CPR.
The release said the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine a cause of death.
According to a booking report, Palmer, 39, from Union City, had been held without bond since Dec. 11 on a variety of charges, including possessing a weapon while committing a crime, possession of methamphetamine, theft by receiving stolen property and tampering with evidence.
The release also included a message citing figures from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention that “an estimated 90% of individuals who die by suicide have a diagnosable mental health condition—most often depression or a substance use disorder—at the time of their death.
“The holidays can sometimes feel overwhelming. Sheriff Owens urges detainees and their loved ones to seek help if they need emotional support,” the release stated.
“Individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts or severe emotional distress can call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8 or visit 988lifeline.org for free and confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
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 Police have arrested one adult and two juveniles after a fight broke out at Cumberland Mall Sunday that was initially reported as an active shooter incident.
Officer Aaron Wilson said in a release that “several 911 calls described males wearing masks running through the mall and allegedly shooting” in the food court area early Sunday evening.
But police said a part-time security officer saw no victims or armed individuals when arriving at the scene, although officers from several law enforcement agencies responded.
The three individuals were taken into custody and “a blood trail was discovered in front of several stores, prompting further investigation” of a possible stabbing, Wilson said.
He said that surveillance video footage showed that a fistfight had broken out, and that one of the persons involved had been bleeding.
Wilson said that no firearms or knives were discovered and no hospitals reported any injuries related to the incident.
Cobb Police did not release the names of those who were arrested, but said that it “would like to assure the public that there is no ongoing threat to safety at Cumberland Mall.”
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up and you’re good to go!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Carolyn Strickland lives near her older son James in the Lake Fjord community; her other son also resides in the East Cobb area. ECN photo.
Up until about a year ago, Carolyn Strickland was living the life of a near fully independent senior citizen.
That’s when her sons thought it best that she not drive any longer.
“I went anywhere I wanted to go,” says the 99-year-old mother of two, grandmother of five and great-grandmother of six.
Not long after that, she started using a walker to get around the living quarters her oldest son converted out of his garage in East Cobb’s Lake Fjord neighborhood.
“I was walking real good too,” she says, recalling outings with James Strickland Jr., at East Cobb Park, where a tree is dedicated to the memory of her 72-year marriage to her late husband.
Days away from her 100th birthday, nearly 40 friends and family members gathered at Copeland’s restaurant in Kennesaw to pay tribute to Strickland, who comes from a family with a history of nonagenarians.
On Tuesday, she will spend her 100th birthday with her sons and extended family. There’s some leftover birthday cake to enjoy, from Thursday’s party.
All of her eight sisters—she’s the baby of the family—lived at least to the age of 92. So did her mother.
Her husband, James Sr., a veteran of World War II and the Korean War and a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, was 94 when he died in 2017.
“I don’t know,” she said when asked what she attributes to her longevity. “Everybody asks me that.”
James Jr. thinks it’s in part due to the healthy food she cooked up for the family in Enterprise, Ala., where the Strickland family lived for 50 years.
“Turnip greens, cooked cabbage and spinach,” he says, admitting those are foods he can’t stand.
Carolyn and James Strickland Sr. when he was stationed in Hawaii after World War II. Strickland family photo.
“I’ll have to find another key to longevity,” says James, 75, a Georgia Tech graduate who sold computer systems for IBM and other technology companies.
Born Carolyn Bell Swain in Hazlehurst, Ga., on Dec. 24, 1924, she is the youngest of nine daughters.
Her father was a successful tobacco farmer in rural Jeff Davis County, but he died when she was eight.
Her mother (ironically named Mary Etta) moved the family into town for the rest of Carolyn’s childhood. After college, in the years following World War II, Carolyn followed some of her sisters to Atlanta.
It was there that she met a young Navy dive bomber, James Strickland, whose brother lived in her apartment building near what is now Pershing Point.
They married in 1946, as James was continuing a military career that included service in three branches.
Carolyn and her young sons while the family was stationed in North Carolina. Strickland family photo.
The following year, she boarded a ship in Norfolk, Va., with other military wives to visit their husbands stationed in Hawaii, traveling through the Panama Canal and then to San Francisco.
“We lived there two years; it was wonderful,” she said of her time in Hawaii. “It was so great. I was innocent and young.
“Then they gave us orders to return” stateside.
Carolyn gave birth to James and Steven while the family was stationed in North Carolina. James Sr. flew helicopters in Korea for the Army and the Marines, then was dispatched to Fort Rucker, Ala., close to the Florida panhandle, where the family relocated.
In Enterprise, James Sr. eventually became a helicopter pilot trainer. Carolyn settled in with family and community life. She helped found a Methodist church and served in lay leadership and even sang in the choir.
“Mom’s mottos are: Clean it, paint it, or throw it away, do it now, and how much is it?” James Jr. said.
Small-town life suited them well. Enterprise was like a “company” town for Fort Rucker (now named Fort Novosel). After her sons were in school, she worked as an administrative assistant to a school principal.
“We liked it and the children liked it,” she said of life there.
“Most everybody in town worked there,” James Jr. recalls. “We were all at the same economic level. You knew just everybody in town. We all knew each other.”
James Jr. stayed in metro Atlanta, and Steven soon followed, after a missionary career. He and his family reside in the Sprayberry High School area.
Carolyn, at 91, driving in the 2016 EAST COBBER parade, with her husband as a passenger, the year before he died. Strickland family photo.
In 2011, they convinced their parents to move to East Cobb. A few years earlier, James Sr. and Carolyn were enjoying their 61st anniversary dinner at the Georgian Terrace Hotel in Midtown when James Jr. persuaded the marquee manager at the Fox Theatre across the street to put their name up on the electronic sign.
They marked another anniversary by sponsoring a tree near the front parking lot at East Cobb Park, and have bricks with their names at The Strand Theatre in Marietta and Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta.
The Stricklands also observed their 70th anniversary by participating in the 2016 EAST COBBER parade. Carolyn, who was 91, drove with her husband as a passenger in their Cadillac convertible.
She still enjoys outings with her son eating out—”I have an excellent appetite,” she says—and playing bridge with several senior women, sometimes at Indian Hills Country Club.
Carolyn and James Sr. as the Fox Theatre marquee celebrates their 61st anniversary in 2007. Strickland family photo.
She regularly gets her hair and nails done, and admits that while she appreciates her sons waiting on her, “I really like to do my own thing.”
“My health is still good,” Carolyn says, elaborating on her many years. “I don’t really have an answer for it.”
A few minutes later, the phone rings. A neighbor is calling.
“This is the birthday lady. How are you?”
More company is expected soon, and she reflects yet again on the keys to having a long life.
“Good, clean living,” James Jr. says.
She says there really are no secrets at all.
“All I can tell you is I’ve had a good life. I haven’t had much of anything to worry about.”
In September, Carolyn and James. Jr. walking at East Cobb Park, where a tree behind them is dedicated to her 72-year marriage. Strickland family photo.
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!
Two synagogues in East Cobb will be having public Menorah lighting events to celebrate Hanukkah.
This year, Hanukkah is being observed from Dec. 25 through Jan. 2.
On Wednesday, Dec. 25, Congregation Etz Chaim will be holding a Menorah lighting event at East Cobb Park (3322 Roswell Road) starting at 5:55 p.m.
On Sunday, Dec. 29, Chabad of Cobb will be sponsoring a Menorah lighting at Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road) starting at 5:30 p.m. There will be family activities, music, treats, and the gelt drop, courtesy of the Cobb Fire Department.
Here are several other Menorah lighting celebrations around the county, as compiled by Cobb government:
Mega Chanukah Menorah Lighting event at The Battery Atlanta, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26 on the green. Join the Atlanta community for the Mega Chanukah Event. Enjoy Chanukah treats, fun crafts for kids, face painting, the lighting of a giant menorah, and a special guest performance for all ages to enjoy.
Light up the night with the City of Kennesaw and Chabad of Kennesaw at the Kennesaw menorah lighting ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 26, at 5 p.m. at the City Hall Plaza, 2529 J.O. Stephenson Avenue, Kennesaw.
Chanukah Giant Gelt Drop – 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30 at Brawner Hall, 3180 Atlanta Road SE, Smyrna. Chocolate gelt (chocolate coins) will rain down from the sky, and there will be face paint, balloons, music, and Chanukah treats. RSVP: chabadsmyrnavinings.com/geltdrop
Acworth invites everyone to Doyal Hill Park for the annual Menorah Lighting Ceremony on Monday, Dec. 30, at 6 p.m. Rabbi Zalman Charytan from the Chabad Jewish Center will officiate the lighting with Mayor Tommy Allegood, with a reception at the Rosenwald School to follow.
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!
