Instead of cars, Johnson Ferry Road will be occupied by unicyclists from Mt. Bethel ES and other participants in Saturday’s EAST COBBER parade. (ECN file)
As the calendar veers toward mid-September, that means something highly unusual is about to transpire in East Cobb: Johnson Ferry Road will be closed. On purpose.
It’s only a portion of Johnson Ferry, and only for a few hours. But it’s the busiest stretch of Johnson Ferry, and it’s a Saturday morning.
The parade steps off starting at 10 a.m. at Mt. Bethel Elementary School, and will wind its way to the Johnson Ferry Baptist Church south parking lot, where the festival runs from 11-3.
For the last few days, some traffic alert signs have been posted in the area to give motorists a heads-up about the road closure. Cobb Police will be closing Johnson Ferry between Roswell Road and Lower Roswell Road at 9:45 a.m., and it is expected to reopen around 11:30 a.m. or noon.
The festival has free admission and includes food, music, kids’ games, entertainment and vendors.
The black stars indicate the road closure points; the red stars indicate the parade route and the blue star signifies the festival site.
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After falling behind in the first quarter, Walton took control of an East Cobb rivalry game with Pope Friday night at Raider Valley.
The Greyhounds led 7-0, but Walton got three touchdowns from KD Stokes and two more from Julian Bumper to prevail 33-10.
For the Raiders (2-1), the win was an encouraging recovery after they lost to Collins Hill last week on the last play of the game. Walton is off next week, then will play at North Gwinnett on Sept. 20.
Pope also is 2-1 and will begin region play next week against Centennial.
In the other East Cobb rivalry game Friday, the visiting team came away with the win, as Kell blanked Lassiter 27-0. Corbin LaFrance threw two touchdowns to Jamal Hill.
The Longhorns, who are ranked No. 8 in Class 5A, improved to 3-0 on the season. They begin region play with a bang next week at No. 9 Rome, which crushed North Clayton 63-6.
Lassiter, which is 0-3, will be off next week. The Trojans have scored only six points on the season, a field goal in each of their first two games.
Sprayberry has put together a two-game winning streak after rolling over South Cobb 48-20. It was homecoming for the Yellow Jackets (2-1), who got two touchdowns from Damarion Owens.
The Jackets will have a week off next week, then start their region slate against Harrison, ranked No. 5 in Class 6A, and which is 4-0 on the season.
Wheeler returned home after last week’s loss to Sprayberry, but Shiloh jumped all over the Wildcats early enroute to a 39-8 win.
Shiloh led 27-0 as Wheeler fell to 1-2. The Wildcats are off next week, then will play Lassiter on Sept. 20.
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Here’s the latest traffic update related to ongoing construction on Sandy Plains Road. On Tuesday, Sept. 10, lanes will be rerouted most of the day at Kinjac Drive for final pipe crossing.
More details from Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell’s office:
“This will entail multiple traffic configurations. A police officer is scheduled to be present to override the traffic signal. The pipe crossing will begin at 9:00 a.m. and is expected to be completed by 3:00 p.m. if all goes as planned.
“If this is not the case, a DOT alert will be issued via newsletter and social media with the reason and time of the delay. We appreciate your continued patience as this work is imperative to prepare for the paving that is tentatively scheduled for Monday, Sept. 16.”
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U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath will hold a town hall meeting Sunday afternoon in Sandy Springs to meet with 6th Congressional District constituents.
The meeting is from 1-2 p.m. Temple Emanu-El, 1580 Spalding Drive.
McBath, a first-term Democrat from Marietta, said the the town hall will be about “hearing about the issues that matter most in our community. ”
McBath has taken a visible role in gun-control issues, and during the August recess took part in a “Protect Our Care” bus tour in Georgia to advocate for greater health care access.
She also sponsored the Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need Act, which allows disabled veterans greater relief from financial hardship by amending bankruptcy laws. That bill passed Congress and recently was signed by President Donald Trump.
If you’re interested in attending the town hall, you’re asked to RSVP here. Seating is limited.
McBath is the only Democrat thus far who’s declared an intention to run for the 6th District seat in 2020. Her win last year helped tilt control of the House to the Democrats, and the 6th District—which includes East Cobb, North Fulton and Sandy Springs and north and central DeKalb—is considered a battleground race again for next year.
Former Rep. Karen Handel, whom McBath defeated last year, is one of four Republicans vying to regain the seat that had been in GOP hands for 40 years. Also running are State Sen. Brandon Beach of Alpharetta, Nicole Rodden, a former Merchant Marine and Marjorie Taylor Greene, owner of a Milton commercial construction company.
Among the individual contributors include actress Jane Fonda, who made contributions of $2,200 and $2,800 in June, and former Gov. Roy Barnes of Marietta, who contributed $1,800 in June.
She also has received political action committee contributions from the American Federation of Teachers ($5,000), NARAL Pro-Choice America ($5,000) and the campaign committees for various House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Greene has raised $523,351 (with $500,000 coming from the candidate), Handel $460,132, Beach $359,067 and Rodden $158,926.
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Good Mews is having a car wash Saturday that will benefit continuing operations and the addition of 36 cats from a Glynn County shelter.
It’s going to be sunny and hot this weekend, much like it has this week and is forecast to be in the days ahead. In East Cobb over the next few days, there are a lot of events to choose from, both indoors and outdoors, all the way to Sunday evening.
Here’s a look at some of the highlights from our Events Calendar:
Another Kid’s Consignment Sale gets underway Friday at the Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (1795 Johnson Ferry Road) which opens its doors 9-6 and then on Saturday 9-12. There are more than 300 items, with the price reduced by 30 percent on Saturday. For information: http://spspkids.com/.
A full slate of High School Football is on tap Friday, with two more East Cobb rivalry games in store after last week’s rousing games. The headliners are Pope at Walton, and Kell at Lassiter. Wheeler is at home to Shiloh and Sprayberry is having an early homecoming against South Cobb. Kickoff times at all venues are 7:30 p.m.
On Labor Day we wrote about how Good Mews staff and volunteers evacuated more than 50 cats from a Glynn County Shelter that would otherwise have been euthanized ahead of Hurricane Dorian. The no-kill Good Mews has a regular list of fundraising events on tap, and has been asking for special donations for this emergency addition to their ranks. On Saturday they’re having a benefit car wash from 10-2 at their shelter (3805 Robinson Road). A $10 donation gets you a clean car and the proceeds helps Good Mews earn “bonus dollars” from the Best Friends Animal Society, which offers some matching donations.
Get your family moving Saturday at the library: It’s Family Zumba, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Mountain View Regional branch 3320 Sandy Plains Road. Bring your dancing shoes and drop in (no charge, no registration) and groove your way to fitness with a certified instructor. Intended for ages 10 and older.
At the East Cobb Library (4880 Lower Roswell Road), another drop-in event is taking place from 11-1. The Chinese Moon Festival is a presentation of The Alliance of Youth Leaders in the United States East Cobb Branch, Walton High School, and the local Chinese School.
Starting at noon Saturday, Sandy Plains Baseball will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with special ceremonies and opening games to follow the rest of the afternoon at Carl Harrison Park (2653 Shallowford Road).
Gospel music will fill the rafters Saturday night at Elizabeth Baptist Church (315 Kurtz Road), which welcomes the Gold City Quartet for a concert from 6-8. The event includes several other performers, and the requested donation is $10.
Wind up the weekend outdoors at East Cobb Park (3322 Roswell Road): It’s another Sunday Funday event from 4-6 p.m. and the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA will be hosting many family friendly activities, like Yoga and Zumba classes, Soccer Clinics, and kids activities. Bring a picnic, and enjoy some live music.
You’ll find more details about those and can check out more of our calendar listings for this weekend and beyond. Send your events to us and we’ll post ’em here: calendar@eastcobbnews.com.
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A proposal to establish a 25 mph school speed zone along a stretch of Terrell Mill Road is among numerous traffic-related changes to be considered Tuesday by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
It’s part of an occasional update to establish school speed zones, make changes to road signs to match flashing signals and approve road areas for speed detection devices.
Brumby Elementary School and East Cobb Middle School relocated last year side-by-side campuses on Terrell Mill Road between Powers Ferry Road and Paper Mill Road.
Tuesday’s proposal would call for a 25 mph speed limit on Terrell Mill from a point 80 feet north of Timberstone Hollow Court (at the bottom point of the red line on the map) to 480 feet north of Greenwood Trail.
The speed zone limits would be in effect only during school days and during the following times, per Cobb DOT:
AM: From 45 minutes prior to commencement time to 15 minutes after commencement time;
PM: From 30 minutes prior to dismissal time to 30 minutes after dismissal time.
In addition, Cobb DOT is requesting to remove the former Brumby ES speed zone along Powers Ferry Road, and to remove a reference to East Cobb Middle School in the Holt Road school speed zone area that still includes Wheeler High School.
Mountain View Elementary School also relocated to a new site last year along Sandy Plains Road. Another proposal would move that 25 mph school speed zone further down on Sandy Plains from its old site near Shallowford Road.
The new school speed zone on Sandy Plains would stretch from 570 feet east of Davis Drive to 50 feet west of Berkshire Flat.
Another school-related proposal would create a school speed zone of 25 mph on Beaver Shop Road, from 240 feet east of Boyce Drive to Ebenezer Road, near Addison Elementary School.
A few other school-related updates to road speed signs are routine, and are being done to match current signs and new flashing beacons at the following locations:
Lower Roswell Road, from 300 feet west of Holt Road to 200 feet east of Rhodes Drive (Eastvalley ES);
Lower Roswell Road, from 80 feet east of Pioneer Trail to 100 feet west of Palmer Oaks Lane (Sedalia Park ES);
Pine Road, from 80 feet north of Bill Murdock Road to 225 feet south of Bill Murdock Road (Walton HS);
Trickum Road, from 40 feet north of Swanson Court to 0.30 miles north of Sandy Plains Road (Simpson MS).
You can read the proposed radar ordinance changes at this link.
The commissioners also will consider a number of requests to approve the use of speed detection devices on roads around the county.
Among them in East Cobb is on Roswell Road near East Side Elementary School, from 50 feet west of Mt. Bethel Road to 50 feet west of Montague Road. That’s a stretch of .29 miles, and the school speed zone there is 25 mph.
Another proposal would allow speed detection devices to be used along most of Roswell Road in East Cobb, from Greenbriar Parkway near the Loop to the Fulton County line. That’s 6.79 miles, and the current speed limit is 45 mph.
Here’s the full list of roads where detection devices are permitted, with the proposed changes in red.
And here’s more background from Cobb DOT, which mentions that commissioners last updated the list of roads in 2015. Before they can act, the county must get approval from Georgia DOT.
The proposed changes are on the consent agenda.
The full meeting agenda can be found here and the meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
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Marietta Police sent out this message a little after 3:30 this afternoon:
Roswell Road is closed between Powers Ferry Road and Lower Roswell Road due to a downed power pole.
The downed power lines are blocking all lanes of traffic and repair crews are on the scene.
Suggested alternate routes include the Marietta Loop.
We’ll update when we get more information.
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Thanks to Aaron Salkill, a firefighter with the Cobb Fire and Emergency Services Department, for passing along the following information and educational video you can watch below that’s part of a nationwide contest about closing your door before going to bed.
He and his Dalmatian Cinder are taking part in the “Close Before You Doze” video contest, which will award the winner a $25,000 grant for fire safety education programs.
The video contest is in conjunction with UL Firefighter Safety Research, and the videos are designed “to help educate people about the critical impact that closing your bedroom door can have in stopping the spread of a fire and ultimately saving lives.”
The winnings, according to Cobb Fire, would be contributed to the Cobb County Safety Village.
The eight videos with the most votes move on to the next round where a panel of UL representatives will rank the finalists. They will receive a donation in their name to a fire department of their choosing.
The grand prize donation is $25,000, the runner-up and second runner-up will receive $15,000 and $10,000, respectively, and five additional winners will be recognized with a $5,000 donation and honorable mention.
You can click on to the video link here between now and Sept. 15 to cast your vote for Aaron and Cinder and possibly benefit the Cobb Safety Village.
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Story and photos submitted by the Cobb County School District:
“We get to build special things for special people.” According to a Blackwell Elementary School student, that is what makes the school’s robotics and coding club so great.
This year, the fifth graders in the club launched a community service project that reaches across the Atlantic Ocean, across the African continent and all the way to the country of Oman.
Blackwell students in the Robotics, Coding, and Community Service (RCC) club are using a 3D printer to build a prosthetic arm for an Oman student in need. The Blackwell club was recently certified to make prosthetic hands and arms for people in need. The Cobb school is the only elementary school in Georgia with the certification.
The international student and her parents recently visited Blackwell and met members of the RCC club along with some of her peers in first grade.
During the club meeting, the international visitor tested out some of the robotic hands that the club members had previously assembled. The club members later created a prosthetic arm-sized and tailored just for her.
Although 3D printing the parts only took a few days, the process also included taking special images of the Oman student’s arm, modifications, and a practice prosthetic to ensure the functionality supports her needs.
The Blackwell students partnered with the Enabling the Future to design the arm’s socket, which requires more technical engineering. After the test model was finished, the Oman student was able to try it on and give feedback for the final version.
“The arm fit well overall, and it was functional, but it was a little too long and the socket needed to be a bit deeper. She also decided that she wants the forearm to be brown in color to match the rest of the arm rather than the sports theme that we included,” explained Dr. Tom Brown, Blackwell STEM Lab teacher (in photo at right), and RCC Club advisor.
The Blackwell students plan to make the changes and send their new friend the robotic arm in the next few weeks. The goal is for her to use the student-built arm until she is ready to try one that is made by professional prosthetic doctors like the ones at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Helping the student from Oman wasn’t the Blackwell student’s first time building a prosthetic. Last school year, they constructed one for a fellow Blackwell student and club member.
The Blackwell Elementary fifth-grader was born without a left hand and forearm. The club printed and assembled an arm called the RIT arm, which is an adaptive device with an elbow but not a wrist.
“While it turned out pretty well, it wasn’t fully functional and didn’t fit her quite right. This summer, we worked on another type of arm for her called the Adjustowrap arm. We are hoping to have one printed and assembled for her soon,” the Blackwell RCC club advisor explained.
The Robotics, Coding, and Community Service Club started in 2018 as an opportunity for students to explore their interest in robotics and coding, while the skills can be used to serve the needs of the people in the community, and now even around the world.
As part of the club, the students have learned binary code, drag-and-drop programming and higher-order coding languages like Python. They have also coded robots like Spheros, Ozobots, Cozmo, and Alpha.
“We started by using our 3D printer to print out and assemble a couple of prosthetic hands,” Dr. Brown added.
Before helping the Oman student, the RCC club printed out six hands and worked in small groups to assemble them for practice.
Even with all that the club has accomplished in a year, it is just the beginning.
“We still have lots to learn about all of this,” Dr. Brown said.
What keeps the students going is knowing that they have the ability and technology to help other people including students just like them.
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Atlantic Residential, developer of The Reserve at The Ballpark near SunTrust seen above, is proposing a 3- or 4-story apartment building, senior living, townhomes and retail on the site of Sprayberry Crossing.
Last Friday Sprayberry Crossing Action group leaders met with Richard Aaronson of Atlantic Realty, which is proposing a mixed-use development at Piedmont Road and Sandy Plains Road to replace the blighted, mostly abandoned shopping center there.
On Tuesday Shane Spink, one of those community leaders, reported on the meeting, and said he was impressed with the developer’s willingness to listen and make changes and adjustments to the plan.”
He said Atlantic Realty “took a few of the suggestions to go back to the drawing board.”
While the news about Atlantic Realty’s proposal has generated a positive reaction—for the most part—on the Sprayberry Crossing Action Facebook page, the most sensitive part of the project remains over some of the details of the residential plans.
Spink admitted his “top concern” was whether the townhomes would be for sale or rentals, since Atlantic has built some of the latter, but said he was “very pleased to hear that the townhomes will be ‘for sale’ ownership homes.”
About the overall development, here’s what Spink said they were shown:
“Please let me emphasize that what we looked at was a true mixed-use property and not a giant apartment complex like others have tried to describe this as. Here is the preliminary breakdown of what we saw:
For Sale Townhomes
Luxury Apartments w/Pool
Senior Living
Senior Living Amenities Center/Pool
Ground Floor Retail/Restaurant Space
Office/Workshare Space
Large Front Lawn Green-space
“In my opinion it doesn’t get more ‘Mixed-Use’ than that.”
Spink said none of the apartments will have three bedrooms and there will be more with one bedroom than two. That’s similar to what’s being built in the Powers Ferry Road corridor, mostly to prevent school overcrowding.
More exact details, Spink adds, are coming next week, and a community meeting will follow in the fall. Spink told East Cobb News there isn’t a set date for that meeting, but it could happen in October.
Understanding the concerns some have over the apartments, Spink urged residents to keep in mind that “this an opportunity to transform our area for the better. In a few years we will come up on the 50th anniversary of Sprayberry Crossing being built and that’s a long time for any shopping center but especially for one that has been so neglected for so long.”
Back in the 1970s, land was more abundant in Cobb and “sprawling retail centers were all the rage. Fast forward to today, retail is dying, land is scarce, populations are growing and new ideas for use have transformed areas all over the country. This is one of those new ideas.”
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Every month the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County holds an “open garden” session for the public to learn about and enjoy natural settings tended to by their members, as well as ongoing gardening projects.
Next week, they’ll be holding two open gardens at locations around Cobb as part of a countywide promotion of their programs, on Thursday, Sept. 14 and Saturday, Sept. 16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. Five venues are in or near East Cobb:
Wright Environmental Education Center (2663 Johnson Ferry Road);
Crossroads Community Garden (2661 Johnson Ferry Road);
McFarlane Nature Park (280 Farm Road);
Hyde Farm (726 Hyde Road);
Chattahoochee Nature Center (9135 Willeo Road, Roswell).
The following locations will have the same dates and times at open garden events:
Woodland Garden at Smith-Gilbert Gardens, 2382 Pine Mountain Road, Kennesaw;
Rose Garden at Smith-Gilbert Gardens, 2382 Pine Mountain Road, Kennesaw;
Period and Cherokee Garden at Green Meadows Preserve, 3780 Dallas Hwy, Marietta;
Green Meadows Preserve Community Garden, 3780 Dallas Hwy, Marietta;
Plant a Row for the Hungry, 657 Old Mountain Road, Marietta;
William Root House Museum & Garden, 80 North Marietta Pkwy, Marietta;
Reconnecting Our Roots Community Garden, 271 Lemon St, Marietta;
North Marietta Neighborhood Community Garden, 342 Pine St, Marietta;
Cobb County Water System: Wildlife and Rain Garden 660 South Cobb Dr, Marietta.
Most of the events have free admission, except for the Chattahoochee Nature Center and the Smith-Gilbert Gardens, which will charge an entry fee.
The following open garden will be Thursday only, also from 9-1:
Center for Children and Young Adults, 2221 Austell Road, Marietta.
The Wright Center in East Cobb is a regular venue for the monthly open garden sessions. In April, the grounds at Johnson Ferry and Post Oak Tritt Road were designated a wildlife sanctuary by the Atlanta Audubon Society.
Janis Hylton, a volunteer at the Wright Center, says this about the upcoming open garden sessions:
“Come hike the trails, bird-watch, enjoy nature and the native plants, check out the ‘Invasive Plants Jail,’ view the frogs in our recently-enlarged frog pond, and ask Master Gardeners questions. You are welcome to bring a lunch for a picnic on our picnic tables.”
Parking is available at the adjacent Chestnut Ridge Christian Church.
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It’s been a busy Labor Day weekend for staff and volunteers at East Cobb-based Good Mews, who traveled to a Glynn County shelter for an evacuation of 50 cats as Hurricane Dorian approaches the southeastern United States.
Shelter manager Kendra Ledlow and three Good Mews volunteers were making the 5-hour trip back to metro Atlanta Monday afternoon.
The cat shelter posted the above photo on its Facebook page and said that 18 of the cats will be delivered elsewhere upon arrival in Marietta, and the rest will be taken in at Good Mews. Without the rescue, they noted, the cats would have been euthanized.
Now Good Mews is asking for public donations, via its Best Friends/Strutt Your Mutt portal, to support its work of rescuing, caring for and preparing cats for adoption. Here’s what Good Mews is suggesting if you’re interested in helping out:
“For the first 32 people to donate $20 or more to our Strut Your Mutt team RIGHT NOW, you get to name one of our new kitties! To do this, write the suggested name in the note section of the donation page (see screenshot). This will automatically forward to our team captain. Once our new residents are settled in, we will also email a picture of your sponsored kitty!”
That screenshot is shown at the right.
Another way you can help out is at a benefit car wash this Saturday, Sept. 7, from 10-2 at Good Mews (3805 Robinson Road). Your $10 donation gets your car washed, and helps Good Mews earn “bonus dollars” from the Best Friends Animal Society. All the proceeds through Strut Your Mutt goes to the care of of Good Mews cats.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp called for a mandatory hurricane evacuation for the Georgia coast east of I-95 starting at noon Monday for the following counties: Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh.
By 8 a.m. Tuesday, all traffic along I-16 between Savannah with Dublin will be reverted to a “westerly contraflow,” meaning all lanes will be for outbound travel only.
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Sen. Johnny Isakson and his wife Dianne in Normandy in June for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. (Isakson office photo)
As the legacy of Johnny Isakson was being assessed this week by statewide media, and in Washington, D.C., news outlets, the view from home isn’t all that different, but with a few parochial twists.
Even before he became Georgia’s senior senator, a key leader in an emerging Republican majority in the state and a political elder statesman, Isakson was known simply as “Johnny.”
A personable, eager, hardworking real estate agent, he moved to what was to become East Cobb under the auspices of Northside Realty, founded by his father. This was in the mid-to-late-1960s.
He got involved in many business and civic activities, including the Marietta-Cobb Jaycees, the younger division of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
That’s how my father became acquainted with Isakson during that time, as Cobb County was going through its first boom period. The Jaycees also included George Lankford, later to become the first Republican elected to the Cobb County commission.
The Jaycees attracted many aspiring and ambitious types, some drawn to seeking political office. Isakson ran for the commission but lost in his first stab at elected office. My dad volunteered in the Lankford campaign but didn’t get involved in politics after that, as he built his own successful career as a home contractor.
Isakson continued taking an active role in community leadership as Northside Realty became a cornerstone of an East Cobb residential market that was just beginning to lay the foundation for the desirable homebuying market that it is today.
He took to politics like he took to selling real estate, utterly determined to succeed. That doggedness would serve Isakson well as a Republican because of the Democratic stranglehold on state, local and federal politics.
As a young legislator, he benefitted from Democrats who weren’t afraid to work across the aisle. When Republicans became the majority party, Isakson returned the favor without hesitation.
After losing a nasty battle for governor to Zell Miller, Isakson was called upon by Miller to head up a state board of education in disarray. Isakson took on the job.
Bipartisanship was never a dirty word to Isakson, a rarity given the increasingly polarized times that paralleled his ascent.
He would succeed combative Speaker Newt Gingrich in the East Cobb-based 6th U.S. House District.
After losing a U.S. Senate GOP primary, Isakson in 2004 won the first of three elections to that body, becoming the first Georgia Republican to ever do so.
That he won’t be able to finish out that third term due to health reasons has saddened many, including those who don’t agree with him politically.
That’s because for Isakson, a person’s politics aren’t a reflection of who they are as a human being. He’s unlike too many of his Congressional colleagues in both parties, as well as the current commander-in-chief, who exploit those differences for the purpose of intentional division.
Isakson is a committed conservative, to be sure, and he has fought hard for those positions and has been a loyal member of his political party. Some observers, especially those with a more liberal perspective, think he could have done more to publicly decry the tenor of the Tweets and other outbursts coming from the White House, among other things.
Earlier this year, Isakson did give Trump a tongue-lashing for comments about the late Sen. John McCain, one of Isakson’s closest colleagues and friends. That the president didn’t Tweet something in return, or respond in any other way, is noteworthy.
In an age of political showhorses, Isakson has always been a workhorse.
Treating people with respect has been a hallmark of his service as an elected official, something he cultivated as a young real estate agent in East Cobb many decades ago.
Eight years ago this month, on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, Isakson stood in the pulpit at East Cobb’s Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, where he has taught Sunday School for many years.
He delivered remarks during an ecumenical service there that summed up so much of what Isakson has embodied in public life. He was resolute about U.S. objectives in cracking down on terrorism, but in doing so reached out to the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faithful in attendance.
That was one set of remarks among the many thousands of speeches he has given in more than four decades on the public stage, but it’s one I heard as so thoroughly decent and devoid of an agenda.
It was refreshing, as was Isakson’s example in so many other ways. He spoke out against an anti-gay resolution adopted by the Cobb commission in the early 1990s that prompted Atlanta Olympic organizers to cancel related events in the county.
The county has come a long way since Isakson stepped into the spotlight, and that’s not a coincidence.
Whether you agreed with his votes and politics or not, his humble leadership style and the personal values he put into practice every day will certainly be missed, especially in these fractious times.
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MUST Ministries wants to an expanded homeless shelter and service facility for those in need, and is holding several “preview” events in September for its upcoming fundraising campaign.
One of those events will be in East Cobb, at Indian Hills Country Club, on Wednesday, Sept. 11 from 7:30-8:30 p.m.
MUST Ministries is calling the information meetings a “first look” opportunity for anyone who may be interested in hearing more about the plans.
The capital campaign, called “Build Hope a Home,” is aiming to raise more than $10 million. The facility, which would be located near its current site on Cobb Parkway near Bells Ferry Road, would include a food pantry, a clothes closet and job training center for those in need.
The current shelter, which has a capacity of around 70, is in a former church. MUST estimates it turns away more than 200-300 people a month seeking shelter.
MUST provides services to 33,000 people in poverty in an eight-county area, and its Loaves and Fishes Community Kitchen serves an estimated 80,000 meals a year.
At the first look events, individuals will meet with MUST board members and leaders over dessert to hear the plans.
The event is free, but you’re asked to RSVP at mustministries.org a week before the event. There are other similar meetings around the county; details are at the link.
Earlier this week, MUST sent out a message saying it’s running low on a number of regular categories of food it keeps in supply. Included on the “urgent needs” list are the following:
canned mixed vegetables
peas
jelly
cereal
canned chicken
chili
beef stew
laundry detergent
shampoo
You can drop off those and other foods and supplies Tuesday-Saturday 9-5 at at the MUST Donation Center, 1280 Field Parkway, Marietta.
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 and Sprayberry got their first wins on Friday night in East Cobb rivalry contests in the second week of the high school football season.
The Yellow Jackets got off to a tough start in an opening loss to South Forsyth last week, and was facing Wheeler, which they hadn’t beaten since 2007.
But Sprayberry took an early 14-0 lead and never relinquished it in a 21-14 win at Jim Frazier Stadium.
Both touchdowns were scored by Damarion Owens, a junior running back, and the Yellow Jackets (1-1) didn’t give up any points until Wheeler ran a kickoff for a touchdown in the second half.
At the Hound Pound, Pope played its first game of the season against East Cobb Lassiter, coming off a 47-3 loss to Harrison.
The Greyhounds never trailed in a 23-3 win. Pope led 14-0 at halftime, and for the second straight game, the Trojans (0-2) managed only a field goal. Last year, Lassiter’s only win in a 1-9 season came against Pope.
Walton was coming off a come-from-behind victory over Norcross in the Corky Kell Classic last week as it entertained another Gwinnett team, Collins Hill, in the Raiders’ home opener.
After trailing 6-0 most of the game, the Raiders took a 10-6 lead with less than six minutes to play. Walton got a field goal from Conor Cummins and touchdown run from KD Stokes.
But then Collins Hill got the ball and drove 70 yards, getting a nine-yard touchdown play as the clock expired for a 12-10 win.
The loss for Walton (1-1) was only the second regular season setback for third-year Raiders coach Daniel Brunner.
Coming Up
More East Cobb rivalry games are in store on Friday, as Pope visits Walton and Kell (1-0) is at Lassiter.
Sprayberry stays home to play South Cobb, which was trounced 46-0 by McEachern.
Wheeler (1-1) returns home to play Shiloh.
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The Extension, a Marietta-based non-profit agency, provides recovery services for those with addictions and who have been homeless.
Its annual fundraiser, the Marietta Blues Bash, is coming up on Sept. 12, and this year it’s being held at Brick and Ivey, a new event space next to Hoyle’s Kitchen + Bar (1440 Roswell Road).
Here are the event details The Extension is putting out, and they’re expecting tickets to go quickly:
Join co-host Cobb County Commission Chairman Mike Boyce for our annual Marietta Blues Bash event.
For the last 32 years, The Extension has saved, transformed, and restored the lives thousands of men and women struggling with drug and alcohol addiction in our community.
Enjoy a traditional low country boil meal by Southern Charmed Catering featuring shrimp, Andouille Sausage, corn, baby red potatoes, southern collard greens, Wisconsin Cheddar macaroni and cheese and select pies to finish the meal.
Kenney Bentley Presents and his band will be paying tribute to jazz and blues greats. The silent auction will feature sports memorabilia, tickets to entertainment and sporting events and travel opportunities.
There is a $50 suggested donation per person. Sponsorships and reserved tables for eight are currently available. For more information, call Renee McCormick at 770-590-9075 x309 or visit us online at www.theextension.org/bluesbash.
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There’s a new look—and a new link—for the online presence for The Art Place, which also has released some details of what’s its offering this fall.
The old website isn’t being updated any longer, but here’s the new URL, where you’ll find information on upcoming art classes (and registration links), as well as art gallery events, Center Stage North community theater showings and more.
The Art Place (3332 Sandy Plains Road) also rents out its black box theater and conference rooms and classrooms for private events.
Each month The Art Place showcases the work of local artists, and next Thursday is the opening reception for a month-long gallery show featuring fused glass artist Nancy Cann starting at 7 p.m.
On Oct. 4, The Art Place will present and interactive glow event, “Art in The Dark,” from 7:30-10 p.m., featuring art installations, hands-on activities, a glow wall and theater in the dark.
The Art Place also is the home for Center Stage North, which will have staging of the play “Point of Order.” from Oct. 11-19.
The community theater organization also recently announced its 2020 season and will soon be selling subscriptions.
The Art Place, which is part of the Cobb Parks and Recreation Department, works in conjunction with the volunteer support of the Mountain View Arts Alliance, which helps raise funds for classes and events and conducts outreach.
The Art Place has resumed fall hours, and is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Oct. 25.
For information email: info@artplacemarietta.org or call 770-509-2700.
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Hurricane Dorian is gathering speed as it moves over the Bahamas and toward the Florida Atlantic Coast, and south Georgia is bracing for the storm.
The metro Atlanta area isn’t expected to be affected by the storm, which the National Weather Service is rating at Category 3 as it’s about 600 miles from Florida. The map above was released by the NWS Friday morning.
Dorian is expected to make landfall Tuesday morning in a wide projection cone that’s prompted a state of emergency for 12 counties in south Georgia.
Gov. Brian Kemp issued the declaration Thursday afternoon for the following counties: Brantley, Bryan, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Pierce, and Wayne.
The Jacksonville NWS map below, also from Friday morning, shows increasingly wet and windy conditions along Florida’s First Coast and the Georgia coast.
The NWS forecast for Cobb and metro Atlanta doesn’t call for much in the way of any impact from Dorian. The weekend and Labor Day will be dry, hot and sunny, with highs in the low 90s.
There’s 30 percent chance of rain on Sunday, and a 20 percent chance returns Tuesday and could remain for the rest of the week.
Lows will hover around 70 and highs are forecast for the high 80s and low 90s next week.
The state has issued a number of links that are good in the case of any kind of emergency:
View updates from Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency here.
Visit Ready Georgia for weather alerts and emergency preparedness tips.
Follow Georgia 511 for real-time traffic information.
Learn what to do before, during, and after a flood here.
Report power outages by contacting your power provider. The two main providers in Georgia are:
Georgia electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) (find your local branch here)
Call your local non-emergency police line to report a downed tree in a main road.
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Several years after leaving East Cobb, the Flying Biscuit Cafe is returning.
Like Mellow Mushroom, it’s coming back to the Johnson Ferry Road corridor, albeit in another location.
After Flying Biscuit left East Cobb in 2010, its freestanding space at Woodlawn Commons was occupied by Chase Bank, next to the Fed Ex store.
There’s a sign in the window at the old La Vida Massage space at Parkaire Landing Shopping Center indicating Flying Biscuit will open soon there, but there’s not a specific date indicated.
The Flying Biscuit space at Parkaire is 3,000 square feet, according to Jamestown Limited Partners, the retail center’s management firm.
We’ve contacted Flying Biscuit and Jamestown to get more details and will update here when we get them.
Ironically, La Vida is now located in the same Woodlawn Square retail center where Flying Biscuit once had been.
Flying Biscuit announced recently it was opening in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood in Atlanta and last year opened a restaurant in Toco Hills near Decatur. It also opened a new restaurant in South Carolina and is reopening a location in Houston.
According to its website, the Atlanta-based company operates 20 restaurants in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas. Twelve of them are in metro Atlanta, including Kennesaw, Roswell and Sandy Springs.
The Loyal Tavern (formerly Loyal Q and Brew) closed up at Parkaire after less than two years in business. That space had been vacant for a few years before that. The Pollo Tropical space at Parkaire has been converted into a Regions Bank.
Other restaurants and eateries at Parkaire include Ted’s Montana Grill, Johnny’s New York Pizza, Sakura, Cold Stone Creamery, Moe’s, Subway and Taco Bell.
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!
There are two rivalry games on tap Friday night in East Cobb as the high school football season continues. Last week’s openers included thrilling late wins by Kell and Walton in the Corky Kell Classic.
Wheeler (1-0) visits Sprayberry (0-1) in a game featuring the two oldest high schools in East Cobb. Last year, the Wildcats roared 40-20, snuffing out a late Yellow Jackets comeback with an interception that was returned 91 yards for a touchdown.
That was the first Wheeler-Sprayberry game since 2013. This will be the first taste of that rivalry for new Wheeler coach Bryan Love, who started out his tenure in strong fashion last week with a 42-19 Wildcats win over Lambert.
Pope will open its season at home on Friday against Lassiter, which fell hard to Harrison 47-3 for new coach Sean Thom.
In last year’s game, Lassiter won for the only time in the season by a 20-13 count. The Trojans were 1-9 overall, and Jep Irwin resigned to take a coaching job in Kentucky.
Pope is considered a contender in Region 6 of Class 6A but is looking for its first win over Lassiter since 2014.
Lassiter leads the all-time series with Pope 19-8.
Walton (1-0) has its home opener at Raider Valley against Collins Hill, which is making its season debut. This is a rematch of last year’s Corky Kell Classic game won by Walton. Collins Hill won the first two meetings against the Raiders, in 1999 and 2013.
Kell is off this week.
Kickoff time for all three games Friday is 7:30 p.m.
East Cobb rivalry games will continue next week when Pope plays Walton and Kell meets Lassiter.
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team captain. Once our new residents are settled in, we will also email a picture of your sponsored kitty!”
At the Hound Pound, Pope played its first game of the season against East Cobb Lassiter, coming off a 47-3 loss to Harrison.
