Mountain View UMC joins Global Methodist Church after disaffiliation

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Mountain View UMC joins Global Methodist Church

A second Methodist church in East Cobb has disaffiliated from the second-largest Protestant denomination in the country in as many years.

Mountain View United Methodist Church, whose membership voted in July to leave the United Methodist Church, had that decision ratified earlier this month.

The UMC’s North Georgia Conference held a special meeting in Athens on Nov. 18 to allow 261 congregations to disaffiliate.

The church located at Jamerson Road and Trickum Road will be known as Mountain View Church, and will be joining the Global Methodist Church, a new denomination, after paying $60,000 in apportionment and other fees to the North Georgia Conference.

Dr. Joe McKechnie, Mountain View’s senior pastor, is staying on, and had to surrender his UMC ministerial credentials.

In an interview with East Cobb News, he said he is considered ordained in the GMC, which was formed in 2022 as a major schism erupted in the UMC.

Mountain View UMC disaffilates
Dr. Joe McKechnie, Mountain View Church senior pastor

“We’ve lost nobody,” McKechnie said, referencing a church with around 200 members and where he has served since 2020.

He said as the changes were announced to the membership last Sunday, “there were some tears. But this church has been the most amazing ever. We’ve been through a lot together, but our church is more cohesive than ever before.

“I continually sing the praises of our church,” McKechnie said. “We continue to love each other and pledge unity.”

Unlike Mt. Bethel Church—which last year paid the North Georgia Conference $13.1 million in a court settlement after a public and bitter dispute—the Mountain View congregation went through a traditional process to consider disaffiliating.

The UMC has been in turmoil in recent years over a number of theological issues, including human sexuality. There was to have been a vote on allowing congregations to leave in 2020, but that has been postponed due to COVID-19 closures.

The denomination’s Book of Discipline—its governing document—allowed churches to disaffiliate over the sexuality issue on a provisional basis. As that measure was set to expire at the end of this year, McKechnie said, Mountain View church leaders decided to engage in an information process that took several months.

“People were just frustrated,” McKechnie said. More than anything, he added, it was the continuing uncertainty over the future of the denomination that prompted Mountain View into action.

He said that “I never hear our people talk about politics” and specifically the cultural hot topics that have embroiled the UMC.

A page on Mountain View’s website called “The Path Forward” contained information and presentations in favor of and against disaffiliation.

McKechnie said that “I stayed out of it” and never offered his opinion on the matter, even though he was asked to.

“We wanted to focus on education,” he said. During the special meetings over disaffiliation, “there were no harsh words.”

A straw poll last January indicated that nearly 80 percent of Mountain View members favored disaffiliation.

But not long after that, the North Georgia Conference paused disaffiliation applications, saying that “many local churches have been misled about the disaffiliation process.”

In March, nearly 200 congregations—including Mountain View—filed a lawsuit in Cobb Superior Court. Judge Stephen Shuster ruled in May that the churches should be allowed to have votes.

In July, Mountain View members formally voted 87-13 to disaffiliate, and were in a state of limbo until this month, when the North Georgia Conference met to approve the 261 disaffiliation requests.

Mountain View Church logo

In Cobb, those churches include Covenant UMC in Smyrna; Due West UMC and St. Stephen UMC in Marietta; New Beginnings UMC and Shiloh UMC in Kennesaw; and County Line UMC of Acworth.

“I don’t think that anyone expected that many churches to get out,” McKechnie said.

Combined with more than 70 congregations disaffiliating last year, the North Georgia Conference has been reduced from nearly 900 churches to 440. The South Georgia Conference has lost 60 percent of its churches in disaffiliation votes in the last two years.

Across the country, nearly 7,000 congregations have left the UMC, which has around 30,000 churches, in that span.

The property deed for the Mountain View Church property is expected to be transferred from the North Georgia Conference on Nov. 30.

“This is finally behind us,” McKechnie said.

The GMC has gained 3,500 congregations—almost all of them formerly in the UMC—since its inception. (Mt. Bethel and Grace Resurrection Methodist Church, which was formed by former Mt. Bethel members and its former senior pastor, are independent churches.)

Mountain View started in the early 1980s to serve northeast Cobb and southern Cherokee County. After holding services at a preschool and Lassiter High School, the church moved into its present facility in 1986. Mountain View also has a preschool with around 100 children enrolled.

McKechnie, who has been a pastor for 15 years, said Mountain View feels like home, and that he wouldn’t have been able to continue there without a move to a new denomination. Had he stayed in the UMC, he would have had to uproot his family, which lives in the parsonage on church grounds.

He grew up in West Cobb and his wife is an educator in Cherokee County schools. They have a son who is a senior at Kell High School and a daughter who will be a freshman there next year, and their extended families are also here.

“It is a big step to walk away from the denomination I have been a part of literally my entire life,” McKechnie said. “But staying at Mountain View and in this community is the best thing for my family and me, and I’m grateful that the church offered me the opportunity to stay.”

One of the first public events for Mountain View Church will be the continuation of its Bethlehem Walk display from Dec. 2-4. It debuted in 1992 and averages nearly 6,000 visitors a year.

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Editor’s Note: Thanksgiving wishes for East Cobb News readers

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Daylight savings time ends

Some last-minute food shopping is done, and a number of thank-you notes have gone out to supporters and advertisers of East Cobb News.

Another Thanksgiving season has arrived, and this one in particular has me feeling a great amount of gratitude and hopefulness.

This time of year is always a special one, and I want to take some time to thank all of you for your readership of East Cobb News.

As we marked our 6th anniversary in July, we began a fundraising drive asking readers to help support the work East Cobb News does in providing local news and useful community information.

The “6 for 6” campaign will go on through the end of the year, but I wanted to use this occasion to tell you how much your readership and participation with this site mean to me.

I hear from many of you in a variety of ways—e-mail, phone, text message, social media and even good old-fashioned regular mail—for a variety of reasons.

I get story tips and press releases, compliments and complaints, suggestions and queries about how to find something or someone in the community for assistance.

I try my best to answer every message, and while I know I can’t make everybody happy, I want to know what you think about what you see here on East Cobb News. I want to know how I can make it more relevant and helpful to you.

This is a big place with a lot of things going on and with citizens from many walks of life and holding many points of view. Making East Cobb News an online source of what happens here is something I’ve been very honored to develop, and there’s still so much more I want to do.

This community is mine, and I’m gratified by how responsive this community has been to this project.

So thanks. Thanks for reading, subscribing, commenting, getting in touch and donating.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! May it be a peaceful and enjoyable one. We’ll be coming back on Friday with more news as the holiday season begins.

Until then, enjoy!

 

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Sprayberry HS graduate to have book signing for new memoir

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Sprayberry HS graduate to have book signing for new memoir
Wes Rhea

Wes Rhea’s life and career has taken him to many places—from professional wrestling to the corporate world and to academia.

The Sprayberry High School graduate recently published a book about those experiences and to help others with career transition entitled “Off the Top Rope,” and on Dec. 9 he’ll have a book signing.

That event will take place from 12-4 p.m. at the 2nd and Charles store (815 Ernest Barrett Parkway).

He tells us his book is “geared towards helping people with career development and career transition with faith and a positive approach as well as my journey from a professional wrestler to a corporate executive to a university professor. I thoroughly enjoy helping others and I feel my book would be an inspiration.”

Rhea is a part-time information systems instructor at Kennesaw State University, his college alma mater. After high school, he was a professional wrestler from the late 1980s to the early 1990s (on his website, there’s a photo of him with Muhammad Ali stemming from those days).

He earned an MBA and law degree and became an executive in the telecommunications, financial and health care industries.

Rhea also was a senior lecturer at KSU teaching in the undergraduate and executive MBA programs and has served as a career coach.

In a recent profile in the Cobb in Focus magazine, Rhea said that “I’m not sure too many people go from being a professional wrestler to a C-level executive to a college professor. Probably not the most straightforward path; however, that seems to be the way I do things. Hey, it may not be the track for everyone but it allowed me to live a semi-charmed life.”

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Rabbi to bless Christmas trees at Catholic Church of St. Ann

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Submitted information:Rabbi Albert Slomowitz, East Cobb interfaith service

The Jewish Christian Discovery Center (JCDC) will kick off the holiday season with the 5th annual blessing of Christmas trees at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Marietta on Friday, Nov. 24 at 8 am. Each year JCDC Executive Director Rabbi Albert Slomovitz joins with the priests from St. Ann’s to bless the trees before the Knights of Columbus sell them. This event kicks off JCDC’s annual J Star Project.

The J Star Project focuses on practical and fun activities that promote understanding between Christians and Jews. Each family that attends this event will receive a holiday packet that includes a menorah Christmas tree ornament, dreidel (plastic spinning top), and some chocolates. Children can hang the ornaments on their trees at home. The fun continues as the children read the included instructions on how to play the dreidel game. It was a popular game played during the time of Jesus.

With the rise of antisemitism in the United States and here in the metro Atlanta area, JCDC partners with St. Ann’s clergy to show the wider community the close bond Jews and Christians should have with each other. For more than five years the JCDC has worked closely with the staff of St. Ann’s to promote interfaith dialogue and friendship including Rabbi Slomovitz’s annual blessing of the Christmas trees.

“It is a blessing to work with St. Ann’s and show everyone that Christians and Jews come together and learn about the shared Jewish traditions we all have. Jesus grew up as a practicing Jew. That included celebrating Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays,” said Rabbi Albert Slomovitz, the founder of the JCDC. “It is important for our Christian friends and neighbors to see not only coexistence but friendship among us all. I look forward to this annual tradition of blessing the Christmas trees.”

2023 marks the 5th year Rabbi Slomovitz is working with Atlanta area church leaders engaging in interfaith dialogue during the holiday season He emphasizes that now it is more important than ever to have these strong interfaith relationships as a defense against antisemitism and other forms of intolerance. During the Christmas and Hannukah season, it is the perfect time of year to educate Jews and Christians about their shared history and values.

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Chattahoochee Tech distributes food pantry Thanksgiving donations

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Chattahoochee Tech distributes food pantry Thanksgiving donations
Chattahoochee Tech Student Populations Specialist Catherine Smith and Special Populations & Title IX Coordinator Shanequa Warrington at the Golden Eagle Food Pantry’s “Everything but the Turkey” distribution day.

Submitted information and photo:

The Chattahoochee Tech Golden Eagle Food Pantry is making the Thanksgiving holiday better for nearly 100 college students and their families in need.

On Thursday, Nov. 16, the Golden Eagle Food Pantry distributed “Everything but the Turkey” Thanksgiving food packages, which included items ranging from canned corn, green beans and cranberry sauce to boxes of potatoes, stuffing and gravy packets. The food pantry’s mission is to directly serve college students who suffer from hunger and food insecurity, which is a lack of consistent access to enough food. An estimated one in three students experience food insecurity on college campuses across the country, according to the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE). Food insecurity may impact not only college student health but also their ability to perform well academically and stay in school.

“It’s hard for students to be successful in class if they’re hungry and struggling to pay for food,” said Shanequa Warrington, the college’s Special Populations & Title IX Coordinator. “We want our students to focus on studying and not worry about being hungry. It’s vital for us to provide them with the resources they need in order to succeed.”

The Golden Eagle Food Pantry was established at Chattahoochee Tech four years ago to help college students who struggle with paying for food. All supplies are based upon donations and are available to students as long as supplies are continually received. For more information about the food pantry and how to help, visit: www.ChattahoocheeTech.edu/Golden-Eagle-Food-Pantry/

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Cobb commissioners approve subdivision plans near Kincaid ES

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Cobb commissioners approve subdivision plans near Kincaid ES
A rendering of a home in Toll Brothers’ 91-unit subdivision planned for Sandy Plains Road near Kincaid ES.

After reducing the number of homes and deciding not to develop on one side of a creek, a residential developer on Tuesday got approval for a 91-unit subdivision on Sandy Plains Road near Kincaid Elementary School.

Following a recommendation by the Cobb Planning Commission, the Cobb Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 to approve rezoning of 19.68 acres on Ross Road from rural residential (RR) to RA-6, a medium-density zoning category.

The land is undeveloped property across from the intersection of Sandy Plains and Scufflegrit Road.

Toll Southeast LP Company, Inc. originally planned 105 single-family detached homes in the RA-6 category, next to similarly-zoned neighborhoods in the county and City of Marietta (case filings here).

But opposition surfaced from the adjacent St. Charles Square subdivision for traffic and runoff reasons. The land includes Little Noonday Creek, and other concerns included a number of variances.

The application was held for a month and the Planning Commission earlier this month recommended many of the changes that came before commissioners Tuesday.

That included stipulations for lot sizes ranging from at least 4,000 square feet to 7,000 square feet and beyond, and and impervious surface maximum of 40 percent.

The homes will be at least 2,600 square feet and the neighborhood will feature a mandatory homeowners association and privately-maintained streets.

No one spoke in opposition Tuesday; commissioner Keli Gambrill was absent.

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Cobb to hold December meetings on Unified Development code

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It’s been nearly a year since there have been events around Cobb’s proposed Unified Development Code.Cobb UDC page launches

A UDC is a comprehensive planning guide which incorporates zoning, planning and land-use with design, landscaping, architectural and other guidelines. Local Atlanta-area jurisdictions that have them are the cities of Atlanta and Roswell and DeKalb County.

Cobb commissioners voted along party lines in Aug. 2022 to spend $500,000 for an outside consultant to conduct a public feedback process and assist county staff in creating the code.

The county announced recently that there will be several public meetings about the UDC in December at various locations following the publication of a UDC code assessment draft.

You can read through the UDC assessment draft by clicking here; it’s 149 pages of detailed information and recommendations.

The meeting schedule is rather compact—six meetings eight days, culminating with the only East Cobb meeting on Dec. 14 at the Mountain View Community Center:

  • Wednesday Dec. 6, 6 – 8 p.m., Windy Hill Community Center, 1885 Roswell Street SE, Smyrna
  • Thursday, Dec. 7, 6 – 8 p.m., North Cobb Regional Library, 3900 S Main Street, Acworth
  • Monday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m. – noon, BOC Meeting Room, 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta
  • Tuesday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m. – noon, West Cobb Senior Center, 4915 Dallas Hwy, Powder Springs
  • Tuesday, Dec. 12, 6 – 8 p.m., Thompson Park Community Center, 555 Nickajack Road, Mableton
  • Thursday, Dec. 14, 6 – 8 p.m., Mountain View Community Center, 3400 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta

County officials have said the current collection of zoning, planning and development ordinances are more than 50 years old and need a streamlined overhaul.

“The goal of the Unified Development Code (UDC) project is to produce a document that encourages and enables development and redevelopment in identified centers while preserving the unique character of the county’s rural areas,” the county said in a recent message, adding that:

“The project also aims to protect existing neighborhoods, conserve natural and historic resources, support economic development and provide an opportunity for various housing types.”

At the time the consultant was hired, Cobb Community Development director Jessica Guinn said that “this will be a robust public process.

The December hearings are the first part of a three-step process to gain public input, make revisions and present a final version—following more public sessions—for adoption by commissioners.

Here’s more about the timeline; and more documents can be found by clicking here.

East Cobb Thanksgiving Week weather: Cooler, with some rain

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East Cobb Thanksgiving Week weather
The late Sunday afternoon sky over East Cobb Park was marked only by the contrails from a jet airplane. ECN photo.

The picture-perfect weather we enjoyed over the weekend in East Cobb is going to be changing as Thanskgiving approaches, but it’s still expected to be mild for the season.

Clear skies are forecast to give way to rain starting Monday and later in the week, and 70-degree highs will drop into the 50s starting on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service in Atlanta is forecasting a slight chance of rain overnight Monday, with a 100 percent chance during the day through Tuesday afternoon.

Thunderstorms are included in that wet forecast

Highs will be in the mid 60s but then it’s going to start getting colder at night, with Tuesday’s low in the high 40s.

Wednesday will be mostly cloudy with highs in the mid 50s and lows dipping into the high 30s.

Thanksgiving Day will be partly sunny with highs in the 50s and lows in the high 40s. There is a slight chance of rain in the afternoon and into the overnight hours of Friday.

More rain returns for Black Friday, with a 40 percent chance, and highs ranging from the mid 50s to lows also in the high 40s.

The weekend will be the same and into the first full week of the holiday season.

For more local weather information, click here.

 

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East Cobb residential real estate sales, Oct. 30-Nov. 3, 2023

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Clary Lakes, East Cobb real estate sales
Clary Lakes

The following East Cobb residential real estate sales were compiled from agency reports. They include the subdivision name and high school attendance zone in parenthesis:

Oct. 30

1215 Promontory Path, 30062 (Walton’s Reserve, Walton): $849,000

2788 Crown Mill Court, 30068 (Princeton Mill, Wheeler): $650,000

1459 Brookcliff Drive, 30062 (Brookcliff, Walton): $630,000

3791 Apple Way, 30066 (North Ridge, Sprayberry): $484,000

4996 Township Cove Road, 30066 (Jefferson Township, Lassiter): $775,000

5408 Jackson Point, 30068 (Jacksons Creek, Walton): $900,000

Oct. 31

810 Birds Mill, 30067 (Sibley Forest, Wheeler): $1.399 million

2673 Chriswell Court, 30062 (Concord Point, Sprayberry): $510,000

2866 Lexington Trace, 30062 (Liberty Ridge, Pope): $425,000

2696 Earl Drive, 30062 (Mountain View, Sprayberry): $375,000

2937 Harold Dean Drive, 30066 (Channon, Sprayberry): $380,000

3195 Sycamore Lane, 30066 (Oak Creek Estates, Sprayberry): $514,000

Nov. 1

3051 Kalah Place, 30067 (St. Regis Park, Wheeler): $710,000

4337 Sprucebough Drive, 30062 (Chadds Walk, Pope): $825,000

2141 Preswick Drive, 30066 (Tremont, Kell): $350,000

Nov. 2

738 Terrell Crossing, 30067 (Old Paper Mill, Wheeler): $860,000

1921 Fields Pond Glen, 30068 (Fields Pond, Walton): $675,000

2927 Mountain Trace, 30075 (Clary Lakes, Pope): $630,000

Nov. 3

1411 Old Virginia Court, 30067 (Salem Ridge, Wheeler): $400,000

1469 Grovehurst Drive, 30062 (Grovehurst, Walton): $635,000

2951 Nestle Creek Drive, 30062 (Creekshire, Pope): $700,000

164 Bridgestone Drive, 30066 (Bridgestone Acres, Sprayberry): $378,000

1866 Beckett Drive, 30062 (Cedar Hill Estates, Pope): $570,000

1783 Ashbury Point Drive, 30066 (Ashbury Point, Sprayberry): $375,000

1940 Kerry Creek Drive, 30066 (Kerry Creek, Sprayberry): $350,000

4744 Outlook Way, 30066 (Highland Ridge, Lassiter0: $830,000

2035 Old Forge Way, 30068 (River Forest, Walton): $750,000

4680 Amberwood Trail, 30062 (Chimney Springs, Pope): $626,000

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Muslim, Jewish leaders admit tensions at East Cobb service

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Dr. Nabile Safdar, at left, of the Roswell Community Masjid, and at right, Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner of Temple Beth Tikvah. ECN photos.

As they reflected on recent events in the Middle East, the leaders of two metro Atlanta faith communities acknowledged the difficulties they’ve been having absorbing what’s been happening in Israel and Gaza.

Dr. Nabile Safdar of the Roswell Community Masjid spoke of how he and his fellow Muslims supported their Jewish friends after a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018.

Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner of Temple Beth Tikvah, also in Roswell, recalled reciprocating following a mass shooting at a mosque in New Zealand the following year.

At the 19th annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service Thursday at Temple Kol Emeth in East Cobb, they admitted that the recent atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli civilians, and Israel’s military response in Gaza, have more than unnerved them, their congregants and those in their respective faiths.

“We can’t pretend that everything is okay with us,” Shuval-Weiner said as she spoke interchangeably with Safdar.

“We are not okay, and our communities are not okay.”

The service was begun in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks by retired Kol Emeth Rabbi Steven Lebow and a local imam to forge better understandings of people of all faiths.

Hassan Faye of the Roswell Community Masjid with the Muslim call to prayer.

The theme of this year’s service, “Creating Courageous Connections,” had already been planned before the Israel-Hamas conflict began on Oct. 7.

Concerns over the response to those hostilities in the U.S. prompted service organizers to require online registration and issue a clear-bag policy as “safeguard” measures for the first time.

More than two dozen East Cobb and metro Atlanta faith communities and a few hundred attendees turned out.

“Tensions have soared,” Shuval-Weiner said. “There’s a lot of fear. There’s a lot of anger. There’s a lot of pain.”

She added that “trustful relations between our communities are extremely strained.”

She and Safdar noted that those resulting tensions have led to tragedies in the U.S.: a Muslim boy in Chicago, and a Jewish community leader in Detroit, both of whom were murdered in what appear to be sectarian reprisals.

“We cannot allow that to be imported to our community here,” Safdar said to applause. “We are committed to seeing each other’s humanity.”

A local Cobb political response fell through earlier this week, when the Board of Commissioners decided not to vote on a resolution condemning Hamas.

The resolution by East Cobb District 3 commissioner JoAnn Birrell—who attended the Ecumenical service—faced objections from the Cobb Muslim and Palestinian community.

There were meetings with faith leaders to recraft the resolution to include more perspectives, but ultimately they could not agree on a message.

That matter wasn’t referenced at the Thursday interfaith service, which included music as well as reflections from local clergy. It also continued a practice of having a Muslim call to prayer from a member of Safdar’s mosque.

Rev. Kristin Lee of East Cobb United Methodist Church organized an interfaith service in June after neo-Nazi protestors held up swastika flags in front of the Chabad of Cobb synagogue on Lower Roswell Road.

On Thursday, she vowed that “hate will never have the last word. Love and light will” and she praised “a community that’s courageous enough to love.”

Shuval-Weiner concluded her remarks by stressing the need “to keep the door cracked open, so that when the time is right, we can again strive to build meaningful relationships between our communities, and for generations to come.”

Then she and Safdar exchanged copies of the Torah and the Koran and shook hands.

A choir representing nine faith communities in East Cobb and north metro Atlanta sings “We Are One” as a finale.

In his closing marks, Kol Emeth Rabbi-educator Daniel Alter said that “with our presence here tonight, we’re trying to be a testament to the power of community.”

The offering will benefit Solidarity-Sandy Springs, which feeds several hundred needy families every week in metro Atlanta.

The other East Cobb faith communities taking part were the Catholic Church of St. Ann, Congregation Etz Chaim, East Cobb Islamic Center, Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Pilgrimage United Church of Christ, St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church, Transfiguration Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Trickum Road, Unity North Atlanta Church and Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church.

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East Cobb retail update: Evereve, Drybar open at Avenue

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Evereve opens Avenue East Cobb

A couple more openings at Avenue East Cobb to note, in the clothing and hair care sectors:

On Tuesday women’s fashion retailer Evereve opened in a 3,500-square-foot space next to Warby Parker. Evereve features a mix of what it terms “exclusive, on-trend pieces for everyday style.” As part of the grand opening, customers will get 15 percent off their purchases through Saturday.

Evereve, based in Minnesota, also has stores at Avalon, Shops Around Lenox and Perimeter Mall.

Hours for Evereve at Avenue East Cobb are 10-8 Monday-Saturday and 12-6 Sunday.

On Saturday, Drybar, a blowout hair salon, will open next to Kendra Scott. A ribbon-cutting takes place at 10:30 a.m. followed by complimentary bites and beverages for guests throughout the day.

Based in California, Drybar has nearly 100 hair styling salons across the country, including seven others in metro Atlanta.

Hours for Drybar at Avenue East Cobb are 7-7 Monday-Friday, 7-8 Saturday and 9-7 Sunday.

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Friends for the East Cobb Park details Holiday Lights festivities

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2022 East Cobb Park Holiday Lights

The Holiday Lights celebration is just a couple weeks away, and today the Friends for the East Cobb Park released some details about the festivities.

The date is Sunday, Dec. 3, from 5-7:30 p.m., and follows a familiar schedule from past years. The main sponsors are Wellstar Health System and the Rotary Club of East Cobb.

Music will kick off the event at the concert stage, with Director John Jeffries and the Dodgen Pops performing, followed by Director Thomas Chafin and the Wheeler Chorus.

2022 East Cobb Park Holiday Lights
State Rep. Sharon Cooper and Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson at Holiday Lights in 2022.

At 6 p.m., the annual tree lighting will be done by this year’s East Cobb Citizen of the Year, Irene Barton, a member of the East Cobb Civitan Club.

Shortly after 6, Santa will arrive in his sleigh with Mrs. Santa and Rudolph, and will be on stage to meet every child who wants to see him. Parents will have the opportunity to take pictures of their children with Santa.

Elected and other public officials also will be on hand and will be introduced.

Admission is free, but the Friends group will be selling festive items. Alumni Cookie Dough, one of the event’s sponsors,  will be selling cookie dough delicious treats and hot chocolate will proceeds going to the Friends group.

The group also will have a table with membership information about the organization, which puts on special events at East Cobb Park and has also recently started a garden club.

Like other events at East Cobb Park, including concerts, you’re free to bring chairs/blankets and your own food. Public parking will be available in the upper lot only.

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Major League Baseball All-Star Game coming to Cobb in 2025

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The Battery Atlanta, World Series Security

After taking away the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Truist Park in 2021 for political reasons, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Thursday it will be scheduled for the Atlanta Braves’ ballpark in 2025.

Manfred said in a statement that “as a model of success on and off the field, the Braves deserve to host the All-Star Game. Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta will provide fans a world-class experience in 2025. We look forward to working with the Braves and local leaders to deliver a memorable All-Star Week that brings people together and benefits the community in many ways.”

He didn’t mention that he unilaterally moved the game in April 2021, right before the season began, because of a new Georgia election law.

The Republican-dominated legislature passed sweeping legislation that was quickly signed by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp and roundly denounced by Democratic and voting-rights interests.

The law—which is still on the books—added identification requirements for mailed ballots, restricts the use of absentee ballot drop boxes, requires more advanced voting across the state and shortens runoff elections.

The legislature also was given oversight of proposed changes to election rules by the Secretary of State and state elections board.

Newly-elected President Joe Biden publicly demanded the game be moved, calling the law “Jim Crow on steroids,” comments that new Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said sent an “unfortunate message.”

In a statement, the Braves said Thursday that getting the All-Star Game two years from now “will be an exciting and unique opportunity to showcase all that our organization, our partners and our city have to offer.”

Cupid responded by saying that “I am grateful that Major League Baseball has again considered Cobb County, Truist Park, and the Atlanta Braves to host the All Star Game in 2025.

“We have a winning baseball team and community that create a premier destination for this annual occasion.

“Our restaurants, businesses and attractions surrounding Truist Park, the Battery, and beyond will create a memorable experience for all.”

Planning has already begun with Public Safety and I know our lessons learned in winning the World Series combined with the enthusiasm and support of community partners and citizens will showcase Cobb as a great place to live, work, and enjoy as we host  another successful and impressive event.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger posted on the social-media platform X—formerly Twitter—that “in the longest instant replay review of all time,  MLB‘s head office finally overturned a bad call. Georgia’s elections are safe, secure, and accessible to serve our voters.”

The 2021 All-Star Game and MLB Draft also scheduled for Truist Park took place in Denver instead.

Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson, who had just begun her term representing District 2 where Truist Park is located, at the time called the relocation decision a lost opportunity “to show leadership.”

She was part of a new Democratic majority on the all-female commission, and said that while there some parts of the law she likes and others she does not, trouble arises “when you choose division.”

She said that “the people who were most impacted by that bill were not listened to. You can’t solve anything when people aren’t talking to each other.”

Manfred did have to show up up at Truist in the 2021 season, however, as the Braves won the World Series.

Atlanta has had two All-Star games in its past, in 1972 at Atlanta Stadium, and in 2000 at Turner Field.

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Cobb Landmarks renews effort to save Power-Jackson Cabin

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Power-Jackson Cabin preservation effort

Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society, a Marietta-based historic preservation non-profit, has begun a fundraising drive to collect an estimated $65,000 in donations to relocate an 184os log cabin on Post Oak Tritt Road to the county-run Hyde Farm in East Cobb.

The organization believes the Power-Jackson Cabin may be the oldest existing structure in Cobb County.

But a recent rezoning case involving the land where the cabin sits has triggered a new effort to save it, as well as an evaluation by a log cabin expert, Vic Hood.

In May attorneys for Kenneth B. Clary withdrew a rezoning request for a proposed subdivision on 13 acres of undeveloped land on Post Oak Tritt Road near McPherson Road after opposition surfaced for historical and stormwater issues.

That’s where the cabin, which initially belonged to William Power before it was given to his daughter, Martha Jane, still sits, in badly deteriorating shape.

At a zoning hearing, cemetery preservationists also noted that a young mother—likely Power’s daughter—and two infants are buried on the site, further complicating development efforts.

In a message that the organization sent out Tuesday, Cobb Landmarks is asking for donations to disassemble, tag and relocate the logs to Hyde Farm. Clary’s family has agreed to allow Cobb Landmarks to remove the cabin.

“The purpose of Hood’s visit was to determine if the cabin could be saved and the scope of work a restoration project might entail,” Cobb Landmarks said in its Tuesday update. “Hood determined the cabin is still salvageable, but that time is running out.”

Hyde Farm is where another Power family cabin exists, as part of a working 1840s farm that was in family hands until the 1990s.

Cobb PARKS oversees that property off Lower Roswell Road, and the Cobb Landmarks message noted that the department has been discussing the possibility of using 2016 Cobb SPLOST funds to restore the cabin.

“Having the Power-Jackson Cabin join her sibling cabins at Hyde Farm creates a unique opportunity for the public to view three pioneer log cabins that, at one time, all belonged to members of the same family,” the Cobb Landmarks message said.

“Commissioner Jerica Richardson believes this to be a worthwhile investment to the community. With approval of restoration, Cobb PARKS would be responsible for maintaining the cabin in perpetuity.”

East Cobb News has left a message with Richardson’s office seeking comment.

SPLOST funds have been used to preserve other structures at Hyde Farm, which was turned over to the county in 1999 by the Trust for Public Land. Cobb Landmarks maintains the cabin and conducts tours of the property.

“This partnership between Cobb Landmarks and Cobb County PARKS represents a meaningful and significant investment in the preservation of local history and offers a path for the rescue and protection of the Power-Jackson Cabin,” Cobb Landmarks said in its update.

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East Cobb Food Scores: The Wing Cafe; Belen de la Cruz; more

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The Wing Cafe, East Cobb Food Scores

The following food scores have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Belen de la Cruz Empanadas and Pastries
1050 E. Piedmont Road
November 15, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Brazilian Bakery Cafe
1260 Powers Ferry Road, Suite A
November 17, 2023 Score: 89, Grade: B

Lemon Grass Thai Restaurant
2145 Roswell Road, Suite 190
November 15, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Little Caesars Pizza
3372 Canton Road, Suite 100
November 14, 2023 Score: 90, Grade: A

Mabry Middle School
2700 Jims Road
November 14, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Marietta Crawfish and Seafood
1420 Roswell Road
November 14, 2023 Score: 87, Grade: B

Papa John’s Pizza
4811 Lower Roswell Road
November 15, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Starbucks Coffee
2424 Roswell Road, Suite 1
November 15, 2023 Score: 94, Grade: A

The Wing Cafe and Tap House
2145 Roswell Road, Suite 170
November 13, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

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7 East Cobb schools recognized as Georgia ‘Literacy Leaders’

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East Cobb schools recognized as Georgia 'Literacy Leaders'
Dr. Shannon McGill, Principal at Timber Ridge Elementary School, is flanked by Ga. School Superintendent Richard Woods, at left, and Cobb superintendent Chris Ragsdale. CCSD photo

Ten schools in the Cobb County School District—seven of them in East Cobb—were visited last week by Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods for earning the state’s designation as Literacy Leaders.

A total of 155 schools in the state were recognized for “exceptional achievement or growth in third-grade reading.”

Schools with 90 percent or more of their third-grade students reading at grade level or above were recognized for outstanding achievement, and schools with a 15 percent or higher increase from 2021-22 to 2022-23 were recognized for outstanding growth.

Seventy schools in Georgia were recognized for achievement, 84 for growth, and one school was recognized in both categories. In Cobb, eight schools were recognized for literacy achievement and two for literacy growth.

As reported in July, East Cobb elementary schools had some of the best scores in Cobb on the Milestones tests, with Timber Ridge (96.7 percent), Mt. Bethel (95), Tritt (94.9), Shallowford Falls (93.1), Murdock (92.2), Mountain View (91.6) and Sope Creek (90.1) leading the way with students at or above grade-level.

Austell, Ford and Riverside elementary schools were recognized for major increases in grade-level reading scores.

“The ability to read opens up the doors not only to the rest of a student’s education but to their ability to continue learning throughout their life,” Woods said in a release. “That’s why we are laser-focused on literacy at the Georgia Department of Education and as a state. These schools—our Literacy Leaders—are doing exceptional work to ensure every student is equipped with the lifelong skill of literacy, and it’s an honor to recognize them.”

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East Cobb restaurant update: Sidelines Grille coming soon

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Sidelines Grille coming to East Cobb

The former Egg Harbor Cafe space at Stonewood Village (once the site of the longstanding Ritter’s restaurant) has been vacant since right before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared.

But shortly after the first of the year, it will be the home to a new Sidelines Grille in Cobb County, and the fifth for Canton-based GFY Hospitality.

The family-style sports bar concept has been around since 1994, with locations in Canton, Hickory Flat, Woodstock and Cartersville. (There was a Sidelines Grille on Roswell Road across from Williamson Bros. that closed; the space later was the spot for Hoyle’s Kitchen + Bar).

The Sidelines Grille menu goes beyond traditional sports bar food (burgers, sandwiches, wraps) and drink (two dozen draft beers on tap, craft made cocktails) to include full pasta, seafood, chicken and steak entrees, along with salads and soups, Tex-Mex items and desserts.

Renovations were continuing when we stopped by (4719 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 4200), and in a social media posting last week, management indicated that the anticipated opening is between late January and early February 2024.

“We’re more than just a sports bar; we’re a family-friendly retreat that celebrates local teams, fosters community connections, and serves up smiles with every meal,” the message said.

Sideliness Grille will be moving into competitive turf in East Cobb. Bradley’s Bar and Grill and McCray’s Tavern are close by on the other side of Johnson Ferry Road; further up Johnson Ferry is Montana’s and Westfield Tavern opened earlier this year.

When Egg Harbor closed in December 2019, the company said it was leaving due to leasing issues, and specifically, roof leaks and water damage to the building that “has rendered it an unacceptable situation for our business standards.”

East Cobb News has left a message with GFY Hospitality over that matter and other information about the Sidelines Grille opening.

In response to a question from a reader about mold issues in that space, Sidelines management responded on the East Cobb News Facebook page that “we have totally gutted the space and are in the process of rebuilding. No mold here!”

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Urthy Scents opens at Woodlawn Square Shopping Center

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Urthy Scents opens East Cobb
“We make everything ourselves,” Urthy co-owner Jen Rotondo said. ECN photos.

The aromas—all 27 of them—are unmistakeable when you walk into Urthy Scents.

And they’re all natural, too.

On its grand opening day last week, the boutique body- and skincare store made shopping even more enticing with special discounts–some as much as 50 percent off.

The location at Woodlawn Square Shopping Center (1205 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 105, next to Half Price Books) is the second for Urthy Scents, which opened its first store last year in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., near Sarasota.

Jen Rotondo and her sister Ali East developed the idea of making and selling non-scented body products because thy both have autoimmune issues and can’t use any traditionally manufactured scents.

Their venture started out as a hobby, as they began making clean-burning coconut wax candles during COVID-19. Quickly they began to expand their product line along the same concept using clean, scented non-toxic and naturally-derived plant ingredients.

Those include an olive squalane oil, firming lupin seed extract, and healing chamomile bisabolol. They’re part of what the sisters are calling their KWENCH body products line, emphasizing moisture and hydration.

Urthy Scents opens East Cobb

Urthy Scents opens East Cobb

“Everything we sell is non-toxic,” said Rotondo, who lives in Sandy Springs. “It’s all plastic-free.”

The decision to drop all phthalates—chemicals that make plastics more durable—means that all the products are made on-site.

“We make everything ourselves,” said Rotondo, as her staff milled about the 1,600-square-foot space, helping customers.

Those includes body lotions, scrubs and oils, perfumes, bath bombs, scent notes, candles, scent towers, as well as room sprays and diffusers.

The scents are organized into eight different groups, ranging from mystic sea, lavendar and cactus bloom to midnight sky, velvet orchid and blushing goddess.

(If you want to know what scents suit you, Urthy has put together a scent quiz.)

And about those coconut wax candles? Rotondo said because they burn slower, they last longer, with the 12-ounce candle lasting up to 60 hours.

Urthy Scents is featuring holiday candles and other holiday products as it opens, and has a loyalty program and online ordering.

Urthy Scents is open 10-6 Monday-Saturday and 11-4 Sunday. Phone: 770-857-3447. E-mail: info@urthyscents.com.

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East Cobb restaurant update: LongHorn opening; Reunion Kitchen forthcoming

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Longhorn opening East Cobb

The sign has recently gone up in front of the relocated LongHorn Steakhouse in East Cobb: The opening is next Monday, Nov. 20, starting at 3 p.m. for dinner service.

There was no further information available; we’ve left a message seeking comment.

The standalone building at 4370 Roswell Road is on an outparcel at the Merchants Exchange Shopping Center, and it where a BB & T bank branch and originally a Black Eye’d Pea restaurant once stood.

The new restaurant will be roughly the same size as the former Lower Roswell Road location, a little less than 6,000 square feet, according to planning documents submitted with the variance request.

LongHorn had been at 4721 Lower Roswell Road since 1983, and when it marked its 30th anniversary there is 2013, it was the longest-standing original location for the Orlando-based chain.

After opening day, the hours will be the same as the other LongHorn locations: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Phone: (770) 977-3045.

Reunion Kitchen and Bar

Coming Soon: Reunion Kitchen and Bar

Late last year, a new restaurant concept was announced for the former Red Sky Tapas and Bar space at Market Plaza on Johnson Ferry Road.

It was to be called 1255 Social (the number matching the street address) featuring a wood-fire grill and oven and locally- and regionally-sourced dinner fare.

A sign also went up bearing the 1255 Social name. But that sign has since been removed, and when a reader inquired with us about it, Ilene Kapper Oxman, a former East Cobb resident and a partner in the venture, told East Cobb News that “we changed the name to Reunion and opening soon.”

That was in September; now a sign has gone up and a website with some basic information on a forthcoming opening (but no timeline). Here’s the concept, per the website:

“Reunion is a place where locals gather regularly and first-timers are made to feel like regulars. We exist to create positive personalized experiences, in a setting that takes warm & inviting and mixes it with vibrant & fun to create the consistently high-quality food and drinks our neighborhood deserves.”

The menu features the “freshest ingredients, often locally grown/crafted, and reunites them with time-honored cooking techniques that emphasize individual ingredient flavors. Our plates are not architecturally placed lab experiments, but instead simple dishes full of flavor invoking memories of the best meals of our past. Our menu takes its inspiration from classic bistros serving soups, salads, sandwiches, and ‘comfortable’ entrees. The menu is priced to encourage any-day dining while the assortment range inspires special occasion users to stay awhile.”

East Cobb News got in touch with Kapper Oxman—an owner of Harry’s Pizza and Subs in Sandy Springs—and she said she’ll be providing more information soon.

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East Cobb residential real estate sales, Oct. 23-27, 2023

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St. Charles Square, East Cobb real estate sales
St. Charles Square

The following East Cobb residential real estate sales were compiled from agency reports. They include the subdivision name and high school attendance zone in parenthesis:

Oct. 23

717 Princeton Mill Run, 30068 (Princeton Mill, Wheeler): $682,000

1831 Walter Road, 30066 (Sprayberry): $3345,000

2662 Shadow Bluff Drive, 30062 (Shadowwoods, Pope): $489,000

1314 Shadowood Trail, 30066 (Blackwell Road, Sprayberry): $440,000

1150 Pathfinder Road, 30066 (Philmont Estates, Sprayberry): $483,000

2404 Stockton Drive, 30066 (Stocktons Ford, Lassiter): $4467,000

Oct. 24

154 Dickson Court, 30066 (Sprayberry): $252,000

Oct. 25

3311 Sulky Circle, 30067 (Ward Meade Farm, Wheeler): $1.1 million

934 Edgewater Circle, 30062 (Barnes Mill Lake, Wheeler): $274,000

2653 Spencers Trace, 30062 (Holly Springs East, Pope): $870,000

2727 Briar Lane, 30062 (Chimney Springs, Pope): $475,000

Oct. 26

2130 Arbor Oaks Drive, 30062 (Arbor Oaks, Sprayberry): $465,000

152 Weatherstone Parkway, 30068 (Weatherstone, Wheeler): $450,000

628 Anderson Walk, 30062 (Barnes Mill Townhouses, Wheeler): $275,000

3811 Valley Green Drive, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): $911,500

1652 Cedar Bluff Way, 30062 (Cedar Bluff, Wheeler): $300,000

1934 Oak Ridge Court, 30062 (Woodmont, Wheeler): $505,000

2246 Cedar Forks Drive, 30062 (Cedar Forks, Pope): $430,000

3014 Cynthia Court, 30062 (Mountain View, Sprayberry): $430,000

3872 Manhassett Place, 30066 (Cambridge Crossing, Lassiter): $594,000

1490 East Bank Drive, 30068 (Jacksons Creek, Walton): $765,000

Oct. 27

271 Cross Gate Drive, 30062 (Heritage Woods, Wheeler): $505,000

1529 Monarch Drive, 30062 (Glen Crest, Sprayberry): $660,000

2040 Dayron Court, 30062 (Piedmont Chase, Sprayberry): $512,000

2412 Mirrabeau Court, 30066 (St. Charles Square, Sprayberry): $625,000

3957 Brintons Mill, 30062 (Chadds Ford, Pope): $700,000

3170 Wendwood Drive, 30062 (Wendwood, Pope): $500,000

1802 Tilliewood Trail, 30066 (Stocktons Chase, Kell): $480,000

4910 Tremont Drive, 30062 (Tremont, Kell): $475,000

4964 Secluded Pines Drive, 30068 (Rose Oak, Walton): $675,000

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