A little less than two weeks out (Saturday, Aug. 7), the Rotary Club of East Cobb is staging its Dog Days Run this year after cancelling due to COVID-19 concerns.
Registration continues for the 16th annual event, which once again starts and ends at the McCleskey Family-East Cobb YMCA (1055 E. Piedmont Road).
Here’s more from the Rotary announcement about what’s in store, and a link to the sign up page (and we thank the club for their sponsored post on our newsletter as well):
This 16th year is a special treat – we’re back in action, in person. All participants–young/old, runners/non-runners, local/worldwide–will band together to raise money for local Cobb charities.
Our “Dog Days” 5K honors the heat and humidity of summer. Over the years, the Rotary Club of East Cobb has donated more than $500,000 from race proceeds to local and international service projects!
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Instead of what would have been the 15th anniversary of its 5K Dog Days Run next month, the Rotary Club of East Cobb is conducting its biggest fundraiser in different fashion fitting the times.
What it’s calling a “No K” run will still be taking place starting in August, culminating with a final event on Oct. 17, and you don’t even have to run. You can if you like, but it’s a virtual event that will still include prizes for participants. The proceeds of entry fees will still be used to help a number of local organizations and charities that the Rotary Club works with.
The race typically drew around 1,000 runners on a 5K course at and around the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA, but COVID-19 concerns aren’t going to make that possible.
We’re hoping to enable thousands of our neighbors to contribute to our community through not running. It’ll be a footrace-themed event that will play out on social media and DogDaysRun.com through August, September and October will conclude with a live recap and awards ceremony on Facebook Live from McCleskey East Cobb YMCA on October 17. We’ll still have folks registered to not run. We’ll still have awards for participants in all age groups. It’ll still count for the Grand Prix. We’re just not actually racing.
There’s a full list of beneficiary organizations at the same link above, and they include the Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts, Center for Family Resources, East Cobb Robotics, the MDE School of East Cobb, the Cobb Public Safety Celebration, the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA and the AVID program at Wheeler High School.
Before the pandemic, the Rotary Club set a hefty fundraising goal, of $125,000 (last year it raised $82,000 from the Dog Days Run).
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!
A record total of 694 people took part Saturday morning in the 13th East Cobb Rotary Club Dog Days Run, which started and ended at the East Cobb-McCleskey Family YMCA.
The 5K event took place along East Piedmont Road and Sewell Mill Road before winding back along Roswell Road to the YMCA. The proceeds will benefit a number of East Cobb charities, including School Mates Literacy Project, Canine Assistance, Aids Awareness, The Center for Family Resources, Cobb County Public Safety and Kids2Leaders Inc.
Runners were cooled off by the Cobb Fire Department as they made the final turn back into the YMCA.
Post-race refreshments included bottled water, donuts and plenty of bananas. Local businesses, including Honest-1 Auto Care, Tuxedo Pest Control, Cheek Dental, Dentistry of East Piedmont, Fitness Together East Cobb, Big Peach Running Co., MDE School, Dermatology Consultants and The Solana East Cobb had information booths.
Also on hand were members of East Cobb Robotics, who later shot small rubber balls into the souvenir-seeking crowds.
Blooper, the Atlanta Braves mascot, also turned out for the festivities.
Some of the top winners. Medals were awarded across all age groups, ranging from under 10 to the 80s. There even was a woman runner who is 99 years old.
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As we’re typing these words, the sun has come out! It’s expected to stay out, at least partially, as this weekend’s sports-heavy lineup leads off Saturday with the 13 annual East Cobb Rotary Dog Days Run.
It gets underway at 7:30 a.m. at the East Cobb-McCleskey Family YMCA (1055 E. Piedmont Road). Race-day registration is $30, and the proceeds benefit a number of East Cobb charities, including School Mates Literacy Project, Canine Assistance, Aids Awareness, The Center for Family Resources, Cobb County Public Safety and Kids2Leaders Inc.
At the same time, the Lutzie 43 Foundation Road Race is taking place at Lutzie Field at Lassiter High School (2601 Shallowford Road), with proceeds going to the non-profit set up in the memory of Phil Lutzenkirchen, the former Trojans football star. It helps teach young people leadership skills and how to make good decisions. There’s a 1-mile fun run for kids in addition to the 5K. Race-day registration is $30 for students and $43 for adults.
Not far away, another school community is celebrating its upcoming football season. The Pope Football Pancake Breakfast goes from 9-11 in the cafeteria at the school (3001 Hembree Road), and is a Pope Touchdown Club fundraiser. For $11 a person or $26 a family (players eat free!), you’ll get pancakes, sausage, bagels, fruit and juices; stick around for the team picture day to follow.
The Wasted Potential Brass Band returns to The Art Place Saturday.
Saturday also is Sandy Plains Softball Fun Day from 11-1 at Field 1 at Sandy Plains Park (2977 Gordy Parkway), and it includes walk-up registration for the fall season.
On Saturday evening, bring your blankets and lawn chairs to The Art Place (3320 Sandy Plains Road) and enjoy the sounds of the Wasted Potential Brass Band. The popular Atlanta group is appearing as part of the Mountain View Arts Alliance’s Summer Stars Concert Series. Concessions are in exchange for a donation to MVAA, or you can bring your own food (but no alcohol is allowed).
More prep football on Sunday takes place 2-4. It’s Walton Raider Day at the Raider Valley stadium (1590 Bill Murdock Road). Admission is free, and the jamboree-style event includes kids games, a coaches dunk tank, face-painting, trampoline-jumping and a meet-and-greet with all the Raiders teams. Wear your Walton Spirit gear, since there will be drone group photo taken during the day.
Also on Sunday, the Good Mews Cat Shelter (3805 Robinson Road) is having another microchip and vaccination clinic from 10-3. Additional services include nail clippings, and appointments are encouraged but not required. Dogs are welcome too, and all pets must be in a carrier or on a leash when they arrive.
Did we miss anything? Do you have a calendar item you’d like to share with the community? Send it to us, and we’ll spread the word! E-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com, and you can include a photo or flyer if you like.
Whatever you’re doing this weekend, make it a great one! Enjoy!
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Thanks to Anne Pitts, incoming president of the East Cobb Rotary, which is staging its 13th annual Dog Days Run Aug. 4 at the East Cobb-McCleskey Family YMCA (1055 East Piedmont Road), for the submitted information about the event. Here’s the online sign-up page if you want to run/walk on what’s becoming one of East Cobb’s biggest 5K events.
Last year we raised over $92,000 that we used to support local non-profits and many school programs in our community.
We expect 800-1,000 runners and their families at the race and after-race festivities. Our purpose for the event is to raise money for local charities or charities with local impact. Last year, the money raised supported the Rally Foundation (childhood cancer research), REAP (improving reading proficiency in public schools), Lekotek (empowering children with special needs) and more than 30 other charitable organizations that make a positive impact in the Cobb County community. Additionally, we have committed $35,000 over 3 years to help Wheeler High School start and implement an AVID program which directs college-preparatory assistance to students of lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Not only do we raise the funds, our members actually help put these funds to work, by serving as volunteers for many of the projects financed. Dog Days funds allow us to sponsor Interact Clubs (youth service organizations) at Wheeler and Walton High School, students at Lassiter and Wheeler High Schools to participate in the National Laws of Life Contest which spans the academic year and culminates in the contest in the spring, and we are able to sponsor 4 students from Walton and Wheeler High School each year to attend Rotary Youth Leadership Camp in the summer. The students that attend this camp tell me that it is by far their best experience, and they are lit up and ready to bring positive changes to their communities.
You can also register at Big Peach Running Company (1062 Johnson Ferry Road) or via regular mail at this link by July 22; early registration is $20 through July 28. After that, including race day, it’s $30.
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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!
Several hundred East Cobbers—many of them young children happily dancing with glowsticks and awaiting the arrival of Santa—gathered around the pavilion at East Cobb Park Sunday for the annual Holiday Lights celebration.
Sponsored by the Friends for the East Cobb Park, the event also has the support of WellStar East Cobb Health Park, the East Cobb Rotary and other community organizations and businesses.
The crowd was warmed up right before dusk by the Dodgen Middle School Pops Band.
The East Cobb Rotary Club provided refreshments while the crowd waited for the tree lighting and Santa.Santa Claus arrived, and parked his sleigh right in front of the newly lighted tree.Lines of children waited their chance for a visit and photo with St. Nick.
The walking paths around East Cobb Park also were adorned with lights for the rest of the holiday season.
To see more East Cobb holiday events, please consult our Holiday Guide. Send your holiday news (including photos) to: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
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Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
East Cobb News has been online for about six weeks, and already we’ve covered quite a few events in the community that you may not have seen—averaging about two a week, sometimes more.
Since we’re new, and picking up new readers all the time, we thought we’d serve up a “best of” photo gallery from these events. Because we launched in the middle of the summer, we have a lot of outdoors and sports-related pictures, but they’re all popular community events we enjoyed attending. As we continue to grow, we plan to cover all kinds of events that capture the essence of the East Cobb community, and the spirit of the people who live here.
That’s why we’re asking for your help. If you know of a community event you’d like for East Cobb News to cover in the future, or have photos of an event that’s taken place that you’d like to share, please contact: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
East Cobb News is practicing the community-collaborative approach to local news, and reader/organization contributions are always welcome! When you submit your news and photos, you’re helping us serve our readers better. East Cobb is a big place with so much going on, and we want to earn your trust and become this community’s leading source of real-time news, events and information.
To see more photos and read stories about these events, please click the links below.
Because one school ribbon-cutting event this week isn’t enough (and also, because it’s right before the start of a new school year): The new Walton High School administration and classroom building will be officially opened on Sunday, starting with ribbon-cutting ceremonies at 1:30 p.m. and an Open House to follow (1590 Bill Murdock Road).
The next day, students will finally get to enjoy some elbow room as they start classes in a building that can better accommodate them. Having been subject to massive overcrowding myself (as a Wheeler student when Walton opened, too many years ago), I understand the feeling. We’ll be out there on Sunday to document all the proceedings.
The Walton ribbon-cutting comes at the end of a busy and varied weekend of events in East Cobb. See our full calendar listings for so much more, and send yours along if you don’t see it to: calendar@eastcobbnews.com). We’ve pulled out a few highlights here:
The Rotary Club of East Cobb is holding its 12th annual Dog Days Run that starts at 7:30 Saturday morning at the McCleskey-East Cobb YMCA (1055 East Piedmont Road), and race-day registration is available for both the 5K and fun run;
The East Cobb-based Good Mews Animal Foundation is holding a bowling fundraiser Sunday from 2-4 at AMF Bowling on Cobb Parkway. Pins for Paws includes lots of related fun, including raffle tickets;
If you’re thinking of buying a home for the first time, the Janice Overbeck Real Estate team is holding a free seminar from 11-1 Saturday at its Keller Williams North Atlanta office at 2249 Roswell Road;
At the end of a long week why not enjoy some Open Mic entertainment? From 7-10 p.m. Sunday at Keegan’s Irish Pub (4401 Shallowford Road), the local acoustic duo The Woodys (who were in action earlier this week at the Paper Mill Village food truck) will perform your requests. Sign-up starts at 6:30 p.m.
Did we miss something? Do you not see an event you think the community ought to know about? Let us know if you have calendar items to share, for this weekend and beyond. We’re working to have the best calendar listings in East Cobb, so have a look around and let us know what you think!
The long-awaited new Mountain View Elementary School campus will be christened on Thursday. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
The last full week of summer vacation will be a busy one for East Cobb students and their parents, beyond shopping for clothes and supplies and getting oriented with the academic year ahead.
The ribbon-cutting for the new Mountain View Elementary School takes place Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. (yes, bright and early, but before the searing heat sets in) at its new location at 3151 Sandy Plains Road, just down the road from where it had been for decades;
It’s guaranteed to be hot and stifling Sunday afternoon when the new Walton High School campus (same location, 1590 Bill Murdock Road) will be dedicated, with ribbon-cutting starting at 2 p.m. An Open House takes place from 2:30-3:30 p.m.;
The final Paper Mill Village food truck of the summer will be Monday from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. in the main parking lot (255 Village Parkway). Admission is free and so is the live music; cost of food tickets vary according to vendor;
Two East Cobb library branches are holding a joint summer farewell party for students on Thursday from 2-4: The event is at Gritters Library (880 Shaw Park Road) and also includes staff from Mountain View Regional with crafts, games, snacks and other fun activities;
Early Saturday morning, the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA (1055 East Piedmont Road) is the venue for the Dog Days Run presented by the Rotary Club of East Cobb. You can still register (race-day fee of $30 starting at 6:30 a.m.), and the organizers are looking for volunteers and sponsors.
There’s so much more on our Events Calendar to check out, and if you have an item to share, please e-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com.
