community news

Lawrenceville Loses A Pioneer

The staff of Accent Gwinnett Magazine would like to dedicate this issue to the late Lawrenceville Mayor Bobby Sikes and his family.

Mayor Bobby Sikes passed away on Saturday, November 4^th, after an eight-month battle with leukemia. Sikes served on the Lawrenceville City Council for 14 years prior to being elected mayor of Gwinnett’s County Seat. Shortly after taking office, Mayor Sikes began working toward his vision for the rebirth of Lawrenceville. Emory Morsberger of The Morsberger Group, credits Sikes with bringing numerous businesses to the historic downtown area, including the Aurora Theatre. Morsberger worked closely with Sikes on revitalization efforts and says, “Sikes was always there when we needed him. He was a straight shooter with a vision. He dreamed of Lawrenceville as being Gwinnett’s hometown.”

Mayor Sikes will be sorely missed.


Lend a Paw

During all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, don’t forget about our four-legged friends. Every year, six-to-eight million dogs and cats end up in shelters and three-to-four million of them are euthanized because there is no room. The Society of Humane Friends is a small no-kill humane group that has a licensed shelter in Lawrenceville and needs your help. They accept cats and dogs on a space available basis from other shelters (such as Gwinnett County Animal Control), owners who can no longer keep them, and found strays.

Currently, their biggest need is donations. The society is opening a low-cost spay/neuter clinic for all Gwinnettians, but needs more funds before the doors open. They also can use donated items such as dog and cat food, kitty litter, towels and more.

Animals taken in by the society are fostered in members' homes and are tested and vetted before they are offered for adoption. Potential adopters are carefully screened to ensure a good match of people and pets. The society has a return policy and always take animals back at any future time should circumstances change. Adoptions are hosted at
Petco on Highway 124 in Snellville.

To donate or find out more information about how you can help, call 770-962-1549 or visit www.societyofhumanefriends.com.


Jingle Jog for a Good Cause

The holidays are a time where everyone is busy running around, so why not put all that energy to good use? The Salvation Army invites you to run or walk in the 19 annual Jingle Jog. The Jingle Jog benefits The Salvation Army's Angel Tree Program. This program provides Christmas to more than 25,000 underprivileged children and elderly in the Atlanta area who otherwise would not have a happy holiday.

So please bring an unwrapped toy and join them December 10 at 8 a.m. at Costco to run, walk or jog in the 19th annual Jingle Jog. If you supply the toys, they will supply the jingle bells.

For more information, visit jinglejog.com.


Feel the Warmth of the Holidays

Imagine a home where the breakfast room meets the golf course, the fine wines of Sonoma live in your personal wine cellar, the sun room seems to actually reach the heavens, and the Bellsouth Classic is best seen from your very own viewing room.  
Experience these luxuries and more at the Sugarloaf Country Club Holiday Tour of Homes this November 30 through December 3.

You’ll tour five of Sugarloaf’s most exciting homes, eat at the Cozy Café and shop at the Unique Boutique. New this year is the special holiday arrangements gallery and show your warmth charity booth.

100 percent of all donations and proceeds benefit the following charities:  The Gwinnett Children’s Shelter, The Foster Children’s Foundation, the Duluth Co-op and SPECTRUM Autism Support Group.

For more information, visit www.sugarloaftourtickets.com.


Breakfast With Santa

Join Engineer Santa for Snack Breakfast in the Southeastern Railway Museum Exhibit Hall at 9:30 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. on November 25, December 2, 9 and 16, followed by a 15-minute caboose ride. Reservations are required and be sure to bring your camera.

The Southeastern Railway Museum has been in operation since 1970 and is Georgia's Official Transportation History Museum. The museum has more than 80 other pieces of retired railway rolling stock including vintage steam and diesel locomotives, passenger coaches, private business cars, a World War II army troop kitchen, wooden freight cars, railway post office car and maintenance-of-way equipment. Many other items from Georgia's transportation history also are presented on the museum's 30-acre site.

Visit www.srmduluth.org for more information.


Magical Nights of Lights   

Rekindle an old tradition or create a new one at the 14-annual Magical Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier Islands Resort®, which features a driving tour through more than six miles of giant, illuminated characters that comprise millions of twinkling lights. Stop by the second-annual live nativity scene presented by Blackshear Place Baptist church.

After the tour, the new holiday village is a must-see for everyone, complete with:

• The Santa Shop holiday gifts and a chance to visit with Santa Claus
• Pony and amusement rides
• Bonfire for roasting marshmallows
• Delicious holiday fare
• NEW 4,250-square-foot ice skating rink

Magical Nights of Lights® is November 18th through December 30th from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly (weather permitting). Call 770-932-7200 for more information.


A Christmas Carol at Lawrenceville Community Theatre

A show with ever popular appeal, A Christmas Carol is back again this year. Patrons enjoyed five performances of Lawrenceville Community Theatre's debut production of A Christmas Carol last year with sold-out seating, and LCT is bringing this heart-warming production back again for some extra holiday cheer. They have added additional performances to this year's run, allowing more people than ever to enjoy it. A dinner will be offered with two of the performances this year – Friday night, Dec 8 and Friday night December 15 – making LCT Lawrenceville's first theatre to offer dinner and a show.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.lawrencevilleonstage.com, by calling 770-855-7005 or emailing info@lawrencevilleonstage.com


Historic Charm and Holiday Splendor Create a Magical Tour

On Saturday, December 2^, the City of Norcross will have decked its halls and streets and opened five beautiful homes for the fourth-annual Historic Norcross Holiday Home Tour.  The already quaint community will become even more charming when all of the historic homes are decorated, the period-style lamp posts boast their wreaths and bows, twinkling lights fill the trees that line the downtown sidewalks, and the shop’s windows are filled with inviting holiday gifts and décor. Watching the trolley roll slowly through the streets, Norcross looks and feels as though you have stepped back in time. 

The Historic Norcross Holiday Home Tour is an annual fund-raising event hosted by The Norcross Neighbors. All proceeds benefit the Historic Norcross Preservation Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to historically significant projects within the historic district. Currently, a self-guided walking tour is being created with the installation of permanent markers to highlight the many points of interest. 

For more information, on-line and group ticket purchasing and volunteer opportunities, visit www.NorcrossHolidayHomeTour.com.  


Walk Through Bethlehem

Take a guided tour through the city of Bethlehem this December 8, 9 and 10 and experience the past as never before. During your Walk Through Bethlehem at Shadowbrook Baptist Church, you will take a step back into time. You will see how people lived at the time Jesus was born. You will meet local merchants in the city, just as Mary and Joseph did on that eventful day.

Shadowbrook has built a re-creation of the city of Bethlehem complete with shops and houses that would have been seen in that time. The city is filled with hundreds of volunteers dressed in ancient clothing along with live animals such as camels, sheep, goats and chickens.

When you arrive you will be met by Roman Guards demanding that you pay your taxes. Tour guides will take you through the marketplace capturing the events of the day while you experience the sights, smells and sounds of the ancient city. You will see the inn where there was no room and share the true account of Christ's birth.

Admission and parking are free. For more information, please call 770-945-1524 or visit www.shadowbrookchurch.org.


Father/Child Winter Magic Dinner with Santa and Movies on Wheels

Dads, bring your kids out to the Duluth Festival Center for a delicious turkey dinner and let Mom have a night off to Christmas shop. Admission is $15 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under. This includes dinner and a photo with Santa.

Then, on December 16 and 23, the movie bus comes to Duluth. It’s a new twist on the movie experience: a bus complete with a powerful theater system and comfortable reclining seats. So drop your kids off to watch a holiday movie while you do some shopping in downtown Duluth or watch the movie with them! Admission is $12 per person. This includes popcorn, candy and a drink.

For more information, call 678-475-3512 or visit www.duluthga.net.


It’s a Wonderful House Tour of Homes at Chateau Élan
The fifth-annual It's A Wonderful House Tour of Homes offers a spectacular look into five of the most exquisite homes in the Chateau Élan community. Each home is fully and professionally decorated for the holidays and staffed with hostesses to welcome each and every visitor to our wonderland. Shuttles to the tour homes depart the Chateau Élan Winery approximately every 15 minutes and transport the tour guests to each of the homes on tour. In addition to the decorated homes, the tour also includes a café and gift gallery.

Tour tickets are $25 each, and all proceeds benefit The Gwinnett Children’s Shelter. For more information, visit www.itsawonderfulhouse.org.


Pinckneyville Community Center Presents "Seasons" and "Exhibit of Books"

The Pinckneyville Community Center will sponsor an exhibit of two-dimensional works of Laurette Reeves titled "Seasons" and an exhibit of books titles "Exhibit of Books" by PCC Writers' Group.  The event will be featured at the Pinckneyville Community Center from November 1, 2006 through January 24, 2007. Exhibition hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m.-noon.  Admission is free. Pinckneyville Community Center is located at 4650 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Norcross.

Contact Sofia Ahmad at the PCC at 770-417-2200 for more information.


Quality of Life Program Cleans up Neighborhoods

Gwinnett County’s Quality of Life program began its fall activities by focusing on the Jackson Township subdivision just outside Lawrenceville off Highway 120 between Riverside Parkway and Sever Road.

“Neighborhoods are getting cleaner and safer as a result of the County’s new emphasis on enforcing existing codes and regulations,” Gwinnett Police Chief Charlie Walters said. He said the enforcement program targets specific areas based on criminal activity and property maintenance violations.

Officers sweep various neighborhoods looking for illegal storage, junk cars, trash violations, parking on the lawn, overcrowding and other violations of legal community standards. The Notice of Violation they issue is a warning to fix the problem by a certain date. A citation to appear in court is the next step if the property owner doesn’t clear up the violation on time.

The clean-up program, started about 18 months ago by the Board of Commissioners, was originally called Operation Fixing Broken Windows. The idea is to reduce crime and bigger problems by fixing little things before they get out of hand. The program also hopes to protect property values and public safety by encouraging residents to take pride in their community.

For more information, call Heather Sawyer at 770-822-7035.


“Wearing Hope” - Providing for Children in need

We all know how great it is to be wearing a new outfit and how good it makes us feel about ourselves.  The clothes are comfortable, fit right and make us proud.

Not everyone has the good fortune to be able to get new clothes when they need them.

In Gwinnett County alone, there are more than 750 children in foster care who many times have to wear hand-me downs or clothes that do not fit. Most times when a child arrives into foster care they have nothing but the clothes on their back. This has a huge impact on their self esteem and can be devastating to a child. These children have limited control over their lives – where they will live, where they will attend school or church, to say nothing of their very basic needs such as nice clothing that fits.

Neiman Marcus Last Call located at Discover Mills is working with the Foster Children’s Foundation to make a major difference in the lives of these less fortunate children living in our community. With the help of Sandy Bianco, general manager at Neiman Marcus Last Call store, a campaign is being kicked off called “Wearing Hope.”  This campaign invites all stores to join them in this opportunity to help local children get on a path for a brighter future, let them know that people do care and give them hope.

To find out how your store can get involved, please contact Suzanne Geske of the Foster Children’s Foundation at 770-623-6135 or info@fosterchildrensfoundation.org or Sandy Bianco at Sandy_Bianco@neimanmarcus.com.


One-year Anniversary for Georgia Gwinnett College President
It began with one employee and a mission that seemed close to impossible: create a college from scratch. Get it up and running within a year. And make it succeed. Adding to these necessities, the Regents want a new type of college, one that would use innovative learning technology and also address growing national concerns involving retention and graduation. No small task indeed.

Retired Brigadier General Daniel J. Kaufman, former chief academic officer of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York., took on the challenge in October 2005 when he signed on as president and the first employee of an as-yet-unnamed college in Gwinnett County, Ga., one of the nation’s fastest growing counties. Now, one year later, the mission of starting a new college is accomplished. Georgia Gwinnett College students attended their first classes at the 170-acre Lawrenceville campus on August 18.

Georgia Gwinnett College is a four-year, high-tech state college serving the higher educational needs of Gwinnett County and the northeast region of Georgia. Leading advancements in education through innovation and technology, the mission of GGC is to develop versatile, creative and critical thinkers who can adapt to the intellectual, professional and ethical challenges that will confront them throughout their lives.


Gwinnett’s Private Business Club Expands to Meet Member Growth

The 1818 Club, a private business and dining club atop the Gwinnett Chamber building at 6500 Sugarloaf Parkway, has expanded and taken on a whole new look.

The Club just celebrated its sixth anniversary and more than 850 members enjoy the rights and privileges of Gwinnett’s only private dining club. The Club recently underwent an extensive renovation and expansion project to meet the needs of a growing membership.  A new bar and grill were added, complete with private wine lockers; additional private dining rooms were built; audio visual capabilities were enhanced; and a complete decorative upgrade rounded out this summer-long project. 

More Club news is the arrival of Executive Chef Tim Canterbury. Canterbury previously served as the executive chef of The One-Ninety-One Club in Atlanta. He is the Club’s second executive chef since its opening in 2000.

For information, visit www.the1818club.org.