Dunwoody Crier - January 26, 2023

Community pitches in at MLK Day of Service

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Volunteers turned out in droves under chilly conditions for the seventh annual Dunwoody Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Jan. 16. The day of service was put on by the city in partnership with the DunwoodyAtlanta Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, an organization focused on leadership development, volunteer service and civic duty for African American children.

Lemonade Days Festival to mark 23rd season in April

DUNWOODY, Ga. — The five-day Lemonade Days Festival will return to Dunwoody this spring for its 23rd year, bringing fun, food, rides and shows to support the Dunwoody Preservation Trust.

This year’s festival will be held at Brook Run Park from April 19 to 23, featuring full-scale carnival rides, food-and-beverage vendors, pony rides, a petting zoo and the Dunwoody Idol contest.

Launched in 1999 to help families affected by the 1998 tornado that ripped through Dunwoody, the festival has since grown into a highly anticipated event that attracts more than 30,000 people each year. Today the Lemonade Days Festival is the sole fundraiser for the Dunwoody Preservation Trust. It supports the

Georgia Tech students prepare to plant a tree at the Dunwoody Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Jan. 16 at Brook Run Park.

DELANEY TARR/APPEN MEDIA

the Daffodil Project at the Dunwoody Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 16 at Brook Run Park.

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Vehicle dealer arrested with open container

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody police arrested the owner of a used vehicle dealership after being found driving without insurance, a suspended license and an open container of alcohol.

Officers stopped a Toyota Camry with dealer plates on Ashford Dunwoody Road Jan. 16 and took the driver into custody after learning his license had been suspended for a super speeder violation and his insurance expired in 2022.

After the driver was placed under arrest, a large open bottle of gin was found in the vehicle’s center console. Officers also learned the driver was the owner of a dealership in Norcross.

The driver was charged for driving with a suspended license, open container violations and driving without insurance. He was transported to the DeKalb County Jail.

Police recover vehicle stolen from rental agency

DUNWOODY, Ga. —A rental car stolen from the Savannah Airport was recovered by the Dunwoody Police Department during an incident at a local Walmart Jan. 15.

Officers responded to the Walmart on Ashford Dunwoody Road after receiving reports from FLOCK traffic cameras that a stolen Ford Bronco had been spotted in the area.

The vehicle was located in the store’s parking lot and after a short stakeout, officers identified two suspects who entered the vehicle. The

suspects, who were from the Savannah area, said they did not know the vehicle was stolen and originally got it from another individual.

However, when asked who gave them the vehicle, both suspects refused to co-operate.

Officers also located a loaded Glock handgun and marijuana in the vehicle.

The suspects were charged with theft by receiving stolen property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of marijuana. They were transported to the DeKalb County jail.

Loganville man arrested following police chase

DUNWOODY, Ga. — A driver who fled from Dunwoody Police officers after running a red light at Ashford Dunwoody Road and Perimeter Center has been arrested on multiple traffic charges.

Police said the high-speed chase began at about 8 p.m., Jan. 14 proceeding down Ashford Dunwoody Road and Hammond Drive, and through the Perimeter Mall area. After a short distance, the driver abandoned his vehicle behind a restaurant and fled on foot, leaving a passenger inside the vehicle.

While investigating the vehicle, an anonymous call told police the driver was at a brewery next door to where the vehicle was found. When found at the brewery, the driver admitted to everything, the report said.

The driver was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude officers, driving with a suspended license and disorderly conduct. He was transported to the DeKalb County Jail.

Atlanta man arrested for felony shoplifting

DUNWOODY, Ga. — A man caught stealing more than $1,200 in clothing, food and electronics from a Dunwoody

Walmart Jan. 13 was arrested felony shoplifting.

Dunwoody Police reports said officers responded to the Walmart on Ashford Dunwoody after a man was seen on security camera footage stealing multiple items throughout the store.

Officers learned the man was initially spotted stealing and eating food when he entered the store but moved on and began stealing other items by placing them in several pieces of stolen luggage.

In total, the man attempted to steal $1,271 worth of expensive food products, clothing and electronics, according to police.

The man was taken into custody as he attempted to leave the store and was placed under arrest for felony shoplifting. Police officers noted that the man was identified as a habitual shoplifter in the Atlanta area.

He was transported to the DeKalb County Jail.

Woman reports fraud from her Tulsa business

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A woman reported to Johns Creek Police Jan. 13 that someone forged a business check in the amount of $210,000 at the United Community Bank on McGinnis Ferry Road.

The woman, calling from Tulsa, Oklahoma, said she already filed a report with the Tulsa Police Department and informed her bank that the transaction was made within the city limits of Johns Creek.

The woman said she knew the check was created fraudulently because it was different from the checks her business uses. She said the banking information printed on the check was correct, but the watermark and other small details were not the same.

If the check had been deposited on the weekend, the woman said, there was a chance the check would have cleared, and their business account would have been severely depleted.

Local research professor tabbed for Carnegie African Fellowship

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Professor of Chemistry Paulos Yohannes, a teacher and researcher at the Georgia State University’s Perimeter College in Dunwoody, has been selected for the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship.

The Carnegie fellowship, funded by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, matches an African-born professor with an African university to work on research and teaching projects in Africa.

The fellowship has been awarded to 566 scholars since it started in 2013. Yohannes grew up in Ethiopia and will be the first professor from Georgia State to receive the Carnegie fellowship.

Yohannes is based in Dunwoody, and is the associate dean for Science, Technology Engineering and Math Research at Georgia State University Perimeter College. He will work with chemistry faculty at Georgia State University and Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia to analyze key healing ingredients in medicinal plants native to Ethiopia.

Addis Ababa University will send

medicinal plants from Ethiopia to Georgia State’s Chemistry Department for analysis and testing. Yohannes

plans to isolate specific ingredients in the plants for wider pharmaceutical use.

Yohannes will also create a graduate chemistry course on metals in medicine at Addis Ababa University.

PROVIDED

Paulos Yohannes, a professor of chemistry at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College in Dunwoody, has been selected for the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship.

Atlanta area animal shelter lowers pet adoption charge

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Throughout January, you can adopt a pet from LifeLine Animal Project for $23. The “new year, new friend” deal includes spay and neuter, vaccines and microchip. Typically, dogs have an $85 adoption fee at Lifeline, and cats have a $65 fee.

The organization also opened a new pop-up dog adoption center for the month at 981 Howell Mill Road NW in Atlanta.

The adoption center is open seven days a week.

LifeLine Animal Project also manages Fulton County and DeKalb County Animal Shelters and provides animal enforcement services in Fulton County. As the largest animal welfare organization in Georgia, Lifeline aims to “end the shelter euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals.”

Understanding drug use and addiction

Drug use has become a concerning health issue in our society today. It is generally misunderstood to be a lack of moral principle or willpower when in reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting can be very difficult.

What is drug addiction?

“Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences” (National Institute on Drug Abuse)

While the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, continuing to use drugs changes the brain in a way that affects a person’s selfcontrol and interferes with their ability to resist the intense urges to continue taking them. These brain changes are persistent, contributing to the increased risk of relapsing even after quitting.

Drugs affect the brain’s “reward circuit” and floods it with dopamine, creating a sense of euphoria. This reinforces unhealthy behaviors and leads people to repeat the behavior again and again. Over time the brain adapts, and the person needs more of the substance to achieve the same reaction. This can lead to a loss of pleasure in other things as well, like food or social activities. Long-term drug use causes changes in other areas such

as judgment, decision-making, memory, and behavior. This is what can lead to continued use despite negative consequences.

Can drug addiction be cured or prevented?

Drug addiction is a chronic disease, and treatment for it isn’t considered a cure. However, it is treatable and can be successfully managed. People in recovery are at risk for relapse, but treatment with addiction medicines and behavioral therapy can offer the best chance of success. Each person’s recovery process is different and must be tailored to the individual. Support from family, friends, and professionals offers the best chance of success.

If you are concerned about a loved one’s drug or alcohol use, join our 8-week Family Support Group starting on February 6th and meeting on Mondays from 6:30 – 7:30 PM at Summit’s Dunwoody Satellite location (1548 Mt. Vernon Rd., Dunwoody). Call our main office at (678) 893- 5300 for more information and to register.

Brought to you by - Janet Fluker, Licensed Professional Counselor and Staff Supervisor at Summit Counseling Center

ISTOCK

Perimeter mayors speak at panel event

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul and Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch were the featured speakers Jan. 12 at the annual Leadership Sandy Springs Evening with the Mayor.

The mayors took the stage at Newell Brands in Sandy Springs to participate in a question and answer panel discussion with moderator Brook Perez, Georgia Power Community and Economic Development manager.

“Evening with the Mayor has been a favorite alumni event for the past eight years,” LSS Executive Director Rosalyn Putnam said. “And we were honored to have, for the first time, two respected city officials from our neighboring communities agree to share the stage, and their insights, about leadership and their experiences as leaders.”

Festival:

Continued from Page 1

historic 1870 Donaldson-Bannister Farm and numerous community events and programs for children and adults.

The festival will run from 4 p.m. to

The two mayors engaged in a spirited and candid discussion before a crowd of more than 130 LSS alumni and guests.

Prior to the mayor’s panel discussion, the group honored three Sandy Springs residents for their contributions to the community with the 2022 Carolyn Axt Alumni Award, the organization’s most prestigious honor named for community leader and former LSS Executive Director Carolyn Axt.

The recipients included Christine Heller, Jack Misiura and Mark Thomas.

“Leadership Sandy Springs is proud to be celebrating 35 years of developing and connecting community leaders and will be accepting applications for the class of 2024 in late February,” officials said.

10 p.m., Wednesday, April 19 to Friday, April 21; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 22; and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 23.

For more information on the Lemonade Days Festival visit http://dunwoodylemonadedays.org. Weather updates will be provided on Twitter @Lemonadedays.

LEADERSHIP SANDY SPRINGS/PROVIDED

From left, Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch; moderator Brook Perez, Georgia Power Community and Economic Development manager; and Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul participate in a question and answer session at the annual Leadership Sandy Springs Evening with the Mayor Jan. 12 at Newell Brands in Sandy Springs.

Service:

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, volunteers registered to help with projects across Dunwoody. The city also hosts a “Souper Bowl of Caring” through December and January which pledges to collect 55,000 pounds of food for the Community Assistance Center and Malachi’s Storehouse.

At 9 a.m., residents and visitors alike came to Brook Run Park to participate in various service activities, including tree planting, daffodil planting, community garden cleanup and a blood drive. Morning temperatures dipped into the 30s, but as volunteers dug into the dirt, the day got warmer.

Dunwoody Parks and Recreation partnered with Atlanta-based organization the Daffodil Project to plant 5,400 daffodil buwlbs across the park. The parks and recreation staff prepared the area by digging the holes and setting up baskets of bulbs.

About 60 people arrived to plant the daffodils.

“Look how little this bulb is!” one young volunteer announced as she held up a bulb. “It’ll grow a tiny daffodil.”

Families, friends and people from across Georgia gardened as part of The Daffodil Project’s goal to plant 1.5 million daffodils around the world.

A symbol for the ages

The daffodils symbolize the 1.5 million children killed in the Holocaust. The project uses the flowers as a “living Holocaust memorial” and foster Holocaust education and awareness.

Daffodil Project founder and President Andrea Videlefsky said the flowers resemble the stars Jewish people were forced to wear in the concentration camps. They also have a symbolic meaning.

“Daffodils are very resilient,” Videlefsky said. “The beauty is they come back and reminds us.”

So far, the organization has planted 860,000 daffodils in 464 locations.

The organization bases its education on Holocaust history, but board member Roberta Lynn sees the knowledge as vital for the present.

“We have to show people how to recognize subversive behavior now and how to stop it now,” Lynn said.

In 2016, The Daffodil Project planted over 2,000 flowers at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. For the past four years, the organization has worked with Dunwoody on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service projects.

To Videlefsky, the partnership is natural. She quoted Martin Luther King Jr. as an explanation.

“In the words of MLK, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Videlefsky said.

Down the road, volunteers at the Brook

Run Community Garden cleaned up and rebuilt the over 100 garden beds. The beds are split, with some used by garden members and others dedicated to growing food for Malachi’s Storehouse, a local foodbank.

Most of the crops were killed off in the bitter cold temperatures in late December, so volunteers took on the task of replanting winter vegetables in the charitable garden beds.

Last year, the garden donated about 2,032 pounds of produce to the Malachi’s Storehouse.

Cindy McGill, chairwoman for the community garden, said produce helps add variety for the foodbank.

“They have a lot of donations, but not much in the way of fresh produce,” McGill said.

Volunteers spent the day planting frost-

resistant plants like Bok choy in the food pantry beds. They also rebuilt nine of the beds and refilled 10 more with fresh soil.

“We’re gardeners, but we also enjoy giving back to the community,” McGill said.

The community also gathered to plant 100 trees near the multi-use fields at Brook Run Park. Trees Atlanta, a nonprofit community group dedicated to improving Atlanta’s urban forest, partnered with the city to take on the task.

Business pitches in

Jennifer Higgins brought out nine of her coworkers for a corporate volunteer day.

Higgins works for Jabian Consulting, a business consulting firm in Sandy Springs. She said the company gives employees paid volunteer days every year and groups split

off to volunteer across the area.

“We love Trees Atlanta and we love trees,” Higgins said.

Higgins volunteered with Dunwoody the year before, but with a much smaller group. This year, her group planted five trees.

“Not bad for just a Monday morning,” Higgins said.

Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch moved between the different events at Brook Run Park, chatting with volunteers and watching the community work.

“This is just awesome,” Deutsch said. “I’m so grateful to Jack and Jill of Dunwoody-Atlanta because it was their idea, and they wanted a day of service.”

The mayor told some of the children planting trees that the plants would grow with them. She said the plants will make a long-term difference for the park.

“It’s going to have a multigenerational impact,” Deutsch said.

Deutsch is happy with the turnout, and said the day of service gave people a “day on” instead of a day off.

“A day off is great, but this is a reminder of why you get the day off,” Deutsch said.

Spruill Center work

Not all the volunteer work was outdoors. At Spruill Center for the Arts on Chamblee Dunwoody Road, a small team of volunteers spent the day painting, stapling sketchbooks and preparing the center for the new year.

The arts center hosts community programs throughout the year, including a summer camp for young artists.

Grace Cox, who heads Youth Programs and Community Outreach, said a lot of the volunteer work was dedicated to preparing for the summer camp.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was the first major volunteering day the center hosted in the past year. Cox said the center has been without a volunteer program since she started the job last March.

“This is supposed to introduce people to volunteering again,” Cox said.

When she found out Dunwoody was hosting a day of service, she quickly added Spruill to the list of volunteer opportunities.

“It seemed like too good of an opportunity,” Cox said.

The volunteers helped clean and paint classrooms, a job that typically falls on Cox. The center has no cleaning staff.

People also helped prepare large canvases with white paint and staple together sketchbooks for the 2023 summer camp. The team was small, but Cox said the enthusiasm was big.

“We had a huge response, but we don’t have a volunteer coordinator,” Cox said.

The center was unable to respond to all of the people interested in volunteering, but Cox said there was still a good turnout.

“I hope this can restart volunteers here,” Cox said.

PHOTOS BY DELANEY TARR/APPEN MEDIA

Daffodil Project board member Roberta Lynn shows a child how to properly plant a daffodil bulb at the Dunwoody Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 16 at Brook Run Park.

Volunteers fill cans to water freshly planted crops at the Dunwoody Community Garden for the Dunwoody Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

Families of Cheek Spruill House through the years

The historic Cheek Spruill House at the crossroads of Chamblee Dunwoody Road and Mount Vernon Road in Dunwoody was home to three families before it was saved from demolition by the community of Dunwoody and purchased by Dunwoody Preservation Trust in 1998.

“The Story of Dunwoody,” by Elizabeth L. Davis and Ethel W. Spruill indicates a one-level home was first constructed on the site in the 1880s by Joberry Cheek. Cheek was married to Laura Eidson and the couple had six children: Myra, William Joberry Jr., John, Bunyan, Houston and Lizzie.

Joberry Sr. also built a house across Mount Vernon Road where Panera is today, and some of the family lived in that home in the late 1800s and into the 1900s. Lizzie Cheek Newhard lived there until her death in 1978.

History indicates that the CheekSpruill home was modified to become two stories in 1906. Myra Cheek and husband William Martin were living there with their children Hiram and Gladys. When Dunwoody Preservation Trust rehabilitated the home, it was discovered that the second story was once the bottom floor of the home. The one-story home had been raised up and the new section built underneath.

William Martin died that same year and Myra married John W. Crook in 1908. Tragedy struck when Gladys died from an accident where a mill wall collapsed on her in Roswell. Hiram drowned while trying to save a young boy who also drowned.

Myra and John W. Crook lived in the home until 1933. Between the years 1931 to 1933, they took in boarder Dorcas Moulders, a teacher at Dunwoody School.

The next owner was William J. Church and second wife Margaret Church, who moved into the home in 1934. Church was ready to retire and looking for a country home after a career operating different stores around Atlanta. One of his requirements was that the home be near a church. The couple decided on the old home at the crossroads of Dunwoody and became members of Dunwoody Methodist Church.

William Church’s grandson J. Edwin Dilbeck visited the farm in 1998. Dilbeck was excited to have

his grandchildren see the home and share his memories of visiting there. He recalled scuppernongs growing on an arbor in the backyard and his grandfather keeping a Ford Model T in the barn. William Church never bought a newer car.

After Margaret Church died in 1943, the house and property were

sold to Carey and Florence Warnock Spruill. Both Carey and Florence grew up in Dunwoody. They married on June 10, 1923. Their children were Hugh, Edwin and Mary Gladys.

The property included the barn, smokehouse, and corn crib in addition to the house. The Spruill’s farmed the land around the old home. In the early

1970s, Carey Spruill was still plowing fields with his mule Shorty. Those who were living in Dunwoody at the time recall how Mr. Spruill would come out on Mt. Vernon Road when he turned Shorty around.

Dunwoody Crier writer Arden Skrabanek visited the Spruill home in 1978. Florence Spruill invited her to come in and visit for a while. Carey Spruill was busy planting two rows of tomato seedlings in the garden. Shorty, 40 years old at the time, was unhitched for the day. He said the best mules came from Missouri where alfalfa was plentiful. On a second visit, Skrabanek was offered a slice of Florence Spruill’s caramel cake.

Carey Spruill died in 1983 and Florence Spruill died in 1994 after 50 years in the home. Efforts to save the home from demolition and from being replaced by commercial development began that year. Learn more at “How the Cheek/Spruill House was saved” on the Appen Media website.

Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Sandy Springs. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.

VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF

DUNWOODY PRESERVATION TRUST

A view of the back of the Cheek-Spruill House with the barn in the background.

DUNWOODY CRIER ARCHIVE PHOTO

A 1990s snowy day at the Cheek-Spruill House, when the home was owned by the Spruill family.

LNB Candles brings Alpharetta clean, safe scent alternatives

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Entering LNB Candles, visitors are greeted by a small, white chihuahua named Johnny Depp and a modern entryway, featuring floral backdrops and neon lighting one might find on a chic Instagram page.

LNB owner Michelle Walters says she offers something other major fragrance retailers do not: safe and clean scents with simple ingredients.

“It was not ever intended to actually be a full-time business, and it ended up turning out to be one, which is kind of cool,” Walters said.

A self-proclaimed “type A personality,” Walters said her business, located at 6778 Jamestown Drive in Alpharetta, relaxes her and helps her feel her own sense of Zen.

“I want you to feel like you walked into a place that’s here for you, that’s personalized for you,” Walters said. “So, if you have questions about anything, if you have concerns about anything, if you want to know, can I customize something. Like, I can do things more so than a big box retailer can do, and I want to do those things for you.”

Business background

Walters started making candles 10 years ago. Her daughter loved burning candles, Walters said, but after being diagnosed with a health condition, her daughter developed headaches, sleeplessness and cystic acne from the candles.

Some candles, Walters said, contain chemicals that make the scents harmful when inhaled. A study conducted by the South Carolina State University from 2006 to 2010 showed that candles made with paraffin, a wax made from petroleum, release dangerous chemicals that are “health hazards and could cause various diseases.”

The study also states that candles with bases made from soybean, the base that Walters uses at LNB, do not release similar pollutants.

“So, I made some candles, and then her friends came over to the house, and they’re like, ‘Mrs. Walters, could you make us a candle for our room?’” Walters said. “And then it turned into making candles for their parents that had businesses, and then making them for parties and events and weddings, and then just happened to walk by a location that had a for-lease sign and signed up and opened up the store.”

Walters has grown beyond candles, now selling car fresheners, room sprays and diffusers. She said LNB will experiment with body sprays and body lotions.

LNB Candles has already branched out into various retailers, including Walmart and Amazon.

“I got to the point now where I started off with a very small candle-making process, and now I’ve gotten to the point where I’m having a very large candle-making pro-

cess, melting wax for me every single day,” Walters said. “So it’s pretty cool.”

Walters said being environmentallyconscious is an important part of her business.

“That’s one thing I like about the products that I use, like a lot of times people bring the candles and are like, ‘Hey, can I refill them?’” Walters said. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, absolutely, come to the shop.’ Instead of throwing a candle container away, you can refill it again, and you can even

choose a different scent to go in it.”

LNB’s products are also pet-friendly and non-toxic, she said. Her room sprays, unlike oil-based air fresheners, do not stain walls.

Setting up shop

Walters opened her shop last year. Part of choosing what products to make and sell depends on a customer’s scent preferences.

“Usually, I go in, and I’ll bring them three types of scents,” Walters said. “So, I’ll

bring them something that’s maybe like a floral, something that’s like a herb-type of scent and something else that’s a musk.”

Walters said candles are a very personalized item, and part of expanding on a scent line is deciding what customers most like.

Candles like the “Great Gatsby,” are inspired by personal anecdote. Walters said the scent reminds her of her grandfather, who smelled like aftershave when she hugged him.

Walters said the number of products for a particular scent she keeps in stock depends on demand and whether the scent is part of a limited holiday collection.

Whether it’s out of stock or a request for something new, however, Walters said she accepts custom scent orders to find a customer’s perfect product.

Customers will see the LNB logo displayed behind the front counter and a holiday display table when they enter. Down the hall and to the right is the showroom, which Walters said she likes decorating for holidays. Heart pillows, the word “love” and a giant pink Teddy bear Walters stuffed herself get customers into the Valentine’s Day spirit.

Next up

This year, Walters said LNB is going through the trademark process, which would allow her to expand the business’s wholesale contracts.

“I would love to just keep expanding it into stores and into more boutiques and expand our line also on Amazon,” Walters said. “We have candles on Amazon, which have sold really, really well, but I was waiting for the trademark protection to come in before we continue to expand the line, just so we’re able to protect it.”

LNB makes stops at the Halcyon Farmers Market, the Vickery Village Farmers Market, the North Main Street Market at Alpharetta and the Milton Farmers Market.

The shop is open weekdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m.

“I love what I do, and I know it’s going into someone’s home, so I want them to love it when they get it and to enjoy the product,” Walters said.

PHOTOS BY SHELBY ISRAEL/APPEN MEDIA

Michelle Walters sells candles, room sprays, car fresheners, wick trimmers, diffusers and wax melts at LNB Candles, located at 6778 Jamestown Drive, Jan. 17. Walters’ candles and wax melts are soybean-based and are safe to inhale when burned.

Scent “French Market” is packaged in a hand-blown glass jar at the 6778 Jamestown Drive shop Jan. 17. LNB Candles owner Michelle Walters said the price of her candles is determined by its packaging and size.

“I love what I do, and I know it’s going into someone’s home, so I want them to love it when they get it and to enjoy the product.”

MICHELLE WALTERS, owner of LNB Candles

Sandy Springs marks MLK Day with children’s art, biographic film

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — There are many ways to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Some complete service projects in his honor or attend events celebrating his legacy, while others use it as a day of prayer, contemplation or rest.

But for the City of Sandy Springs, the holiday has become a day of learning, questions and fun for the city’s most important resource, young residents.

The City of Sandy Springs held its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Art and Film Celebration at city hall Monday, Jan. 16, offering a set of educational activities and showings of the 1998 movie “My Friend Martin” for 200 participants, young and old.

Sandy Springs Director of Signature Events Anna Nikolas said this is the first time in two years that the city has been able to hold the event in person, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and participants were very happy for it to be back.

“It was overwhelmingly successful,” Sandy Springs Director of Signature Events Anna Nikolas said. “We just had so many people show up. They loved it, they were so grateful that we did it.”

The event was kicked off by Sandy Springs Councilwoman Melody Kelley, who spoke about growing up and graduating from Martin Luther King, Jr. High School in Detroit.

“But what was interesting is that I grew up as a young person, venerating Dr. Martin Luther King, but also, to some extent viewing him as a family member,” Kelley said. “Fully understanding that his legacy his work, and his accomplishments did not exist in some exalted vacuum that I was excluded from.”

Kelley also read a quote from Maya Angelou, about the accessibility of King’s legacy and the dangers of making him a mythical figure.

“It is very dangerous to make a person larger than life,” Kelley said, quoting Angelou. “Because then young people are tempted to believe, well, if he was that great, he's inaccessible to me ... The truth is, Martin Luther King was a human being with a brilliant mind, a powerful heart, and a sense of humor. So, he was indeed accessible.”

Kelley ended her remarks issuing participants with a “homework” challenge to remember what MLK Day stands for.

“I challenge you to access, apply, actualize and ultimately amplify the moral tradition that lies at the foundation of this day and the man that this day is for,” she said.

Throughout the four-hour event,

Kelley opens the city’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Art and Film Celebration held at city hall on Jan. 16.

participants completed a series of educational and collaborative projects, which Nikolas said are meant to inform, inspire and add to what people already know about King’s legacy.

“This creates an opportunity for children who are just starting to learn to ask questions,” she said.

But the collaborative aspects of the event were just as important as the educational aspects, she said, especially after so much time spent separated from each other during the pandemic.

“It's all designed to try to help the kids to reach out to their neighbor, to get to know the person who's next to them,” she said. “They've been isolated for a while. So now you have that component of trying to bring them back together and teach them how to engage with their neighbor.”

To pull off the event, Nikolas said the city relies on groups of volunteers from local high schools and normally have a huge response from school groups that want to participate in the event.

“The kids love coming out,” she said. “They love interacting with the smaller kids … and they think they know everything there is to know. But they learn something when they're sitting trying to teach it to somebody else.”

With how popular the annual event has become, the city had to institute a reservation system and limit the event to 200 people. Reservations for the event were quickly capped out, she said.

If it keeps growing, they’ll have to move out of the city hall’s auditorium and into a larger space for future events.

“If we have the same turnout this year that we had the first year, then we may look at maybe moving it to the Byers [Theatre] lobby that is bigger, but we just didn't know what to expect,” she said.

ALEX POPP/APPEN MEDIA

Sandy Springs Councilwoman Melody

Liz Hausmann reflects on decades in public office

NFULTON COUNTY, Ga. — ewly retired Fulton County Commissioner Liz Hausmann sat down with Appen Media Managing Editor Patrick Fox Jan. 6 to reflect on her 25-year career in politics, Georgia State Senate campaign loss and her future plans.

A lifelong Republican, Hausmann ran on a platform of fighting crime, election integrity, low millage rates, job creation and increased mental health funding in schools.

Looking back, Hausmann said she doesn’t know if the seat was ultimately winnable for a Republican. The District 14 seat covers parts of Roswell, Sandy Springs and north Atlanta, but that was not always the case.

The senate district originally covered rural Bartow County but was moved to the more purple North Fulton as part of the 2021 legislative redistricting.

“North Fulton is changing

By DELANEY TARR | delaney@appenmedia.com

For the past 12 years, Hausmann has represented District 1 seat on the Fulton County Commission, which covers much of North Fulton. Prior to her time on the County Commission, she served as a charter member of the Johns Creek City Council, a member of the Fulton County Board of Education and on the

demographically,” Hausmann told Fox. “It was viewed as a toss-up seat initially, but I think something’s happened nationally that affected the outlook of folks in the district.”

After losing the election, Hausmann decided to retire.

Volatile beginnings

Hausmann has built a career as a connecter between county and city governments. She was a charter member of Johns Creek City Council and assisted in its incorporation efforts in 2006.

Hausmann said tension between the county and local communities helped spur the drive to form Johns

Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections.

Hausmann retired after losing her bid for the Georgia State Senate District 14 seat in November. In her only career loss, Hausmann finished 9 percentage points behind her Democratic opponent Josh McLaurin.

Creek.

“It was very much the cities had to be created in order just to get basic services,” Hausmann said.

Residents in the area, she said, felt neglected by a county that was too large to provide communities with the service levels they needed on issues like traffic.

“The entire reason was just to have control over what kind of developments come in your community, what the road projects might be, what the parks may be like,” Hausmann said.

Her time in the city’s early years motivated her to run for Fulton County Commission, even

though Johns Creek had a tenuous relationship with the county government.

“Fulton County is so unique, with all the cities that we have, that it was so important to me that we learn to live with each other and work together,” Hausmann said. “Having come from a city that's really been one of the main reasons I ran.”

Joining the ‘bad guys’

It was a change for Hausmann, noting that Fulton County had been painted as “the bad guy that didn’t pay us any attention.”

ALEX POPP/APPEN MEDIA

Former District 1 Fulton County Commissioner Liz Hausmann, who vacated her seat at the end of 2022, was honored by Alpharetta officials at the Dec. 12 City Council meeting. City representatives said that Hausmann was an invaluable ally to the people of north Fulton County, and they honored her with a city proclamation. Hausmann, a Republican, ran unsuccessfully for Georgia’s District 14 Senate seat in this year’s election.

Hausmann:

Continued from Page 12

Hausmann said that was the climate she faced when she won the District 1 commission seat as the only voice representing North Fulton.

Despite the tension, Hausmann said she was determined to forge relationships and avoid being antagonistic.

Within a couple of years, composition of the commission districts changed and a new District 2 seat was created to add more representation in North Fulton. The new districts equalized the county with three representatives from the north, three in the south and the chairman at large. It solved the problem of representation, but there were many other issues to tackle.

In Hausmann’s first term, the county went through three different managers, in a period she describes as “volatile.”

By the time the county chose a sound manager, commissioners had to inform him the county was near bankruptcy. When current County Manager Dick Anderson came on board in 2015, he sat the commissioners down for training, helped with policies and worked on changing the entire environment.

Hausmann said it was the start of solving their dysfunction as a county, with commissioners sitting down to eat lunch with city mayors for the first time to attempt to find common ground.

Even so, through the years, some city mayors offered few good words for Fulton County.

Fox cited former Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker as one key official who seldom trusted the county and was often quoted blasting it for some of its decisions.

When Fulton County commissioners voted to distribute $2.5 million of the $104 million it received in federal coronavirus relief to the cities, Bodker and a number of other mayors were outraged and threatened to sue.

The county relented and bumped the cities’ share to $25 million.

“Fulton County screws all its residents equally,” Bodker said after the agreement.

For those who continued to butt heads with the county, Hausmann had a simple answer.

“Just give them a job, let them be part of the solution,” Hausmann said.

So, in 2021, with Bodker announcing he would not seek

another term as Johns Creek Mayor, Hausmann nominated and won approval to place him on the Development Authority of Fulton County, where he now serves as treasurer.

For her first four years in office, Hausmann was the only Republican on the commission. It left her often a dissenting vote on issues, like her contentious support in keeping the old Alpharetta library so it could later be converted into an art center.

For the entirety of her career, Hausmann was rarely at the center of conflicts, even in the face of inflammatory conflicts and tensions with local governments.

“I told y’all, I’m not going to go and be a bomb thrower, I’m just going to get things done,” Hausmann said.

With a mix of Republicans and Democrats on the commission, Hausmann pointed out the vote splits were often not along party lines.

According to Hausmann, even with all of the existing challenges, the steps she and the commission took led to a period of peace between the county and local cities.

But the group hug didn’t last long.

Sales tax negotiations

The Fulton County local option sales tax, or LOST, is used by local government to fund projects and services like parks, public safety, recreation, elections, courts, jails and health.

Revenues from the tax, which run in the billions, are split between Fulton County and its 15 cities through a negotiated agreement every 10 years.

In 2022, county negotiators introduced a distribution that would increase the county’s share of sales tax revenues from the current 5 percent to 35 percent, leaving the 15 cities to split the remaining 65 percent. It was a distribution formula not seen since before 2000 when there were still large chunks of unincorporated areas the county serviced.

Mayors from the 15 cities were outraged, pointing out that the landscape of Fulton County had changed drastically since the pre-2000 rate. They said that with the creation of almost half a dozen new cities, Fulton County now presides over 1.5 square miles of unincorporated land today.

The relevancy of Fulton County

Over the past 25 years, the might of Fulton County has diminished. New cities, like Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Milton, and South Fulton have all but closed the door to county sway in many areas.

Hausmann admitted she was taken aback by the county’s initial proposal and stressed that the pitch came from consultants and not commissioners.

“We had just determined there’d be negotiating teams that would meet,” Hausmann said. “The first meeting when the outrageous 35 percent was thrown out there turned everything on its ear.”

In response, cities tried to put forward a proposal that would leave the county with nothing, a move Hausmann called “unrealistic.”

“There are things that the county does that do qualify under the law for the use of LOST revenue that we were using their money for,” Hausmann said.

Cities are more dependent on the funds than the county, but the county needs the funds for elections, courts, libraries, tax assessments, safety net services and public health, she said.

Over time, the county and cities negotiated an agreement by which the county will receive about 10 percent of LOST revenues over the 10-year period. Across the decade, the county share will slowly increase from 4.9 percent to 9.9 percent, leaving the cities with a slow decrease in their share.

The agreement still leaves the cities with 90 percent of the funds, and officials predict economic growth will offset the staggered decrease in LOST funds.

“For years we were making such progress and to see it all, you know, be blown apart was really, really hurtful,” Hausmann said. “I think we did some serious damage over these LOST negotiations.”

She said the resolution is fair but took longer than she hoped for.

The county covers 534 square miles, but it only has exclusive jurisdiction over 1.5 square miles.

Hausmann defended the relevance of the county government.

“See, the services are different,” Hausmann said. “I think that’s what people need to understand.”

At their core, the county serves different areas than the cities, a fact shown by the uses for LOST funding in different areas.

As an example, Hausmann pointed to the County Health Department. Before COVID-19 hit, she said nobody cared about the department. The onset of the pandemic changed that mindset significantly, especially since Fulton County is responsible for Grady Hospital, which has 953 beds.

“I would say that Fulton County serves all 1.1 million folks that live in Fulton County,” Hausmann said.

As Hausmann exits a political career that spans a quarter of a century, she points to North Fulton’s rapid development as a source of pride.

When she joined the Fulton County Board of Education in 2003, there were only about four high schools in the area.

“All the kids were in trailers, and you know, we’re bursting at the seams,” Hausmann said.

Now, the county contains 20 high schools. Hausmann said that level of growth in that time period is significant.

“I really feel honored to have served as long as I did, and to be at all levels of local government,” Hausmann said. “I’ve seen a lot in this community, you know, during a period of high growth.”

“I told y’all, I’m not going to go and be a bomb thrower, I’m just going to get things done.”

LIZ HAUSMANN, former District 1 Fulton County Commissioner

Liz Hausmann, Former Fulton County Commissioner Pat Fox, Appen Media Group Managing Editor

‘COMPLETENESS’ AT STAGE DOOR THEATRE

What: How does a computer scientist hook up with a molecular biologist? He blinds her with science, of course. When Elliot builds a computer program to help Molly with her research project, the variables in their evolving relationship shift as rapidly as the terms of their experiment. This deft and imaginative new ROM-comedy shows that even the most sophisticated algorithm may freeze in the face of love’s infinite possibilities.

When: Jan. 27- Feb. 12, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Where: Stage Door Theatre, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody Cost: $35 for adults, $20 for students, $15 for children

More info: stagedoortheatrega.org

ANNUAL YETI SLEDDY SKI PARTY

What: Come out for Gate City Brewing’s annual 1980s inspired ski party on January 28 from 1-10 p.m. Sledding passes will be available along with hot cocktails and more.

When: Saturday, Jan. 28, 1-10 p.m. Where: Gate City Brewing, 43 Magnolia Street, Roswell

More info: gatecitybrewingcompany.com

LYRICS & LYRE: AN EVENING OF POETRY AND MUSIC

What: This event features performances by poets Ashlee Haze, Adán Bean, Mia Willis and Jon Goode with music accompaniment by cellist Okorie “OkCello” Johnson, harpist Rayn, bassist Téja Veal and violinist Carey Durham.

When: Sunday, Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m. Where: Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest Street, Roswell Cost: $18

More info: roswellgov.com

BLACK HISTORY IN ROSWELL: HONORING OUR PAST

What: Presented by the Roswell Historical Society, this event highlights the struggles and triumphs of African Americans in the Roswell area, beginning with the enslaved people brought from the coast by the founding families and ending with the Civil Rights movement. Elaine DeNiro, archivist for the Roswell Historical Society and the City of Roswell, will present original

CALENDAR

ANNUAL YETI SLEDDY SKI PARTY

What: Come out for Gate City Brewing’s annual ’80s inspired ski party on January 28 from 1-10 p.m. Sledding passes will be available along with hot cocktails and more.

When: Saturday, Jan. 28, 1-10 p.m.

Where: Gate City Brewing, 43 Magnolia Street, Roswell More info: gatecitybrewingcompany.com

documents pertaining to the area’s Black history. Charles Grogan, Roswell’s Black historian, and Sandra Taylor will share their personal experiences about growing up in a Black neighborhood in Roswell. When: Thursday, Feb. 2, 2 p.m. Where: Roswell Branch, Fulton County Library System, 115 Norcross Street, Roswell More info: roswellhistoricalsociety.org

THE SPIRIT OF HARRIET TUBMAN

What: Leslie McCurdy invokes the “spirit” of Harriet Tubman as she portrays the life of the famous Underground Railroad conductor, recreating stories familiar and some rarely told, using words said to have been Harriet Tubman’s own. Through it all, viewers will learn of the faith and conviction that drove Harriet Tubman to follow her dreams — the spirit of the past connecting with the present, inspiring her charges to have the courage to do the same in envisioning their future.

When: Friday, Feb. 3, 10-11 a.m. Where: Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest Street, Roswell Cost: $12 More info: roswellgov.com

BLACK OPRY REVUE

What: Black Opry’s stellar line-up of some of the most acclaimed Black performers in the industry launch the 2023 Roswell Roots Festival at Roswell Cultural Arts Center with a celebratory evening of music and storytelling. Black Opry is home for Black artists, fans and industry professionals working in country, Americana, blues and folk music. This

collective of performers brings the longoverlooked contributions of Black country artists to the forefront.

When: Friday, Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m. Where: Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest Street, Roswell Cost: Tickets are $32.50; Tickets for seniors, student and military are $27.50 More info: roswellgov.com

DADDY DAUGHTER DANCE

What: Mark your calendar for the annual date night of the year at the Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks 13th Annual Daddy Daughter Dance for daughters in kindergarten through fifth grade. The dance will feature music from both dads’ (and father figures) and their daughters’ favorite playlists provided by a live DJ. In addition to dancing, there will be plenty of fun activities that include dance contests, musical games and refreshments. Participants can make a keepsake photo, and there will be door prizes and a goody bag for each girl. The attire for dads and daughters is business casual to semiformal.

When: Saturday, Feb. 4, 6-8 p.m. Where: Studio Theatre, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs Cost: $35 More info: sandyspringsga.gov

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN PERFORMS THE JEWISH AMERICAN SONGBOOK

What: Neranenah presents Michael Feinstein performing the music of the Jewish American Songbook, including works by the Gershwins, Jerome Kern, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe

FEATURE YOUR EVENT ONLINE AND IN PRINT!

It’s even easier now than ever to promote your event to hundreds of thousands of people, whether online, through our newsletters or in the Crier and Herald newspapers.

To promote your event, follow these easy steps:

1. Visit AppenMedia.com/Calendar; 2. Provide the details for your event including title, description, location and date;

3. Click the red button that reads “Create event”

4. That’s it! Submissions are free, though there are paid opportunities to promote your event in print and online.

and more. Feinstein has built a career, bringing the music of the Great American Songbook to the world. From his Grammynominated recordings to Emmy-nominated PBS specials and appearances at iconic venues, his work as an educator and archivist define him as one of the most important musical forces of our time.

When: Sunday, Feb. 5, 8 p.m.

Where: Byers Theatre, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs Cost: $44-74 More info: citysprings.com

ENCHANTED WOODLAND TRAIL

What: The fairies and gnomes have been busy building whimsical houses along Chattahoochee Nature Center’s forested trails. Slow down as you search for houses made from tiny natural objects. Take notice of the beautiful and enchanting features of the winter woods.

When: Up to Feb. 28, open daily except for December 24-26 and January 1-3

Where: Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell

Cost: $15 for adults

More info: chattnaturecenter.org

APPEN MEDIA’S FIRST EVER

Shopping Spree Giveaway

Start the year off right with a chance to win a $1,000 Shopping Spree courtesy of Appen Media and the Crier Newspapers.

Each week, our newsroom will hide this shopping cart image in the newspaper. Once you find it, visit appenmedia.com/shoppingspree and enter 1) Your name 2) Your email 3) The page number you found the image That’s it!

The contest will run for 13 consecutive weeks, so submit an entry each week to maximize your chances of winning.

The winner will be randomly drawn, notified on Monday, April 3rd and announced in the April 13th Crier publications. HAPPY SHOPPING …and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A passion for preserving and riding historic bicycles

Alpharetta resident Jaime Woodward was born to ride bicycles, not the bikes kids ride to school or even sleek racing bikes serious riders use.

Jaime’s choice is the “high wheeler” with the huge front wheel and small rear wheel that goes very fast and creates a stir wherever it appears. His father was an engineer with Ford Motor Company and repaired and collected antique bicycles, accumulating more than 100 bikes at one point. For two years in the 1970s he served as national Commander of The Wheelmen, the organization of individuals devoted to collecting, restoring and, above all, riding historic bicycles.

BOB MEYERS Columnist bobmey@bellsouth.net

It is easy to see how Jaime comes by his passion. One of his first dates with his wife Lora was riding their high wheelers together at the 1982 Mummers Parade in Philadelphia.

The most common question asked about high wheel bicycles is “why is the front wheel so big?” The answer is to make the bike go faster. The larger the wheel, the more ground is covered with each turning of the wheel. Tall people have a distinct advantage because their longer legs allow them to ride larger wheels. Wheels came in various diameters in the heydays of the high wheeler in the 1880s, initially as small as 36 inches and growing over time to 64 inches. The average wheel was 52 inches. Today’s bicycle tires usually range from 12 to 29 inches.

According to Jaime, high wheel bicycles have a surprisingly good ride. He should know, because he owns three antique high wheel beauties and four other antique bikes. Relatively quick at normal speeds of 10-12 miles per hour over long distances, large wheels smooth out rough roads which was a big advantage on 19th century unpaved roads. “A common question people ask,” says Jaime, “is how riders get up on the bike.“ Answer: a small step on the backbone helps the rider get into the saddle.

High wheel bicycles are also known as Ordinary bicycles, or Penny-farthings in England because they looked like a penny chasing a farthing, to distinguish them from older bicycles that actually looked more like modern bikes. Known as Velocipedes, early bikes had two wheels of the same size and were made of wood and often had metal tires. They did not go very fast and were uncomfortable, hence their nickname, bone-shakers.

High wheels represented a major technological advance when invented in

1870, and they became wildly popular in the 1880s which was the great cycling era in the United States. However, their popularity was relatively short-lived in part because the bikes were hazardous. The rider’s center of gravity was just slightly behind the wheel which increased the risk that the rider would fly over the handlebars when hitting a bump in the road, “taking a header” as it was called. Both Jaime and Lora have done headers, but fortunately, neither has been seriously injured.

The most important manufacturer was the Columbia Bicycle Company founded in 1877, which by 1900 was the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world. Its first product was a high wheeler made at the Weed Sewing Machine Company in Hartford, Connecticut. Called the Standard Columbia it sold for $125 while sewing machines were selling for $13, suggesting that bicycle riding was a pastime for the well-to-do. The Columbia company was responsible for many innovations in the industry, and it became one of the country’s first automobile manufacturers. Although the bicycle industry was the precursor to the automobile industry, the bicycle industry as a preferred mode of transportation was quickly replaced when automobiles gained popularity.

It has been said that without the invention of the bicycle, the automobile would not have been feasible. Hundreds of

components incorporated into early autos were invented for bicycles, and bicycles were manufactured using assembly line techniques. Henry Ford’s first 11 dealerships were in bicycle shops (Chicago Tribune September 18, 1994). According to the Chicago newspaper, in 1899 there were 300 bicycle companies in the United States making a million bicycles. By 1910, there were only 100 companies remaining making half as many bikes.

Another link between the bicycle and the automobile was the efforts of the League of American Wheelmen, founded in 1880. Their effective lobbying for paved roads helped make growth of the auto industry possible.

Jim Farris, a resident of Milton, is an avid antique auto collector and restorer who appreciates the link between the two industries. Owner of an 1886 Victor Roaster 52-inch high wheeler made by the pioneering Overman Wheel Company in Massachusetts, Jim appreciates “any antique machine,” calling them things of beauty. He refers to his Victor Roadster as “a piece of transportation history.”

Jaime says “Lora and I love going out for a ride. Both of us have done organized 25- and 100-mile rides in one day on our high wheel bicycles.” The couple is doing their part to keep America’s cycling heritage alive.

Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the

Jaime Woodward takes a spin around his neighborhood on his 1885 Victor Light Roaster with its 52 inch wheel. Victor bicycles were made from 1883 to 1900 and were known for their higher quality and lighter weight than less expensive bikes made by competitors. Due to growing competition from low priced bicycles and a disastrous fire in 1899, the company was forced to sell its bicycle business and turned its attention to the automobile industry

it had mixed success.

WOODWARD FAMILY/PROVIDED

Early ads for bicycles were very artistic. This is an 1897 advertisement for Columbia Bicycles which were made by the Pope Manufacturing Company. Columbia became the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer. This ad was made using the chromolithograph process which was popular at the time.

City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@ bellsouth.net.

WOODWARD FAMILY/PROVIDED

A New Rapid bicycle figured prominently in James and Lora Woodward’s 1983 wedding. The couple has been avid antique bikers ever since. This high wheel bicycle was built in 1888 and has a 52 inch diameter wheel.

BOB MEYERS/APPEN MEDIA

where

Variety is the spice of life

‘Tis the season for relaxing by a roaring fire with a good book or two or three. Yes, a stack of books to choose from is a must for me. Believe it or not, I do read books that aren’t set in England, though that is my preferred location. This week I bring you my perspective on three novels. One, of course, set in England, another in Boston, and the third in Africa.

“Darling Girl” by Liz Michalski

The author “brings all the magic of the classic Peter Pan story to the present, while also exploring the dark underpinnings of fairy tales . . .” As someone who fondly remembers Mary Martin’s Broadway portrayal of Peter Pan and the Disney animated version, reading this novel was at times disturbing.

I didn’t really want to give up the innocent fairy tale image of Peter Pan, but I was hooked on the book from the get-go. Nor did I want to set aside my image of the man who wrote Peter Pan. Having made J.M. Barrie’s reallife visits to the Cotswolds a plot point in my modern-day cozy mystery series, I plan to retain my view of him as a generous, quirky, fun-loving man. Still, the darker portrayal of him is intriguing.

The descriptions and the references to characters like Tinker Bell and Captain Hook bring the story alive. What really happened to the Darling children after they returned home? Where did J.M. Barrie get the idea for this tale? You’ll find tantalizing hints sprinkled throughout the book.

“Blood Feud” by Mike Lupica

Does anyone else miss Robert B. Parker? I was hooked on his three series set in Boston: Spenser, Jesse Stone, and Sunny Randall. And I was always disappointed that he didn’t write more Sunny Randall books. She’s a female version of Spenser with all of his wit and pithy comebacks.

So, I was delighted when I found that Mike Lupica had picked up the Sunny Randall series with the blessings of the Parker estate. I loved this book and have already ordered the next one.

Sunny is a PI with a retired policeman for a father and gangster’s son as a significant other. Her

relationships are complex and play a central part in this book as they do in the Parker versions. What’s different is the inclusion of more cursing and a bit more sex (though not graphic)--a sign of the times, I suspect.

If you like Spenser’s other series, you’ll get a kick out of Susan Silverman – Spenser’s girlfriend – showing up as Sunny’s therapist. And Jesse Stone gets his mention, too. I don’t want to be Sunny Randall, but I envy her way with words. I hope Mike Lupica continues this series for many years to come.

“The Lioness” by Chris Bohjalian

While I haven’t read every book by Bohjalian, I’ve been a fan since I read “The Double Bind” with its references to Fitzgerald. “The Lioness” is similar in its references to Hemingway and his novels set in Africa. Yes, most of the characters are Hollywood stars and players, but among them are likable people you can root for. They’re not all arrogant, demanding prima donnas.

The story unfolds in alternating chapters told by the various characters as the reader experiences the immediate danger but also bits of each one’s back story. The descriptions of the Serengeti’s breathtaking beauty stand in stark contrast to the perils that await the travelers from both animal and human predators.

The comparisons to Hemingway and Agatha Christie are well-deserved. I couldn’t put the book down, and the interlocking clues kept me guessing until the end. Well done all the way around.

As I glimpse the glowing embers in our woodburning stove, I realize it’s time to choose a new book and put another log on the fire. ‘Tis the season, after all.

Award-winning author Kathy Manos Penn is a Sandy Springs resident. Find her cozy mysteries locally at The Enchanted Forest in Dunwoody and Bookmiser in East Cobb or on Amazon. Contact her at inkpenn119@gmail.com, and follow her on Facebook, www.facebook.com/ KathyManosPennAuthor/.

Opinions

Appen Media aims to present a variety of views in its opinion pages. Send your thoughts, questions and letters to pat@ appenmedia.com.

PET OF THE WEEK

Junebug

Junebug (ID# 48001423) is a Lovebug. Her foster family describes her as a "sweet, sing-songy and loving soul who deep down just wants some love and some good cuddles." She will make an amazing pet for anyone with older children or an active family with a yard. Junebug knows basic commands like "sit," "lay down," and "stay." She even responds to "leave it," “roll over,” and "look at me."

Come and meet Junebug at DeKalb County Animal Services. To learn more, please email adoption@dekalbanimalservices.com.

Expand your family by four furry little feet, meet Junebug and have a loving friend forever. All adoptions include spay/neuter, vaccinations and microchip. If you would like more information about Junebug please email adoption@dekalbanimalservices.com or call (404) 294-2165; all potential adopters will be screened to ensure Junebug goes to a good home.

Our shelter is full of incredible pets waiting for homes. We must find 500 homes; will yours be one of them? To foster, adopt or meet your new furry friend, stop by DeKalb County Animal Services at 3280 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Chamblee, GA 30341.

KATHY MANOS PENN

The Ink Penn, inkpenn119@gmail.com

Data analyst (Atlanta, GA) needed communicate w/ client for detailed mktg needs. Customize different mktg solutions based on statistical models & our own internal data to assist them to do more effective future mailing or digital campaigns. Reqs: MS in Business Analytics or Data Science, or closely related field of study; 1 yr exp as Data Analyst; Knowl of Multivariate Analysis, Applied Regression Analysis, Data Mining for Business Analytics, Advance Business Analytics w/ Relational D/bases; Skills of the advanced SAS Prgmg, MS Access & SQL, Google Big Query, Python, & R. To apply: Send resume to HR, AnalyticsIQ, Inc., 6 Concourse Pkwy, Ste 1750, Atlanta, GA 30328, Ref. # SLGA2022.

Strategic Consultant (Atlanta, GA) needed to engage in a consultative way w/ AnalyticsIQ prospects & clients to identify business problems & define, dsgn, & deliver data & analytical solutions. Reqs: Master of Science in Mathematics or Data Science; Knowledge of Mathematical Statistics, Linear Statistical Analysis, Applied Matrix Algebra, Computational Methods in Statistics, Probability Theory, & SAS Programming; Skills of data cleaning & mining in combination of R, SQL & SAS programming; Tableau data visualization skill is reqd. TO apply: Send resume to HR, AnalyticsHQ, Inc., 6 Concourse PkwY, Ste 1750, Atlanta, GA 30328, Ref. # SFGA2022