Dunwoody Crier - March 30, 2023

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Local students garner awards at film festival

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA, Ga. — Dunwoody High School took home two audience choice awards for their student-made short films at the fifth annual DeKalb County Student Film Festival at the Plaza Theatre in Atlanta March 21. Students, parents and teachers walked the red carpet at the theater before sitting down for the night’s program.

The film festival was put on by the DeKalb County School District, the DeKalb Entertainment Commission and re:imagine, an organization that assists young people with their filmmaking goals.

A total of 19 student films premiered. Each film required students to include a picture frame as a prop, a character named “Azari Binx” and the line “We’re running out of time.” The films spanned genres from comedy to horror.

Dunwoody leaders visit Canton to kick off City Council retreat

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

CANTON, Ga. — At first glance, the cities of Dunwoody and Canton might not seem like they have any similarities or common ground.

Canton, founded in 1834, is the mostly rural seat of Cherokee County with just over 32,000 residents, while Dunwoody, incorporated in 2008, is a northern suburb of Atlanta with a population of nearly 52,000.

But Dunwoody leaders said their community has a lot to learn from Canton, which has started earning statewide recognition in recent years for its vision, planning and approach to engaging diverse communities.

To kick off their annual retreat, members

of the Dunwoody City Council toured Canton’s Etowah River Park and met with leaders at Canton City Hall, to ask questions, share successes and learn from each other.

Mayor Bill Grant, who calls Canton the “Coolest small town in America,” said much of his city’s recent success comes from the development of a “Roadmap for Success,” which guides almost every decision that city leaders make.

Launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Canton’s Roadmap for Success is a set of seven different guiding principles (Creating Great Neighborhoods, Celebrating the Diversity of Our Community, Advancing Regional Economic Success, Enhancing Historic Downtown Canton,

See RETREAT, Page 8

See FILM, Page 6

The DeKalb County School District hosts its fifth annual student film festival at the Plaza Theatre in Atlanta March 21. The festival showcases students premiere their films and compete for the night’s awards.

CITY COUNCIL RETREAT

ALEX POPP/APPEN MEDIA

Dunwoody City Manager Eric Linton speaks to officials during the Dunwoody City Council retreat March 22. Dunwoody leaders visited the City of Canton to kick off their retreat.

Wellstar opens $12 million Cancer center in Roswell

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DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody Police Department announced March 21 that four local businesses were recently cited during an undercover operation targeting underage alcohol sales.

Working with agents from the Georgia Department of Revenue, which regulates and enforces alcohol sales, undercover officers checked 17 Dunwoody businesses for compliance with state alcohol regulations and found four businesses that sold alcohol to minors, Dunwoody Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Michael Cheek said.

Businesses cited in the opera-

POLICE BLOTTER

All crime reports published by Appen Media Group are compiled from public records. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor Appen Media Group implies any guilt by publishing these names. None of the persons listed has been convicted of the alleged crimes.

Items stolen from unit at self-storage facility

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody police reported items worth more than $7,000 were stolen from a self-storage unit off Crown Point Parkway sometime between November 2022 and March 15, 2023.

Officers responded to Life Storage in Dunwoody March 15 after receiving reports that multiple electronics and other items had been stolen from a storage unit.

The unit’s owner said she discovered the theft at about 2 p.m. that day when she noticed wires at the top of the unit were bent out of place. The woman told police she was the only

tion included the BP gas station on North Peachtree Road, the Walmart and Perimeter Bottle Shop on Ashford Dunwoody Road, and the Total Wine location on Perimeter Center West.

Each of the individuals who sold alcohol to minors during the operation were cited by Dunwoody police and released. They will also face administrative sanctions from the Georgia Department of Revenue.

“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive drinking contributes to more than 4,300 deaths among people below the

person who knew the storage unit’s entry code, and she thinks burglars entered the unit by force.

Officers learned from building managers the owner last checked on her unit Nov. 2, 2022. The owner also reported security camera footage from the facility would be available for the incident.

At the time of the report, no suspect had been identified in the case.

McDonald’s employee arrested for theft

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody police arrested a 29-year-old employee of a local McDonald’s for allegedly stealing $221 from the restaurant’s cash register in March.

Officers responded to the McDonald’s on Ashford Dunwoody Road March 20 after receiving a report that someone had stolen cash from the restaurant. Officers were shown security camera footage from when the theft allegedly occurred March 10 at about 9 p.m.

After seeing the footage, officers

age of 21 in the United States each year,” Cheek said. “The Dunwoody Police Department regularly uses alcohol sales compliance checks as a tool in our efforts to reduce underage drinking and the many issues that stem from it.”

Cheek said the department is grateful for the other 13 businesses tested during the operation that refused to sell alcohol to minors.

“The Dunwoody Police Department would like to commend each of these businesses for working to protect our community and keep our youth safe and sober,” he said.

spoke with a suspect in the theft who allegedly admitted to taking the money.

The man was arrested and charged with theft by taking and was transported to the DeKalb County Jail.

Hospital property damage leads to patient’s arrest

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Police were called to Peachford Hospital in Dunwoody March 20, after hospital staff reported a patient was in extreme distress and was causing damage to the walls of his room.

When officers arrived at the hospital, they located a 24-year-old Atlanta man who was sweating profusely and appeared to be in an excited and violent state, incident reports said.

The man allegedly refused to comply with the officer’s commands and was placed in investigative custody while the situation was evaluated.

Police later transported the man to Northside Hospital for a mental health evaluation.

Marcus Jewish Center launches capital drive

DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta announced the launch of the agency’s Capital Campaign at its annual board meeting March 21.

The landmark campaign is a $36 million fundraising initiative intended to strengthen the organization’s ability to serve the entire community, develop new facilities to support innovative and transformational programs, as well as deliver a greater impact for the next generation of Jewish Atlanta and beyond. The Center has already secured $31.5 million from major donor gifts.

The MJCCA has served the Metro Atlanta community for more than 100 years and is widely regarded as one of the premier Jewish community centers in the country. Its mission is to remain a central hub for Jewish connections, provide necessary programs and services, and ensure that the agency continues to build strong

Jewish identities today and for future generations.

The capital campaign funds will expand the agency’s impact and create new ways for the community to connect. Approximately $20.5 million will be invested at the Zaban Park Campus, and $9.7 million will be allocated to Camp Barney Medintz, the organization’s overnight summer camp in Cleveland, Georgia.

The MJCCA’s vision for Zaban Park and CBM includes:

• New outdoor aquatic center

• New pickleball facility

• Enhanced security

• Renovating areas of the main building

• Reimagining the courtyard

• Updating the preschool playground

• Upgrading upper fields 1 & 2

• Expanded parking

• Rebuilding Camp Barney Medintz structures

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A balloon artist creates a figure for a child at the Daffodil Days Market March 25. A week-long give-back and volunteer effort culminated into the Saturday market at Johns Creek City Hall, which featured around 60 artisans, kids’ activities and food trucks.

Daffodil Days Market draws crowds

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A week of giveback and volunteer efforts culminated in the Daffodil Days Market at Johns Creek City Hall March 25, which featured around 60 artisans, kids’ activities and food trucks.

A banner was posted, listing more than a dozen organizations that participated in community service, including the Rotary Club of Johns Creek North Fulton, Girl Scout and Brownie troops, Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and area schools.

The “genesis” of the special event was Daffodils 4 Hope, Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry said. The program, sponsored by the nonprofit Johns Creek Beautification, is a planting campaign that raises awareness for CanCare Atlanta — an organization that provides

counseling support to cancer patients and caregivers in the community.

Daffodil Days Market, which ran from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., saw children line up in front of balloon artists. Some kids had their fun at bounce houses and visited with Disney’s Princess Ariel. A DJ provided music.

Crowds circled through several rows of vendors from The Gibson Co. Marketplace and farmers market applicants, selling baked goods, local honey, coffee, candles and other items. There was also a flower-arranging cart.

Images of daffodils were sprinkled throughout the space, in hand-painted pictures at the entrance, vases for the eating area and planters in front the City Hall. Clusters of yellow balloons were on most corners.

“The daffodil is a great symbol of hope and spring renewal,” Bradberry said.

PHOTOS BY AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

A dozen or so hand-painted daffodils greet visitors at the Daffodil Days Market March 25.

Film:

Continued from Page 1

A slate of four judges from the Atlanta film industry voted on novice and advanced films for categories including best editing, best cinematography, best acting, best overall and audience choice. Dunwoody High School students took home trophies in the audience choice category for both their novice and advanced films.

The novice film, “Eye of the Beholder,” was also named runner-up for best set design. Students Aidan Kramer, Joey Guggenheim, Ian Ballow, Riley Gunter, Joshua Estes and Ella Kellner worked on the film.

Yeats Bell and Carter Dyche, 11th graders at Dunwoody High School have been in the “film academy” program for the past two years. They starred in and worked on the school’s advanced film submission, “A Brush With the Past.”

Along with Bell and Dyche, students Jaeden Brown, Blake Jones, Julia Ellet and Gillian Lenertz worked on the short film.

The film tells the story of a man who becomes obsessed with a cursed paintbrush that drives its owner mad. Bell and Dyche said making it to the film festival has been an “incredibly exciting experience” that they will remember fondly for

years.

“If we’re able to reach this high and go to the film festival, I can only imagine what that will do for the program,” Bell said.

“I’m very excited to see the future of the program.”

The pair said they are glad the school has a film program because it allows them to create their own art.

“I feel like film is where my creative expression shines the most,” Dyche said.

The said they are also grateful the DeKalb County School District has invested in film programs for high school students.

“It’s the idea of movie magic, but it’s in the classroom,” Bell said. “You can’t really capture a better feeling.”

Tammy Wichman, the Film Academy and mass communications teacher at Dunwoody High School said events like the student film festival are vital.

“I think it’s really important that they are allowed to express their creativity and use their imagination in a forum that is open for them to make mistakes and learn,” Wichman said.

The teacher makes it mandatory for all of her program’s students to attend whether or not their film was nominated. Senior Marc-Alexandre Barbe, who has been in the film academy for four years, said “its awesome how DeKalb supports the arts.”

This is the first time Wichman’s current students have attended the annual student film festival. For the past few years, the festival has been held online due to COVID-19

concerns. She said nights like this give students “a voice and gives them a platform to express it.”

Tom McFerrin is an instructional coordinator for the Career, Technical and Agricultural Educational programs, which include film programs in schools across DeKalb County. McFerrin sees film programs in the school district as vital — he’s helped increase the number to 15 programs.

To the coordinator, teaching students about film makes sense in Georgia, where the film industry is rapidly expanding.

“Its super important to keep these kids in Georgia,” McFerrin said. “To keep them in the industry here, right in our backyard.”

He said the students, who collaborate and create the films entirely on their own, often “blow him away.”

“For them to be able to edit and put together a story and put it on film is pretty impressive,” McFerrin said.

Also at the festival, Chamblee High School students took home the best editing and best cinema awards in the novice category for their short film “Guise.”

DELANEY TARR / APPEN MEDIA

Dunwoody High School students take home the audience choice award for their short film “A Brush with the Past” at the DeKalb County Student Film Festival held March 21 at the Plaza Theatre in Atlanta.

Stormwater wears down a community, reinforces maxim of ‘buyers beware’

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Behind homes in the Parsons Run subdivision lies a stream, its banks gnawed away over the past couple of decades. Homeowners are at a loss of what to do.

Many sections of the stream are stagnant, deemed a future mosquito haven. Erosion has caused trees to buckle and topple, blocking water flow and collecting piles of waste. And in the summer, residents say the area reeks of sewage.

Just above the stream, on the other side of the backyards, is Chattahoochee High School. Homeowners say runoff from the school’s property has contributed to a repository of random objects in still water.

Neighbors have seen sports balls, cross ties, a school desk. They fear the football field bleachers, which are in eyesight, will fall in, too.

The situation at Parsons Run is part and parcel of what prompted Johns Creek to implement its Stormwater Utility in 2021. Each year, residents foot a $70 bill to fund a multi-million-dollar city-wide stormwater management program.

Dave Daniels and his wife Stephanie have been in Parsons Run since 2005. With a face of exhaustion and previous futile attempts to remove heavier trees, Dave

led a tour along the stream March 21 to point out key areas where stormwater has taken its toll.

Some professional tree companies told Dave they couldn’t do anything because they would need a permit to use heavy equipment in the area. State regulations around natural waterways create a tedious process for any major work.

“If the citizens can't do it, it comes down to the government,” Dave said.

But because the stream runs along private property, Johns Creek has no jurisdiction.

Cory Rayburn, Johns Creek stormwater utility manager, said the city doesn’t have a mechanism to send out a contractor.

Some of the issues stem from the school-side, Fulton County Schools’ territory. On March 21, Anne Boatwright, a spokeswoman with Fulton County Schools said its Operations Department would need another day to visit the site and investigate. As of March 23, the school district is still investigating the stormwater structures which were designed to reduce runoff from the school.

“We would like to have a conversation about this with the city and [impacted residents] about this …,” said Brian Noyes,

See EROSION, Page 13

Tucker

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Dave Daniels, resident in Parsons Run, pointing out major areas of erosion in his backyard March 21.

Sandy Springs approves project to rework water reuse program

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs is preparing to pay thousands to drain and repair large underground water cisterns at City Hall, which were reportedly installed incorrectly when the sprawling City Springs campus was built in 2018.

The cisterns, which hold nearly 300,000 gallons of water below City Hall and the City Springs green, were meant to manage dirty runoff from parking lots and roadways, and clean water from roof areas, to be used for irrigation, city fountains and feeding back into Marsh Creek, an offshoot of the Chattahoochee River.

However, after the City Springs campus was completed, city officials reportedly learned a contractor for the project deviated from the designs and installed a system that wasn’t watertight, which caused leaks and one of the cistern’s walls to collapse.

At a City Council meeting March 21, councilmembers unanimously approved a $389,752 contract with Reeves Young to build an underground water diversion system that will allow the city to periodically drain, clean and inspect the cistern.

Retreat:

Continued from Page 1

Sustaining Our Natural Environment, Connecting Citizens to Parks and Recreation and Leading with Excellence) which was developed by stakeholders throughout the community.

“I like to think of them as a giant coffee filter,” Canton City Manager Billy Peppers said. “Everything that we do as a city goes through that.”

Peppers said everything from employee evaluations and developer requests to annual budget discussions and city policy discussions is looked at through the lens of those guiding principles.

Canton’s Roadmap for Success won it the Visionary City Award from the Georgia Municipal Association in 2022 and is the reason why Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch and other leaders were so excited to visit the city.

Deutsch said even though Dunwoody does plan for the future, by setting a longterm strategic plan and integrating it into the daily operations of the city, Canton is going far beyond simple planning.

“Canton is not just looking at today or yesterday or tomorrow, but acknowledging that we might need 15 years to get to where they want to ultimately be,“ she said. “I think we have core values built into some of our plans, But maybe in isolation. So how do you connect it all.”

“This is a huge project we did here. With many big projects, certain little items linger longer than we all would like, and this is one of the last if not the last one,” District 1 Councilman John Paulson said. “So, I’m glad it’s here, let’s take care of it.”

In a presentation to the City Coun-

cil, Sandy Springs Director of Facilities Dave Wells said the city went back to the drawing board several times to design the water diversion system in the most cost-effective and least intrusive methods possible.

“Due to the complexity, as well as mitigating the project cost and disruption to the site, staff had to redesign the project to take into consideration existing site conditions, construction costs and site availability,” Wells said, adding that the project will require coordination with events scheduled on City Green during the summer.

Wells said the project will run pipes around the cistern, allowing stormwater to bypass it so the 300,000 gallons of water can fully drain over a two-week period. And because a bypass wasn’t built into the original designs and the time the cistern takes to drain, they’re unable to determine whether previous waterproofing attempts have been successful.

“Once we get a little bit of rain in there, we’ll probably like a quarter of an inch of rain on the roads but we get about six feet of water in the cistern,” he said.

As part of the project, he said they will

also need to clean or replace pumps in the cistern that feed the irrigation system and fountains, which are currently being fed by municipal water.

Once the project is complete the city can begin reusing stormwater for everyday tasks, which was an initial priority with the City Springs campus design, Mayor Rusty Paul said.

“It’s an environmental thing,” Paul said. “One of the things when we built this facility, we wanted to make it as sustainable as possible. That meant we made this building as highly energy efficient as we possibly could, and we wanted to capture the water on the site for reuse.”

To fund the project, Wells said the city will have to modify its 2023 budget and reallocate $380,000 from a different city project. Councilmembers unanimously approved the budget amendment and funding reallocation at the meeting.

As part of a pending lawsuit against City Springs project designers over the cistern’s designs, Paul said Sandy Springs will attempt to recoup the project funding.

“We’re expecting to be reimbursed for a major part of this, if not all, after that litigation is concluded,” he said.

growing and diverse community. Over the past decade, Dunwoody’s population grew by more than 12 percent, including significant changes in the city’s Asian and Hispanic populations and a downward shift in the city’s average age.

Those demographic shifts will require Dunwoody officials to change how they are reaching and engaging with residents, Deutsch said.

“We're getting younger, while some of the North Fulton cities are getting older,” she said. “We aren't the same community we were when we became a city, we all experience it on a daily basis.”

Dunwoody doesn’t have the same resources that Canton does, as the Cherokee County seat, she said, but there are still many elements they can replicate, like starting to build trust in the DeKalb County schools and doing as much good as they can in underserved communities.

Leaders spent a large portion of their time at the joint city meeting talking about one specific part of Canton’s Roadmap for Success — Celebrating the Diversity of Our Community — which Canton leaders said was a good example of the successes they’ve had after creating the roadmap.

Grant said they had to work very hard to build trust and make connections in the city’s growing Hispanic community. That effort to reach Hispanic community members started small, with interactions in city

schools and churches by police officers and other city employees but has since morphed into a vital citywide effort.

“I knew we were making progress when a couple of months ago, I got a call from one of the churches asking me if I would come and talk to their men's group,” he said. “It just shows me that we're slowly breaking down those barriers, and there's so many, but I think we are slowly making progress.”

Like Canton, Dunwoody has a rapidly

“You have to get where they are,” Cpl. Tania Cruz of the Canton Police Department said. “That way, you can bridge that gap and always let them know, we're not immigration, we're not here to lock people up and send them back to their country. So that way, they know it's a safe space.”

After the meeting with Canton officials, Dunwoody City Manager Eric Linton said he plans to begin meeting with city staff soon, to see how they can begin developing their own type of roadmap, using input from the entire community.

“This is a huge project we did here. With many big projects, certain little items linger longer than we all would like, and this is one of the last if not the last one. So, I’m glad it’s here, let’s take care of it.”

JOHN PAULSON District 1 Councilman

ALEX POPP/APPEN MEDIA

Dunwoody elected officials tour areas of the City of Canton to draw ideas from the city’s Roadmap to Success, a long-term plan that has helped invigorate the Woodstock County community. The tour was part of the Dunwoody City Council retreat March 22.

Wellstar opens $12 million Cancer center in Roswell

By DELANEY TARR Delaney@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — Wellstar North Fulton Hospital opened the doors to a $12 million comprehensive cancer center at a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 23.

The 12,000 square foot facility offers advanced cancer treatments including CyberKnife radiation therapy, a Specialty Teams and Treatments (STAT) Clinic, imaging services and an outpatient infusion center.

Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson, Milton Mayor Peyton Jamison and other Roswell city officials joined hospital representatives for the ribbon cutting.

Wellstar North Fulton President Jon-Paul Croom said the comprehensive cancer center is the only one of its kind in North Fulton County. Wellstar North Fulton’s sister facility, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital is the only other program in the area that offers the same level of cancer care, he said.

Croom credited the bulk of the development to Dr. Mark McLaughlin, a radiation oncologist who spearheaded the expansion.

“About four years ago, we got together with physicians in this area and administrators from Wellstar Health System to share a common goal,” McLaughlin said. “That common goal was to provide comprehensive, truly integrated cancer care at the Wellstar North Fulton Cancer Center.”

McLaughlin said when he came to Wellstar North Fulton about five years ago, the cancer care process was disjointed for patients. There was no “onestop shop” to receive care, and with spread out doctors and appointments things fell through the cracks.

“It’s really difficult for patients to navigate that very difficult diagnosis,” McLaughlin said.

When the oncologist presented his cancer center plan to Wellstar North Fulton President Croom, he said the goal was to make that vision a reality. The vision came with a hefty price tag, though: $12 million.

McLaughlin said he’s glad the Wellstar administration decided to invest fully into the cancer center. The money went to advanced technology like CyberKnife, an approximately $6 million radiation therapy.

The CyberKnife is a non-invasive device that uses “real time imaging” to treat difficult to reach spots, like lung and brain tumors. With those areas, McLaughlin said the tumor is “always moving.” CyberKnife has a robotic arm that moves with the patient, allowing high doses of radiation to hone in on the tumor’s location.

“What it allows people to do, instead of having five to eight weeks of treatment, it can shorten that to one to five treatments,” McLaughlin said.

The concentrated radiation allows patients to finish treatment faster. Prior to the cancer center in Roswell, patients would have to travel to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital for the CyberKnife treatment.

According to McLaughlin, the hospital in Kennestone has one of the second busiest CyberKnife treatment programs in the United States.

The Wellstar Kennestone Hospital is about 40 minutes from Wellstar North Fulton Hospital. McLaughlin and Croom said the distance adds difficulty to treatment for patients and their families.

“When my parents were diagnosed with cancer and treated at Kennestone, it was hard for me to get from appointment to appointment,” McLaughlin said.

A key feature of the cancer center in Roswell is the Specialty Teams and Treatments Clinic, called “STAT” by hospital staff. The model brings medical, surgical and radiation oncology under one roof. Rather than having cancer patients travel to see specialists, they can meet with an entire team in one location at one time.

“All the doctors all know each other and are talking to each other, so you’re getting one congruent answer,” McLaughlin said.

Collaboration between doctors keeps patients from receiving different medical opinions as well. McLaughlin said typically, if a patient visits a surgical specialist, they’ll simply perform the treatment rather than look at another option.

At the cancer center, he said doctors can “put their heads together” to figure out the best care for a patient, even if it differs from what the patient expects.

“If I have a patient that comes in

and says I want CyberKnife, we’ll meet in the STAT clinic and I’ll know the CyberKnife is not their best treatment,” McLaughlin said. “It could me medical, it could be a combination, but the model allows us to discuss things with the patient.”

The cancer center will officially open to the public on March 27, but the CyberKnife machine is already at full capacity. The hospital expects to serve many of the patients who have had to relocate to Kennestone Hospital for comprehensive care. Croom said Wellstar is already looking towards cancer center expansions to accommodate more patients.

“Cancer is one of those diseases that touches so many people, everybody has somebody that has suffered from it or died from it,” Croom said. “It’s so real, and to be able to have something right here, where you don’t have to go to Atlanta or travel long distances is just right.”

DELANEY TARR / APPEN MEDIA

Wellstar Health Systems officials gather at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Wellstar North Fulton Hospital Cancer Center on March 23 at Hospital Road in Roswell.

Memorial park gains ground

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Local leaders and veterans gathered at a vacant parcel across from Sandy Springs City Hall March 24 to break ground on the city’s newest construction project — Veterans Park on Roswell Road.

Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul, District 1 Councilman John Paulson and District 5 Councilman Tibby DeJulio spoke to the crowd about what the new park will mean for local veterans.

The Sandy Springs City Council gave final approval for the $5.7 million project at a meeting in early March.

Veterans Park is expected to include a series of large fountains that mirror the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center fountains on Roswell Road, a memorial area commemorating local veterans and wide multi-use sidewalks connecting the park to City Springs and the rest of the city.

cilman

Above, Sandy Springs City Coun-

John Paulson, Mayor Rusty Paul and Councilman Tibby DeJulio join the groundbreaking.

PHOTOS BY ALEX POPP/APPEN MEDIA

Sandy Springs officials pitch in to to break ground on the city’s newest construction project — Veterans Park on Roswell Road.

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Northview High School presents Interschool Genetics Symposium

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — More than 50 students, parents and residents gathered at the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce for a student-led Interschool Genetics Symposium March 18.

The event, hosted by the Northview High School Genetics Engineering Club, aimed to create awareness of careers in genetics and science, technology, engineering and mathematics – or STEM.

Club founder and President Vaishali Prahalad said she and the club organized the event to interest students in STEM by showcasing how a future in the fields could look. The symposium featured a Q&A session with three professionals in medicine and genetics.

Prahalad said she had been conceiving the symposium for months, and the club had worked hard to put it together.

“Being able to share what we have put together was really, really meaningful and powerful,” Prahalad said. “And I hope that in the future, we will keep continuing to get people to commit and dedicate themselves toward science.”

The panel included 10X Genomics Science and Technology Advisor Nirav Patel, Emory University School of Medicine genetic counselor Lauren Lichten and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Rheumatology Fellow Dr. Christian Oliveros. All fielded questions from students and parents on internships, opportunities and how to get started in STEM fields.

Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry, who inaugurated the event, said life science and biosciences have a strong and growing presence in the city.

“I feel like this is a very auspicious occasion,” Bradberry said, “because, you know, basically what this represents to me is that our community, especially at the student level, is hand in glove with what we're attempting to do at the city level.”

Bradberry said Boston Scientific is coming to the Town Center’s Innovation Hub later this year, and the city will repurpose the water reclamation plant at Cauley Creek Park into a STEM playground this summer.

“That is something that, whether it's going to be robotics or something related to art or engineering, that is going to be a place that, of course, you can enjoy the fun parts of the park,” Bradberry said. “But there, you'll be able to actually

have a space where you can pursue your extracurricular intellectual endeavors as well.”

Greg Hampikian, founder of the Idaho Innocence Project, presented via Zoom on the use of genetics in exoneration efforts in Georgia and across the country.

The event concluded with a student-led interactive game in which

participants used their phones to design a baby using CRISPR, a genome editing technology. Students in the Genetics Engineering Club also shared recent projects.

Students interested in starting a genetics engineering club at their school can reach Prahalad at vaishali. prahalad@gmail.com for more information.

PHOTOS BY SHELBY ISRAEL/APPEN MEDIA

From left, panelists Nirav Patel, Lauren Lichten and Dr. Christian Oliveros answer student and parent questions at Northview High School Genetics Engineering Club’s Interschool Genetics Symposium at the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce March 18.

Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry speaks at Northview High School Genetics Engineering Club’s Interschool Genetics Symposium at the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce March 18. Bradberry inaugurated the event and recognized the growing STEM industry in Johns Creek.

Erosion:

Continued from Page 7

chief communications officer with Fulton County Schools.

Contact information for the residents was sent to Noyes March 23.

Healthier days

Stephanie intended to tag along with her husband on the steam bank tour and said she would have to put on her boots. While she decided to stay in after all, she handed over a sticky note with a list of other families, including Brian and Alexis Whitman.

Alexis, who lives next door on Linbrook Lane, joined Dave to offer her perspective. The Whitmans moved in a few years before the Daniels. She recalled a once-healthy stream.

“It makes me so sad because when my kids were little this thing was full of 3- to 4-inch brim,” Alexis said. “They would fish back here. We had ducks that nested. It's all washed away. It's all gone.”

Alexis said she is at risk of losing her wildlife habitat certificate, which she’s had for more than a decade.

In addition to a $20 fee, the National Wildlife Federation lists necessary components to apply for certification. Applicants must provide at least one clean water source, three food sources, two places for cover, two places for wildlife to mate and raise young and engage in at least two categories of sustainable practices.

The Whitmans have a bat box attached to a 20-foot pole close to the bank, now barely hanging on. Their irrigation system, which was planted 5 feet from the bank, is now poking out of the dirt. Brian’s composting bin washed away around the same day it was built, a flood carrying its pieces at least 50 feet into Dave’s yard by the creek. Dave obliged Alexis with the cleanup.

Another resident was listed separately on the back of Stephanie’s note. She was said to have spent thousands of dollars to shore up, a process of reinforcement and prevention. Another entry on the list was “Dobe - moved,” referring to a family Stephanie said had left Parsons Run because they couldn’t tolerate the mess.

Stephanie showed pictures before erosion swept away up to 20 feet of her backyard, and the bridge that the Whitmans constructed. In one photo, Stephanie is tending to a homemade beehive while her dog snoops around. The fence is much farther back than where it sits now, and there are no fallen trees.

Revisiting those pictures, taken about six years ago, brought Stephanie to tears.

Buyers beware

Johns Creek City Councilman Larry DiBiase, a resident in Parsons Run, is in real estate by trade. He called attention to Georgia’s contract law, “Caveat Emptor,”

which translates to, “Let the buyer beware.”

“I suspect most real estate agents don't have any understanding of what a stream can do, and the consequences down the road for them,” DiBiase said. “The property owners today — the burden is on them to take care of their personal property, but it’s a heavy lift.”

DiBiase said it could be $100,000 to fix some of the problems residents in Parsons Run are facing. If buyers have done their work, he said their property would be devaluated.

“Most people when they buy a property — look at the house, look at the backyard and are like, ‘Wow, the kids can play in the stream’ and all that,” DiBiase said. “But they don't realize the damage a stream can do.”

The creekside properties, catching a deluge of water and waste every time it rains, lie in a flood plain. But the whole city

lies in a basin.

city’s website, looks for ways to improve the water quality of Johns Creek by reducing fecal coliform. The plan also outlines potential regional projects, which can take pressure off some of the waterways downstream.

The City Council approved engineering services for one project March 14 at its work session, intended to restore a tributary of Johns Creek that feeds and forms Creekside Park’s ponds. The task order is to be fully funded by Fiscal Year 2023’s Stormwater Utility budget.

But Rayburn said the project in Creekside won’t directly impact what’s been observed in Parsons Run, whose stream is a sub-watershed.

What to do

Parsons Run resident Stephanie Daniels tends to a homemade beehive six years ago. At the time, the Daniels had about 20 more feet of land between the fence and the bank. The neighbor’s bridge, seen in the background, has since been swept away.

Stormwater has been a large point of discussion in Johns Creek local government. DiBiase is taking the lead in the mayor’s stormwater task force alongside Councilman Dilip Tunki, and they are now deciding the group’s objectives. So far, Dibiase said he sat down with Stormwater’s Rayburn and Public Works Director Chris Haggard.

The city is constrained by time, money and technology. But DiBiase said his approach to stormwater is to “take the gloves off.”

“Let's look at this and say, ‘If we had unlimited funds, if we can go outside our comfort zone in technology and look at some innovative ways to fix some of these problems, what can we do?’” DiBiase said.

In January, the Johns Creek Watershed Stormwater Master Plan was completed. The document, yet to be posted on the

Ann Arnette, the Parsons Run Homeowners Association president said, the HOA budgets money for a five-year plan that allows for engineers to maintain the community’s public spaces like the tennis courts, clubhouse and pool. But the association’s treasurer Chris Normand who lives next door to Dave and Stephanie Daniels, said the HOA doesn’t have the jurisdiction to fund engineering efforts on individual property.

Normand has been in the same house for 20 years. He has observed some erosion, like an uncovered ceramic pipe in the creek. The pipe was said to have been an old one, not part of an active system anymore.

But Normand said he hadn’t considered the erosion to be bad enough to do anything about it. He also said he is “lazy.”

To mitigate bank erosion, Rayburn said residents could introduce more vegetation along the stream bank, like silky dogwood that can grow in a shaded area and thrive in areas close to the water. He said their root systems should expand deep below the ground to help hold the creek bank together.

“The more vegetation you have along the bank, the better,” Rayburn said.

Rayburn also mentioned more costly reinforcement that entails constructing walls of hardened materials, like riprap, and the design must be carefully done.

Before Johns Creek was incorporated in 2006, Parsons Run resident Alexis Whitman said Fulton County provided 10 tons of riprap for free and placed it on the street. When she first began noticing the erosion 15 years ago, Alexis received a $20,000 estimate for riprap.

A caveat, though, is that impervious surfaces like riprap increase water velocity.

Residents could also add live stakes that eventually grow into trees with the riprap for a mix of natural and hardened materials, Rayburn said. The stakes cost about $3 apiece.

Alexis said she had azaleas and hydrangeas along the stream and had doubts about planting any more vegetation.

“I mean, am I gonna spend money to put something down there just to wash it away?” she asked.

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

The stream behind the backyards of residents in Parsons Run is blocked by trees, uprooted from erosion. The tree dam is creating stagnation and collecting waste from Chattahoochee High School nearby.

STEPHANIE DANIELS/PROVIDED

ROSWELL DANCE THEATRE PRESENTS ‘MARY POPPINS’

What: Follow Mary Poppins as she adds sunshine, adventure and magic to the previously solemn and serious Banks home. Join Jane and Michael as practically perfect Mary introduces them to the charming Bert. They explore the rooftops of London, enjoy a spoonful of sugar, fly a kite and do it all in the most delightful way.

When: March 30-April 1, times vary

Where: Byers Theatre, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs

Cost: $30

More info: citysprings.com

GEORGIA ENSEMBLE THEATRE PRESENTS ‘BRIGHT STAR’

What: An editor in 1940s North Carolina sets out to find the true story of her difficult history in this homey musical that flits between the present and the past in a heartbeat. The emotional and uplifting Appalachian tale is inspired by a true story and features a Tony-nominated bluegrass score by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.

When: March 30-April 16, time vary

Where: Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest Street, Roswell

Cost: Tickets start at $32

More info: get.org

DUNWOODY FARMERS MARKET

What: The Dunwoody Farmers Market brings together a variety of vendors selling local and organic fruits, veggies and produce, coffee, breakfast, baked goods, prepared meals, frozen treats, eggs, grass-fed meat and fresh seafood.

When: Saturday, April 1, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Where: Brook Run Park, 4770 North Peachtree Road, Dunwoody

More info: dunwoodyga.gov

FAIRY HOUSE OR GNOME HOME WORKSHOP

What: After a long, cold winter the fairy houses and gnome homes are ready for a refresh. Bring your imagination to the first Spring Fairy House and Gnome Home event. Kids and adults will be

SANDY SPRINGS FARMERS MARKET

What: Shop for fresh produce and artisan foods every Saturday morning from April 8 to November 18, where more than 30 vendors set up shop around the City Green, many bringing their farm to your table. Other vendors offer artisan foods, and many participants offer pre-orders.

When: Saturday, April 8, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Where: City Green, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs

More info: citysprings.com/farmersmarket

provided with natural materials like seed pods, pinecones, bark and nuts to build a structure to take home or to leave at Lost Corner for all to enjoy. Registration is encouraged but walk-ins are welcome.

When: Saturday, April 1, 10 a.m.

Where: Lost Corner Preserve, 7300 Brandon Mill Road, Sandy Springs

Cost: $15 per person, $30 per family

More info: sandyspringsga.gov

‘THE NICETIES’ AT STAGE DOOR THEATRE

What: Zoe is a young Black student at a liberal arts college. What begins as a polite clash in perspectives of the founding fathers between her and her liberal, tenured professor explodes into a tightrope of what it means to hear and what it means to listen.

When: Up to April 2, 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/theniceties/

LAZY DOG SPRING MENU TASTING

What: Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar is hosting a special sneak peek event to celebrate its new, seasonal menu additions. Taste your way through a special four-course menu featuring reimagined favorites from past menus and new flavors to kick off the season. The event is for two people.

When: April 2-April 4, 4-9 p.m.

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.

Where: Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, 4532 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody

Cost: $85 for two More info: lazydogrestaurants.com/ spring-menu-tasting

MUTATE AT FIVE

What: Mutate at Five is a free familyfriendly, beer, wine, music and food festival held every first Thursday from April to October.

When: Thursday, April 6, 5-9 p.m.

Where: City Springs, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs

More info: visitsandysprings.org

SANDY SPRINGS FARMERS MARKET

What: Shop for fresh produce and artisan foods every Saturday morning from April 8 to November 18, where more than 30 vendors set up shop around the City Green, many bringing their farm to your table. Other vendors offer artisan foods, and many participants offer pre-orders.

When: Saturday, April 8, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Where: City Green, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs

More info: citysprings.com/farmersmarket

SAMI BEIGI LIVE IN ATLANTA

What: Performing in the area for the first time, popular Iranian singer/songwriter, guitarist and producer Sami Beigi was nominated for three World Music Awards in 2014. Formerly a member of the Persian Black Cats, he’ll have you dancing the night away with his many successful singles, including “Yeki Bood Yeki Nabood,” “Ey Joonam,” “HMG” and “In Eshghe.” He's joined in this appearance by one of the pioneers of Persian Rap, Erfan.

When: Saturday, April 8, 8:30 p.m.

Where: Byers Theater, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs

Cost: $79-199

More info: citysprings.com

SANDY SPRINGS ARTSAPALAOOZA

What: The two-day festival features a children’s play area, local musicians, interactive art stations in addition to up to 150 arts and crafts participants in every discipline. On Easter Sunday, the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces is hosting the largest Easter Egg Hunt in Sandy Springs with more than 10,000 hidden Easter eggs.

When: Saturday & Sunday, April 8-April 9

Where: 6100 Lake Forrest Drive, Sandy Springs

More info: sandyspringsartsapalooza. com

Dunwoody devastated by twister 25 years ago

A category F-2 tornado cut through Dunwoody a little after midnight April 9, 1998, leaving a path of destruction.

More than 3,000 homes were damaged, 1,500 families were displaced, and damage to homes and property exceeded $150 million. In all, 70 homes were destroyed.

Tragically, John Janisch of Delverton Drive died when a tree struck his home.

Local news station 11 Alive reported there were 62 tornados in a three-day period ending with April 9. The tornado that struck Dunwoody began its path in Alabama and touched down in Cobb County. In Dunwoody, it came across Chamblee Dunwoody Road, moved east along Peeler Road, down Tilly Mill Road, through parts of Kingsley, across Happy Hollow Road and through Fontainebleau Forest, then across Winters Chapel Road into Lockridge Forest. Finally, it struck Peachtree Corners and northern Gwinnett County. (Dunwoody Crier, June 1998, “April 9, 1998: The Storm”)

Those watching weather reports on television just after midnight heard the warnings to take cover, but those who had gone to bed already either woke up to a sound like a freight train or to the sound of trees crashing all around or on top of their homes.

Some in the direct path tried to walk out in the night with flashlights once the tornado had moved on, only to be unable to maneuver around the fallen trees in the dark. Others walked out the next morning to see the snapped and fallen trees and damage to their property.

Dunwoody High School was set up as a shelter for those whose homes were damaged, but many stayed in their homes if they were able. Others stayed with family or friends or rented nearby. There were blue tarps on houses all up and down the streets with the most damage. Homeowners were advised to be wary of those trying to take advantage of the desperate situation, over-charging for tree removal and repairs.

A large pin oak fell on the home at Donaldson-Bannister Farm during the tornado, damaging the two front upstairs bedrooms and the chimney. Other trees fell through the windows

of the dining room, plus there was damage to the barn. Owners Linda and David Chesnut repaired all the damage and replaced damaged magnolia trees.

The tornado’s path included what was then DeKalb College, today’s Georgia State University Dunwoody Campus. Eighty percent of the trees on campus were snapped or uprooted. Travis Weatherly, director of plant operations, seeing the damage for the first time the following morning, observed, “There are no words to describe the destruction.” There were fallen trees everywhere, broken windows, roof damage, and water inside buildings. The campus remained closed through the following weekend. (Dunwoody Crier, April 4, 2018, “Dunwoody Tornado April 9, 1998 “)

The Dunwoody Homeowner’s Association, Dunwoody Preservation Trust and Dunwoody Nature Center joined forces following the tornado with an initiative called “Replant the Dunwoody Forest.” More than 25,000 trees were planted around Dunwoody thanks to the effort.

Lemonade Days, Dunwoody Preservation Trust’s annual festival at Brook Run Park, began the next year with a children’s carnival and tours of rebuilt and rehabilitated homes.

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.

Donaldson-Bannister Farm was hit hard by the April 9, 1998 tornado.

PROVIDED

This June 1998 Dunwoody Crier cover includes a map showing the path of the storm.

VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Columnist

Free flying in Dunwoody

Man has yearned to fly for centuries.

Initial efforts involved hot air balloons and gliders. In fact, in the 1480s Leonardo da Vinci made more than 100 drawings of a flying machine that he never built. He just wanted to show how man could fly. According to NASA, the modern-day helicopter is based on his design.

BOB MEYERS

In 1783, the French Montgolfier brothers invented the first flying hot air balloon. The first passengers were a sheep, rooster and duck. The colorful silk balloon rose 6,000 feet and traveled more than a mile. Soon, the brothers were sending human passengers aloft.

In the mid- to early 1850s, George Cayley, an English engineer, designed many gliders. Later in the century German engineer, Otto Lilienthal studied the flight of birds and wrote a book that the Wright Brothers used as a basis for their designs. Unfortunately, Lilienthal was killed when one of his designs crashed with him aboard. In 1891

Samuel Langley, who was director of the Smithsonian Institute, built a glider with a steam-powered engine. Orville and Wilbur Wright studied these and other early pioneers to develop their “Flier” that they took turns piloting four times on December 17, 1903, thus ushering in all that has come after them.

I mention these early champions of flight to highlight the fact that flying on currents of air is the basis of controlled flight. In this age of rocket ships and jet planes, it is easy to forget how much we owe to those who proved that objects could be suspended in and made to fly freely on currents of air.

A small but dedicated group of enthusiasts are keeping the notion of free flying alive locally. These knowledgeable and very patient individuals, many with technical backgrounds, devote countless hours to making and flying model airplanes that depend on air currents to stay aloft and have great fun in the process. They call themselves the Thermal Thumbers of Metro Atlanta.

Free flight model airplanes have no external controls. The goal of the sport is to achieve the longest flight duration possible by making minute adjustments to the design and trim of the airplanes. Two kinds of free flight airplanes are used, indoor and outdoor. The two types are quite different in appearance, size and weight.

Indoor models are very light, typically weighing no more than a dollar bill or

a baby aspirin and fly very slowly. They are powered by special rubber bands, twisted by a device that provides a set number of twists to help assure desired flight characteristics. Too many twists and the plane will hit the ceiling. Typically, the planes are flown in school or church gymnasiums with high ceilings. Competitions are held locally, nationally and internationally every two years. One popular location for world championship competitions is a vast salt mine in Romania noted for its still, cold air and 200-foot-high ceiling.

In early March, members of the Thermal Thumbers gathered in the gymnasium of St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody with its ultrahigh ceiling for a day of practice flights and competition with their delicate balsawood models. Doors must be kept closed and ventilation turned off to “calm air currents,” says Dohrman Crawford, Thermal Thumbers of Atlanta vice president and ex-Viet Nam War forward air controller and retired Delta Airlines pilot He says that a welldesigned and adjusted model plane may occasionally fly up to one hour, although most test and practice flights are timed to last just a few minutes.

Outdoor models are usually larger and heavier. They often have engines that shut off soon after launch to help the planes catch the thermal drafts that can carry them to amazing heights. Finding the thermal drafts is one of the challenges of this sport. Different kinds of outdoor models exist each with its own specifications and rules.

Radio controlled model airplanes are also popular outdoors, but they are in a special category and are not considered free flight.

In the U.S., the sport is supervised by the National Free Flight Society. The first national competition was held in 1915.This year the nationals will be held at the University of Idaho June 19-23. The World Air Sports Federation (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) supervises international competitions.

Newcomers of all ages are always welcome to visit or become involved with the Atlanta area group. For information, contact James Martin, jnnmartin1963@ gmail.com.

Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net. Bob welcomes suggestions for future columns about local history.

Indoor free flight model airplanes are built to precise specifications and carefully flown in large spaces such as gymnasiums. This is an F1D model measuring 30 inches long with a wingspan of 22.7 inches and weighing 1.4 grams or about as much as a dollar bill. The plane was built by Kang Lee who has won two world championships and works for Google. The plane is made of balsa wood. Wings are covered with ultra-thin mylar film. Kag flew his plane at a practice/competition session in early March in the gymnasium of St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody.

Columnist

DOHRMAN CRAWFORD/PROVIDED

Dorman Crawford, vice president of the metro Atlanta free flight indoor model airplane club, the Thermal Thumbers, prepares to launch a Phantom Flash, an indoor model designed in the 1930s and still popular today.

BOB MEYERS/APPEN MEDIA

Conversation around a table in Knoxville

We were sitting around a table with friends at a restaurant in Knoxville. We had driven up because our friend’s adult granddaughter Kelsie, who works at the Knoxville Museum of Art, was introducing a new exhibition that she had curated, and we wanted to see it – as well as visit her grandmother and her parents. We have known everyone for many years; they are island friends who we only see when we are at the beach.

Kelsie is an artist herself – incredibly talented, creative, smart, and her own person, just like her grandmom. She is one of those people who just seems to ooze talent which is communicated by the sparkle in her eyes, her clothes and hair, and a certain reserved confident aloofness – not a casting judgement aloofness, but a demeanor of someone who perhaps sees things that other people do not.

The exhibit pulled almost a dozen artists from all over the South as well as local artists. The art was full of big ideas – big picture vistas – “high art.” That is, most of it was contemporary, mixed medium, con-

More about Kelsie

Kelsie Conley also owns and manages her own gallery in Knoxville called “Bad Water Gallery” (website: LvL3official.com). It is located at 320 East Churchill Ave. Her gallery recently was cited in London’s Financial Times along with three other galleries around the world as an example of the new emerging art venues of note – “making shows for the next generation.”

but, at the same time, alive, engaged, and fun.

why should we expect a gen Y to know Johnny after he had been off the air since 1992? (The last show was May 22, 1992 –wow. The first show was October 1, 1962.). The rub is that he/his memory remains so clearly in place for my generation and those close, and it is hard to remember that our frames of reference – no matter how clear they are to us – may be diddly squat to others.

Who is Johnny Carson?

Who is John Galt?

How about Lenny Bruce, Richard Brautigan, Ken Kesey or Wavy Gravy?

ceptual and symbolic. Think plastic, glass, photo-images, cardboard, dreams, memory and more.

All the artists were there with their work. The museum was serving hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, and there may have been music. The exhibit was a true event – a melding of ideas, talent, knowledge, experience and connection. Everyone seemed to be plugged into the same energy, and at times it felt overwhelming to me,

Anyway, as we sat around the table post-show, my wife was telling a story, and part of the story for some reason had something to do with Johnny Carson. She stopped mid-sentence during her story though, and looked at the granddaughter and said, “you have no idea who I am talking about do you? You don’t know Johnny Carson, do you?” Kelsie’s completely blank look on her face was her answer. She looked around the table for clues. Nothing. We got nothing.

I think most of us were caught off guard momentarily – surprised and startled a bit. It was no big deal though; it was just one of those moments. I mean,

How about David Foster Wallace, Julia Butterfly Hill, Bobby Sands, or H Rap Brown?

And Rachael Carson?

I know them all, but, well, that’s just me. Others do not. Indeed. But they know people and stuff and events that I don’t know. Maybe that’s the point.

When son Hans was in first or second grade at Alpharetta Elementary, his teacher (Mrs. Benton?) asked him what his favorite music was. “Anything by Rodgers and Hammerstein,” he replied. Huh?

I polled my kids – just for fun – asking them if they knew who Johnny Carson was. They made fun of me and my

See APPEN, Page 20

April showers readers with wide variety of book activities

By KATHY DES JARDINS CIOFFI newsroom@appenmedia.com

Joining April’s mixed springtime bag of sunshine and showers is a similarly diverse array of author events. From Dunwoody’s Lemonade Days Festival to an evening of paranormal discussions, and historical fiction championing women to writing guidance for all, April’s book offerings are as varied as a spring bouquet.

SLIMMING

Here are some details about these and other events:

More info

On April 22, Atlanta Authors will host bestselling historical fiction novelist Lynn Cullen, author of “The Woman With The Cure.”

• Author Jan Slimming is organizing appearances by 20-plus writers at Dunwoody’s Lemonade Days Festival

Literary Events Around North Atlanta

Saturday, April 1, George Weinstein and Kim Conrey. Married authors Conrey and Weinstein will be selling and signing books and chatting with readers in Alpharetta. Conrey is the debut author of the sci-fi romance “Stealing Ares,” and Weinstein’s most recent release is “Return to Hardscrabble Road.” 11 a.m. Conversation, signing. Free. Posman Books, 4105 Avalon Blvd., Alpharetta, 470-509-5727. posmanbooks.com

Tuesdays, April 4-May 23, George Weinstein. Weinstein, executive director of the Atlanta Writers Club and author of six novels, returns to lead “Telling Your Story: Start It, Finish It & Share It – Part 2,” an eight-week interactive class for anyone 50 and older (though writers of all ages can connect with Weinstein through AWC.) The two-month program, which is open to anyone interested in writing, and not just those who attended the first series, is offered by Seniors Enriched Living, a nonprofit interfaith organization. 1:15 p.m. weekly. $70. Roswell United Methodist Church, 814 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell. 770-993-6218. https://sites. google.com/selroswellga.org/seniors-enriched-living/ classes/spring?authuser=0

Thursday, April 13, Jennifer Laguzza Dickenson. In 2011, Dickenson was a busy lawyer when she was diagnosed with grade 4 brain cancer and given scant hope for survival. “The Case for Hope: What I Learned on My Journey from Cancer to Wellness: We Can Heal,” published in March 2022, details Dickenson’s cancer journey. 5 p.m. Discussion, signing. Free. Poe & Company Bookstore, 1890 Heritage Walk, Suite P101, Milton. 770-797-5566. Poeandcompanybookstore.com

Thursday, April 13, Townsend Prize for Fiction. The award ceremony for the Townsend Prize for Fiction,

hosted by the Atlanta Writers Club, will be held in midtown Atlanta. North Fulton authors among the 10 finalists include Kimberly Brock, “The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare,” and Anjali Enjeti, “The Parted Earth.” Tickets include a buffet dinner, drinks and more. 6 p.m. $60. Atlanta Women’s Club Wimbish House, 1150 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta. atlantawritersclub. org/writer-resources/awc-townsend-prize-for-fiction

Saturday, April 15, Morgan Rodgers. Rodgers’ new novel, “Family Business,” a story of twists and turns, is a page-turner. 11 a.m. Talk, signing. Free. Poe & Company Bookstore, 1890 Heritage Walk, Suite P101, Milton. 770-797-5566. Poeandcompanybookstore.com

Tuesday, April 18, Ann Hite and Delilah S. Dawson. A Novel Idea presents a paranormal night promising “An Evening of Unknown Expectations” from a pair of bestselling authors. Hite’s newest book is “Haints on Black Mountain,” and Dawson’s latest release is “The Violence.” 7 p.m. Discussion, signing. Free. Vintage Pizzeria, 5510 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. 770-509-5611. anovelidea.us

Saturday, April 22, Lynn Cullen. Atlanta Authors hosts the bestselling author of historical fiction as she discusses her new release, “The Woman With The Cure.” Cullen’s book is based on the true story of Dr. Dorothy Horstmann, whose groundbreaking research helped make the polio vaccine possible. 2 p.m. Conversation, signing. Free. In-person and online. Roswell Library, 115 Norcross St., Roswell. 404-6129700. forl.net/atlanta-authors

Saturday, April 22, George Weinstein and Kim Conrey. Conrey and Weinstein return, this time at

the Cumming City Center Spring Market. 10 a.m. Talk, signing. Free. Cumming City Center Spring Market, Vision Drive, Cumming. 678-472-4708. cummingcitycentermarket

Saturday and Sunday, April 22-23, Lemonade Days Authors and Friends Bookstore. Twenty local authors, including nine from North Fulton, will appear for personalized book signing sessions during the Dunwoody festival’s 23rd year. Authors appearing include bookstore organizer Jan Slimming with her trio of World War II books, including “Codebreaker Girls: A Secret Life at Bletchley Park.” 10 a.m Saturday, noon Sunday. Brook Run Park, 4770 N Peachtree Road, Dunwoody. dunwoodylemonadedays.org

Thursday, April 27, Emily Carpenter. The bestselling author of “Burying the Honeysuckle Girls” returns to uncover a faith healer’s elusive and haunted past in “Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters.” Carpenter’s novel, a mix of historical fiction, mystery and thriller, has something for everyone. 5 p.m. Discussion, signing. Free. Poe & Company Bookstore, 1890 Heritage Walk, Suite P101, Milton. 770-797-5566. Poeandcompanybookstore.com

Saturday, April 29, Independent Bookstore Day at Bookmiser. The bookstore, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, will be observing Independent Bookstore Day with giveaways, story time, “epicurean delights” and much more. All day. Free. Bookmiser, 3822 Roswell Road, Roswell. 770509-5611. bookmiser.net

To submit an author event for the upcoming month, email Kathy Des Jardins Cioffi at kathydesjardins3@ gmail.com by the 15th.

RAY APPEN

Publisher Emeritus

SPECIAL TO APPEN MEDIA

Kelsie Conley stands for a photo.

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!

My ex-gall bladder: I never liked you anyway

It all began with the mother of all bellyaches. I figured it could have been the shrimp. Could have been.

I’d read once that time heals all wounds. Whoever said that has never heard me sing. There’s not enough olive oil (Mom’s surefire earache remedy) in all of Sicily for that to be true. Being somewhat intelligent, with a gullet feeling like it had been doused in week-old sundrenched Tabasco, the inferno in my personal South-of-the-Border pulled a John Paul Jones and had just begun to fight.

That was on Friday and Saturday. By Sunday, with Northside Hospital seemingly so close I could touch it, I was like those poor saps who tap a keg and wait out a hurricane.

By Monday, I was on an emergency room gurney, getting scanned, poked, prodded and scanned.

Before I go on, I need to ask a question: Do you know what a gallbladder is and what it does?

Me neither. I know I had one and now I don’t. Good riddance! You stay away and I’ll religiously avoid fried foods. But I’m still not eating lima beans.

I can attest that when it is infected, it’s time to batten down the hatches and pray for relief.

Figuring I’d be out of the ER in a few minutes, I knew we were in for a long haul.

On that Monday I was having a rotten day for figuring.

A nurse came to me and acted like I had won Powerball when she said: “We’re going to admit you.”

There were no spinning balls, just an uncomfortable bed with some cool buttons that it would have been a riot to push had I not been hurting so bad.

I was lucky. No lottery winnings but at least I’m here to share this. My gallbladder was the width of a spider’s whisker from bursting, and if that had happened, instead of reading this, you’d be reading of a third-grader field trip to Mayfield Dairy.

I met the surgeon, Brian Whitfield VI. I’d never met a “6th” before. The closest I’d ever got to that long a lineage was listening to that old Herman’s Hermits song about the 8th, as in Henry.

Appen:

Continued from Page 18

Tuesday was a whiff of anesthesia that never lasts as long as it should. It was dreamy, and when I came to, the belly ache nausea pain was gone. In its place was soreness from where holes were punched in my torso, the result of laparoscopic procedure.

I was sore and alive. Dr. Whitfield found a big chunk of nasty infection around ol’ GB, my ex-internal organ who ditched me after 67 years. He scooped out that mess and kept me around to have more adventures and stories to share.

Coming out of the fog in my brain, I kept being asked if there was anything I needed. My reply of “three or four more wallops of that anesthesia,” which I found hilarious, was met with stern looks from a tough-as-shoe-leather nurse.

I also found that hospitals aren’t worried about leaky bed pans, inebriated doctors or trying to explain their bills. No, I kept being warned not to fall, but that I was expected to start walking the halls.

My request for happy juice was ignored, as was my request for some decent food.

I was home on Saturday, five days after walking through the ER door. I would have rather watched the Home and Garden Network for a month.

Mike Tasos has lived in Forsyth County for more than 30 years. He’s an American by birth and considers himself a Southerner by the grace of God. He can be reached at miketasos55@gmail. com.

question. Figures.

To try to buffer possible embarrassment for Kelsie, I asked her if she was familiar with Howard Finster. Her face lit up. “Yes, of course. Summerville. I was at his studio last year. Some of my friends have some of his stuff.” It didn’t look like anyone else at the table – there were about 10 of us – other than my wife – had Finster on their radar.

Who is Howard Finster?

I often say that “everything important I learned in life, I learned from my children.” Well, almost everything. And the irony is that one of the main reasons they can teach me, is because I taught them – and they remember.

William Faulkner said that “the past isn’t dead; it isn’t even past.” It is still with us – every day. And he could also have said that the future is here too, now. That was crystal clear in Kelsie’s show – for all to see – frozen in time in the museum that afternoon, in a still moment – ha, Elliot’s “still point,” while we talked, listened and looked.

The older I get the more I realize that every moment matters. Every connection. Every memory. Every player on stage. The more we see, the more context we absorb, the more meaning we add to our lives. And the moments we miss, or ignore, or don’t see on late night tv, or hear in our parent’s voice as they read to us, or study about in school, is an excruciating loss that we often don’t even see or realize. But it is a loss for all.

Who is Johnny Carson? Who is Howard Finster?

Indeed.

MIKE TASOS

Columnist

Workforce Development Coordinator

Develop programs and services for clients and students who are seeking employment, post-secondary education, or other career options. The coordinator collaborates with employers in the community who are hiring. The role also includes working one-on-one on job applications, resumes, interview preparations and offers tips for successfully securing and improving employment. Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services or related field required.

For full job description see: https://nfcchelp.org/wpcontent/uploads/2023/02/Workforce-DevelopmentCoordinator-2023.pdf. To apply, send resume to cswan@nfcchelp.org.

Accounting Specialist – PART TIME

Responsible for the day-to-day transactions within the accounting department. The specialist is accountable for preparing financial transactions, processing invoices, and entering general ledger data which will assist in balancing the income statement, managing budgets, and preparing financial reports. Role works closely with the Finance Manager and Director of Finance and Administration. Bachelor’s Degree in Finance or related field required.

For full job description see: https://nfcchelp. org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/AccountingSpecialist-02.21.23-1.pdf. To apply, send resume to jrice@nfcchelp.org.

Now Hiring: Office Coordinator

Local commercial real estate company is hiring an Office Coordinator. The role includes coordinating administrative tasks between our property management, leasing and accounting departments. The position requires exceptional communication and organizational skills, knowledge of MS Office, a strong work ethic, internal drive, and a positive attitude. This is an office only (not remote work) position. Please contact us Employment@ mpshoppingcenters.com for more information.

Part-time

Administrative Assistant for Youth and Children

Protestant church in downtown Alpharetta seeks a parttime (15-18 hours per week) Administrative Assistant for Youth & Children’s Ministries. In addition to normal administrative duties the candidate will assist with scheduling, social media, securing supplies, maintaining attendance records, planning events and mission trips.

Qualified candidates are a person of outstanding character who is friendly, organized, able to prioritize, exhibits an understanding of the importance of confidentiality, and is willing and able to work in an environment that is welcoming and inclusive of all people.

A degree from an accredited college or university is preferred. Computer competence within Office 365, editing, and writing skills are required. Experience with REALM is a plus.

Successful completion of a criminal records and child abuse background check is required. Send resumes to alpharettajobopening@gmail.com.

Office Space

Wonderful Office Suite Available

Miscellaneous

Budget Fabrics

Mon-Fri 8-6 • Sat 8-3

770-396-6891

770-396-6824

Used Cars

JAGUAR XK-8 CONVERTIBLE 2002, triple black, with superb lines, garners attention wherever you go! Wife’s garaged beauty, excellent condition! 103,000 miles. Second owner. Clean title. $7750. iaofga@gmail.com, 678-667-0391

Garage Sales

SCAVENGER HUNT still lives!

We’re now in Chamblee; 5352 Peachtree Rd 30341. 404-634-4948

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Handyman

MATTHEW THE HANDYMAN

Carpentry, Painting, Drywall, Plumbing, Electrical and Small Jobs.

404-547-2079

HANDYMAN: LET ME FIX what your contractor didn’t! Or add a new kitchen or bathroom. Insured. 20 years experience. 770-292-0576

Haulers

Bush Hogging, Clearing, Grading, Hauling, Etc.

Many local referencesCall Ralph Rucker 678-898-7237