Widespread events will usher in 2024 ► PAGE 5
D e c e m b e r 2 1 , 2 0 2 3 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 2 7 , N o . 5 1
Superintendent Bearden set to step down in November ’24 By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com
BEARDEN
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Jeff Bearden plans to retire Nov. 1, 2024, after 10 years in the position. Bearden formally
announced his upcoming departure at a Board of Education meeting Dec. 12. He assumed the post Sept. 2, 2014, after serving as superintendent in the Rome City and Fayette County school districts. At the meeting, Bearden recounted his first years as a superintendent in Maine School Administrative District 35 and the Limestone School Department. He also served in other administrative roles, coached varsity
basketball and was a social studies and language arts teacher. Bearden said it has been a wonderful journey from serving 330 students in Maine to Forsyth County Schools, which has more than 55,000 students and has been ranked among the most successful in the state. “I have had several stops along this journey,” Bearden said. “And without question, this has been my absolute
favorite.” The Georgia School Superintendents Association named Bearden a finalist for superintendent of the year from 2019 to 2021. With just less than a year until his planned departure, Bearden said he felt compelled to announce his intention early to allow the district and residents
See BEARDEN, Page 11
Two-part redesign approved for McGinnis Ferry widening By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County has initiated a redesign to split the McGinnis Ferry Road widening into two phases after earlier estimates came in too high to handle. At its Dec. 12 work session, the Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Atlas Technical Consultants to redesign the major infrastructure project for $101,209. The county will now pursue the widening in two sections: one from Douglas Road to Sargent Road in Johns Creek, and another from Douglas back to the Union Hill Road and Ronald Reagan Boulevard intersection in Forsyth County. The County Commission was scheduled to vote on a $79.4 million bid to commence the widening at an Oct. 10 work session, but commissioners rejected all bids because
of the price tag. McGinnis Ferry, a major east-west artery connecting traffic from Cobb and Gwinnett counties to and through Fulton and Forsyth counties, currently sees some 20,000 vehicles daily, 55 percent over its designed capacity. Forsyth County is sharing costs for the project with the Fulton County cities of Johns Creek and Alpharetta and the Georgia Department of Transportation. At the October meeting, Forsyth County Manager David McKee said after lengthy discussions with the GDOT and the two cities, there was no feasible way to cover the costs. Official project cost estimates have varied since the widening was first proposed nearly 10 years ago, from $36 million originally, then climbing to $61.5 million by 2020.
See MCGINNIS, Page 11
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MAP BY DIONNA WILLIAMS/APPEN MEDIA
This map shows the proposed two phases of the McGinnis Ferry Road widening. The Forsyth County Commission approved a contract for the project to be redesigned in two parts at a work session Dec. 12.
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Deputies investigate single-vehicle fatality FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a single-vehicle crash on Windermere Parkway that killed a 28-year-old Cumming woman Dec. 12. Sheriff’s Office officials said the victim was driving southwest on Windermere Parkway near Osterly Way when she failed to navigate a curve. The victim’s vehicle left the roadway and hit a fence and a tree. Officials said the victim was not wearing a seatbelt, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. While the investigation remains ongoing, officials said speed was a contributing factor to the crash.
Man taken for money paid to fake bondsman FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County deputies arrested a 53-yearold Gainesville woman for a traffic violation and for allegedly driving under the influence Dec. 8. Later that day, her husband reported someone posing as a bondsman had scammed him of $359 to pay her bond. Deputies reported the woman was driving across the painted line into a right turn lane on Buford Highway around 12:30 a.m., and they initiated a traffic stop. During the stop, deputies reported observing the woman was impaired, and she was arrested. She was charged with misdemeanor DUI multiple substances and failure to maintain lane.
PUBLIC SAFETY Around 5:30 p.m., the woman’s husband reported a man had called him at 1:30 a.m. and said his wife had been arrested, and he needed to pay $359 to bond her out of jail. The husband said he confirmed his wife’s phone was in the Forsyth County Jail on Life360, so he sent the money to the caller on Venmo, the report states. When he spoke with his wife later, he said he learned her bond had not been paid. After he brought his wife home, he reported he was unable to contact the caller again. No suspects in the theft have been identified.
Deputies charge Buford man for allegedly damaging bike FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County deputies arrested a 33-yearold Buford man Dec. 5 who allegedly damaged another man’s motorcycle in 2022. The victim reported the damage June 21, 2022. He said he moved his motorcycle from its usual parking space after he found it on the deck of a vacant apartment. Deputies reported the ignition switch was severely damaged, and the victim said it would cost some $500 to repair. The motorcycle was valued at $15,000. A suspect was later located and charged with felony theft by taking and criminal damage to property in the second degree. He is being held at the Forsyth County Jail on a $22,260 bond.
Deputies arrest contractor for leaving pool unfinished FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County deputies arrested a 55-year-old Roswell man Dec. 7 who allegedly left a customer’s pool unfinished. The victim reported Aug. 4 he paid the suspect more than $71,950 to
build a swimming pool in May 2022. As of February 2023, he said only a single strip of tile around the inner edge of the pool had been completed, and he was left with an unfinished concrete shell and a partial wall, the report states. The suspect reportedly told the victim by text in April that he was filing for bankruptcy. The suspect said the decline of his business was “rapid and unexpected” and the result of rising costs and canceled contracts, the report states. The victim reported finishing the pool with another company for $70,000. He later received a notice from the suspect’s bankruptcy attorney “along with several other people with similar situations.” The suspect was later arrested and charged with two counts of felony theft by taking.
Writer reports threats over article on China JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A Johns Creek man reported to police Dec. 5 that he had been threatened by someone over an article he wrote about the Chinese government. In the article published a few days before, he told police he described the Chinese government as a communist party and that an unidentified person commented, “I should have [killed] you a long time ago,” translated from Chinese. The man told police he received another threat from his wife’s former student in the morning of Dec. 5. But, the man hesitated to provide contact information for the suspect, according to the incident report. The man said he talked about how he supported the U.S. government and wrote articles against the Chinese government on several websites, the report says, and that he feared for his life due to the threats he had received.
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CLASS 7A GHSA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: MILTON HIGH SCHOOL 31, WALTON HIGH SCHOOL 21
Eagles earn 2nd state title in upset win over Walton By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com ATLANTA — Milton High School Eagles defeated the Walton Raiders in the Class 7A GHSA State Football Championship game Dec. 13 at Mercedes Benz-Stadium. The 31-21 victory marks the second state title for the Eagles, who won against the Colquitt County Packers in 2018. Ranked eighth in the nation, the Raiders were favored. Milton head coach Ben Reaves said everyone also counted his team out because of losses early in the year. But, Reaves, who served as the offensive coordinator during the 2018 championship, said the outcome was a surprise to everyone but his team. The Eagles made
it to the state semi-finals last season, the final four. “We’ve always believed in ourselves,” he said in a hoarse voice the following day. “We always knew that we had a state championship-caliber team.” Reaves said the title shows the tremendous amount of hard work and dedication of Milton’s football team, practicing Monday through Thursday since the last week of July, and from the coaches, from everyone. “... Just to be able to take the physical beating day after day after day, because football is just such a rough sport, and still be standing in mid-December playing your best football … It was good for it to all come to fruition, and for everybody to, quote-onquote, get paid last night,” Reaves said.
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The Milton High School Eagles celebrate their win against the Walton Raiders in the Class 7A GHSA State Championship game Dec. 13 at Mercedes Benz-Stadium.
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Milton Football Coach Ben Reaves praises the end of the Dec. 13 State Championship game.
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Johns Creek Symphony performs holiday children’s concert By ADAM DARBY newsroom@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra performed its fourth annual children’s Christmas concert at Johns Creek United Methodist Church Dec. 16 at 2:30 p.m. The performance featured wellknown holiday tunes including “White Christmas,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “Sleigh Ride” and selections from the “Nutcracker Suite.” Executive Director, Linda Brill, provided an introduction and a preview of the upcoming season before handing the microphone over to Ben Assaf, serving as the concert’s emcee. Kids of all ages were encouraged to come up in front of the stage to dance and sing along with their favorite Christmas songs. “We started these Christmas concerts for kids because our normal Christmas Pops concerts start at 7:30 p.m.…that makes it hard for families to come because a lot of kids are asleep,” Brill said. “I think it’s a great introduction for people. A lot of the time, people
ADAM DARBY/APPEN MEDIA
The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra performs its fourth annual children’s Christmas concert at Johns Creek United Methodist Church Dec. 16. experience things for the first time through their kids…this is a great opportunity to discover classical music through a children’s concert.” Since 2019, the A Kids’ Christmas concert has remained a popular staple for the community.
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After a brief hiatus in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, the concert has been going strong since its return the following year. Brill, who has served as executive director since 2017, initially became involved with the orchestra in 2014 as a clarinetist. She has noticed a significant growth in audience numbers over the years. “We’ve had a significant growth in audience every year. This is the fourth year we’ve done it…and people have been very receptive to this,” Brill said. “We really encourage people to come and be themselves and enjoy the program without the typical concert etiquette that may turn off a lot of people.” Maestro and Music Director J. Wayne Boughman passed away in November before finishing his final season with the organization. The symphony orchestra has worked hard to celebrate his legacy and brought on seasoned conductor John Morrison to take over for the holiday performances. “Maestro Boughman really created a very beautiful concert for kids. We are happy that he did that and we’re just trying to honor his concept,” Brill said. The interactive concert also provided sensory-friendly options for those with special needs including a “chill out zone” for those feeling overstimulated and a dance zone for those with difficulty sitting still. It also featured images in the program representing each song for those communicating nonverbally. Children excitedly danced and
Anything that we can do to make the holidays brighter for people is really important for us.” LINDA BRILL Executive Director sang along to the familiar tunes before enjoying Assaf’s reading of ‘”Twas the Night Before Christmas,” an army of dancing toy soldiers joining in on the performance of “March of the Toys” from “Babes in Toyland,” and a special appearance by Santa Claus himself to provide everyone with a dose of holiday cheer. Children were offered an opportunity to have photos with Santa after the concert. “We wanted to have a concert that everybody could come to and that you could bring your young child, parent or grandparent, or anyone with special needs,” Brill said. “Anything that we can do to make the holidays brighter for people is really important for us…We want to be a resource for everybody in our community, not just the people who love Beethoven. We want to play music that engages all types of people.” For more information about the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra and their upcoming season, visit JohnsCreekSymphony.org.
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Celebrations abound to ring in 2024 BY ADAM DARBY newsroom@appenmedia.com As 2023 comes to a close, Metro Atlanta cities are ringing in the new year with local festivities. Parents can expect to end their children’s holiday break with a final New Year’s celebration before they return to the classroom. And for the parents and adults looking for a night of their own, there are plenty of adult-oriented celebrations for the big night. Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell, Johns Creek, Cumming, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs are holding celebratory events to kick off 2024. Here are some New Year’s celebrations scheduled throughout the area to mark the final days of 2023. Cumming Forsyth residents hoping to kick off the new year with some live music can check out Rockin’ Around on New Year’s Eve at Music Authority on Merchants Square on Dec. 31 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are only $10 and can be purchased at www.MusicAuthorityInc. com. For those hoping to start their new year’s fitness goals early, Five Star NTP is holding a Half Marathon & 5K Run at North Forsyth Middle School on Jan. 1. The half marathon starts at 8:50 a.m. while those running in the 5K begin at 9 a.m. Admission is $24 with T-shirts available for purchase. The first 250 runners will receive a special Finisher Medal to wear at the finish line. Learn more at www.FiveStarNTP.com. Alpharetta Residents have several local options to fill their day on Dec. 31. From 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Hotel Avalon is hosting Noon Year’s Eve where all ages can enjoy live music, children’s activities, and a countdown to noon with a giant balloon drop welcoming the new year. Tickets are required for admission.
For something a little later in the day, Fogón and Lions is presenting their second annual New Year’s Eve Celebration from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. with live music from Arena Sound, a spirited Latin band, an open bar, a late-night DJ, and a Latin-American holidaythemed buffet curated by Chef Julio and his culinary team. Located on Roswell Street, don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes to dance the year away. For more information on these events and other local New Year’s happenings, visit www.AwesomeAlpharetta.com. Milton While the city has no formal events on the calendar, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails on Mayfield Road is hosting their New Year’s Eve celebration from 5 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 31. Guests can expect to pop the champagne while enjoying executive chef Dean Wenzel’s specially curated three-course prix fixe menu for $85 per person. Don’t miss out on their exclusive New Year’s menu. To make a reservation or view the menu in its entirety, visit www.MiltonsCuisine.com. Roswell Several of Roswell’s best bars and restaurants are hosting fun New Year’s events. For those craving some live music, From the Earth Brewing Company on Holcomb Bridge Road is hosting a live concert on Dec. 31 at 9:30 p.m. featuring the popular local band, the 31’s. Throughout the night, guests will enjoy specially curated NYE-themed food and drinks. Meanwhile, Rock ‘N’ Taco is hosting a New Year’s party of their own at the same time on Canton Street. Once midnight strikes, everyone can raise their glass and keep the party going with live music and a variety of specialty drinks and cocktails. For more information on these events and other nearby New Year’s celebrations, visit www.Roswell365.com. Johns Creek
For parents wanting a date night out, Kidcreate Studio on Old Alabama Road is hosting a Date Night New Year’s Eve party on Dec. 30 at 5:30 p.m. For $28 per child, the studio will watch over your young artist and help them create noisemakers, party poppers, and New Year’s Eve hats while you and your special someone go out to a special celebration of your own. Visit www. KidCreate.com for more information. On New Year’s Eve, Oly’s Tavern on Jones Bridge Road is hosting a New Year’s performance of their own with local band, Reckless. Live music, food, and drinks are always a fun way to ring in the new year. Visit www.OlysTavern.com for more information. Dunwoody Night owls can kick off 2024 like it’s 1924 with the Party Like It’s 1920 party on New Year’s Eve at the Brass Tap on Ashford Dunwoody Road from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Come wearing your best 1920s attire and enjoy a free champagne toast when the clock strikes midnight. A live DJ will supply the music while those dressed their best can win a cash prize. Don’t forget to take some fun photos at the photo booth.
For parents wanting to take one last look at the holiday lights with their kids before ringing in the new year, Brook Run Park on North Peachtree Road is keeping up their holiday lights display through New Year’s Eve before the ball drops. Families can enjoy the free, self-guided walk through 85,000 beautiful lights. Learn more about these free events at www.DiscoverDunwoody.com. Sandy Springs Enjoy classical music favorites with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. at Byers Theatre on Galambos Way. The concert program includes the Waltz from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Mendelssohn's Nocturne from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Rossini's Overture from La Gazza Ladra, Offenbach's Can-Can, Strauss waltzes, and more. For those hoping to dance afterwards, check out the Ring in the New Afterparty nearby at the Studio Theatre. Be ready to enjoy DJ Newk playing all your dancing favorites, a buffet of light bites, coffee and desserts, and a glass of sparkling beverage to toast the new year at midnight. Ticket prices for both events vary and can be purchased at www. SandySpringsGA.gov.
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The Chattahoochee Inventeam, a group of Chattahoochee High School students, works to solve methane leakage from gas stoves through the Lemelson-MIT program. The grant helps fund high schoolers’ efforts to invent technological solutions to real-word problems.
High school students awarded MIT grant By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — About a dozen students from Chattahoochee High School are working to reduce harmful leakage from gas stoves, using a grant awarded to only eight schools in the country. The students, members of the Chattahoochee InvenTeam, received $4,500 through the Lemelson-MIT program — a yearly research initiative out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology geared toward high schoolers to invent technological solutions to real-world problems of their choosing. The Chattahoochee InvenTeam is composed of mostly 11th graders. Lin Lee, their sponsor and the school’s media specialist, has each student play a specific role. Some work to get the word out as part of a communications team, some are figuring out how to finance any funding gaps, and some are more hands-on in building the project with technical skills or through sustainability research. Sophie Lin, the administrative student lead, said the decision to study methane leakage came after a long brainstorming process. After Riley Jocham, a student on the technical team, found an article from Stanford that described methane emissions, even with gas stoves turned off, Lin said the group jumped on board. Because the project is unaffiliated
Chattahoochee Inventeam Lin Lee - Sponsor and media specialist at Chattahoochee High School Sophie Lin - Administrative student lead Keefer Lin - Technical lead Riley Jocham - Technical team Shiven Gupta - Technical team Srinidhi Chebrolu - Sustainability lead David Xibille - Sustainability team Paola Leal - Financial lead Sophia Knudsen - Financial team Moukthika Rajala - Communications lead Kennedy Bailey - Communications team Kristen Lee - Communications team with Chattahoochee High School, Lin was responsible for recruitment. Students must find the time to work on the project outside of the school hours and other extracurriculars. Keefer Lin, the technical lead, said he spends as many as three hours a day thinking about how to move the project forward. In addition to methane, Lin said the group’s problem statement looks to nitrogen dioxide as a harmful household gas. He said both are shown to increase the risk of cancer and cause damage to the environment. Srinidhi Chebrolu, the sustainability team lead, added that breathing in nitrogen dioxide can exacerbate preexisting respiratory issues or increase the risk of developing those issues in the future.
See GRANT, Page 12
It’s about community building. It’s about bringing people together. ANDREW PHILLIPS, Owner of Level Up Games 8 | Forsyth Herald | December 21, 2023
Business builds community across the board Level Up Games grows through table-top play
games began transitioning from Europe. He said board games are a huge deal over there, where supermarkets and shopping markets often use dramatic board game displays and sales to attract shoppers. “The industry is great,” Phillips said. “It’s full of a lot of creative people. There’s a lot of artistic people. There’s a lot of people with great imagination. Obviously, Dungeons and Dragons paved the way for all of this originally, and it kind of all bled into each other.” The best thing about gaming, he said, is that there’s a genre for everyone. It’s not all fantasy. “If you’re into horror, there’s tons of that stuff. If you’re into film noir, there’s tons of stuff for that,” Phillips said.
By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — From competitive players to the more casual dabblers, Level Up Games is the place to find community in table-top gaming. Keenan Crotty, manager of the Johns Creek location, says about 50 people have become regulars since the store’s opening in February. They attend weekly events for a variety of games found in the store’s well-balanced stock, including your traditional board game, trading card games, role playing games aka RPGs, and miniatures. Crotty was planning for a weekly event dedicated to “Flesh and Blood,” which he described as a video game turned trading card game. That early afternoon was slow, save for a first-time visitor from Roswell who had been looking for a decade to play a physical game of BattleTech, a science-fiction tactical wargame. Level Up is much busier in the evening, Crotty said, when the business’ primary demographic leaves work and needs respite. “That’s why we host events and things because we want people to have that third place to go hang out and do their hobby,” Crotty said. Community focus The Roswell visitor pulled up a chair to one of the tables in the back, as if he’d been going there for years, taking to the cozy, welcoming environment. Crotty told him he had a couple BattleTech guys, including one cop in the area, and connected
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
Keenan Crotty, manager of Level Up Games in Johns Creek, stands at his desk in front of a collection of trading cards. Owner Andrew Phillips also has two more locations in Duluth, the largest store of its kind in Georgia at 12,000 square feet, and in Athens. the customer to the store’s Discord server. About 3,500 people have joined the business’ Discord, used across all three locations — Johns Creek and Athens as well as the 12,000-square-foot store in Duluth, the first to open and the biggest of its kind in Georgia. Crotty said there are dozens of channels for specific games, allowing you to get advice, make a game and build groups. Andrew Phillips, owner of Level Up, had been in the gaming industry for two decades on the distributor side before opening the Duluth location in 2019. He took over the space from longtime
Atlanta gaming institution Titans Games & Comics — Phillips gave it a new name with a new culture and had to ditch comics at the tail-end of 2020 due COVID-19’s hit to the industry, to focus on table-top games. “It’s a true passion type thing,” Phillips said. “Nobody ever, unfortunately, gets wealthy doing this, but we enjoy it. It’s about community building. It’s about bringing people together.” Phillips grew up on traditional board games, and he eventually found himself at the center of “geek culture” that rose in the mid-’90s, the same time when board
Game experts Crotty, who helped open the Johns Creek location, started at the Duluth store last May after moving from Indiana. Like Phillips, Crotty began his gaming journey at a young age with traditional board games, playing with his highly competitive family — he said his dad once accused him of cheating in a game of Risk, and they didn’t talk for a few days. But, Crotty mostly played with his brother who eventually showed him Dungeons and Dragons, diving into his D&D books as a freshman in high school. He began creating his own campaigns, versus premade adventures, and roped his friends into weekly campaigns that lasted through college. Crotty described a significant number of games with intermittent history lessons and up-to-date controversy, like pushback on Wizard of the Coast’s restrictive licensing on D&D content creators — which
See BOARD, Page 9
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NEW BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
PHOTOS BY AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
During weekly gaming events, participants use several tables situated at the back of the store.
Board: Continued from Page 8 changed the popularity of the game at Level Up, though it still hosts D&D groups every week. He said “Magic: The Gathering” remains the most popular at Level Up, a trading card game that started in the ’90s, though it’s being rivaled by “Disney Lorcana.” “[Magic: The Gathering has] gotten to the point where people who started playing it when they were teenagers are now parents, and they can teach it to their kids, so their kids are getting into it,” Crotty said. He also said the game is updated with new sets every month, it’s highly competitive with complexity and modularity, but it’s also easy to learn. Next in popularity at Level Up are board games, then come RPGs like D&D, often serving as a gateway, and miniatures. When he started working at the shop, he became more interested in miniature games, not the well-known “Warhammer” though, but the Star Wars and Marvel versions of it. “I am a bad hobbyist, because there are a lot of people who get into miniature games, like it for the building and the painting. In fact, some of them never even play the game. They just like the modeling part,” Crotty said. “I like the game.” Games for everyone Sometimes, Level Up offers demos often led by “paragons,” or volunteers Crotty chooses who have solid teaching and people skills. Demos could be of games that are popular at the time, a game that the store has a large amount of or simply a game the paragon is interested in. The week before, the store demoed “Queen by Midnight,” a deck-building card game. Others have been what Crotty called “perennial classics” like “Azul,” an easy-to-play game where the objective is to create point-scoring patterns using colored
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At Level Up Games in Johns Creek, there’s an even-balanced stock of boardgames, role playing games aka RPGs, trading cards and miniatures. Spanish, Moorish-era tiles that look like Starburst. Crotty said one popular demo is “Wingspan,” a resource-management game where players collect things and accumulate them in such a way to get the most victory points. He said it’s “the bird game where you do bird things,” and includes the scientific Latin names of birds. Crotty listed several games which have an explicit educational aspect like “Darwin’s Journey” and “Hegemony,” another resource-management game made in collaboration with professors of political science and economics. In “Hegemony,” he said players choose to be either the working class, the capitalist class or the state, and try to achieve specific goals. When asked if all presidents should be required to play “Hegemony,” Crotty said the game veers towards certain sociopolitical ideals that might be uncomfortable for some people. “A lot of games, like Monopoly, you’re just playing, like, ‘My Little Capitalist,’ but some games are doing other things,” he said.
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McGinnis: Continued from Page 1
SCREENSHOT
The Forsyth County Board of Education recognizes the North Forsyth High School competition cheer team at a meeting Dec. 12. The team won first place in the 6A standings at the 2023 Georgia High School Association Competition Cheerleading State Championship.
Bearden: Continued from Page 1 to transition. Schools Chief Communications Officer Jennifer Caracciolo said the School Board will likely announce new information about candidates for the next superintendent at meetings in early 2024. Also at the Dec. 12 meeting, the School Board recognized the Lambert High School international genetically engineered machine (iGEM) team for winning a gold medal and placing among
the top 10 high schools at the 2023 iGEM Grand Jamboree in Paris. The team’s project, “CADlock: Improvement Upon an Early Screening Tool for Coronary Artery Disease,” explored the diagnosis of coronary artery disease through microRNA. This year marked the team’s second recognition by the Board of Education for its success in international competitions. Board members also honored the North Forsyth High School competition cheer team for winning first place in the 6A standings at the 2023 Georgia High School Association Competition Cheerleading State Championship.
The two North Fulton cities each agreed to commit $8.9 million to the widening in 2020, with Forsyth County pitching in $23 million. Johns Creek later indicated it would contribute an additional $3 million from TSPLOST II funds. With a $10 million offer from GDOT, the 2020 agreement priced the project at $50.8 million. But, with the lowest bid at $79 million three years later, the county hit pause to pursue the more feasible option of two parts. Once the redesign is completed, the county can approve either section to be widened first. The Board of Commissioners will vote on the new cost estimates at future meetings. In an email to Appen Media, Alpharetta Assistant City Administrator James Drinkard said the city has not changed its position or commitment to the McGinnis Ferry widening. “We look forward to receiving additional information from the redesign effort and will likely pause discussion of the project until that effort is completed,” Drinkard said. Also at the Dec. 12 meeting, the County Commission approved a $20,000 increase to the County Division of Family and Children Services’ annual funding.
In March, the commissioners approved $140,000 as the department’s maximum annual funding, with up to $80,000 to be used to supplement salaries for full-time employees. The new agreement raises the DFCS budget to $160,000 and the employee supplement to $125,000. “A year ago, we were in a very dire situation with our staffing at DFCS,” Forsyth County DFCS Board Chair Sarah Pedarre said. She said the department was operating with a skeleton crew, but the supplement funding approved by the County Commission enabled DFCS to attract more experienced staff. The funding also allowed the department to enter a pilot program with Benchmark that facilitated in-home mental health services for clients. “And only three counties in the State of Georgia got that,” she said. “So, it’s showing that it is working, and it is a wonderful benefit for our community, but we did miss the forecasting of how much it was going to be.” Division Director Cara Bowen said DFCS is currently open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but with new staff onboarding in the next two to three weeks, the department will be back to regular business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The County Commission will formalize the two action items at an upcoming regular meeting.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
12 | December 21, 2023 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth
Artists celebrate 20th anniversary of Roswell’s Works in Clay Show By LUKE GARDNER newsroom@appenmedia.com ROSWELL, Ga. — The 20th Anniversary Works in Clay Show is being held at Art Center West through Saturday, Dec. 9, and features works from around 50 local artists. Opening night kicked off Nov. 30, with hundreds of people on hand to celebrate the week-long tradition. Visitors were greeted by an intimate band outside before heading in the center to enjoy free food and wine while viewing thousands of artworks displayed in a museum-style showcase. “I didn’t know how big the event was,” visitor Sommer Sparrow said. “I love experiencing the creativity; It’s nothing you can find in a store.” Artworks included cups, bowls, mugs, candle holders, flower pots, sculptures, ornaments, abstract pottery and jewelry. A few booths featured knives, axes and metalwork made by blacksmiths at Art Center West. “It’s been a fabulous night,” artist Jennifer Squires said. “You wouldn’t believe the crowd; it has been over the top, crazy busy. I’m working as a docent and pieces are flying out of here.” Every featured pottery artist belongs to the Roswell Clay Collective, a group of local creatives formed in 1991. “We started in a couple of rooms,” said Art Center West Coordinator AJ Argentina. “Now, we spread to the point of being maxed out, packing in as tight as we can in a 5,000-square-foot space. The show has diversified and there has been a surge of new interest.” Argentina began as a resident artist 19 years ago and has gone on to showcase work in 39 various shows, including this year’s Works in Clay. His work featured a few functional glasses but mostly included black, grey and cream-colored sculptures comprised of swirling, geometric patterns. “I love supporting independent artists,” said shopper Ellen Dierkes. “All the artists did such a good job. I bought some beautiful, unique pieces.” Squires, who has been creating pottery for almost eight years, also
Grant: Continued from Page 7 “Most of the team, if not all of the team, owns a gas stove at home, and we use it every day,” Chebrolu said. “So, we’ve been breathing these gases in for a really long time.” Lin said the group has considered creating a mesh that traps the gas,
displayed her work at the event. Her table featured several pieces from her shop, Haven Made Ceramics, including bowls and mugs in every size. Color palettes ranged from more understated earth tones to pieces with bright hues of red, green and blue. “I get so lost in the art of throwing,” Squires said. “It moves with you as you learn how to do it. The rest of the world goes away. There is so much gratitude in creating something from dirt.” In a separate room, artist Kathy
King stood next to her booth proudly displaying ornaments, serving dishes and decor incorporating natural elements like birds and flowers in shades of blue and green. In her 19-year journey with the collective, King has been at almost every Works in Clay event and has transformed from beginner to teacher. “I started doing pottery after a break of 29 years,” King said. “I bought a pottery wheel my senior year, put it away, and started over again 30 years later. Now, I love teaching [and] creating
any kind of form out of that lump of clay. [At these events,] I enjoy seeing older clients and it’s fun to meet new people.” Patrons also enjoyed meeting local artists. “I like seeing stuff people create with their own hands and hearing the artists talking about their work,” Aleah Irvin said. Artist Jim Neal has been creating work with the Roswell Clay Collective for around 30 years. His booth showcased mugs, vases, bowls, lamps, and several larger otherworldly sculptures. Incorporating ancient imagery of dragons and skulls, Neal enjoys playing on the edge of reality and paying homage to spiritual experiences with his art. For Neal, the creative process is one of discovery, often finding shapes and inspiration along the way. He pointed to an ethereal winged-skull creature and proclaimed “This started out as a tail [for something else]. “You sit down and take a piece of clay, put it on the wheel and start throwing it’” Neal said. “Then, your mind goes ‘That could be a dragon or a cat,’ and you go from there. You make a potato shape and start sticking on eyes and arms, and suddenly you’ve got a face with a crown.” In a room across the building, Neal excitedly displayed sculptures made at local children’s art festivals. The eclectic pieces started with Neal crafting the base and children making smaller ornamental pieces to adorn it with. The final products are a unique collection of five avant-garde pieces, complete with eyes, seashells, dragon skulls, and creatures beyond human comprehension. “I’ve been to just about all of the Works in Clay events,” Neal said. “It’s wonderful; we always have great opening nights. You get to know so many different people and get to watch them grow in their artwork. It’s been really rewarding.” The show runs from 3-8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4 through Thursday, Dec. 7, and from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8. The show runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9. For more information, visit roswellclaycollective.com.
but the “conundrum” they face is that the mechanism wouldn’t work in household conditions. “Before we actually create a product, it’s all theory,” Lin said. He noted several factors to consider in the inventing process, like the sustainability of the device and its accessibility and cost to homeowners. Eventually, the group will conduct patent research. Lee, the group’s sponsor, said the
target problem is still “uncharted territory” because it’s more of a recent problem, with gas stoves becoming the go-to installation post-2000. For the past five years, Lee said students from Chattahoochee High School have been interested in applying what they learn through the Lemelson-MIT program. Last year, she said students tried to resolve sewer problems in Johns Creek. But, Lee said this is the
second time that students from Chattahoochee High School made it to the final round of applications. “What’s missing from education these days … are they really given the chance to apply what they learn and … connect everything they learn, and really use it with a real-life connection?” Lee said. In June, the group will fly out to MIT and present the project during Lemelson-MIT’s EurekaFest.
PHOTOS BY LUKE GARDNER/APPEN MEDIA
Artist Kathy King chats with customers about her creations.
Jim Neal explains the meanings and processes behind his diverse set of artwork.
AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | December 21, 2023 | 13
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14 | December 21, 2023 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth
Highlighting Positive Stories This season, we’re joining in the holiday festivities by celebrating positive stories from the community. The news often feels overwhelming and negative. But there’s so much good news out there too. For every story of conflict, there is a story of joy — and we’re out to find them and share them with you. We make good news a priority by attending community events, where we hear stories of people making a difference in our community. They’re a spot of joy in an oft-hopeless news cycle. Hard news and analysis is so important — but so are stories that make us smile, laugh or show the possibilities of change and impact you can create in the world. If you value this kind of story too, consider becoming a supporter today. Your contribution means we can keep shining a light on positive news stories in the year to come.
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NEWS
Connections keep coming for those who seek them Connections and circles keep on coming when you least expect it. If you put yourself out there, I think it is almost a given that every day can bring something or someone new – if you look. As I age, I slowly RAY APPEN – much more slowly Publisher Emeritus than most – begin ray@appenmedia.com to learn more. For example, my default as an almost 70-year-old guy is to stick pretty close to myself. I have a miniscule circle of friends and I rarely go out or socialize in any way, and I am OK with that. I read. I write. I read more. And I try to spend as much time at the beach – reading, writing, and sometimes running – as I can. Oh, almost forgot, I also work on my tennis (against a backboard usually) and spend time with my kids and grandchildren. All that is fine, except I have repeatedly found in my reading that there appears to be a high correlation between dementia and socialization. That is, it is suggested that the more social one is – the more engagement and interaction a person has – the less likely it is to get dementia. Crap. Not good. I also have read that perhaps the variable most tied to dementia is hearing loss. That is, if you want to try to postpone or prevent dementia and you are losing
your hearing, get those hearing aids now! So, I do have the hearing aids, but I am not sure where they are at the moment. But when I know where they are, I definitely wear them. Hmmmm. But this is not a column about dementia. It is one about connection. So, after about 10 years on the West Coast – including several years in Berlin – my daughter Amelia recently moved home from Oakland, Calif., to a “holler” – 5 acres with a large stream down a number of gravel roads deep in the woods in Ellijay. She and her two dogs – a husky and a mastiff – see bears, turkey and assorted other wildlife almost daily on their morning walk. Previously she was a dancer – a ballerina with a degree in dance from the University of Oklahoma. Now, she studies soil up there in Ellijay. She is close to completing a multi-year online program on soil. She has always wanted to save the world. She used to pack sandwiches for the homeless people she would encounter on the subway or bus. She tried to create a program for refugees in Oakland. Now she wants to save the world from Round-Up and the other pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers that are killing us and our food supply. “Compost” is a big part of what she wants to do. It is a major component of her program. Usually, most people think of compost as something that takes place of many months as organic matter breaks
down and finally turns into soil. Amelia now is able to create compost from scratch in about 20 days. The process is fascinating. Who knew?! To make her compost, she uses wood chips as one of the core ingredients. She has had a difficult time sourcing them, so I told her I knew someone in Norcross who was in the mulch business and might be able to supply her with the wood chips. Bob Delbridge used to advertise with us off and on since 1990, but I had not had contact with him in years. I wasn’t sure if he was still in the mulch business, so I called him. He answered. Yes, he is still in the business. “Sure Ray, just come over and I’ll load up your truck. How have you been?” Bob and I greeted each other as if it was yesterday that we had last visited instead of a decade or more. We are both entrepreneurs and used to compare notes on marketing, advertising, sales and such. We think a lot alike. I shared with him that for the past several years all I had read about was related to trees, soil and fungal networks – and that the stimulus for that came from having read a book called “The Overstory,” a Pulitzer Prize work by Richard Powers. “It’s about the eco-wars back in the ’60s and ’70s on the West Coast,“ I told him. One of the main characters I told Bob was based on the life of a real person named Julia “Butterfly” Hill, a young environmental activist who lived on a platform in the top of a 1,000-year-old,
200-foot Redwood for a little over two years to protect it from being cut by the Pacific Logging Company. She named her tree “Luna.” “She is my hero” I told Bob. He looked at me puzzled, with wide eyes. “Luna…my daughter Jamie was a tree sitter too back then,” he said, “and I think she is friends with Julia Hill. I remember her talking with me about Luna and Julia.” I was speechless. We started talking about our daughters and discovering parallel lives. Jamie lived in Oklahoma, too. For over 10 years, Jamie was an organic farmer in Norman, struggling to make a living producing healthy food, just like Amelia. After 10 years, she too moved back “home” to Dahlonega where she went back to school to be a nurse. “Her heart is still in farming and organics though,” he shared with me. “She still wants me to let her take over my mulch and compost company.” Amelia and Jamie are planning to meet up as soon as they can. They will share dreams. They will connect. They already have. They will complete something that was waiting to finish I believe. Bob and I will stay connected too I am sure – now more than ever. He would love to figure out how to scale up his compost production. Maybe Amelia can help. Who knows? The circle will be completed one way or another.
You can make yourself a gift during the season of giving I’ve come to the conclusion that the diverse make up of our little slice of heaven we call North Georgia provides comic relief for others who don’t have enough sense to be Southern. When out and MIKE TASOS about, I enjoy Columnist listening to others offer (sometimes nonsensical) observations and opinions. It’s remarkable what people say and ask. For instance, I had to bite my tongue when a shopper, in a heavy accent, told the checker: “I remember when these groceries would have cost a dollar.” Whoa there, my Indian friend. A dollar? I know there are lots of elephants in India and they supposedly have great memories. But your mind must’ve failed you, and you’re probably a few spoonful’s short of a full bowl of curry. Well, that’s what I wanted to tell him. Instead, I just smiled and handed over $100 for bread, milk, cheese and mints. I didn’t
get much change back either. It appears that everyone is affected with a Montezuma-like case of the “scurries,” moving around at a breakneck pace to get that must-have gift that makes experiencing this season with heartburn instead of heartfelt joy and a grin. I try to be helpful to my family when asked the “What do you want” question. I don’t want to snarl or do a Chevy Chase and tell them “I’d like Frank Shirley” here wrapped in a bow.” First, I don’t wish any misfortune on Frank Shirley. Hell, I don’t even know a Frank Shirley. But I do know some people who I wouldn’t mind seeing trussed up and receive a boot in the britches. Adding to the reality that this will never happen is the sad fact that I don’t have a Cousin Eddie to go all Morten Anderson on a tormentor’s backside. A former staple of a dad’s gift list was a cool necktie. Bah humbug! For years, I railed that a tie is the single most useless piece of clothing ever invented. I warned others having a margarita to not get too close to the blender. It could be a macabre scene right
out of a Tim Dorsey novel. Sadly, Dorsey, another in a diminishing list of Florida novelists, died recently. Forego a necktie and give a Dorsey novel to someone who is a bit off beat and likes to laugh. The late Papa Kenny Cagle was a devoted fan, and two of his most prized possessions were the two autographed Dorsey novels I presented him. Sometimes, it’s those little things that mean the most. My Christmas list is diminutive and, from my perch, fairly reasonable. I’d like to have continued good health reports after every “poke me/prod me” encounter. I’ve got some fantastic doctors, and I’ll do my best to have them continue with our team winning streak. I’m asking The Big Guy, the One who controls the weather, to deliver some sunny days and mild temperatures on days I have Black Beauty (that’s my Harley Road Glide 3 trike) rides planned for myself and a posse. I’d just as soon not pack the rain gear. I want to relax, kick work in the keester and enjoy friends and family. I don’t want any “hustle.” I’m not sure what “bustle” is, except it appears to go with the unwanted
“hustle.” I’d like a good long snow that paints a gorgeous painting outside, a good warm fire inside and a good long nap or two. I’d like to hang on to all my good memories and vanquish the bad ones. At 68, it’s a part of life that obituaries are a part of life. I always think: “Just leave me out this.” The emails you send are a gift beyond compare, even the one from the reader who thinks I should be fired and banished to live in Philadelphia. Finally, I’m asking you to be aware. There will be opportunities to make someone smile and make you be a hero. I’m asking you to pay it forward when you can. I can’t stand the thought of a child’s sadness, especially, this time of the year. Seize any opportunity you can to give a gift and to be a gift. Just no neckties. 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.
AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | December 21, 2023 | 17
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18 | December 21, 2023 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth
OPINION
PAST TENSE
Society pages of the past give glimpse into daily life
VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Columnist
In the late part of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, newspaper society pages printed news of engagements and marriages, but they also printed news of birthday parties, family visits, illness and trips to the
hospital. “Miss Willie Gentry is visiting Chamblee,” is reported in the Sunday, Aug. 5, 1899, Atlanta Journal. There are no additional details, but as a reader of the 1899 Atlanta Journal, you might have been interested in this information. The front page of this issue of the Journal reports that Taft may run for president in the next election. In 1905, various Christmas events in the areas surrounding Atlanta are reported in the “Society News and Gossip of Atlanta’s Sister Cities” column of Jan. 1,1905. Under the heading of Dunwoody, a Christmas tree placed at the Methodist church is announced. Presents were put on the tree by Mr.
Ambrey Carpenter, who played the role of Santa Claus. These announcements always included the individuals’ prefix or title, so I have included those in this article. At Sandy Springs Methodist Church, a Christmas tree was put up the previous Thursday and the members of Providence Church near Dunwoody placed a tree the previous Tuesday. Doraville’s social news includes the fact that Miss Susie Chesnut of Due West, South Carolina, is home for the holidays. Belle Grant is spending the holidays with her family before returning to Industrial College in Milledgeville. Mrs. Cora Elliott is spending time with her father, Mr. J. W. F. Tilly before she returns to Commerce, Georgia. In the Society section of the Dec. 8, 1932, Atlanta Constitution, there are engagement, wedding, luncheon, club meeting and party announcements. Under a heading titled “Brookhaven News of Interest,” the reader discovers that the Rev. and Mrs. T. W. Jones and their children of Chamblee were guests of Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Smith on Oglethorpe Avenue. Also, the ladies
FAMILY/PROVIDED
From left, Carolyn Anderson holding Spot, with sister Jane Anderson around 1937. The society pages announced Carolyn’s visit to Chamblee in 1936. of the Methodist church met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Belter on Thornwell Drive “in complement of their new pastor,” the Rev. L. Van Landingham. After Christmas, on Jan. 3, 1932, “Brookhaven News of Interest” announced that Mr. and Mrs. Oscar L. Cowan of Doraville spent Christmas
Day with Mr. and Mrs. Nesbit Cowan on University Drive. Nesbit Cowan was the son of Oscar Cowan, who ran a gristmill near the Doraville train depot. The column also announced the meeting of the Baptist Church Sunday School class at the home of Mrs. W. J. Wehunt on Fernwood Drive. The Wehunts owned a store in Brookhaven. On Feb. 13, 1936, the Atlanta Constitution stated that Miss Ruth Dilbeck of Roswell spent the weekend with her Aunt Beatrice Dobbins. Miss Carolyn Anderson of Dunwoody spent the week in Chamblee visiting Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Anderson and Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Anderson. Misses Louise and Lula Adams of Doraville were weekend guests of Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Adams and family. These announcements, which may seem trivial, give a view of the daily life of people who once lived in our communities. Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.
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AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | December 21, 2023 | 19
Dunwoody Crier 12/21/23 Crossword Across
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20 | December 21, 2023 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth
GARDEN BUZZ
OPINION
’Tis the season for mistletoe, holly and other holiday plants kiss underneath a sprig. The Celtic druids supposedly considered the mistletoe plant sacred and hung it above doorways for luck and to ward off evil spirits. In reality, mistletoe is an evergreen that grows high on tree branches and not in a good way. Mistletoe is a semi-parasite. Its roots penetrate the tree’s wood and suck water and nutrients from the host tree. Heavy mistletoe growths can harm or even eventually kill a tree. Oak mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum) is Georgia’s most common mistletoe species, although it can grow on other tree species. The berries are toxic to humans.
Oh, by gosh, by golly It’s time for mistletoe and holly. .. There are songs we associate with Christmas, and there are also the PAM RENTZ plants. Guest Columnist “It’s time for mistletoe and holly . . .” or “I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus, underneath the mistletoe last night...” or “Have a holly jolly Christmas, It’s the best time of the year, I don’t know if there’ll be snow, but have a cup of cheer...” are a few that come to mind. Those of us who’ve lived in Atlanta for a while are probably not dreaming of a White Christmas (because the chances of having one here are minimal), yet we still enjoy the image along with plants linked with the holidays. So, as you sit back with your cup of cheer, here are a few good-to-know tips for your holiday plants. Hollies Hollies have a long tradition of being part of winter festivities that dates back thousands of years to the Druids, who believed the holly’s evergreen nature made it sacred. The clippings make great holiday arrangements and wreaths, and the holly trees themselves are an excellent landscaping choice. Hollies are typically lowmaintenance trees and shrubs that perform year-round in the landscape, not only during the holidays. They tolerate well-draining, slightly acidic soil and full sun to partial shade. They’re (mostly) deer resistant. Holly plants are also primarily either male or female, which means the female plants produce the berries and depend upon the male plants for pollination. American holly (Ilex opaca) is
UGA EXTENSION/PROVIDED
Top left: American holly/Ilex opaca (PHOTO BY GARY WADE) Top right: Although mistletoe is generally associated with winter holidays, this parasitic plant grows year-round and can kill trees. Bottom: A variety of poinsettias. a native broadleaf evergreen tree that produces bright red berries throughout the winter that are eaten by cedar waxwings, cardinals, and other birds. Remember, these berries are considered toxic to humans and pets. Mistletoe One of the most famous holiday traditions may be kissing under the mistletoe. You’ll come across mistletoe hanging in doorways at many gatherings. Harry Potter even shared a
Poinsettia I don’t know of any good poinsettia songs, but it is an iconic plant we associate with the holidays. When November comes around, grocery stores and big box stores are flooded with these beautiful subtropical plants. Poinsettias can last for months if you provide bright, indirect light and don’t allow the plant to dry out. However, overwatering can damage the plant. Check plants daily and when the soil is nearly dry to the touch, water enough that water drains from the bottom of the pot. Happy Holidays and Happy Gardening! North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public in the areas of horticulture and ecology in order to promote and foster community enrichment. Master Gardener Volunteers are trained and certified by The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Learn more at nfmg.net. Previous Garden Buzz columns are featured at https://appenmedia.com/ opinion/columnists/garden_buzz/.
About the author This week’s guest Master Gardener “Garden Buzz” columnist is Roswell resident Pam Rentz. Pam has been a North Fulton Master Gardener since 2010. Along with a background in marketing communications for tech companies, she has a longtime passion for plants and our planet.
Learn more • Care of Holiday and Gift Plants, https:// extension.uga.edu/publications/detail. html?number=C951&title=care-of-holidayand-gift-plants • Holiday Plant Care, https:// site.extension.uga.edu/fanningilmer/2021/12/holiday-plant-care, https://site.extension.uga.edu/lincoln/ holiday-plant-care/ • Poinsettias can thrive for years if properly cared for, https://newswire. caes.uga.edu/story/5669/poinsettiacare.html • Confusion about the Christmas CactusThey aren’t from the desert, https://site. extension.uga.edu/cherokee/2015/12/ confusion-about-the-christmas-cactus-theyarent-from-the-desert/ • Keep your holiday gift plants beautiful all year, https://site.extension.uga.edu/ colquitthomeowners/2021/12/keep-yourholiday-gift-plants-beautiful-all-year-2/ • Holiday Plant Highlight: Paperwhites, https://site.extension.uga.edu/ mgevp/2021/12/holiday-plant-highlightpaperwhites/ • Managing Mistletoe in Trees, https://site.extension.uga.edu/ madison/2021/01/managing-mistletoein-trees/ • Growing Indoor Plants with Success, https://extension.uga.edu/publications/ detail.html?number=B1318&title=growingindoor-plants-with-success
DEATH NOTICES Ernest Bond, 76, of Marietta, passed away on December 7, 2023. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
James Gaus, 60, of Roswell, passed away on December 5, 2023. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
William Loomis, 44, of Roswell, passed away on December 6, 2023. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Imogene Coberly, 98, of Roswell, passed away on December 5, 2023. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Dylan Jarrett, 35, of Woodstock, passed away on December 9, 2023. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Roger Nord, 82, of Alpharetta, passed away on December 6, 2023. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Alison Perry, 35, or Woodstock, passed away on December 11, 2023. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
PRESERVING THE PAST
OPINION
AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | December 21, 2023 | 21
Living History: Crabapple Baptist Cemetery There are 27 cemeteries in the City of Milton based on initial research performed by famous Atlanta historian Franklyn M. Garrett in 1935 and Phillip B. Anglin in 2000. Subsequently, James BOB MEYERS Farris, a member of Columnist the Milton Historical Society Board of Directors, worked with historical society volunteers and City of Milton government IT personnel, to build upon the early work. The group visited all the cemeteries to confirm their conditions and locations using GPS coordinates available at the time, not all of which were accurate. An accurate map was painstakingly produced and posted on the city website in 2021. Eight months were required for the project because precise locations were not always known and because some of the burial grounds were overgrown and challenging to locate and access. According to Farris, most are family cemeteries on private property, and many have only a few markers or headstones. The smallest family cemetery has about five headstones. One of the largest, the Providence Baptist Church Cemetery, dating back to 1834, has more than 860 memorials according to the authoritative website findagrave.com. One of the more interesting cemeteries is the Crabapple Cemetery, or Crabapple Baptist Cemetery, partly because it is hidden in plain view across the street from the Milton Library. The church dates back to 1892 when 21 individuals organized the Crabapple Baptist Church. Some of the area’s most prominent citizens were among the church’s charter members, names such as Broadwell, Rucker, Dorris, Bates and Coleman. In February 1893 E.E. (Euel) Broadwell (1830-1917) donated ½ acre of land to “church members and their successors to build a church house on land lot 1135.” Euel’s brother J.W. (James) Broadwell (1828-1908) owned the land where the cemetery is located. In April 1904 he gave ½ acre of land lot 1134 to the church and community of the county of Milton for use as a “grave yard.” Prior to deeding the land he gave parcels for burials to several local families. John B. Broadwell (1855-1953), Euel’s son and very successful cotton farmer, made and donated the bricks for the first church meeting house. Over the years, the church grew at its location in Crabapple’s five-way intersection until in 1992 when parishioners began construction of a new church a short distance
up Birmingham Highway on ten acres of land the church had purchased earlier from Fulton County. The City of Alpharetta bought the old church building and the land it occupied in 1996 for $1.1 million and converted it into the Crabapple Government Center. In 2022, the church merged with the Grace Church in Alpharetta and changed its name to the Milton Community Church. The Crabapple Cemetery is owned and maintained by the church. Bryson Coleman probably knows more about the cemetery than anyone in the area. His wife, children and their spouses are buried there in parcels given to his family by his grandfather Simeon Broadwell (1871-1949). Bryson often goes by B.Y. in keeping with common practice back in the day when men were often known by their initials. B.Y. is so committed to the cemetery that he installed a bronze plaque memorial on the grounds giving details of the property’s history. B.Y.’s grandfather Simeon lived in a house next to the original church where a dentist’s office is today. He had a smokehouse, barn, henhouse, and garage on his property. His land extended from Crabapple Road to the rear of today’s Kensington Farms subdivision where he maintained a large apple orchard. The land was referred to as Mountain Hill. Simeon’s brother John B Broadwell owned the land where downtown Crabapple is today up to the Milton Community Church. B.Y., who is 97 years young, served in the U.S. Navy during World War ll. After the war, he was a member of the Alpharetta amateur baseball team and began working for Southern Bell where he remained for 40 ½ years in a variety of jobs. Born in Crabapple, B.Y. moved to Atlanta as a teen but came to Crabapple every weekend to stay at his cousin Pryor Albertson’s house near the historic Cantrell and Nallie Reese House. “Pryor’s mother, Velma Albertson, and my mother were sisters. Velma was a Broadwell before she married,” he explains. “The house had a tin room and didn’t have insulation, electricity or running water.” The Crabapple Cemetery has 154 memorials according to findagrave.com. There are 35 Broadwell graves in the cemetery. It preserves much of Crabapple’s earliest pioneer history. Special thanks to Sheila Rucker Pennebaker for introducing me to B.Y. 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.
MILTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY/2021
Pat Miller, president of the Alpharetta and Old Milton County Historical Society, James Farris board member of the Milton Historical Society and Jeff Dufresne, President of the Milton Historical Society at the Adams Family Cemetery standing beside the only Revolutionary War soldier’s grave in Milton.
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