Test by Aroundabout Local Media, Inc.

April 2010 Volume 15, Issue 12

Featured Articles 12 It’s Time 2010 Contest

There is still time to win $500 in cash and prizes.

36 Summer Camp Guide

Cherokee County kids have a lot of great options for summer fun.

Readers’ Choice Winners

58 49 – 53

On the Cover

Our readers have spoken . . . here are the “Best of the Best Towne Lake area businesses.”

Teacher of the Year Woodstock Middle School’s Shannon Carroll.

Etowah High School Prom A magical night at the Fox Theatre.

Health and Wellness Guide From top (left to right): Dr. Tim Byrd, Dr. Dirk Williams, Dr. MarVetta Scott and Darrell Nesbit, Dr. Musarra, Dr. Petrosky, Dr. Leake, Dr. James Ellner, Dr. Duncan Wells, Dr. Ellen Koo, Niki Groves, DPT, Dr. Allie Hill, Dr. Amy Hardin, Dr. Ryan Kauffman, Dr. Drew Locandro, Dr. Drew Sutton, and Dr. Shatul Parikh.

Ginny Gross is the Advertising Sales Manager for Around About — TowneLaker magazine. Ginny is a native Georgian and currently resides in southwest Cherokee County. Ginny handles all outside sales inquiries and can be contacted at ginny@townelaker.com.

42 It’s Time . . . to create your own spa master retreat.

It’s Time!

74 AroundAbout — TowneLaker is printed using soy-based inks and paper stocks that are at least 25% recycled. Our printer also recycles all paper and ink waste.

Becca Desprez and Thor Chumley enjoy the EHS Prom.

In Every Issue . . . Around Towne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Church Listings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 & 86

TLBA News & Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Local Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 & 92

Birthdays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 & 18

Community Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Sen. Chip Rogers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Elected Officials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Community Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 & 99

Dr. Litrel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Advertisers Directory. . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 & 101

School News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 & 62

Community Coupons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Contributing Writers . . . Don Akridge...................... 22

Tim Grady......................... 22

Patti Owen........................ 54

Dr. Randy Beck.................. 80

Dr. Scott Harden............... 38

Paul Pugliese.................... 42

Sonia Carruthers............... 24

David Heckelmoser........... 48

Robin Dalton..................... 72

Shelley Herod................... 42

Brooke Doss...................... 38

Scott Lemmon.................. 56

Kate Federman................. 72

Dr. Mike Litrel................... 30

Sen. Chip Rogers............... 20

Jason Fleeman.................. 66

Colin Morris...................... 34

Dr. Doug Thrasher............. 82

Debi Radcliff..................... 76 Rev. Bill Ratliff................... 54

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Community

Around Towne The People, The Places and The Pleasures that make Towne Lake

Kara is the Editor of AroundAbout — Townelaker magazine. She lives in Towne Lake with her husband Mike and their two sons Brandon and Garrett. Feel free to send your comments or questions to editor@townelaker.com.

by Kara Kiefer

Most of us can recall a favorite teacher. For my son, one was his 5th grade teacher. Being maybe 5’3”, she endured a lot of teasing from those who surpassed her in height and those who knew they would. Being a mother of three with a 5th grade son, she could easily relate to her students and made learning fun. After his 5th grade year, she chose to move to the middle school to teach life science. Her elementary school students were excited at the prospect of having her again as a teacher, and in the 7th grade, my son was one of the lucky ones. As he enters high school, this teacher, Shannon Carroll remains one of his favorites. She is also a favorite of a lot of Towne Lake residents as she received the most votes in our annual AroundAbout – TowneLaker Teacher of the Year contest. Please see the story on page 58.

taught the art of juggling, simple magic and makeup application, and will receive clown car driver’s education. CircusTown currently is looking at several vacant sites and hopes to choose a location by mid April.

What’s New?

New student registration for 2010 – 11 Kindergarten and first grade will be held April 22 – 23 at all Cherokee County elementary schools. Students currently enrolled in Kindergarten at a Cherokee County school do not need to re-register for first grade. For more information, visit www.cherokee.k12.ga.us.

Styl’n Salon recently welcomed Darlene and Kap Lee, formerly of Hair by Darlene. Styl’n Salon is located at 2990 Eagle Drive. Call (678) 238-0203. Unique Hair Salon recently welcomed Tammy Kincannon, formerly of Hair Quarters. Unique Hair Salon is located at 6508 Commerce Parkway. Call (770) 313-6610. A grand opening at Elite Empowerment and Educational Learning Center, set for 2 – 5 p.m. on April 17, will include giveaways and treats. The Center is in the South Pointe shopping center, behind McDonald’s, at 1105 Parkside Lane, Suite 1326. Call (678) 494-4133. The Georgia State Senate recently passed Senate Bill 360 otherwise known as Caleb’s Law. The bill will prohibit the use of a mobile phone for writing, sending or reading a text-based message while operating a motor vehicle. The bill amends current code section to make texting while driving illegal for all Georgia drivers, both teenagers and adults. The law will go into effect July 1, 2010. For more information, visit www.legis.ga.gov. Ace Hardware BridgeMill recently changed its store hours to: Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The store, owned by local residents Sherre and Bob Calvanese, is located at 100 Ridge Road in Canton.

What’s Coming CircusTown, Inc., one of the leading national clown colleges, will open a campus in the Towne Lake area. Future students will be 4

Do you like to garden but just don’t have the space? The City of Woodstock is planning a community garden behind the Chattahoochee Technical College campus, with 24, 20-by-20 plots available for people to plant vegetables, herbs and flowers. To reserve a space, the cost is $25 and includes access to a shed to store gardening materials. The plots will be given on a first-come, firstserved basis. For more information, please call (770) 517-6788 or e-mail Preston Pooser at ppooser@woodstockga.gov.

WOW, World of Wings Café and Wingery will be opening at the end of April, according to owner Alina Ferrier. In addition to wings, the restaurant will be offering seafood, steaks, burgers, fajitas and more. WOW is located in the Kroger shopping center in the former location of Decio’s.

What’s Moved? Air-On Customs recently expanded and relocated to 6683 Bells Ferry Road, Suite E. The shop offers motorcycle custom paint and custom airbrushing as well as custom paint jobs. For more information, call (678) 468-4879 or visit www.air-oncustoms.com. Delphi Global Technology recently moved to 1558 Marietta Highway in Canton (beside Williamson Brother’s BBQ). Delphi is a full-service shop providing network, desktop, server and VoIP phone implementation and management as well as outsourced EndUser help desk support. Call (404) 380-1726, e-mail info@delphigt. com or visit www.delphigt.com for more information.

What’s Ongoing? Don’t forget to enter our “It’s Time” contest! You have until April 10 to collect your receipts from shopping at any one of our March or April advertisers for the chance to win $500 in prizes! Complete details and the entry form are located on page 12. Good luck and get shopping!

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Community Meet Our Community Board Publisher AroundAbout Community Magazines, Inc.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker is proud to introduce our Community Board to our readers. Our Community Board consists of well-respected community leaders. Many of these Board members also are contributing writers. Among the responsibilities of our Board is to judge some of our annual contests such as Mother, Father, Grandparent and Pathfinder of the Year and the Trailblazer. Our Board consists of five members: Dr. Doug Thrasher, Debi Radcliff, Bill Ratliff, Colin Morris and Senator Chip Rogers. This month, we are happy to introduce Dr. Doug Thrasher and Debi Radcliff.

Executive Editor Kara Kiefer Advertising Director Leslie Proctor General Sales Manager Ginny Gross

Dr. Doug Thrasher — Doug is the Senior Pastor at Hillside United Methodist Church. He has lived in the Towne Lake and served at Hillside area for four years. He and his wife, Debbie, live in Eagle Watch, and they have two married children and two precious grandchildren. Doug can be reached at dthrasher@hillsideumc.org. Debi Radcliff — Debi and her family have lived in Towne Lake since 1996. Currently, Debi is a member of the Cherokee County Board of Education, Post 6, serving as the Board’s Vice Chair. Debi was a full-time stay at home mom for 26 years and was an active parent volunteer, and she also has a background in office administration. Debi can be reached at radfam5@bellsouth.net.

Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce News

Art Director Michelle McCulloch High School Intern Kate Federman AroundAbout — TowneLaker, a publication of Around Town Community Magazines, Inc., is a monthly community magazine. The magazine’s goal is to build a sense of community and pride in the Towne Lake area by providing its residents with positive stories and timely information. It is distributed free to approximately 11,300 homes by mail to all Towne Lakers. An additional 3,700 are placed in racks around the community. AroundAbout — TowneLaker welcomes your comments, stories, and advertisements. The deadline is the 10th of the previous month.

Event

Ribbon Cutting

Subscriptions are available for $24 per year. Send check or money order to the address below.

Practical Strategy Consulting 8014 Cumming Hwy, Suite 403-214, Canton, GA 30115-9339 (678) 880-1196 Copywriters

The viewpoints of the advertisers, columnists and submissions are not necessarily those of the Editor/Publisher and the Publisher makes no claims as to the validity of any charitable organizations mentioned. AroundAbout — TowneLaker is not responsible for errors or omissions. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the Publisher. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2010.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker 1025 Rose Creek Drive, Suite 340 Woodstock, Georgia 30189 (770) 516-7105 Fax: (770) 516-4809

Advertising: admanager@townelaker.com E-mail the Editor: editor@townelaker.com Website: www.townelaker.com Franchise Opportunities Available: www.AroundAboutMagazines.com

Volume 15, Issue 12 6

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Filtration soiling occurs when the carpet performing as a filter, absorbs oily atmospheric pollutants out of the air. Carpet fiber makes a great filter and this is an advantage for holding pollutants that can be vacuumed out but unfortunately the oily type soil holds on to the carpet fiber like a magnet. Sometimes this soil can be removed, but a discoloration often remains under baseboards or other areas of air flow. Caulking under the baseboards will prevent this from happening.

Community

Local News

Etowah Needs Judges for Senior Projects

Local Hospital Donates Defibrillator to Boys and Girls Club

Each year, Cherokee County high school seniors must present the results of their year-long senior project. Volunteers are needed to judge the projects at Etowah High School during three sessions: 2-4 p.m., 3:45-6:25 p.m. and 5:30-8:10 p.m. on May 3-4. Training and refreshments will be provided. Parents of underclassmen are encouraged to volunteer so they can get an idea of what their students will be required to do. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Lori Crawley at lori.crawley@cherokee.k12.ga.us or Susan Miller, senior project parent coordinator, at suzlmiller@comcast.net.

Northside Hospital-Cherokee recently donated an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) to the Malon D. Mimms Boys and Girls Club in Canton. “Placing AEDs within the community means reaching patients in the first critical minutes following cardiac arrest,” said Nori Skalka, manager of Northside Hospital-Cherokee’s emergency department. “Today’s AEDs are very simple to use … anyone who can learn CPR can learn to use an AED.”

Kennesaw to Host Annual Big Shanty Festival The 34th annual Big Shanty Festival, one of the largest arts and craft shows in North Georgia, will be held on April 17-18 in downtown Kennesaw. A parade, set to begin at 9:30 a.m. April 17, will kick off the festivities. Festival hours are 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. April 17 and noon – 5 p.m. April 18. Admission is free. For additional information, please call Tod Miller or Bill Watson at (770) 423-1330.

Left to right: Kristine Pruss, executive director of the Malon D. Mimms Boys and Girls Club; Alison Higgins, community relations coordinator or Northside Hospital-Cherokee; and Nori Skalka, manager of Northside Hospital-Cherokee’s emergency department.

Elm Street Cultural Arts Village Gaining Speed

Commissioners Present Proclamation to Rotary Club Cherokee County Commission Chair Buzz Ahrens recently presented a proclamation passed by the Board of Commissioners declaring February 23, 2010 Rotary Day in Cherokee County. The proclamation honored all Rotarians in Cherokee County for their good works.

Banking, only better! 8

The local group that is spearheading the concept and plans to develop the Elm Street Cultural Arts Village in downtown Woodstock recently formed a marketing committee to develop the

LGE

Elm Street marketing team (left to right): Rene Gallet, Kacee Pecue, Ann Litrel and Shawn McLeod. continued on page 10

770-424-0060



www.LGEccu.org

Community Credit Union

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Community

Local News

continued from page 8

tools to inform Cherokee County residents of the goals and benefits of the project. This diverse group of volunteers brings together expertise that ranges from entrepreneurs to visual and graphic artists.

like Give a Kid a Chance. I appreciate the award and the support of the Canton Rotary Club.” Cheryl, who lives in Canton, said, “I was totally surprised and very honored to receive this award. I’m happy to serve the community.”

Donations to the Elm Street project can be made at the Towne Lake Arts Center website, www.tlaclive.org, and designated to the TLAC Reeves House Rescue Fund. The project would restore the century old Reeves farm home and property as a major arts, cultural and recreational destination in Cherokee County. For more information, visit www.elmstreetarts.org.

Lyndon Academy Opens New Campus

Give a Kid a Chance Volunteers Receive Rotary Award

The Lyndon Academy, a private school, recently held a ribbon cutting for its new Holly Springs location, an 18,105-square-foot elementary school building that will accommodate 150 students. The new campus is located at 485 Toonigh Road. Visitors are welcome daily, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., or appointments may be arranged by calling (770) 926-0166. Visit www.lyndonacademy. org for more information.

Give a Kid a Chance - Cherokee, Inc. co-directors Candi Hannigan and Cheryl Ruffer were two of five volunteers honored by the Rotary Club of Canton at its annual community service awards program. Give a Kid a Chance provides backto-school supplies, clothing and services to school-aged children in need. Last summer’s event helped more than 2,500 students, and organizers expect to serve more than 3,500 children at this year’s bash, set for July 17 at Canton First Baptist Church and the Cherokee County Recreation Center in Woodstock. Other recipients of the Lamar Haley award were Elaine Bell and Peter Gleichman. Frankie Shepherd was presented with the Jean Harris Award. Candi, a resident of Towne Lake, said,“It’s a blessing to be part of such an amazing community-wide effort

To enter, all you have to do is write an essay answering a few questions about why your mom is the best mom ever. The winning mother will be featured in the May issue of AroundAbout — TowneLaker. All nominees will receive an honorable mention. Essays should be 200 words or less and answer the following questions: 1. What does your mom do that makes you feel special? 2. What makes her more special than any other mom? 3. What is the most important lesson that your mom has taught you?

Deadline for nominations is April 12 at 5 p.m. All entries should be for a mother who lives in the Towne Lake area. Essays must include the writer’s full name and age, the nominee’s name, a contact phone number and address, plus a photo. Essays and photos will be returned if a self-addressed, stamped envelope is provided. The winning essay will be selected by AroundAbout — TowneLaker’s Community Board based on the above criteria. Essays not meeting these criteria will not be eligible to win. Mail your entries to AroundAbout — TowneLaker 1025 Rose Creek Drive, Suite 340 or email: editor@townelaker.com Late entries cannot be accepted.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Feature

It’s Time . . .

To Shop. To Collect. To Win $500*!

It’s Time!

In honor of our “It’s Time” theme for 2010, our readers can earn a $500 prize just by shopping with our advertisers! Sound too good to be true? It’s not, and here are the details. • Between now and April 10, visit a combination of any SIX businesses that are advertising in our March and April issue and make a minimum $10 purchase. Save the receipts, staple to this form and drop off or mail it to us at AroundAbout — TowneLaker, 2010 Contest, 1025 Rose Creek Drive, Suite 340, Woodstock, GA 30189. Only original receipts will be accepted. No photocopies. • Multiple ballots and entries will be accepted provided each entry meets the above criteria. • A drawing will be held from all valid entries for one $500 prize!* *The prize will consist of $300 in cash, one $100 and two $50 gift certificates. The gift certificates will be redeemable at current AroundAbout — TowneLaker advertisers of the winner’s choice. Name______________________________________________________________________________________

Phone # ____________________________________________________________________________________

Attach receipt here

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Now Enrolling For

SPRING Classes

Drive Defensiv r Ed e (Spri Driving ng B reak April 2-3 ) Apr il 5-9

1105 Parkside Lane, Suite 1328 Woodstock, GA 30189 678-494-2200 (Located just off Towne Lake Parkway behind McDonald’s)

Unlike on-line driver education, our graduates qualify for the insurance rate discounts according to Georgia Law O.C.G.A 33-9-42 • 30 Classroom hours and 6 behind-thewheel hours • “Joshua’s Law” Compliant • Additional behind-the-wheel training available • Insurance premium reduction qualification • School and all instructors are Licensed by the State

• Nationally recognized curriculum, approved by the State • Flexible schedules, frequent class starts • Professional, modern, clean, facilities • All courses taught to the highest standards

Community Towne Lake Business Association

Member Spotlight: The Garage . . . A CrossFit Gym

CrossFit is one of the fastest growing fitness movements across the country and continues to grow throughout the world. The local Woodstock affiliate (which means we are sanctioned by CrossFit Headquarters in California) is the Garage. Members have been forging elite fitness at this location for nearly two years and the results have been phenomenal! CrossFit uses functional movements across varying lengths of time and structure to provide increasing function and fitness. Each day, there is a new prescribed workout, which then is performed by the members of the gym. Workouts can be tailored to meet the needs of the participant, so a mid-20s male and a 60+ female will do the same workout, but will vary the individual components. The movements incorporate a significant amount of body weight exercise, added to free weight exercises and gymnastics type building block movements as well. Andy McCann, one of the gym partners, speaks of his success. “At only ten pounds lighter than the heaviest I have ever been, I am fitter than I have ever been in my late 30s and stronger. I was a pole vaulter for Georgia Tech and being more fit now than then is a feat that I have to thank CrossFit for!” Andy’s story is a common one, and it took him less than 18 months to achieve that level of success! “The community is the real story in a CrossFit gym. Our members find the workout on the website, they later post their results to the website, and comment on and encourage the other members’ efforts as well. Very quickly, you find a very strong bond between members, and that kind of bond creates accountability and desire to improve. This is why people have such uncommon success,” said Wes Harper, gym partner. Classes are held daily, and the gym offers three free classes to anyone interested. The Garage is a new member to the TLBA and looks forward to being involved in the Towne Lake community. For more information, visit www.crossfitgarage. com or call at (678) 389-6880. 14

The April 5 application deadline for the Towne Lake Business Association’s (TLBA) 9th Annual Entrepreneurial Scholarships is just a few days away, but there is still time to submit your applications. Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to a graduating college or technical school-bound high school senior, one each at Etowah and Woodstock High Schools. If you or someone you know would like to apply for our scholarship, please contact the applicable school counselors as soon as you can and ask for an application for the TLBA Entrepreneurial Scholarship. You also can request an application directly by calling (770) 615-3350 or emailing publisher@townelaker.com. The TLBA will be holding a kickoff meeting for our 10th Annual TLBA Golf Tournament, which will be held on September 16 at the Towne Lake Hills Golf Club. This tournament is our annual fundraiser to raise funds for our annual TLBA Entrepreneurial Scholarships. If you would like to attend the meeting and help with this year’s tournament, please contact Don Kyle at publisher@townelaker.com. The topic of our March Lunch ‘N’ Workshop was “Turn Your Business into the Business of Your Dreams.” We want to thank George R. Horrigan of Fountainhead Consulting Group, Inc. for leading this workshop.

Lunch ‘N’ Learn Workshops Tuesday, March 16, 12:30 — 2 p.m. Where Have All My Customers Gone? presented by Mac M. Martirossian. Is it the economic headwinds, or something else that is causing your customers to go dark? The economic recovery is getting stronger. Are you ready for it? Come and learn how you can energize your brand, monetize the web, profit from your core business, refresh your network and much more. All Workshops are held at Featherstone’s Grille at Towne Lake Hills. Please RSVP to all events at (770) 615-3350.

Welcome New Member:

Furtah Preparatory School

Fred Furtah

As always, we thank you for supporting our community and our local businesses, and thus “Keeping Towne Lake Dollars in Cherokee.”

Visit us at www.tlba.org.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Community

Happy Birthday!

Basima Himmo

Jesse Sebring

Blake Johnson

Age 2 on April 7 We Love You! Daughter of Jeannie & Judson Watson

Age 11 on April 16 Mama of cat “Lacy” Sister of Hani and Basil

Age 8 on April 24 Lots of Love Daddy, Mommy and Josh

Age 10 on April 2 Son of Tina & Daryl Johnson

Carter Russell

Mason Belleza

Age 14 on April 27 We love you!!! Son of Lisa Russell & Gregg Russell Brother of Lillie

Bella Grace Sims

Age 8 on April 28 Son of Ellie & Rouel Belleza Big Brother of Logan

Age 2 on April 18 We Love you!!! Daughter of Jessica & Adam Sims

Basha Powers Age 5 on March 19 Son of Beatriz Jaramillo and Jorge Duque Brother of Sara (top)

No cell phone or iPhone pictures, please. We need high resolution pictures for printing.

Carrie Grace Watson

Matthew Duque

Wedding, Birthday and Anniversary Announcements are Free! E-mail to: editor@townelaker.com. Deadline is April 12

Celebrating on April 19 Mother of Lilli Powers

Haiden Schultz Age 5 on April 14 Son of Laurie & Pete Schultz Brother of Hailey

Aaren Johnson Age 8 on April 13 Son of Tina & Daryl Johnson

Bryan Heath Celebrating his 1st birthday on March 20 Son of Laura & David Heath

Marissa O’Hare Age 16 on April 13 Daughter of Olivia & Harold O’Hare Happy Birthday!

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Community

Happy Anniversary!

Stork Watch

Brad & Korey Montgomery

Ryan Scott Dyer Born on February 21, 2010 Son of Angela & Scotty Dyer Brother of Elizabeth

Celebrating on April 22 Happy First Anniversary We Love You Mom & Dad

ols! April Fo Jorge Mario Duque and

Beatriz Jaramillo Married 13 years on March 13

We have one false item in the magazine. Be the first to call/email with the correct answer and win a prize! (770) 615-3325 or e-mail editor@townelaker.com.

Is Your Dad the Greatest? To enter, all you have to do is write an essay answering a few questions about why your dad is the best dad ever. The winning father will be featured in the June issue of AroundAbout — TowneLaker. Essays should be 200 words or less and answer the following questions:

1. What does your dad do that makes you feel special? 2. What makes him more special than any other dad? 3. What is the most important lesson that your dad has taught you? Deadline for nominations is Monday, May 10 at 5 p.m. All entries should be for a father who lives in the Towne Lake area. Essays must include the writer’s full name and age, the nominee’s name, a contact phone number and address, plus a photo. Essays and photos will be returned if a self-addressed, stamped envelope is provided. The winning essay will be selected by AroundAbout — TowneLaker’s Community Board based on the above criteria. Essays not meeting these criteria will not be eligible to win. Mail your entries to AroundAbout — TowneLaker, 1025 Rose Creek Drive, Woodstock, GA 30189 or fax (770) 516-4809 or email editor@townelaker.com by the deadline. Late entries cannot be accepted.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Community

by State Senator Chip Rogers

Economic Recovery Economic growth — it is the only answer that ultimately solves the problem. As the American economy struggles to recover, private and public sector budgets are shrinking. State tax revenue in Georgia has fallen 27 percent over the last two years. It is the largest revenue drop since the great depression.

Government doesn’t create wealth; it simply transfers it from one to another. Only the free market, where goods and services are exchanged to maximize individual return, can create wealth. Wealth creation is the only answer to putting Georgians back to work, reducing foreclosures, rebuilding retirement accounts and ultimately funding even limited government.

Georgia stands ready to emerge from our national recession stronger than most. Our airport remains the busiest in the world and the gateway to much of the United States. Our The calls for increased revenue to prevent cuts to government ports at Savannah and Brunswick are the fastest growing on spending are intense. As society has grown more the Eastern seaboard and among the busiest in the world. The comfortable with government, any reduction hits an everfacts that we are a right-to-work state and our overall tax increasing segment of the population. structure is competitive mean businesses Unfortunately, the proposed answer by look to Georgia for relocation. In fact, many is to prevent cuts by raising taxes. during 2009, the Georgia Department of “Sir Winston Churchill once While enticing to some, this is not a Economic Development received more noted, “We contend that good long-term answer. inquiries into our state than they’ve had during any year in the last decade. for a nation to tax itself into Sir Winston Churchill once noted, “We prosperity is like a man standing contend that for a nation to tax itself Someone must feel the pain of economic in a bucket and trying to lift into prosperity is like a man standing in downturn. Either we deal with this himself up by the handle.” a bucket and trying to lift himself up by today or we push it off onto our children the handle”. and grandchildren. Raising taxes and restricting growth only dampen the The Congress and President have no future for Georgia’s next generation. real control on Federal government spending. Consequently, spending increases in Washington D.C. are not directly tied to Times are indeed difficult, but the decisions we make to deal with them will set the course for those who depend on us. Just immediate tax increases, as they can simply pass along the cost as our parents left us the greatest state in the greatest nation on to the next generation through the national debt. earth, we should work to do the same for our children. Georgia does not practice such reckless fiscal practices. Each time state government wants to spend a dollar, it must first take Chip Rogers is the State Senator for District 21. You can call him at it from someone, not just simply turn on the printing press. (404) 463-1378 or fax him at (404) 657-9887. You also can e-mail Chip at Chip@SenatorChipRogers.com. Chip also serves on the Moreover, any time the state takes a dollar out of the private AroundAbout — Townelaker Community Board. sector it prolongs eventual recovery.

For a complete listing of our Elected Officials, please see page 94. 20

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Community

Are Your Financial Promises Risk-Adjusted?

After The Recovery — What’s Next?

by Don Akridge, MBA, CPA, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ U.S. Marine Corps Veteran — Emory University Alumnus

by Tim Grady

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, risk is defined as “exposure to the chance of injury or loss.” Risk affects every aspect of our everyday lives in both positive and negative ways. However, without risk, there are no potential rewards. Many investors utilize risk protection strategies to protect themselves from the negative aspects of risk, e.g., diversifying an investment portfolio to avoid the risk of being invested in only one specific area of the market. Although diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss in a declining market, a diversified portfolio allows investors to take advantage of the potential returns across multiple areas of the market – the reward. An important risk strategy is to diversify your investment portfolio across different asset classes to help minimize volatility. Diversification and asset allocation should be determined first and foremost through a risk assessment questionnaire and reviewed on a regular basis with a properly qualified wealth management advisor to capture any changes to the level of risk with which you are comfortable. Your risk tolerance level should remain the same in both up and down markets. During times of market volatility, such as the one we are experiencing now, it is always more of a challenge to stick with a diversified investment portfolio. Our faith in the world economy is being questioned as is our faith in the markets. However, these are the times when it is more important to stick to the strategies you have in place to mitigate the risks to which you are exposed. If you move away from the appropriate asset allocation strategies, how will you know when it is the exact right time to move back in the market? No one can accurately guess exactly what day the economy will rebound. Rely on the wealth management advisor to guide you through these tough times and help maintain an appropriately diversified portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You may find that the conversation about risk is also one about tradeoffs. If you do not take the necessary risks, you may not achieve the necessary returns to grow your portfolio and meet the goals you have for retirement. Another risk associated with an investment portfolio is withdrawals. Withdrawals may take place during the accumulation or retirement phase of continued on page 95 22

Is your business prepared for the economy after the recovery? What is that going to look like? Here are some insights. The government bailouts were a transfer of wealth. We bailed out the fat cats with borrowed funds. We just completed a year of more than $1 trillion in deficit spending and are faced with a $1.5 trillion projected deficit for 2010-11. Are they kidding – who pays that back? The taxpayers! Since most taxes are paid by businesses and the middle class, that means you and me. And regardless of what President Obama said in his campaign, he will have to raise taxes – big time, for a long time. Every local, city, county, and state government is in trouble. Will they shrink and be more efficient? You think? They will raise taxes, too. That means sales taxes, use taxes, property taxes, hidden taxes and business taxes. Are you going to be able to charge more for your products and services in 2010 – 11 to counter the tax crush? No – you will have to hold or reduce staff, cut costs and set aside more for taxes. For how long? Look at the national debt and figure one year for each trillion in debt. Right now, that is 12 years and rising fast. How does that look for job recovery? Housing recovery? Anything recovery? Not good. Sorry to spoil your day. How do we turn the tide? Shrink our government at every level from local to federal. Big government and deficit spending isn’t the answer. Why? How long do you think we can add to our national debt before we go broke? We’ll go broke about 15 minutes after China and Japan and a dozen other countries stop buying our debt. Then, the only way government can get more money is simply to print it and devalue what we have. A $20 bill will have the value of a $2 bill in less than six weeks. Think hyperinflation. Can’t happen here? Sorry to spoil your day – again. Now what does your business look like? Well, that is the perfect storm that is brewing, and it’s ugly. The good news is that you won’t have to worry about your business if you do nothing. If hyperinflation hits, 50 percent of businesses will fail in less than a year. Are you seething yet? It’s time to wake up – we’re late for work! Tim Grady is a senior strategist, business advisor and public speaker at NetMark International Inc. For more information, you can reach him at 888-605-6400 or timgrady@bellsouth.net.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Community

Focus on a Summer Job by Sonia Carruthers It’s that time of year again. The sun is finally out, the weather has warmed up and the youth of Cherokee County have begun to count down the days to summer vacation. The folks at Cherokee Youth Works believe that learning about future careers, gaining work-readiness training, getting a summer job and, oh yeah, making a lot of cash to fund your summer adventures and save for college, are excellent ways for youth to spend their vacation.

There are income guidelines for other youth who wish to apply to the summer jobs program. Income requirements can be found on the Georgia TeenWork website (www.georgiateenwork. org) but break down as follows: With one person in the family unit, annual income must be below $32,490; 2 persons in the family, below $43,710; 3 persons in the family below $54,930; 4 persons in the family below $ 66,150; 5 persons in the family below $77,370; 6 persons in the family below $88,590; 7 persons in the family below $99,810; 8 persons in the family below $111,030 and for each additional person in the family you would add $11,220 to your annual income.

Eligible youth looking for summer employment can apply online Last summer, Cherokee Youth Works (CYW) partnered with at www.georgiateenwork.org. If you do not have access to the the Atlanta Regional Commission Workforce Investment internet, call Stacy Cooper at CYW at (770) 345-5483 ext. 3. Board to participate in its Summer Jobs for Youth program. Apply as soon as possible because spaces are limited and will Through the program, which was fill up soon. The Georgia TeenWork funded by the American Recovery and summer jobs program will begin June Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Cherokee 1 and end July 31. All youth in the “The summer jobs program Youth Works provided 83 youth from program will be paid $8.50 an hour, and not only offered valuable work Cherokee County with summer jobs will work up to 35 hours per week. at 46 area employers. This program experience but also provided local allowed youth ages 14 – 21 to gain If you are a Cherokee County families with some financial relief paid work experience they might not employer and would like to participate during difficult economic times. have had otherwise. The 12-hour in the CYW program, please contact The program gave employers the workforce readiness training provided Stacy Cooper. Employers are not by the Cherokee Youth Works program required to go through CYW to ability to hire much needed staff prepared the youth for their interviews participate in the Georgia TeenWork members, at no cost to them. ” and provided them with the skills Program, but by utilizing the CYW needed to be successful on the job. For staff , you will have the opportunity most of these youth, it was their first to speak with someone who can help experience in the workforce. match participating youth with specific requirements and requests. The summer jobs program not only offered valuable work experience but also provided local families with some financial Employers will have the opportunity to interview youth prior relief during difficult economic times. The program gave to the start of the program and select an employee who best fits employers the ability to hire much needed staff members, at no their workplace environment. Participating employers will be cost to them. responsible for completing weekly timesheets for the youth, scheduling work hours, providing supervision, evaluating the The program will be offered again this summer, with the youth’s performance and offering a valuable work experience. addition of a partnership with Georgia Teenwork, a summer Youth will be paid through Georgia TeenWork and Workman’s initiative designed to provide work experience for the state’s Compensation will be covered by the Department of Human youth. Typically, this program works with youth who are part Services. of Georgia’s foster care system. This summer, the program has been awarded additional funding to increase service to a Give Cherokee Youth Works a call and see if you qualify broader group of youth through the ARRA. Applicants must be for the summer job program, guaranteed to be an excellent between ages 14 and 18, and don’t need to be in the foster care adventure!www.cherokeefocus.org. system. However, youth who are in foster care are encouraged to apply and are automatically eligible if they meet age Sonia Carruthers is the Executive Director of Cherokee FOCUS. requirements. Youth who have an IEP also are automatically You can e-mail her at cherokeefocus@alltel.net or visit www.cherokeefocus.org. eligible to apply. 24

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Community

Seniors Visit State Capital The Bells Ferry seniors recently were invited to the State Capital by State House Representative Charlice Byrd. The day included lunch, an opportunity to watch elected officials in the House chamber and a chance to meet Governor Sonny Perdue.

Front row :(left to right) Teresa Potter, Joan Osborne, Cindy Phillips, Nell Daws and Eleanore Lebrun. Back row: Marge Barone, Jackie Foley, Nancy Melcher, Debbie Foskey, Representative Charlice Byrd, Nancy Purdie, Paula Kay, Jean Jenkins, Beth McGuffin, Deb Haezebrouck, Alta Fox, Linda Johnson and Carlotta Medaglia.

William G. Long Senior Center

Seniors Enjoy LEAF Program Participants of the Woodstock L.E.A.F. (Learning Enjoyment After Fifty) Program meet on Monday’s to learn knitting, wood carving, creative writing, flex and stretch, better balance, basket weaving as well as other activities. These classes are held at the Woodstock Community Church, are taught by volunteers and for a fee of $25, participants can take up to three classes. Please contact the Woodstock Senior Center for additional information at (678) 445-6518.

223 Arnold Mill Road (next to the fire station) (678) 445-6518 Hours: 9 a.m. — 3 p.m., Monday — Friday

April Activities for Seniors BUNKO! Date: Time:

Friday, April 2 12 noon

Movie and Ice Cream Date: Monday, April 5 Time: 2 p.m. Showing: Nine Birthday Lunch and Lotto Drawing Date: Monday, April 12 Time: Birthday lunch at 12 noon, Lotto at 1 p.m. Cost: $3 or bring a covered dish Citywide Yard Sale Date: Saturday, April 24 Time: 9 a.m. Cost: Table rental, $15 Monthly Senior Dinner Date: Thursday, April 29 Time: 4:30 p.m. Cost: $10, prepaid by April 16.

Dr. Joe Haezebrouck instructs Delia Halverson and Janet Mann on Core Strengthening exercises for Better Balance.

Garden Club Date: Friday, April 23 Time: 1:30 p.m.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Some restrictions apply. See store dor details. Expires 4/30/10.

Buy any two used video games and get one of equal or lesser valve for FREE.

Some restrictions apply. See store dor details. Expires 4/30/10.

Community

Community Calendar: April April 11

April 20

Location: Hobgood Park Time: 1 p.m. Information: Furry Fashionista is a fashion and talent show for dogs or cats to raise money for animals with cancer. There is a $5 entry fee for each show. For more information, call (404) 771-7944.

Location: Featherstone’s Grille at Towne Lake Hills Time: 6 — 9 p.m. Information: Ten vendors will be offering their items for sale, there will be food, drinks and much more! Proceeds will benefit the 10u Hobgood Thrashers Travel Baseball Team.

Furry Fashionista

April 15

1st Annual Taste of the Towne

Location: Etowah High School’s White parking lot, near the baseball field Time: 5 – 7 p.m. Information: Cooks are invited to enter their own chili, barbeque or Brunswick stew recipes for a minimal entry fee. Prizes will be awarded. Guests are invited to come out and try all these fabulous recipes for a nominal fee. Contact Ashley Reeves at ashley.reeves@ cherokee.k12.ga.us for more information and an official entry form. Entry forms and fees are due no later than April 12.

April 17

8th Annual 5k Charity Road Race

Location: First Baptist Church of Woodstock Time: 8 a.m. Information: The Kiwanis Club of Woodstock is hosting its 8th annual 5K charity road race. Proceeds will benefit Kiwanis programs for children. The entry fee for all participants will be $20. There will be plenty of prizes and refreshments for everyone. For more information, visit www. kiwanisofwoodstock.org or call (678) 3152583.

April 17 Ride4Trey

Location: Starting at The Ridge Restaurant, 1035 Turner Road in Cumming or at WOW Motorcycles, 508 Cobb Parkway in Marietta, ending at Killer Creek Harley Davidson, 11480 Alpharetta Highway. Time: 12 noon Information: This motorcycle event, sponsored by several Towne Lake businesses, will benefit Trey Rood, 17, who has been battling cancer since 2007. Cost is $25 per bike. This event also will feature silent and live auctions, giveaways and live bands. To register, visit www.prayfortrey.org or call Stacy Amos at (404) 569-3037.

Ladies Night Out Shopping Spree

April 23

Junior Service League Charity Golf Tournament

Location: Towne Lake Hills Golf Course Time: 9 a.m. Information: The cost is $135 per person or $500 for four people. Proceeds will benefit local Cherokee County charities through the Junior Service League. For more information, e-mail Kristi DiTirro at knditirro@comcast.net.

April 24

Spring Fling Fashion Show

Location: Highlands Grille in Lake Arrowhead Time: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Information: The BridgeMill- Sixes Service League will present its 10th annual Spring Fling Fashion Show. Proceeds will benefit the children and families in Cherokee County. Tickets will be $25 and are available at Justina’s Accessories Boutique, 2295 Towne Lake Parkway. For more information, please call (770) 479-7018.

April 24

Red Cross Blood Drive

May 1

2nd Annual Derby Dash 5K Run/Walk

Location: The Rock Barn, 658 Marietta Highway, Canton Time: Registration will begin at 8 a.m. and the run begins at 9 a.m. Information: Early registration will be $20, and race day registration is $25.

2010 Kentucky Derby Day Location: Time: Information:

The Rock Barn, 658 Marietta Highway, Canton 3:30 p.m. Tickets will be $50.

Wine Tasting Benefit for Humane Society

Location: KingFisher Wine Shop, 1105 Parkside Lane Time: 6 – 8 p.m. Information: Tickets will be $15 at the door or can be purchased at the Cherokee County Humane Society Thrift Store, 5900 Bells Ferry Road. Proceeds will benefit humane society programs. Visit www. cchumanesociety.org.

Community Garage Sales April 9 – 10

Location: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Fellowship Hall, 1208 Rose Creek Drive. Time: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Information: For more information and to sign up, contact the church office at (770) 924-7286.

Falls of Cherokee Time 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

May 1

April 17

Senior Extravaganza Festival

Location: Cherokee Recreation and Parks Center Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Information: Come celebrate “Older Americans Month” with the Canton Cherokee Triad/S.A.L.T. (Seniors & Law Enforcement Together). All seniors, their families and caretakers are invited to this festival with more than 60 exhibitors. For more information, contact Deb Haezebrouck at

Banking, only better! 28

(770) 316-1978 or Betty Rice at (678) 4456518.

LGE

April 15, 16 & 17

Heritage Presbyterian Church 5323 Bells Ferry Road Time: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

BridgeMill, Canton Time: 9 a.m.

April 23 & 24 Fairways Time:

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

April 24 Eagle Glen Time:

8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

770-424-0060



www.LGEccu.org

Community Credit Union

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Lifestyle

by Mike Litrel, M.D.

Burning Down the House Just after my second son was born, I left my wife Ann in the hands of her surgeon and followed Joseph to the nursery, reasoning he was now the most vulnerable member of my family. I wanted to make sure he was not mixed up with someone else’s baby. Twelve years later, I sometimes wish he had been. Who could have imagined this beautiful newborn would transform into a human being with such capacity to annoy? Arriving home from work one day last week, I found Joseph sulking on the couch. He would not answer my inquiry about his mood, so I joined Ann in the kitchen to catch up on the day’s events. Every few minutes, our conversation was disturbed by an intrusive sigh of woe. I finally insisted that Joseph share what was bothering him. Joseph heaved a sigh. “Do you remember that flint and magnesium you got me last year?” he opened rhetorically. I nodded. “It’s supposed to be for making fires. Well, yesterday I tried for an hour in the driveway and I couldn’t get a fire started.” He took a deep breath. “But today I did it…”

to do stupid things. Yet, I felt called to reassure him. “Joseph, we all do things we regret. That’s how we learn life’s lessons,” I said, channeling Wise Father from an old Brady Bunch episode, consoling one of those squeaky clean kids through a crisis. It was a proud parenting moment for me. I had controlled my anger and communicated rationally. Joseph took a deep breath. “I’m not upset, Dad,” he explained. “I’m angry!” I knew exactly how he felt. “You’re angry you did something dumb, right?” “No. I’m angry at you!” Joseph declared. “I just think you should be thanking me more than you are; the whole house could have burned down and I kept it from happening!”

Ann and Mike Litrel and their sons, Tyler and Joseph.

A long pause. “Well, that’s good, Joseph,” I said encouragingly. “Isn’t it?” “No. Not really Dad,” he answered. “I, uh, lit the fire when I was sitting at the computer.” I try to keep my mouth shut when I get upset. Tight lipped, I accompanied Joseph downstairs to survey the damage. Growing more animated, Joseph explained how he had experimented by showering sparks on a piece of paper while at the same time surfing videos on the computer. A desktop blaze flared up and swept the burning paper to the floor. The magnesium filaments set the carpet on fire, but he managed to quickly stomp out the flames. I took a breath. The damage was not terrible: just a CD-sized burn in the middle of the beige carpet. Charred and melted, it was irreparable, but I swallowed my anger. It is only stuff, I philosophized, and no one was hurt. Joseph’s chagrined expression told me he would not be setting any more fires for a while. Although I took away his flint, just to be on the safe side.

My jaw dropped. “Excuse me!? Excuse me!!!??? You want me to THANK you?? Are you out of your MIND?!?” Saint Michael Brady vanished, and now I was channeling Homer Simpson, full volume. “You lit my carpet on fire and now you want my gratitude!?!” My hands twitched with a strong desire to wring his neck.

Joseph did not back down. “That was a really stressful moment of my life, and I handled it well!” “You set my carpet on fire!!!” “I saved the house!” This was one of those times when a twelve year-old and a forty four year-old were not going to see eye to eye. I suggested to Joseph that we separate ourselves from each other before the argument grew uglier. Defiantly raising his chin, Joseph huffed out of the room, making it clear he could not agree more. What a strange ride parenting can be, careening from joy to catastrophe and back again. I remembered my first glimpse of Joseph, as a finger-sized fetus on ultrasound. It seemed almost before I knew it, his tiny cries were filling the operating room, and we had borne witness to one of life’s everyday miracles: microscopic cell to newborn baby in 280 days. And 12 years later — pyromaniac.

Joseph continued to look upset. I could not blame him. It hurts

continued on page 95

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Feature

Towne Lake Diner

Zest and Zing by Kara Kiefer

t’s not hard to find a place to eat in Towne Lake. The choices are abundant and as varied as the residents’ tastes. But what Towne Lake has been missing is a restaurant that also offers freshly prepared pick-up-and-go meals, sides and desserts. Luckily for Towne Lake, Zest and Zing is here to fulfill that need. Zest and Zing, which opened in May 2009, is located on Bells Ferry Road, across the street from Hobgood Park. Owner and chef Maureen Penniman has a successful catering business in Cobb County called Creative Tastes, where she introduced her “to-go” meals, which became a very popular option with customers. When Maureen made the leap to open Zest and Zing, she took the “to-go” concept with her making the restaurant a wonderful combination of her love of cooking, especially dishes with a Cajun flair, and her customers’ love of taking home Maureen’s creations to enjoy in their home.

The restaurant itself is bright, cheerful and quaint. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. The lunch menu is by far the most extensive. There are daily hot plate selections that include one or two sides. During my visit, the hot plate menu included Italian meatball and pasta bake, and according to Maureen, the meatballs are a customer favorite as well as chopped beef steak with mushrooms and French bread pizza.

Not feeling the hot plate? You can choose from sandwiches, salads, soups and quiche of the day. Several things on the sandwich menu stood out to me. Should I have the pesto, tomato and mozzarella? Or maybe the turkey, havarti with homemade cranberry chutney? And I heard the chicken salad was outstanding. Then I saw it and knew I had to have it — Muffaletta, a New Orleans staple. For me, it’s the olives and The to-go menu changes mid-week, with different dinners other vegetables that make or break this sandwich. The Zest available Monday-Wednesday and Thursday- Saturday, which and Zing version was loaded with ham, salami, provolone, olives keeps it interesting. Maureen has several regulars who come and a delicious roasted red bell pepper Wickles relish. The in several times a week for to-go meals. And who can blame cheese was slightly melted and the relish made the sandwich them, with selections such as poppyseed chicken, spinach ravioli complete Sometimes, side items are simply with roasted vegetables and Greek shrimp? There also are afterthoughts and lack creativity side dishes, with many based on the season, homemade and taste. Not at Zest and desserts and salads. Customers also can bring in their Zest and Zing Zing. The broccoli salad was own crockpots or ovenware to be filled with any 6687 Bells Ferry Road outstanding with sunflower of the menu options. Think dinner party and (770) 591-4000 seeds, cheese and dried getting all the credit and none of the mess! www.zestandzing.net cranberries. Other sides Single serving entrees also can be prepared. include glazed carrots, fried green beans, cut Hours: fresh fruit, soup of the day Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. and more.

Saturday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The dinner menu is a bit more laid back with pizza, wings, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and fish and chips. And on Tuesdays and Fridays, the kiddos eat for free off the Kid’s Fare menu. Maureen and her family are long-time residents of the Towne Lake area. Her children attend school here, and her husband Graham teaches at Woodstock Middle School. She loves having her business in her community. The next time you’re hungry for a bite out or just too tired from the day to cook, think Zest and Zing. You’ll be telling your friends the same thing! 32

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

ENCOURAGING KIDS TO PLAY IN THE DIRT! PikeNursery.com/kids

Lifestyle

Moms and Kids

Everyday Angels

by Colin Morris

On the day Brett Cooper was born, the doctors said he would not likely live past six days because he had hypoplastic left heart syndrome. By age two, Brett had undergone three open-heart surgeries. His parents were told that if he lived to be 14, he would need a heart transplant. Despite warnings of the inevitable, it’s difficult to be ready for reality. On January 25, 2010, Brett, now 17, was blessed with a new heart from a donor in Indianapolis. We’d like to share a letter from his mother, describing his family’s journey as she reaches out for our community’s help.

I have a husband who loves to walk and does so in our neighborhood almost every day. As the weather gets warmer, we like to walk together and take our kids along as well. They ride their scooters or their bikes, Colin Morris with her children (left to and we try to keep up. right) Patrick, Micaela and Gabriel. Every once in a while, my husband, who used to be in the Army, wants to walk in the woods. Thankfully, our subdivision shares a border with Corps of Engineers property, so we do not have to walk very far to be surrounded by trees. As you can imagine, the kids are only too glad to ditch their bikes and go on a ramble. My suggestion for an outing this month is to get into the woods. We live in a great area for forests. “Enjoy the luxury North Georgia has woods, creeks, waterfalls, gorges, lakes and of walking in the mountains. First, I would suggest woods just for fun starting close to home. Are there with your kids.” any woods in your backyard? When was the last time you explored them with your kids, not to pull weeds or to spread pine straw, but to find bugs and look at leaves? Our backyard is pretty small, but we have a few trees. The kids could navigate our “woods” in their sleep. None of our neighbors have fences, and there is a strip of trees about 10 yards wide that stretches along the back of our row of houses. When I go out there, I cannot believe all the foot paths the neighborhood kids have worn in that narrow strip of trees. Like a little herd of deer, my kids and their friends have made the woods their own. As the month progresses, April becomes more and more a perfect time to get out and walk. The flowering trees and the azaleas are stunning. Although the pollen can get to you, at least the bugs are not unbearable. Most parks and green spaces have walking trails to enjoy as well. We own several excellent books on the North Georgia hiking trails. Do not be alarmed by the “hiking” part; most of the trails are not strenuous. Lastly, find family walking adventures. From the North Georgia mountains to Callaway Gardens, you cannot go wrong. I think it is ironic that for millennia, walking was just the easiest way (and for some, the only way) to get from one place to the next. With our fast cars and faster airplanes, walking has become a hobby. Imagine that! Enjoy the luxury of walking in the woods just for fun with your kids. 34

”At age 14, Brett developed PLE (Protein Losing Enteropathy) which caused pressure in his heart and caused him to swell with fluid. We knew the time had come for the heart transplant. Insurance approved his care only in Tennessee at Vanderbilt Medical Center, and Brett agreed to have the transplant. On that day, I promised him that I would be with him every step of the way. Over the past few years, up until Brett’s transplant, my husband and I had no choice but continue our jobs in Atlanta. We had mortgages, insurance and other children to care for. We did not have the option to “stop working.” We would drive to Tennessee every Friday to be with Brett until Sunday. In December, after gruesome testing, Brett was officially listed on the proverbial heart transplant list. They had to turn down two hearts due to Brett’s health at the time. He was so sick by the time he received his new heart, the pain and recovery was slow and questionable. It required a lot of medicine and a lot of doctors. After his transplant, I stopped working as promised, and today I live in the Ronald McDonald house with him at Vanderbilt as he goes through rigorous cardiac and physical therapy six times a week. He also has a homebound teacher from Vanderbilt who keeps him on plan to graduate from Etowah High School next year. Brett’s recovery depends on our ability to keep him actively involved in his therapy, rehab and homebound schooling. My husband’s income alone is no longer enough to cover our expenses, which include living and medical. Additionally, food, fuel, rehab co-pays, and even small things like sweats for Brett as he continues to lose weight is nearly impossible for us. We have done this by ourselves for a long time, and it hasn’t been easy, but we honestly cannot do it anymore. While we know that the health and future of our son is more important that material possessions, we still have to think about the entire family and have a home to return to in a few months. The road has been more difficult that words can describe. Our desperation has humbled us and as a believer, I pray to God so hard every day. I am so grateful for our son’s second chance and renewed future but I am concerned for our family.”

Our community’s great compassion has been proven time and again! While we are grateful to God for Brett, his doctors, donor and second chance, the family needs your encouragement and continued on page 102

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Feature

Summer Camps Guide

Sports Camps Kennesaw State Women’s Basketball 2010 Lady Owls Camp Dates: Times: Ages: Cost: Contact:

June 7 – 10 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Kindergarten – sixth grade $125 Leigh Carroll (678) 797-2699

Green Acres Equestrian Center’s Summer Horse Camp Location: Dates: Ages: Cost: Contact:

Green Acres Equestrian Center Weekly sessions offered June 1 – July 31 6 and up (Preschoolers can enroll in our Preschool Pony Madness Camp) $300 by May 1; $325 after May 1 (discounts available for siblings) greenacresonline@bellsouth. net or call (770) 517-5154

Blue Skies Riding Academy

Dates: Times: Cost: Contact: 36

May 24 – 28, June 7 – 11, June 14 – 18, June 21 – 25, June 28 – July 2, July 5 – 9, July 12 – 16, July 19 – 23, July 26 – 30, August 2 – 6 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. $250 (770) 926-2003 or lessons@ blueskiesridingacademy.com

Basketball Shooting Academy Location: Dates: Times: Ages: Contact:

Woodstock High School May 31 – June 1 4 – 6 p.m. grades 6 – 12 Sean Glaze (770) 861-6840

Basketball Elite Skills Camp Location: Dates: Times: Ages: Contact:

Woodstock High School June 7 – 10 Grades 1 – 5 camp will run from 9 – 11:30 a.m., 6 – 12 grade camp will run from 1 – 4 p.m. grades 1 – 12 Sean Glaze (770) 861-6840

All About Bodies Kids Fitness and Nutrition Camp

Dates: Ages: Cost: Contact:

April 15, May 1, May 15, June 1, June 15, July 1, July 15 10 – 18 Early registration $125 Monica (678) 238-2639 or monica@allaboutbodies.com

Eagle Watch Tennis Camps

Contact: Alex Quilis (404) 683-4788 or email frogizzy@aol.com or Jason Fleeman at jason@eaglewatchtennis.com. Anyone who registers before May 1 will receive 10 percent off.

Quick Start Dates:

June 1 – 4 and July 5 – 8

Times: Ages: Cost:

8:30 – 10:30 a.m. 5–9 $100 per week

Beginner Tennis Dates: Times: Ages: Cost:

June 7 – 10 and July 12 – 15 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. 9 – 13 $150 per week

Intermediate/Advanced Dates: Times: Ages: Cost:

June 14 – 17 and July 19 – 22 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. 9 – 15 $150 per week

High School Dates: Times: Ages: Cost:

June 21 – 24 and July 26 – 29 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. 14 – 18 $100 per week

Tournament Dates: June 21 – 24 and July 26 – 29 Times: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Cost: $100 per week Must have tournament experience

Towne Lake Hills Tennis Club Summer Camps

Contact: Mark Billson or Lori Grey at (770) 516 6325 or email tlhtennis@ comcast.net. The camps will be held all through out the summer.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Tiny Tots Time: Days: Cost:

weekly; siblings are $110 weekly Contact: Kate Borden (770) 924-7768 or kborden@cherokeega.com

9 – 10 a.m. Monday – Thursday $40 per week

Club Z Tutoring

Beginner Group Time: Days: Cost:

Location: Time: Ages: Contact:

9:30 – 11 a.m. Monday – Thursday $65 per week

Intermediate – Elite Time: Days: Cost:

11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday – Thursday $30 per day or $120 per week

Etowah Football Camps Dates: Times: Ages: Cost: Contact:

June 14 – 18 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Ages 8 to upcoming 8th graders $135 Coach Stewart at bill.stewart1 @att.blackberry.net or Coach Shaw at Joshua.shaw@sprint. blackberry.net

High Performance Speed Training Dates: Times: Ages: Cost: Contact:

May 31 – June 10, June 21 – July 8 6 – 7 p.m. 10 and up First date $150; Second date $225 Coach Stewart at bill.stewart1 @att.blackberry.net or Coach Shaw at Joshua.shaw@sprint. blackberry.net

Day Camps

Adventures Express Summer Day Camp Location: Dates: Times: Ages: Cost:

In your home 1 or 2 hours during the day 3 – 18 Kathy Maher (678) 267-3611

Club Scientific Location: Dates: Ages: Cost: Contact:

Bascomb Elementary School June 21 and July 21 4 – 13 $235 per week Bob Hagan (678) 880-6460 or email@clubscientific.com

Spirit Camps Location: Dates: Ages: Times: Cost: Contact:

Bascomb United Methodist Church Weekly camps June 1 – July 30 6 – 12 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. $125 first child, $100 per sibling. $35 registration fee per child Beth Headley (770) 367-2866 or (770) 926-9755

Safety Town

Location: Bascomb Elementary School Dates: June 7 – 22, June 14 – 18, June 21 – 25 Times: 9 a.m. – 12 noon Ages: Kindergarten and older Cost: $50. Scholarships available. Contact: Debi Radcliff (770) 592-7864 or Meredith Hale (770) 517-0347

TLC Summer Day Camp

Cherokee Recreation and Parks Center June 1 – July 30 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. 6 – 12 $25 registration fee plus $120

Location: Dates: Times: Ages: Cost: Contact:

Towne Lake Community Church June 1 – July 30 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. 4 years - 5th grade Half day $75 per week Full day $115 per week shellykemp78@yahoo.com or call (678) 445-8766

YMCA Camp Cherokee Location: Dates: Ages: Cost: Contact:

Lake Allatoona in Woodstock. June 1 – July 31 5 – 15 Starting at $130 a week. Scholarships available. Erik Bullock (770) 591-5820 or erikb@ymcaatlanta.org.

Creative Arts Camps Camp Imagine Art Camp Dates: Times: Ages: Cost: Contact:

April 5 – 9 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 5 – 11 $145 visit www.cherokeearts.org or call (770) 704-6244.

TLAC Drama Camps Location: Dates: Ages: Cost: Contact:

The Towne Lake Arts Center June 14 – July 30 5 – 7 and 8 – 14 $225; discounts and partial scholarships available Siobhan Collins (678) 494-4251

Dance Imagination

Location: Dance Imagination

Princess Camps Dates: Times: Ages: Cost:

June 8 – July 22 9 a.m. – 12 noon 18 months – 7 years $30 per day

Hip Hop and Cheer Camps Dates: Times: Ages: Cost: Contact:

June 8 – July 22 2 – 4 p.m. 4 and up $25 per day (678) 445-2731

The Purple Cow Art Camp Dates: Contact:

June 14, June 16, June 17, June 21, June 23, June 24, July 5, July 7, July 8, July 12, July 14, July 15 (678) 315-5756

Not listed? Send us your Summer Camp information to be listed in our May issue editor@townelaker.com • Deadline is April 12. april 2010

AroundAbout — TowneLaker

Lifestyle

Don’t Let the Economy Take a Bite Out of Your Dental Health by Dr. Scott R. Harden A weaker economy means many people make emotional decisions because of more limited resources. Often the decisions result in quick fixes, such as extracting a tooth, that ultimately causes more serious longterm problems that are more expensive to fix later. This is a rising trend that I believe warrants discussion. What do you all think about our present economy? Are we in a recession? Have we moved past our economic downfall and begun a recovery? The economy has been in the spotlight for several years, with haunting topics of bank bailouts, bank closures, government loans for the automobile industry, unemployment and healthcare reform, to name a few. The American economy entered into a recession in December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. In August 2009, the Federal Reserve Bank announced the recession was ending. The bank cautioned that the recovery would be slow and that unemployment was likely to remain into 2010. The economy is improving based upon many parameters but rebuilding is a gradual process. The goal of this article is to have you take a snapshot of present goals for you and your family in this economy and relate it to the importance of your health, more specifically, your dental health. Prioritize what is important. Reorganize these goals to ensure your dental care is a major focus near the top of the list. Whether rich or poor, starting a new job or retired, many people put their dental care (and their other healthcare) as a low priority. This can be for psychological reasons, financial, priority or time management issues. People putting dental care low on their to-do list contend with paying for the costs of dentistry with disposable income rather than budgeted income, and therefore don’t always have the money needed for essential dental care. Less disposable income for dentistry means teeth become more disposable. It is cheaper to pull teeth than fix them and unfortunately that is a path many take in a weaker economy. Many people have no choice, but those who do need to make a conscious effort to make dental health a high priority. This economy offers everyone the opportunity to reconsider what is best for their family members and themselves. Dentistry, unlike many medical procedures, is not costcontinued on page 102 38

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint by Brooke Doss According to the United States Renewable Energy Association (www. usrea.org/recycling.htm), the average person throws away approximately 90,000 pounds of garbage in his/her lifetime. Did you know that 60 percent of the stuff that goes into your trash could be recycled? If every American recycled, we’d reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by 75 percent. Landfills not only take up space that could be left natural or used for other purposes, but they lead to air and water pollution as well. By recycling and using recycled products, you also save raw materials and energy because fewer products have to be produced from scratch. You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling just half of the waste your household generates. So, what materials can be recycled, and how much of a difference does it really make? Paper: Each ton of recycled paper, including newspapers, magazines and junk mail, can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil and 7,000 gallons of water. Glass: Making a glass container from a recycled container creates approximately 20 percent less air pollution, 50 percent less water pollution and uses only about half the energy of making it from new materials. Steel: Recycling steel and tin cans saves 74 percent of the energy used to produce them. Aluminum: Recycling aluminum saves 95 percent of the energy used to make the material from scratch. Plastic: Plastic bags made from recycled materials rather than new materials saves two-thirds of the energy required for production and reduces the water used by almost ninety percent. Cardboard: For every ton of cardboard that we recycle, we can save nine cubic yards of landfill space. Electronics also can be recycled. Many stores such as Staples and Whole Foods have begun offering e-waste recycling and much of it is free of charge. Now that you know what can be recycled, you need to know where you can take your recyclables. If your garbage service does not offer recycling, here are a couple of other options: The Cherokee County Recycling Centers, located at Hobgood Park in Towne Lake, and at 470 Blalock Road in Canton, have partnered with Waste Management. The partnership has resulted in single stream recycling, which means that residents don’t have to separate their recyclables before bringing them to the Recycling Center. For more information on what items the Recycling Centers accept and hours of operation, go to stormwater. cherokeega.com/ and click on Single Stream Recycling under Current Events. Brooke Doss, 15, is the reigning Miss Cherokee Rose Outstanding Teen and will be competing in the Miss Georgia’s Outstanding Teen pageant in June. Her platform is “Reducing Our Carbon Footprint— Teens Live Green!”

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Lifestyle

Arts & Entertainment Towne Lake Arts Center

Cherokee County Arts Center

6576 Commerce Parkway, Woodstock (678) 494-4251 • www.tlaclive.org

94 North Street, Canton (770) 591-0282 • www.cherokeetheatre.org

The Wizard of Oz — Follow Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion through Oz as they defeat the Wicked Witch and learn there is no place like home!

Kennesaw Opry — Local bluegrass at its best!

Dates: Times: Tickets:

April 24-May 17, Fridays – Sundays Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays 3 p.m. & 8 p.m., Sundays 3 p.m. Adults $15, students/seniors $12

Woodstock Community Church 8534 Main Street, Woodstock “The Music Man” — Meredith Willson’s all-American Broadway musical performed by TLAC comes to Woodstock. Professor Hill plans to form a boy’s band and skip town but when he falls for Marian the librarian, everything changes. Dates: Tickets:

April 23 – May 8 Students/children $9, adults/seniors $11

Downtown Woodstock Downtown Woodstock Day – The event will celebrate the history and heritage of Downtown Woodstock while highlighting the dining and shopping options and showcasing the local arts community. This downtown-wide festival will be fun for the entire family. Date: Time:

April 18 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Date: Time: Tickets:

April 3 7 p.m. $7

Lynne Arriale — Internationally known jazz pianist. Date: Time: Tickets:

March 19 7:30 p.m. $30

Jim R. Miller Park, 2245 Callaway Road, Marietta • www.circus2010.org The Yaarab Shrine Circus and Carnival — largest Shrine circus in North America, featuring all new top circus acts. Dates: April 23 – May 2 Times: Midway: Monday – Friday, 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m., Sunday noon Circus: Mondays – Fridays 7:30 p.m. Saturdays: 11 a.m., 1, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays: 1, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Circus tickets: Adults $10, children $7, parking $3

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

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Lifestyle It’s Time to….

Organic Gardening 101 by Paul J. Pugliese Those who want to create an organic vegetable garden this summer need to realize that organic gardening requires a little extra planning, hard work and lowered expectations.

Extra Planning: If you use organic fertilizer sources and organic soil amendments, these need to be tilled into your garden well in advance to be effective. Ideally, this process should begin in the fall prior to spring planting. Organic amendments do not provide nutrients as quickly as synthetic fertilizers. Therefore, if you want to gain the benefits of organic fertilizers, you have to give them plenty of time to decompose and allow soil microbes to convert the amendments to a form that plant roots can absorb. Of course, an added benefit of organic amendments is that they can act as a “slow release” fertilizer throughout the season and improve soil structure. Extra Work: Since you will not have the option to “shoot

first and ask questions later” with herbicides and insecticides, then you will need to spend some extra time in your garden pulling and/or hoeing out weeds, mulching to prevent weeds and pruning out diseased or insect-damaged portions of plants. The key here is to catch all of these problems as early as possible to prevent them from becoming bigger problems and spreading throughout the entire garden. This also requires doing a little homework to become familiar with common garden problems and being able to recognize the good bugs from the bad bugs. The last thing you want to do is get rid of good bugs, such as lady beetles, that are actually helping you control aphids, mites and other insects.

Lower Expectations: If you do not know what I am talking about, go stand in the produce section at your local grocery store and watch the customers pick through a pile of tomatoes and apples to find the one and only spotless specimen! Unfortunately, I think we are all habitually programmed to do this. There is no reason to be that picky, especially in your own garden. Small spots and blemishes easily can be cut from fruits or vegetables that you, and in most cases, are perfectly edible. Remember, appearances do not affect taste, especially if the produce is going into a casserole dish!

A few more tips: Start out small and then increase your garden size each year as you get more comfortable with organic gardening techniques. Do a soil test; this is still the most important thing you can do before you get started. Call your County Extension Office at 1-800-ASK-UGA1 with any continued on page 95 42

Create Your Own Spa Master Retreat by Shelley Herod The scent of lavender, sound of flowing water and relaxing music are just a few elements that you experience at a spa retreat. Today is the day to convert your tiresome bathroom into a tranquil spa. Peaceful colors, natural textures, tranquil décor, diffused lighting and a clutter-free space are important touches to consider. First, clean out the clutter! Everything does not need to be on display. Glass containers and woven baskets can be used for storage. Use glass to camouflage necessities, but remove the labels for a clean and sleek appearance. Items with irremovable labels are better stored in a cabinet. Roll up towels and place them in a natural basket for a clean look. Color is extremely important in creating a calming space. This is not a place for vibrant hues. Shades of earthy browns paired with a clean white create a retreat that makes us feel restful and safe. Warm, soothing pastels also would work. Think of natural elements like water, sun and grass. The vision of yourself sitting on a white sandy beach or the bank of a babbling brook with the breeze in your hair takes you to a tranquil place and should be used to inspire your decor. Using rich exotic wood, natural granite, tumbled marble and bamboo adds nature, texture and interest. Remember to balance your choice of colors. For example, offset a dark tile floor with a lighter wall. Add a little “green” to your retreat as well. Plants will flourish with the humidity in the air from the shower and tub. They will brighten up any area, making the space healthier as well. Bright lights are too overpowering for a spa atmosphere. Replace your old fixture with a more elegant one, add a dimmer switch or experiment with softer light bulbs. Do not forget the scented candles; a spa would not be complete without the warmth and aroma of candles. There are many extra touches that can be added. Floor heaters would eliminate the cold feeling of a tile floor, . Similarly, towel warmers are available in many forms (wall mount, free standing or as a warming drawer) and make a nice touch. The shower can be a whole new experience with steam enclosures, body sprayers, rainwater heads, and other extras. Finally, invest in fluffy towels and plush robes. Treat your toes to a luxurious posh rug on the floor. And do not forget a nature CD to take you to serenity.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Feature

Best of A

roundAbout — TowneLaker is proud to announce the winners of the 2010 Readers’ Choice awards. Our readers were invited to vote for their favorite businesses in a wide variety of categories. The total amount of validated ballots exceeded 1,100 resulting in approximately 22,000 individual votes cast! The winner of our random drawing for valid, online voters was Mike Levitt. Mike won a $30 gift certificate to Izumi Asian Bistro. We would like to thank Izumi for donating the prize. Congratulations to all the winners!

Restaurants All-Around Restaurant (tie) Family Tradition JD’s Bar B Que Bakery Publix, Rose Creek Barbeque Place JD’s Bar B Que Breakfast Place Family Tradition Coffee Shop Starbucks Dessert Place Bruster’s Real Ice Cream Ethnic Kani House Fast Food Chick-fil-A Fine Dining Kani House

Kid-Friendly Chick-fil-A Lunch Place Chick-fil-A Mexican La Parilla New Restaurant Jerseys Sports Bar and Grille Oriental Kani House Pizzeria Mellow Mushroom Seafood Marietta Fish Market Sports Bar Bogey’s Neighborhood Grill

Italian Tuscany Italian Grill 44

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

the Best Services Auto Repair Goodyear

Nail Salon Towne Lake Nails

Car Wash Towne Lake Car Wash

Optometrist Dr. Steven J. Keith

Caterer JD’s Bar B Que

Orthodontist Dr. Michael D. Williams

Chiropractor Towne Lake Family Chiropractic

Painting 3 Brothers Painting

CPA Yates and Company

Pediatrician Northside Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

Day Care/Preschool Hillside UMC Preschool

Pest Control Arrow Exterminators

Day Spa Beverly’s Day Spa

Pet Groomer Animal Hospital of Towne Lake

Dentist Baird & Baird Family Dentistry

Photographer Sandy’s Photography

Financial Institution/Bank Wachovia Bank

Physician Jeff Donohue, M.D.

Hair Salon Unique Hair Salon

Print Shop or Copy Center FedEx/Kinko’s

Home Improvement/ Repair Home Depot

Travel Agency Around the World Travel

Insurance Agent Steve Cannon – State Farm

Veterinarian Animal Hospital of Towne Lake

Lawn Care Service Lawn Doctor

Other Rebound Physical Therapy

april 2010

AroundAbout — TowneLaker

Feature

Best of Retailers Children’s Clothing Store Kohl’s

Home Improvement Store Home Depot

Convenience Store/Gas Station QuikTrip

Jeweler Gettemy Jewelers

Drug Store CVS Pharmacy

Liquor Store Bullocks Wine & Spirits Warehouse

Electronics/Appliance Store Best Buy

Music Store Ken Stanton Music

Florist Brenda’s House of Flowers

Pet Supply Store PetsMart

Frame Shop Hobby Lobby

Shoe Store DSW Shoe Warehouse

Furniture Store Woodstock Furniture Outlet

Specialty Foods The Butchers Block

Garden Center Pike Family Nurseries

Sporting Goods Dick’s Sporting Goods

Gift/Home Décor Store Christine’s Creations

Tire Store Kauffman Tires

Grocery Store Publix Super Market

Toy Store Learning Express

Hardware Store Home Depot

Other Val’s Happy Shack

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

the Best Developments

Recreation & Entertainment Dance Studio Steps Dance Center Fitness/Health Club LA Fitness Golf Course Towne Lake Hills

april 2010

Gymnastics Center World of Kids Athletic Campus

Apartment Community Terraces at Towne Lake

Subdivision Eagle Watch

Movie Theater Cherokee 16 Cinemas

AroundAbout â&#x20AC;&#x201D; TowneLaker

Lifestyle

Drinks Before Dinner

The Buzz

by David Heckelmoser, CSW

by Kara Kiefer

Most people enjoy a beverage before dinner without understanding how that drink could change the way their meal will taste. An aperitif is an alcoholic drink that is served to stimulate the appetite. Aperitifs are commonly served with something small to eat, such as crackers, cheese, nuts or other finger foods and can increase the amount of food we crave and consume. Eating fresh fruit with citric acid can also trigger your salivary glands and boost your appetite. The history of the aperitif is believed to date back to the Egyptians, but we do not have any solid data that might prove that case. The word aperitif in Latin means “to open.” So, what makes a good aperitif? We often drink beer, wine or cocktails before dinner. As for pre-dinner beverages, higher alcohol drinks “Aperitifs are commonly and beer can dull your pallet, especially if you served with something are having a lighter small to eat, such as dish for dinner. crackers, cheese, nuts or

other finger foods and

Lower alcohol drinks can increase the amount like a dry sparkling of food we crave and wine or champagne work best to kick off consume.” a meal. Herb-based drinks, such as Campari and Lillet, or a Fino Sherry like I wrote about last month, also work well. Campari, a red Italian drink that is bitter, is an acquired taste and is best mixed with sparkling water or soda. Lillet is a winebased aperitif that comes in red and white varieties. Try the white version chilled, with a twist of orange, for a change.

Each of my sons has gone through various “hair” phases, including buzzed, long and shaggy and back to what I deem “respectable” above-theears cuts. My younger son always has been a bit pickier about his hair, mainly because his hair is curly, and he hates the curls and waves that I would love to have! Gradually, he wanted his hair cut shorter and shorter, especially when he realized that if the hair goes away, so do the curls and waves he doesn’t like. One day, out of the blue, he announces he wants a buzz cut. This shocks me because it’s pretty extreme for him, and he swore he would never have his hair like it was when he was much younger. “You understand a buzz means very little hair, right?” I asked. “Yes. I want it short,” he replied. “You understand this means you will not have any bangs, right?” I further inquired. “Yes. I need easy hair for football. Can you do it?” He questioned. “Yes. I still have the clippers,” I said, trying to sound confident. So one Sunday afternoon, 30 minutes before he had to be somewhere, he asked for his buzz cut. I got out all of my equipment and started with the longest clipper guard I had. It wasn’t doing the trick, so I attached a different, shorter guard. I started shaving and halfway up the back of his head, I realized this guard was going to leave him with virtually no hair. I stepped back, and even though I tried not to, I laughed at the emerging bald spots. “What’s so funny?” he exclaimed.

As you think about your pre dinner drinks, think about the dinner course that it is to follow, and keep pre dinner drinks light and refreshing to stimulate your appetite. Cheers! David Heckelmoser is a professional member of the Society of Wine Educators, Certified Specialist of Wine CSW, Atlanta Chapter Sommelier Les Marmition.

“Nothing… it just looks funny with buzzed hair on the back and longer hair on the top.” I couldn’t tell him the truth. It was not turning out like he had planned. I continued to cut but not to the scalp, while clump after clump of hair fell to the ground. Every now and then, I would let out a laugh, trying not to, followed by a more and more panicked, “What is SO funny?” from my son. continued on page 95

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

COV E R STO RY

Health & Wellness Guide It’s Time . . . To Make Health, Wellness and Well-Being a Priority

or many, 2010 presents a new attitude and outlook and along with that comes the desire to make our health and well-being a priority. As our

cover feature, we are bringing several practitioners, representing different specialties to help in achieving our wellness and aesthetic goals. The following pages include primary care, ENT and allergy, dental, physical therapy, plastic surgery, dermatology, orthopaedics, pediatrics and adolescent medicine and pain management. We hope you enjoy learning about these practitioners and their dedication to helping make your 2010 fantastic!

Atlanta North Dermatology, J. Ellen Koo, M.D. 2230 Towne Lake Parkway #1000, Suite 120, Woodstock • (770) 516-5199 • www.atlantanorthdermatology.com

aking care of your skin is an essential part of maintaining good health and beauty, regardless of your age. Dr. Ellen Koo at Atlanta North Dermatology and Skin Care provides the highest quality and comprehensive dermatological care, as well as complete skin care solutions for your entire family.

“Early detection is key, which is why Atlanta North Dermatology and Skin Care offers comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers, from regular skin exams to skin cancer surgeries.” april 2010

Dr. Koo specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of all aspects of dermatological conditions for adults, adolescents and infants, including acne/rosacea, hair loss and nail disorders, pediatric dermatology, psoriasis, mole surgery, warts and other skin growths. Skin cancer, if not caught early, can potentially have devastating effects. Early detection is key, which is why Atlanta North Dermatology and Skin Care offers comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers, from regular skin exams to skin cancer surgeries. When it comes to cosmetic skin procedures, you should trust a trained dermatologist. Dr. Koo is highly experienced in performing some of the most popular cosmetic procedures, including BOTOX®, sclerotherapy, chemical peels® and dermal fillers like Restylane®, AroundAbout — TowneLaker

Juvederm®, Sculptra®, Radiesse® and collagen. She also offers skin care consultations for a comprehensive, anti-aging skin care regimen. Dr. Koo graduated magna cum laude and received her medical degree from Brown University. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and board certified by the American Board of Dermatology and the American Board of Internal Medicine. Prior to opening Atlanta North Dermatology and Skin Care, she spent several years at a dermatology practice in Buckhead where she specialized in medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatology. “Healthy and beautiful skin is important to your health and sense of well being,” said Dr. Koo. Atlanta North Dermatology and Skin Care is the one destination for expert treatment of all your medical, cosmetic and surgical skin care needs. “ 49

H ealth and W ellness G uide

OrthoSport Physical Therapy 209 Towne Lake Parkway (in the “Red Barn”), Woodstock • (770) 591-9111 • www.ospthome.com

im Chastain has known since high school that she wanted to be a Physical Therapist. “I first learned about a career as a Physical Therapist at a career fair in high school,” she recalled. “I then received an internship during my senior year in high school, which solidified my decision to pursue PT in college.” Kim received her degree at Hunter College New York and has been Board Certified in Orthopaedics since 1994. Kim said that she is fortunate to have worked in many specialties within her field but now focuses primarily with outpatient orthopedics. Patients seek physical therapy for a variety of reasons including sprains and strains of one or multiple joints, muscles and ligaments, neck or back pain, headaches, balance issues, sports injuries, chronic pain, dizziness or vertigo and more. OrthoSport offers the latest advancements at all three of its clinics, including aquatic therapy. “We feel very strongly about this therapy’s effectiveness in helping patients after surgery as well as those patients who are in a lot of pain and cannot tolerate traditional land therapy. It’s also effective for patients who need water and land

therapy in order to recover quickly,” noted Kim. OrthoSport offers the largest and most equipped facility in Cobb & Cherokee counties for advanced sports medicine care, and is the only company to have Aquatic Therapy on site at all 3 locations, according to Kim. “We work with area school athletes to get them back to their game and in better shape than when they came to us.” OrthoSport also offers two physical therapists who have advanced certification in the treatment of dizziness and/or vertigo disorders. “We have mainly doctorate level physical therapists on staff, and they take their job very seriously when it comes to getting patients better quickly and for the long haul,” remarked Kim. If you find yourself in need of experienced, patient-centered physical therapy, be sure to give OrthoSport a call. Kim said, “We strive everyday to make sure patients have their therapy in a very friendly and relaxing environment while keeping our main focus on getting results.”

Georgia Pain Management 120 Stone Bridge Parkway, Suite 420, Woodstock • (770) 544-1000 • www.gapain.com

r. James Ellner (right) is the medical director of Georgia Pain Management. Dr. Ellner is Board Certified in Anesthesiology and also Interventional Pain Management. He provides treatments in all aspects of chronic and acute pain with individualized treatment plans and therapies.

The mission of Georgia Pain Management is to treat the pain of each individual with the latest technology, most advanced techniques and deep compassion. Each patient is treated in an individual manner, addressing his/her specific issues and needs. Treatment plans may or may not involve a combination of different treatment methods. Interventional Pain Management, which is the basis of all care, helps patients rely less on drugs, reduce physical disability and in some cases, totally eliminate the need for surgery. As anyone with chronic pain knows, a desire to achieve relief and ultimately elimination of that pain is first and foremost. The staff members at the center approach pain management through physical therapy, management, psychosocial evaluation and other appropriate treatments. Some of the more common ailments Georgia Pain Management provides treatment for 50

“If you’re tired of being in pain, give Georgia Pain Management a call today!” include back pain, headaches, work and motor vehicle related injuries, and neck and cancer pain. If a patient requires a procedure, it will be performed at the Samson Pain Center, which is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. Samson Pain Center offers the most advanced techniques for treating pain, including epidural steroid injections, selective nerve root blocks, joint injections, and spinal cord simulator trials. If you’re tired of being in pain, give Georgia Pain Management a call today!

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

H ealth and W ellness G uide

North Atlanta Primary Care 250 Parkbrooke Place, Suite 300, Woodstock • (770) 442-1911 • www.nffm.md

our campuses, twenty-four providers, continuity of care provided through our use of healthcare information technology, and an on-line patient portal that allows you access to your information when you need it and where you need it. The Woodstock office is one of four North Atlanta Primary Care locations that offer a continuity of care through the use of healthcare information technology and an online patient portal that allows immediate access to personal information. Physicians who work in the Cherokee office are: Dr. MarVetta Scott, Internal Medicine/ Pediatrics; Dr. Dirk Williams, Family Practice, and Physician Left to right: Dr. Dirk Williams, Dr. Assistant-Certified (PA-C) MarVetta Scott and Darrell Nesbit. Darrell Nesbit, Primary Care. Dr. Scott, who is board-certified in both of her specialties, cares for patients with diabetes, hypertension, and acute and chronic illnesses, and offers preventative health care and addresses

women’s health concerns. Regarding her choice in specialties, she said, “I wanted to be part of a long tradition of care for the ‘whole’ patient and his/her family.” Dr. Scott also offers the latest advancements in cholesterol testing. Dr. Williams’ specialty in Family Practice allows patients to receive initial, continuing and comprehensive health care. “I strive to have a positive impact on my patients’ health issues and lifestyle in order for them to have a healthy life,” he stated. Dr. Williams enjoys family practice because each day offers a new challenge. “I am able to see all ages of patients from children to the elderly, each presenting a variety of illnesses and problems.” Dr. Williams also noted that family practitioners are able to help patients with a wide variety of medical services without a need for specialists. Darrell Nesbit, one of many PA-Cs at North Atlanta Primary Care, specializes in Primary Care. Darrell has a military background with service in combat units in the U.S. Army. He brings with him experience in orthopedics and sports medicine. North Atlanta Primary Care offers same-day appointments and short in-office wait times. “Our goal is to be readily available, accessible and responsive to the needs and preferences of our patients,” said Dr. Williams.

Plastic Surgery Center of the South

120 Vann Street, Suite 150, Marietta • (770) 421-1242 • www.plasticsurgerycenterofthesouth.net

octors E. Anthony Musarra, II, James E. Leake and Michael Petrosky are board certified and earned their medical degrees from different institutions: Dr. Musarra at the Medical College of Georgia; Dr. Leake at Michigan State University and Dr. Petrosky from the University of Pittsburgh. Patients visit the practice for a variety of reasons, primarily when they want to improve their appearance and self image. Some may be looking for a younger and more refreshed look while others may want fat removed that doesn’t respond to diet or exercise. Overall, the physicians can enhance and contour a patient’s body or facial features, giving the desired results. The physicians at Plastic Surgery Center of the South chose the specialty for the same reasons: they enjoy the complicated and intricate work and get tremendous satisfaction by the end results and how they can help people feel better about themselves. One of the latest advancements offered at Plastic Surgery Center of the South is a surgical procedure with shorter scars. This applies to facial, breast and other body procedures. The

april 2010

practice also offers Botox and fillers for non-surgical facial rejuvenation as well as stateof-the-art laser treatments and skin care products that can help reduce the effects of the aging process significantly. The physicians of Plastic Surgery Center of the South have performed thousands of procedures in their state-of-the-art operating rooms and pride themselves on having a very comfortable, non-intimidating atmosphere. All three agree that, “Our patients’ health and safety is our number one concern. We value our patients and believe they are our most important responsibility.”

AroundAbout — TowneLaker

H ealth and W ellness G uide

Northside Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 250 Parkbrooke Place, Suite 200 • (770) 928-0016 • www.northsidepediatrics.com

he staff of Northside Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, which consists of 10 board-certified pediatricians and one nurse practitioner, is celebrating a recent move to the new medical office complex on Parkbrooke Place. The new office offers ample parking as well as a facility that has room for future growth and in the coming months we’ll “The staff members be welcoming our new ... constantly pediatricians Dr. Richard educate themselves Salmon and Dr. Jessica to bring the newest Doyle. The practice also now has and best-studied an electronic medical record system information. . . .” and is able to “e-prescribe” to local pharmacies — no more dropping off prescriptions and waiting or returning for them. As the name implies, Northside provides well and sick care for newborns to 22 years of age. Every patient can expect caring physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and staff members with

every visit. The physicians describe their philosophy as being a group of professionals that want to listen to the patients, helping them become healthy and active members of the community. The staff members at Northside Pediatric and Left to right: Dr. Bob Smith and Sara Dorsey, CPNP. Adolescent Medicine constantly educate themselves to bring the newest and best-studied information, medication and patient care to the families in their care. Weekly, the doctors and nurse practitioner meet to discuss interesting cases. Northside Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine is a group of physicians that acts as a single-specialty unit — all doctors are on the same page and have the same basic philosophy in patient care. You can become a fan of Northside Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine on Facebook and be informed of breaking news at the office.

Atlas Orthopaedics — Dr. Duncan Wells

100 Stone Forest Drive, Woodstock • (770) 517-2257 • www.atlasorthopaedics.com

tlas Orthopaedics and Dr. Duncan Wells provide general orthopedic services as well as cutting-edge cartilage repair and treatments. He also serves patients who are experiencing damaged or painful joints and provides occupational therapy as well. Dr. Wells received his undergraduate degree from the University of California and his medical degree from Emory University in Atlanta. He chose to specialize in orthopedics because it presented a challenging field, and he wanted to be able to help patients recover in a quick manner. Atlas Orthopaedics provides a wide variety of orthopedic care, including surgical opinions and evaluations, arthroscopic

surgery, arthritis management, joint replacements, treatment of sports injuries and trauma management. Treatments are available for hips and knees, shoulders and elbows, feet, ankles and sports medicine. Recently, Dr. Wells opened the Cartilage Repair Center in Towne Lake. As the name implies, the focus is the treatment of damaged joints utilizing cutting-edge orthopedic technology. Cartilage “holes” can be repaired by grafting the patient’s own cartilage cells, restoring the damaged cartilage to its pre-injury state. Liquid cartilage injections which provide months of relief for generalized and early arthritis pain also are available. Additionally Dr. Wells offers a wide variety of treatments for painful joints, both surgical and non surgical. “ Our goal is to get the patient back to living without pain” stated Dr Wells. It’s important to Dr. Wells to provide relief and solutions for his patients and excellent customer service. “Our patients can expect prompt and friendly attention. When they call, they will always speak to a real person, not voice mail, and when they are in the office, we do everything we can to minimize their wait time,” said Dr. Wells.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

H ealth and W ellness G uide

Byrd Dental Group

Timothy N. Byrd, DMD • 2035 Towne Lake Parkway, Suite 130, Woodstock • (770) 926-8200

n 2002, Timothy N. Byrd, DMD, and his wife Marnee, a dental hygienist, founded Byrd Dental Group as a family and cosmetic dental practice in the Towne Lake community. Their founding mission remains the same today: to deliver the highest level of dental care, with a focus on quality, patient comfort and affordability. To that end, Dr. Byrd has invested in the very latest technology, such as CEREC computer-aided design (CAD), digital radiography, and a state-of-the-art surgical suite. With CEREC CAD technology, a tooth that requires a ceramic restoration, such as a crown, onlay or veneer, can be accomplished in just one visit in about an hour. There no longer is a need for temporaries and long waits for restorations to be returned from the lab. This revolutionary process involves state-of-the-art technology to take a digital impression of the prepared tooth, which bypasses the need for traditional impression trays and goopy impression materials. Next, Dr. Byrd uses CAD technology to design the restoration, immediately, with precise detail. While the patient relaxes in the chair, the exact design specifications are then sent to an on-site milling machine to create the permanent restoration. Approximately 10 minutes later, the crown, onlay, or veneer is ready for placement. Dr. Byrd also uses digital radiography, which allows an X-ray image to be displayed instantly on a monitor, reducing the appointment

time and giving patients a better understanding of their treatment. Other benefits include reduced radiation exposure to the patient and less environmental waste. Byrd Dental Group is also proud to offer a state-of-the-art surgical suite, where their doctors provide IV and oral-conscious sedation for apprehensive patients and for patients undergoing oral surgery. Dr. Byrd is passionate about dentistry and serving the patients of his practice. His other passions include snowboarding, mountain biking, swimming and classical guitar. His favorite pastime is spending time with his wife, threeyear old son and newborn daughter. Dr. Byrd is a member of the American Dr. Byrd (right) and lead assistant Doreen Dental Association and Schotsch, discuss a CEREC CAD case. the Georgia Dental Association. His favorite charitable cause is the Smile Train, which donates free surgeries for children with cleft lip and palate.

Northwest ENT and Allergy Center 120 Stonebridge Parkway, Suite 110, Woodstock • (770) 427-0368 • www.nw-ent.com

Marietta Surgery Center, and Emory elcome to Northwest ENT and Healthcare System. Allergy Center, an adult and pediatric ENT practice specializing Our physicians are Drew Locandro, MD, in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders Andrew Sutton, MD, Shatul Parikh, MD, of the ears, nose, and throat. Our physicians and staff provide a wide range of specialty and Ryan Kauffman, MD, and they have more than 45 years of combined medical services that include diagnostic audiology, experience and expertise. Northwest hearing aid sales and service, allergy testing and treatment (including sublingual allergy ENT and Allergy Center has offices in Canton, Woodstock, and Marietta. drop therapy), thyroid and parathyroid We are committed to compassionate, surgery, voice and swallowing disorder Left to right: Dr. Ryan Kauffman, Dr. Drew Locandro, diagnosis and treatment, and facial plastic patient-centered care to keep you Dr. Drew Sutton, and Dr. Shatul Parikh. surgery, including Botox® and Restylane® and your families’ comfort and wellinjections. Our surgical practice procedures include the placement being a priority. We pride ourselves in utilizing state-of-the-art of ear tubes, tonsillectomies, sinus surgery and other general ENT technology from keeping electronic medical records to using the surgeries. newest endoscopic sinus and thyroid surgical procedures. Dr. Parikh performs endoscopic minimally invasive thyroid and parathyroid Our physicians are Board Certified by the American Academy of surgery, which dramatically reduces the size of the incision and Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, and many other local and promotes faster recovery. national certification and member organizations specific to ENT. We look forward to serving The physicians are on staff with several facilities throughout metro your needs. Call us at Atlanta, including Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, Northside Hospital(770) 427-0368 or visit Cherokee, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Grady Memorial Hospital, www.nw-ent.com

april 2010

AroundAbout — TowneLaker

Lifestyle

Reduce Your Skin Cancer Risk

Marriage Moments

by Patti Owen, MN, RN, director of oncology services, Northside Hospital

by Rev. Bill Ratliff With so many things these days pulling couples apart, marriages need strong support to survive. Where is a couple to find good healthy support for their marriage? The first place to look is in the purpose and plan of God, found in the Bible. The Bible provides excellent examples of good marriages as models, such as Priscilla and Aquilla. It also shows poor examples not to emulate, such as Potipher and his wife.

Spring is here! And after a long, cold winter, most of us are eager for the warmth of the sun to return. But with the beautiful weather also comes the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, which can be dangerous to exposed skin. According to the American Cancer Society, more than one million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed this year, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer. Skin protection is the most preventable measure you can take against skin cancer. And by making it a part of your family’s daily routine every time you step outdoors, you are doing your part to keep your family safe.

Protect Yourself Northside Hospital has released these tips to protecting your skin. l Schedule “sun time” for early or later in the day. Peak sunburn hours are between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. l Apply plenty of sunscreen (lip balm, too), with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15, on all exposed skin before going outside. l Apply sun block at least 20 minutes before going outside, and again every 30 minutes. If you are exposed to water through swimming or sweating, use water-resistant sunscreen. l Protect yourself on cloudy days, too. Even though the weather is overcast, UV rays still travel through clouds. l Wear a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt and long pants when in the sun. l Wear tightly woven, bright-colored clothing that covers most of the body. These are more effective at blocking the suns rays and preventing unnecessary exposure. l Wear sunglasses. Choose wrap-around sunglasses that absorb at least 99 percent of UV rays, to help protect your eyes and the skin around them. l Don’t use tanning lamps – with or without sunscreen.

Free Skin Cancer Screenings Northside Hospital would like to help you get ready for the sun. Licensed medical staff and physicians will provide participants with full or partial body assessments, conducted in private settings. Appointments are required. Thursday, April 29, 2010, 6 – 8 p.m. Northside Hospital-Cherokee, Outpatient Rehabilitation Services Building 211 Hospital Road, Canton Registration is required. Call 404-845-5555, press “0.” www.northside.com.

The second place to look is in your family. For example, some people who grew up in a very dysfunctional home might find their in-laws to be an excellent source of support and encouragement. Consider who in your family, as well as your spouse’s family, provides support to you as a couple and draw from those resources. A third source of assistance may come from your church. Most churches offer some type of Bible study group, which presents opportunities to meet with other couples that are in your age and stage of marriage. Marriage seminars can be found all over the Atlanta area to provide encouragement. Attending marriage enrichment retreats is a healthy way to have fun and learn new skills to better your marriage. When serious issues arise, a Christian counselor is another source of help in troubled times and moments of crisis. There are a myriad of marriage resources to help you gain the tools and skills you need to maintain a healthy and growing marriage. Among those are books, CDs and DVDs that enhance your relationship learning curve. Fireproof, the movie released last year about a marriage in trouble, has had a significant impact on a number of married people who viewed the film. Why is support so important for your marriage? Without it, you become isolated and ingrown. It can leave you burdened with no release, emotionally broken with no repair and blistered by the rub of being alone as an individual or couple. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens.” When you allow people to support you by bearing some of the burdens of your marriage, you become stronger and healthier.

Date Your Mate Spend time talking with your mate about your own support system. Consider attending a marriage seminar or retreat. Spend time in the bookstore together choosing a book or CD to enrich your marriage. Bill Ratliff is the Senior Pastor at Towne Lake Community Church. He is also a member of the Around About — TowneLaker’s Community Board. He can be reached at (678) 445-8766.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Lifestyle

Hummingbirds — Nature’s Jewels by Scott Lemmon

ummingbirds are one of nature’s most fascinating bird species to observe and have visit our backyards. Most of us know that the hummingbird is the world’s smallest bird. But did you know that hummingbirds are able to fly forward, backward, shift sideways and even stop in midair? Small yet quick, hummingbirds can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour with their wings beating 78 times per second during regular flight and up to 200 times per second during a dive. The hummingbird’s heart beats up to 1,270 times a minute. With this speed in mind, it’s not surprising that an average hummingbird consumes half its weight in nectar each day. Providing nectar is a great way to attract these popular birds to your backyard. Often referred to as “nature’s jewels” due to their beautiful iridescent colors, hummingbirds feed on flower nectar and insects, but also love a solution of sugar and water. To attract hummingbirds, place a feeder filled with a sugarwater solution in your yard. The solution can be made by combining one part sugar and four parts water and should be mixed well so the sugar dissolves completely. You should boil the water if you are going to make extra solution to store; allow the mixture to cool before filling your feeder and refrigerate any additional solution. Also, never add honey, artificial sweeteners or food coloring to the mixture. Change the nectar and clean the feeder with hot water every three or four days and even more often in warmer weather. Don’t use detergents, as the birds can taste the residue they leave behind. If your feeder is really dirty, soak it in a mild bleach solution and give it a good scrubbing. Hummingbirds do not have a sense of smell. They rely on eyesight to locate their food. The color red is a powerful attractant to hummingbirds as a visual cue that food is available. Rather than adding food coloring, put the solution in a redcolored feeder to attract these delightful birds. Hummingbirds 56

are bold creatures, so place the feeder near a window to enjoy the brilliance of nature’s jewels up close. You can supplement your feeder by creating a hummingbird garden with a combination of annuals, perennials and vines -such as Aloe, Bee balm, Beard Tongue, Butterfly Bush, Cardinal Flower, Columbine, Coral bells, Delphinium, Honeysuckle and Sages -- to attract hummingbirds to your yard. Hummingbirds also are attracted to water. By placing a mister in your yard, you may see hummingbirds dart playfully through the water, often bathing or drinking. There are 18 species of hummingbirds that can be found in North America. Seventeen can be found on the west coast while only one, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, lives east of the Mississippi. We commonly see only the Ruby-throated Hummingbird in our area. But we sure do enjoy our lone species! The male sports the namesake bright red throat feathers, while the females and young are typically green on their backs with no red throat. Lanny Chambers is charting the northward migration of the Rubythroated Hummingbird on a locator map at www.hummingbirds.net. The website also has lots of helpful information and great photos. This year, the birds were first spotted along the Gulf Coast in late February, and typically start appearing here in north Georgia in late March or early April. You also can report your first sighting this spring. The data will be used to compare the abundance and distribution of the Ruby-throated on the east coast from year to year. Lend these tiny beauties a hand by maintaining a nectar feeder or their favorite plants, and they’ll reward you with a great show for months to come! Scott Lemmon can be reached at (770) 928-3014 or e-mail him at wbuwoodstock@comcast.net.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Feature

AroundAbout — TowneLaker’s

2010 Teacher of the Year Shannon Carroll

his particular quote is what inspires Shannon Carroll every day. “I believe the single most important decision I can make on a dayto-day basis is my choice of attitude,” she said. “When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep and no challenge too great for me.” Her attitude on a daily basis is an inspiration to the students she teaches every day at Woodstock Middle School (WMS). She touches their lives, makes them strive for the best and leaves an indelible impression on many of her students. Her peers honored her by choosing her to be the WMS 2009 – 10 Teacher of the Year. In our annual AroundAbout —TowneLaker Teacher of the Year contest, the Towne Lake community overwhelmingly voted her as the 2010 AroundAbout — TowneLaker Teacher of the Year. Upon hearing the news, WHS principal Keith Ball said, “Shannon was one of my first hires at WMS. The question I always ask myself during the hiring process is would I want my child in this teacher’s class? The answer then and the answer now is, absolutely. Shannon does all of the right things for students every day. She gives selflessly in the best interest of her students, school and community. Shannon possesses all of the characteristics of the model teacher-leader. We are fortunate to have her at WMS and she is one of the reasons our students are successful.” Shannon’s career choice was inspired by both 58

ly e v e r a d e q u a te n n a c s rd o “W f d ib le im p a c t o re c in e th y e v n co e w a rd li fe . T h to e d u it tt a r ou ced e m o re c o n v in th , e v li I r e g n lo t fe is 10 p e rc e n li t a th e m o c e Ib ent s a n d 9 0 p e rc n e p p a h t a h w of n d to it .” h o w w e re sp o d ol l ck Sw in — Pa st or C hu

her parents and past teachers. “I have learned from these influences the value of being a good person, possessing a good attitude, always doing my best and being respectful to others,” said Shannon. A lifelong learner, Shannon currently is in the process of finishing her doctoral degree in education. She also plans to become fluent in Spanish because she wants to be able to communicate effectively with the Spanishspeaking population. Shannon began her teaching career in 1993 at Johnson Elementary School as a 6th grade teacher. She took five years off to stay home with her three sons, later returning to Carmel Elementary School to teach 3rd and 5th grade. She has taught 7th grade Life Science at WMS for the past three years and, because Carmel is a feeder school for WMS, she has taught many of her former students. “It has been such a pleasure watching my students

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

grow over the years,” she commented. Shannon lives in the Woodstock district so while she’s cheering on her sons at sporting events, shopping in the grocery store or enjoying her neighborhood pool, she’s likely to run into at least one of her students. Debbie Anderson, whose daughter was in Shannon’s class, said: “Shannon is an amazing teacher. I am thankful that she inspired my daughter to search for answers and enjoy the subject of science.” Former student Emily Pluemer had this to say: “She made class exciting for everyone, no matter if you’ve known her for the whole school year or just entered her class. She’s one of my favorite teachers.” In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Shannon is a member of the WMS leadership team and budget committee. She is also the gifted department head and is a Learning Focus Schools Certified Trainer. When we visited Shannon, she was teaching her Advanced Science class along with student teacher William Gay. After seeing how she engages her students, making science lessons relevant to them in their daily lives and experiencing the overall positive atmosphere within the class, it’s easy april 2010

to understand why she has received numerous accolades. Her honors include Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, nominee for the Bellsouth/ Atlanta Braves Educator of Excellence, Kiwanis Club of Woodstock April Apple Award, Disney Awards nominee, Teacher of the Year at Johnson Elementary School and Who’s Who Among American Teachers. Her student teacher William said: “She has been great to learn from. She has an amazing rapport with her students, and she continues to inspire them even after they move on from her class.” Shannon has been married to Lee for 16½ years and has three sons, John, Ben and Greg, and two rescue dogs, Buddy and Bear. In her spare time, she enjoys watching and cheering at her sons’ sporting events, reading and spending time outdoors. Congratulations Shannon for being named as the 2010 AroundAbout — TowneLaker Teacher of the Year! May you continue to inspire all students, present and future!

AroundAbout — TowneLaker

Schools & Sports

Science Olympiad Team of Homeschoolers Advances to State The Homeschoolers of Woodstock Science Olympiad team placed third at the Regional Science Olympiad Tournament. Twenty seven high school teams competed for the top six positions for a chance to compete in the state tournament at Emory University. The top two teams from each state will advance to the national tournament.

Halle placed first in Technical Sales Event, and Emerald and Macy placed fifth in the Hospitality Services Team Decision Making event. All three will compete in the International Career Development Conference this month. DECA, (Distributive Education Clubs of America), is an association of marketing students that promotes classroom instruction, community service and competition. DECA encourages students to develop skills in leadership, teamwork, and management and decision-making skills.

Carmel Elementary Helps Haiti Carmel Elementary students collected donations of hand sanitizer, hand towels, Band-Aids, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other items to send to Haiti. Carmel’s donations, along with items collected at Woodstock and Etowah high schools, will be flown to Haiti by the Georgia National Guard. Left to right: Luke Haynes, Brandon Brooks, Aubrey McMekin, Macy Smith, Phillip Akins, Cassidy Becker, Michael Hallock, Bizzie McMekin, Bailey Smith, Christopher Dunnell, Emily Dunnell, coach Laurie Hallock and Amanda Dunnell.

Furtah Student Receives Prestigious Award Furtah Preparatory School student James Adams (right) recently received the “Yes I Can” award, presented by the President of the Georgia Council for Exceptional Children (GA CEC). The award is presented to the most outstanding students who have overcome certain challenges in life while maintaining a positive attitude. James was recognized at a GA CEC awards luncheon and was presented with a $500 check. Congratulations!

Front row: (left to right) Cassidy Weber, Sebastian Pierre, Michelle Belikova, Hannah Everest and Bethany Norman. Back row: Rachel Bacchus, Jack Grisham, LeeAndrea Buchan and Andrew Giles.

Holdheide Academy Sends Tunes to Troops New and used CDs of music and books, and DVDs were collected by Holdheide Academy students to contribute to “Tunes for the Troops.” More than 200 CDs and DVDs were given and will be sent to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Woodstock Students Advance in DECA Competition DECA members from Woodstock High School recently competed in the state competitions. The students, Halle Machitar, Emerald Alexis, Macy Miles, Dulcinea Clifford, and Ana Bravo competed against 2,100 other Georgia students in individual and team events. Left to right: Emerald Alexis, Halle Machitar and Macy Miles. 60

Front row (left to right) Abigail Moore, Gavin Rampley, Cora Rampley, Lucy Watkins and Gavin Murphy. Back row: Bryce McCurley, Ava Seiz, Marley Baker, Jordyn Murphy and Dylan Nobis.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Best P i n 2 0 0e d i a t r i c i a n 2006, 4, 2005 s , 200 & 2 0 1 07 , 2 0 0 9 !

Thanks to everyone who voted for us! 10 Caring Doctors 40 Years of Experience in Atlanta area 2 Wonderful Nurse Practitioners 1 Spectacular Staff 1 Convenient Location in Towne Lake Most Isurance Plans Accepted

Your Family’s Best Choice for Pediatric Care 250 Parkbrooke Place, Suite 200, Woodstock, GA 30189 NEW TION 770-928-0016  www.northsidepediatrics.com LOCA

Schools & Sports Boston Students Attend Joe Foss Presentation

Etowah Band Student Invited to All State

Kleven Boston Elementary School fourth grade students recently attended a Joe Foss Institute presentation by Army Veteran Sandy Thomas, 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Thomas served his country from 1967 – 1969 in Korea, Germany and at the Pentagon. The students learned about the life of American patriot Joe Foss.

Brianna Futch, a flute player from the Etowah High School (EHS) Marching Band and Symphonic Band recently was invited to perform with the All State Band. Participants of the All State Band had previously auditioned, and only the best were invited. The musicians rehearsed together for three days before performing at the All State Band event, which was held in Savannah. Left to right: Brianna Futch and EHS band director Michael Foxworth.

Booth Hosts Dance Competition

Left to right: Matthew Corcoran, Ryan Colby, 1st Lt. Sandy Thomas, Xavier Velazquez, Justice Childs, Ivy Macdonald and Ashley Hernandez.

Each year, E.T. Booth Middle School’s PE department holds a dance competition for 7th and 8th graders. Seventh grade participants, pictured include Jesse Tuggle, Chase Miller, Taylor Lobus, Tom Wallner, Tristan Dowling, Nick Roseman, Casey Snow, Cydney Price, Aria Leno, Ally Franke, Danielle Mayfield and Audra Evers.

Woodstock Teacher of the Year Receives Cold Recognition Woodstock High School Advanced Physics teacher Kelly Burke received a chilly surprise — Blue Bell ice cream for the entire student body. Kelly, who has been chosen as Woodstock High’s Teacher of the Year as well as the Cherokee County Teacher of the Year, was named one of the 10 finalists for the state Teacher of the Year. Left to right: Kelly Burke, Chris Balke and Dylan Chandler.

Leadership Class Collects Funds for Haiti E.T. Booth Middle School Junior Leadership class has collected more than $1,500 for Haiti earthquake relief through sales of Valentine grams and collecting spare change. Way to go!

Banking, only better! 62

LGE

770-424-0060



www.LGEccu.org

Community Credit Union

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Schools & Sports

Wolverines Win Invitational Tennis Tournament

The Woodstock High School boys tennis team recently captured the winning trophy at the Wildcat Invitational Tournament, held at Marietta High School. The Wolverines defeated Kennesaw Mountain, Coffee County and Marietta high schools in the daylong event. Team members include seniors Nick Dragenceanu, Tyler Lawrence, Jordan Bertram, Matt Sullivan, Brandon Kiefer, Blaine Forsman, juniors Sawyer Banet, Blake McDonald, Brad Sullivan, sophomores Dylan Heyer, Josh Bertram, David Marcello, DJ Dubay and freshmen David Dragenceanu, Logan Heyer, Dylan Peterson, Jimmy Walker, Eric Hollar and Jake Bell. Congratulations!

Local Players Win Tournaments Jake Pollack (left) and Kevin Mendes (right) of Eagle Watch won recent tennis tournaments. Jake won the 14U Boys division in the Midtown Athletic Club Junior Tournament, and Kevin won the 14U Boys division at the Allcourt Junior Tournament. Jake is the son of June and Mike Pollack and Kevin is the son of Mary and Richard. Congratulations!

Chapman Junior Eagles Win Region Championship Congratulations to the Chapman Intermediate School Junior Eagles sixth grade basketball team, who went undefeated to win the Cobb-Cherokee Junior Basketball Conference (CCJBC) West Region Champion title. The team was coached by Carl Rush and Bob Heckendorf.

Etowah Golfers Win Grizzly Classic The Etowah High School boys golf team placed first out of 10 teams participating in the Creekview Grizzly Golf Classic with a total score of 295, a combined score of the top four players. Anders Albertson was the tournamentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s low medalist. This was the second year in a row Etowah claimed the first-place trophy. Congratulations!

Front row (left to right): Luke Hildebrandt, Aaron Smith, Scott McKenzie and Ryan Grigsby. Back row: Daniel Hogue, Jairus Romano, Alex Smith, Patrick Oliver, Jaggar Laird, Jason Ogbomoh, Sean Smart. Head Coach, Carl Rush, and Assistant Coach, Bob Heckendorf

Send Us Your Sports News! Left to right: Trenton Sanders, Zach Forbes, Colin Adams, Jason Hamacher, David Sullivan, Jake Forbes, Adam Cross, Anders Albertson, Corey Hall, Coach Bob Westbrook and Nick Mueller. 64

email editor@townelaker.com

More Tennis news on page 66

AroundAbout â&#x20AC;&#x201D; TowneLaker april 2010

Schools & Sports

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

continued from page 64

Junior Tennis Teams Advance to State Two Eagle Watch junior USTA teams, 12U and 14U Intermediate, recently won their divisions. The Deer Run USTA 12U team also won its division. All division winners will be going to Macon in July for the state championships. Congratulations and good luck!

Eagle Watch 12U division winners. Front row (left to right): Sydney Harkins, Karlee DeVargas, Brandon “Boomer” Marcus, Emily Ayers and Kayla Head. Back row: Austin Mongold, Blaine Miller, Molly Reeves and Luke Wagner. Not pictured: Brent Fijux.

Eagle Watch USTA 14U division winners: Front row (left to right): Rossen Parks, Jake Pollack, Jack Grigsby, Marshall Reeves and Taylor Barie. Back row: Hannah Ayers, Sammy Sepe, Natalie Lucco and Nikki Gilner. Not pictured: Chris Godfrey & Kelsey Meyers.

Deer Run 12U division winners. Front row (left to right): Carter Brodbeck, Alexandra Ianitello, Wynne Johnson, Sydney Toner and Joshua Thrift. Back row: Chris Economides, Grace Timm, Kendall Alsup, Anna Leigh Hayes and Matthew Raftis.

I recently Googled “tennis,” and there were 167 million hits, more than baseball (118 million) and basketball (135 million). Although tennis does not get the same TV time as other sports, it still has a huge following. In 2009, ALTA (Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association) had 74,911 members and USTA (United States Tennis Association) Georgia had 55,874. As a national organization, USTA has 742,300 members. Though these numbers obviously prove tennis is as much a national pastime as other sports, it is the dayto-day stories that really make tennis interesting. I gave my first group tennis lesson in September 1994; I was coaching a women’s C-level team. About halfway through the lesson, I was shocked when a woman suddenly cried out after a ball struck her right temple. For a very brief moment, I thought my tennis career had ended. Fortunately for me, the woman immediately admitted that she had not been paying attention and hit the ball late, which resulted in it ricocheting off her racquet. I felt very bad, but the woman was adamant that it had not been my fault. For the remainder of the lesson, every volley was met well in front of each student’s body per my instruction and very well executed! Later that day, I called my mom and told her what happened. After asking me if the woman was okay, she told me a story about something similar that happened to her. She claimed the pro hit her during one of his first lessons at Pinetree Country Club. He will remain nameless, but he works at Eagle Watch with me (haha). To hear my mom tell the story, you would think he took aim at her and fired a ball at 100 mph. Even though he was the new head pro at Pinetree, he was a seasoned tennis professional and had been teaching for many years. I could not help but laugh at my mom’s recollection because her perspective on the situation was almost the exact opposite of the woman who I hit hours earlier. As a new teacher, I had a lot to learn. Most of all, I learned that no matter how hard a tennis pro tries, there is no such thing as a “perfect feed.” On almost a daily basis, someone complains about a feed during a lesson. How is a perfect feed going to help someone get better?

Good Luck at State! 66

by Jason Fleeman

The most basic strategy in tennis is “keep away” and yet some people want the pro to hit the ball right to them. Tennis is a game of movement, positioning, strategy, endurance and good strokes. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced player, you continued on page 95

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Schools & Sports

Today’s Outstanding Performing Students Greta Pirkl is TOPS for Bascomb Elementary School. Greta is in the first grade and is the daughter of Mindi and Don Pirkl. Greta is a kind, well-behaved, respectful and hard working student. Greta shows diligence in her school work and always is kind and considerate of other students in class. She always is willing to help when another student needs assistance. Greta is a great role model to her classmates and is a wonderful helper to her teacher. Outside of school, she participates in Daisy Girl Scouts, Towne Lake Sharks swim team, Bascomb basketball and YMCA soccer. Greta also takes piano lessons and helps collect food for MUST Ministries with her Sunday school class. Gregory Carroll is TOPS for Carmel Elementary School. Gregory is in the third grade and is the son of Shannon and Lee Carroll. Gregory always enters the classroom with a smile on his face, excited to learn. He is a kind-hearted young man and a very diligent student. Gregory is part of the academic team and the science team at his school. His dedication and desire for learning amazes all of his peers and teachers. Spencer Roberts is TOPS for Chapman Intermediate School. Spencer is in the sixth grade and is the son of Susan and Alan Roberts. Spencer has won several awards from his community and past schools for his respect and kindness. Spencer is involved in the Friends program at Chapman, where he helps other students with their classwork or encourages them to participate in activities. Spencer shows a positive attitude while being attentive and cooperative in class. He shows an excitement for learning in a meaningful and engaging way. Morgan Hardie is TOPS for CrossRoads High School. Morgan is in the ninth grade and is the daughter of Barbara and Gary Hardie. Morgan has an outgoing personality which enables her to be a great student. She always has a smile on her face, works hard and is on task. Morgan is very motivated to complete her classwork. All of Morgan’s teachers are thrilled to have Morgan as a student. Samuel Jones is TOPS for E. T. Booth Middle School. Samuel is in the seventh grade and is the son of LeAnn and Kevin Jones. Samuel truly realizes the importance of his education and strives to do his best. He is very conscientious

Etowah Junior Eagles Football Registration for Spring Practice Opens Rising 6th, 7th and 8th graders in the Etowah High School district interested in playing football should log on to www. etowahjreagles.com for more information and to register. The cost for Spring practice is $125 and a fully refundable $200 deposit is required for equipment Practices will run for two weeks and will be held daily. Please check website for exact locations, dates and times.

about his work and is a person of high character. He has a sense of humor and can be quite entertaining. Samuel is well liked by his fellow students and considered a leader among his peers. Laura Stewart is TOPS for Etowah High School. Laura is in the 12th grade and is the daughter of Barbara Coombe and Gene Stewart. Laura is one of the strongest young women Etowah has had the pleasure to call its own! She has faced much adversity and yet manages to continue to excel in her academic endeavors. All of her peers and teachers admire her strength and positive attitude. She is a perfect role model to young men and women who may face a serious illness. Laura brings a sense of compassion, love, friendliness and strength whereever she goes. Laura has a strong will and depth of character not easily found. Anthony Hughes is TOPS for Kleven Boston Elementary School. Anthony is in the first grade and is the son of Alison Hughes. Anthony is a very cooperative, responsible and respectful student. He works hard, has a positive attitude and performs well in the classroom. He is kind and helpful to his teachers and fellow classmates. He participates in all school fundraisers and plays on a Bascomb basketball team and a Hobgood baseball team after school. He also is active in church activities, participating in the Awana program and children’s choir. Anthony is an well-rounded model student and team player in and out of the classroom. Rita Penniman is TOPS for Woodstock High School. Rita is in the 12th grade and is the daughter of Maureen and Graham Penniman. Rita is actively involved in Beta Club, Environmental Club, Youth Advisory Council and the Friends Club. Rita also is a part of the yearbook staff and the YMCA camp. She was voted most friendly by her senior peers. Rita plans to attend Clemson or James Madison University and possibly major in pre-occupational therapy. LeOol Zemere is TOPS for Woodstock Middle School. LeOol is in the seventh grade and is the son of Seble and Yared Zemere. LeOol is an extremely dedicated student who takes his education very seriously. He is seen as a leader in the school, respected by his peers and participates in the school band and the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl. LeOol is a valued student at WMS.

Woodstock Junior Wolverine Spring Football Registration Visit www.wjwtc.com for online registration; onsite registration April 17, 9 a.m. – 12 noon at Woodstock High School. This program is for 6th, 7th and 8th grade students residing in the Woodstock High School district. The season will run April 26 – May 19. For information, call Matt Schoeb (6th grade) at (678) 758-1261; Scott Stansel (7th grade) at (678) 779-6234 or Emery Wilson (8th grade) at (678) 768-2559.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Schools & Sports

You Can Make a Difference Joe Lemmo, a 7th grade language arts teacher at E.T. Booth Middle School, has made the You Can Make a Difference (YCMAD) program part of his yearly curriculum. The program is designed for Joe’s students to challenge themselves to look for ways in which they can make a difference, and to take notice how others currently are making a difference. Each month, we will feature four students, chosen by Joe, who are making a difference. If you would like to comment on the testimonials or have individual stories to share, please contact Joe at joseph.lemmo@cherokee.k12.ga.us.

Amelia Bryson

Tyler Dawson Everyone has a different meaning of success. For some people, it’s in a sport, for some it’s having friends, and for some it’s overcoming something that happened in their lives. I know many people who have been successful, but perhaps the most successful person I know is my mom.

Success. It’s a word, but what does it mean? It can mean many different things. It can mean completing or accomplishing something, getting good grades, having a good job, following your dreams or even just trying to do something! You can be successful in anything you do!

About three or four years ago, my mom found out she had breast cancer. It was one of the scariest things I had ever known. When you hear the word “cancer,” you think of the word “death” instantly. It often seems even scarier when it’s about you or a loved one. The next couple of years were hard for me, for my mom, and also for my family and close friends. It scared me so bad! Sometimes it still scares me today, just thinking about it.

Do you remember the first time you rode your bike without training wheels? Your first day of school? Your last day as a senior in high school? These things are all a success, and you should feel successful knowing you accomplished them.

Now that it’s over, you would never be able to tell my mom had it! Even though it left some side effects, my mom is the most successful person I know! That’s what the word successful means to me. What does it mean to you?

Helping others can also be considered successful. For example, if you’re a teacher or a counselor, you help people and you should feel very successful. There are many ways to describes success, and anyone can have it!

Nik Piantieri Chris Meyers What makes a person successful? Determination? Inspiration? Spirit? Whatever it may be, you can be successful in your own way. It may be getting the job you’ve always wanted. It could be helping others who don’t have that much. You can make a difference by finding out what makes you determined, what makes you inspired or what gives you spirit! Once you find out, you can put it to work. Make a goal, and work to be successful. If we keep making goals and accomplishing the goals, we can make a huge difference!

What is success? Success is many things. People have many meanings for success. Some people think winning the lottery is a success. Others may think getting a “B” on a test is a success. Most people without homes, who are able to say that they are still surviving, think that’s a success! Success is something great! It makes you happy and it could make others happy, too. When you help someone in need, I’d say that’s a success! Success to me is making people happy and joyful. When I was little, I thought success was barely passing a test or getting all my chores done. Now, I see I can do much more to make my life a success!

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

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Schools & Sports

Dance Your Family’s Way to Healthy Bodies and Happy Hearts by Robin Dalton With the invention of computers, video games and electronic toys, children have become increasingly less active. Childhood obesity and the need for more physical activity are critical issues in America. One way you can encourage your children to become more physically active is by dancing! The American Heart Association recommends that children ages two and older participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. Dance is a simple activity that doesn’t require complicated equipment and can be done just about anywhere. “I recommend dance as a fun physical activity for the whole family because it doesn’t require a lot of time, money or resources,” said Dr. Mary Zurn, vice president of education for Primrose Schools. “Dancing is a creative form of selfexpression that helps build self-confidence. Plus, it provides time well spent with your family.” Dr. Zurn and Dr. Steve Sanders, a fitness expert and Director of the School of Physical Education and Exercise Science at the University of South Florida and member of the Primrose Education Advisory Board, recommend these tips to encourage your family to start dancing.

Step 1: Select appropriate music. You aren’t just looking for age-appropriate lyrics. It is also important to find music with an eight-count beat that isn’t too fast or too slow, so children can successfully develop movements in time with the music. Step 2: Create a dance routine with your child. Together, decide how your dance will begin, what movements will go in the middle and how it will end. Children naturally respond to music with movement, which they can then turn into a dance. They love to pretend and don’t have any difficulty responding if they are asked to “be” the wind moving in the trees or even a dog searching for a place to bury a bone. Their imaginations don’t need much encouragement to get moving.

Step 3: Focus on developing your child’s key motor skills. Freestyle dancing is great for getting the heart rate up, but dancing can also be beneficial to your child’s motor and

continued on page 95 72

CTI Club Gives Back to All Walks of Life by Kate Federman The Woodstock High School (WHS) Career and Technical Instruction (CTI) club provides support for students who are enrolled in career, technical and agricultural programs. Thirteen dedicated club members meet every Friday morning to learn more about the work force and plan field trips or community service projects. The CTI students are committed to assisting other clubs in their endeavors or helping community members in need. This year alone, the club’s members have collected food donations for MUST Inc., assisted with animal adoptions at local pet stores, collected and donated coats for students in need of warm outerwear and raised money for families in need who reside in the Cherokee County area. The club’s biggest and most successful service project was when the students raised $350 for the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta hospitals. “My favorite memory of CTI was working with the animals. We would stand out in front of PetSmart in the heat and the cold and try to find homes for them. It was a great feeling when one of the animals I was caring for was adopted. I got to tell the families all about them and tried to match the right animal with the right family. This also got me comfortable with talking to people I did not know,” said senior Roberto Mercado. Currently, the students are preparing for the CTI State Leadership Conference on April 29 through May 1. The event will be held in the Macon Marriott City Center. The members will participate in categories such as professional foods, technology and early childhood. Last year, the club’s students won third place for automotive service technology and technology and first place in interior design and drafting and design. The members plan to sell candy to help pay for traveling expenses. “The CTI club has made me feel part of a group. Through CTI, I have found out that I want to go into culinary arts,” Roberto said. “My favorite part about being an advisor is watching my students do good things for other people. The activities we participate in help them develop teamwork skills, maturity and assist in helping them decide what type of career they want to pursue in the future,” said club advisor Michelle Nevis. Club members are sincerely committed to serving their school and community. These compassionate students do so by using their continued on page 102

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Feature

Etowah High School Prom

pring had yet officially “sprung,” but for the students of Etowah High School, it didn’t matter because it was time for Prom! The event was held on March 13 at the Fabulous Fox Theatre, and the theme of this year’s Prom was 2010th Wonder of the World. Laura Stewart was crowned as Prom Queen and Michael Ehmann was chosen as Prom King. Left to right: Miriam Collins, Frankie Pucci, Sean Sebring and Marisa Bass.

Emma Swendsen and Kyle Smith.

Maria Flores and Jackson Ameye. Megan Houchens and Nicholas Bean.

Sallie Cook.

Lauryn Holtzman and Ryan Wauford.

Zach King and Kait Davis.

Front row (left to right): Jessica Butler , Kelly Crumpton and Caroline Tilton. Back row: Taylor Chase Kleppe , Taylor Locklin and Nick Pasqualone. 74

Left to right: Taylor Baldwin, Carson Goldstein, Katie Sherman and Lauryn Holtzman.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Prom Queen Laura Stewart.

Sasha Tucker and Devonte Ellison.

Left to right: Justin Peel, Katarina Robles, Kyle Walker, and Karly Wyant. Left to right: Jessica Butler, Kate Kavadellas, Lauren Ashworth, Kelly Crumpton and Caroline Tilton.

Back row (left to right): Will Mason, Jeff Orr, Christian Harris and Patrick Eisle. Front row: McPherson Mull, Hannah Cornett, Kelly Peters and Kayla Mosley.

Haley Palmer and Michael Ursery.

Connor Brockmeier and Samantha Olson.

Travis Arnett and Chelsea May.

Front row (left to right): Melaena Roberts, Jenny Oglesby, Brianna Futch, Caitlyn LeMoine, Beth Davis and Rachel Schmelzer. Back row: Conner Blackwell, Eric Lee, Jimmy Micali, Alex Lucco, Matt Porter, David Detweiler. april 2010

AroundAbout â&#x20AC;&#x201D; TowneLaker

Schools & Sports

Cherokee County School Board Update Rumors – Rumors – Rumors!

another voucher bill which takes local revenue from the schools (my previous article explained the loopholes of this proposed legislation). They wanted to know what was going to be done to increase revenue since most legislators appear to only support cuts. One parent demanded answers to questions regarding the possibility of half-day kindergarten that no one could seem to answer.

With the continuing state budget crisis and all the talk from our legislative delegation about cutting, cutting and more cutting, rumors are running rampant about what changes will occur in our school system. I’ve had questions regarding the possibilities I made several comments based on what I had heard – speaking of a four-day week, half-day from the heart about how far this school system had come in kindergarten, students having to pay the past 10 years. I suggested short-term revenue solutions to play school sports, cutting bus routes, etc. Please know could be put in place by the legislature to avoid more drastic that at this time, these are just rumors. Until the Governor and cuts so we will not begin to drift backward while we wait General Assembly approve a budget for the 2011 fiscal year for the economy to rebound and the state’s long-term plans (our 2010 – 11 school year), school boards across the state of to produce results. This idea was not well received by our Georgia only can sit back and wait until the budget is approved delegation. That means that if this community wants to toward the end of the session, which will continue to enjoy the same quality of likely be mid-April. In addition, revenue education our children are now receiving, estimates for the current year’s budget are then increasing local revenue may have “The downward spiraling continuing to decline; so we are not even to be considered. This is not the most revenue projections are quite assured of full funding for the current desirable solution, but the needs of our serious, and it would be (2009 – 10) school year, even with the students should not be diminished simply huge cuts we have already made. because revenues are declining. irresponsible to say nothing

about the serious implications

All indicators clearly point to significantly Remember, stay involved to stay informed. of continuing to cut millions reducing funding at both the state NOTE: These are the thoughts of one from public education.” and local levels for next year; and the individual Board member, Debi Radcliff, Post Superintendent and his staff are diligently 6 representative. This article does not reflect preparing a list of additional cuts/cost necessarily the views of the full School Board, saving options that may be necessary. As the Superintendent or the school system. you may recall, in spite of receiving stimulus funds to help offset state cuts, it still has been necessary to increase class size, reduce Debi Radcliff is Post 6 representative and Vice Chairman of the use of buses, increase fees for facility use and release part-time Cherokee County School Board. You may contact Ms. Radcliff by e-mail teachers and some salaried positions. While there are no easy at Radfam5@bellsouth.net. solutions, I am in support of the cost-cutting decisions that will have the least impact on the classroom. The state cuts currently being considered in the funding of Georgia’s schools would do severe and long-lasting damage to the quality of education for our students. These words are not intended to be a scare tactic. The downward spiraling revenue projections are quite serious, and it would be irresponsible to say nothing about the serious implications of continuing to cut millions from public education. Our schools will face an even more critical problem when millions in federal stimulus funds are gone in fiscal year 2012. Recently, I attended a meeting of our legislative delegation sponsored by the Woodstock Middle School PTSA. Parents wanted state policymakers to answer their questions regarding possible cuts and the rumors around educational program/service changes. However, because the final budget has not been set, there were no firm answers. Parents questioned the need for yet 76

Cherokee County School District Calendar at a Glance April 5 – 9

Spring Break

May 28

Last Day of School

August 2

First Day of 2010 – 2011 School Year

Cafeteria account information: www.mealpayplus.com Parent Connect: https://pcxp.cherokee.k12.ga.us School District Website: www.cherokee.k12.ga.us

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

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Rescue Pet of the Month

Itchy, Scratchy Pets . . . Help!

by Lori Erwin

by Dr. Randy Beck

Sto s ’ y b b Li

It’s that itchy time of year again! One of the biggest reasons we see dogs and cats in the spring and summer is due to scratching and hair loss. Some of the reasons for this include fleas, food allergies, mites and infections. However the most common reason is a condition known as atopy.

It is only fitting to share Libby with you after last month’s feature about Bear. Bear will be retiring this year from his post in teaching children about dog bite prevention, and Libby will take his place. Libby’s story begins in 2008 when Jason and Clair Thorne moved to the U.S. from England. Sadly, right before the move, their beloved pet of 10 years passed away. Sapphie, their five-year-old Weimeraner, was devastated and depressed by losing her mate and was filled with anxiety. She had never been alone. Clair and Jason wanted to find a new puppy for Sapphie, but nothing was working out. So they accepted the fact that they would be a one-dog family. On one Saturday afternoon in January 2009, while walking into Trader Joe’s, they came upon an adoption event for Companion Animal Connection of Cherokee County. Clair was met with Libby’s beautiful, calm eyes and approached Fran Heffern declaring, “I want that dog.” Fran jokingly told her to “get in line,” as four other couples wanted her, too. Clair didn’t give up and called Fran every day for five days straight inquiring about Libby and finally she agreed to meet with the Thornes. They all agreed that the true decision maker would be Sapphie. They fell in love! After the adoption Libby fell ill and the Thornes almost lost her, but with medical care, love and prayers, Libby pulled through. She now is 16-months-old and Clair said Libby loves nature, people, children, dogs and life. With Libby’s companionship, Sapphie has now fully recovered from her depression and anxieties. This past St. Patrick’s Day, Libby began her on-the-job training, led by Bear, for the Dog Bite Prevention program. I hope you share this story with your children; perhaps she’ll be visiting their school soon. If you have adopted a pet from a local shelter or rescue organization or even saved a stray, feel free to contact Lori at LoriErwin@gmail.com to be featured in this column.

Atopy has many names such as atopic dermatitis and allergic dermatitis, but for many it is just known as “allergies.” Most people think that allergies cause coughing and sneezing. This is very true in people, but dogs and cats typically show allergic signs in their skin. Atopic animals will commonly chew, lick, or bite at their feet, abdomen and back. The ear canals are just an extension of the skin so it is very common for pets with atopy to have itchy ears and chronic ear infections. Sometimes they can scratch enough to cause a hotspot, which is reddening of the skin and hair loss. Hotspots can be very painful and need to be addressed quickly to prevent deep skin infections. Diagnosing atopy can be difficult. While there are some specific blood and skin tests that can be done, often the diagnosis is made by first ruling out other problems such as food and flea allergies. Some pets have atopy, flea and food allergies all together, which can make it difficult to control their scratching. Atopy is typically hereditary, and the signs are usually seen as early as one to three years of age. Treating atopy is much like treating allergies. Oftentimes, you cannot cure it but you can manage it by using several different medications. Antihistamines such as Benadryl and Claritin are helpful, but will only stop all the itching in about 25 percent of cases. Oral and topical steroids are typically used to get through the allergy season, but steroids given long term can cause many problems so it is not recommended to give them all the time. Cyclosporine has been one of the more recent drugs used with great success. A veterinary-approved version of this, called Atopica, has been very helpful in reducing the amount of steroids needed to control the problem. Specific shampoos and fatty acids added to the diet have also been effective. Many of you have probably experienced some type of allergy with your pets. It can be very frustrating to deal with, so getting an early accurate diagnosis will save a lot of time and money. Have a great spring and keep your pets comfortable this season! Dr. Randy Beck is the owner of South Cherokee Veterinary Hospital located at 513 Sharp Street in Woodstock. He is a graduate of Clemson University and received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Faith

Life According to God’s Word

Easter Service Times Sunday, April 4

by Dr. Doug Thrasher Have you ever wondered what life would be like if everyone lived following the teachings of the Bible? Let me tell you one story of what things might turn out like.

Resurrection Anglican Church Saturday Easter Vigil Sunday Easter Services

8 p.m. 8:30 & 10:30 a.m.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Sunday Sunrise Service with Communion Sunday Easter Worship Services with Communion Sunday Praise Worship with Communion

7 a.m. 8 & 11 a.m. 9:30 a.m.

Towne Lake Community Church Son Rise Service Easter Passion Service

7:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m.

BridgePointe Church Easter Services

9 & 11 a.m.

Hillside United Methodist Church Easter Vigil Sunrise Worship with Communion 6:30 a.m. Traditional Worship 8, 9:30 & 11 a.m. Contemporary Worship 9:30 & 11 a.m.

Liberty Hill United Methodist Church Easter Service

11 a.m.

Bascomb United Methodist Church Sunday Sunrise Service Easter services

6:30 a.m. 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Woodstock Christian Church Saturday Free Easter Egg Hunt Sunrise Service Early Service Sunday School Regular Services

11:30 a.m. 6:45 a.m. 8 a.m. 9 a.m. 10:30 a.m.

St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church Saturday Vigil Mass Easter Mass Spanish Mass 82

8 p.m. 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:45 p.m. 2:30 p.m.

In 1787, the English ship “Bounty” sailed to the South Pacific to collect plants to be carried back to Europe. You are probably familiar with the story of the mutiny that occurred. Fletcher Christian led the mutiny against Captain Bligh, mainly because many of the men wanted to remain in the South Pacific rather than return to England. The mutineers returned to Tahiti, kidnapped some of the women and traveled to Pitcairn Island to live. That’s the story that most of you are familiar with. Here’s the rest of the story. After settling on Pitcairn, they figured out how to distill whiskey from a native plant. Drunkenness and fighting erupted and soon, all the men except one had died due to disease or murder. The one remaining man was Alexander Smith, who now lived there with a group of women and children. One day, Smith found the Bible from the “Bounty”. He began reading it and was converted to belief in Jesus Christ. He then taught and preached to everyone else on the island and they, too, became Christians. The message totally transformed the little colony. Some 20 years later when another ship landed on the island, it found a happy society of Christians living there. There was no crime, and no want. Everyone lived in peace together and cared for one another. What had been an island society born of mutiny, kidnapping, murder and drunkenness had become a society of Christian love and care. When I consider the society we live in today with its crime and need, I can’t help but dream of a day when we all live according to God’s word like the folks on Pitcairn Island. What about you? I pray that you all have a Happy Easter and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ by worshipping Him in church. If you have nowhere else that you are attending, I invite you to Hillside on Towne Lake Parkway in Woodstock. You are always welcome! Dr. Doug Thrasher is the Senior Pastor at Hillside United Methodist Church. He is also a member of the AroundAbout — TowneLaker’s Community Board. You may contact him at dthrasher@hillsideumc.org.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Faith

Towne Lake Area Religious Services Baptist

Jewish

Crossroads Community Church 2317 Bascomb-Carmel Road, (770) 592-7007 Sunday Services: 11 a.m. & 6 p.m. Sunday Morning Bible Study: 9:30 a.m. Pastor: Bob Goodner

Chabad Jewish Center 1635 Old Hwy 41 NW, Suite 112-265, Kennesaw (770) 771-9952, info@JewishwestCobb.com Introductory Service: 1st Shabbat of each month at 11 a.m. Traditional Service: 3rd Shabbat of each month at 10:30 a.m. Rabbi: Zalman Charytan www.JewishWestCobb.com

First Baptist Church of Woodstock 11905 Highway 92, (770) 926-4428 Sunday Services: 8, 9:30 & 11 a.m. & 6 p.m. Pastor: Dr. Johnny M. Hunt www.fbcw.org Hillcrest Baptist Church 6069 Woodstock Road, Acworth, (770) 917-9100 Sunday Services: 9 & 11 a.m. Sunday School: 10 a.m. Wednesday Services: Youth 6:30 p.m., Adults 7 p.m. Pastor: Paul Vance

Lutheran Celebration of Grace Lutheran Church 2260 Holly Springs Pkwy, Suite # 120, Canton (770) 503-5050 Sunday Service: 10:30 a.m. Nursery available Sunday School: 9 a.m., Faith Formation: 9 a.m. Pastor: Virginia Krekling www.CelebrationofGrace.org

New Victoria Baptist Church 6659 Bells Ferry Road, (770) 926-8448 Sunday Services: 8:30 & 10:50 a.m Sunday Bible Study: 9:45 a.m. Wednesday Awana: 6:30 p.m. Pastor: Monty Guice www.newvictoriabaptistchurch.org

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 1208 Rose Creek Drive (770) 924-7286, sheeptalk-gslc@comcast.net Sunday Services: 8, 9:30 & 11 a.m. Sunday School: 9:30 & 11 a.m. Thursday Youth Activities: 6:30 p.m. Pastors: Paul Baumgartner & Justin Ask

South Cherokee Baptist Church 7504 Highway 92, (770) 926-0422 Sunday Services: 10:30 a.m. & 6 p.m. Sunday School: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday Service: 7 p.m. Pastor: Steven Lambert

Timothy Lutheran Church (LC-MS) 556 Arnold Mill Road, (770) 928-2812 Sunday Services: 8:30 & 11 a.m. Sunday School: 9:45 a.m. Pastor: Stephen Constien

Episcopal Christ Episcopal Church 1210 Wooten Lake Road, Kennesaw, (770) 422-9114 Sunday Services: 8 & 10:30 a.m. Sunday School: 9:15 a.m. Wednesday: 6:30 p.m. praise music, 7 p.m. Eucharist Rector: Doris Graf Smith Christ the Redeemer Charismatic Episcopal Church 411 Scott Mill Road, Canton, (770) 479-1778 Sunday Service: 10 a.m. Morning Prayer: Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Rector: Kurt Wheeler Christ the Redeemer Charismatic Episcopal Church 6488 Hickory Flat Highway, Canton, (404) 395-5003 Saturday Service: 5:30 p.m. Priest: Stephen Hunter Episcopal Church of the Annunciation 1673 Jamerson Road, Marietta, (770) 928-7916 Sunday Service: 10:30 a.m. Sunday School: 9:30 a.m. Rector: Rev. Paul McCabe www.annunciationepiscopal.org Saint Clementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Episcopal Church 2795 Ridge Road, Canton, (770) 345-6722 Sunday Eucharist Services: 8, 9 & 11 a.m. Christian Education: 10 a.m. Wednesday Eucharist Service: 6:30 p.m. Rector: James B. Stutler 84

Orthodox St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church Service at the Woodstock Funeral Home Chapel, 8855 Main Street, Woodstock (770) 485-0504 Sunday Divine Liturgy: 10 a.m. Priest Frederick Watson www.stelizabethga.org

Presbyterian Cherokee Presbyterian Church, PCA 1160 Butterworth Road, Canton, (770) 704-9594 Sunday Services: 9 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. Sunday School: 11 a.m. Pastor: Alan Lutz www.cherokee-pca.org Heritage Presbyterian Church 5323 Bells Ferry Road, (770) 926-3558 Sunday Services: 9 & 11:10 a.m. Sunday School: 10 a.m. Pastor: Dr. Sid Gunter www.heritagepres.com Sixes Presbyterian Church Meeting at our Fellowship Hall at 2335 Sixes Road, Canton, (770) 485-1975 Sunday Service: 10:30 a.m. Pastor: Dr. Lucas Pina www.sixeschurch.org

Woodstock Presbyterian Church 345 Arnold Mill Road, (770) 926-0074 Adult Sunday School: 10 a.m. Traditional Worship Service: 11 a.m. Pastor: Rev. Dr. Jake Marshall

Roman Catholic St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church 490 Arnold Mill Road, (770) 516-0009 Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:30 p.m. Sunday Masses: 7:30, 9 & 11 a.m. & 12:45 & 5:30 p.m. Sunday Spanish Mass: 2:30 p.m. Pastor: Larry Niese www.stmichaelthearchangelwoodstock.catholicweb.com Transfiguration Catholic Church 1815 Blackwell Rd. NE., Marietta, (770) 977-1442 Saturday Vigil Mass: 5 p.m. Sunday Masses: 8 & 10 a.m. & 12 noon Sunday Spanish Mass: 2 p.m. Pastor: Monsignor Patrick Bishop www.transfiguration.com

United Methodist Bascomb United Methodist Church 2295 Bascomb-Carmel Road, (770) 926-9755 Contemporary Service: 9 a.m. Traditional Service: 11 a.m. Sunday School: 10 a.m. Pastor: Rev. Millie Kim www.bascombumc.org CITY ON A HILL United Methodist Church Worship Experiences at Johnston Elementary School on East Cherokee Drive, (404) 862-7850 Sunday Service: 9 & 10:45 a.m. Nursery available at both times Pastor: Chris Bryant www.cityonahillumc.org First United Methodist Church of Woodstock 109 Towne Lake Parkway, (770) 926-6440 Sunday School: 10 a.m. Sunday Worship: 11 a.m. Over 50s meet 1st Saturday each month at 11:30 a.m. Pastor: Rev. Claude Herbert Hillside United Methodist Church 4474 Towne Lake Parkway, (770) 924-4777 Traditional Services: 8:30 & 11 a.m. Contemporary Services: 9:30 & 11 a.m. Sunday School: 9:30 & 11 a.m Pastor: Dr. Doug Thrasher www.hillsideumc.org Liberty Hill Church Worship at 930 Marietta Highway (Cherokee High School), (678) 493-8920 Sunday Service: 10:45 a.m. Nursery available Sunday School: All ages, 9:30 a.m. Pastor: Jamey Prickett www.libertyhillumc.org

continued on page 86

AroundAbout â&#x20AC;&#x201D; TowneLaker april 2010

Faith

Towne Lake Area Religious Services Sixes United Methodist Church 8385 Bells Ferry Road, Canton (770) 345-7644 Sunday Services: 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday School: 10 a.m. Pastor: Jim Buckman www.sixesumc.org

Other Churches Allen Temple, AME Church 232 N. Arnold Mill Road, (770) 926-6348 Prayer Time: Friday, 7:14 — 8:14 p.m. Sunday Services: 8 & 11 a.m. Sunday Church School: 9:45 a.m. Pastor: Carl A. Moore, Sr. Axios Church 155 Rickman Industrial Drive, Holly Springs (678) 493-5969 Sunday Service: 10:15 a.m. Pastor: Ray Brim www.axioschurch.org Bells Ferry Church of God 6718 Bells Ferry Road, (770) 592-2956 Sunday School: 10 a.m. Sunday Service: 11 a.m. Wednesday Service: 7 p.m. Pastor: Ted Wooldridge www.bellsferry.com

Pastor: Marc Lawson www.ngca.org Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Allatoona Ward, (770) 924-9075 Bishop L. Isaksen Woodstock Ward, (770) 561-5899 2205 Bascomb Carmel Road Bishop K. Griffeth Canton Ward, (678) 880-0012 Bishop Scott Harman Church of the Messiah (Non-denominational) 415 Charles Cox Drive, Canton, (770) 479-5280 Sunday Service: 10 a.m. Pastor: Fred L. Goodwin Covenant Christian Center 330 Adam Jenkins Memorial Blvd, Canton (770) 345-0307 Sunday Service: 10 a.m. Wednesday Service: 7 p.m. Pastor: Apostle Kito J. Johnson www.CityOfCovenant.org Dayspring Church 6835 Victory Drive, Woodstock, (770) 516-5733 Sunday Service: 10:30 a.m. Pastor: Tony Crawford www.dayspring-online.com

Branches of Christ 2355 Highway 92, Acworth, (770) 917-9040 Sunday Service: 10 a.m. Wednesday Service: 7 p.m. Pastor: Steve Pettit www.branchesofchrist.com

Faith Family Church 5744 Bells Ferry Road, Acworth, (770) 926-4560 Sunday Service: 10 a.m. Wednesday Service: 7 p.m. Pastor: Tommy White

BridgePointe Church Meeting at Woodstock Middle/High School (770) 517-2977 Sunday Services: 9 & 11 a.m. Pastor: Chuck Angel www.bridgepointechurch.org

Freedom Church Meeting at North Metro Technical College 5198 Ross Road, Acworth Sunday Services: 9:30 & 11 a.m. www.freedomlive.net Pastor: J.R. Lee

Celebration Church 340 Towne Lake Parkway (678) 461-9626 Sunday Service: 9:30 a.m.

Jubilee Church (Newfrontiers) Meets at Kell High School 4770 Lee Waters Road, Marietta (678) 471-1930 Sunday Service: 10 a.m. www.jubileechurch.us

Cherokee Seventh Day Adventist 101 Rope Mill Road, (770) 591-7304 Saturday Worship: 11 a.m. Sabbath School: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday Service: 7:30 p.m. Pastor: Jonathan Williamson Christ the King Church of Greater Atlanta 6464 Highway 92, (770) 924-9161 Sunday Service: 10:30 a.m. Pastor: Larry Tomczak www.ctkatlanta.com Christian Praise Center 1358 Sixes Road, (770) 924-7532 www.christianpraisecenter.com Church at North Gate 9876 Main Street, Suite 250 (behind NAPA) (678) 494-2193 Sunday Service: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday Program: 7:30 p.m. 86

Love Community Church 5598 Bells Ferry Rd., Acworth (Cherokee Corners) (404) 663-1828 Sunday School: 9 a.m. Sunday Service: 10 a.m. Pastor: Rev. Donna T. Lucas Momentum Church Cherokee 16 Cinemas, 355 Cinema View Drive (678) 384-4919 Sunday Service: 10:02 a.m. Pastor: Ross Wiseman www.MomentumChurch.tv Northern Hills Church of Christ 4563 Hickory Flat Highway, Canton (404) 579-0885 Sunday Service: 10 a.m. Pastor: Ronny West www.northernhillsfamily.org

cont’d

The Pointe Church Hasty Elementary, 205 Brown Industrial Parkway, Canton, (404) 557-9640 Sunday Service: 10:30 a.m. Pastor: Brian Jones www.myfriendschurch.com Prayer & Praise Christian Fellowship Church 6409 Bells Ferry Road (770) 928-2795 Sunday Service: 10:30 a.m. Christian Living Class: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday Youth Meeting: 6:30 p.m. Pastor: Larry H. Baker Resurrection Anglican Church 231 Arnold Mill Road, (770) 591-0040 Holy Communion: Sunday 10:30 a.m. Christian Education (all ages): Sunday 9:30 a.m. Pastor: Rev. Greg Goebel www.resurrectionwoodstock.org Towne Lake Community Church 132 N. Medical Pkwy. (behind Wellstar) (678) 445-8766 Contemporary Family Service: 10:30 a.m. Sunday Senior Service at Savannah Grand: 11 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study: 7 p.m. Sr. Pastor: William Ratliff www.tlcchurch.com Unity Christ Church 2871 Cherokee St., Kennesaw (770) 422-9552 Sunday Service: 11 a.m. Pastor: Rev. Terrence Padgett www.unitycc.com Woodstock Christian Church 7700 Highway 92, (770) 926-8238 Sunday School: 9 a.m. Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Sunday Small Groups: 6 p.m. Wednesday Meal: 6 p.m.; Worship: 6:40 p.m.; Program: 7 p.m. Pastor: Lynn Eynon www.woodstockchristian.org Woodstock Church of Christ 219 Rope Mill Road, (770) 926-8838 Sunday Services: 10:30 a.m. & 6 p.m. Servico En Espanol Domingo: 10:30 a.m. Aprenda Ingles Gratis (Free ESL): Lunes 7 — 9 p.m. Ministro: Rafael Uzcategui, (770) 926-8271 Pastor: Bryan Collins www.woodstockchurchofchrist.org Woodstock Church of the Nazarene 874 Arnold Mill Road, (770) 924-4499 Sunday Services: 10:45 a.m. & 6 p.m. Sunday School: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday Program: 7 p.m. Pastor: Greg Brown www.wcnga.com Woodstock Community Church 8534 Main Street, (770) 926-8990 Sunday Service: 10:30 a.m. Pastor: Greg Michael

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Reference

Towne Lake Area Clubs and Organizations Business Organizations American Business Women’s Association, Cherokee Eagles Charter Chapter Meeting: Third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Contact: Jacqueline Miller Van Hook, (678) 493-3618 Cherokee Area Business Connection Meeting: Every Wednesday at 7:15 a.m. Contact: Marci Zied, (770) 345-8687 Cherokee Financial Women International Contact: Mitzi Saxon, (770) 479-3400 Cherokee Toastmasters Meeting: Every Wednesday from 12 noon Location: Keller Williams Realty, 220 Heritage Pkwy Contact: Steve Monahan, (770) 712-4077 Website: www.CherokeeToastmasters.com No Fee Referral Network Woodstock Meeting: Every Thursday morning at 7:30am Location: Corner Bistro off Towne Lake Pkwy Contact: Stephanie Natarus, (770) 928-2700 stephanie@livinginsured.com Website: http://www.meetup.com/No-Fee Referral-Network-Woodstock/ North Georgia Referral Network Meeting: Every Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m. Location: Featherstone’s Grille at Towne Lake Hills Contact: Steve Green, (770) 427-2799 Together We Rise Meeting: Second & Fourth Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m. Location: Featherstone’s at Towne Lake Hills Contact: Pat Snipes, (404) 569-5280 Towne Lake Business Association Meeting: April 20 at 12:30 p.m. Location: Featherstone’s Grille at Towne Lake Hills Contact: (770) 615-3350 Website: www.tlba.org See page 14 for more information. Towne Lake PowerCore Team Meeting: Every Friday at 7:30 — 9 a.m. Location: Featherstone’s Grille at Towne Lake Hills Contact: Amy@PowerCore.net Website: www.powercore.net Woodstock Community Business Association Meeting: Second Monday at 12 noon Location: Latimer Hall Contact: info@woodstockcba.com Women of Woodstock Meeting: First & third Wednesday. Location: Featherstone’s Grille at Towne Lake Hills Contact: Stephanie Natarus, (770) 928-2700 stephanie@livinginsured.com Website: www.womenofwoodstock.com

Charitable Organizations Ahimsa House help for victims of domestic violence who need help getting their pets to safety. Contact: 24-hour hotline, (404) 452-6248. Other inquiries,(404) 496-4038. Website: www.ahimsahouse.org

CCHS Thrift Store located at 5900 Bells Ferry Road, Acworth, (770) 592-8072, accepts donations and sells used household items to raise money for CCHS. Cherokee County Special Olympics Meeting: First Monday at 7 p.m. Location: CrossRoads Middle/High School Contact: Colleen Konwick, (770) 517-7101 Child Advocacy Council facilitates Anna Crawford Children’s Center, Parents HELP and the Children’s Stabilization and Assessment Center. Contact: Mary Migliaro, (770) 345-8100 Companion Animal Connection Contact: (678) 493-9847 Website: www.cacadopt.petfinder.com Feed My Lambs, Inc. Contact: Candice Knight, (770) 795-9349 Website: www.feedmylambs.net Genesis Adoptions Contact: Lindsay Kirk, (770) 517-0043, lkirk@genesis-adoptions.org Website: www.genesis-adoptions.org Habitat for Humanity North Central Georgia. Contact: (770) 345-1879 Website: www.habitatncg.org Hope Center offers support for unplanned pregnancy. Contact: (770) 924-0864, info@TheHopeCtr.com Website: www.hopectr.com Hospice Advantage needs volunteers. Contact: Shari Koch, (770) 218-1997 Website: www.hospiceadvantage.com iCOR helping orphans, seeks volunteers. Meeting: First Monday at 12 noon Location: Featherstone’s Grille at Towne Lake Hills Contact: Lily Colgate, (404) 992-8155 Website: www.iCORorphans.com

Kiwanis Club of Woodstock Meeting: Every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Location: Featherstone’s Grille at Towne Lake Hills Contact: (678) 494-4841 Website: www.kiwanisofwoodstock.org Rotary Club of Woodstock Meeting: Every Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. Location: Creekside Bank, 100 Springfield Dr. Contact: Eric Hodges, (404) 787-2331 Sewrifics of Cherokee Meeting: Third Tuesday at 7 p.m. Location: Sixes United Methodist Church, Canton Contact: Sheri Torch, (770) 591-8335 Sons of the American Legion Meeting: Third Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Location: Woodstock Community Church Contact: Charles Tucker, (678) 643-0794 South Cherokee Optimist Club Meeting: Every Friday at 7:30 a.m. Location: Featherstone’s Grille at Towne Lake Hills Contact: (770) 926-3522 Towne Lake Optimist Club Meeting: Every Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. Location: Featherstone’s Grille at Towne Lake Hills Contact: Terry Morrison, (770) 715-3375 Woodstock Jaycees Meeting: First Tuesday & third Thursday at 7 p.m. Location: 216 Rope Mill Road Contact: (770) 926-8336 Woodstock Lions Club Meeting: Second & fourth Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Location: New Victoria Baptist Church Contact: (770) 906-2958 Woodstock Masons Lodge #246 F. & A.M., Inc. Meeting: Second & fourth Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Location: Corner of Air Acres Way & Arnold Mill Rd. Contact: (770) 993-3145 or (770) 926-0627

MUST Ministries Contact: Kim Loesing, (770) 479-5397

Woodstock Midday Optimist Club Meeting: Every Wednesday at 12 noon Location: Folks Contact: Johnny Young, (770) 345-6158

Papa’s Pantry is a year-round local food ministry. Contact: Lynne Saunders, (770) 591-4730 Website: www.papaspantry.org Safe Kids Cherokee County — Call for an appointment for free child safety seat inspections. Contact: Chad Arp, (678) 493-4343 Website: www.cherokeesafekids.org

Civic Organizations AARP Woodstock Chapter is for anyone 50 and older. Meeting: Second Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. Location: Featherstone’s Grille at Towne Lake Hills Contact: Rich, (770) 926-1944 American Legion & Auxiliary Meeting: Third Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Location: Woodstock Community Church Contact: Charles Tucker, (678) 643-0794 Beta Sigma, Kappa Chi Chapter Meeting: Third Thursday at 7 p.m. Contact: Maria Kuhn, vccibaker@aol.com or April Bolle, (678) 327-7233

Cherokee County Humane Society (CCHS) Contact: (770) 928-5115, admin@cchumanesociety.org Website: www.cchumanesociety.org

Hickory Flat Optimist Club Meeting: First & third Tuesdays 12 noon Location: Family Tradition, Highway 140

Junior Service League of Woodstock 24 hour information line: (770) 592-3535

Meals “Fur” Pets has pet food collection bin at AroundAbout — TowneLaker offices. Contact: Lori Pesta, (678) 520-2236 Website: www.mealsfurpets.com

Cherokee County Animal Shelter Auxiliary Contact: (770) 704-PAWS or ccasa4paws@ yahoo.com Website: www.ccasauxiliary.org

Contact: Alan Flint, (770) 720- 9056

AroundAbout — TowneLaker

Woodstock VFW Post 10683 Meeting: Second Tuesday at 7 p.m. Location: Woodstock Senior Center Contact: Andrew Yrabedra, (404) 663-4663

Political Organizations Cherokee County Democrat Party Meeting: Third Monday at 7 p.m. Location: The Holly Springs Train Depot Contact: Judy Hamilton, (770) 380-7071, jkmailbox@yahoo.com Website: www.cherokeedems.com Cherokee County Republican Party Meeting: Fourth Monday at 7 p.m.; Breakfast at Right Wing Tavern first Saturday at 8 a.m. Location: Justice Center in Canton Contact: Conrad Quagliaroli, (770) 592-6545 Cherokee County Republican Women Meeting: Third Wednesday, Dinner at 6 p.m., Speaker at 7 p.m. Location: Featherstone’s at BridgeMill Contact: (678) 520-2236 for reservations Website: www.ccrwcga.com continued on page 92 March 2010

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Reference

Towne Lake Area Clubs and Organizations Recreation & Hobbies Airstream Caravan Club Website: http://home.windstream.net/topofga/ Contact: Rob Kelly, (770) 516-7044 Allatoona Gold Panners Location: Creeks around Lake Allatoona Contact: Rob Kelly, (770) 516-7044 rrkelly@bellsouth.net Arts Alliance of Georgia, Inc. Meeting: Second Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Location: Woodstock Art Center, 205 Arnold Mill Rd. Contacts: Madeline Hall, (678) 754-8482 woodstockartcenter@comcast.net Blue Skies Laughter Club Meeting: Every Wednesday 7 — 8 p.m. Location: Northside-Cherokee Medical Offices 100 Stoneforest Dr., 1st floor conf. room Contact: Craig Whitley (404) 520-0221 Website: www.addlaughter.com Cherokee Amateur Radio Society Meeting First Saturday at 10 a.m. Location: BridgeMill Community Center Contact: Jim Millsap, PIO, (770) 928-8590 Website: www.cherokee-ares.org/ccars Cherokee County Arts Center Meeting Fourth Friday at 10 a.m. Location: 94 North Street, Canton Contact: (770) 704-6244 Website: www.CherokeeArts.org Cherokee County Saddle Club Meeting Third Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Location: Family Tradition, Hickory Flat Contact: Tamma Trump, (770) 655-0819 Website: www.cherokeesaddleclub.com Cherokee Fencing Club Meeting: Beginners, Wednesdays at 5 p.m.; Club, Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Location: Recreation Center, Main Street Contact: Andy McCann, (678) 494-9750 Website: www.cherokeefencingclub.com Cherokee Youth Lacrosse Association Contact: Dan Baldwin, 770-846-4843 Website: www.cherokeelacrosse.com Cherokee Music Teachers Association Contact: Melanie Williams, (770) 345-2983 Website: www.cherokeemta.org Crossfit WOD Club Meeting: Daily for the “Work Out of the Day” Contact: www.crossfitgarage.com Girls Night Out is for single or divorced women. Meeting: Monthly dinner, time & date TBA Location: Different restaurants around Atlanta Contact: roxann.arce@comcast.net

Location: Wildlife Action, 2075 Kellogg Creek Contact: WLA Office, (800) 753-2264

Support Organizations Adoption/Infertility Support Group Meeting: First Wednesday at 7 p.m. Location: First Baptist Church of Woodstock Contact: Cindy Braddock, (678) 445-3131 Alzheimer/Dementia Support Group Meeting: First Thursday at 7 p.m. Location: Atria, 1000 Professional Way Contact: Atria Woodstock, (770) 926-0119 Autism Parent Support Group Meeting: Second Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Location: Cherokee County Community Service Center, BridgeMill Fire Station, Canton Contact: Sharon Jones, (770) 345-6551 Breast Cancer Support Group Meeting: First Thursday of each month Time: 10 a.m. — 12 noon Location: Northside Hospital — Cherokee, Diabetes Classroom, Educational Center Contact: (404) 843-1880 Canadian Women’s Club Contact: Lesley Frappier, cwcatlanta@yahoo.com CASA for Children Inc. provides child advocacy to abused and neglected children through trained community volunteers. Contact: Deidre Hollands, (770) 345-3274 Website: www.casaforchildren.org Cherokee Autism Spectrum Support Group Meeting: Second Thursday at 7 — 9 p.m. during school year, not Nov. or Dec. Day subject to change. Location: New Victoria Baptist Church Contact: Renee, (678) 493-4925 Cherokee County Family Child Care Association Contact: Brenda Bowen, (770) 926-8055 Cherokee County Foster & Adoptive Parents Assoc. Contact: Marie Blackwell, (770) 378-0759, mblackwell@fosteroradopt.org Website: www.fosteroradopt.org C.H.O.O.S.E. of Woodstock Meeting: First Monday at 7 p.m. 24-hour information line: (770) 517-3043 Depression and Bipolar Support Group Meeting: Second Tuesday at 7 p.m. Location: 8534 Main Street, Woodstock Contact: (770) 560-7112, healthymoods@aol.com Website: www.Myspace.Com/healthymoods

cont’d

Grandparents Raising GRANDchildren Meeting: 2nd & 4th Tuesday at 7 p.m. (nursery available) Location: Transfiguration Catholic Church, Marietta Contact: Jeannie, (770) 919-9275 Hearing Loss Resource Group Contacts: Cathy, (678) 483-9135 WoodstockSHHH-info@phydeaux.org JDRF Cherokee Pickens Family Support Group for families of children with Juvenile (type 1) diabetes. Meeting: Second Saturday Location: River Green Subdivision Facilities Contact: Tom, (770) 345-4864, Tom@brushwithart.com Jewish Havurah Contact: Marcia, (770) 345-8687 La Leche League of South Cherokee Meeting: First Tuesday at 10 a.m. Location: Bascomb United Methodist Church Contacts: Marguerite, (770) 926-2791 Megan, (770) 517-0191 Miracle Mothers is for women trying to conceive or adopt. Contact: Melissa, (770) 516-1078 Website: www.miraclemothers.org MOMS Club Towne Lake — 30189 Contacts: Cherie Young, cbyoung00@hotmail.com Kelley Williams, kelleyw9292@gmail.com MOMS Club Woodstock — 30188 Contacts: www.geocities.com/woodstock momsclub2000/index.html. MOPS — Mothers of Preschoolers (birth — K) Meeting: Second & Fourth Tues. a.m. or Wed. p.m. Location: First Baptist Church of Woodstock Contact: (770) 926-4428, www.fbcw.org Mothers & More Meeting: First & third Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Location: Kroger at Towne Lake Contact: Michelle Wise, (770) 720-8834 Website: www.woodstockmm.com National Alliance for Mental Illness Family Support Group Meeting: Second & fourth Tuesdays, 7 — 8:30 p.m. Location: Hillside United Methodist Church Contact: Jill, (404) 394-1229 or Patrick, (678) 654-2091 Website: www.nami.org National Psoriasis Foundation Support Group Meeting: First Tuesday at 7 p.m. (call for directions) Contact: Scott Bell, (404) 218-6626 Website: http://support.psoriasis.org/woodstock Overeaters Anonymous Meeting: Every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Location: H.O.W. Place, behind fire station on Bells Ferry Road at Old Bascomb Court Contact: Lois, (770) 592-6421

Les Marmitons is for men interested in culinary arts. Meeting: Third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Location: Chattahoochee Tech Contact: Larry Lodisio, (770) 516-5197

Emotions Anonymous Meeting: Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Location: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Contacts: Cindy, (770) 928-6554; Sherry, (770) 926-1889

Neighbors & Newcomers of Towne Lake Meeting: Third Tuesday Contact: Carolyn White, (770) 926-6756

Fellowship of Companies for Christ International Meeting: Second & fourth Thursdays at 7 a.m. Location: Woodstock Family Restaurant Contact: Randall Hill, (770) 516-5887

S.N.A.P. offers resources for children with special needs. Meeting: Second Monday from 10 — 11:30 a.m. Location: 100 Hickory Circle, Holly Springs Contact: (770) 720-4068

Georgia Canines for Independence Meeting: First Monday at 6:30 p.m. Location: 6683 Bells Ferry Road, Suite H Contact: Ramona Nichols, (404) 735-3647

Tender Hearts Caregivers Support Group Meeting: Second & fourth Wednesday at 10 a.m. Location: Hillside United Methodist Church Contact: Robin Galloway, (770) 517-5899

Singles of Towne Lake 35+ holds monthly mixers. Contacts: Lisa, (770) 597-3430 LisaR789@bellsouth.net Wildlife Action, Inc. is a conservation organization. Meeting: Third Sunday at 1 p.m. 92

AroundAbout — TowneLaker

Spirit of Success Career Clothing Connection Provides professional business attire at no cost. Contact: (770) 956-0711.

March 2010

Community Information Numbers & Websites Emergency — 911 • AroundAbout — TowneLaker • (770) 516-7105 Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce

(770) 345-0400

Non-Emergency 911 Parks and Recreation:

(770) 345-7270 (770) 721-7810 (770) 517-7650 (678) 493-6000 (770) 479-1953 (678) 493-6077 (770) 479-0418 (770) 479-9011 (770) 479-1953 (678) 493-6101 (770) 345-5312 (678) 493-6120

(678) 493-6400 (770) 924-4099 (770) 479-0407

(770) 592-9779 (770) 720-7712 (770) 479-1804 (770) 345-5483 (770) 720-3581 (770) 720-3610 (770) 924-0864 (770) 479-5397 (770) 591-4730

(678) 413-8400

Fire Department (District 1, Station 20)

(770) 926-7155

Georgia State Patrol

(770) 720-6607

Health Department

(770) 345-7371

(770) 793-5000 (770) 751-2500 (770) 720-5100

Battered Women Hotline Drug Tip Line (Cherokee Co. Sheriff) Poison Control Center — Atlanta Outside Metro Atlanta Probate Court Information Line Rite-Call (Child Medical Problems) Sexual Assault & Family Violence Center

(770) 479-1703 (770) 345-7920 (404) 616-9000 (800) 222-1222 (770) 704-2610 (404) 250-KIDS (770) 428-2666

Cherokee County Government:

Animal Shelter Business Licenses Clean & Beautiful Commission Commissioners Courthouse Engineering Office (Traffic Signals) Extension Office Jury Phone Justice Center (Courts, Judges, etc.) Planning & Zoning Senior Services Tax Assessors/Evaluation

Taxes: License Plates/Tags, Property Tax Woodstock Office Voter Registration

Children/Family:

Anna Crawford Children’s Center Cherokee County Boys & Girls Club Cherokee Family Violence Center Cherokee Focus Child Support Enforcement Department of Family & Children Services The Hope Center MUST Cherokee Ministries Papa’s Pantry

Driver’s Licenses (Tues — Sat)

Hospitals: Kennestone Hospital North Fulton Hospital Northside Hospital — Cherokee

Hotlines — 24 Hour Help Lines:

Libraries: Rose Creek R.T. Jones Woodstock

www.sequoyahregionallibrary.org (770) 591-1491 (770) 479-3090 (770) 926-5859

Banking, only better! april 2010

(770) 479-3117

BridgeMill Athletic Club (770) 345-5500 Cherokee County Outdoor YMCA (770) 591-5820 Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency (770) 924-7768 www.crpa.net Cherokee Soccer Association (770) 704-0187 www.cherokeesoccer.com Eagle Watch Golf Club (770) 591-1000 Hobgood Park (770) 924-7865 North Atlanta Soccer Assoc. www.nasa-ga.org (770) 926-4175 SCRA Park (770) 926-5672 Towne Lake Hills Golf Club (770) 592-9969 Wildlife Action, Inc. (800) 753-2264

Pets:

Animal Control (678) 493-6200 CatSnip www.atlantaanimalalliance.com Cherokee County Animal Shelter — Adoptions (770) 345-7270 Cherokee County Humane Society (770) 928-5115 www.cchumanesociety.org Emergency Veterinary Clinic (770) 924-3720 Lost Pet Hotline (770) 615-3333 Meals “Fur” Pets www.mealsfurpets.com (678) 520-2236 SPARE (Sterilizing Pets And Reducing Euthanasia) (770) 928-5120 Second Chance Dog Rescue www.secondchancedogs.org

Post Office (Woodstock) www.usps.com

(800) 275-8777

Recycling Center

(770) 516-4195

Schools: see www.townelaker.com for complete listing Board of Education www.cherokee.k12.ga.us (770) 479-1871 Sheriff’s Department www.cherokeega-sheriff.org (678) 493-4200 Georgia Sex Offender Registry www.cherokeega-sheriff.org/offender/offender.htm Utilities:

Atlanta Gas Light Co. www.aglc.com A T & T www.bellsouth.com Cherokee Water & Sewerage Authority Comcast Cobb EMC www.cobbemc.com Georgia Power

(770) 907-4231 (404) 780-2355 (770) 479-1813 (770) 926-0334 (770) 429-2100 (888) 660-5890

(678) 494-2500

Urgent Care Facility Wellstar Urgent Care

Woodstock, City of:

(in Towne Lake, only applies to Avonlea, Deer Run,

ParkView, Paces and certain annexed commercial parcels) www.ci.woodstock.ga.us City Hall (770) 926-8852 Fire Department (770) 926-2302 Police Information (770) 592-6025

LGE

770-424-0060



www.LGEccu.org

Community Credit Union

AroundAbout — TowneLaker

Reference

Elected & Appointed Officials United States Government:

President Barack Obama (D)

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C. 20500 Website: www.whitehouse.gov e-mail: president@whitehouse.gov

Senator Saxby Chambliss (R)

Senate Russell Courtyard-2 Washington, D.C. 20510 Website: http://chambliss.senate.gov e-mail: use contact form on website

Senator Johnny Isakson (R)

1 Overton Park, Suite 970 3625 Cumberland Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30339 Website: http://isakson.senate.gov

Rep. Tom Price (R), District 6

P.O. Box 425 Roswell, GA 30077 Website: http://tom.house.gov e-mail: use contact form on website

Rep. John Linder (R), District 7

90 North St., Suite 360 Canton, GA 30114 Website: www.linder.house.gov

(202) 456-1414 fax: (202) 456-2461

Commissioners: Buzz Ahrens (R), Chairperson Harry Johnston (R), Post 1 e-mail: hjohnston@cherokeega.com

(202) 224-3521 fax: (202) 224-0103

Jim Hubbard (R), Post 2 e-mail: jhubbard@cherokeega.com

Karen Bosch (R), Post 3 (202) 224-3643 GA: (770) 661-0999 fax: (770) 661-0768 (202) 225-4501 GA: (770) 565-4990 fax: (770) 565-7570 (202) 225-4272 GA: (770) 479-1888 fax: (770) 479-2999

e-mail: kbosch@cherokeega.com

Derek Good (R), Post 4

Cherokee County School System

Superintendent, Dr. Frank Petruzielo P.O. Box 769, 110 Academy St., Canton, GA 30114 Website: www.cherokee.k12.ga.us e-mail: drp@cherokee.k12.ga.us

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Roger Garrison (R)

Governor Sonny Perdue (R)

(404) 656-1776 fax: (404) 657-7332

Senator Chip Rogers (R), District 21

(404) 463-1378 fax: (404) 657-9887

Cherokee County Tax Commissioner David Fields

Senator Jack Murphy (R), District 27

(770) 887-1960 fax: (770) 205-0602

Rep. Charlice Byrd (R), District 20

(404) 656-0126 fax: (404) 463-2793

State Capitol, Room 111 Atlanta, GA 30334 e-mail: chip@SenatorChipRogers.com e-mail: jack.murphy@senate.ga.gov e-mail: charlice.byrd@house.ga.gov

Rep. Sean Jerguson (R), District 22

e-mail: sean.jerguson@house.ga.gov

(404) 656-0287

Cherokee County Courts:

(678) 493-6000

e-mail: dvgood@cherokeega.com

498 Chattin Drive Canton, GA 30115 Website: www.cherokeega-sheriff.org e-mail: rdgarrison@cherokeega.com

State Government:

(678) 493-6001

e-mail: lbahrens@cherokeega.com

100 North St., Canton, GA 30114 e-mail: dfields@cherokeega.com Woodstock Annex 8681 Highway 92, Woodstock, GA 30189

Board of Education: Stephen Bentley (R), Post 1

(770) 479-1871 fax: (770) 479-1236

(678) 493-4200 fax: (678) 493-4228

(678) 493-6400 fax: (678) 493-6420 (770) 924-4099 fax: (770) 924-9567

(770) 704-4398, x4374

e-mail: me@stephenbentley.com

Mike Chapman (R), Post 2

Superior Court: Chief Judge Frank C. Mills, III Judge Jackson Harris Judge Ellen McElyea

(678) 493-6270 (678) 493-6260 (678) 493-6240

State Court: Chief Judge Clyde J. Gober, Jr. Judge W. Alan Jordan

(678) 493-6480 (678) 493-6490

e-mail: janet.read@cherokee.k12.ga.us

Magistrate Court: Judge James E. Drane III (R)

(678) 493-6431

e-mail: rick.steiner@cherokee.k12.ga.us

Probate Court: Judge Keith Wood (R)

(678) 493-6160

e-mail: Radfam5@bellsouth.net

Juvenile Court: Judge John B. Sumner

(678) 493-6250

Clerk of Courts: Patty Baker

(678) 493-6511

(770) 704-4398, x4372

e-mail: mike.chapman@cherokee.k12.ga.us

Gary Puckett (R), Post 3

(770) 928-3315

e-mail: puckett@bellsouth.net

Janet Read (R), Post 4 (Chair) Rick Steiner (R), Post 5

(770) 516-1444

(770) 704-4398, x4370

Cherokee County Coroner Earl W. Darby

90 North Street, Suite 310Canton, GA 30114

Cherokee County Board of Commissioners 90 North Street, Suite 310 Canton, GA 30114 Website: www.cherokeega.com 94

(404) 362-1600

Debi Radcliff (R), Post 6 (Vice Chair)

(770) 592-7864

Kim Cochran (R), Post 7 e-mail: kimgcochran@gmail.com

City of Woodstock Mayor Donnie Henriques

(770) 592-6017

e-mail: dhenriques@progressiveaudiology.com

Towne Lake Residential and Commercial Owners’ Association (Covenant enforcement issues — all Towne Lake common areas) (678) 493-6000 fax: (678) 493-6013

Douglas Properties

(770) 926-3086

117 Towne Lake Parkway, Woodstock, GA 30188

AroundAbout — TowneLaker

March 2010

Are Your Financial Promises . . .

Organic Gardening 101

continued from page 22

continued from page 42

your life. You can employ strategies that allow for liquidity, if needed, during the accumulation stage or help provide a stream of income during retirement. Both of these strategies help mitigate risk that may occur when you remove money from your portfolio.

questions about soil testing and troubleshooting throughout the season and ask to speak with a certified master gardener. Do not forget the basic cultural control options for insects, diseases and weeds, which include mulching, pruning, proper spacing, crop rotation, use of resistant varieties and planting at the proper times. Also, it never hurts to be a extra cautious by periodically cleaning your equipment. A 10 percent bleach solution for cleaning pruners and other tools used on diseased plant material can minimize the spread of these problems in your garden. Water plants on an as-needed basis and only water in the early morning to keep plants healthy. For more information, see publication B1011 on “Growing Vegetables Organically” and other gardening fact sheets at our website www.ugaextension. com.

There are many forms of risk that need to be reviewed when considering your overall investment strategy. It is important to monitor how your risk aptitude changes as your life changes in order to ensure your family’s assets are protected as well as to help ensure you are able to earn the money to fund those assets. There are many solutions that should be implemented in a wellthought-out, holistic wealth management plan to protect your family and allow you to keep the promises that you have made to them. Don Akridge is President of Citadel CPA, Financial Planning & Investment Services founded in 1994 and conveniently located 225 TownPark Dr., Ste. 440, Kennesaw, GA off Chastain Road between I-575 & I-75. Phone 770-952-6707. Created by 1st Global for use by our financial advisors. Securities offered through 1st Global Capital Corp. Member FINRA, SIPC.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Burning Down the House continued from page 30

continued from page 66

have to learn to play tennis on the move. That is what makes each of us more competitive on the tennis court. So the next time your tennis pro hits a ball right to you, ask him/her to make the lesson more challenging by making you move like you would in a match. You will get a better workout and improve your tennis game at the same time! Jason is a USPTR professional, a USTA Georgia Tennis Professional of the Year and director of junior tennis programs at a local club. Jason can be reached at jasonfleeman@gmail.com.

The Buzz continued from page 48

When it was all said and done, the haircut actually turned out fine, and he liked it. I didn’t bother to show him the back of his head. Later that day, he asked if he could go back to his regular barber for his future buzz cuts. I said that by doing it at home, I could save money. To which he said, “Mom, sometimes it’s about quality rather than quantity (of money saved). Kara Kiefer is the Editor of AroundAbout — TowneLaker. She lives in Towne Lake with her husband Mike and sons Brandon and Garrett.

Don’t Forget to Nominate your Mom for our “Why My Mom is the Greatest” Essay Contest See page 10 for details. april 2010

Paul Pugliese is the Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Agent for Cherokee County Cooperative Extension, a partnership of the University of Georgia, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Cherokee County. (770) 479-0418. For more information about 4-H, visit our website at www.ugaextension.com/cherokee

It is an interesting phenomenon that those we love most are the same people who most annoy. It is normal family stuff, I suppose. We all have differing needs and desires. For Joseph, it is playing on the computer, lighting fires and denying culpability. For me, it is staying sane just a few more years until the kids are safely out of the house. I just pray all future family fires, metaphorical and otherwise, are put out just as quickly. Dr. Litrel practices with his fellow OB/GYN’s at Cherokee Women’s Health Specialists in Canton and Woodstock. Dr. Litrel lives in Towne Lake with his wife Ann and their two sons, Tyler and Joseph. E-mail Dr. Litrel at www.cherokeewomenshealth.com.

Dance Your Family’s Way . . . continued from page 72

coordination development. Dancing will enable your child to practice fundamental skills like jumping, landing, leaping, sliding, galloping, moving forward and backward, and learning how to imitate moves.

Step 4: Check your child’s heart rate. Teach your child to connect physical activity with maintaining a healthy heart by measuring his or her heart rate. Show your child how to feel and count his or her heart beats. Robin Dalton, a graduate of Emory University and a mother of three college students, has owned and operated Primrose School of Woodstock for 19 years. Robin may be reached at (770) 924-0084 or visit www.Primroseschoolwoodstock.com.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker

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Eagle Watch Community Garage Sale, Friday and Saturday, May 14th and 15th, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

FREE TO GOOD HOME (These Ads are free)

The Falls of Cherokee — Sixes Road Spring garage sale. Friday, April 9th and Saturday, April 10th, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Looking For A Loving Home For Your Pet? You can place your ad here for FREE! Ads must be for animals being placed free of charge.

GARAGE SALES Neighborhood Garage Sale, Saturday, April 24th, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eagle Glen subdivision off Putnam Ford road near Eagle Drive. Many homes, too many items to list. Follow the balloons.

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Home Services Rick's Repair. For all your handyman needs. (404) 625-9580. Free estimates. Fix it Fast! Home repair & "honey do's", plus kitchens/baths, carpentry, trim, weatherproofing, tile/stone, drywall. Call Dean, (678) 6611878.

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Penny Clean "One Woman Show." Residential, commercial, moving and deep cleans. Reasonable rates, 25 years experience. Licensed, bonded and insured. Free estimates. (678) 494-3602. Furst Klass Landscaping. 24/7 services, maintenance, irrigation, retaining walls, pressure washing, fences, decks, patios, water features. Free estimates! Family operated! (770) 7104323, (678) 677-4792. www.furstklasslawn@ yahoo.com. Www.atlantaroofingandconstruction.com. Roofing, gutters, gutter cleaning and pressure washing. Free estimates. (404) 376-7380. Need A Room Painted? Call Tim, (770) 9747908. Home Decor Custom Sewing Needs. Pillows, drapes, bedding, etc. Talk to you soon. Caron, (404) 372-1706, www.caroncreates.com.

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Credit Card Authorization Signature: Name: Street Address: City, State, Zip: Daytime Phone: Around About — TowneLaker Classifieds is a monthly feature. All ads are accepted and placed under categories at the discretion of the publisher. Rates are only $1 per word, per month, with a 10-word minimum. “Pet Lost and Found,” “Ride Share” and “Free to Good Home” pet placement ads are FREE.

NEXT CLASSIFIED DEADLINE IS THE 10 th FOR THE FOLLOWING MONTH'S ISSUE! 98

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

Pet Services

Vacation Rental

Playful Paws is Cherokee County's premier daycare and boarding facility. Come see us at 6625 Commerce Parkway in Woodstock. Visit playfulpawsdd.com or call (770) 924-1300.

Panama City Beach/Calypso Resort. One bedroom, two full bath, bunk inset, queen sleeper, oceanfront, 4th floor. Closest walking distance to Pier Park, www.discoverpierpark. com, a Simon Mall property boasting 1.1 mill. sq. ft. of shopping, dining and entertainment. More info/pictures at www.vrbo.com/182522 or Anita King (770) 656-1403.

JoAnn's Pet Sitting. Personalized, loving, in-home pet care. Dog walking. bonded and insured. Call (770) 617-0221, visit www. JoAnnsPetSitting.com.

SERVICES Custom Draperies and Window Treatments. Thirty years experience. Free estimates. Call Linda, (678) 324-0159. Affordable DJ. All occasions. My music or yours. $75/hr. 2 hr. minimum. $50 additional hours. Special wedding prices. (770) 4850441.

Panama City Beach Panama City Beach Gulf Highlands Beach Resort. Gated community, 3 BR, 2½ BA, sunroom, full kitchen, W/D, very nice view, swimming pools, large pool at beach house, tennis courts, putt putt golf. Call for daily rates and specials. (770) 592-1070, (770) 356-1059.

Clyde's Appliance Care. Servicing all major brands. Personalized service, senior specials. No service charge with repair. (770) 2761034.

Classifieds Work! You’re Reading Them ... Aren’t You?

Reference Advertisers Directory Support the Advertisers that Support Your Community! Attorneys/Legal Services Gleichman & Debranski, LLC..........................63 (770) 926-1957 Kathleen McGillick, Attorney at Law...............77 Kumar Pathak, LLC, Attorneys at Law...........31 (678) 443-2215 Landrum & Friduss, LLC..................................19 (678) 384-3012 www.landrumfriduss.com Merino & Jarvis, LLC........................................27 (770) 874-4600

Automotive Christian Brothers Automotive.......................21 (770) 926-4500 Hennessy Honda..............................................73 (770) 924-9000, (770) 769-7121 Meineke.............................................................41 (404) 381-1777 My Mechanic Joe..............................................13 (770) 591-6640

Banking/Financial Services

Georgia Business Group...............................102 (770) 615-3305 Nerd in a Flash....................................................5 1-888-637-3462

Churches Bridgepointe Church......................................102 www.bridgepointechurch.org Hillside UMC......................................................83 (770) 924-4777 Towne Lake Community Church.....................83 (678) 445-8766 www.tlcchurch.com

Clean-a-Carpet....................................................7 (770) 425-5225 www.cleanacarpet.com

Cleaning Services Elite Cleaning....................................................85 Mom’s Helping Hand Maid Service.................63 Maid in America................................................79 (770) 445-5493 Merry Maid........................................................55 (770) 592-4466 Narra Maids.......................................................29 (678) 428-6514

Cherokee Oral Surgery....................................91 (770) 345-8118 www.cherokeeoralsurgery.com Dr. Jerry Smith, Orthodontist..........................71 (678) 905-0300

Thad Baird & Tyler Baird, DMD.......................87 (770) 517-0444 4595 Towne Lake Parkway, Woodstock Towne Lake Family Dentistry.......... Inside Front Dr. Ray Morgan (770) 591-7929 www.raymorganmd.com 120 No. Medical Parkway, Woodstock Williams Orthodontics.....................................99 (770) 592-5554 www.drwilliamsorthodontics.com

Education/Instruction/Counseling Furtah Montessori Preparatory School..........55 Gandolfo Enterprises.......................................77 (678) 640-0000 www.josephgandolfo.com Goddard School, The.......................................63 (770) 516-0880 www.goddardschool.com Kennesaw State University, Cont. Ed...............9 (770) 423-6765 www.kennesawedu/coned.com

Computer/Business Services Elite Techs.........................................................67 (770) 948-8856

Park View Montessori School.........................99 (770) 926-0044

ESO Electronics...............................................61 (678) 905-3460

Primrose School of Woodstock......................77 (770) 924-0084

100

Azure Salon & Spa...........................................87 (770) 345-8280

Main Street Nails..............................................19 (770) 928-2662

S. Bruce O’Neal, DDS.......................................43 (770) 924-8848

Carpet Dry-Tech . .............................................67 (678) 368-5991

Health & Beauty

Byrd Dental Group............................................53 (770) 926-8200 2035 Towne Lake Parkway, Woodstock

LGE Credit Union..............................8, 28, 62, 93 (770) 424-0060 www.LGEccu.org

Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners

Towne Lake Driving School.............................13 (678) 494-2200

Big Apple Nail & Spa........................................97 (770) 516-0006

Fountain View Family Dentistry......................39 (770) 926-0000 www.fountainviewsmiles.com 1816 Eagle Drive, Woodstock

Towne Lake Mortgage........................................7 (770) 591-8277

Shiloh Hills Christian School..........................35 (770) 926-7729 www.shilohhills.com

Dentists/Orthodontists

Citadel CPA & Wealth Care Services..............41 (770) 952-6707 175 Town Park Drive, Kennesaw

My Property Tax Appeal...................................97 (404) 583-8856, (770) 924-8421

Riverside Military Academy......104, Inside Back. (800) Go Cadet www.riversidemilitary.com 2001 Riverside Drive, Gainesville

AroundAbout — TowneLaker

Pro Nails............................................................43 (770) 592-1919 Salon & Spa Venessa.......................................25 (770) 591-2079 Sundance Massage Center, The.....................57 (678) 591-5066

Home Improvement/Repair & Service

Academy Roofing.......................................88, 89 (770) 426-1131 www.roofingprofessor.com Bam Fence........................................................21 (678) 525-1125 Bartow Electric.................................................73 (678) 462-7856 Bryan Plumbing Services..................................1 (770) 826-5277 Chess Home Improvements & Remodeling.....5 (678) 702-1700 Dr. Fixit, Ph.D......................................................9 Green Heating & Air.........................................35 (770) 479-2844 Handyman Services.........................................77 Hardwood Services, Inc...................................17 (770) 381-3656 In Towne Restorations, LLC............................25 (770) 387-0989 Kelly Thompson Electric.................................25 (770) 891-8442 Nelson Painting & Home Improvement..........41 (678) 283-8171 Peachstate Handyman.....................................67 (770) 505-6531 Pike’s Professional Painting.............................9 March 2010

Plumbing Doctor, The......................................73 (770) 516-9000

Eagle Drive Family Medicine...........................21 (678) 445-5995

Radco Electric..................................................31

Foot & Leg Health Care Specialists................87 (770) 926-6686

Reliable Heating & Air......................................17 (770) 594-9969 www.reliableair.com Roswell Woodstock Plumbing..........................5 (770) 663-0600 Scott Plumbing.................................................29 (770) 318-1615 www.myhonestplumber.com Sturges Heating & Air......................................69 (706) 692-0898, (678) 300-4257 Towne Lake Air Conditioning & Heating........85 (678) 285-2700

Lawn Maintenance/Landscaping Bunting Landscape Construction.....................5 (770) 346-9426

Georgia Pain Management........................50, 61 (770) 544-1000 120 Stone Bridge Parkway, Woodstock John Lutz, PhD.................................................15 North Atlanta Primary Care.............................51 (770) 442-1911 250 Parkbrooke Place, Woodstock Northside Hospital............................................11 (770) 720-5100 201 Hospital Road, Canton www.northside.com Northside Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine........52, 61 (770) 928-0016

Family Tradition Restaurant............................27 (770) 852-2885 4379 Towne Lake Parkway, Woodstock Featherstone’s Grille at Towne Lake Hills......15 (770) 926-6097 J.D.’s BBQ.........................................................91 (678) 445-7730 Just A Bar..........................................................79 (678) 494-0480 www.justa-bar.com Kani House........................................................71 (770) 592-5264 www.kanihouse.com Zest & Zing........................................................55 (770) 591-4000

Services/Retailers Miscellaneous Art Jewelers......................................................19 (770) 924-3133

Calvary Landscaping.......................................91 (770) 720-1727

Northwest ENT & Allergy Center...............53, 65 (770) 427-0368 120 Stonebridge Parkway, Woodstock

Bella Boutique..................................................97 (770) 516-6002

Deep Green Lawn ............................................78 (678) 880-7628

OrthoSport Physical Therapy....................17, 50 (770) 974-7494

Dixie Speedway................................................79 (770) 926-5315

Georgia Landscape Management...................71 (678) 494-3848

Plastic Surgery Center of the South...........1, 51 (770) 421-1242 www.plasticsurgerycenterofthesouth.net

Dorton Co. Jewelers.........................................96 (770) 426-0090 www.dortonco.com 425 Barrett Parkway, Kennesaw

Rebound Physical Therapy.............................23 (678) 445-9799 www.reboundptclinic.com

Habitat for Humanity No. Central Georgia.....29 (770) 345-1024

Landscape Matters...........................................65 (770) 403-5813 Lawn Squad, The..............................................85 (770) 591-4745 Pike Nursery...............................................33, 57 (770) 926-3252 www.pikenursery.com

Optometrist/Eyewear Towne Lake Eye Associates............................69 (770) 926-2858

Rodan & Fields Dermatologists......................17 Wellstar...........................................3, Back Cover www.wellstar.org/heart

Recreation and Fitness Bowen’s TaeKwonDo Academy........................7 (770) 516-4883

Photographer Laura Taylor Photography...............................65 (770) 235-4687

Dancentre South...............................................23 (770) 516-7229

Pet/Veterinarian Services & Supplies Animal Atlanta..................................................31

Etowah Eagles Football...................................31 www.etowaheaglesfootball.com

Animal Hospital at Towne Lake.......................23 (770) 591-9500

Steps Dance Center.........................................67 (770) 516-1363

Cat Clinic of Woodstock..................................23 (770) 780-2800

Restaurants/Food Services

Honey Butter Boutique....................................35 (770) 928-8840 Invites by Tab....................................................15 Justina’s Accessories Boutique.......................7 (678) 494-6331 Mr. Junk.............................................................55 Parkm Sellm......................................................40 (770) 852-7355 Picture Framer..................................................21 (770) 591-5613 Play-n-Trade......................................................27 (770) 924-9300

Bar-B-Cutie........................................................69 (770) 924-9491

Towne Lake Arts Center...................................15 (678) 494-4251 www.tlaclive.org

Best Dang Bakery.............................................73 (770) 928-2378

Two Men & A Truck...........................................57 (678) 445-3434

South Cherokee Veterinary Hospital..............25 (770) 924-6746

Bogey’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill...................9 (770) 926-7755

Woodstock Furniture Outlet............................85

Physicians and Medical Services

Butchers Block, The.........................................63 (770) 517-2225

Cherokee County Animal Shelter....................81 (770) 345-7270 www.petfinder.com/shelters/GA460.html 1015 Univeter Road, Canton

Atlanta North Dermatology..............................49 (770) 516-5199 2230 Towne Lake Parkway, Woodstock Atlas Orthopaedics..........................................52 (770) 517-2257 100 Stone Forest Drive, Woodstock april 2010

Copeland’s........................................................43 www.copelandsatlanta.com Donovan’s Irish Cobler....................................13 1025 Rose Creek Dr., Woodstock AroundAbout — TowneLaker

Your Turn Kid’s Consignment...........................1 (770) 517-5605 This free directory is an added benefit for advertisers who purchase a Business Card size ad or larger. The number of free lines corresponds to the size of the ad, and the larger the ad, the more lines your business will receive. Our readers will benefit from having this AroundAbout TowneLaker “yellow” pages at their finger tips every month. 101

CTI Club Gives Back . . .

Don’t Let the Economy . . .

continued from page 72

continued from page 38

time and efforts to collect items for donation, raise money and spread joy to everyone they meet. Through conferences and field trips, they learn about careers available to them, and may even decide which one to pursue, like Roberto. Mrs. Nevis has made it her priority to teach her students about the importance of giving back and preparing for the future. As a result of her teachings, Mrs. Nevis has instilled confidence and knowledge in her students, enabling them to thrive in any situation or environment.

prohibitive. Fees are still reasonable. What’s most helpful is budgeting for dental care. The budget can be planned in advance (i.e. personal savings, flexible spending plans) or it can be conveniently accomplished through payment plans or dental financing companies that help the patient with interestfree financing. The goal is to ensure patients have options for receiving proper dental care to avoid making rash decisions they will regret later.

Kate Federman is a Senior at Etowah High School and is an intern for AroundAbout— Townelaker magazine.

As we recover from this recession, reprioritize your goals from what’s most to what’s least important, based upon your family budget. Put dentistry and your healthcare high on the list. Create a budget that includes dental care to ensure optimal health, so you can make wise decisions rather than emotional ones. Realize there are numerous financial avenues available to you and your family for dental care.

Everyday Angels continued from page 34

support at this time. Everyday Angels will help with our maximum donation, but so much more is needed. If you’d like to send a donation or gift cards to this family, please mail to address below. As always, thank you for your compassion and encouragement! Everyday Angels is a nonprofit organization that provides short-term funding (currently up to a maximum of $425 per month) to those in need in our community. If you would like to offer assistance, please send your donations or gift cards to Everyday Angels, 1025 Rose Creek Drive, Suite 340, Woodstock, GA 30189. No amount is too small. To contact us, please call (770) 615-3349 or email AAeverydayangels@gmail.com.

102

Maintain regular check-ups and cleanings with the dentist. Preventive dental care will minimize the risk of severe dental problems that could otherwise be avoided. Dr. Scott Harden is a dentist at Fountain View Family Dentistry and has served the Towne Lake area for more than 21 years. He is a Dental Advisor for two nationally renowned dental research companies. You can reach him at (770) 926-0000 or visit FountainViewSmiles.com.

AroundAbout — TowneLaker april 2010

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