Letter From the Editor

Ihave to admit, I don’t like the month of August. I don’t want to offend anyone who loves it, but a lot of bad things have happened to me during the eighth month. And for someone as hot-natured as I am, the Georgia heat is brutal this time of year.

But another reason for my dislike is Aug. 1 signals the end of Christmas in July. OK, ’fess up. How many of you tuned into a shopping channel to see this year’s newest Christmas decorations? Or watched a sappy Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel? Or started thinking about maybe moving your tree to a different spot this year?

I did all those things. I recorded the QVC Christmas in July shows that interested me then went back later and fast-forwarded through them, only slowing down for the items I considered buying. I don’t enjoy listening to a host talk about the same revolutionary three-wick candle for a solid 30 minutes, so fastforward is a godsend!

As for the Hallmark movies, yes, I know they all basically follow the same pattern — female lead character, usually a workaholic living in a big city, ends up in a small town, gets involved with the big Christmas event there and falls in love with the gorgeous male lead character. Their romance hits a five-minute bump in the road, but by the end, they’re set to live happily ever after. It might be cliche, but what’s wrong with that? It’s a nice little escape from reality, and we can live vicariously through those characters for a couple of hours, while dreaming about our lives becoming a Hallmark movie.

Christmas in July does make me start thinking about my holiday plans. What gifts should I buy my granddaughter? Do I have room for one more decoration in my living room? What event can we attend at The Strand this year? I know it’s still about three months before I start breaking out the decorations, but it’s never too early to start planning.

In the meantime, enjoy checking out some of the features we have in this issue. It was a process, but we finally have the Acworth winners of our Readers’ Choice contest on Pages 18-21. Turn to Pages 22-23 to find some delicious potluck recipes from a group of local church ladies. And learn about a Save Acworth History Foundation fundraiser with pro golfer Larry Nelson on Page 14.

Happy reading! And early merry Christmas!

America’s Community Magazine

Volume 7, Issue 12

PUBLISHER

Aroundabout Local Media, Inc. www.aroundaboutlocalmedia.com

VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING AND INTEGRATED MEDIA

Jennifer Coleman | 470-263-8414 jen@aroundaboutmagazines.com

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Candi Hannigan | 770-615-3309 candi@aroundaboutmagazines.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Donna Harris | 770-852-8481 donna@aroundaboutmagazines.com

CONTENT EDITOR

Jessica Forrester | 770-615-3318 jessica@aroundaboutmagazines.com

PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR

Michelle McCulloch | 770-615-3307 michelle@aroundaboutmagazines.com

CONTROLLER

Denise Griffin | 770-615-3315 denise@aroundaboutmagazines.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Laura Latchford laura@aroundaboutmagazines.com

Savannah Winn savannah@aroundaboutmagazines.com

DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIST

Kathryn Holt kat@aroundaboutmagazines.com

CLIENT RELATIONS MANAGER

Michelle Smith michelle.smith@aroundaboutmagazines.com

COMMUNITY RELATIONS SPECIALIST Amanda Bowen | 678-348-0378 amandabowen@aroundaboutmagazines.com

COPY EDITORS

Bill King, Eliza Somers

Aroundabout Local Media, Inc. publishes five separate hyperlocal magazines serving the communities of Canton, Woodstock, Towne Lake, Acworth and Kennesaw. Approximately 16,000 free copies are distributed monthly in each community, through direct bulk mail and first class mail; approximately 500 copies are available in magazine racks placed around each community.

Around Acworth welcomes your comments, stories, and advertisements. Editorial deadline is the first and advertising deadline is the fifth of the previous month. Subscriptions are available for $24 per year. Send check or money order to: Around Acworth, 1025 Rose Creek Drive, PMB 380, Suite 620, Woodstock, GA 30189. The viewpoints of the advertisers, writers and other submissions do not necessarily reflect those of the editor/publisher. And the publisher makes no claims to the validity of any opinions expressed by charitable, business or civic organizations mentioned, or statements made within the editorial content. The cover and inside related article, and other editorial-type submissions labeled SPONSORED CONTENT, are paid content. The publisher neither guarantees nor supports any product or service mentioned in this magazine, norw does it guarantee any assertions made by the manufacturers or providers of such products or services, or claims regarding the status of such businesses.

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