GETTING BACK TO NATURE, 2C
Fernbank’s WildWoods a wealth of outdoor activities
MARKING 3 DECADES Meadowcreek reflects on 30 years of football • Sports, 1B
Gwinnett Daily Post FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016
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Vol. 47, No. 11
Candidates state cases at forum
BY CURT YEOMANS
candidate Jim Shealey and commission District III candidate Jasper Watkins III made their cases Transportation and for voters to elect them public safety dominated instead of their incumbent the comments made by opponents, Chairwoman two men seeking to unseat Charlotte Nash and Comincumbent county commis- missioner Tommy Hunter. sioners during a candidates Neither Nash nor Hunter forum in Lawrenceville on attended the forum. Thursday. A variety of issues were Commission chairman touched on by the can-
curt.yeomans @gwinnettdailypost.com
didates, but if there was one issue that Shealey and Watkins focused on more than others, it was transportation and how traffic is affected by the county’s growth. “My platform is very rail-and-transit based,” said Shealey, a proponent of a streetcar-style light rail system along the Interstate 85 corridor. “We have to
have it and we have to have it now. Right now, if you’re talking about rail, you’re talking about $2 (billion) to $3 billion. If you look at a T-SPLOST, a T-SPLOST over a 10-year period at 1.5 percent — you could get real close to $2 billion. … That’s an investment into the infrastructure of this county.” Watkins added, “You
would expect me to maintain District III’s strong financial position. Therefore I would balance that position with the needs of transportation, and that would be BRT, bus rapid transit (and) commuter rail using the CSX line that we already have coming from MARTA out of Doraville.” Thursday night’s forum was co-hosted by New
Jerusalem Baptist Church’s Political Action Ministry, the United Ebony Society, the Gwinnett County Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and Raising Empowered Voices Uplifting People Inc. In addition to the commission races, the approximately two-and-a-half
See FORUM, Page 10A
No shortage of history at 38th annual Winn Fair BY KEITH FARNER keith.farner@gwinnettdailypost.com
President Barack Obama welcomes the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams to the White House on Thursday. (Reuters/Yuri Gripas)
PRESIDENTIAL PRAISE Hermes, 15, garners attention at White House event for Olympic athletes
BY JON GALLO
Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D.C. — McClain Hermes followed her fellow U.S. Olympians into the White House where they were greeted, one by one, by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama, who were eager to extend their gratitude and a warm embrace on Thursday. “Did you know Sasha and I were both named among the most influential kids under 15 years old?” Hermes, a legally blind swimmer, told the first lady, referring to her daughter, Sasha. “You’re only 15 years old?” the first lady replied as she wrapped her arms around the
Dacula resident. “Come here: You need a mom’s hug.” “What about me? I want a hug, too,” the leader of the free world said. “I got a hug from the president and the first lady,” said Hermes, who at 15 was the youngest member of the U.S. Paralympics team that competed in Rio. “If this isn’t the best day of my life, it’s up there.” Before taking her seat among the dozens of Olympians in the East Room, where they were addressed by President Obama, Biden stopped her. “Way to go, baby!” he said before kissing her on the McClain Hermes, who competed for the U.S. swim team in the cheek. 2016 Paralympic Games, was part of the contingent of AmeriPresident Obama then spoke can Olympians and Paralympians who were honored Thursday at the White House. Here, Hermes poses with Olympic swimmer
See OLYMPICS, Page 8A Katie Ledecky. (Special Photo)
Across Gwinnett this time of year, there’s no shortage of fairs. But at the Elisha Winn Fair, there’s also no shortage of history. There’s a house from 1812, a schoolhouse from 1875 and all types of memorabilia from those eras sitting on the property where Gwinnett County was formed in 1818 when Elisha Winn was a justice of Inferior Court in Jackson County. The Walnut Grove School, a one-room schoolhouse, was built not far from the Winn House and moved to the property to be preserved. It was there that the county government was in its infant stages when the first county elections were held in the parlor, and by early spring of 1819, Gwinnett County had a full slate of elected county officials such as sheriff, clerk of Superior Court, clerk of Inferior Court, tax collector, tax receiver, coroner and surveyor. That history will be discussed against a backdrop of live country and Bluegrass music from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the 38th annual event at 908 Dacula Road in Dacula. Admission is $3. Children under 12 are free. A year after the event was rained out, the weather forecast this weekend calls for temperatures in the low 80s and sunny skies. There will be 30 vendors, about five exhibitors, representatives from Fort Daniel Foundation, re-enactors
See FAIR, Page 8A
Civil War re-enactor Debbi Palmer shows attendees at the Elisha Winn Fair in 2014 the small foil black-powder wrapper used in her group’s cannon. The 38th annual Elisha Winn Fair is this weekend in Dacula. (File Photo)
Explore Gwinnett looking to turn October into Artober BY CURT YEOMANS
curt.yeomans @gwinnettdailypost.com
Gwinnett tourism officials want residents to think about and support the county’s art community in October. Explore Gwinnett will kick off Artober Gwinnett on Saturday to celebrate the local arts and culture community while
also educating residents on what actually exists in that community. The convention and visitor’s bureau will highlight different arts activities every day throughout the month as part of the promotion. “Through Artober Gwinnett we hope to engage people in local arts and culture,” Explore Gwinnett Executive Director Lisa Anders said
in a statement. “The arts are an integral part of our community, and we want this campaign to bolster our arts partners, as well as encourage locals and visitors to participate in various artistic experiences.” Residents can visit bit. ly/artoberevents to find out about arts activities taking place in the county, Explore Gwinnett is part-
nering with local arts venues throughout the month to hold special activities. Those activities include: • Open Mic Night prereceptions at Eddie Owen Presents on Oct. 9 and 23. • Hot Art and Cool Jazz with Painting with a Twist and Riley’s on the Square in Lawrenceville on Oct. 15 • Suwanee Walk and
Wine Sculptour with North Gwinnett Arts Association on Oct. 16 • The Aurora Theatre’s Spirits and Spirits: Ghost Stories and Cocktails in Lawrenceville on Oct. 17 • An Intaglio Demonstration during Hudgens Center Family Day in Duluth on Oct. 22 “As the largest arts organization in Gwinnett, to be successful,
Aurora Theatre needs to be a destination for travelers and also our region,” Aurora Theatre Director of Sales and Marketing Al Stilo said in a statement. “Artober Gwinnett will showcase the arts in a very meaningful way to residents and visitors from near and far, highlighting a winning quality of life asset in our great county.”
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