• Single Closing.
• Construction or Renovation.
• Conforming and Jumbo Options.
• Primary Residence up to 95%.
• Second Home up to 90%.
• Extremely Competitive Rates.
• Minimum FICO Score of 620.
• Interest Only During Construction Phase.
Renovation to Permanent Financing.
Friday, July 19, 2019
The following incidents were pulled from police reports filed by the Suwanee Police Department between June 29, 2019 and July 14, 2019. All incidents occurred inside the city limits of Suwanee, Ga.
• Entering auto thefts were reported in the 400 block of Northolt Parkway and the 1 block of Satellite Boulevard.
• Officers filed reports for theft by shoplifting in the 3200 block of Lawrenceville Suwanee Road, 1100 block of Peachtree Industrial Parkway, 1000 block of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, 4000 block of Suwanee Dam Road, and 3100 block of Lawrenceville Suwanee Road.
• Police responded to a motor vehicle theft in the 11300 block of Technology Circle.
• Parts from a motor vehicle were stolen in the 400 block of Satellite Boulevard.
• A report for theft/larceny from a building was filed for a location in the 11500 block of Johns Creek Parkway.
• Rape was reported in the 4000 block of McGinnis Ferry Road.
• Officers responded to a battery call in the 300 block of Sawmill Drive.
• Two incidents of simple assault./battery were responded to in the 300 block of Wynstone Way and in the 500 block of Saint Devon Way.
• An incident in the 3200 block of Wanstead Park Drive was for simple battery.
• Criminal trespass was reported in the 500 block of Saint Devon Way and in the 11500 block of Johns Creek Parkway.
• A report of fraud was filed for a location in the 11500 block of Johns Creek Parkway.
Alicia Couch Payne
BUFORD — A woman in her mid-60s tried to make one local restaurant a drive-thru recently. The woman driving a Mazda Millenia crashed into the front of Rico’s World Kitchen at 306 West Main St. in downtown Buford. The accident happened just after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10.
The publisher of The North Gwinnett Voice and I happened to ride by Rico’s just after the incident occurred, the smell of burning rubber and oil still in the air while a female employee became hysterical. The woman who drove into the restaurant was overheard saying that she kept hitting the brake but the car just kept accelerating. It was determined that she was mistakenly pressing the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.
The driver was unharmed in the incident. Only one employee sustained minor injuries when the car crashed through the garage door on the front of the building and caused debris to hit her. “One of our servers had to go and get her leg checked out,” said owner Rico Cunnington. “There does not seem to be anything broken but there is some significant swelling.”
Cunnington worked fast to get his restaurant reopened for their normal business hours just two days later on Friday.
The Gwinnett County Police Department announced Wednesday morning that the man wanted in connection with the murder of a Buford teen has been arrested. The U.S. Marshals Task Force in Green Bay, Wisconsin caught up to Savion Dillard, 20, of Jonesboro, GA on Tuesday, July 16.
Cunnington says that they replaced the dessert cooler and got the panels replaced on the garage door on Thursday. However, they still have some other cosmetic things that need to be taken care of and that will be handled next week. He also said he would take measures to keep this type of accident from happening again by installing a safety barrier in front of the restaurant.
www.NorthGwinnettVoice.com
Staff Writers: Jim Simpson
Lyndsey Britt
Nicole Burns
Windy Locke
Contributing Writers: Lynn Bowman Cindy Wiggins Tapia
Brandon Hembree
Jessica Wilson, Publisher 706 633-0334 • jessica@northgwinnettvoice.com
Jessica Deese, Advertising Manager 770-840-5534 • jdeese@northgwinnettvoice.com
Alicia Couch-Payne, Editor 404-453-5261 • alicia@northgwinnettvoice.com
Jim Simpson, Assistant Editor 678-300-0773 • jim@northgwinnettvoice.com
Nida Merchant
Your Town. Your Paper. Your Voice. @northgwinnettvoice | @ gwinnettvoice
Staff Photographers: Jennifer Johnson
Nicole Seitz
David Griffin
On the cover
Buford’s Summer Youth Football Camp that was held July 8-11
Photo credit: Alicia Couch Payne www.northgwinnettvoice.com • info@northgwinnettvoice.com
Dillard is believed to be the person who shot and killed 15-year-old Branden Gerena behind a convenience store located on Thompson Mill Road at Pebblebrook Drive in Buford on July 1. Gerena was a rising sophomore at Buford High School. Gerena and another juvenile were behind the convenience store when a security camera showed that a black male in his 20s walked up to them and shot Gerena in the head. The suspect fled the scene while Gerena was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Authorities say that the suspect left the scene in a car driven by Denzel Wilburn, 21, of Buford. Wilburn was arrested on July 3 and charged with armed robbery and conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor. Dillard does not face any charges in Wisconsin so authorities say he will be extradited back to Georgia in the near future to face charges of felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the July 1 murder of Gerena.
Jim Simpson
GAINESVILLE — Hall County Sheriff’s
Deputy Nicolas Blane Dixon was shot and killed in the line of duty on Sunday evening, July 7, when deputies attempted to stop a stolen vehicle believed to have been used in several weekend burglaries and vehicle break-ins. When the vehicle wrecked and the four suspects fled on foot, deputies pursued, exchanging gunfire in the area of Jesse Jewell Pkwy. and Highland Ave.
Deputy Dixon was shot during the exchange and taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center where he later died. Dixon was 28.
One of the suspects, Hector Garcia-Solis, 17, was shot and wounded during the incident and is in custody charged with felony murder. The second suspect, Brayan Omar Cruz, 17, was tracked by K9 to a house in the area and taken into custody after being found hiding under the house.
The final two suspects, London Clements
and Eric Edgardo Velazquez, both 17, were arrested the next day. Velazquez was arrested in northern Hall County and Clements was taken into custody at his home in Flowery Branch. All four have been charged with felony murder.
Deputy Dixon, a three-year member of
JULY20TH & AUGUST 3RD
PROVIDING:
•Residential & Commercial Towing
•Medium Boom Trucks
•Private Property Impound •Landoll Service •Large Wreck Recoveries •Long Hauling
the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, was married and the father to two young boys. Assisting in the successful search for the suspects were the Gainesville Police Department, Georgia State Patrol and Gwinnett County Police Department.
The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) was also among the agencies assisting in the aftermath of Deputy Dixon’s line-of-duty murder. More than 60 deputies volunteered to serve Hall County citizens so their deputies could attend the funeral service. For most of the Gwinnett officers, it was their day off. Gwinnett deputies also assisted by working in the Hall County Jail and directing traffic in the parking lot during the funeral service at Free Chapel.
Other Gwinnett deputies responded to Hall County 911 calls.
“Many citizens may not understand the duties that arise when a law enforcement officer is killed,” the GCSO said in a statement. “From the moment he is injured until the moment he is laid to rest, he is never alone. His blue brother stands vigil. It’s called Death Watch and it’s an honor to carry out this difficult duty.
“Another officer is assigned to the fallen officer’s family to ensure their every need is met. Other officers meet any transportation
needs, such as transporting the family to and from the funeral home or picking up out of town family members at the airport. And we mourn together as a family.”
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said in a July 12 statement, “I want to reassure the citizens of Hall County that Deputy Dixon’s death will not deter the men and women with whom he worked from continuing to fulfill their sworn duties. His legacy will not be one of crippling sorrow, but one of honorable work in a noble profession.”
Sheriff Couch expressed thanks for the outpouring of support that the local, state and national community displayed. He also spoke of Deputy Dixon’s grieving family.
“Their loss is immeasurable. Every time the blue strobe of a roadside traffic stop catches their eye, their hearts will ache, and every time the sound of a police siren pierces the night they will visualize him behind that car on that fateful night.”
Last week, thousands of people attended Dixon’s funeral, his patrol car parked outside covered in flowers, cards and badges from law enforcement agencies around the country.
“From the moment you spoke to [Dixon],” Sheriff Couch said during the service, “you knew that he was all in. I believe there are those among us that God chooses to infuse with a heart full of service and guardianship, and Blane's heart was certainly one of those.”
After the service, a procession left Free Chapel carrying Dixon’s body in a black horse-drawn carriage for interment at Memorial Park Cemetery. Law enforcement vehicles with flashing blue lights lined each side of the roadway along the two-mile route as people from surrounding communities stood to pay their respects.
Deputy Dixon had served as a jailer until October of 2019 when he transferred to the Patrol Division. A memorial fund benefitting Dixon’s wife and children has been established at Peach State Bank & Trust in Gainesville, GA, with 100% of all donations going directly to the family.
Interested donors can make deposits in person at the bank located at 325 Washington Street in Gainesville, or mail donations to Peach State Bank & Trust, PO Box 290, Gainesville, GA 30503-9835. Please make all checks payable to “Deputy Nicolas Blane Dixon Memorial Fund.”
July 15, 2019 - Commission Chairman Phillip Beard called the July meeting of the City of Buford Commission to order at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The first piece of business brought before the Commission was for a special use permit to allow an automatic carwash from Bhalvani Ent, Inc located at 4780 Lanier Islands Parkway. The request was approved. GMG Automotive located at 5352 Palmero Court requested a special use permit to allow for auto service and repair. The request was approved.
Darius and Alina Frant at 2204 Shoal Creek Road asked to be annexed into the city limits. The request was approved for the 1.050 acres with the zoning remaining R-100. Benjamin Shane and Cortney Dawkins wanted their 3.46 acres located at 5016 Blackberry Lane to be annexed into the city. Their request was approved with the zoning going from AR-III to RA-200. Nicole Lynn and Jalerie Peruchini applied to have their 0.805 acres located at 3659 Shoreland Drive to be annexed into the city. The request was approved with the zoning going from VC (Vacation Cottage) to R-100. Jeffrey S. Rolader located at 3456 Shoreland Drive wanted his 0.804 acres to be annexed. The request was approved with zoning going from VC to R-100. Mr. Rolader also requested that 0.840 acres located at 3456 Shoreland Drive be annexed. The request was approved with the zoning going from VC to R-100. A zoning modification was requested by Dennis Gutierrez for 80 South Alexander Street in which condition #3 was amended allowing a reduction in the rear setback from 40 feet to 10.5 feet. The request was approved.
A public hearing on the FY 2020 operating budget was held. Chairman Beard briefly explained the budget and said the budget will be on next month’s agenda as well. A public hearing on the 2019 property tax millage rate rollback and proposed tax increase were held. Buford has decreased the millage rate for several years going from a rate of 12.95
in 2014 to the proposed rate for 2019 of 12.70. A tax increase is projected due to more homes and businesses to tax, as well as, property values have increased.
The Buford Mill Drive road dedication plot was approved. The dedication of the Thunder Road sewer easement was approved. The Chairman was authorized to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation for an interchange justification report at Thompson Mill Road and I-985. The City has asked for access ramps to I-985 on Thompson Mill Road in order to help ease traffic off of Hamilton Mill Road and other city streets. This is a three-year process and Buford is on the second year. The Commission voted to adopt restated plan documents for the Georgia Municipal Employees Benefit System as required by the IRS. A special event request was approved to allow the Antiques Holiday Market event to take place on the Buford Community Center lawn November 15, 2019 - November 17, 2019. The Commission voted to renew the 20192020 health insurance policy. Beard abstained from the vote that approved the release of pledged funds with Peoples Bank & Trust.
The City subsidizes the cost of the summer camp programs and the Buford City Schools budget was amended for this reason. Buford used to receive $1 per ton of trash that enters into the landfill per the state. Last year, the dump saw 800,000 tons of trash enter their gates. This rate has increased to $2.50 per ton but the state mandates that some of the money received must be used to maintain the roads that garbage and dump trucks use to get to the dump. Because of this mandate, South Richland Creek Road is due to be repaved and the low bid to do this was approved. The low bids were approved for the SR 324 at I-85 Interchange gas relocation project and for the SR 316 at Harbins Road gas relocation project. The Chairman has been authorized to sign the necessary documents to transfer City property on Railroad Avenue over to the City of Buford Downtown Development Authority. The DDA will sell the property that is not needed by the City. The Chairman has been authorized to enter into an agreement with Heraeus Quartz North America, LLC for the property that Heraeus maintains at 600 Heraeus Boulevard.
project, and the Bona Road sidewalk project were approved. Change orders and payments were approved for the SR 324 at SR 124 gas relocation project and for the Hamilton Mill Road gas relocation project.
Amy with the Buford Community Center said their summer concert series was going well and they had the largest attendance ever for their summer series with the Gregg Allman’s Laid Back Legacy concert. Their next concert is on July 27 with Wet Willie featuring Jimmy Hall. City Manager Bryan Kerlin said that a crane has been brought in to help unload the first of several deliveries for the downtown parking deck. The parking deck construction should last about 60 days and has forced the closure of West Moreno Street in between Garnett and South Harris Streets until September 1.
- 5 p.m. that is open to the public. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on July 28 at 4 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Crews are finishing up paving and striping the parking lots, the sound system for the practice football field is still being installed, and the traffic lights at Robert Bell Parkway and Buford Highway are soon to go up.
Various gas and sewer projects are being handled. The gas department has seen continuous growth and record sales. General maintenance and repairs are being taken care of for the water and stormwater departments. Parks and Recreation will still hold fall little league baseball and softball but a few fields will be closed for renovations. Alta tennis is still ongoing with various adult and youth programs taking place.
This concluded the July 2019 City of Buford Commission meeting. The next Commission meeting will be on August 5, 2019, in the Commission Chambers at City Hall.
Payments for the Buford Parking deck project, the Southside Trunk Sewer
Nida Merchant
Mayor Steve Edwards called the July Sugar Hill council meeting to order at promptly 7:30 p.m. at the Sugar Hill City Hall. Connor Porter led the council and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
No proclamations or awards were presented.
Council Member Brandon Hembree noted that the Business Alliance golf tournament will be taking place on August 23rd. He acknowledged his interns and their hard work in preparing for the downtown cleanup day on July 20th. He is also working on multiple projects with the Historic Preservation Society including video interviews of old city residents and finalizing their
scholarship application results.
Council Member Marc Cohen noted that there will be an Arts Commission reception on July 18th for two local artists involved with the Gwinnett County Public Schools.
Council Member Taylor Anderson reminded citizens that the city will be hosting its first Apollo event with a special premiere of the “Apollo 11” movie and a goal to set a new record!
City Manager Paul Radford noted city logistics starting with the E Center gym which now has over 6 thousand members and is planning on adding an adult basketball league. The Eagle theatre received over 500 people during the 2 dollar Tuesday's event in June. The Players Guild wrapped up their 5th season and first inaugural season in the Eagle Theatre.
Mayor Steve Edwards thanked Paul Radford and staff for the amazing fireworks spectacle for their annual “Sparks in the Park” celebration.
Assistant City Manager Troy Besseche gave updates on city plans in regards to the greenway, the gas metering system and the logistical workings of the E Center.
Economic Development Director Mercy Montgomery noted that Indio is in the midst of hosting their soft openings and
are located in the SHINE district. She gave a special shoutout to Joel Hoffman and her student interns on working extremely hard in making the city photoshoot event. The Craig Tilly Pop Up art exhibition will be taking place on July 20th as well,
City Manager Paul Radford took time to congratulate Mayor Edwards and Council Member Cohen for being chosen as board members for the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA).
No City comments or Old Business topics were listed during the meeting.
In new business, the third and final public hearing of the 2019 Property Tax Millage was announced in which citizens had quite a lot to say. Many city residents such as Lorane Gardner and Crystal Lake opposed the motion of maintaining the current 3.8 mills for our city since the property tax increase puts more burden on residents. Despite the multiple residential complaints towards the millage, residents such as Clint Christiansen and former Sugar Hill council member Mike Sullivan support the continuation of the millage rate in hopes that the money collected will help in the economic prosperity of the city. The motion to maintain the millage rate was approved.
At the previous meeting, the Citgo
Gas station on 5245 Nelson Brogdon was at the risk of condemnation with extremely high levels of structural and maintenance issues. After a lengthy request, the city allowed them one month to prepare a list of grievances and cost analysis for the building to understand whether condemnation would be the best alternative.
However, at the July meeting, neither the defendant or his appellant (lawyer) appear with the information the city had requested. As a result, the city motioned to deny the client’s argument to withhold the condemnation.
There was a public hearing for a Vehicle Emissions Testing station in which the client requested to add an extra emissions area. The motion was approved by the council.
A 2039 Livable Centers Initiative Grant was requested for the Sugar Hill Greenway Extension which was approved by the council
The 2020 Roadway Repair and Resurfacing maintenance grant requested funds to help keep up the maintenance of roads for the city. The motion was approved, This concluded the regular meeting. The council and staff went into executive session.
Jim Simpson
Sheriff Butch Conway certainly has a daunting task enforcing law and order in Gwinnett, a busy way station for criminals of every stripe. The dog days of summer can be rough on everyone. With an eye not only on the human element, Conway noticed the huge number of animals, mostly dogs, held in the county’s animal shelter that are euthanized each year.
Thus Operation Second Chance, also known as the Jail Dogs program, was conceived. Founded in 2010 as a
Jim Simpson
The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department partnered with the United Way of Greater Atlanta in 2012 to create the Gwinnett Reentry Intervention Program, or GRIP. With help from the county’s Board of Commissioners, Sheriff Butch Conway obtained the funds necessary to create the program. GRIP was established as a way to reduce recidivism by providing recently released convicts access to housing, drug treatment, mental health services, job training and employment.
Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded late last year, the department has access to a new case management software program to help with efficiency. Participation in the program increased by 50% this year because of the grant.
“GRIP is fortunate to have many
partnership between the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department and the Society of Humane Friends of Georgia, the program is still going strong. Beginning with only five dogs pulled from the euthanasia line at Gwinnett County Animal Control, Jail Dogs now houses over 30 dogs at a time. To date, more than 500 dogs have been rescued, vetted, trained, and adopted into new families.
But there’s a twist to this tale.
County jail inmates are the dogs’ handlers. Carefully selected by program directors, they are given the opportunity to provide foster care and basic obedience training to the county’s homeless dogs to prepare them for adoption.
On arrival into the unit, each dog is assigned a primary inmate handler and sleeps in the inmate’s cell. Secondary handlers are also assigned for continuity in training if primary inmate handler transitions out of the jail.
Trainers visit three times a week to teach inmates how to train and care for the dogs, focusing on basic obedience, tricks and agility. Groomers, vet techs and other
community partners providing resources for inmates returning to the community,” Sheriff Conway said recently. “The Pokket program can reduce the amount of time our staff spends coordinating those resources.”
GRIP in partnership with Acivilate, the Atlanta-based developer of Pokket, applied for the Safety and Justice Innovation Fund Grant offered by the MacArthur Foundation and Urban Institute. With the award, the sheriff’s office adopted Pokket to manage the reentry process.
The sheriff’s office was one of 12 jurisdictions that joined the Safety and Justice Challenge, a national $148 million initiative to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails. Gwinnett County and the other jurisdictions can design and test local justice reforms designed to safely drive down jail usage and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in their local justice systems.
The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office was chosen for the grant following a highly competitive selection process that drew applications from across the country.
“There is growing demand for criminal justice reform, and local jurisdictions are leading the way,” said Laurie Garduque, MacArthur’s Director of Justice
animal welfare volunteers and professionals also visit the unit regularly, educating the inmates on proper techniques.
In 2013, the program added cats into the fold for female inmates to care for. To date, nearly 60 cats have been adopted.
A recent Jail Dogs Facebook post detailed a successful adoption day at the Hollywood Feed store in Snellville. “Logan the cat was adopted along with Theodore the Chihuahua. Yara (a pitbull) will be meeting a potential adopter tomorrow and Lucy has a few families interested in her. Now we need to find a home for our little scruffy guy Simon. He is a shy guy that would love nothing more than to have a family of his own very soon!”
The Jail Dogs program offers both the inmates and the rescue dogs second chances. That was the case earlier this year. Rescue dog Lee was scheduled to be euthanized on the same day the program intervened to take him in. He was in the program for more than two years when in April, one of his former inmate handlers was out of jail and turning his life around and wound up adopting Lee.
Reform. “MacArthur is increasing our investment in local justice reform innovations because we are seeing promising results and an appetite for more reform as evidenced by the diversity and creativity of the solutions implemented and tested across the Network.”
According to Liz Danley, GRIP’s director, roughly 35,000 people are released from jail each year from the Gwinnett County Detention Center, and about 10% of those people have no place to go.
“Probably back in 2011-2012, in Gwinnett County specifically, Sheriff Conway saw a need for individuals being released from jail. Because of homelessness, they would just be sleeping in the lobby.”
According to Danley, the county
An annual fundraiser, the Jail Dogs 5K road race and fun run, will be held on September 14 at Little Mulberry Park in Dacula. Participants are invited to run with their dogs, and any dogs adopted out of the program are especially invited back for a reunion of sorts.
Visit JailDogs.org to see all dogs and cats available, and to fill out an adoption application.
decided to invest drug forfeiture funds into GRIP, and the program received roughly $125,000 which was matched with United Way money to provide resources for homeless people.
“We have a GRIP coordinator in the jail,” Danley said, “and we have a corporal who makes up our jail team. It’s largely self-referral, and we look at those referrals and what services we can provide for them pre-release and post-release.”
Since GRIP’s inception, the recidivism rate has decreased in Gwinnett County by more than 60%, dropping from 25.5% to 8.2%. More than 3,000 former county inmates have received GRIP services since that time.
Brandon Hembree
The Eagle Theatre in Downtown Sugar Hill, which opened in late 2019, is a brand new building. Its beautiful Art Deco style harkens back to a bygone era reminiscent of the year Sugar Hill was founded in 1939. Many of the Eagle Theatre’s elegant features make it appear older in age. The theatre’s history, however, is limited to the movies and plays, City staff, and members of the Players Guild, Broad Street Concert Band, and other groups that have played in or walked its halls since it first opened. Plays like “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “The Odd Couple” have graced the Eagle Theatre’s stage. The building has a very short history.
The properties around the theatre do have a long history. Old City Hall was built in the 1970s and the current City Hall, next door to the Eagle Theatre, was built on property that was once the location of a leather and boot factory. The Buice School, named after a long-time principal, welcomed children and teachers for many years across the street from the theatre until its closure and recent demolition. The Historic Sugar Hill Cemetery and many other properties and assets have contributed to a history that can still be felt in Downtown Sugar Hill. The Eagle Theatre itself is built on the location of what used to be the Sugar Hill Shoe Shop and later a private residence. It is the history of these properties and the people that roamed life’s corridors of the past that are perhaps contributing to some strange, ghostly phenomenon at the Eagle Theatre. Since its opening, many individuals have experienced unusual activity in the Eagle Theatre. Players Guild staff and thespians have witnessed sound and lighting issues, which have been noticed by various patrons of plays and movies at the theatre. Computer programming has been scrambled and microphone channels mysteriously switched inside the control room computer closet. Tools and props have disappeared and reappeared days later. Items have been found moved around
inside the prop room that is locked when not in use by the Players Guild. City staff members have even reported breezes and the sound of wind inside the theatre when the general public is not present in the venue. The Eagle Theatre has many nooks and crannies, like catwalks, dressing rooms, and spiral staircases. All of these areas are quiet and disorienting in their isolation and can certainly give theatre visitors a feeling of aloneness, but these activities are beyond explanation. Nearly every theatre has a ghost story, and these tales are often associated with the venue and property itself or previously used clothing or furniture linked to various productions. Downtown Atlanta’s Fox Theatre is just one of many examples. The Eagle Theatre apparently is no exception.
Ghost stories in Downtown Sugar Hill are not unique to the Eagle Theatre. Tales have long been told about the Buice School. It was one of the oldest buildings on West Broad Street and private charter schools that utilized the property in recent years often talked about strange experiences. Both private schools coincidentally were focused on visual and performing arts. There are even stories of unusual activity at the newly opened City Hall. Even though the current City Hall was opened in 2013, the history of its property is linked to a leather and boot factory. Georgia Boot Company was the center of activity and commerce on West Broad Street for many years in Downtown Sugar Hill. The activity at these two past locations could have links to the activity at the Eagle Theatre.
Whether or not you believe in ghosts or simply just don’t like ghost stories because you get really scared, it is hard to argue with the fact that past people and historical events leave impressions on locations. Sugar Hill’s past has contributed greatly towards its present and future. The Eagle Theatre is a reflection of and homage to that past, and the amazingly vibrant and creative community that walks its aisles and sits in its seats will no doubt create stories, even ghost stories, to tell future generations.
Nida Merchant
(Buford, Ga.) — Buford High School’s Ryanne Alvarez and MaKenzie Curry won a gold medal at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) conference held recently in Anaheim, California.
With nearly 9,000 students participating from all across the country, the National Leadership Conference (NLC) is one of the biggest career and competitive program training events in the country.
To be selected in the FCCLA NLC, Alvarez and Curry had to compete in the region and state competitions in the Life Event Planning STAR event category. The competition aims to support student development in leadership and career pathway initiatives by giving students vital skills and insights needed to thrive in the modern-day job market. FCCLA members choose what STAR Event to focus on from entrepreneurship to culinary arts.
Curry, one of the two students to take home gold, said, “Our Buford High School FCCLA advisor Jennifer Wood inspired us to continue to work hard and consistently improve our projects every year. We have been so grateful
to have had the opportunity to make it to Nationals in Anaheim this year.”
FCCLA has gone beyond a typical high school club and is the only career and technical in-school student organization which inspires students to become strong leaders in both their careers and communities.
“We learned how to budget. Everything that we purchased, we compared the prices of the item/service at different places to find the best deal and found the unit rates. The most valuable skill we learned from this project was organization and confidence,” Alvarez explained when asked about her experience with the program.
This year was only the second year that Buford High School competed at Nationals. Last year, during their very first competition, 2019 graduate Ashley Stuart had competed and placed gold.
As the sponsor of the Buford FCCLA
Nida Merchant
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 trip to the moon, the City of Sugar Hill hosted a Rocket Launch Celebration at Gary Pirkle Park.
Adults and children alike gathered near the rocket launch station to witness five rockets launch from the park. The mini rockets were sent off at exactly 9:32 am, the same time astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins blasted off to the moon.
program, Jennifer Wood was thrilled to see the dedication her students put towards this project. “Their motivation and initiative are inspiring,” she said.
invitation asked nearby cities to embrace the space program at a local level. Sugar Hill accepted the challenge.
“This event was a great opportunity to celebrate one of man’s greatest achievements in stepping on land that isn’t even on Earth,” Council Member Taylor Anderson stated.
The city hosted an event with a theme that was unique to ones they had held in the past. The overall goal, however, was to give children an opportunity to explore a career that goes beyond anything they could imagine. Families were given the opportunity to build their own rockets in the E Center with the help of dedicated students such as Seth Cohen. They were then given the chance to blast off their creations across from the Bowl of Sugar Hill with the help of city staff.
“This event was a great opportunity to celebrate one of man’s greatest achievements in stepping on land that isn’t even on Earth”
Communities in the nearby area received an invitation from the U.S Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama who launched a world record 5,000 rockets into the air. The
~ Council Member Taylor Anderson
“I’m sure we have launched at least 500 or 600 rockets in the bowl by now. The E Center was packed in the morning!” Council Member Marc Cohen exclaimed.
Though the rockets may have been small, the smiles of the children were huge as they saw their self-made rocket fly across the Sugar Hill amphitheater on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.
Tonya Oskarson
Last week, the Buford Softball 10U team competed in the USSSA Rec All Star World Series at Foley Sports Complex in Foley, AL. The girls went 2-0 in pool play on Wednesday with a 14-5 victory over Central Baldwin and a 2-0 victory over Para Blue. Buford was the No. 7 seed in bracket play and took out NWRAA 9-0 and Gilbertown 9-2 on Thursday. On Friday, the girls started out with a 6-0 victory over Gospel Projects and then took down their rivals Mill Creek Gold 7-2 to make it to the championship game undefeated.
Buford was matched up with the home team, Gulf Shores, in the championship game. The heat and third game of the day took its toll on Buford and they lost the first game, 11-3, giving both teams one loss and forcing a second championship game. The two teams battled back and forth in the nightcap. With the score tied at 5 in the last inning and runners on second and third, Reese Oskarson hit a single to right
field to score Kennedy Lundie and Quinn Kiewert. The Lady Wolves gave up one run in the bottom of the inning. With the tying run on third, Gulf Shores tried to steal home on a passed ball and catcher Reagan Dollar made a perfect flip to pitcher Lexi Bishop who tagged the girl for the final out and the 7-6 win, sealing the championship for the Lady Wolves in the pouring rain as Tropical Storm Barry moved in.
“I am super proud of our team. Every girl contributed in every game,” said Head Coach Shawn Archer. “Our girls worked hard and it paid off. Lexi Bishop pitched lights out in all eight games of the World Series and our bats showed up. We had five girls bat 1,000 in the championship game and we had two with 2 RBIs. I can’t say enough how proud I am of how our girls played this week.”
Lexi Bishop was indeed huge for Buford the entire tournament, pitching every game. The Lady Wolves finished the tournament 7-1 and brought home the huge trophy, and each girl received a championship ring.
The 10U team was 22-6-1 in five tournaments with two championships, two runner-up finishes and one third place finish.
As a team, the Lady Wolves only gave up three hits in the final game, and went 9-for-17 at the plate. Kami Vendola, Claire Carlson and Kyra Rosbury went 2-for-2; Kennedy Lundie was 1-for-1 in the championship game with a hit and walk; and Reese Oskarson was also 1-for-1. Rosbury and Oskarson both had 2 RBIs.
Alicia Couch Payne
On a field overlooking the old Buford High School, what looked like a flurry of activity was taking place. In the muggy July heat, coaches and high school football players were giving instruction to groups of boys.
Parents could sign up their children if they were in the 1st through the 8th grades for the Buford Youth Football Camp. The camp took place July 8-11 at the old Buford High School practice field. During the week-long camp, roughly 100 campers were taught skills to help give them an advantage on the football field.
Coaches, high school players, and even former Buford football standouts offered advice and imparted life lessons that every young person should hear. Former Wolves running back Derrian Brown, Michigan running back Christian Turner, former Tennessee linebacker Austin Smith, and Indiana linebacker T.D. Roof returned to their former alma mater to mentor the next generation of Buford football players.
The campers could be seen during the daily three-hour sessions practicing drill after drill to get the new skills they learned down pat. Students were split into groups according to their ages. The groups rotated between the different coaching stations, each station focusing on a different skill set, with coaches and high school students mentoring the campers. Campers learned the fundamentals of receiving, passing, blocking, and tackling. Words of advice and encouragement could be overheard as coaches and high school players put each camper through their drills. No matter the skill set of the campers, they each learned something, made friends, and had fun in the process. Future Wolves were being made under the blazing July sun.