Snellville Spirit Spring 2021

Snellville, Where Everybody’s Proud to Be Somebody SPRING 2021

Snellville Celebrates the Groundbreaking of

More on the Grove, see pages 8 & 9

SNELLVILLE

THE PLACE YOU SHOULD BE! THE GROVE AT TOWNE CENTER The Grove at Towne Center will be a mixed-use town center property, comprising 18 acres between Oak Road, Wisteria Drive, North Road, and Clower Street, in downtown Snellville. The Grove at Towne Center’s first phase will include over 50,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, office, and entertainment space, and approximately 250 multi-family luxury apartments.

The Greenway Trail provides a walking trail around the city’s The Grove at Towne Center development.

The Greenway will provide residents and visitors alike with a safe and fun path into the heart of the downtown with future connections to Gwinnett’s vast trail system and beyond.

Visit SnellvilleTourism.com or Snellville.org for more information!

CRAFT BEER & WINE Visit Lincoln Fill Station for the latest and greatest Craft Beer. A Snellville original!

Niko’s Wine Corner and Dragon Queen Winery offer a wide selection of all your favorite wine.

EVENTS & MARKETS

WEDDING VENUES

Snellville is known for its great events throughout the year, from the electric concert series to the ever so popular Food Truck Fridays. The Award Winning Snellville Farmers’ Market is a favorite throughout the year.

Summit Chase Country Club can create treasured, memorable moments for your wedding and a chance for you or your professional photographer to take photographs in picture-perfect surroundings that will be treasured forever.

T.W. BRISCOE PARK T.W. Briscoe Park offers numerous multi-use fields including soccer, football, softball and lacrosse. The park also offers walking trails, tennis, swimming and much more. It’s a great place to have a family reunion at one of the many pavilions. Make lasting memories at the gazebo or the picturesque stone bridge overlooking the lake.

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Spring 2021 - Volume 45 Publisher/Editor: Kelly McAloon Editor: Brian Arrington

Groundbreaking of The Grove It is exciting that the groundbreaking for The Grove at Towne Center was held on March 18.

What started as a dream of many in our city, along with a lot of hard work and planning, we should begin to see a vision become a reality. After the year of hardship, we all incurred in 2020, it is with pleasant anticipation that we look forward to the transformation of downtown Snellville to a place to gather, live, work and have fun with our friends, neighbors and visitors in our great hometown.

We are looking forward to The Grove and the potential of positive growth and opportunity for Snellville.

We are happy to announce that we will be bringing events back to the Snellville Towne Green this year. We feel we can bring people back together in a safe way, especially since so many people have been vaccinated and the numbers for COVID have come way down.

The month of May will be packed with a great start to the season with the first Food Truck Friday on May 7, followed by a Mom’s Night Out concert on May 8 featuring the infamous Swingin’ Medallions. Be sure to join us on May 29 for the Memorial Celebration to remember all those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. The Wildflowers, a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute will follow the Memorial Celebration.

Look forward to seeing you on the Towne Green this season!

Don Britt,

Don

President, Snellville Tourism and Trade

Connecting our Community to Celebrate Snellville 4

Snellville Spirit Magazine is produced by: Snellville Tourism & Trade Association

P.O. Box 669 • Snellville, GA 30078 Website: www.snellvilletourism.com Snellville Tourism and Trade Association’s mission is to promote business, tourism and events in the City of Snellville.

President Don Britt Vice President Billy Franklin Treasurer Kurt Schulz Secretary Kathy Emanuel Board Member Lucy DeForest Board Member Jared Eakins Board Member Melvin Everson Board Member Kurt Schulz Board Member Alice Snipes Board Member Andrew Yee Executive Director Kelly McAloon Administrative Assistant Jessica Manis City Council Mayor Barbara Bender, Mayor Pro Tem Dave Emanuel, Cristy Lenski, Gretchen Schulz, Tod Warner and Solange Destang City Website: www.snellville.org Magazine Design by Brian Arrington, Kelly McAloon and pcoxcreative Cover photo by Emmett Clower Studio Magazine Cover Design by pcoxcreative Contributing Writers and Photographers: Kelly McAloon, Don Britt, Brian Arrington, Gretchen Schulz, Barbara Bender, Lisa Sperling, Danielle Swaby, pcoxcreative, Snellville Police Department, Craig Barton, The Silver Banner and Emmett Clower Studio

CONTENTS 6

13

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37 MAYOR’S MESSAGE ROCKIN’ THE GREEN 6 Mayor 24 Concerts Bender reacts to the groundbreaking of The Grove. are back! Check out the season’s lineup.

GRANT FOR SPD 6 The Snellville Police Department gets state grant.

A PLACE TO CELEBRATE 26 Check out T.W. Briscoe Parks events facilities.

HELLO HANES! 7 Snellville welcomes a new K-9 officer.

GARDEN GOES TO MARKET 28 Community Garden @ Snellville to sell plants at SFM.

GROVE GROUNDBREAKING WATCH YOUR SPEED 8 Pictures 29 Speed from the event starting The Grove’s construction. cameras in front of schools explained.

CELEBRATION 12 AMEMORIAL preview of this year’s Memorial Day event.

PUBLIC SAFETY NIGHT 31 Learn about your first responders at the return of this event.

REGULAR MARKET RETURNS 14 The Snellville Farmers’ Market is ready for main season.

A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY 32 Meet Mando, the Star Wars-like character on city streets.

SOCCER IS SAFE 15 Soccer at T.W. Briscoe Park is back and COVID safe.

ONLY RAIN DOWN THE DRAIN 33 Advice from Public Works on how to keep drains clean.

AND REC. 18 APARKS listing of events at T.W. Briscoe Park.

SNELLVILLE REAL ESTATE 35 The city has plenty of options for house hunters.

EVENTS 20 AEASTER list of Easter services at Snellville Churches.

SCHOOL UPDATE 36 Achievements from South Gwinnett and Brookwood.

PRINCIPAL COMES FULL CIRCLE 38 SPRING FOOD 23 Principal hires her former teacher to teach at J.C. Magill.

Recipes to spice - and sweeten - up your spring.

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Mayor’s Message - Mayor Barbara Bender A new chapter opened for the City of Snellville on March 18, 2021 with the ceremonial groundbreaking of The Grove at Snellville Towne Center project.

This event ended the 22-year journey of dreaming, planning, designing, redesigning and refining the vision of a downtown for Snellville.

I feel like I just turned the page of the multi-generational saga of The City of Snellville to find Part IV: The Grove at Snellville Towne Center Years. Part IV, Chapter 1 opens with the long-discussed vision of an actual downtown for Snellville being built.

I am a jumble of thoughts and emotions when I look back at Snellville’s history and then especially the last 15 years that I have been involved. There have been so many high points in the vision planning and small steps accomplished and oh-so-many very low points where it seemed to be too big of a dream and too hard of a fight.

And yet, here we are beginning construction on an estimated $85-million dollar investment in the future of Snellville. The challenges, the setbacks and the obstacles helped to forge this development into something that will sustain the city for years to come. It provides the launch pad for future downtown focused redevelopment of older, underutilized buildings and provide an urban district in our suburban community. It gives us that walkable, hangout space for enjoying a good book on the lawn or a great meal on the patio.

There are so many people who have had a hand in this saga and I hope they will realize the role they played and be proud of the result.

I would also like to honor our own Snellville Police Officer Aaron Devries for his quick action to rescue a motorist who was trapped in his vehicle that was overturned in a creek off Highway 81. Officer Devries was able to break the window of the vehicle and rescue the driver with the aid of another motorist who had found the car.

We are so incredibly fortunate to have such outstanding officers in our police department.

Snellville Police Department Snellville Police Department awarded $209K grant to purchase vehicles The Snellville Police Department has a commitment to keep city roadways safe. The large volume of commuter traffic that travels through the city, in addition to local traffic to city attractions and area amenities, creates congestion and other traffic hazards. The Snellville Police Department works diligently to reduce the impact of those hazards to our community through an emphasis on traffic enforcement and education.

These efforts are in line with the goals of the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and have not gone unnoticed. The Snellville Police Department has always placed well in the Governor’s Cup Challenge, earning the top award in their agency size category several times along with numerous special recognition awards in categories such as occupant protection and speed enforcement.

The Snellville Police Department has won both their category and the overall Governor’s Cup the past two years, an unprecedented feat. In addition to the success in the Governor’s Cup Challenge, the Snellville Police Department has been awarded a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant from GOHS for fiscal year 2021. The department received a $209,816.76 grant 6

to purchase vehicles, equipment and for funding officer work hours for activities specified under the terms of the grant. The grant may well be extended up to five years if all the benchmarks are met. The HEAT unit focuses on reducing traffic collisions through enforcement of Georgia’s impaired driving, speeding, occupant protection and distracted driving laws.

As our community continues to grow, the Snellville Police Department continues its commitment to keeping it safe.

Where Everybody’s Proud to be Somebody

Snellville Police Department K-9 Hanes is on the beat; joins Snellville’s finest The Snellville Police Department said goodbye to one K-9 officer in December and recently welcomed another one.

K-9 Hanes has joined the force, replacing his canine brethren Jax who served since 2014.

Trained by officer Nick Moore, Hanes will be 2 years old April 24. He is originally from Slovakia and trained in the Dutch language. Once arriving to the U.S. he went to Shallow Creek Kennels where he continued training until June of last year.

The patrol dog course was 300 hours long and was completed on July 31, 2020.

Hanes is a “dual purpose canine” which means he’s trained in narcotics and apprehension. He’s also trained in tracking human odor, locating hidden humans in an open area, locating articles (evidence) in an open area and doing building searches off leash.

He’s trained to alert to the odors of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and MDMA. “He goes home with me after each shift and we always look forward to the next one,” Moore said.

- Brian Arrington, Public Information Officer

>>> DID YOU KNOW?

A canine has the ability to smell 100,000 times stronger than a human.

K-9 officers reduce the risk to human officers by alerting to danger long before a human can detect it.

A canine’s presence often prevents escalation of force.

K-9 officers are a community-policing tool.

^^^ WELCOME ABOARD - K-9 Hanes is a new member of the

Snellville Police Department after months of rigourous training. Officer Nick Moore is his handler and says the 2-year-old officer is ready and excited to serve the citizens of Snellville.

^^^ COMMUNITY CARING - Not only do Snellville

officers keep our citizens safe, but they also take pride in building relationships with the citizens of the city. If you get a chance, stop and say ‘Hello’.

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Snellville cheers a day decades in the making, March 18 was a historic day for the City of Snellville as ground was broken in the $85 million development, The Grove at Towne Center. The Grove will be a large scale, mixed-use town center property, comprising 18 acres between Oak Road, Wisteria Drive, North Road and Clower Street, in downtown Snellville. The Grove at Towne Center’s first phase will include over 50,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, office and entertainment space, and approximately 262 multi-family luxury apartments. In addition, the new Elizabeth Williams Library will be constructed and include a second-floor business development/accelerator space.

^^^ From left, Councilman Tod Warner, Mayor Pro Tem Dave Emanuel,

Mayor Barbara Bender and councilmembers Cristy Lenski, Gretchen Schulz and Solange Destang break ground on The Grove at Towne Center.

^^^ Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson (Left) and Charles Pace, executive director of the Gwinnett County Library spoke about the county’s role in the project.

^^^ From left, MidCast President Kirk Demetrops, Casto Vice President Shannon Dixon and Andrew Carnes, vice president of economic development at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce spoke at the event.

^^^ Cookies with The Grove logo from Lisa’ Luscious Treats were offered to guests.

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The following is the speech given on this day by Mayor Barbara Bender: Today is a monumental day for the city of Snellville - one that is two decades in the making. We are so excited to finally be here, and will look upon today a new chapter of innovation and prosperity written for the city.

Historically, this town started as a place of commerce. The city’s cofounders ran the Snell and Sawyer Store over 100 years ago at what used to be the crossing of two horse trails. Travelers stopped at the oak grove to grab a bite to eat, buy provisions at the Snell and Sawyer store, trade wares and sometimes even camping overnight. Over those years, many celebrations and family reunions were held in this Grove and became the center of the town.

Innovation and progress came – progress that replaced horses and wagons with motor cars and the conveniences of paved roads. We now know these horse trails and oak groves as the divergent left turn intersection of highways 78 and 124 and the Snellville Plaza shopping center that currently sits at the intersection.

As we hit the explosion of development in Gwinnett county in the 1970s and 1980s, a new kind of commerce took over the oak grove. Retail stores and business offices came in, continuing on the tradition of commerce that built the city.

However, with the addition of each lane for traffic, we continued to lose more of the only semblance of a true downtown Snellville. It was about 25 years ago, when thoughts and dreams arose that maybe a downtown area could be re-created. This thought was more fully fleshed out in a Livable Centers Initiative Study in 2003 sponsored by the Atlanta Regional Commission. I believed in this downtown dream, and it is the primary reason that I’m proud to stand before you today as the mayor of this wonderful town.

The study centered around a mixed-use development to create a downtown area; which is the vacant property immediately behind me on which now stands our famous “bridge to nowhere”. Like many great building projects, this development took some time to get going and then the great recession of 2008 hit and halted the project. Instead of completely giving up, we went back to the drawing board. In 2011, we reimagined, refocused, and refined a plan for the creation of a more holistic downtown.

It has been very important to all of the leadership on this vision that we remember and incorporate Snellville’s history into our redevelopment.

The Snellville Historical Society was invited to participate in the early Where Everybody’s Proud to be Somebody

the groundbreaking of The Grove at Towne Center discussions and planning. It is from this group that the name was born – The Grove – to honor and remember that oak grove where so many shared fellowship over the years. The new development will provide a new place for gathering and fellowship.

To say this is an exciting day for me personally and the city of Snellville is a great understatement! When I look back at Snellville’s history, and especially at the last 15 years that I have been involved as a councilmember, I believe this is exactly what Snellville needs!

There have been so many high points in the vision and planning of the Grove with small steps accomplished along the way. And there have been oh-so-many low points, where it seemed the dream was too big or the fight too hard. As with many projects of this size, much about it has been challenging. I will grant you that we brought a little of it on ourselves by wanting to move a U.S. Post Office. A big thank you goes to out Phil Doyle, with the USPS, our chief champion for getting this done. And a big apology for the many phone calls, emails and maybe a curse word or two although I would never admit that.

However, I believe that every challenge, every setback and every obstacle that was thrown in the path of this dream, gave us an opportunity to re-think, refine and get to a better outcome. Some of our initial attempts and discussions with developers, helped us to hone what we did and didn’t want, and ….it lead us to MidCity Real Estate Partners, Kirk Demetrops and Casto Southeast’s Brett Hutchins. This team will lead the development and building of the Grove and we can’t wait for them to get started.

There are so many people who have played a role in getting us here today.

To my colleagues on the City Council - Mayor Pro Tem Dave Emanuel, councilmembers Cristy Lenski, Gretchen Schulz, Tod Warner and Solange Destang - This has been a hard year of extra meetings, legal agreements and details. I appreciate all of you for your commitment and dedication to your city and this project.

To our Downtown Development Authority – Chairman Don Britt and the board – for your extraordinary efforts and time commitment to make this project work. And a special consideration for board member Bill Kingsbury (and also chairman of the planning commission) who passed away last week, not able to be here to witness this achievement. I can’t help to wonder if he offered us a little help from heaven with the weather.

To the Snellville Tourism and Trade Board of Directors – President Don Britt and Executive Director Kelly McAloon for your unwavering support and work to bring community back to the city.

To the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners – Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson and our current commissioners for your continued and future support of the project. I would also like to thank former Chairwoman Charlotte Nash and commissioners for their support and approvals of the library, the road improvements and water and sewer projects needed.

Our Former Mayors who in their roles and decisions helped to get us to this point - Emmett Clower, Brett Harrell, Jerry Oberholtzer, Kelly Kautz and Tom Witts – special kudos to Tom for even thinking that a post office could be moved.

There are so many people who have had a hand in this journey and I can’t possibly name them all here. I hope they will realize the role they played and be proud of the result.

Thank you all for attending today. It means the world to us to see the support from across Gwinnett County.

Thank you.

^^^ The Snell Family Foundation donated $500,000 to project. A portion

of the funds are expected to go toward a public art statue of City founders James Sawyer and Thomas Snell.

^^^ The South Gwinnett High School Drumline kicked off the event.

^^^ Former Councilman Melvin Everson began the ceremony with an invocation

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Night Out Concert Featuring

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May 8 • 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. • Towne Green First 100 Moms to enter the Green receive a rose!

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For VIP Seating, reserve a table at SnellvilleEvents.com Cost is $125 maximum six people per table.

Food-Beer-Wine Available On Site!

Masks and social distancing are encouraged.

There will be plenty of sanitizing stations!

Presented by:

2021 Snellville Food Truck Fridays • 4-8 pm

Snellville Tourism and Trade (STAT) is proud to showcase this year’s first two Food Truck Friday’s.

NEW THIS YEAR LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS have fun in a DRUM-OFF

5:30 p.m.

Keystone Sponsors:

Bronze Sponsors:

Hotel Sponsors: Hampton Inn & Suites, LaQuinta Inn & Suites and the InTown Suites

MAY 7 Love at Wurst Sight Atlanta Seafood The Patty Wagon Gyro Chef Mediterranean 6 Pack Subs Vietnamese Food Truck South of Philly Kona Ice Gwinnett

Join us for a wide variety of food trucks, music, fun and games with DJ Lee.

JUNE 4 Hole in the Wall Atlanta Seafood Big House BBQ Sunshine Alchemy Love at First Sight Frozen Sweets Kona Ice Gwinnett

We will adhere to all social distance guidelines – Masks are encouraged – Multiple sanitizing stations

9thAnnual Snellville Memorial Celebration May 29th

4:30-5:30 PM

To be held in Front of theVeterans Memorial

Memorial Day was created to honor those who have paid the ultimate price to ensure our freedom.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. The current name for this day did not come into use until after World War II. We hope you will take the opportunity and join us on May 29th to remember those who served to protect our freedom.

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Last chance to order Tiles, Pavers or Banners before price increase on June 1, 2021.

Order by April 15, 2021 in time for the Snellville Memorial Day celebration.

Tile

Paver

Banner

Current Prices:

4x8 Paver .......... $120.00 Replica ......... $50.00 8X8 Paver .......... $175.00 Replica ......... $75.00 6X6 Tiles (Veterans Only)........$120.00 Replica..........$50.00 Direct delivery of Replica to home.............. Additional.....$10.00

Price increase to:

4x8 Paver .......... $140.00 Replica.........$60.00 8x8 Paver .......... $195.00 Replica.........$85.00 6X6 Tiles (Veterans Only)........$140.00 Replica.........$60.00 Direct delivery of Replica to home............. Additional....$10.00 Order tiles and pavers online at – https://www.thatsmybrick.com/snellville

Current Price:

Banners will be displayed on the light posts on Oak Road and Wisteria approximately 30 days prior the Memorial Day holiday and again 30 days prior to the Veterans Day holiday. $150.00 for two years

Price increase to: $175.00 for two years Order the banners at – kelmca@comcast.net

Live on the Lawn Concert May 29•6-9 p.m.

Featuring The WILDFLOWERS

Tom Petty and the Hearbreakers Tribute Band Beer, Wine and Food available for purchase. For VIP Seating, reserve a table at SnellvilleEvents.com Cost is $125 - maximum six people per table.

The band The Wildflowers are America’s No. 1 tribute to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Their mission was to recreate the music of Tom Petty with precision, attention to detail, and a reverent respect.

Parts were studied in great detail, down to inflections in the very way each word of every lyric was sung. Jump ahead 100 shows and The Wildflowers have become one of the most popular tribute shows across the Southeast U.S., and quickly gaining recognition in other regions. Equipped with decades of experience and a passion for Tom Petty’s magic way with songs, The Wildflowers bring music lovers of all stripes what they adore.

- www.thewildflowersband.com

Masks and social distancing are encouraged.

There will be plenty of sanitizing stations!

Presented by:

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Snellville Farmers’ Market

Summer Farmers’ Market is just around the corner

For some Snellville residents, June 5 just cannot come quickly enough as that date marks the beginning of the 12th summer season of the Snellville Farmers Market!

“I am so excited for the opening of the summer market because the fresh veggies will be abundant, the flowers will be in bloom and the weather will hopefully be beautiful,” said Susan Jordon-Fell, a Snellville resident who rarely misses a market.

^^^ Veggies from Presley’s Farm.

The summer market, as in years past, will be held every Saturday morning, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the Towne Green, June through September. Almost all of the vendors from years past will be returning, including produce vendors TyCo B Farms, Sunshine Farm, Grayson Grown Farms and Georgia Proud Provisions, which sells Pearson Farm peaches and pecans. Richard Presley of Presley’s Farm in Maysville will be back with his locally raised beef, pork, eggs and vegetables. Dan Siegler of Dancin’ Salmon, who proved to be a very popular first-year vendor last year, will be back with smoked salmon and trout as well as Asian salmon cakes. Edward Sezenov of Snellville Honey has been with us since our very first year and will be returning. And our shrimp vendor, who comes from Darien on the Georgia coast, will be with us about once a month, depending on his catch.

A couple vendors will be returning after a year off due to the pandemic, including George High of Cedar Seeder, whose micro greens and smoothies were always a hit among customers. Michael Joseph of MJ’s Vegetables will also be returning after a year off to sell veggies that are common in the Caribbean. Another returning vendor who took some time off last year is Petersen’s Bakery, whose breads and pastries were very popular among customers.

A few new vendors will bring additional products to the market. Vanesa Garofalo of Soap Lily Bath Co. has been with us for the extended season markets and has decided to continue on for the summer season too. Vanesa’s pandemic hobby of creating beautiful handmade soaps has turned into a nice little business for her. Also new to us will be Jimmy Payne of Finkle’s Bake Shop, who will offer doughnuts and babka, both of which will be new baked goods items for the market. And our most unusual new vendor will be Madison Longchamp of Wimberly Farm in Norcross, who will be coming once a month with bagged rabbit manure fertilizer and compost, which should be something our gardening customers will want to check out.

^^^ Aldo Ramos of Sunshine Farm.

^^^ Honey gathered from Snellville hives.

In the meantime, as you wait for June 5 to arrive, don’t forget about our extended season markets on the first and third Saturdays of each month through May, 9 a.m. to noon in the City Hall parking lot. While these markets are smaller than our summer markets, they do offer a wonderful variety of local produce, meats, eggs, honey, baked goods and other products.

-Gretchen Schulz, Market Coordinator, Councilwoman 14

^^^ Petersen’s Bakery’s fine offerings.

Where Everybody’s Proud to be Somebody

Parks and Recreation Soccer is back better - and safer - than before

By Brian Arrington Public Information Officer All-In Football Club prides itself in providing the best soccer program in the Snellville area. And while that mission remains intact, the club is also dedicated to ensuring the safety of its players, coaches and parents as the country, and the world, emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The only part that’s changed is we have more safety protocols in place to keep everyone healthy,” said Mark MacKain, executive director of Coaching and Player Development for All-In FC. “Other than that, we’re here to teach and play soccer.”

Created in 2017, All-In FC provides practices and games for players ranging from first timers to 4 year olds to college-bound 18 year olds. The club’s Select Program has placed seven players in Atlanta United’s Juniors Program and won its first State Championship this year.

Last spring, All-In FC had multiple teams in every age group competing each weekend with close to 750 recreational players alone. But when COVID hit, the number of players dropped.

Understandably so, said MacKain, who recognized early on that parents would be concerned about the health of their children during a time of much uncertainty.

Undaunted, All-In FC implemented a strategy designed to keep the focus on the game, while increasing health measures for all involved.

“We instituted several safety protocols including temperature checks, hand sanitization and mask-wearing for coaches, as well as no sharing of food or drinks at practices and games,” MacKain said. “Families are responding to our commitment to safety and our numbers are bouncing back. Most importantly, the kids are smiling and having fun again.”

At first, All-In FC had Zoom call training for teams twice a week. At the end of training each day kids would ask if they could just talk for five or ten minutes.

“They were craving the social interaction that they were missing by not training in person,” MacKain said. “I think some liked that better than practice itself!”

And that’s why MacKain says it is so important to keep kids on the field as mental health is just as important as physical health.

“A player is inside all day - learning in person or virtually,” he said. “Then, when school is over for the day, they need to get out and blow off some steam. Without a sport or other outside activity,

a kid’s pent-up energy has nowhere to go and what’s better place to be than on the soccer field with their teammates?”

Before resuming play, Snellville Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Platt conducted a rigorous evaluation of All-In FC’s COVID-19 Back to Play protocol.

“She stood firm on the fact that the governor’s mandate had to be followed or no play would take place,” MacKain said. “She would read our draft and then guide us to help create something she and the city would be happy with. I greatly appreciate her input and I hope the Snellville citizens do too. She’s a big reason we’re playing again. The city has spent a lot of money keeping the fields in great shape - better than any park around. I hope the residents take advantage of Briscoe Park and I look forward to seeing our kids playing again each week.”

Platt said she is pleased with All-In FC’s dedication to not only providing top-notch soccer training and play, but its efforts to do so as safely as possible without sacrificing quality gameplay.

“Thanks to the desire of Mark and the other All-In staff, they have kept communication going strong to the families in the program during these challenging times,” she said. “Mark and his crew have done a super job of thinking outside the box and making adjustments - sometimes weekly - to allow the kids and families in our community to still play. So the youth soccer program has not really suffered from the COVID down time, but will actually be stronger.

“SPRD is here to serve our Snellville residents and visitors.

Our department believes in order to serve fully, we must provide stimulation for the mind, body and spirit. I feel the pandemic has heightened that need. We will continue to provide a soccer program that is not just about the game of soccer, but about families interacting, and kids learning life lessons about friendships, diversity through the great game of soccer.”

For more information on All-In FC visit www.allinfcsnellville.com.

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What’s Going On? Snellville Parks and Recreation Snellville Senior Center

Briscoe Park is open daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

770-985-3535 Oak Road Park 1925 Oak Road (Passive neighborhood park) Park office is open Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Masks and social distancing are mandatory to enter building until further notice. For more information on registration and classes, check out the Parks and Recreation Department on Snellville’s website at www.snellville.org/parks-recreation.

Please “like” our Facebook page for more information on our upcoming events and happenings: www.facebook.com/SnellvilleParks. **All Briscoe Park programs, activities, and events are dependent on how COVID-19 progresses. Please check the website for more information.**

If you are interested in tennis instruction, clinics, and/ or tournaments/leagues conducted by certified tennis instructors at Briscoe Park visit www.aetennis.com or call 470-417-4547 for more information.

Briscoe Park is partnering with the non-profit, Generals Athletic Club, to help offer a variety of sport programs and mentorship to the Snellville and Shiloh community.

Visit www.gac-sports.org for more information.

All-In FC spring youth soccer is under way! Visit www.allinfcsnellville.com for more information on upcoming events and leagues.

National Flag Football is now taking late registrations for spring youth flag football at Briscoe Park. The season starts in April and games will be on Sundays. For more information visit www.falconsflagfootball.com Ladies of Pearl is now accepting registration for women’s adult kickball.

Games take place on Saturdays starting April 17. Please visit www.lopkl.com for more information.

Pool will have a pre-opening on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 at 12-7 p.m. The pool will officially open Friday, May 28. Pool hours are Monday-Thursday 12-6 p.m., Friday-Sunday 12-7 p.m. Pool capacity is 150 patrons and we will implement COVID safety guidelines. Swim lesson registration will open Monday, March 29. Call the park office for more information at 770-985-3535 Outdoor tennis courts are available on a first-come-first-served basis without lights daily from 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. Not all of the courts may be available at all times if tennis Instructor or USTA team are utilizing the courts.

Snellville Senior Center Due to continued Covid restrictions the Snellville Senior Center remains closed. The Snellville Parks and Recreation Department is monitoring the state and federal websites and updates daily as we move through the pandemic. We are working closely with Gwinnett County to coordinate how best to serve our members of the center while we are closed and will continue to evaluate re-opening the center based on statistics gathered from state, federal and Gwinnett County experts. Snellville Parks and Recreation will also be offering some exercise classes at Briscoe Park and organizing group walks (both under very modified regulations). SPRD staff are still available to assist, please call 770-985-3580.

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Where Everybody’s Proud to be Somebody

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134 Stanley Court, Suite B Lawrenceville, GA 30046 chris@abcdirectmarketing.com abcdirectmarketing.com

404.379.6878 Build Your Unique Brand

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Preferred Printing and Mailing Vendor of Ask for your special 10% Spring discount by mentioning our ad in Snellville Spirit Magazine!

“Best of Gwinnett since 2017!”

SNELLVILLE HOLY WEEK AND

12 STONE SNELLVILLE Saturday – April 3, 5:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday – April 4 7:15 a.m. (Outdoor Sunrise Service) 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 1:00 p.m.

BEREAN CHRISTIAN CHURCH

SNELLVILLE CHURCH OF CHRIST Easter Service – April 4 Class at 9:00 a.m.

Service 10:00 a.m.

• Live stream of our services available 10:00 a.m. on Facebook https://www.facebook.com /Church-of-Christ-At-Snellville -119975308019662/ • Live stream of our services available 10:00 a.m. on YouTube https://youtube.com/user/snellvillecofc Easter Egg Hunt Saturday March 27 and cook-off from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.

3025 Lenora Church Rd., Snellville, GA 30078 770.972.6988 | snellvillecofc.org

1709 Scenic Hwy S, Snellville, GA 30078 678.990.9601 | 12stone.com/snellville

Easter Sunrise Service – April 4 6:00 a.m. – Virtual 7:30 a.m. – Live Social media platform (Facebook & YouTube) (no in person service) 9:30 a.m. – Virtual 11:00 a.m. – Live (parking lot service) 12 noon – Virtual (pre-recorded) 1465 Highpoint Rd, Snellville, GA 30078 678.240.2213 l bereangwinnett.org

COMMUNITY OF GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH Palm Sunday Worship – March 28 10:00 a.m. – Zoom Online Worship 11:30 a.m. – Parking Lot Worship using radio frequency Maundy Thursday – April 1 7:00 p.m. – Zoom Online Worship

SNELLVILLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Good Friday Worship – April 2 7:00 p.m. – Zoom Online Worship

Easter Sunday – April 4, Worship Service 10:30 a.m.

Easter Sunday – April 4

We have returned to in person services on Sunday mornings, but you can continue to watch our service every Sunday on Facebook or Youtube.

10:00 a.m. – Zoom Online Worship 11:30 a.m. – Parking Lot Worship using radio frequency

2485 Scenic Hwy S., Snellville, GA 30078 770.972.0767 | snellvillechristian.net

1200 Athens Highway, Grayson, GA 30017 770.972.4304 l transformlives.org

Please check local church websites for any Easter week service changes or live streaming due to the CDC COVID-19 advisories.

D EASTER SUNDAY SERVICES

SNELLVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Easter Sunday – April 4 Sunrise Service – 7:00 a.m.

Contemporary Service – 9:30 a.m.

Traditional Service – 11:00 a.m.

All three services will be held on the lawn in the main parking lot You can drive-up and listen on your radios or bring a lawn chair

Palm Sunday – March 28 Drive-In Worship Service with Children’s Palm Processional at 11:00 a.m., West Parking Lot

Masks required for those getting out of cars 2428 Main Street East, Snellville, GA 30078 770.972.9360 l snellvilleumc.org

Maundy Thursday – April 1 ZOOM Worship Service with Communion 7:30 p.m.

Good Friday – April 2 Drive-In Worship Service at 7:30 p.m.

West Parking Lot Easter Sunday – April 4 Drive-In Worship Service at 10:30 a.m.

West Parking Lot

KINGDOM NOW CHURCH Easter Sunday – April 4, Worship Service 10:00 a.m.

2288 Main St. E., Snellville, GA 30078 kingdom-now.org

2208 Main Street East, Snellville, GA 30078 770.979.9676 l www.wpcsnellville.org www.facebook.com/WPCSnellville GRACE SNELLVILLE CHURCH Good Friday – April 2

(Inside - Ticketed) 6:30 p.m.

Tickets will be available starting March 28

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH SNELLVILLE Good Friday Service – April 2 7:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday Services – April 4 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 11:15 a.m. in the Worship Center First Baptist Church Snellville 770.978.7000 | fbcsnell.org

ST. OLIVER PLUNKETT CATHOLIC CHURCH

Easter Sunday – April 4

Holy Thursday – April 1

7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., & 10:45 a.m.

(All Outside - No Ticketing)

Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper 7:00 p.m. Bilingual

www.gfc.tv for in home gatherings

Good Friday – April 2

1400 Dogwood Rd., SW, Snellville, GA 30078 770.979.7000 | gfc.tv/snellville

The Passion of the Lord Seven Last Words English – 12:00 Noon Good Friday Service English – 5:00 p.m.

Good Friday Service Spanish – 7:00 p.m.

Easter Vigil – Saturday, April 3 8:00pm – Bilingual MT. ZION BAPTIST CHURCH

Easter Sunday – April 4

Good Friday Prayer – April 2 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Masses – 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in Spanish

Easter Sunday Services – April 4 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Overflow for all services will be accommodated in the Kane-Beltran Center

Easter Sunday – April 4 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

In-Person and Online Worship

1525 Scenic Hwy., Snellville, GA 30078 770.972.5020 | mountzionsnellville.com

3200 Brooks Drive, Snellville, GA 30078 770.979.2500 | www.stolivers.com

2424 Webb Gin House Rd., Snellville, GA 30078 770.972.5463 | cannonchurch.org

CANNON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Say “I Do” Summit Chase Country Club 3197 Classic Drive Snellville, GA 30078 770.979.9000 summitchasecc.com info@summitchasecc.com

you Belong Here.

Spotlight on Locals

Teacher, student come full circle 30 years later

Rita Parks Canaday recently retired from J.C. Magill Elementary School after teaching for almost 44 years in the South Gwinnett Cluster.

She started her teaching career at Britt Elementary school where she started teaching second grade for many years, then moved to third grade.

In her third-grade classroom is where she first met a cute little frecklefaced, brown-haired girl named Tonya Hudgins, who is now Dr. Tonya Burnley. She was just as happy as she is now, always smiling and just a delight to teach. Young Tonya was a bright, very responsible young lady, but very chatty. “‘Needs to control talking,’ was on all my report card said,” Burnley said, adding it is still true today. “I love to talk.”

After 30 years of teaching, Canaday retired, but went back to teaching part time as an Early Intervention Program teacher. One day she received a phone call from a “Dr. Tonya Burnley,” who was looking for an EIP teacher. Burnley said, “you might remember me” and Canaday said, “I don’t know a Dr. Burnley.” Burnley replied, “you may remember me as Tonya Hudgins.” Of course they both screamed out loud for a few minutes as Canaday did remember her freckle-faced third-grade student.

Burnley hired Canaday to work for her as an EIP teacher at Gwin Oaks and when she took the principal post at J.C. Magill she brought Canaday with her. Canaday recently retired from teaching in 2020.

“The moral of the story is, be good to your students as you never know when they may be your boss,” Canaday said.

- Kelly McAloon, Executive Director, Snellville Tourism and Trade

^^^ From left, J.C. Magill Elementary School Principal Dr. Tonya Burnley and her former teacher, recently retired employee Rita Parks Canaday. The two were reunited as Canaday was Brumley’s third grade teacher at Britt Elementary 30 years ago.

<<< HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY - Edna Gannell Ewing Cofer

will reach life’s milestone of 100 years young March 18. She was born 1921 in a farm house on what is now Highpoint Road.

Until she went into assisted living she has lived most of her life within three miles of her birthplace, much of it within the City of Snellville. On Dec. 24, 1938 she married James D. Cofer, who became a City Councilman and later Mayor of Snellville. They were blessed with one son who also served as a city councilman.

Edna chose the role of full-time wife, mother and homemaker. Yet some of her community services are support of the early school lunchroom program, active member of the Auxiliary to the newly formed American Legion Post, and long-term member of the Snellville Methodist Church, where she served on several church boards/committees. She may be the oldest member of her Church, the Snellville Historical Society, and the High School Alumni Association. Her baby dress, handmade/hand sewn by her grandmother, is framed on display in the Historical Society.

23

CONCERTS ARE BACK! Rock with Us on the Snellville Towne Green

Beer, Wine and Food available for purchase. For VIP Seating, reserve a table at SnellvilleEvents.com Cost is $125 - maximum six people per table.

Masks and social distancing are encouraged. There will be plenty of sanitizing stations!

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2021

CONCERT SERIES

Presented by:

Concerts are FREE to the public and take place on the Towne Green in front of City Hall from 6-9 p.m.

May 29

The Wildflowers - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tribute - 7-9 p.m.

J. Kyle Reynolds - opens show at 6 p.m.

The Wildflowers have become one of the most popular Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute shows across the Southeast U.S. and is quickly gaining recognition in other regions. Equipped with decades of experience and a passion for Tom Petty’s magic way with songs, The Wildflowers bring music lovers of all stripes what they adore.

July 24

The Ray Howard Band - Earth, Wind and Fire Tribute - 7-9 p.m.

The Ray Howard Band - Motown Favorites - 6-7 p.m.

The Ray Howard Band members/vocalists have toured with well known top R&B and Contemporary vocalists & groups, appeared in recent movies, and starred in stage plays. RHB can put you in the mood of love and grooving, while at the same time make you move and dance to the beat throughout the night.

Their timeless old school ballads and reminiscent sounds take you back in time to the “good old days.”

RHB specializes in a variety of Motown, R&B, Classic Soul, Funk, Jazz & Pop/Soft Rock. Be part of the Ray Howard Band Experience!!

Aug. 21 20-RIDE - Zac Brown Tribute from 7-9 p.m.

20 RIDE is American Country/Folk music at its finest. The first Zac Brown Tribute Band of it’s kind, 20 RIDE is taking audiences by storm. This is not a wig wearing, lip syncing, pretending to play tribute. These are real players, doing the great music the way Zac does at all his concerts. Up close and personal, moving, and fun! With nine hit singles, two platinum selling albums, and countless fans, Zac Brown is quickly becoming a country music legend.

Sept. 18

Purple Madness - Prince Tribute - 7 -9 p.m.

Timeless Tina - Tribute to Tina Turner - 6-7 p.m.

Purple Madness is the ultimate celebration of the most widely beloved entertainer and profoundly influential artist of all-time. Bobby Miller presents an electrifying performance that can be best described as, high energy and a “must see” performance.

The Timeless Tina Tribute Show has the magic of audio and visual effects coupled with the raw undeniable talent of Chimere Scott and her band of musicians and dancers, this show promises a time that you won’t soon forget.

Reserve a table for six people for $125. Tables are limited and available on a first come, first serve basis.

Register online at www.SnellvilleEvents.com or email STAT Executive Director Kelly McAloon at kelmca@comcast.net.

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Snellville Parks and Recreation T.W. Briscoe Park is the perfect setting to host a family reunion, wedding reception, a work get together, or a friends weekend gathering. Book one of the park’s fabulous pavillions or rent one of the indoor spaces for all of your party needs. For more information call 770-985-3535.

^^^ Lakeside Pavillion

^^^ Williams Pavillion

^^^ 26 26

Gazebo B

^^^ Betty McMichael Room

^^^ Briscoe Park Fountain

^^^ Peters Pavillion Where Everybody’s Proud to be Somebody

•Free Hot Breakfast •Suites and Jacuzzi Rooms •100% Non-Smoking

•Heated Indoor Pool •Fitness Center •Meeting Room

27

Community Garden @Snellville

^^^ GARDEN GROWERS - (Above) From left, Martha Whitman, Wes Nettleton, Kathy Keyes prepare plants for sale at the Snellville Farmers’ Market.

(Below, top) The Community Garden @ Snellville tent last spring. (Below, bottom) Planting seeds in preparation for the plant sale.

Community Garden plants to be sold at SFM Spring is in the air and for many of us, it’s time to start thinking about planting vegetables, flowers and herbs.

The gardeners who work with the Community Garden @ Snellville in Briscoe Park have been growing seedlings since February in the garden’s greenhouse.

They will have plants available for sale this spring at the extended season Snellville Farmers’ Market. The dates when they expect to have the plant sales include April 3, April 17 and May 1. According to Wes Nettleton, the garden’s lead master gardener, they may also have lettuce and spinach, which prefer cooler temperatures, available by early spring markets. Watch the Snellville Farmers’ Market Facebook page for updates on plant availability. The market is held in the City Hall parking lot, 9 a.m. to noon, on the first and third Saturdays of the month.

Vegetables the gardeners expect to offer at the market will include a variety of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Annual flowers will also be available, including zinnias and marigolds. Most plants will be priced at $2 for a four-pack, cash only. All proceeds from the plant sales support the Community Garden, which is a self-supporting project of the Snellville Tourism and Trade Association.

Gardeners will be available at the plant sales to provide tips for planting and caring for the plants they offer for sale.

-Gretchen Schulz, Garden Organizer, Councilwoman 28 28

Where Everybody’s Proud to be Somebody

School Safety

Speed-monitoring cameras in school zones explained At the April 27, 2020 City Council Meeting; the Mayor and Council adopted a resolution authorizing speed-monitoring cameras erected in the school zones at South Gwinnett High School, Snellville Middle School and Britt Elementary School. Mayor and Council adopted the resolution after a study and survey into the speeds and accidents in the respective school zones.

Snellville followed the lead of the other cities in Gwinnett County which studied the need for public safety improvements to keep children attending schools safe. Based on accidents, injuries and the ability to avoid injuries, Mayor and Council approved this initiative. It is an additional protective measure similar to the cameras installed on school buses to stem the danger created by passing stopped buses in an effort to keep students safe. After an introductory warning period beginning Jan. 6, the city began issuing civil citations on Feb. 7.

The State Legislature passed “House Bill 978 and codified as OCGA 4014-18 allowing for enforcement of speed limits in school zones by recorded images.” Enforcement is authorized for speeding 11 mph over the posted speed limit beginning one hour before classes start and ending one hour after each school lets out. GADOT and Gwinnett County Schools studied our application prior to permit approval for camera installation. Warning signs indicating Photo Speed Enforcement is implemented are placed as required and authorized by GADOT before entering each school zone.

Yellow flashing lights are not required for enforcement. These lights reduce speed when flashing at the Middle and Elementary Schools to 25 mph, but the speed remains a constant 35 mph on US 78, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Speed limits revert to the normal posted limit of 30 mph after the flashing lights end and violations begin at 11 mph over those posted limits when not reduced. Citations are only issued according to the hours and attendance requirements authorized.

^^^ Signs alert drivers to speed-enforcement cameras.

^^^ The camera in front of South Gwinnett High School.

^^^ The camera in front of Snellville Middle School.

If stopped by an officer when the lights are flashing, the fine is triple the civil fine and points are asssed against a license at a minimum of two points and up depending on speed. The civil fine for a first offense on the speed camera is $80 and no points are assessed. The speed camera citations are only issued on days when students are physically present. Citations are not issued on digital learning days, holidays, teacher planning days and other absences.

The city issued press releases and social media posts prior to the installation of these systems. Again, no fines are assessed for vehicles traveling 10 mph or less over the posted speed limit. Please keep the safety of our young people in mind as you traverse school zones.

^^^ The camera in front of Britt Elementary School.

29 29

Snellville Historical Society The Snellville Historical Society has a mission to “research, document, and publicize the history of Snellville and the surrounding area.”

The SHS has two General Meetings each year, the second Sunday in April and October at Snellville City Hall.

Membership applications and more information can be requested through: snellvillehistoricalsociety@gmail.com or by leaving a message at the SHS office at 678-691-8187.

Snellville Historical Society 2145 North Road Snellville, GA 30078 Office hours are Monday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We welcome you to Snellville, with her great Oaks and Pines, and think a greater country town would be mighty hard to find, we are not rich and mighty, but we try to do the will of God and live it every day.”

- Gladstone F. Snell, first Mayor of Snellville

WE BUY GOLD!

Hill Top Pawn and Gun

At Hill Top Pawn and Gun we want everyone to know we are “Large Enough to Handle your Needs and Small Enough to Care.”

Hill Top Pawn Inc. 1882 Athens Highway Snellville, GA 30078 770-978-7079 Hilltop@bellsouth.net

30

With over 50 years of combined experience in the Gold buying industry, we are confident that we can offer top dollar for your Gold and Silver.

Firearm Sales

In our Firearm department we have a wide variety of new and used firearms with a staff that is friendly knowledgeable and willing to help.

$Cash Loans$

At Hill Top Pawn we specialize in loaning out cash!

We loan money on just about anything with amounts up to

$10,000

Gold, Guns, Electronics, Tools, Instruments, Sporting Goods, Cars, Trailers, Boats, Motorcycles and more.

(All loans are collateral based)

Great New Venue at Briscoe Par k!

2021

presented by

The Snellville Police Department Tuesday, June 8th, 2021 6:00 – 8:00 pm Briscoe Park in Snellville Members of the Snellville Police Department will be out in force hosting its annual Snellville Public Safety Night

ng See the Amazi s e SPD Canin

Speak with SPD Officers

Bring the family for some fun and get some great information on protecting yourself, your family, your pets, your home & business and your personal identity.

The event is free and all are encouraged to attend.

Area Mascots & Activities will entertain the kids Food and Ices for Sale

Social Distancing will be in effect and masks are strongly encouraged!

Police vehicles with anti-crime accessories, tactical equipment & weapons & the SRT (special response team) will be on display. County Police and Fire Equipment & personnel will be on hand. EMS and 1st responders will be available with information.

Demonstrations by the Snellville K-9 Officers will show off the talented dogs

Officers will demonstrate how to manage a traffic stop

Exhibitors will be providing information on: Personal Safety Home Security Pet Security Gun Safety and Training Financial Security Road safety for adults, teens and young children

Sponsored by the Snellville Police Department and the Snellville Citizens’ Police Academy Alumni Association

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Snellville’s Mando: May the Force be With You ... Always

By Kelly McAloon Executive Director Snellville Tourism and Trade Syd Rudder, known to many as Mando, travels through the Snellville galaxy on foot. He walks an average of 15 miles on the days he ventures out into the terrestrial environs.

The galaxy of Snellville sits 33.8573 degrees North, 84.0199 degrees West and was established centuries ago by British settlers and now has approximately 20,000 humans of all walks of life that reside here.

As Syd journeys through the area, his mission is to bring happiness and joy to others and make people smile.

“It’s all about the children, “ he said. “I want them to know it is okay to be who you are as long as it is not counter productive to society.”

His hope is to one day be able to visit children’s hospitals to bring joy to children going through a difficult time and bring a smile to their face.

When Syd finished high school he originally wanted to go to ITT Tech and study architecture, but those plans soon came to a halt due to circumstances with the program. He soon discovered he really liked talking in other voices such as a western cowboy, cartoon villain or other animated characters and felt he was pretty good at it, as it came natural to him. He wanted to be a voice people can relate to or connect with, like when “Star Wars” moved him when he was a child. As he grew older and continued to watch “Star Wars”, he felt something wasn’t right when George Lucas wasn’t involved anymore and it wasn’t until “The Mandalorian” came along, that he felt like his heart opened up again and was let out of a box.

“Voice acting is a dream job that I want to pursue,” said Syd. “I love acting goofy and silly and talking like other characters that will have an impact on people in a good way. I love to write and enjoy storytelling and like to find out why people enjoy certain characters or stories.”

From one galaxy to another, be kind to others... “this is the way.”

<<< HEROIC VISIT - Mando even found time to visit officers with the Snellville Police Department recently.

32

City News

Public Works: Only rain down the drain Be part of the solution to stormwater pollution.

That’s the message Snellville Public Works officials want residents to know during spring clean up projects many take part in during this time of year.

Each time it rains, water washes over our streets, driveways, and yards picking up pollutants along the way and flowing into our storm drains. This runoff may contain pollutants such as motor oil, yard clip­pings, pet waste, litter, lawn chemicals, anti-freeze, or other toxins, which can pollute our water supply as well as clog pipes and culverts which can lead to flooding. Known as “NonPoint Source Pollution”, it is the largest threat to our waterways today. Sometimes pollutants are dumped directly into storm drains by neighbors who don’t know any better.

Contrary to popular belief, most storm drains are not connected to treatment systems. Whatever enters the drain is discharged directly, untreated into local waterways.

You can help by using the following tips to prevent pollution: •Properly dispose of hazardous waste and recycle used motor oil.

•Use fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides sparingly and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

•Keep yard waste, trash, and dirt off the street and out of the gutters.

•Clean up after your pets.

•Wash your car at a car wash facility or park your car in the grass before you wash it.

•Spread the word about protecting our waterways from polluted runoff.

^^^ CLEAN DRAINS - Snellville Public Works is urging residents to keep stormwater drains clean like these on Green Turf Drive and Collinswood Drive.

Shark Tank student business competition returns May 6

school students. Local youth entrepreneurs selected from among many young business hopefuls will pitch their businesses to a jury of local business owners. The prize is cash to be used to continue to launch their business and create their own summer job.

Shark Tank 2021 – It’s back!

The first shark sighting in Snellville was in the spring of 2012.

Young entrepreneurs have gathered every year since then with the exception of 2020 to take part in a business pitch competition modeled after the successful TV show. Students, teachers and local business owners are planning for the return of the Snellville Shark Tank at 2:30 p.m. May 6, the ninth year of this unique opportunity for South Gwinnett, Brookwood and Grayson high

“In a time when so many people feel unsure of their future, there is a select group of young entrepreneurs at Snellville’s local high schools that are taking control of their own destiny and charting a path less taken,” said Economic Development Director and Shark Tank organizer Eric Van Otteren.

For more information or to join the judging panel contact Van Otteren at evanotteren@snellville.org.

33 33

1785 Oak Road Snellville, GA 30078 770-985-0600

www.ersnell.com

Family owned company with over 95 years experience Our shops and asphalt plants are spread across Georgia, including: Metro-Atlanta, Augusta, and Macon 34

Snellville Housing

NEW BUSINESS

As Snellville awaits the 250 luxury apartments to be built at The Grove at Towne Center, there are plenty of new housing developments popping up in Snellville. Here are just a few.

By Brian Arrington, Public Information Officer

Shadowbrook Cooper Springs (adjacent to Eastside Town Homes – A five-story, 102-room Hampton Inn & Suites will be built in the Medical Center) Construction is city following a unanimous vote by the Mayor and Council earlier – this 130+ home ongoing for this this year. neighborhood is development on the nearing build out. east side of the city The 64,400-square-foot building will be located in Park Place, There are only a few off of Highway 78. a development located at the corner of Pharrs Road and Scenic units left and sales Highway which recently saw the grand opening of Cracker Barrel, have been very good Freddie’s, Zaxby’s and Aspen Dental.

Inn & Suites by Hilton within the city. Finally, Hampton Inn & for them.

Suites, under the Hilton (Hotels) umbrella, has a reputation for being There had been concerns the hotel would cause traffic issues at the a high-quality brand and product that would be an asset to the city Pinehurst Saddlebrook – busy intersection, but, according to the developers, daily trips would for many years to come.”

Subdivision – Construction of the be reduced by nearly two thirds of what was previously approved for This subdivision Phase one singlea 12,000-square-foot restaurant.

And just this month, was approved for family age-restricted paperwork was filed approximately 30 homes has been “There is a need in the city for a quality limited-service hotel to bring an Outback homes including underway for several in the Scenic Highway Commercial Corridor as there are very Steakhouse to Park 27 in the main months now. few options for travelers to utilize while staying in the area,” said Place. subdivision and Planning and Development Director Jason Thompson. “Eastside three estate lot Medical Center, adjacent restaurants, retail businesses and homes. neighboring residents could all benefit from having a nice Hampton ■ Affordable nightly, weekly and monthly rates ■ Average suite features over 300 square feet of comfortable living area ■ Each room includes a separate living area, ample work space with desk, remote control cable tv with HBO or Showtime, iron and ironing board, and in-room hi-speed Internet access ■ Apartment size kitchen with refrigerator, two-burner stovetop, full size microwave, in-room coffee maker, in-room toaster, dishes, cookware & utensils, and a well-lit kitchen table/work area ■ Interior corridors with key card access for added security and always clean & friendly service

Crestwood Suites

■ Clean, well-lit property with beautiful grounds and plenty of free parking

■ Exclusivebehind in-lobby coffee bar across from of Snellville Located off Scenic Highway Target

Eastside Medical Center

I T

S

.com

1784 Presidential Circle 30078 n ■ Snellville, own Georgia uITeS

770-982-5250 770.982.5250 1785 Circle • Snellville, Georgia 30078 www.Presidential CrestwoodSuites .com

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South Gwinnett High School <<< COMET JROTC SUCCESS - South Gwinnett JROTC Program earned National Designation. South Gwinnett High School cadets proudly represented South Gwinnett in the six mandatory events, (Color Guard Evaluation, Drill Team Evaluation, Service Learning, Continuous Improvement, Instructor interviews and Cadet Portfolio Inspection). The Battalion, led by CDT/LTC Olana Jebel, did an outstanding job of leading the battalion through this nebulous process.

Modebola Adesina Notre Dame

Emanuel Fitsum Hamilton College

^^^ WRESTLING CHAMPS - The South Gwinnett Wrestling team had a very successful season.

After taking Second Place in the Region Dual, Region Traditional and Comet Clash Dual Tournaments, the Comets took First Place to become Spartan Duals Champions.

Charlene Pobee Washington U.

Leah Yadessa Columbia U.

^^^ SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS - Four SGHS Comets won Questbright Scholarships. These amazing scholars will receive a full, four-year Scholarship worth over $200,000 each.

>>> DECA WINNERS - The South Gwinnett DECA Chapter won Third Place in the DECA Chapter Chronicle Competition. South Gwinnett was the only chapter in Gwinnett County to receive this award. Sharyan Holden and Kylar Smith led the competition for South by presenting a summary of the South Gwinnett DECA Chapter activities in an interesting and engaging way.

Sharyan Holden

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Kylar Smith

Where Everybody’s Proud to be Somebody

Brookwood High School <<< ROBOT REBOOT - Travis Hermel, a robotics students at Brookwood High School, adjusts his robot. (Below) Students recently took home a handful of VEX Robotics awards.

Brookwood Robotics programmed for success The spring 2020 quarantine could not stop Brookwood High School’s robotics team from excelling in the field. Last April, students William Li, Sam Barskiy, Travis Hermel and Henry Higuita built and programmed a VEX robot — passing it back and forth, logging in to Zoom meetings and coordinating with science teacher Mike Myers to make door-dash deliveries of parts. They completed their task by June, and in December they won both the Excellence Award and Tournament Champion Award at the Irwin County VEX Robotics Tournament. They head to the state tournament this spring. This will the fourth consecutive year that Brookwood has qualified for state.

The robotics team meets ten hours a week to work on their competition robots. They design robots and bring them to life from a pile of parts that mostly resembles a pile of Legos. When building a robot they must program both a controller and a robot in a way that the robot could complete a routine on its own without direct control by a driver. Then they practice driving the robot and strategize how best to achieve their goals in a tournament setting.

Their commitment to excellence has paid off. In the last four years, Brookwood Robotics has earned more awards than the total history of the school’s program.

While still working apart in spring 2021 due to the pandemic, team members are preparing to make Brookwood history. The aforementioned key team members mainly work with six other Brookwood robotics students: Kiera McCarter, Eddie Akins, Ethan Shust, Abel Tharakkan, Branden Waggoner-Pasibe, and Taylor Jones. All team members have taken or are taking Advanced Physics & Robotics with Myers, who also serves as the Robotics Team coach.

Team members who take the robotics class at school must show mastery of skills used in the class early on. This allows them to assist Myers in working with the rest of the robotics class. They help build a basic Clawbot robot and help the class design the more advanced robots used later in the semester. Additionally, they write and test a robot game that the class plays at the end of the semester.

^^^ MR. ROBOTO - Mike Myers heads up the Brookwood High School robotics program.

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Spring Recipes

Steak Fajitas

Strawberry Sorbet Sensation

Add steak fajitas to a hot frying pan and cut in small bite peices when cooked.

Ingredients 2 cups strawberry sorbet, softened if necessary.

In a separate frying pan, add the vegetable oil and heat. Once hot, add the sope tortillas and cook on each side until golden brown and set aside.

1 cup cold fat-free milk.

Put the sopes together by first adding refried beans to it. Then the steak fajitas, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, queso fresco, cream, avocado and your choice of salsa.

1 carton (8 ounces) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed

Serve Hot.

Directions Line an 8x4-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spread sorbet into bottom of pan; place in freezer 15 minutes.

Tip - put the cream in a zip lock bag and cut a corner and squeeze it out to add on the sope for a cleaner look.

-Miriam Vega, Snellville resident and business owner, Vega Insurance Agency

1 package (1 ounce) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix.

Sliced fresh strawberries.

In a bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix 2 minutes. Let stand until soft-set, about 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping; spread over sorbet. Freeze, covered, 4 hours or overnight.

Remove from freezer 10-15 minutes before serving. Invert dessert onto a serving plate; remove plastic wrap. Cut into slices. Serve with strawberries.

-Tasteofhome.com

Get your farm-fresh strawberries at the Snellville Farmers’ Market!

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Where Everybody’s Proud to be Somebody

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