August 16, 2001

   Business at the neighborhood nuisance, the "adult entertainment" Love Shack, certainly was interrupted by the presence of about thirty-five protesters on August 11th. The nearly empty parking lot at around 6:00 p.m. attests to the reluctance of some potential customers to risk being photographed as they entered the smut hovel. The picketing neighbors have noticed that out of county license tags seem to prevail; this porn location is sucking in plenty of tags from DeKalb, Fulton, Cobb, Cherokee, Bibb, Forsyth and Barrow. Lucky us. I believe Gwinnett County folks are too embarrassed, for the most part, to show their faces to photographers on the off-chance they might be recognized. There are a few, of course, but they appear to be crawling out of the unfortunate dreg level of society and have lost the capacity to care. I believe many of them are on the left side of the intelligence bell curve as well because some customers actually try to give a legitimate reason for their presence there. Those excuses range from lame to stupid. One man told protesters he would be able to sell some advertising to the place if the protesters would stop giving all the free advertising. Nice try, mister. 
   Not that many customers emerge with bags during the times the protesters are observing, thereby leading to the conclusion that the video-viewing booths are the big draw. I suppose it is just a matter of time before somebody punches "glory holes" in the booths in Peachtree Corners, if it hasn't already been done. Undercover law enforcement officers must burn their clothes and Clorox their boots if they have had to step in one of these nasty places where disease abounds. Ask yourself about what kind of folks voluntarily use those booths!
   If you want to get involved in the fight against pornography in Peachtree Corners, please contact volunteer@UPCCA.com. The United Peachtree Corners Civic Association (UPCCA) Web site itself is under construction as we speak, but the e-mail address is open. The graphics firm of Rock, Paper, Scissors, LLC in Duluth is doing the talent work and the site should be up soon. You'll love it!

   Other than the trashy filth of the court-ordered adult entertainment proliferation in Gwinnett County, much that is positive is still happening for our community. Those things are what I would RATHER write about! 

   The city of Duluth is about to benefit big-time from the first Summerfest celebration that is scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 18, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., in the parking lot of the Peachtree Hill Shopping Center, located at Pleasant Hill and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. It will be highly kid-oriented event with lots for children to do. Johnny Esposito of Esposito's Ristorante and Richard Daluga of Honey Baked Hams are the ringleaders for this fundraiser to provide Automated Electronic Defibrillators and bulletproof vests for the Duluth Police Department. The American Heart Association is thrilled about the AED's because those devices can and do save lives. Bring your kids, bring money, and have a great day! 
   AGCO Corporation, whose world headquarters are located in River Green Business Park in Duluth, has already stepped up with a $5,000 donation to this event. 

   The part-time Mayor of Duluth, Shirley Lasseter, has been appointed to the fulltime position of Marketing and Membership Director of The 1818 Club. Her first day on the job is August 20th. This sounds like a stroke of genius to me! Mayor Lasseter knows just about everybody in Gwinnett County. Come Monday, she can be reached at (770) 232-1818.

   The PGA Championship, which is in progress now at the Atlanta Athletic Club, has caused some interesting traffic patterns for nearby residents. The event is sold out, shuttle buses abound ferrying spectators from far-flung car parks to the golf course, and an already difficult traffic problem in that area has become four times worse. Generally speaking, folks are pretty polite, but I would like to personally clobber a few of the drivers of the monster shuttle buses who roar them through largely residential crossroads. Obviously, these poop-for-brains are from some other impolite city and it just doesn't matter to them what color the traffic light is. Might makes right.

   I think it is fitting that in the month of the late Scott Hudgens' 78th birthday, the Peachtree Christian Hospice on Duluth Park Lane is busy organizing its first fundraiser. You will remember that Mr. Hudgens donated the eight acres of land and the building cost of the hospice, something valued at over $4 million. The project spanned more than three years. Just one week after Scott and Jackie Hudgens performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the beautiful Peachtree Christian Hospice, Mr. Hudgens passed away.
   Open for terminally ill patients since last October, the 12-bed facility is operating at full capacity and the need for more patient rooms is patently evident. Fundraising will be a fact of life for this nonprofit organization, as with any other.
   The first Peachtree Christian Hospice Golf Challenge is scheduled for September 17th at St. Marlo Golf Club in Duluth. It includes three 18-hole formats and each golfer gets a cart to himself. Continental breakfast will begin at 7:00 a.m. in the clubhouse, tee up at 8:00 a.m. Each golfer is responsible for obtaining sponsors who agree to pay for 54 holes.
   If you are interested in helping out and having a fun day at the same time, please call Community Relations Director Linda Scott at Peachtree Christian Hospice, (770) 232-7727, ext. 16.

   There was a magnificent sight in my backyard just this week! I was climbing up the back stairs to the deck at high noon and happened to glance out into my little back yard. Silently standing on the path through the good ol' Georgia thicket was a young Whitetail buck, just watching me. When I spoke to him, he thought a minute, decided "no," and bounded back down the path. I followed and got into the woods just in time to see him and another, much older, buck clear my back fence and splash across the creek. Sometimes nature lets you see things like that.

   Hope all is well.