September 30th
I'm looking around trying to get used to the new world we are now living in since religious fanatics destroyed forever our old world order. Nothing will ever be the same. I believe folks are kinder now to one another than they might have been before September 11th and I believe folks generally have a new appreciation for patriotism and its many expressions. It is comforting to me to see Old Glory displayed all up and down residential streets and on passing cars. Folks who think they can eradicate freedom have been brainwashed indeed. It simply cannot be done…just ask Senator
John McCain or any other prisoner of war.
Changes are afoot in many areas. I am hopeful that violence in our movies and on television is now passé. I want Hollywood to finally hear this message. For Heaven's sake, bring back
Doris Day! No more dark side of human existence, thank you very much! We've all had a horrifying lifetime dose of that. We must turn to what is right and good about mankind and emphasize that message.
Hollywood and those advertising idiots have actually been on a downhill slide for a very long time, in my view. I remember when my adult sons were small and I would look at what was showing at the movies and there wouldn't be a single one I wanted them to see. I wondered at that time why Hollywood was ignoring the families of America, which it continued to do for the growing up of that whole generation.
There is a saying that I've used many times: "What the eye doesn't see, the mind doesn't ponder." It's useful in many arenas-from not letting my children look at a car wreck and injured people, to not letting them view violence on television, to not leaving a valuable camera visible on the front seat of my locked car, to putting a bath cloth over one's eyes for a claustrophobic
MRI. It is my belief that we ought to be careful about putting "garbage in" our psyches, lest we get "garbage out."
These young folks are doing what they can to make their community better and clean. Sixty-five or so members of the youth groups at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints staged a protest at the Love Shack in Peachtree Corners on September 25th. They've met, discussed the ramifications of having an adult entertainment store in their community, decided they wanted it to move away to somewhere else, made lots of protest signs and exercised their First Amendment right to assemble peacefully and protest.
One of their members is circulating a petition against the Love Shack as an Eagle Scout project. I will keep you posted as to the location and availability of this petition as soon as the information is sent to me in case you want to sign it. The Scout is obtaining permissions from local area businesses to seek signers in their stores at this time.
My friends, "Big River," the adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has opened at the Aurora Theatre in Duluth and will run through October 28, 2001. Adapted from the novel by
Mark Twain, who makes a cameo appearance, with music and lyrics by
Roger Miller, "Big River" is a musical production you do not want to miss. Young actor
Andy Meeks is tremendously engaging as Huck Finn, Eugene Russell IV plays the runaway slave Jim right through to your heart, and
David Kleist is a "poseur extraordinaire" as The Duke. They were great, but everyone in this large cast returned a strong, high-energy performance. I hope you will treat yourself and your family to "Big River" soon. My husband and I saw this winning play on Broadway many years ago and the Aurora's production is equal. We were immensely impressed.
Anthony P. Rodriguez, the Aurora's producing artistic director, and
Ann-Carol Pence, associate producer and music director, are a collaboration of genius if ever there was one, and we are so lucky they are living and working right here in Gwinnett County.
Call the box office at (770) 476-7926 or visit the Web site at
www.auroratheatre.com to order tickets. You'll thank me.
The 19th annual Duluth Fall Festival, blessed by golden autumn weather, lived up to its reputation as one of the premier hometown celebrations in Gwinnett. The last weekend in September brought an estimated 35,000 folks on Saturday to the new Town Green, according to Public Works Director
Red Fowler. The Saturday evening free festivities at the brand-new Duluth Festival Center filled the outdoor amphitheater with families and friends who danced to the Carolina Beach music of
"The Catalinas," right up until the band quit at 10:02 p.m. It was a night to remember.
The festival area was rendered spic n' span late Saturday night after that huge use of the space by employees of the Gwinnett Community Bank who moved through the area with trash bags and rapidly picked up the whole place. It wasn't badly littered, but it was littered, and we need to heartily thank all those folks at the bank who worked to make the area pleasant for all the Sunday festival-goers.
Be sure to put the Norcross Fall Festival on your calendars for the first weekend in October, Saturday the 6th and Sunday the 7th. This is the third year for this combined civic club festival and the parade and entertainment plans are looking good. The parade starts at 10:00 a.m. on October 6th and winds through Historic Norcross. This year it includes a mounted patrol from DeKalb County. I'm looking forward to that! Grand marshal is
Rev. William Sheals of the 16,000-member Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Norcross.
Entertainment on the stage in Thrasher Park opens with Elvis Impersonator
Dean Crownover, who is a real hoot. The Barbara Bramble Dancers, Army Ground Forces Brass Quintet,
BorderCollies,
Philip Ajamian with "Souldust," New Horizons Band of Atlanta, and Ballet Mexicano de
Lupita Sosa are also on the schedule for Saturday. Sunday's entertainment opens at 1:00 p.m. with the Atlanta Singles Chorus,
Jean Hawkins & Co. line dancing, Scott Howard, Adrian Cox and the House Jazz Band, and
Tuly Mukerjee. Come on down!
Hope everyone is working to make sure all is well. Remember folks, hard as it is: It isn't what happens to us, it's what we do with what happens to us!
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September 16th
August 26th
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