North Fulton Chamber Announces Vesta Bringing up to 500 New Jobs to Alpharetta

December 21, 2010 – Alpharetta, GA

The Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, announced that electronic payments

giant Vesta plans to open its newest call center in North Fulton. “We are thrilled with

their decision to expand into North Fulton,” Beach said in welcoming the Portland,

Oregon-based company to Alpharetta. “This move will bring hundreds of jobs to our

area.”

– Brandon Beach, President & CEO of

Your Guide to New Year's Events in Georgia

No matter where you are, there’s an unforgettable New Year’s Eve experience awaiting you in Georgia. Check out the Dropping of the Cotton Ball in the town of Nashville. Or the annual Possum Drop in downtown Tallapoosa. From a festive riverboat cruise and sumptuous buffet on the Savannah River to the Masquerade & Carnival Celebrations at Chateau Elan in North Georgia, there’s a unique and exciting New Year’s Eve adventure for everyone. There’s simply no better place to begin 2011 than in Georgia.

Find the best cities for a Southern Christmas including San Antonio, Atlanta, Louisville, Orlando, and Washington, D.C. Here, Southern Living's picks for what to see, do, and buy in each city...

Find the best cities for a Southern Christmas including San Antonio, Atlanta, Louisville, Orlando, and Washington, D.C. Here, Southern Living's picks for what to see, do, and buy in each city.

Tried-and-True Tradition: Pink Pig Rides at Macy’s (pictured) 
 Lenox Square in Buckhead
Ride Priscilla, the bubblegum-colored train in the shape of a pig, still chugging on the upper parking deck after 56 years. The 2009 version moves through a life-size storybook showing the ride’s history. This rite of passage costs $3 a trip; hours and printable two-for-one discount coupons at macys.com/campaign/pinkpig/home.jsp

Becoming a Tradition: Centennial Olympic Park Ice-skating
Downtown, across from CNN Center
The rink’s ready with rental skates ($2) and a view of the skyline. Multicolor rays bathe the ice in holiday hues to a seasonal soundtrack. It’s $7 for 90 minutes. Parking at the Green Lot on the Marietta Street side of the park, $8. centennialpark.com

 

ACT1 Theater in Alpharetta presents "A Dickens' Christmas Carol"

ACT1 THEATER PRESENTS "A DICKENS' CHRISTMAS CAROL," A COMEDY BY MARK LANDON SMITH, WHICH RUNS FROM FRIDAY, NOV. 19 THROUGH SUNDAY, DEC. 19.

Thanksgiving is upon us which means that no sooner is the leftover turkey and dressing stashed in the fridge that theaters throughout Atlanta (and the English speaking world) will open Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." But what would happen if a professional production of the tale went hilariously wrong?

ACT1 Theater presents "A Dickens' Christmas Carol," Mark Landon Smith's scrambled adaptation of Dickens' beloved Christmas story. Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and all of the required characters are present in Victorian London in the year of our Lord, 1843, as the seven member Styckes-Upon-Thump Repertory Theatre Company perform the Dickens classic during their annual farewell tour in England. Bettina, the company diva, pretends to be ill, certain the production will be canceled. However, much to her shock and rage, the show does go on without her! Mayhem ensues as she battles to reclaim her roles, and everything that could possibly go hilariously wrong does.

"A Dickens' Christmas Carol" opens Friday, November 26 and runs through Sunday, December 19. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30 PM, with Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM on December 5, December 12, and December 19. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $12 for seniors age 60 and above, and for children age twelve and under. ACT1 Theater is located in the Alpharetta Presbyterian Church, 180 Academy Street, 20009 in Alpharetta. For tickets go to http://www.act1theater.com/, or (770) 663-8989.

Downtown Alpharetta Open House and Christmas Tree Lighting- Dec 4th-5th!

‎33rd Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Milton Square City Park across from Alpharetta City Hall, 2 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009 Sunday, December 5, 2010 5:00 PM

Celebrate the season at the Holiday Farmer's Market and Christmas Open House in downtown Alpharetta on Saturday, December 4th from noon to 6 p.m. The Christmas Open House continues Sunday, December 5th from noon to 7 p.m. Make it a weekend of shopping and celebrating at one of Alpharetta’s 23 upscale hotels. Check out our holiday rates at http://www.awesomealpharetta.com/uploads/Direct%20Connect/Holidays%20in%20Alpharetta/Alpharetta%20Hotel%20Rates.pdf

Your Guide to New Year's Events in Georgia

No matter where you are, there’s an unforgettable New Year’s Eve experience awaiting you in Georgia. Check out the Dropping of the Cotton Ball in the town of Nashville. Or the annual Possum Drop in downtown Tallapoosa. From a festive riverboat cruise and sumptuous buffet on the Savannah River to the Masquerade & Carnival Celebrations at Chateau Elan in North Georgia, there’s a unique and exciting New Year’s Eve adventure for everyone. There’s simply no better place to begin 2011 than in Georgia.

Distressed home sales drop 31% in 3Q: RealtyTrac

A total of 188,748 homes in some stage of the foreclosure process sold in the third quarter, down 31% from a year ago and 25% from the previous quarter, according to RealtyTrac, an online foreclosure marketplace.

Many lenders froze REO sales in October to review affidavits that were allegedly signed without a review of the documentation. Even though those banks have refiled affidavits and mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac cleared real estate agents to resume marketing REO, demand for these homes could still wane in the months ahead.