Showing posts with label johns creek events. Show all posts

Christmas Tree Recycling in Roswell, Johns Creek, Milton and Alpharetta

Many sites will take Christmas trees for recycling

Now that Christmas is done for another year, local residents can give a gift to nature by recycling their holiday trees.
There are dates and times in four north Fulton cities for all who want to participate:

Keep Roswell Beautiful is holding its 22nd annual Bring One for the Chipper at the two Home Depot locations in Roswell on Jan. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The two Home Depot locations are on Holcomb Bridge Road in Holcomb Woods Shopping Center and Woodstock Road across from Publix.

Milton Grows Green is also holding its Bring One for the Chipper.
Residents may take Christmas trees Jan. 7 to Milton High School’s Birmingham Road entrance, 13025 Birmingham Hwy., and Home Depot, 5300 Windward Pkwy., for assisted dropoff from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Scottsdale Farms, 15639 Birmingham Hwy., will offer extended dropoff Dec. 26 through Jan. 7.

In Alpharetta, Jan. 7 is also Bring One for the Chipper day. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. trees will be accepted at the Windward Parkway Home Depot Store. Community volunteers will be available to help unload the trees.

The city of Johns Creek and Keep North Fulton Beautiful will take undecorated trees Jan. 7 at The Home Depot, 5950 State Bridge Road, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To find other tree dropoff locations, visit www.keepgeorgiabeautiful.org.

Milton named best in state, All N.F. Cities in top 20

Milton named best in state, 9 in south

All N.F. Cities in top 20

by Jonathan Copsey

write the author

December 12, 2011

MILTON, GA. - Milton has been named the ninth best city in the Southeast and the best overall in Georgia.

The results come from a survey compiled by The Business Journals, a Charlotte, N.C.-based collection of business publications and websites, which includes the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

The report's author, G. Scott Thomas, said he analyzed 3,764 cities throughout the country, searching for places that have "healthy economies, light traffic, moderate costs of living, impressive housing stocks and strong educational systems."

Nationally, Milton ranked 37

The other North Fulton cities ranked high on the list, each making the top ten in the state. Of Georgia cities, John Creek ranked second, Alpharetta was fourth and Roswell eighth. Mountain Park was 17.
West University Place, Tex, home of Rice University, placed first in the south.

Thomas said the raw numbers used came from the five-year version of the U.S. Census Bureau's 2009 American Community Survey. Milton's 2009 estimated population was 15,572.

The Georgia Aquarium Welcomes Aqua Vino Guests

Georgia Aquarium's Sixth Annual Aqua Vino will be held at the Georgia Aquarium on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011, with the Grand Tasting beginning at 7 p.m. Enjoy and sample more than 200 fine wines from around the globe, gourmet fare from Atlanta's premier restaurants, a live, silent and wine auction and live music, all with the backdrop of the Ocean's Ballroom and the Aquarium's amazing galleris.

All proceeds from Aqua vino support the Aquarium's Veterinary Services through the Correll Center for Aquatic Animal Health.

This special price is only available if you purchase your tickets by Sept. 30, so get your tickets today!

Thank you for your support of the Georgia Aquarium! We would like to extend a special offer to you for our Sixth Annual Aqua Vino!

From now until Sept. 30, you have the opportunity to purchase Aqua Vino Grand Tasting tickets for the special price of $150 per person. That's a $50 savings!

To learn more about the event, please visit www.georgiaaquarium.org/aquavino

Sixth Annual Aqua Vino
Georgia Aquarium and Ocean's Ballroom
Oct. 13, 2011
Grand Tasting: 7 p.m.Attire: Cocktail Chic

Event attendess must be 21 years of age for entry.For VIP Tasting tickets and Patron opportunities, please visit www.georgiaaquarium.org/aquavino

Taste of Johns Creek on Tap This Weekend

Taste of Johns Creek
Where/When: Chattahoochee High School, 5230 Taylor Road, Johns Creek, Sunday, Sept. 25, 4-7 p.m.

Why Go?: Unlimited samples from 50 participating restaurants as well as entertainment and activities. Proceeds benefit the football team and stadium with new uniforms and capital improvements for the 4AAAA state-champion Chattahoochee Cougars.
Price: $20 at the door

The tasty toast of Georgia.This is a real wine country — not just a phony excuse for a label

DAHLONEGA, Ga. — So what wine goes best with fried pork rinds, anyway?

"That'd be Fat Boy Red," deadpanned Sharon Paul, not missing a beat as she continued to pour at a tasting at her Three Sisters Vineyards & Winery in the steep foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

Paul and her husband, Doug, a former broadcaster, own and operate the kitschiest of a cluster of remarkable wineries just outside this north Georgia town hitherto known principally for one of the nation's oldest military colleges and the Southeast's biggest gold strike. (The U.S. government actually established a branch mint here in 1838 to turn out gold coins.)

But the gold in these hills here and now can be found in the thousands of acres of grapevines laid out as if in military rows up and down the steep slopes of outer Dahlonega. The place even looks like the Napa and Sonoma valleys.

A short (once you get out of Atlanta traffic) drive due north from the state capital, Georgia's wine country beckons oenophiles, tourists and folks just looking for a pleasant day out of the hustle and bustle of the city for a taste of fine yet casual dining, decent live music and surprisingly good local wine.

Arguably the best of that wine is produced in the vineyards in and around Frogtown, a red-clay community perched along the border of rural Lumpkin and White counties, where you can almost hear the tune from "Deliverance" as you drive past the occasional dilapidated gray wooden shack barely held together by rampant kudzu.

Within a Champagne cork's toss from Three Rivers are two wineries recognized as producing wines on a par with any in the storied California regions of Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles: BlackStock Vineyards and Winery and Frogtown Cellars.

"My wines are an expression of this place," said BlackStock owner Dave Harris, a fifth-generation Atlantan who studied at Fresno State University to hone his craft, which he says is not just growing grapes but "growing wine."

BlackStock's 40 hilly acres encompass 240,000 vines planted in 1997 and yield a wide range of wine grapes, from merlot to chardonnay to pinot varieties. Harris modestly claims to be the second-largest grower on the East Coast of viognier, a highly prized, once nearly extinct French grape that legend claims was the favorite of kings.

But he seems most proud of the fact that BlackStock's wines are "100 percent Georgia grown." Citing a unique combination of soil, slope, rainfall and mountain-protected climate, the soft-spoken but passionate winemaker declared, "This is an exceptional grape-growing area."

Which explains in large part the mini explosion of successful wineries that have cropped up in north Georgia over the last decade and a half. The Georgia Winegrowers Association lists 10 local wineries within an hour's drive of one another.

Michael Bryan, director of the prestigious Atlanta Wine School, said the high elevation and cool climate "provide the best chance of mimicking better known domestic wines from the West Coast."

Just up the road from Three Sisters (named for the trio of mountain peaks you can see from the porch) and BlackStock is what some critics consider the best of the Georgia wineries: Frogtown Cellars.

Owner and winemaker Craig Kritzer has built an impressive European-style operation in Frogtown, embracing innovative winemaking techniques and combining that with shrewd marketing concepts.

A retired lawyer from Atlanta, Kritzer followed his passion for wine to realize his dream of owning what he claims is the biggest homegrown vineyard (41 acres) in Georgia and — as he will tell anyone who will listen — the best.

"We do not just say we make competitive premium wines," Kritzer said. "We prove this characterization of our wines by submitting Frogtown labeled wine to the rigors of competing against the best wines produced anywhere in the world."

To back this up, he produces a list of recent medals Frogtown Cellars has won in a slew of major U.S. wine competitions.

While the title of No. 1 Georgia winery likely will continue to be challenged by these competitive neighbors, most of the folks who drive up from Atlanta or down from their mountain vacation homes mainly seem to be looking for where they can have the most enjoyable wine-tasting experience. All provide tastings, fine dining, live music and leisurely sipping — even grape-stompings during harvest season — plus venues for weddings and receptions.

The consensus seems to be that visitors leave happy, whichever winery they visit — from the slick Old World Frogtown Cellars to the engaging modern sincerity of BlackStock to the down-home atmosphere of Three Sisters.

Which brings us back to Fat Boy Red. Where did that name come from?

"Have you seen my husband?" Sharon Paul asked, gesturing to the rather robust man in denim overalls pouring a glass for a visitor.

'Nuff said.

If you go

Tastings generally run $15 for eight or nine wines.

BlackStock Vineyards

and Winery, 5400 Town Creek Road, Dahlonega; 706-219-2789, ext. 223; bsvw.com

Prices range from $15 for a 2006 merlot to $32 for a 2008 reserve touriga. The 2010 reserve viognier is $25.

Frogtown Cellars, 3300 Damascus Church Road, Dahlonega, 706-865-0687, frogtownwine.com

Prices range from $19 for a 2008 sangiovese to $50 for a 2006 Frogtown Family reserve merlot. Most Frogtown wines are in the $20s.

Three Sisters

Vineyards & Winery, 439 Vineyard Way, Dahlonega, 706-865-9463, threesistersvineyards.com

Prices range from $10 a bottle for Chestatee red or Chestatee rose to $28 for a 2005 cabernet franc (from the reserve list). Fat Boy Red is $15.

Other wineries in north Georgia:

Cavendar Creek Vineyards and Winery, Dahlonega, 770-823-9255, cavendercreekvineyards.com

Crane Creek Vineyards, Young Harris, 706-379-1236, cranecreekvineyards.com

Habersham Winery, Helen, 706-878-9463, habershamwinery.com

By J. Randolph Murray, Special to Tribune Newspapers

4:44 p.m. CDT, August 30, 2011

By J. Randolph Murray, Special to Tribune Newspapershttp://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sc-trav-0830-southern-wine-20110830,0,2723817,full.story

Yellow Daisy Festival

Dates: Stay tuned for the 43rd Annual Yellow Daisy Festival Sept 8 - 11, 2011.
Event is FREE with $10 vehicle entrance fee
Consistently voted one of the top five arts & crafts shows in the nation by Sunshine Artist Magazine, a Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Event and winner of multiple awards by the Southeast Festival and Events Association.

Despite its growth from a small arts & crafts show to the four day event that it has become today, the Yellow Daisy Festival continues to be a big show with a small-town feel. The mission of re-connecting families and friends with fun, shopping, live entertainment and good food has remained constant over the past forty-two years. Multi-generations of mothers, daughters and grandmothers meander the wooded trails together in search of the perfect item.
More than 400 artists and crafters from 38 States and two countries display their works for your appreciation and purchase.

Daily live entertainment, Children's Corner activities, clogging and crafter demonstrations throughout the event as well as fabulous festival foods.
Please note pets are not allowed at the Yellow Daisy Festival.
http://festivals.stonemountainpark.com/mini-section/default.aspx?season=fall&id=14

Roswell Arts Festival 2011--September 17/18,2011

The weekend of September 17 and 18, 2011, the Roswell Town Square will become an outdoor art gallery. Creative works will be on hand from artists around the county. Along with art, there will be live entertainment and a kids activities area.
The 45th Roswell Arts Festival will be held rain or shine. Parking is limited, however, there will be shuttle rides from City Hall at 38 Hill Street in Roswell. Proceeds of the 2011 Roswell Art Festival will go to support the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department. Find out more at www.roswellartsfestival.com.

Nestled in the heart of historic downtown Roswell, the Roswell Arts Festival is held on the Roswell Town Square. Entertainment featuring local singers, dance companies, and children’s entertainers begins daily at noon on both days of the festival. Children’s painting, sand art, and other activities are also available. Food vendors on site.

Founded in 1966, the Roswell Arts Festival Committee has worked tirelessly to bring quality artisans to Roswell for the benefit of the community and to raise money in support of the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department. The Roswell Arts Festival has raised money for a variety of projects throughout its forty year history, including funding for the Roswell Visual Arts Center, Roswell’s Riverside Park, funding for the Roswell Adult Recreation Center, and funding for the purchase of sixty three acres of land that would later become Roswell Area Park. Through monies raised by the annual festival, the Roswell Recreation Association has been able to donate more than half a million dollars towards the betterment of recreation in Roswell.

Fulton County Schools North Fulton High School Redistricting Final Recommendation

The opening of a new high school on the Bethany Bend-Cogburn Road site in August 2012 also will be the starting date of the new attendance zones expected to be adopted by the school board in June. Please see attached link for Final Recommendation for North Fulton High Schools Redistricting Map.

Fulton School System Creates Redistricting Maps for New Bethany Bend School

Parents, students and teachers will get a first look at alternative maps proposed for redistricting for the new high school being built on Bethany Bend in Milton Wednesday, March 16. They'll also get a chance to critique the different proposals.
The new high school is being built to relieve overcrowding at existing schools. To accomplish this, existing attendance zones at other North Fulton high schools will be modified to create the new school's attendance zone.

Bethany Bend High School Site Attendance Zone Redistricting

A new high school is planned in North Fulton County to relieve overcrowding at existing schools. The school, currently under construction on the southeast corner of Bethany Bend and Cogburn Road, is scheduled to open in August 2012. Existing attendance zones at other north county high schools will be modified to create the new school's attendance zone.

About the redistricting process
Each time a redistricting effort is under way, the school system holds three rounds of meetings to gather information needed to draft a redistricting proposal that best meets the community's needs. Fulton uses a unique process that encourages public discussion before developing a proposal. This allows the community to have maximum input on how the proposed attendance lines are created.

Timeline for Redistricting Process

Meetings will be held and Alpharetta High School (3595 Webb Bridge Road, Alpharetta 30005; click for Google Map) from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.

Round One - February 23, 2011
- School system staff will outline the redistricting process and established ground rules for facilitated small-group input sessions.
- Participants will move to small-group sessions and give input related to the redistricting criteria.
- Staff will review public comments and apply Board-approved redistricting criteria to develop alternative attendance zone plans prior to the next community forum
Round Two - March 16, 2011
- Staff will present alternative proposals for new attendance zones.
- Community members will offer comment on strengths and weaknesses of each plan in facilitated small-group discussions.
- Prior to the next community forum, staff will condense the number of attendance zone alternatives based on public input.
Round Three - April 13, 2011
- Community members will review and provide input on revised attendance zone draft plans in facilitated small-group discussions.
- Staff will use comments to develop a final attendance zone recommendation for Board consideration.

The Fulton County Board of Education will be reviewing the new attendance zone recommendations during their meetings. Changes in the attendance zones will go into effect in August 2012 with the opening of the new school.

Alpharetta Arts StreetFest--Saturday & Sunday, April 16-17, 2011 10am-6pm

The arts are alive this spring on the Northside with nearly 100 artists from throughout the U.S. showcased at the 7th Annual Alpharetta Arts Streetfest. Enjoy a spring weekend strolling through outdoor galleries filled with fine art in 14 medium expressions. Create children’s art and make your own Chia Pet; experience live jazz, roots rock and Celtic music, as well as cultural dancing; and more. Admission and parking are free, with parking at City Hall and Milton Center.