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September 2008

The 2008 North Georgia State Fair Is Better Than Ever!

The 76th annual North Georgia State Fair will take place Thursday, September 18th through Sunday, September 28th at Jim R. Miller Park in Marietta.  Attracting nearly 300,000 people from throughout metro Atlanta, North Georgia and surrounding states, the North Georgia State Fair is the largest fair in metro Atlanta and the second largest in Georgia.

The FREE Concert Series for the 2008 North Georgia State Fair brings a variety of top talent to the fair.  All concerts begin at 8:00pm nightly and will be held under the covered arena. The concert schedule includes:
• The Oak Ridge Boys on Friday, September 19
• Confederate Railroad on Saturday, September 20
• Kellie Pickler on Wednesday, September 24
• Lonestar on Thursday, September 25
• Mark Schultz on Friday, September 26
• Lady Antebellum & Josh Gracin on Saturday, September 27

This year the fun and excitement continues – with action-packed, family shows and entertainment. Live shows that are free with paid admission include the Kachunga & Alligator Show, an event that is new at the fair this year. Another new attraction will be the High Dive Show - Sinbad, 'In Search of the Golden Pineapple.' Sinbad goes to save a crew member who falls into the water as the rest of the crew follows with the most amazing dives off 3 meter boards and the 5 and 10 meter platform. The Keith King BMX Bike Stunt Show features professional BMX riders that have competed in events such as the X-Games and the Gravity Games. Every performance wows audiences with highflying aerial stunts and technical maneuvers. Robinson’s Pig Paddling Porkers offers the chance to see pigs racing snout-to-snout around a 100-foot-long oval track. The pigs also will compete in a special watercourse for the title of swiftest swimming swine. Oscar the Robot, the entertaining roaming robot, also will be returning to the fair this year. The Frisco Brothers Petting Zoo and the fair petting barn at the south entrance of the fairgrounds provide a fun and educational experience for children and adults alike.

Other long-time traditions will continue, including sanctioned flower shows, noncommercial exhibits and more than 40 amusement rides and games courtesy of the Great James H. Drew Exposition. Brian Ruth “Master of the Chainsaw” will transform raw logs into true works of art with only a chainsaw.

Regular tickets can be purchased at the gate at $5 for adults, $2 for students ages 7 to 18 and free for children 6 and under. Ride tickets are $1 each, $20 for 22 tickets, and $50 for 55 tickets. Parking is $3. For information, call (770) 423-1330 or (770) 528-8989 after September 2 or visit www.northgeorgiastatefair.com.

'A Blue Ribbon Affair' Arts, Crafts & Classic Cars Show Offers Pre-Fair Fun
The 19th annual 'A Blue Ribbon Affair' Arts, Crafts & Classic Cars Show is being held at the Jim R. Miller Park in Marietta the weekend before the North Georgia State Fair opens. This event features arts and crafts booths, demonstrations from vendors and local entertainment, delicious food, and an Antique Classic Cars Show. Hours are from 10:00am to 6:00pm Saturday, September 13th, and from noon to 5:00pm Sunday, September 14th. This arts and crafts extravaganza will introduce people to a taste of what the fair has to offer. More than 200 artist and craftsmen will show and sell their wares in several indoor buildings and outdoor tents. The unique, handcrafted items will include clothing, stained glass, pottery, holiday ornaments and displays, dolls, wooden toys, furniture, jewelry and much, much more.

This event provides a great opportunity to purchase some truly unique holiday gift items. After enjoying a shopping extravaganza, A Blue Ribbon Affair visitors can sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of various performing groups and the smells and tastes of scrumptious Southern treats such as freshly squeezed lemonade, steamed corn, roasted pecans and apple dumplings. This is also the time the fair accepts entries into the more than 300 competitive categories of noncommercial exhibits such as canning, painting and quilting. Competitors contend for award-winning ribbons, which prompted the name “A Blue Ribbon Affair.”

The Antique Classic Cars Show will feature cars displayed in their individual time period categories, such as the 1940s, ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. Blue Ribbon prizes, trophies and cash prizes will be awarded for competitions such as Best in Show. These unique classic cars will roll out on Saturday, September 13th from 10:00am to 3:30pm. Awards will be at 3:30pm. In case of rain, the show will be held on Sunday, September 14th from 10:00am to 5:00pm. There is a $20 pre-registration fee to enter a car in the show and a $25 on-site registration fee from 8:00am–12:00pm. Pre-register on-line at www.northgeorgiastatefair.com. Over $1,500 in cash prizes will be presented.

Admission is $1. Children 12 and under are admitted free. For more information, visit our website or call (770) 423-1330. After September 2nd, call (770) 528-8989.

Latino Tennis Carnival
USTA-Georgia and Cobb's tennis centers will be hosting two Latino Tennis Carnivals to introduce tennis to the growing Hispanic community in Cobb.  The first event will be held September 6th at Fair Oaks Tennis Center from 3:30pm - 6:00pm.  The next event will be held October 4th at Sweetwater Tennis Center from 3:30pm - 6:00pm.  There will be beginner clinics and instruction, games, refreshments and fun for adults and children.  Spanish speaking tennis instructors will be on hand to teach the clinics.  Attendees that register for tennis classes on these days will receive a free tennis racket at their first class.  Please call Fair Oaks at (770) 528-8480 or Sweetwater at (770) 819-3221 to make reservations.  This will be a fun event for the whole family - everyone is invited!!!!

Hubert Park Opening in Northwest Cobb County

Cobb's newest park, Hubert Park, will provide four much needed soccer fields for the youth and adults in northwest Cobb County. There will be a ribbon cutting scheduled for Tuesday, September 16th at 3:00pm at the park. Hubert Park is located at 3412 Cobb Parkway in Acworth. In addition to the soccer fields, the park also has a playground, picnic pavilion, concession/restroom building, and a maintenance building. The fields will be irrigated using well water from a dedicated on-site well. Come out and join us on the 16th to celebrate CCPRCA’s newest facility.

Aquatics and Gymnastics Programs Feel the Effects of the Olympics

The lesson and competitive programs for both aquatics and gymnastics are experiencing record numbers in the current fall quarter registrations. With Michael Phelps winning 8 gold medals and the USA Gymnastics Team doing well against the Chinese and the world, Cobb County parents want their potential athletes to get in on the aquatics and gymnastics programs. With this high demand classes are filling up and closing out earlier. Staff ask that our customers be understanding about getting into classes this session. We advise you to talk to our facility coordinators about the best opportunities for you in the future.

The Terrell Mill Tennis Center 4.5 Men’s USTA team finished 2nd at the 2008 Southern Sectional Championships held in Mobile, Alabama. They defeated teams from Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina before falling 3-2 to Louisiana in the championship match. For the year, they finished with a 19-1 record and won the USTA Atlanta Championship as well as the Georgia State Championship. Many of these team members were on the 2006 team that finished 4th at the USTA National Championships in Hawaii.  Pictured at right - Front Row (L-R) David Kusiel, Bill Chocallo, John Crenshaw, Jeff Crowder, Back Row (L-R) Hammond Reynolds, Rick Boysen, Jon Halseth, Alvaro Anzola, Jeff Jones, Brent Barfield, Chad Harris-Captain. Congratulations on a great season and making Cobb proud!

Cobb Tennis Teams Excel at City Championships

At the USTA Summer League City Championships held at Dekalb Tennis Center, several Cobb parks teams came home with trophies.  Lost Mountain Tennis Center's 3.5 level team won the city championship. This team, captained by Jill Steele, won the 3.5 Weekday Women's White Group city championships.  A team from Fair Oaks Tennis Center also won the city championship.  This team is captained by Dallas Woods and they won the 4.0 Weekday Women's White Group.  The Terrell Mill Tennis Center 4.5 team (Chad Harris) won the Men's League city championships. 

At the Summer ALTA City Championships, Cobb's teams also came home winners.  The Terrell Mill Tennis Center B-6 Mixed Doubles (Alvarez) team won the city and the Fair Oaks Tennis Center AA-3 Senior Women's team was a runner-up in the city championships.  Harrison Tennis Center's A-5 Senior Women and Lost Mountain Tennis Center's B-3 also was city runner-up. Terrell Mill Tennis Center's B-7 team and Fullers Park's C-1 team also were runners-up in the championships for the Men's Senior Leagues.

Congratulations to all of our teams for their great showing!!!!

Sandy Plains Softball Teams Shine

The Sandy Plains Softball Association travel teams captured several championships during this summer tournament season. The 'Blaze' 8 & under team finished 1st place at the West Cobb Invitational and the USSSA State Tournament. Members of the team are: Ansley Young, Ashley Asbury, Caroline Johnson, Danielle Combs, Kayla Laukka, Lea McFadden, Leak Higginbotham, Lisa Pitts, Megan Morelly, Payton Wade, Riley Hunt, and Shannon Antonini.

The 'Viperz' 12 & under team also finished 1st place at the USSSA State Tournament and the Kennesaw Summer Slam. Members of the team are: Emmy Affourtit, Danielle Allers, Blair Bonderant, Palmer Fant, Katie Fowler, Alyssa Hickey, Mallory Jones, Chelsea Knight, “Fred Kunsman”, Kerstyn Murray, Rachel Reed, Megan Rogers, and Kelsey Wertz.  Congratulations to both teams on a great season!

Cobb Artist Recognized

Teresa Ramsey, a member of the North Cobb Arts League, is a finalist in the International Artist Challenge: Still Life and Floral Competition. Her piece “Something to Celebrate” will be featured worldwide in the October/November 2008 issue of International Artist Magazine (Volume 63). Congratulations Teresa!

Artists Wanted

Artists wanted to display and sell their work at the 5th Annual 'Art on the Lawn' festival held at The Art Station - Big Shanty! This event will take place on October 18th and 19th, from 10:00am–4:00pm both days. A printable application with more information can be found here.

Staff Notes

Ann Bonds received the 'Outstanding Local Coordinator Award' from Special Olympics Georgia.  Ann is a Recreation Programmer with the Therapeutics uniit and works with the Special Olympics program in Cobb.   Congratulations to Ann for the great work!!!!

Troy Ham has been named the new manager for Mountain View Aquatic Center. He came to Cobb County from Battle Creek, Michigan, where he was in charge of an indoor and outdoor aquatic center. Troy has a Master’s degree in Sports Management from Baylor University and a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from the University of Toledo, Ohio. He worked for the city of Battle Creek for 10 years before accepting the Aquatics Coordinator position at Mountain View.

Troy has been on the job since the end of May and has made a smooth transition into the management role. His likable but professional manner has been well accepted by the staff and patrons at Mountain View. Cobb welcomes Troy to the team…as we “Expect the Best”.