USEFUL LINKS

Sprayberry Chic-Fil-A offers 20% of proceeds to Moon family Jan. 31 and Feb. 7

Come out the the Sprayberry Chick-Fil-A Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 for a great cause as 20% of the proceeds brought in that day will go toward helping the  family of Stephen and Victoria Moon.

 The generous 20% of the proceeds will go to the family as it works through Victoria's rehabilitation after a Nov. 22 fall led to a skull fracture and bleeding inthe brain. While doctors here gave her little or no hope, Victoria has responded to efforts at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Improvement has been exciting for the family, but costs incurred and a potential long-term change in the Moon's family situation will be financially challenging.           

Both “Spirit Days”  are on Mondays and receipts will be collected from opening to close and includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. Please be sure to deposit receipts in the designated "Moon" box inside the Chic-Fil-A.

The Sprayberry Chick-Fil-A is located at the corner of Sandy Plains Road and Piedmont Road. Let's help Sandy Plains Chic-Fil-A owner Scott Reed as he helps the Moon family.

McCleskey/Northeast Cobb YMCA

A Membership at the Y Strengthens Community

By Becky Shipley, Executive Director, McCleskey/Northeast Cobb YMCA

In times of need, people need a place to go where they can feel supported, improve their well-being and create meaningful experiences in their lives. And we know that this can happen when people not only become part of an organization, but join a cause that benefits them, as well as their neighbors.

When Joan joined the Y nine months ago, she was underemployed and needed support. She also needed to get a handle on health issues that plagued her as well as her family. Through the Y, Joan has found more than a place to exercise.  She discovered a group of friends whom she meets with regularly for group exercise, a place for her son to learn and make friends and an opportunity to give back through volunteerism.

At the Y, we exist to strengthen community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. When people like Joan join the Y, they become part of a cause that gives them the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive, while also making their community healthier and happier.

Last year, the McCleskey/Northeast Cobb YMCA helped over 15,000 children and adults take charge of their health, spend quality time together as a family, develop relationships with neighbors, learn new skills, and enjoy a laugh with staff and other members.

We encourage East Cobb members to come see what the Y has to offer. We are interested in learning more about you and getting to know you.

To learn more about the impact we’re making in East Cobb and to get involved, contact Linda Jackson at 770-977-5991 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.ymcaatlanta.org for more information. Join our cause. It’s good for the heart.

Kell High School

Little Shop of Horrors at Kell

Kell Drama Presents the Musical Little Shop of Horrors, Feb. 17 and 18 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $8 at the door. A Special "Dinner and a Show" will be held on February 19 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15.00.

Ignorance Is No Defense

Kell High School will be hosting a forum with J. Tom Morgan, author of IGNORANCE IS NO DEFENSE – A Teenager’s Guide to Georgia Law. Mr. Morgan is a nationally recognized expert on the prosecution of crimes against children and served as the District Attorney of Dekalb County for twelve years. With a primary focus on criminal laws, his program not only describes what the law requires but also teenager’s rights under the law. Through real-life examples, Mr. Morgan explains Georgia laws to teenagers in easy to understand language and provides straightforward information and valuable insights to help teenagers avoid violating the law and avoid being victims of crime.
Please make sure to attend this important seminar on Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. in the Kell Theatre (the information presented in this forum is suitable for Parents/Guardians and family members ages 15+ only).

Sprayberry High School

Sprayberry Jr. Jacket Baseball Tournament at Shaw Park

The Sprayberry 14U Jr. Jacket Baseball Team will host a  "Winter Warm-Up" for teams at Shaw Park off Canton Road Feb. 17 -20. Come play at one of the nicest parks in Atlanta.  We have full service concession stand, grass infields, batting cages for each field and plenty of parking! Game results will be up to date at park and on website!
Age groups for the tournament will inlude 10U, 12U, 13U, and  14U teams (10U & 12U: AA/AAA only, 13U and 14U feeder teams only).  We will take the first eight PAID entries in each group.

** NO INDIVIDUAL OR TEAM GATE FEES **
* 3 Game Guarantee - 2 pool play followed by single-elimination bracket
* Fields maintained between games
* Each team to supply 2 new baseballs and 1 used baseball per game
* Individual trophies for 1st place teams in each age group
* Full concession stand
* Batting cages available
* 1 Team cooler OK in the dugout
Fees:    10U-12U-13U-14U          $425/team

Piedmont Church

By Piedmont Church Community Pastor Steve Crowley

A Trillion to One

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day. Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)

The cell is the basic unit of life. It is also the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing and is often called the building block of life. There are single cells organisms such as bacteria then there are complex cellular organisms such as humans. It is estimated that a human adult consist of 100 trillion cells. Just to put things into perspective Time is money, right? If you make one dollar every second, you will have a million dollars in twelve days. You will be a billionaire in 32 years, but it will take you more than 31,000 years to make a trillion dollars. To obtain 100 trillion dollars would take 3.1 million years.

An estimated 100 trillion cells make up the human body and each one knows exactly how to interact with one another to enable us to breath, to enable our hearts to beat, to see, hear, sleep, you get the point. The hand of God fearfully and wonderfully made us; there is no other explanation. Yes, some may dispute this but the evidence of creation is beyond our human ability to comprehend.  Yet each and everyday we worry. We worry about things that we have no control over.

All the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day. Psalm 139:16 (The Message)

God, the creator of the heavens and the earth who intricately wove each and ever cell (all 100 trillion) together, who knows even the number of hairs upon our heads (Mat. 10:30) has a plan for us (Jer. 29:11), so rest in the knowledge that nothing occurs in our lives that hasn’t passed through the hand of God. Each of us is uniquely made and we have an awesome God who loves us so much that He gave His only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins so we could be reconciled with Him. So when life’s circumstances get you do or life throws you a curve ball know in your heart that God is there beside you. He has promised He will never leave us nor forsake us no matter what.

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36 (ESV)

Cobb County Government

Northeast/East Cobb Rezonings and Variances for February 2011

The following requests are scheduled to be heard by the Cobb County Planning Commission Feb. 1, 2011, and by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners Feb. 15, 2011 :

Applicant: Brooks Chadwick Capital, L.L,C

Property Location: Located at the southeast intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Post Oak Tritt Road and the north side of Jordan Lake Drive

Size of Tract: 10.269 acres

Present Zoning: R-30

Proposed Zoning: R-15 for single-family residential with variances

LUP-1

Applicant: Transfiguration Catholic Church

Property Location: Located at the northeast corner of Blackwell road and Tulip Tree Road

Proposed Zoning: Temporary Land Use Permit

Size of Tract: 17.249 acres

Proposed Use: Preschool

SLUP-2

Applicant: T-Mobile South, LLC

Property Location: Located on the south side of Lake Drive, west of Jamerson Road, north of Lee Waters Road

Proposed Zoning: Special Land Use Permit

Size of Tract: 29.3 acre

Proposed Use: 15-foot extension of existing 140-foot communications tower

The following requests are scheduled to be heard by the Cobb County Board of Zoning Appeals Feb. 9, 2011:

V-12

Applicant: James. E. Lord

Property Location: Located on the west side of Meadow Chase, south of Sewell Mill Road

Present  Zoning: R-20

Size of Tract: .7 acre

Type of Variance: Waive the rear setback for an accessory structure over 144 square feet from required 35 feet to 10 feet on lot 11

V-13

Applicant: Kevin C. and Ruth C. Huff

Property Location: Located at the southwest intersection of Jamerson Forest Circle, south of Jamerson Road

Present Zoning: R-20

Size of Tract: .5 acre

Type of Variance: Waive the rear setback from required 35 feet to 19 feet on lot 1

Road information available when inclement weather hits

Cobb County Government offers a number of ways to keep up with road closing and other pertinent information when bad weather causes problems. Click on any of the following for important information the next time bad weather makes its way into Northeast Cobb:

Cobb County home page  http://www.cobbcounty.org/

Cobb DOT road closure page  http://dot.cobbcountyga.gov/road_rept.htm

And the new (beta) Road Status Information System  http://www.cobbgis.org:81/CobbCountyRoadClosuresPublic/Viewer.html

To see the state of local roads, tune in to Channel 23 (Comcast) or use the Live Traffic Cams video link on the Cobb County home page (http://view.liveindexer.com/ASXGenerator.aspx?mediaSKU=%2bcyDWlaTDyii5incCgYuKA%3d%3d ).

More Cobb events

Jan. 28 – East Cobb Civic Association monthly meeting. 6:30 p.m. East Cobb Government Service Center, 4400 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta. Director of Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs department, Eddie Canon, will be the guest speaker. Open to the public. For more information, visit eastcobb.net.

Feb. 1 – Planning Commission zoning hearing. 9 a.m. BOC Room, second floor, 100 Cherokee St., Marietta.

Feb. 1 – Board of Zoning Appeals work session. 9 a.m. 1150 Powder Springs Road, Marietta.

Feb. 1 – Keep Cobb Beautiful board meeting. 5:30 p.m. Cobb Water Lab, 660 South Cobb Drive, Marietta.

Feb. 2 – Cobb Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals. 6:30 p.m. BOC Room, second floor, 100 Cherokee St., Marietta.

Feb. 3 – Children ages 5 and older invited to celebrate Black History Month with storytime. 3:30 p.m. South Cobb Library, 805 Clay Road, Mableton. For more information, call 678-398-5834.

Feb. 4 – Celebrate Rosa Park's birthday. 4 p.m. Powder Springs Library, 4181 Atlanta St., Building One, Powder Springs. Family storytime, songs and crafts. For more information, call 770-439-3600.

Feb. 7 – Black History Month storytime. 3:30 p.m. Gritters Library, 880 Shaw Park Road, Marietta. For more information, call 770-528-2524.

Pebblebrook High School performances kick off Encore Series

The 2011 Encore Series at Jennie T. Anderson Theatre kicks off with a performance of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” by Pebblebrook High School. The show runs Jan. 27 - 30 and Feb. 3 - Feb. 6. This musical is based on Shepherd Mead’s 1952 book of the same name and will be presented by Pebblebrook High School/Cobb County’s School of Excellence in the Performing Arts. After the musical opened on Broadway, the show won seven Tony Awards and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize.

The rest of the Encore Series will feature performers such as Chubby Checker, The Four Lads, Lorrie Morgan, Brenda Lee and Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers. Anderson Theatre is located in the Cobb Civic Center, 548 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta. To purchase tickets or for more information, call 770-528-8490 or visit ticketmaster.com.

2011 Encore Series Tickets Now Available

The 2011 Encore Series at Jennie T. Anderson Theatre will begin in late January with a performance of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" by Pebblebrook High School. The Encore Series will also include The Four Lads, Chubby Checker, Lorrie Morgan, Brenda Lee and Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers.

"How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" is a musical based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name and will be presented by Pebblebrook High School/Cobb County's 'School of Excellence in the Performing Arts'. After the musical opened on Broadway the show won seven Tony Awards and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The show runs from Jan. 27- Jan. 30 and Feb. 3 -Feb. 6.

The Four Lads will perform on Saturday, Feb. 12. The Four Lads began their professional career in 1950 and soon after got a gig at a dinner club in New York called Le Ruban Bleu and produced a record in 1953 that quickly turned gold. More than 50 years later, The Four Lads continue to capture hearts across the country.

Chubby Checker, one of the most notable performers of the 60s, will twist his way into the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre on March 5. Chubby Checker has had a long career and released more than 20 hit songs that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. 'The Twist' recently topped the list of most popular singles to have appeared in the Hot 100 since 1958.

Lorrie Morgan is an American country music star. She has charted more than 25 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, with three number one hits. She has recorded more than 15 studio albums. Morgan made her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry at age 13 with her father George Morgan who was also a country music singer. She will be performing March 19.

Brenda Lee will come to Jennie T. Anderson Theatre on April 2. She's had 37 hit songs since the 1960s and is best known for the hit songs 'I'm Sorry', and 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree', which has been a holiday standard for more than 50 years.

Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers are scheduled to appear on April 16. Together, they were one of the most successful country music acts of the 70s and 80s. Their biggest hits together included, 'All the Gold in California', 'Broken Lady' and 'She Used to Be Somebody's Baby.

The Jennie T. Anderson Theatre is located at 548 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta. To purchase tickets or for more information, call (770) 528-8490 or visit ticketmaster.com.

What's up for kids at HTC in 2011? In the beginning there were beginner tennis classes. But what about after? We have an ongoing junior development program here at HTC, featuring our Future Stars and Baseliners programs. Once kids get a taste of tennis, learning the basics in beginner classes, they can graduate to a higher skill-level class. Please inquire at the HTC office on how best to contact one of the coaches for more information. They'd be happy to set up an evaluation lesson for your child!

Tired of the winter weather already? Summer camps are only six months away, and Harrison Tennis Center has all you need for the summer. Look for summer camp registration forms at the HTC office beginning in January.

Ladies, come out to Harrison Tennis Center and improve your game by enrolling in one of the specialty drill classes offered by USPTA professional, Randy Hancock. These groups are offered in six-week sessions and are $90 per session. The groups are kept small so individual attention is obtained. Drills are offered year-round. On Monday nights from 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. is the advanced singles drill group designed for the 3.5-4.5 players. On Wednesday mornings from 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m. is the ladies' singles drill group for the 3.0-4.0 level players. Thursday nights, from 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. is the ladies' doubles drill group for the 3.0-3.5 player. And on Friday mornings are the ladies' advanced doubles drills for the 3.5-4.5 level player. All of these drill groups incorporate the use of dead ball drills and live ball drills to give players the best progression to achieve their individual goals. The technical aspects are emphasized in these drills with time to play in each session. For more information, please contact Randy at (770) 365-2246 or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Looking to improve your game? Here's a chance to work on all elements of your game in a competitive, play-based drill environment. Adult tennis drills for all ability levels are held five times a week at Harrison Tennis Center. Join us Monday and/or Wednesday morning from 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m. or Monday, Tuesday and/or Wednesday evening from 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m.

To register, call Harrison Tennis Center at (770) 591-3151.

Friends of Mabry Park

Mabry Park is 26 acres in northeast Cobb, near the corner of Sandy Plains Road and Wesley Chapel Road, that was purchased as part of the parks bond. The land has been untouched by development, but the county's fiscally-responsible practices during this economic time have left no current budget to build out the park for public use.

Friends of Mabry Park is a nonprofit, volunteer group that works with the local community, public officials and experts to support development of the park. The organization welcomes financial support and volunteers to work on events designed to raise funds and increase awareness for one of the only passive parks in the area.

For more information, visit mabrypark.org.

Guided tours of the StrandTheatre

Want to get a “behind-the-scenes” peek at the Earl Smith Strand Theater?

The Strand now offers guided tours of the historic theatre and event rental space. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the history of the theatre dating back to the 1930s, recent renovation efforts and fun facts about the theatre business. The tour ends on the rooftop Cobb Terrace with an excellent view of Marietta Square and Kennesaw Mountain.

Tours are offered Monday and Friday mornings at 10 a.m. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased at the box office.

More information is available at www.EarlSmithStrand.org or 770-293-0080 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 770-293-0080 , The Strand box office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Earl Smith Strand Theatre, 117 North Park Square, Marietta, Ga.