Fayetteville's Speech discusses success through Biblical lens

When you sell millions of albums, win two Grammy Awards and appear all over MTV and tour the world by the time you are 25, you can say you’ve had success. When you are a pastor and a founding member of a church, a husband and a father, a fledgling author and you’re still making music, reaching people and touring the world before you are 42, you can say you understand success.

By Freddy Burdeshaw
Special to The Citizen

Earl N. Thomas is one of a rare breed these days, even among the many rare breeds of “The Greatest Generation,” the Americans that won World War II, and established the United States as a superpower.

After months of rehearsing and winning school and county-level competitions, students from Robert J. Burch Elementary, Cleveland Elementary, Fayette Middle and Rising Starr Middle brought home awards from the 2010 Griffin RESA Regional Literacy Days Festival.

Twenty of Georgia’s most artistically talented high school juniors and seniors have been awarded merit scholarships to study at the Savannah College of Art and Design, the most comprehensive art and design university in the world, as winners of the Georgia High School Drawing and Writing competitions.

Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday this year, what many consider a school night, but that doesn’t let you off the hook as your Valentine will probably expect to go somewhere this weekend to celebrate. If you need some ideas, this article should give you plenty.

Fayette County resident Harrison Jones knows a little something about Trans-Atlantic flights. Jones, an author who has just released his first novel, ‘Equal Time Point,’ was a pilot for Delta for 22 of his 32 years with the company. He made the flight over the ocean a few times and often pondered what would happen if he had to make a water landing somewhere in the middle.

When the United States Olympic team participates in the opening ceremony of the Vancover Games this Friday, Peachtree City resident Mike Plant will be among them. In fact, he has been on site for a few weeks already making sure everything runs smoothly for the athletes and staff. Plant, the Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the Atlanta Braves and a former U.S. Olympian Speedskater, is the Chef de Mission for the United States for the 2010 Winter Games.

Thanks to the generosity of the Fayette community, many students and their families in need were able to have a happier holiday season through donations made to the Fayette County Public School System’s CARE (Children at Risk in Education) program.

Local Boy Scouts are carrying on the tradition that started 25 years ago as a Scout service project.  Scouting for Food is considered  America ’s largest One-Day Food Drive. In the United States, an estimated 13 million people go to bed hungry each night. With the current state unemployment rates reaching over 10 percent, the local community needs help this year more than ever to meet basic needs.

Friday is usually the favorite day of the week for most people, and for three teachers, it was a day that they will not soon forget.

There are some changes to the summer concert series at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater in 2010. They are going to one concert a weekend instead of two and BMW of South Atlanta is now the title sponsor. The biggest news to come out of the announcement on Monday morning however was the inclusion of two of the acts on the list, Cheap Trick, appearing June 5, and Georgia’s own The B-52’s on July 24.

City Cafe and Bakery in Fayetteville is no stranger to lending a helping hand. When Hurricane Katrina struck, displacing thousands of people and destroying homes and cities, the local eatery opened their doors for a Sunday buffet. The event raised close to $7,000. Customers came out in droves to sample the Cajun tinged cuisine and the food vendors donated the food for the buffet, while the servers volunteered their time and donated their tips.

• The American Cancer Society is seeking volunteers in the Coweta County and Carroll County areas to assist with the Road to Recovery Program. Volunteers will be drivers to assist cancer patients who need transportation to the location for their radiation and/or chemotherapy treatments.The patients involved have no other means to access the treatment that is essential to their recovery. Anyone who would like more information about the Road to Recovery Program is asked to telephone 770-460-8920 ext 227.

By Tony Daniel
Special to The Citizen
 
The Newnan Community Theatre Company kicks off the 2010 season tonight with their production of “What The Butler Saw.” Written by Joe Orton, this over-the-top British comedy sets the farcical tone early, when Dr Prentice (played by Trey Stephens) tries to seduce his newest employee, Geraldine (played by Jennifer Sovik). When the good doctor’s wife catches him in the act, the fun begins. The characters fly in and out, and insanity takes over.

Peachtree City’s premier mid-winter social event is here. Kids love it and so do their parents.
 
On Saturday, Jan. 30, the Kiwanis Club of Peachtree City presents their 18th Annual Pancake Saturday in the cafeteria of McIntosh High School on Walt Banks Road. 

Once again, it’s that time of year when we get the long-awaited answer to “Who’s coming to the amphitheater this year?” The Villages Amphitheater in Fayetteville is excited to welcome back its presenting sponsor, Mercedes Benz of South Atlanta, to bring you the 2010 Summer Concert Series. This year’s lineup offers a wide variety of groups that should have something for just about every musical taste.

The Fayette County High School Band Boosters announce that the 2010 Miss Pride Pageants will be held Mar. 12 and 13.

Students that graduated from Fayette County Open Campus High School in December 2009 are:

Fayette Co. High School
Roosevelt Jordan Biddles, III

The Town Square Jewelers has moved back into their beautifully remodeled store on the corner of the square in Fayetteville. So many people wondered if it would ever happen, including the store employees.

Approximately 1,800 eighth graders from the county’s five public middle schools will participate in the largest career fair held within the Fayette County Public School System.

Working several years for one employer is a monumental milestone these days, but imagine someone devoting 45 years of service to one organization – that is exactly what Annie Jordan has done.

A group of talented young local musicians have been offered the rare opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall this April. The only high school group in Georgia to receive this invitation and one of a handful from throughout the nation, The McIntosh Symphonic Strings from McIntosh High School in Peachtree City will perform in the Prelude Ensemble Showcase on April 19, 2010 in New York City.

When Noni Carter was a young girl in elementary school, she would write short stories and poetry. She had collected so many writings that she put them together in a collection for her family when she was eight years old. Four years later, after hearing her aunt tell a story about her great, great, great great grandmother watching her mother get sold into slavery on the banks of the Mississippi, Carter began writing a story that would change her life.

The Legacy Theatre has rented itself out for performances, meetings, parties and more, but the space is big and it can be expensive. Bethany Hayes Smith, the executive producer of The Legacy Theatre, and her husband, Mark Smith, the artistic director, decided to take some of their space and build a smaller venue for events that don’t need such a large space. The result is the swanky, club-like atmosphere of The Little Theater at Legacy.

Peachtree City resident Kim Westwood has been preparing for her new job with the American Cancer Society, as the Community Manager of Fayette County for years; she just didn’t know it. 

The 2010 Relay For Life of Fayette County has announced the dates for the 2010 Team Captain Meetings.  All meetings will be held Thursdays at 6 p.m. at Peachtree City Christian Church, located at 500 Kedron Drive off of Highway 74. Anyone interested in captaining a team, or joining an existing team, is encouraged to attend.

Over 50 percent of Fayette’s public schools have been recognized by the state for promoting excellence in student achievement.

Offshoot Productions, Inc., the Southside’s longest-running professional theatre, closed its doors, figuratively speaking, as 2009 came to an end.

The Starr’s Mill High School Drama Department will present the annual Miss Starr’s Mill High School Scholarship Pageant this Thursday and Friday, Jan. 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. and Saturday night, Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Justin L. Bryant, son of Rev. and Mrs. Larry Bryant, Sr., a Junior at Morehouse College will be the keynote speaker at the annual Rev. Dr. M.L. King, Jr. Commemorative Program. Bryant, also president of the NAACP Morehouse College Branch is enrolled in the Morehouse College Honors Program. He is a member of the Golden Key Honor Society and on the Dean’s List. A UPS Community Service Scholar, Bryant earned this honor by volunteering 300 community service hours at a local Atlanta elementary school.