With his pristine uniform, giant jaws, and friendly expression, the nutcracker soldier has become a timeless symbol of Christmas. I always love to unwrap my storage container of nutcrackers and wooden smokers that we’ve collected over the years in order to create a fun display that kicks off the Christmas decorating season.  Although usually associated with the woodcarvers from Germany's Erzgebirge -- the Ore Mountains bordering the Czech Republic --  the history of the nutcracker spans many cultures and countries.  The first appearance of a decorative nutcracker can be traced back to the …

Do you remember the public service announcements of the 70’s and 80’s with Woodsy Owl singing “Give a Hoot, don’t pollute”? The song and the campaign were designed to engage and educate American children regarding pollution concerns, resource conservation and environmental issues. Woodsy’s song generally ended with the lyrics “Help keep America looking good!” Recently, Gerald McDowell of the Lilburn CID (Community Improvement District) spear-headed a "Keep Lilburn Clean" project where groups of like-minded volunteers, including members of the Lilburn Woman’s Club Conservation program, took …

The Lilburn Woman’s Club (LWC) recently hosted their annual - by invitation only - Christmas Dinner & Auction fundraiser where club members and their special guests were invited to participate and generously shop until they dropped for a worthy cause.  LWC President Gail Zarnik welcomed the Georgia State Federation President Shari Carter and 9th District President Linda Johnson to this year’s event for the first time. “We sincerely appreciate both of these ladies taking the time out of their busy schedules to join us here in Lilburn to help carry out our long tradition of service to the …

Local would-be artists gathered for a fun-filled Saturday morning searching for and discovering their inner Van Gogh.    The Lilburn Woman's Club recently hosted the fourth in their series of "So You Think You Can Paint" beginner art classes, raising funds for a new art scholarship to be presented to a local high school student sometime next year.   The class was taught by former art education teacher Teresa Hyke-Foster and local artist Pat Shaver using a large poster of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night as inspiration.  After a brief introduction to paint mixing along with various techniques …

Fall has always been one of my favorite times of the year. Sometimes it’s just another day on the calendar, but this year has really been feeling more like the start of Fall than previous years. With cooler weather in the mornings and the misty gray skies that we’ve all been experiencing, what else could it be but the First Day of Autumn?  Here are 10 sure signs that Fall has arrived in our neck of the woods:  Football games everywhere you turn. Leaves start turning from green to red and gold. Tailgate parties conversations take over the phone lines. Pumpkins, bales of hay and friendly …

Dozens of volunteers including City Councilman Tim Dunn, members of the Lilburn Woman’s Club, members of the Harmony Grove UMC and others arrived at the Lilburn Middle School (LMS) media center Friday to receive training from Dru Whiteneck, RN and Jeri Jones, RN, in accordance with Gwinnett County Public Health guidelines. Georgia law mandates that scoliosis screening occur twice during sixth to eighth grade, and in order to meet these requirements for thousands of students, school administrators rely heavily on volunteers from around the community. Scoliosis is a relatively rare medical …

While vacationing back in 1991, longtime Gwinnett resident Clyde Fortner and his wife Frannie (now deceased) drove their camper toward the Yukon Territory to the small town of Watson Lake. Watson Lake is a well-known tourist destination that offers a beautiful display of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). While Fortner and his wife were there, a few of the locals suggested that they visit the famous “Signpost Forest” only a few miles away to see if they recognized any places that they had been to. Legend has it that the so called “Signpost Forest” was started in 1942 by a homesick U.S. …

Have you ever watched one of those reality TV cooking shows where contestants are baking, roasting, chopping and frying at lightening speeds, trying to impress a panel of professional chefs under an outrageously limited period of time, and thought to yourself – I'm sure I could do that! If you’re looking for a fun - and much less stressful - outing with friends or significant others that’s not too far from home, consider signing up for one of the Saturday morning MasterChef cooking classes for nonprofessionals taught by Le Cordon Bleu Chefs at the college located in Tucker.  Each three-hour …

Make plans to stop by E’tali’s Consignment located at 112 Main Street after their Grand Opening coming in early October, and peruse the unique collection of items in this fun and funky vintage consignment shop.  Kimberly Kimbrough, who prefers to be called Kimra, is the owner and creative mind behind the concept of what’s sure to be the hottest new destination spot in Old Town. A model, singer, artist and designer, Kimra has lived in Lilburn on and off for more than 14 years as well as Europe and a few other locations around the southern U.S. She decided to name the store E’tali’s in honor of…

The GFWC Lilburn Woman’s Club held its monthly meeting this week at the Lilburn City Hall auditorium, where club members welcomed Georgia House Representative B.J. Pak as one of their guest speakers.  Representative Pak presented Resolution 604 to LWC President Gail Zarnik along with Public Issues Co-Chairs Pat Swan and Lori Harrison.   The resolution recognizes and commends the Lilburn Woman’s Club for its numerous and outstanding contributions to the citizens of the state of Georgia.   The theme for this month’s meeting expounded on the GFWC motto of “Unity in Diversity” and several club …

This is the certainly the summer of the cicada. This year, the cicadas’ acoustical singing and clicking have been so loud in the evenings it’s hard to hear each other talk when we’re sitting on the patio after dinner. Before iPods the ancient Greeks and Chinese kept male cicadas in cages for the pleasure of hearing them sing. Can you believe that the female cicadas are silent and it’s the males making all the fuss? There are several different species, but many of the cicadas living in the trees this year hatched from eggs laid 13 years ago. Cicadas have always fascinated me and in fact, they …

Last week at the Farmer’s Market you could have easily walked right by and not noticed the photo displays of a handful of the pets currently residing in the Ahimsa House shelter that are in need of loving homes. You might have also missed the Ahimsa House representatives who were distributing information about their services to some of our local pet owners. If you weren’t able to stop and say hello, let me assure you that the Ahimsa House volunteers are passionate about helping the animal victims of domestic violence homes and stand ready to help with safety planning and transportation for …

It will take at least one or more overnight stays to be comfortable, but hubby and I just recently took a few days R&R and drove up to Asheville (with an e), N.C. We left the house a little after 7 a.m. and arrived in time for lunch at a friendly little bistro off of Haywood Street.  Asheville’s most coveted tourist attraction is the Biltmore Estate and just a word of caution, the entrance fee is now a bit pricey at $59 per adult ticket, but it’s the American version of a European castle and sits on thousand of acres of manicured gardens. It will take you several hours of touring the home and…

Hundreds of members of the Lilburn community arrived Saturday morning to help family and friends celebrate the life and accomplishments of Patti-Jo Shapiro.  There was standing room only as Cantor Donna Faye Marcus led the service in both Hebrew and English prayers at the request of Patti-Jo several weeks before her passing. In addition, Cantor Marcus performed a beautiful acapella rendition of one of Shapiro’s favorite songs “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Shapiro’s mother, Ann Vyce, spoke briefly and thanked the community for loving and caring for her amazing daughter. She stood next to a …

Retired Trickum Middle School teacher and Lilburn resident Gwen McDonald is excitedly anticipating her first art show to be held with two other local artists starting Saturday, Aug. 6.    McDonald has always been interested in art. As a young girl, she remembers creating pieces to give as gifts to friends and relatives and then having a strong desire to major in art in college.  However, at her parent’s insistence, she changed her major to Education. But she soon discovered that as a Language Arts and Social Studies teacher she was able to incorporate art projects into her curriculum and help…

Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed and very dear. Our unofficial “Ambassador of Lilburn,” Patti-Jo Shapiro, 59, lost her battle with cancer this morning, Aug. 3. She was surrounded by family and close friends in the comfort of her own home. She is survived by her mother Ann Vyce of  Florida; daughters, Alaina and Laurel Shapiro; sisters, Arlene Falkin (Gary) and Michele Slatnick, both of Florida, and many other family members and friends around the world.  Patti-Jo was born in West Hartford, Conn., but spent …

Last week I had lunch with a dear friend and three hours later I received a call from her asking for help driving home because she was suffering from heat exhaustion. She had merely spent about an hour at a local garden center and then could not cool her body temperature down enough while continuing to run a couple of errands afterward.  We’ve all heard the advice from medical experts to stay hydrated, avoid sun exposure for long periods of time, check on the elderly, don’t leave pets or children in hot cars, etc. But be aware that heat illness is no laughing matter and can sneak up on you …

There are only a few weeks of summer vacation left this year, and even though you have been trying to cut back on vacation expenses, you can still get creative and have fun with the family applying the "Staycation" concept. Here are a few ideas that might inspire you to get moving in spite of the heat. For kids: Younger kids usually love any types of hands-on activities, but moms don’t want the mess in the house. Try the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center (click link for info and directions). There are still a handful of summer sessions available including age appropriate classes …

Gun safety is not an oxymoron. You can own and operate a gun safely. Once you make the decision to own a lethal weapon, there are a number of legal, ethical and just good common-sense considerations that logically follow that decision.  A gun is a tool, much like any other tool, that comes with a set of instructions and usually requires regular maintenance, cleaning and proper storage. While some of us are exposed to gun handling as a part of military training, most of us really are not required to complete any kind of basic training classes when the purchase is made. This is a serious …

I’ve always strongly believed in the Chinese Proverb: If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach him to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.  Brent Brannen is bringing this proverb to life through his work with the Missions of Hope International organization (MOHI).  Brannen, a Lilburn native and graduate of Georgia Tech, is currently living and working in Kenya with MOHI to provide education and basic survival needs to the people living in the Mathare Valley slums. He also assists MOHI with their economic development program, established in 2007, to provide training and …