Five Things To Know Aug. 1

Good morning, Lilburn. Today is Monday, Aug. 1. Here's your daily list of things guaranteed to tell you something you didn't know yesterday.

1. Here come Panthers, Patriots and Stars: If you hear a lot of “oofs,” followed by whistles around and high schools, and this week, know that everything’s OK. It’s football time again in Lilburn with today’s official start of football practice. By the time many of you read this, players at Berkmar and Parkview will already be on the field (Berkmar begins practice at 5:30 a.m.; Parkview at 6:30). Friday night games begin soon, so get ready for some football.

2. Lilburn Idol Shoutouts: We hope you enjoyed Friday night’s performances in . It was small-town fun with some really great entertainment. There was some terrific picture-taking going on Friday, too. Two of Lilburn’s best photographers — Richard Ferris and Greg Williams, both of whom have contributed to Lilburn Patch over the past few months — were on hand to capture the event. We took some shots, too, but they pale in comparison to what these two fellas captured. You can view their work at these places: Ferris and Williams. If you missed Friday’s performances, you get a chance this Friday at the Idol Finale — featuring the best of the best from the previous two shows. It’s free, too.

3. “Video Killed the Radio Star” (and later wounded TV): It was on this date in 1981 — at 12:01 a.m., to be precise — when MTV hit cable systems all across the country. “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles was the first video played, embarking Music Television on a culture-shaping course that changed the way we watched TV. Later, the network brought us “The Real World,” a reality show about misbehaving young adults, and “Beavis and Butthead,” a cartoon show about misbehaving adolescents.  Thirty years after its start, the M of MTV hardly stands for music anymore. Meh-TV now programs mostly reality TV shows of little substance (but of high viewership). Like we need more of that on the tube. We miss our MTV.

4. Back-to-Back Nights of Information: Downtown Lilburn will be a place where residents can gain some valuable knowledge the next two evenings. Tonight at 7 p.m. at City Hall, Gwinnett District 2 Commissioner hosts a town hall meeting to discuss county finances and other issues affecting local residents. Tuesday, event in brings together local experts and businesses to share information on staying safe at home and in the community. This is a great chance to meet police and fire personnel and local leaders. The event begins at 6 p.m.

5. We’re Getting the Band Together, Man: We like to look up historical events to include in our daily “Five Things” feature. For today, the birthday of late Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia (born in 1942), we wondered what it would look like if we put together a concert with a band made up of musicians born on Aug. 1. Here’s what we came up with. Garcia would share singing and guitar duties with bluesman Robert Cray (1953), who also happens to be a Georgia native. The late Rick Coonce (1946) of the Grass Roots would play drums, and the late Boz Burrell (also 1946) of Bad Company and King Crimson, would be on bass. Sometime during the show, Garcia would take off into an eery guitar improvisation as Coolio (1963) rapped at center stage. For some mid-show comedy, how about the late Dom Deluise (1933)? Like we’ve said before, you can’t information like this just anywhere.