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October 2008

Silver Comet Trail Now Paved to Alabama

The Silver Comet Trail is now the longest paved trail in America. The final mile has been completed to the Alabama state line. The multi-use trail begins in Smyrna, Georgia and travels westward 61.5 miles to the state line, connecting to Alabama's Chief Ladiga Trail.  From there, the trail continues another 34 miles to Anniston for a total of 95.5 miles.

The Silver Comet Trail opened in 2000 and is named for the Silver Comet, a Seaboard Air Line Railroad passenger train. The trail starts in Cobb and extends through Paulding and Polk counties. Cobb County Department of Transportation converted the rail line into a 12.8 mile multi-use trail for Cobb's section. The Silver Comet Trail is open to all non-motorized vehicles and offers scenic views as it traverses six trestles and bridges in Cobb. There are six trailheads in Cobb County offering parking, restrooms and water fountains. The Silver Comet Depot, located at the Floyd Road Trailhead (mile 4.2) rents/sales bicycles and concessions. To contact the Depot, call (770) 819-3279.  For more information on the Silver Comet Trail, see The Silver Comet Trail web page.

Fun Fest - A Fun Time for the Entire Family

The Cobb County Family Fun Fest will combine with the annual Cobb County Make-A-Wish 5K to make an event for the whole family on Saturday, October 11.

Registration for the charity 5K begins at 7:00am and the race starts at 8:00am. The course begins and ends at the Marietta Square. Registration is $15; children 12 and under are $10; groups of 10 or more are $12 each; and kids under 5 are free (no T-shirt). Registration after October 6 will be $20. All registered participants will receive a commemorative long-sleeved T-shirt. 'Phantom' runners who want to participate in spirit can pay $20 and indicate their T-shirt size on the registration form. Proceeds from the race go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation® to help grant the wishes of children in Cobb County who have life-threatening medical condition. For more information or to register, visit CobbMakeAWish5K.org, or call (770) 528-2620.

The Family Fun Fest, which runs from 9:00am to 3:00pm, will include live music, arts and crafts, storytelling, inflatable carnival rides and free game booths with prizes. Admission is free. Government departments, including the Police and Fire departments, will be on hand to give interactive presentations. Cobb County and the City of Marietta are co-sponsors of the event. Magicians, balloon artists and face painters will roam Marietta Square throughout the day. For more information call (770) 528-8800.

9th Annual Fall Festival Brings Ghosts and Goblins to Miller Park

Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department along with Cobb County 4-H and Safe Kids Cobb County are hosting the 9th Annual 'Fall Festival of Fun' on October 31st, at Jim R. Miller Park. The event will begin at 4:00pm and end at 7:00pm. This event will provide the children of Cobb County a safe alternative to the traditional Trick-or-Treat in their neighborhoods.

The Festival will include arts and crafts, games, inflatable rides, Police and Fire department activities, costume/coloring contests and a decorated photo booth. Parking, entrance to the park, games, candy and contests are free. There is a fee for concessions and inflatables. Don’t forget to bring a bag to carry all of your candy!

Cheer Fest '08 Coming to the Civic Center

Registration Packet
Contact and Directions
Registration Deadline - October 24, 2008
For information, call (770) 509-2737

Art on the Lawn Fall Festival to be Held at Big Shanty

The Art Station – Big Shanty and the North Cobb Arts League invite everyone to their 5th Annual 'Art on the Lawn' Fall Festival on Saturday, October 18th and Sunday, October 19th.  In addition to original artwork and crafts, there will be opportunities to create art projects, meet local artists, view demonstrations, listen to live music, and dance. There will be activities for all age groups.  On Sunday, there will be live music from the Etowah Jazz Society.  They will be performing from 1:00pm-4:00pm. The festival will be held from 10:00pm–4:00pm.  Big Shanty is located at 2050 Kennesaw Due West Road in Kennesaw. For information, call (770) 514-5930 or see their website.

Cobb Singles League - Cobb's Tennis League for Everyone!!!!

The Cobb Singles League is a tennis league where you compete against other players of similar ability.  There are leagues available for adults and youth.  For adults, levels range from NTRP 2.0 - 5.0.  The 2.0 level is a great opportunity for players who consider themselves 'true beginners' and are experiencing league tennis for the first time. For youth, the categories are divided by age group and ability level.  Players register individually and are matched against other players at their ability level.  This is a flex league where you play when it is convenient for you and you can play anywhere in Cobb County where there are tennis courts (parks, clubs, or subdivisions).  There are two seasons each year, a spring season and fall season.  The fall season begins October 20th. The Cobb Singles League is a great way to enjoy fun competition and to meet new people!!!  Registration for the fall league is currently in progress.  The entry deadline is October 10th.  For more information and registration brochure, see the Cobb Singles League web site.

'Lifelong Outdoor Activities' - Survey Cobb County Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Department is researching interest in 'Lifelong Outdoor Activities' for County residents.  Please take a moment to answer a few questions to help us with our survey. Follow the link here to take the short survey. If you are not familiar with any of the listed activities, a quick Google search will answer your questions.  If there is an activity not listed that you have interest in, please let us know.  Thank you for taking the time to take the survey!!! Click Here for Survey
Upcoming Events
Glover Park Marietta Square	October 11	Family Fun Fest Glover Park - Marietta Square 9:00am-3:00pm (see details above)
East Cobb Park	October 3 Free Movie	Movie Night in East Cobb Park 'E.T.'' Music and inflatable bouncer at 6:00pm; film showing at dusk. Friends for the East Cobb Park are partnering with The Center for Family Resources for this year's expanded Friday night movie series. Collection items for this night are paper towels and toilet paper.
	October 17 Free Movie	Movie Night in East Cobb Park 'Shrek' Music and inflatable bouncer at 6:00pm; film showing at dusk. Friends for the East Cobb Park are partnering with The Center for Family Resources for this year's expanded Friday night movie series. Collection items for this night are pasta and rice.
	October 24 Free Movie	Movie Night in East Cobb Park 'The Bee Movie' Music and inflatable bouncer at 6:00pm; film showing at dusk. Friends for the East Cobb Park are partnering with The Center for Family Resources for this year's expanded Friday night movie series. Collection items for this night is laundry detergent.
The Art Station - Big Shanty	October 2-19 Gallery Exhibit	The North Cobb Arts League Juried Show Reception is October 2nd from 7:00pm-9:00pm. Come meet the artists at the Art Station – Big Shanty
	October 4 Workshop	Jewelry Wire Wrap Workshop Carol Peterson is offering a Jewelry Wire Wrap Workshop from 10:00am – 12:30pm
	October 27 – November 25 Gallery Exhibit	Tints and Shades Exhibit
	October 30 – November 14 Gallery Exhibit	Life Thru the Viewfinder Exhibit Reception is October 30th from 1:00pm–3:00pm. Come out and meet the artists.
The Art Place	through October 17 Gallery Exhibit	'7 of 7' Gallery featuring paintings, photography and sculpture.
	October 10-12 Theatre	'Scene Studies' Presented by the Curtain Call Troupe 8:00pm For more information visit www.ccyp.org.
	October 25-27 Gallery Exhibit	'See How They Run' by Phillip King, presented by Center Stage North October 17, 18, 23-25 at 8:00pm October 19 & 25 at 2:00pm For more ticket information visit www.centerstagenorth.org.
Mable House Arts Center	October 5 - November 13 Gallery Exhibit	The Sampler Guild of Georgia Reception Sunday October 5th, 3:00pm-5:00pm
	October 25	Children's Storytelling Festival Saturday  11:00am-4:00pm Mable House Historic Grounds Family fun and adventures in history!  Games, food, hayrides, puppet shows, panning for gold, stories and a petting zoo (12:30pm-2:30pm) Come join us for a FREE day of fun!
	For more information about upcoming events at The Mable House visit www.mablehouse.org
Jennie T. Anderson Theatre	October 2-5	'Instant Replay' by the Pebblebrook High School ComPany 2009 For information, call (770) 819-2521
	October 17-19	'Giselle' by the Georgia Ballet For information, call (770) 528-0881
Civic Center Hudgins Hall	October 1	City of Marietta Career Fair For information, call (770) 794-5602
	October 15-18	CMJL Mistletoe Market For information, call (770) 422-5266
	October 25-26	Eastman Gun Show For information, call (229) 423-4867
Jim Miller Park	October 4	Cobb Food and Arts Festival 11:00am to 6:00pm Free admission For information, call (770) 421-8387
	October 10-11	Cobb Classic Rodeo Event begins at 8:00pm. Adults $15.00 / Children $12.00 / under 5 free. For more information please call (770) 684-7277.
	October 10-12	Cobb County Library Book Sale 9:00am – 5:00pm on Friday and Saturday 1:00pm – 5:00pm on Sunday For more information please call (770) 528-2342
	October 18	Creepers Car Show For more information please call (770) 424-0764.
	October 31	Fall Festival of Fun The 8th annual Fall Festival of Fun will be held October 31st , from 4:00pm–7:00pm. Activities will include a coloring and costume contest, games, arts and crafts, a photo booth, the cupcake walk, the police robot and the fire house, and safe trick or treating for all! Don’t forget to bring a bag for all the candy! Admission is free.
Al Bishop Softball Complex	October 4	Coca-Cola Employees Tournament Men’s Slow-Pitch
	October 19	Metro Atlanta Japanese Chamber Of Commerce Tournament Coed Slow-Pitch
	October 25	Relay For Life Tournament Coed Slow-Pitch
Tennis	October 31 - November 3	Terrell Mill Fall Classic Terrell Mill Tennis Center (770) 644-2771 Events - Adult NTRP (singles, doubles, mixed) Entry Deadline:  October 27th
	November 1	Latino Tennis Carnival Sweetwater Tennis Center Free event to introduce tennis to Hispanic community.  There will be games, instruction and fun for the entire family.  For more information, call (770) 819-3221.

'Fun in the Park' Photo Contest

As fall arrives and the weather turns cooler, don't forget to bring your camera to the parks and take pictures for the 'Fun in the Park' Photo Contest.  This contest is open to photographers of all skills. Submit your best shots that represent you and your family enjoying our parks.  The deadline for entry is November 3rd. For entry form and to view photos from previous years, see our web site.

Rally for the Cure Tennis Event

Terrell Mill Tennis Center will be hosting a 'Rally for the Cure' tennis event on Friday, October 24th.  There will be round robin play where players can compete for prizes.  The entry fee is a donation of $20 that will go to the 'Rally for the Cure'.  This is a breast cancer awareness program supporting the promise of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  The event will be held from 9:30am - 11:30am.  For more information, contact Terrell Mill Tennis Center at (770) 644-2771.

New Tennis Courts Opening in Cobb

Four new tennis courts have opened for play at Big Shanty Park.  Big Shanty Park is located at 2050 Kennesaw Due West Road in Kennesaw.  These courts are built next to the Kennesaw Mountain High School tennis courts and will be used as a joint-use facility.  At Harrison Tennis Center, located at 2653 Shallowford Road in Marietta, 6 new mini-courts will be opening in October.  These mini-courts, or Quick Start courts, will be used for instructional and league programs for young children and for special needs players.  These courts are the first in the country meeting the specifications of the United States Tennis Association's Quick Start format.  These are 36' courts where players will use foam-like tennis balls.  This will slow down the game for young students enabling students to learn the game faster.

USTA Team Tennis - Junior League Program
Registration in progress for the USTA Team Tennis winter season.  Registration goes through October 26th. USTA Team Tennis for juniors plays their matches on Tuesdays or Wednesdays at 5:00pm beginning in January. Individual registration is taken for all age and abillty levels. Teams are formed by tennis center staff and teams receive coaching during the season. To download the registration form, see the 'Downloads' page on the Parks web site. This is a great way for your child to keep his/her game sharp during the winter months!!!

Artists Wanted

New Programs at the Art Station – Big Shanty: Some of our newest class offerings at the Art Station include Fashion Design 101, Colored Pencil Drawing for Kids, Taking Better Photographs, Basic Drawing for Young Adults, Monsters in Clay, and Books and Brushes.

Staff Notes

Allison Frink, of the Art Station – Big Shanty, will be the new onsite antics reporter for Channel 23. Congratulations, Allison!  James (Jimmy) Barnett has been selected to participate in 11 Alive's 'Atlanta's Biggest Loser'.  Jimmy manages the landscape unit for the department.  Please show him your support by voting for him.  For information, see the 11 Alive website.