Parks Home | Calendar | Facilities | Arts & Cultural Affairs | Athletics - Youth | Athletics - Adult | Aquatics | Golf Gymnastics | Natural Resources | Recreation Centers | Tennis | Therapeutics | Special Events

December 2009

Plenty of Holiday Events and Fun in December

Dinner with Santa
A fun evening for the children that includes a visit and picture with Santa, arts and crafts, a kid-friendly dinner, and many more fun activities! Don't miss this great community tradition for the holidays! This event will be held at the  Ward Recreation Center on Thursday, December 3rd from 5:30pm-8:00pm. There is a $7 per person fee with children under 2 years free of charge. Register online with bar code #26908. For questions, call (770) 528-8885 or email Wendy Collins at Wendy.Collins@cobbcounty.org.

Candy Cane Hunt

Come and join the Cobb County Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Department as we celebrate our Annual Candy Cane Hunt at the Mable House Art Center on Saturday, December 5th from 10:00am-12:00 noon. The event allows boys and girls 12 and under an opportunity to participate in many holiday activities such as cookie decorating, marshmallow roasting, and arts and crafts.  There wlll also be live entertainment for the entire family. Santa is scheduled to arrive and will be available for pictures with the children. For more information, please call (770) 528-8454. Admission and parking are free.

Holiday Lights at East Cobb Park
Saturday, December 5th at 5:00pm

Join us for an annual holiday tradition: an evening at the park featuring a children’s choir, brass quartet, special guest appearances by Santa and Rudolph, award-winning bell ringers and the lighting of our live 40 foot tall East Cobb Park tree. Come join us and share in the holiday spirit by giving back to our community. The proceeds from this event will go towards refurbishing and enhancing the park, as well as offering you and your neighbors a classic holiday celebration.  For more information, see http://www.eastcobbpark.org.

St. Nick's Cafe

'Frosty the Snowman', presented by the Mountain View Arts Alliance, will be performed December 5th at The Art Place.  Show times include breakfast shows at 8:30am and 10:30am and a lunch show at 12:30pm. Visit www.theartplace.us for more information and to purchase tickets or call (770) 509-2700.

Lighting of the Hanukkah Menorah
Sunday, December 13th at 7:00pm
Event held at East Cobb Park. Free and open to the public. Refreshments and fun! Sponsored by Shalom Cobb and Friends for the East Cobb Park.

Artist's Attic

Now through December 18th, The Art Place's gallery featuring Artist’s Attic. Purchase affordable handmade holiday gifts created by The Art Place instructors and students.

Holly Jolly Art House

The Art Station – Big Shanty’s annual Holly Jolly Art House is on December 19th from 11:00am–2:00pm for children ages 4 – 12. Activities include make-n-take art projects, entertainment and a visit from Santa around noon. This is a free activity and registration is not required. Call (770) 514-5930 for more information. Ho-Ho-Hope to see you there!

Christmas House Arts and Crafts Show

There's something for everyone!  Handmade items by 63 artists.  The Christmas House Arts and Crafts Show will be held at the Mable House Arts Center December 4th-13th.  Hours are 10:00am-6:00pm, Monday-Friday and 10:00am-8:00pm, Saturday and Sunday.

Christmas Shoppe

The North Cobb Art League’s Christmas Shoppe is back again this year at the Art Station – Big Shanty! The Christmas Shoppe offers a variety of arts and crafts for that perfect one-of-a-kind gift or decoration for your home. Open from 10am – 5pm on December 3rd, 4th, 7th–11th, and 14th-16th. On Saturdays, December 5th and 12th, the Christmas Shoppe is open from 10:00am–2:00pm. Call (770) 514-5930 for more information.

'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Held at The Art Place  December 11th-13th and 17th-19th, Centerstage North presents 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever'. Visit www.centerstagenorth.org for tickets and more information or call (770) 516-3330.

Santa's Art Studio

Students will create seasonal artwork, being exposed to different teachers, ideas, processes and media. Your child's experience will be complete with festive entertainment. Held December 12th at The Art Place. For children ages 4-10 years and the fee is $30.  Classes held from 9:30am-1:00pm and 1:30pm-5:00pm. Register online at prca.cobbcountyga.gov.

Home for the Holidays

A fun, fast-paced show, a package deal complete with beautiful costumes, creative choreography and outstanding music! Performing at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre December 18th-19th at 8:00pm and December 20th at 3:00pm.

Gift Certificates

Give someone the gift of art. The Art Station – Big Shanty has gift certificates for art classes held at the Art Station. Feel free to preview a variety of designs online at www.artstation.org. They make great stocking stuffers!

Cobb Aquatics Volunteers Receive Georgia Recreation and Park Awards

During the Georgia Recreation and Park Association (GRPA) Annual Conference held at Jekyll Island the first week of November, Cobb County Summer Swim League volunteers were honored with the highest Volunteer Award of the GRPA.

At the GRPA Annual Conference awards banquet, the Cobb County Summer League Executive Board comprised of Co-Presidents Steve and Jeannie Turner, and Board Secretary  Patricia Hobbs, were recognized by recreational professionals from agencies throughout the state. The Executive Board serves 68 swim teams representing over 7,000 youth swimmers each summer. The Executive Board oversees weekly swim meets; the Patti Wilder State Qualifying Meet; and concludes with over 100 swimmers who qualify representing Cobb County attending the GRPA State Championship Swim Meet.

The Turners and Patricia Hobbs have been actively serving the Summer Swim League program for many years. The Turners have served as board co-Presidents for 7 years and Patricia has served as secretary for 2 years plus 5 years as a neighborhood swim team coordinator. Many volunteer hours are spent administering the league rules and by-laws, settling protests and interpreting rules as well as making additions and changes in the rules and by-laws as needed. Those board members not only volunteer for the Cobb County Summer League, but volunteer many hours on their children’s year-round and high school swim teams as meet coordinators and workers.

Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department (CCPRCAD) is very appreciative of all the volunteers working in youth sports. There are more than 100 youth sports organizations associated with CCPRCAD. Volunteers like the Turners and Patricia Hobbs are the key to the successful programs for our youth.

Pictured are GRPA President, James Dodson, Patricia Hobbs and Sue Carducci, Summer Swim League representative.

Photo Contest Winners Selected
The 2009 Fun in the Park Photo Contest was a success with many great photos submitted. The judges had to make difficult choices in selecting the winning photos, but the winners have been selected. To view the winning photos for 2009, follow this link.

The contest will be back in 2010 - be sure to take your camera to all your park activities and submit your best photos for next year's contest!

2010 Encore Schedule

The Jennie T. Anderson Theatre has announced its 2010 Encore Series schedule.  As in the past, a variety of quality shows will be part of the Encore series. To order tickets, call the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre Box Office at (770) 528-8490 or order your tickets online at www.Ticketmaster.com. See the Encore Series schedule below:

Cheer Fest '09 at Cobb Civic Center

Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department presented The 2nd Annual Cobb Cheer Fest on Sunday, November 8th at the Cobb County Civic Center. Over 450 cheerleaders ages 4-14 competed in 7 age divisions for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies. A “Most Spirited” award was given in each age division to the team and parent group showing the most enthusiasm and spirit! There were 1000 plus spectators and football players came to support this event. Recreation Commission Chair, Barbara Savage, and Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Director, Eddie Canon, presented awards during two award ceremonies. Parent comments after the competition included, “Yesterday was AWESOME!! Your department did a great job! This is the best competition I’ve been to yet! We cannot wait until next year.” A big thank you to all the girls, coaches, parents, and staff that made this a great experience for the cheerleaders! Pictures from the event can be found here.

Staff Notes

Several parks employees were recently recognized for their service to Cobb County. Steve Lottinger, Brooks Tinsley, Kristine Settino and Wade Wallace have all given 25 years of dedicated service to the county. Steve is the facility manager of the Harrison Tennis Center, Brooks manages the Al Bishop Softball Complex, Kristine is the department's Human Resources representative, and Wade is in charge of inventory control for the department. It is due to the experienced and dedicated staff that the parks department can offer quality programming and facilities to the citizens of Cobb County. Congratulations to these employees for their service to the county!