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September 2010

Party With the Animals at the North GA State Fair
The 78th Annual North Georgia State Fair returns to Jim Miller Park Thursday, September 23rd, through Sunday, October 3rd, 2010. As the largest fair in metro Atlanta, the North Georgia State Fair attracts nearly 300,000 people every year from North Georgia and neighboring states. The North Georgia State Fair features live music, free attractions and shows, farm animals, flower shows, blue ribbon competitions, local entertainment, and delicious fair foods. There are also games and rides on the Great James H. Drew Exposition midway – one of the largest carnival midways in the United States.

A covered arena guarantees concerts rain or shine, with appearances by great country and contemporary Christian artists. Headlining the free concert series this year are: Joe Nichols on Friday, September 24th; Diamond Rio on Saturday, September 25th; Jake Owen on Wednesday, September 29th; Charlie Daniels Band on Thursday, September 30th; Hawk Nelson - Christian Artist on Friday, October 1st; Mark Wills on Saturday, October 2nd. All concerts begin at 8:00pm and are free with fair admission.

New for 2010, Bear Mountain is an entertaining and educational show for adults and children alike. Enjoy a narrated performance of different species of bears dancing, performing gymnastics and sports activities. K-9’s in Flight will thrill audiences of all ages by this non-stop, action-packed performance showcasing the top amazing K-9 sports, including K-9 dock diving, high jump, and frisbee - all in a fun, high-flying atmosphere. Wildlife Wendy’s Tropical Birds will amaze audiences with their talking and free-flight parrots, while the rarely seen African Turaco captivates all!

Back again this year are popular acts such as The Frisco Brothers Tiger Encounter and Elephant Show, Oscar the Robot, Brian Ruth the Chainsaw Master, the petting zoo and pony rides, and the Cobb EMC Local Entertainment Stage.

Admission is $5 for adults, $2 students ages 7-18, and free for children 6 and under. Ride tickets are $1 each, $20 for 22 tickets and $50 for 55 tickets. All rides require more than one ticket. Parking is $3. Concerts FREE with fair admission. For more information, see the fair website at www.northgeorgiastatefair.com.

Cobb Team Wins ASA Gold National Championships
The East Cobb Bullets won the recent ASA Gold Girls 18 Softball Championship held at Lost Mountain Park. The Cobb team competed against 64 of the top teams in the nation, becoming the first team from Georgia to win an ASA Girls 18 Gold fast-pitch national championship.  The Bullets were a perfect 7-0 in claiming the title and won the final game in dramatic fashion with a ninth-inning 3-run home-run by Lexi Overstreet, giving the Cobb team a come-from-behind effort to defeat Team North Florida, 6-3.  Congratulations to all the players for their great accomplishment and making Cobb and Georgia proud!

More Great Concerts Coming to MHBA

The Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre continues to bring great acts to metro Atlanta this summer including John Michael Montgomery, one of America's top country artists who will hit the stage Friday, September 10th. Born in Kentucky, Montgomery has released 11 studio albums and produced two number one country singles, "I Swear" and "Sold (the Grundy County Auction Incident)".

The Atlanta Smooth Jazz Festival takes place September 17th-18th at the Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre. The festival will kick off with a Friday night opening concert with Paul Taylor and conclude on Saturday with an all day smooth jazz music festival. Other artists expected to perform include 'Pieces of a Dream', Sekou Bunch, Althea Rene, Gregg Karukas, and Jessy J.

Tickets are on sale at ticketmaster.com. The Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre is located at 5239 Floyd Road in Mableton. For more information on concert dates and show times, visit mablehouse.org or call (770) 819-7765.

Girl Scout Silver Award Project Means Fun For Park Users!
As their Silver Award Project, Girl Scouts Cami Nicholson, Lauren Yapp and Jacqueline Weiland have created the East Cobb Park Explorer Program. This fun and educational program is a series of activities such as a scavenger hunt, crossword puzzle, tic-tac-toe and other games based on things specific to East Cobb Park. Park users can download the activity guide and make a day finding the answers to questions and exploring the nature found at the park. Once your packet is complete with all activities done, you can print your own 'Certificate of Completion'.

The Silver Award is the highest leadership award that can be attained by Cadette scouts. It is a very important and impressive step towards the Gold Award, the top award for Girl Scouts.

These three scouts from the Redbud Service Unit, Troop 2348, worked closely with the Natural Resource Management Unit from Cobb Parks to create this program. The Explorer Program is up and running and can be downloaded from the Cobb Parks website and the Friends for East Cobb Park website (www.eastcobbpark.org). Download the activity guide, pack a picnic lunch, and bring your family together to spend the day becoming an 'East Cobb Park Explorer'.

Mableton Arts Study

There will be a "Mableton Arts Study' town hall meeting on Saturday, September 25th. This meeting will discuss the promotion of arts opportunities for residents living in the Mableton area. Help build a new Mableton with the arts! Planning is underway now to use the arts and culture as important tools in restoring and revitalizing the Mableton community. How do we build better arts programs for our children, our senior citizens, our families? What should we do to support local artists and attract artists as new residents? How can we make Mableton an exciting arts hub with galleries, studios, clubs, artists and arts organizations? What kinds of facilities should we have…an expanded Mable House Arts Center, a new theatre, an improved amphitheatre? How can we better celebrate our heritage at the historic Mable House? Please attend this important town hall meeting to hear about planning so far and to lend your voice and ideas to Mableton’s future as a vital and vibrant arts community. The meeting will be held  at 10:00am at the Mableton Arts Center located at 5239 Floyd Road, Mableton, GA, 30126.

Fall Break Day Camps Held at Cobb Recreation Centers
Fall Day Camp is a one week camp that will be offered during the school break September 20-24th for boys and girls ages 6-15. A camp will be held at each of the Cobb Recreation Centers. Activities will include sports, games, arts and crafts, music, drama, and outdoor programming and many more fun-filled activities. We encourage positive play, creativity, friendships and fitness while creating fun memories. Each camper will be required to bring their own brown bag lunch. Refreshments will be provided. Registration is in progress and can be done in person or online.  The camp fees is $100 for the week. For more information, contact your closest recreation center.

Cobb County Summer Swim League Big Finish at the GRPA State Meet

Congratulations to the Cobb County State Swim Team! The Cobb County State Swim Team made a splash in Carrollton, GA at the recent GRPA State Swim Meet. The meet started on Friday, July 30th with Maggie Porkorny taking first place in the 7-8 Girls' 50 Free and ended on Saturday with the 15-18 Boys' Free-Relay also taking 1st place. 

To see Cobb's top finishers from the state meet, click here. Thanks to all the parents and volunteers who helped bring such a fine team to the GRPA State Meet and congratulations to all of the Cobb swimmers for a great 2010 season.

Fun Time had by All at the Fishing Rodeo

On July 17th Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department hosted the annual Fishing Rodeo at Lost Mountain Park. Over 200 people showed up for this family-oriented event. The biggest fish was a 2 pound catfish caught by Noah Shillinglaw (pictured). Everyone who attended received a gift bag with lots of fishing items that were donated by local businesses. There were 4 age groups: 3-6 year olds, 7-9 year olds, 10-12 year olds and 13-16 year olds. Each age group was awarded trophies and prizes.

Fishing Rodeo Winners (see pictures here)

Congratulations to all the winners and we hope to see everyone back next year!

Special Olympics Fundraiser

Special Olympics Georgia – Cobb is doing a fundraiser by selling Honey Baked Hams. If you would like to help Cobb's Special Olympics program, purchase your Honey Baked Ham certificate today! Download an order form here and mail it in along with your check to: Special Olympics GA - Cobb, 555 Nickajack Rd., Mableton, GA 30126. The deadline to order is September 13, 2010. Your certificate can be mailed to you or you may pick it up. The certificates will be available the week of September 20th. For more information, contact Clintina Mitchell at (770) 819-3223 or email Clintina.mitchell@cobbcounty.org.

South Cobb Youth Basketball Camp
South Cobb Youth Basketball Association (SCYBA) will be hosting an instructional basketball camp October 14th–16th at the South Cobb Recreation Center. These camps are for boys and girls ages 5-14. The camp fee is only $90. All campers will go through extensive training in ball handling, shooting, rebounding, fundamentals of the game and offensive and defensive team training. This camp will allow players the opportunity to master the fundamentals of basketball at their own pace. For more information and registration call (404) 795-0465 or visit us online at www.scybabasketball.org.

New Classes Offered at Ward Recreation Center

Great classes are coming this fall to the Ward Recreation Center. Classes include:  Baton/Cheer/Dance classes,  Financial Fitness classes for kids and teens, Flirty Girls Fitness program, Youth Basketball Academy, Choi-Kwang-Do for children/adults/families, and much more!   Call Ward Recreation Center at (770) 528-8885 for more information.

'Fun in the Park' Photo Contest

Don't forget to bring your camera to the parks - there are many opportunities to take pictures in Cobb's parks. Submit your best recreation and cultural affairs photos for the 2010 'FUN IN THE PARKS' Photo Contest. We are looking for photos that capture your enjoyment of Cobb's parks. Your pictures can capture youth at play, sports and action, nature and wildlife, or just a picnic under the shade tree. Take your best shots and enter them for fun and awards.  For more information, follow this link.