2014-01

Time is Now to Register for Spring Sports and Activities

It may still be cold outside, but now is the time to register for sports and activities for the spring season. Many sports and activities have registrations in January, including baseball, softball, soccer, track, tennis, and BMX. Our youth league programs are administered by volunteer organizations, so dates and times of registrations will vary. For specific information on the activities your child is interested in participating, click on the following links: baseball, softball, soccer, track, tennis, and BMX. Many registration deadlines are fast approaching - don't be left out!!!!

Adult spring softball registration begins in February. For those interested, you can download a softball registration packet on the adult softball web page. See the adult athletics web page for a listing of all programs.

Still Time to Schedule Audition for MLK Celebration

Cobb will host the annual MLK celebration at 10:00am, Monday, January 20th, at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre. This year's theme is "His Dream: Hope for the Future." This will be the 28th annual tribute to the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Those interested in being entertainment for the celebration will have opportunities to audition. Auditions will be held:

6:00pm, Thursday, January 2nd
10:00am, Saturday, January 4th
10:00am, Saturday, January 11th

Entertainment can include dance interpretations, dramatic readings and musical performances. Auditions will be held at Jennie T. Anderson Theatre at the Cobb Civic Center. Those interested must RSVP for audition slots by calling (770) 425-5757. The event is sponsored by the Cobb County Branch of the NAACP and Cobb County Government.

Help Environment by Recycling Christmas Trees After Holidays
Recycling trees creates mulch, fuel, wildlife habitats and other useful material. Keep Cobb Beautiful is sponsoring free Christmas tree recycling drop-off locations throughout Cobb and select PARKS locations will accept trees from December 26th-January 4th:

Lost Mountain Park - 4845 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs
Noonday Creek Park - 489 Hawkins Store Road, Kennesaw
Fullers Park - 3499 Robinson Road, Marietta
Harrison Park - 2650 Shallowford Road, Marietta
Sewell Park - 2085 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta

Trees will be also be accepted at select Home Depot locations on Saturday, January 4th, only:

3355 Cobb Parkway, Acworth
1200 East-West Connector, Austell
2350 Dallas Highway, Marietta
4101 Roswell Road NE, Marietta
449 Roberts Court NW, Kennesaw
3605 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta
1062 Richard Sailors Parkway, Powder Springs
1655 Shiloh Road, Kennesaw
2450 Cumberland Parkway SE, Atlanta

Free mulch will be available to residents after January 4th. This event is sponsored by KCB, Cobb PARKS, Davey Tree, The Home Depot and Cobb EMC. For more information, call (770) 528-1135 or email keepcobbbeautiful@cobbcounty.org.

'Sophisticated Ladies' Coming to Cobb

The Atlanta Lyric Theatre will celebrate the legacy of "The Duke" in Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Ladies," which will run January 3rd-19th at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre. Winner of two Tony Awards, "Sophisticated Ladies" is a stylish and brassy retrospective and re-creation of the Duke Ellington big band style. It features his most famous numbers, from the infamous speakeasy era of the Cotton Club up to his death, including "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," "Take the 'A' Train," "Satin Doll" and "In a Sentimental Mood." The show will feature the Atlanta Lyric Orchestra. Anderson Theatre is located at the Cobb Civic Center at 548 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta. For more information, or to buy tickets, visit atlantalyrictheatre.com.

Toddler Time “ssss Snakes!”
Have you ever seen a live snake up close? Toddlers, 2-4 years old, bring an adult and come learn about snakes with us. We’ll read a story, make a snake to carry home and go on a hike. As a special treat, the Watershed Stewardship staff from the Cobb County Water Department will be there with their live corn snake for you to see. This 'Toddler Time' program will take place January 21, 2014 from 10:00am-11:30am and 12:30pm-2:00pm at the Hyde Farm Visitor Center, located at 721 Hyde Road, Marietta, 30068. Pre-registration is required and the cost is $2.00 per child. To register, email Karen.Faucett@cobbcounty.org or call Karen at (770) 528-8803.

SPLOST Projects Update

On March 15, 2011, a referendum on a four-year SPLOST (Special Local Option Sales Tax) was approved by voters. This program, started on January 1, 2012 and will be in effect through December 31, 2015. From this SPLOST, Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs will be utilizing $82,023,000 for revitalization, facility renovations and upgrades to parks and facilities. Planning, coordinating and scheduling projects are in their early stages, but you will now be able to see some of the work in progress or soon to begin. Here is a list of current projects:

These are just a few of the numerous projects that you will see in the next few years updating and revitalizing our parks' system. For a complete listing of projects and updates, see the Splost 2011 web page on the Cobb County website.

Silver Comet Trail Bridge Sections Under Repair

Six pedestrian bridges along Cobb County’s 12.8-mile Silver Comet Trail will be closed to the public this winter while Cobb County Department of Transportation (CCDOT) crews repair or replace pedestrian bridge ends over Powder Springs Creek, Lucille Creek, Noses Creek, Olley Creek, Nickajack Creek and Cooper Lake Road.

The repair work, funded by the 2011 SPLOST, will result in consecutive closures of each pedestrian bridge from January to April 2014, resulting in NO ACCESS and NO DETOURS across the bridges during construction. At the same time the pedestrian bridge work is being conducted, additional crews will be improving other areas along the Silver Comet Trail by repairing fences, drainage systems and grading.

“The repairs will preserve the original historic pedestrian bridges,” says Faye DiMassimo, Director of Cobb County Department of Transportation. “Once the work is completed, the pedestrian bridges will be reopened providing safe access to all who enjoy using them.”

Cobb County officials strongly advise the public to pay close attention to all warning signs and stay out of CLOSED construction zones, as there will be severe drop offs, some as deep as ten feet, which could cause serious injury or death to anyone ignoring the posted warnings.

Not every area under construction will be completely closed off to the public. CCDOT officials warn trail users to slow down when approaching all signs, and in areas not completely closed, and for bike users, be prepared to dismount and walk through.

More work will be conducted next spring on the trail where a rolling trail closure will occur as the entire Silver Comet trail is resurfaced. The combined projects will result in the Cobb County Silver Comet Trail looking like a new trail.

Built between 1890 and 1904, the 61.5-mile Silver Comet Trail follows the abandoned railroad line once traveled by Silver Comet train passengers traveling from Atlanta and Birmingham to New York, Philadelphia and Washington. CCDOT converted the trail into a scenic 12.8 mile paved multi-use trail in the 1990’s. The county section of the trail begins in Smyrna and travels west through southern parts of the County.

Information and project updates will be posted at www.cobbdot.org or contact the project manager at james.hudgins@cobbcounty.org.

Year after year, Cobb's Chattahoochee Gold swim team would watch as Swim Atlanta or Dynamo would take first place at the Georgia Senior State Championships. But 2013 was different. With a growing roster and some athletes competing at the national-level, Gold knew they could make a run at a State Championship on the girl's side. What surprised them was how dominant their win would be.

Chattahoochee Gold's women won 11 out of 13 events and 4 out of 5 relays. Their list of state champions in relays and individual events was longer than most teams' rosters at the meet. Behind Dynamo going into the final session on Sunday afternoon, Gold's girls rallied for some impressive finishes and ended up almost 100 points ahead of the defending champions. Gold's state champions were: Kira de Bruyn, Emma Cole, Lauren Case, Megan Young, Jaclyn Hill, Katherine Aikins and Rachel Pelzek. Congratulations to all the team members for their excellent results!

'Top10 Challenge Ladder' is the most flexible online tennis league found locally. Top10 puts you in control of who, when, where, and how often you play. You can play competitively for great prizes or use their website for free, as a local match finder.

Top10 gives away $175 in Serious Tennis gift card prizes for every ladder. Seasonal giveaways such as a brand new Wilson racket and an autographed John Isner US Open tennis ball will be given away to two lucky competitive players at the end of the current season. Competitive players also play for a chance for the yearly grand prize giveaway - a weekend stay at Sea Island Resort including a one hour private lesson with the one and only Murphy Jensen!

At Top10, we feel everyone should have a chance to enjoy our ladders. If you're not interested in playing for prizes but would like to use our ladders to find an occasional match, you can do so for free! Use promo code "NOPRIZES" and play for fun! Cobb County residents who sign up with a Cobb County tennis facility as their home court will be emailed a discounted promo-code. Top10 founder Mikiel Arnold is a long time Cobb County resident and you can challenge him to a match at his home court, Harrison Tennis Center.
For more information on Top10, see their website.

Fair Oaks Tennis Center will be hosting the Kip McCendon Doubles Classic January 17th-19th. The tournament will feature adult doubles and mixed doubles play in open, A, B and C divisions. The entry fees for this event is $20 per player ($40 per team) and the entry deadline is January 10th.

Coach Oliver "Kip" McClendon, Jr. was the Clark Atlanta University Tennis coach from 2001-08. As the head coach, he was one of Clark Atlanta's most successful coaches, winning Five Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championships and making Six NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. The love and commitment he showed to the tennis program was unparalleled to the winning tradition he fostered during his tenure. It was with that passion that he remained involved in the program and mentored the current coach until his death in 2012. This tournament is held in his honor.

All proceeds will go to the Clark Atlanta University Women's Tennis program. For more information and to register, see the tournament website.