If you can’t make it to London for the upcoming Summer Games, no worries – just head out to Lake Lanier’s Clarks Bridge Park this weekend. The USA Canoe/Kayak Marathon Trials will be held there. This event determines which elite athletes will represent Team USA in the upcoming Olympic Games.

2012 USA Canoe/Kayak Marathon Trials
May 19-20
Lake Lanier Olympic Venue

For more info, call  770-287-7888

Or check out the Lanier Canoe Kayak Club here: www.lckc.org

Fish Craft Week
10 a.m. to 5 p.m
May 14-18

999 Chestnut St., Suite 11, Gainesville
770-536-1900

For more info, go to their website: www.inkfun.org

Spearheaded by Mike Williams of Lake Lanier Islands Management, the podcast is a round table discussion about issues, happenings and interesting events on and around Lake Lanier.

The first episode was recorded this week and will be available soon online.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about the types of topics and special guests you’d like to hear on the Lanier Matters podcast.

For more info, visit www.lakelaniermatters.com 

The Northeast Georgia History Center is exhibiting “Quilts, Coverlets, and the Craftspeople of Northeast Georgia” in the rotating gallery. Designed and produced by Jeff Pierce, History Center volunteer and Board of Directors member, the exhibit explores the role of quilts in history.

Offering a snapshot of the history of needlework, “Quilts, Coverlets, and the Craftspeople” features 12 antique quilts and coverlets in a variety of quilt and woven patterns, and a glimpse of the families who once owned them.

“In earlier times, quilting was more than a means of producing bedcovers. It was also a social event, sometimes including religion,” said Julie Carson, education and volunteer coordinator at the center.

The quilts and coverlets on display date from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. Several household implements used in the creation of these fiber arts are also on display.

On March 11, the History Center’s Family Day will have the theme Quilts, Coverlets, and Fiber Arts in Northeast Georgia. Fiber artisans including quilters, spinners, knitters, crocheters and other fiber artisans will demonstrate their crafts and there will be hands-on activities.

“Quilts, Coverlets, and the Craftspeople of Northeast Georgia” will remain in the rotating gallery through May. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and $3 for students. Members are admitted free. The History Center is located at 322 Academy St. NE, in Gainesville. For more information, call 770-297-5900 or visit www.negahc.org.

If you close your eyes and try to visualize Santa Claus or the New Year’s baby, chances are the image in your head would match the ones created by commercial illustrator, J.C. Leyendecker.

On Tuesday, January 10th the Northeast Georgia History Center visitors will be able to learn more about how Leyendecker “nationalized” American culture by creating images for those characters and others during the early 1900s.

Steve and Rebecca Gurr will present, “Leyendecker and the Saturday Evening Post,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the History Center, 322 Academy St. NE in Gainesville. The discussion is free for center members and $3 for everyone else.

“My wife and I have been collecting his work for years,” Steve Gurr said.

“We like magazine illustrations and were attracted to his style because it was very dramatic. You can recognize it anywhere.”

In addition to an informative talk, the Gurrs will also portions of their personal, Leyendecker collection.

Although Leyendecker was a commercial artist — his illustrations for Arrow Collar are said to be the foundation of modern advertising — many people have come to regard his creations as artwork.

Norman Rockwell may be one of the most celebrated “Saturday Evening Post” illustrators, but his predecessor and mentor was Leyendecker.

According to Gurr, Rockwell was even a pallbearer at Leyendecker’s funeral.

“He learned a lot from him. Leyendecker was responsible for 300 or 400 Saturday Evening Post covers,” Gurr said.

“He did all of the covers for the holiday issues.”

On the first issue of the year, Leyendecker would use the magazine’s cover and the New Year’s baby to depict the “personality of the time.”

“Whatever the big topic of the day was, he’d put the cherub baby in that world event,” Gurr said.

“There’s one about income tax, one about World War I and even one about women’s voting rights.”

Flowery Branch, GA – Downtown Flowery Branch is the place to be on December 3, 2011!  The fun and festivities begin at 9 AM at Flowery Branch United Methodist Church, where kids of all ages are invited to have Breakfast with Santa!  After breakfast, children can bring their decorated bikes, trikes, skates, wagons, or anything else on wheels and roll down Main Street in our Jingle Bell Roll and Stroll Kids’ Parade at noon.  Registration for the Roll and Stroll Kids’ Parade will begin at the Methodist Church at 10:30AM with line-up to begin at 11:30AM.  ALL CHILDREN ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE!

At the conclusion of the parade, Main Street will be filled with arts and crafts vendors and holiday performers.  The historic depot will be filled with Christmas trees for auction and a ginger bread house contest to benefit Shop with a Cop.

Several businesses in down town will host story tellers and Fifth Row Center will perform A Seussified Christmas Carol at 3:00PM and 7:30PM.  Tickets for the play are $15 for adults, $10 for children and seniors, all other events are entirely free of charge.

Please visit the festival website for more information. Click HERE.

The cafe is located just one block from the Amtrak station and offers a wide variety of home cooked favorites. Daily specials include chicken and dressing, fried green tomatoes and squash casserole. They also grill burgers, fry up chicken tenders and even prepare a few salads for those looking to trim their waistline.

Owner, Chad Vaughan says he opened Big Bear Cafe because he thought the area lacked a good place to have breakfast – judging by the crowd at lunch, if breakfast is there most popular meal – you better go early to grab a seat – try one of the vintage bar stools at the lunch counter where you can sneak a peek into the kitchen.

Being the fearless lunch mates we are – we opted for a bevy of treats from the daily specials menu including the “bean of the day” – white soup beans – aka – navy beans.

Check out the photos below to see for yourself why Big Bear Cafe is worth the trip.

Click HERE to see their menu.

Big Bear Cafe

893 Main Street, SW
Gainesville, GA 30501770-538-0272

Open Monday-Friday 6am-3pm
Weekly motorcycle ride in Saturdays 7-11am

Chad Vaughan and one of Big Bear's sweethearts

Hibernate for the winter after the chicken/dressing

Cop a squat at the lunch counter and visit w/locals

Grab breakfast and hop the train to Atlanta

Grizzly of an appetite? Chad's got you covered

Veggie plate...mac and cheese, bean of the day, squash and tomatoes

Rodney Miller and Jerome Beggs, two farm boys at heart, had a passion to turn their love of farming into an enjoyable hobby.  Rodney was raised on a full-time farm in southern Illinois.  Currently Rodney continues a 1500 acre row crop operation in his home state.  Jerome was raised on a much smaller part-time 40 acre operation in East Alabama.  And to the men’s surprise, their wives have welcomed the hobby and frequently pitch in with a woman’s touch, making it truly a family affair for Rodney, Kendra, Jerome and Tina.

The first crop of corn was harvested in 2008 on the site of what now is The Buford Corn Maze.  Just a 5+ acre field produced a crop that the full time farmer in the mid west would call failure, but not these two guys.  They took great pride and enjoyment in tilling, planting and harvesting the first row-crop farming this area has seen in years. 

The 2010 crop was approximately 50 acres of corn and 35 acres of soybean!  All were in small acre plots that were discovered by Rodney simply riding through the community and meeting people who were excited about having their land shining once again with crops “as Grandad used to do”.

Even though Rodney and Jerome initially got quite a few strange looks as they drove their large tractors and equipment down the county roads of Gwinnett and Hall Counties, they now get friendly waves from residents as they are now acknowledged as
true stewards of the land we are all blessed with.

Visit their website HERE!

Need directions? Click HERE.

From Petit Le Mans to the Suzuki Superbikes, if you like it fast, then Road Atlanta is the place to be.

Fuel your need for speed, get behind the wheel at their driving school.

www.roadatlanta.com

CLICK HERE to visit their website!