Fourth Festivities Fill Fairgrounds, Downtown This Weekend
The City of Cumming is pleased to again offer an array of family-friendly fun in honor of our nation's birthday. The festivities kick off Sunday, July 3 at the Cumming Fairgrounds with vendors, food, live music, games and activities for the whole family beginning at 6 p.m. The annual dance contest will begin at 8:30 p.m. by the Sawmill Stage in the Fairgrounds' Heritage Village area. And the main event, the Independence Day fireworks display, begins at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The fun co ntinues at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 4, when the Thomas-Mashburn Steam Engine Parade chugs its way through downtown Cumming from Forsyth Central High School to the Cumming Fairgrounds.
Families will want to arrive early to the parade, which has been a Cumming tradition for more than 50 years, to stake out a great spot on the parade route (Tribble Gap/West Courthouse Square/Castleberry Road). Be sure to bring earplugs (because the antique steam engines are very loud!), wear sunscreen, and stay hydrated as temperatures are expected to be in the 90s. For more information about the Cumming Fairgrounds festivities on July 3, click here, and for more on the Thomas-Mashburn Stream Engine Parade, click here.
Did you know? The Cumming Fairgrounds' fireworks display typically lasts around 25 minutes and features a wide array of fireworks, including some unique dazzlers that create giant geometric shapes and even "smiley faces" in the night sky.
Mutual Aid Agreement, Fireworks Ordinance Approved by Council
During the June City Council meeting, members unanimously approved a renewal of the Statewide Mutual Aid and Assistance Agreement. Chris Grimes, Deputy Director of the Forsyth County Emergency Management Agency, told council members that the agreement is renewed every five years to ensure coordination and cooperation between communities and state and federal authorities in the event of crisis situations such as tornadoes, ice storms, or other disasters.
 
Council also unanimously approved a new fireworks ordinance, which prohibits any person or entity other than the City or a City-approved contractor from igniting fireworks on any City-owned property. The ordinance also allows for City-sponsored fireworks displays to begin after 9 p.m., which is outside the timeframe approved earlier this spring by state lawmakers on dates other than a few holidays.
 
Also during the June meeting, the Cumming City Council:
  • Approved donating .003 acres of City-owned property outside Cumming City Hall to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
  • Approved Robert Long, Vice President of Economic Development at the Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce, to serve as a City-County joint representative on the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission board.
  • Accepted Mayor Ford Gravitt's nomination of Council Members Linda Ledbetter and Christopher Light to serve on a steering committee for the City's Comprehensive Plan update, along with the City's three-member Planning & Zoning Commission, and two private citizens who will be announced at a later date.
  • Approved a change order of $25,000 for additional soil and rock needed as part of the Sanders Road repair project, which was completed in May.
  • Approved repaving a portion of Parking Lot #3 at the Cumming Fairgrounds.
  • Approved six items for the Department of Utilities, which included: Accepting the low bid from North Georgia Pipeline Inc. for a new 12-inch waterline along Hwy. 369; Advertising for bids for a water booster station with tank at Hughes Drive/Mountain Road, and an increase of water meter connection fees in that area to help pay for the project; Advertising for bids for a sewer booster station at Twin Branches at Hwy. 20 East, and an increase of sewer connection fees in that area to help pay for the project; And a request for condemnation of a 1,500-square-foot easement at 4041 Bethelview Road as part of a previously approved force main installation.  
Click here to view meeting videos.
  Employees Honored as 1st & 2nd Quarter 2016 City Stars
From left: Everett Thompson and Brenda Swanson; Heath Martin, Michelle Allison, Joe Dempsey, Barbara Pitts, Greg Gilbert, and Teresa Brackett; and Tom Bryson. Not pictured: Kevin Turner and John Mixon.
 
Several City employees were hailed in June as Cumming City Stars through the City's employee recognition program. Nominees from the departments of Planning & Zoning, Accounting, and Utilities were recognized during a lunch event on June 29. Employees Everett Thompson of the Planning & Zoning Department, and Teresa Brackett and Tom Bryson of the Utilities Department were named First and Second Quarter Star Award winners.
Others nominated for the awards were: Brenda Swanson of the Accounting Department, and Barbara Pitts, Kevin Turner, John Mixon, Joe Dempsey, Greg Gilbert, Michelle Allison, and Heath Martin, all of the Utilities Department. Congratulations to all of these outstanding City of Cumming employees! For information about nominating a City of Cumming employee for the quarterly City Star Award, click here.

Mayor Ford Gravitt greets Gabe Brisuda and his mother, Evelyn Eller during their visit to Cumming City Hall.
GA's Youngest Republican National Convention Participant Visits City Hall
Eighteen-year-old Gabe Brisuda, a Cumming resident, will serve as the youngest attendee from Georgia at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. Brisuda and his mother, Evelyn Eller, recently came by Cumming City Hall to meet Mayor H. Ford Gravitt. As one of Georgia's alternates during the July 18-21 event, Brisuda will join more than 2,470 delegates and 2,300 alternates from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and five U.S. territories. To learn more about Brisuda and to support his trip to the GOP National Convention, click here.
Coming Soon
To the Cumming Fairgrounds
July 4th Festivities: Food, vendors, games, live music - 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, July 3; dance contest at 8:30 p.m.and fireworks at 9:30 p.m. July 3
Thomas-Mashburn Steam Engine Parade - 10 a.m. Monday, July 4 (through downtown Cumming, ending at the Fairgrounds)
Farmers' Market - Every Saturday and Wednesday beginning at 7 a.m. (Fairgrounds Parking Lot #3)

To the Cumming Playhouse
"Leader of the Pack" - 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, July 21-Aug. 14
 
Holiday Hours
Cumming City Hall - Closed Monday, July 4
Recreation Center at City Park and Dobbs Creek Gym - Closed Monday, July 4
Cumming Aquatic Center - Open 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, July 4

Meetings
Planning & Zoning Board - 5 p.m. July 19
City Council - 6 p.m. July 19
Both meetings are open to the public and held in the third-floor Council Chambers at City Hall, 100 Main Street. For all meetings after 5 p.m., please enter through the rear parking lot entrance.

 
Happy July 4th from all your friends at the City of Cumming! We hope everyone has a safe and fun-filled holiday weekend celebrating the birth of our great nation!

Sincerely,   
City of Cumming
Division of Public Information