Sizzling Summer Music Series Begins with Two Shows in June 
Are you a little bit country or a little bit rock and roll (or maybe a little of both)? Whatever your pleasure, the Cumming Fairgrounds has music for you in June! 

As part of the City's summer music series at the Fairgrounds, which was first held in 2018, the City has again partnered with local businesses 37 Main, and Rosati's Pizza and Sports Pub to present a range of fun summer concerts throughout the hottest months of 2019.

It all kicks off in June with the Icon Music Festival on June 8 and Gigging 4 Grub: Nashville Downtown on June 29. 


The Icon Fest will take audiences back to the 1980's with some of the nation's hottest tribute acts dedicated to the music of Prince (The Purple Xperience from Minneapolis, Minn.), Michael Jackson (I Am King from Las Vegas, Nev.) and Madonna (So Madonna from Los Angeles, Calif.), as well as Atlanta I Heart Radio's own DJ One Time (tribute to Freddie Mercury and Queen). 

Gigging 4 Grub: Nashville Downtown takes audiences on a completely different path with tribute bands honoring of some of country's biggest stars. Get your country twang on with the music of legends such Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, and George Jones, as well as special guest band Southern Hospitality. Proceeds from the Gigging 4 Grub concert benefit The Place of Forysth County to help hungry children through the No Kid Hungry effort. 

Tickets to both of these shows are now available. Click here for more information about both or to get your tickets. 

Did you know?  This year's July 4th festivities will feature an installment of the Fairgrounds' summer concert series. Get ready for Red, White & Rock this Independence Day! We'll have more about this concert in our July issue, but in the meantime you can learn about it here!

Inaugural City of Cumming Youth Council Launched for 2019-2020
2019-2020 Youth council members, left to right, from top: Jake Gant, Mayor; Caleb McWhorter, Mayor Protem; Alana Murray, City Administrator; Grace Gant, Clerk; Eva Sell; Jake Dutton; Riley Brumbalow; Mary Beth Lowe; and Zach Furbush.
Congratulations to all members of the City of Cumming's inaugural Youth Council, who will serve a one-year term throughout the 2019-2020 school year. 

The Youth Council is comprised of nine high school students - seven from Forsyth Central and two from the Alliance Academy for Innovation (the two high schools located within the Cumming City Limits). These nine students were selected from a pool of about 30 applicants between the two schools by a committee. 

During a "meet and greet" gathering at City Hall on May 23, the students voted on four leadership roles: Mayor, Mayor Protem, City Administrator, and Clerk. The Youth Council will function much like the City of Cumming's Mayor and City Council, with meetings held monthly. The purpose of the Youth Council is to provide insight and ideas for ways to better connect with today's young people, and to improve the community as a whole, to Cumming's Mayor and City Council. 
Mayor Troy Brumbalow with all Youth Council members and educators from Forsyth Central and Alliance Academy. 

2019-2020 Youth Council officers are: Mayor  Jake Gant (rising FCHS senior); Mayor Protem Caleb McWhorter (rising Alliance sophomore);  City Administrator Alana Murray (rising Alliance junior); and Clerk Grace Gant (rising FCHS senior). Other Youth Council members (all from FCHS) are: Jake Dutton (rising junior), Mary Beth Lowe (rising sophomore), Eva Sell (rising senior), Riley Brumbalow (rising sophomore) and Zach Furbush (rising sophomore). Several City of Cumming staff members will work in partnership throughout the year with Principal Brandi Cannizzaro and educator Hector Jimenez from Alliance Academy, and Assistant Principal Dr. Josh Lowe and educator Jim Blandford from FCHS, to guide and advise the Youth Council. 

Congratulations to all of these outstanding students! We look forward to working with them and their school advisers throughout the next year! 

Special SAA Kids' Program at Food Truck Friday on June 7th
Frankie the Dog book series author Marie Kirkpatrick at a recent Food Truck Friday event.
Kids of all ages will get to meet a furry Forsyth County literary hero during the June 7th Food Truck Friday as part of a special event hosted by the Sawnee Association of the Arts. 

Frankie the Dog, star of the Frankie the Dog series of children's books focusing on the importance of pet rescue and adoption, will be in attendance at a reading by the books' author Marie Kirkpatrick. The reading and visit by "the real" Frankie will be held at 7 p.m. in front of the Brannon-Heard House (111 Pilgrim Mill Road). 

Following the reading, each child will be provided crayons and a coloring page from one of Frankie the Dog's books. All the kids' artwork will then be on display at the Brannon-Heard House in the upstairs gallery for the following two weeks (Thursday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Members of the Sawnee Association of the Arts will judge the kids' artwork and on Saturday, June 15 at 3 p.m., ribbons and prizes will be awarded through the Children's Art Awards Program. 


Before and after Frankie's visit, kids and their families can also enjoy all the fun at Food Truck Friday, including entree and dessert food trucks, a DJ, games, and activities! Food Truck Friday will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and there are no admission or parking fees. Parking is available at the Mason Street parking deck and Cumming City Hall. 

(Reminder: Pilgrim Mill Road from Pirkle Ferry Road to School Street, and School Street from Mason Street to Pilgrim Mill, will be closed for Food Truck Friday from approximately 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Traffic will be detoured via Dahlonega Street and Ingram Avenue.) 

Council Recognizes June 7th as Gun Violence Awareness Day
Mayor Troy Brumbalow and City Council presented a proclamation to Moms Demand Action-Forsyth during the regular meeting on May 21st, recognizing June 7, 2019 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in the City of Cumming. The proclamation supports the wearing of orange on this day as a way to raise awareness of gun violence, honor the memory of gun-violence victims who lost their lives, while also supporting Second Amendment rights, local law enforcement officers and responsible gun ownership as ways to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals and keep communities safe. 

Among other business during the April meeting and work session, City Council:   
  • Approved an annexation and rezoning of approximately three acres for construction of an assisted living/senior care complex, and an annexation of just under one acre at the request of the residential property owner. 
  • Heard a presentation regarding I.T. Simple, an app that would link all City social media and website posts about meetings, events, etc. with other information about the area such as local businesses and restaurants. Council tabled a decision about whether or not to enter into an agreement with the company until a cost estimate could be provided at a future meeting. 
  • Approved an amendment to the Downtown Development Authority Map to include the site of the future Cumming City Center, located between Hwy. 20 West and Sawnee Drive. 
  • Approved alcohol licenses for Big D's BBQ and Izumi Asian Bistro, two new restaurants which will soon be opening within the City Limits. 
  • Approved a one-year lease agreement with Cumming Cigar, LLC for the business to open a cigar shop inside the City's Sinclair Gas Station building at a rent of $1,325/month. Whenever the lease is terminated, Cumming Cigar will be responsible for returning the building to the exact condition it was in before the lease was executed. 
  • Approved an update to the City's Zoning Ordinance to amend zoning districts and the zoning map following a public hearing in which no spoke for or against the update. 
  • Approved the low bid from Eddie's Refrigeration for purchase of a new ice machine for use by the Street Department at a cost of $5,600. 
  • Approved some minor changes to the Cumming Flood Prevention Ordinance which were required by the Georgia EPD.  
  • Approved a request to advertise for bids for the Kelly Mill Branch Gravity Sewer Replacement and Kelly Mill Branch Stream Restoration Project. The sewer line will be removed first to make way for the stream mitigation project, which will return this stream to a more natural pattern. This work will be completed in advance of the City Center project. 
  • Approved the low bid from TYBE Company, LLC in the amount of $563,500 for installation of replacement culverts under Hickory Knoll. 
Cumming Farmers Market Back at Fairgrounds Through Sept. 28th
A summertime favorite returned to the Cumming Fairgrounds' parking lot on Saturday, June 1 and will be there every Wednesday and Saturday through Sept. 28th. Featuring a wide range of locally grown produce, as well as local products such as meats, cheeses, eggs, breads, jams, jellies, honey and art pieces, the Cumming Farmers Market begins at 6:30 a.m. and lasts until vendors sell out (typically around 11 a.m.). Come early to get the best pick of all the fresh goodies! Learn more about the  Cumming Farmers Market here . 

Junior Lifeguard Camps Open June and July at the Aquatic Center
Do you have a young swimmer at home? One who's interested in learning more about team work, leadership, and helping others? The Cumming Aquatic Center may have the perfect fit! The CAC will again offer its Junior Lifeguard camps this summer, with one-week sessions in June and July. This camp is for ages 11 to 14, and campers must be able to meet some prerequisite swimming, floating, and fitness skills to be eligible to participate. For complete information, click here! 

Free Septic Tank Maintenance Workshop on June 6th at City Hall
Cumming Utilities and the Forsyth County Health Department will present a free Septic Tank Maintenance Workshop on Thursday, June 6, at 2 p.m. in the first-floor meeting room of City Hall (100 Main Street). Presenters will provide free reference materials and answer questions. To RSVP to attend or for more information, email [email protected]; however, an RSVP is not required to attend. 
Coming Soon
 
To the Cumming Fairgrounds

To the Cumming Aquatic Center 

To Tam's School Street Playhouse

 
Meetings
  • City of Cumming Youth Council - June 4 at 5 p.m. 
  • City Council Work Session (Gallery B, Second Floor of City Hall) - June 4 at 6 p.m. 
  • Planning & Zoning Board - June 18 at 5 p.m.  
  • City Council Regular Meeting - June 18 at 6 p.m. 
All meetings are open to the public and held in the third-floor Council Chambers at City Hall, 100 Main Street, unless otherwise noted. For all meetings after 5 p.m., please enter through the rear parking lot entrance. Click here for previous meeting videos. 
Click here for City Council Agendas and Minutes.

Stay cool during the hot months of summer! 

 

Sincerely,   
City of Cumming
Division of Public Information
  

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