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City of Cumming
E-News
October 2021
It's Back: The Cumming Country Fair & Festival Returns Oct. 7-17
Everybody's favorite fall event is back in 2021. The Cumming Country Fair & Festival returns Oct. 7-17 with all the great rides, games, food, attractions and concerts that our community loves!

Click here for your complete guide to the fair.

Discount tickets can be purchased online (click here) through Oct. 6th. After Oct. 6th, prices go from the advance price of $7 to $10 for all ages 11 and up (kids 10 and under are free). There will also be numerous admission and ride ticket specials throughout the course of the fair. Click here to view all the specials. We hope to see you at the fair!
Halloween Fun at the Fairgrounds: Haunt, Lantern Parade, Trunk or Treat
There's plenty of Halloween fun coming to the Fairgrounds in October. The House of Four Scythes Haunted Attraction returns to Horton Hall every night of the fair (Oct. 7-17), as well as two additional weekends (Oct. 22-23 and 29-30).

The haunted house benefits the American Cancer Society, which will also present a kid-friendly lantern parade on Oct. 23rd at 6:30 p.m. The Sawnee Association of the Arts/Cumming Arts Center has partnered with the American Cancer Society to provide easy lantern kits for anyone who may need help creating their lantern. These kits include the lantern, precut forms for easy decorating, and a carrying wand. The Arts Center also has separate LED lighting options for sale and use in any lantern. Come by the Arts Center to see the various designs and to pick up your kit. The Illuminating Life Lantern Parade begins at the Maple Street/Castleberry Road Parking Deck and will make its way on foot from the parking deck to the Cumming Fairgrounds' midway area.

Also on Oct. 23rd, the Forsyth County Fire Department will again present its annual Trunk or Treat event at the Fairgrounds from 6-9 p.m. Brings the kids out in costume to enjoy dozens of decorated trunks and booths with games, activities, educational information, and of course lots of candy!
City Center Update: Meet the Family
The Cumming City Center has begun announcing the businesses who will be joining our "family" through a special social media campaign: #familyfeature. As tenants officially sign their finalized lease agreements, they will be featured on the City Center's Facebook and Instagram pages with #familyfeature! Our first two tenants were announced in September: Pieces & Peaches, a fashion-fashion boutique, and Muse Cabin, a unique art and music studio. Be sure to follow @cummingcitycenter on Facebook and Instagram to see our tenant announcements! Click here to read more about Pieces & Peaches and here for more on Muse Cabin.
Municipal Election Update

Early voting opportunities for the Nov. 2nd City of Cumming General Election and Forsyth County Special Election begin this month.

Advance Voting will be held as follows:

  • Oct. 12-15, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Forsyth County Elections Office and City Hall
  • Oct. 16, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Forsyth County Elections Office and City Hall
  • Oct. 18-22, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Forsyth County Elections Office and City Hall
  • Oct. 23, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Forsyth County Elections Office, City Hall, Hampton Park Library, Sharon Springs Park Community Building, and Midway Park Community Building
  • Oct. 25-29, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Forsyth County Elections Office, City Hall, Hampton Park Library, Sharon Springs Park Community Building, and Midway Park Community Building.

On Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 2nd), all voters must vote at their assigned polling place. Nov. 2nd voting hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information about the upcoming election, click here.
Council Honors Cumming Utilities for Achieving WaterFirst Designation
Mayor Troy Brumbalow and City Council honored the Cumming Utilities Department during their regular meeting on Sept. 21st. The department recently received a WaterFirst Community Designation from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), following a lengthy application, review, and site visit process. The WaterFirst Community Designation qualifies Cumming Utilities to receive financial and other benefits from the State of Georgia, including:

  • A 1-percent interest rate reduction on any GEFA loans,
  • Eligibility for water-related project applications to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ Community Development Block Grant Program, and
  • Priority status for some grant programs administered by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD).

Only around 40 communities throughout Georgia have received WaterFirst status since the program began in 2003.

Cumming Utilities invited all their employees to attend the council meeting, where they were congratulated and praised for their hard work by the Mayor and City Council. GEFA presented the City with a plaque and road signs designating the City of Cumming as a WaterFirst Community.

During the September Work Session and Regular Meeting, City Council also:

  • Presented a proclamation honoring the Forsyth County Lions Club for their 60th anniversary. Mayor Brumbalow declared Sept. 25th as Forsyth County Lions Club Day.

  • Approved a 0.02-acre easement to increase the size of the existing Atlanta Gas Light easement along Castleberry Road in order to install a modular retaining wall and build a turning lane onto Buford Dam Road as part of the new extension's intersection.

  • Rescheduled the Nov. 2nd Work Session to Wednesday, Nov. 3rd due to the Municipal Election on Nov. 2nd.

  • Approved, in a 4-0 vote with Councilwoman Linda Ledbetter abstained, the low proposal from Watson Landscaping, Inc. for landscaping and irrigation at the Cumming City Center.

  • Approved the low proposal from North Georgia Pipeline for replacement of the Habersham Marina waterline.

  • Approved the low proposal from Onyx Blasting and Coating for renovation and repainting of the State Barn Road Elevated Water Storage Tank.

  • Approved the proposal from Layer3 Communications for a five-year Fortinet Upgrade Solution for installation of advanced cybersecurity hardware and software to protect Cumming Utility's 21 sites.

  • Following Executive Session after the Sept. 7th Work Session, voted to approve, in a 4-0 vote with Councilwoman Linda Ledbetter absent, the sale of 7.58 acres on Aquatic Circle to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
Catch Up with Mayor Troy

Cumming Mayor Troy Brumbalow gives updates on the Cumming City Center, Buford Dam Road Extension, and results of the 2nd Annual Back the Blue Softball Tournament in the third quarter 2021 Mayor's Memo! Click here to read the latest edition, and here to read past editions.
SAA Arts Center Upcoming Events
The Cumming Arts Center is offering several events this month:

Illuminate Life Lantern Parade Kits - Stop by the Cumming Arts Center (111 Pilgrim Mill Road) to view the various options and pick up your kit. Hours are Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Historic Brannon-Heard House Ghost Tour - In partnership with Inner Light Paranormal, Sawnee Association of the Arts will host a ghost tour at the Brannon-Heard House, built in 1907, on Oct. 15th and Nov. 5th, beginning at 7:30 p.m. each night. Cost is $40/person; click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Exhibit and Sale - A juried art show and sale of SAA members' works is currently being held at the Art Center through Nov. 19th. The Center is open Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Winners of the show included: Best of Show - Phil Winter's "Thunder Near Window, AZ" (photo); First Place 2D - Ruby Bagby's "Jonquil & Snail" (oil); First Place 3D - Allen Money's "Norfolk Island Fine Bowl" (wood work); and First Place Photography - Janet Winter's "All Aboard" (photo). Click here to view photos of the winning entries.
MEETINGS
Youth Council Meeting - Oct. 5 at 5 p.m.

City Council Work Session - Oct. 5 at 6 p.m.

Planning & Zoning Board Meeting - Oct. 19 at 5 p.m.

Regular City Council Meeting - Oct. 19 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.
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