🎸 First Friday Concert kickoff
Friday, Oct. 2 — Hey, it’s Hayden with my weekly Norcross newsletter. It’ll be a bit rainy this weekend.
The Falcons are giving me hope again after an abysmal 0-2 start without quarterback Michael Penix. Atlanta plays in New Orleans on Monday Night Football, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Saints’ return to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. (I remember that one.)
Norcross likes a concert series, and the city has another one starting tonight with 7 Sharp 9, a trio of Atlanta-based musicians led by Chris Wold. The First Friday Concert series is monthly from 7-9 p.m. inside the Norcross Cultural Arts and Community Center.
In slightly unsettling news, WSB-TV is reporting that a cat tested positive for rabies after attacking a couple of people last week southeast of Norcross along Jimmy Carter Boulevard. Keep your eyes peeled for attack cats.
⬇️ Quick roundup of things to know:
🏫 Gwinnett County Public Schools is pausing its planned redistricting process. The district plans to gather community feedback next spring, according to new Superintendent Alexandra Estrella. The announcement also says GCPS will continue to study enrollment patterns and monitor facility capacity
🎨 The Norcross Art Splash Festival kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday, bringing more than 100 vendors from across the country to Thrasher Park. Sunday, the festival’s second day, was cancelled due to rain. To accommodate the festival and event setup, parking areas around the park and surrounding streets will close at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 2.
⛲ The city and Live Healthy Gwinnett’s monthly Day of Play at Lillian Webb Park is Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 5-6 p.m., with interactive games and activities.
🏛️ The debate forum for the Nov. 3 special election to fill the unexpired term of Marshall Cheek is on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Norcross Cultural Arts & Community Center. The candidates are former Mayor Bucky Johnson and former Council Member Jeffrey Allen.
Have a great weekend,
🖖 Hayden
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Spirits of the Season brings Halloween fun to Norcross
🎃 Norcross announced a slate of Halloween-themed activities, including trick-or-treating, festivals, seasonal movies, and haunted tours, starting in mid-October and running through the end of the month.
The city’s official Spirits of the Season lineup kicks off on Oct. 22 with Witches Night Out throughout the historic downtown district and culminates in a Día de los Muertos Festival at Thrasher Park on Oct. 30.
The Saturday before Halloween, downtown Norcross is hosting the Deutsche Klassic German Car Show followed by trick-or-treating at various businesses and restaurants.
🍂 Read more about end-of-October events here.
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Norcross voters have until Oct. 5 to register for the November election
🍑 The last day for Georgia residents to register to vote or update their address for the November general election is Oct. 5 . Voters must be registered by the deadline to cast a midterm ballot.
This year, Norcross residents need to vote separately in the city’s special election for a council seat and the general election for county, state, and federal office.
Because Norcross offers early voting at city hall, and the county has several sites available before Nov. 3, eligible voters shouldn’t have to visit two polling places in one day.
🗽 Read more about Gwinnett County elections here.
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Gwinnett’s ARTober celebrates its 10th anniversary
🎉 ARTober in Gwinnett turns 10 this year. It’s also taking art beyond traditional spaces — into a brewery, onto town greens, and inside a former bank drive-through.
For all 31 days of October, the goal is to highlight the arts and cultural experiences already happening across Gwinnett, said Madison Chucci, senior community development manager at Explore Gwinnett. Ten years in, the approach has changed.
“It’s not just about telling people where they can go see art anymore,” she said. “We’re really trying to bring art to people and make it something they can experience, interact with, and be a part of.”
🎨 Read more about what’s in-store across Gwinnett here.
Residents can clear out unwanted items at Norcross recycling event
♻️ Norcross is giving residents a chance to clear out unwanted items at its recycling and disposal event on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 8 a.m. to noon at Norcross Public Works, 345 Lively Avenue.
For this year’s Norcross Cleanup and Recycle Day, participants need to enter the property from Buford Highway via Cemetery Street and exit from Lively Avenue.
The event will accept materials for secure document shredding, electronics recycling, scrap metal recycling, single-stream recycling, glass recycling and bulk disposal.
🚮 Read more about day-of logistics and volunteering here.
