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Concerts and council elections
Friday, July 17 — This is Hayden with my weekly Friday newsletter on Norcross. I spent last weekend in southern Maine and Boston for a high-school friend’s wedding. My return to Georgia’s humidity is only comforted by New Englanders’ tales of their eight-month winter.
🌍 This week, we published a cool story about the Consulate General of France in Atlanta recently presenting the grandchildren of a World War I veteran with his dog tag, discovered by a French citizen walking his dog last fall. The story of Hilliard Chastain’s dog tag kicks off the newsletter below.
🚂 Norcross has its own WWI history. The U.S. Army built the 700-acre Norcross Rifle Range seven miles northeast of the former Camp Gordon site. Valerie Biggerstaff’s blog, Past Tense GA, is one of metro Atlanta’s best sources of local history, with new stories uncovered weekly. Today, the site of the rifle range is the Sheffield Forest neighborhood off Norcross-Tucker Road.
⬇️ Quick round-up of things to know:
🚫 Tomorrow morning’s Coffee with Council is canceled.
🗓️ Next week’s Norcross City Council policy work session has been rescheduled to Aug. 3 at 6:30 p.m. due to a lack of quorum. A previously slated Aug. 3 regular meeting is now on Aug. 10.
🎵 The city’s summer concert series continues tonight from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. with a performance from Guardians of the Jukebox at Thrasher Park.
Now on to some stories,
😎 Hayden
⚽ When the matches end, the dining begins. After cheering on your favorite teams across Atlanta, savor the city’s best tables during Buckhead Restaurant Week, July 27 through Aug. 1. More than 50 restaurants serve exclusive prix-fixe menus. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
French consulate returns WWI dog tag to veteran’s family in Atlanta
🇫🇷 The Consulate General of France in Atlanta presented Hilliard Chastain’s family with his World War I dog tag on July 13 in celebration of Bastille Day and 250 years of friendship between France and the United States.
Delphine Jeroudi, communications and press officer at the Consulate General of France in Atlanta, said the rare reunification of a WWI veteran’s family with his dog tag is “a meaningful reminder of the enduring solidarity and bond between our two nations.”
Last fall, French citizen Olivier Bena found Hilliard Chastain’s WWI dog tag on top of a hill while walking his dog outside Jussarupt, a small village in the Vosges Mountains in northeastern France.
🇺🇸 Read how the artifact was returned to Chastain’s family here.
Stomp Grapes at Crush Fest 2026!
SPONSORED BY YONAH MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS
🎉 Join us at Yonah Mountain Vineyards for our annual Crush Fest, Sat., Aug. 29.
🍇 Experience the excitement of traditional grape stomping with live music and food trucks all day long. Sip our award-winning wines while enjoying beautiful views of the mountains. It is the perfect summer day out for wine lovers and families alike.
🍷 Grab your tickets now before they sell out and get ready to make some unforgettable memories.
Residents to vote for new city council member in November
🏛️ Norcross is holding a special election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to fill the unexpired term previously held by Marshall Cheek, who passed away in June after a long fight with cancer.
All seats on the Norcross City Council, including the mayor and five members, are elected at-large and serve four-year terms. That means all eligible voters inside the city limits can vote for a new council member this November.
Because Cheek’s term was set to expire in January 2028, his successor on the city council will serve through the end of next year.
🗳️ Read how to qualify for a council seat this November here.
⚽ When the matches end, the dining begins. After cheering on your favorite teams across Atlanta, savor the city’s best tables during Buckhead Restaurant Week, July 27 through Aug. 1. More than 50 restaurants serve exclusive prix-fixe menus. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Applications open for new Norcross citizen academy
🙋 The Norcross Academy of Citizen Engagement is a way to introduce residents to a wide variety of city departments at various facilities, including the Public Works outpost on Lively Avenue and the new public safety building.
“Strong communities are built by informed and engaged citizens,” Mayor Craig Newton said. “Norcross ACE is an opportunity for residents and business owners to better understand how their city operates while discovering new ways they can help shape Norcross’ future.”
The Academy of Citizen Engagement is free to attend and includes a weekly dinner with city staff and program participants. The inaugural class is set to meet weekly from Sept. 17 to Oct. 29.
♻️ Read more about the city’s citizen academy here.
Spotlight a Norcross community member making a difference
👋 The city’s postcard-style “Greetings From Norcross” mural along Wingo Street shows off some incredible local history and community pride.
It has legends like Jonathan Norcross, the city’s namesake and the “Father of Atlanta”; WWI veteran Noye Nesbit; and Lum Howell, cofounder of Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church.
Among Norcross residents, which “living legend” or community pillar do I need to interview? Who is making a difference in the city? What organization isn’t celebrated enough?
📨 Let me know who I should reach out to via email.
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