🌱 Fulton County Will Manage Elections + Riverside Sounds Returns

Hey, neighbors, Happy St. Partick's Day! It's me, Jessica Griffin, your host of the Roswell Patch newsletter. Here's all the community news you need to know right now. Today you'll learn about these stories and more:

• Councilmembers meet outside City Hall in an effort to follow-up more
• The Abilene quartet is coming to town
• An author talk with Lynn Cullen

But first, today's weather:

The rain is back...Cloudy with a couple of thunderstorms here and there. High: 60 Low: 35.

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I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

Here are the top four stories in Roswell today:

1. Officials from the City of Roswell have announced their decision to continue allowing Fulton County to oversee its municipal elections this upcoming November. The spent the last two months deciding whether to carry on with their relationship with the county regarding elections, or establish a process for self-administration. One of the possibilities was to enter into a multi-city contract with the cities of Milton, Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Mountain Park that would allow for one superintendent to be hired to manage their municipal elections. Roswell is not the only city, however, to come to this resolution. Johns Creek, decided to delay their initiative for self-run municipal elections until 2025. The City of Roswell made this decision in concordance with Fulton County's March 31 deadline. (appenmedia.com)
2. The 23rd season of Roswell Riverside Sounds begins next month. This free outdoor concert series is held every fourth Saturday of the month from April through September. Various genres of music such as soul, Americana, indie rock, country western and blues are showcased. Artists from around the country will share their original music with Roswell. The first to perform will be the Austin, Texas musician, Zach Person. Person's infusion of indie rock, contemporary music and pop is said to "command an audience in seconds." The first concert will take place on Saturday, April 22 at Riverside Park. (roswellgov.com)
3. The music ensemble Abilene's concert of neo-classical music will be in Roswell this weekend. The quartet from Miami is known for its odd, uncommon, yet whimsical instrumentation and percussion by reinventing household objects into musical instruments. Joshua Spacht, the band's pianist and percussionist, gave an interview with WABE "City Lights " host, Lois Reitzes to discuss this weekend's performance. Abilene will be coming to the Roswell Cultural Arts Center on Saturday, March 18. (wabe.org)
4. An in-the-field workshop was held by city council on March 10 at Roswell River Landing. Councilmembers took questions from reporters who were in attendance. The three-hour meeting was opened at 8:00 AM by Mayor Kurt Wilson. In addition to the council, Jeffrey Leatherman, the director of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs and Appen Media were also present at the workshop. This offsite meeting is a part of the city's ambition to meet more often and to “continue to follow up” after city's retreat last month in Opelika, Alabama and to allow more opportunities for the press to have open access to city government. Director Leatherman also gave a detailed update on how the $107.6 million bond for pedestrian, bicycle, sidewalk paths, parks and recreation will be used. (appenmedia.com)

Today in Roswell:

• St. Patrick's Day at Alessio's - Alessio's Restaurant and Pizzeria (11:00 AM)
• Music at Gigi's Playhouse - GiGi's Playhouse Atlanta (11:00 AM)
• Mascogo Taco Food Truck - Variant Brewing Company (11:00 AM)
• Friday Live Music - Bambinelli's Italian Restaurant (3:00 PM)
• Paws on the Patio, Saint Patrick’s Adoptions - Bayou'Q on Canton St. (5:00 PM)
• St. Patricks Day Suburban Angst to benefit CHOA - Oak Street Bottle Shop (6:00 PM)
• Dinner & Show Feat. Noah Cothern Unplugged - Saucy Roswell (6:00 PM)
• Acoustic set w/ Jordan Denton - Rock N' Taco Roswell (6:00 PM)
• St. Patrick's Day Party w/ Magnolia Express - From the Earth Brewing (6:00 PM)
• Live Music w/ Frankie Lisco - Lola's Burger and Tequila Bar (6:00 PM)
• Jason Smith Live - Wegman's Bayou Louisiana Kitchen (6:00 PM)
• Special Friends Club - RISE coffee & tea (7:00 PM)
• Tarot Throwdown w/ Azalea - Eclipse Over Roswell (7:00 PM)
• Irish Song and Dance - Roswell UMC (8:00 PM)
• Band X Live - Rock 'N' Taco Roswell (9:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Hembree Springs Elementary: Katha Hall Stuart, the District 1 Board of Education Representative at Fulton County Schools is making her rounds through the district this week. She visited Hembree Springs Elementary to celebrate 2023 School Board Appreciation Week. Fulton County BOE Rep Stuart was even given a Hembree Springs ES staff jacket. (Hembree Springs Elementary via Facebook)
• City of Roswell, Georgia Government: In the city's observance of Women’s History Month, one of Roswell’s women in leadership shared some of her life and business acumen for women in leadership. Sharon Izzo is the Director of the Environmental and Public Works department. In this video message, Izzo also lets viewers know who inspired her. (City of Roswell, Georgia Government via Facebook)
• Roswell Inc: Roswell Inc's next Virtual Coffee Connect will be on the morning of Friday, March 31. For the virtual format of this event, there will be breakout groups of 5-6 people for open networking time for two twenty minute sessions. Join the Roswell business and entrepreneurial community via Zoom for this free virtual networking event. (Roswell Inc via Instagram)
• Friends of the Roswell Library: The group, Atlanta Authors, will be bringing best-selling novelist Lynn Cullen to the city next month. On April 22, Cullen will be at the Roswell library to discuss her new book titled, The Woman With The Cure. This free author talk will also be streamed online, however, you must RSVP for the event. (Friends of the Roswell Library via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• Irish Song and Dance (March 17)
• 3hr Salsa Boot Camp at HDC Studio + Evening Latin Night Tonys Johns Creek (March 18)
• Saint Patrick's Weekend Latin Night @ Tonys Johns Creek Sat Mar 18th (March 18)
• Book Club with Angela Medley, Realtor: Start with Why by Simon Sinek (March 20)
• Social Security Seminar on March 22nd and 23rd at Gwinnett Technical College (March 22)
• High Revelry, a benefit for the High Museum Wine Auction (March 23)
• 3hr Bachata Boot camp Atlanta @ HDC Dance & Fitness Sat March 25, 2023 (March 25)
• John Stango Solo Artist Show (March 25)
• Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra - On Broadway! (March 25)
• Easter Family Fun Festival (April 9)
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Featured gigs & services:

• Masonry work (Details)
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Thanks for following along and staying informed. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!

— Jessica Griffin

About me: My name is Jessica Griffin and I am a native of Roswell, Georgia. I have been in the Roswell-Alpharetta community for over 30 years. As a native "Roswellian", I embody, participate, and support all things local. Community is at the core of all of us, and I aim to convey the collectiveness and unity that should be promoted and celebrated throughout our community. Being a mother, a writer, a student of history, and the arts are my passions.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Roswell Patch newsletter? Contact me at Roswell@Patch.com