🌱 Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration + New Smyrna Mayoral Candidate

Hello all. It's me, Danielle Fallon-O'Leary, your host of the Patch newsletter. Here's all the community news you need to know right now.

But first, today's weather:

Humid with a t-storm or two. High: 73 Low: 66.

From our partner:

Apple announced some big news at Tuesday's "Wonderlust" event! Click here for all the details.

Here are the top three stories today in Smyrna-Vinings:

1. Yesterday marked the first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month, and as part of the festivities, Smyrna will host a family-friendly Hispanic Heritage Celebration on Sep. 23. The event will feature a live DJ, performances, local Hispanic and Latino vendors, a movie screening, and beer and wine vendors. The event is free and will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the newly redesigned Village Green Park in downtown Smyrna. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
2. Political newcomer Ken Hymes launched his campaign for Smyrna mayor last week in an effort to unseat incumbent Mayor Derek Norton, who was first elected in 2019. Hymes, who has lived in Smyrna for 23 years, is a product manager at Warner Brothers Discovery in Atlanta. In his campaign launch event, Hymes cited issues with overfunding development downtown, in the Windy Hill corridor, and on South Cobb Drive, which impacts taxpayers. The election will take place on Nov. 7. (Cobb County Courier)
3. The City of Atlanta has partnered with the Georgia Department of Public Health to add COVID-19 PCR testing kiosks across Atlanta. Any resident or visitor in Atlanta will be able to visit the kiosks. The first location is located at Piedmont Park, and will be open from 6:00 a.m.– 11:00 p.m., seven days a week. The measure goes into place as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the state and country. (Metro Atlanta CEO)

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Today in Smyrna-Vinings:

Saturday, September 16

• Taste Of Smyrna At Downtown Smyrna (11:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• Interested in local history? Join the Smyrna Library on Monday, Sep. 18 for a free lecture by Dr. William Marchione titled, “A Developmental History of Smyrna, Georgia Part One." The two-part talk will examine Smyrna’s transformation from an agricultural village in the mid-19th century into the thriving commuter suburb of our day. (Friends of Smyrna Library via Facebook)
• “Miss Lillian," a one-act play about Lillian Carter, will be coming to the Smyrna Community Center on Oct. 17. The play, written by Carol Cook Puckett and performed by Elaine Hubbard, takes place in Plains, Georgia in 1978, when Lillian's son Jimmy was President of the United States. The play is free of charge and is supported by the Smyrna Library. (Friends of Smyrna Library via Facebook)
• Do you have a green thumb? Consider applying to be on next year's Smyrna Garden Tour. Submit an application online—decisions will be made based on location, diversity of gardens, and accessibility. (Keep Smyrna Beautiful via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• Atlanta Police Department Recruitment Event (September 16)
• Hispanic Heritage Food Testing (September 22)
• Microchip & Vaccination Clinic for Dogs & Cats - Low Cost (October 8)
• Add your event

You're all caught up for today. See you all soon for another update!

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a content manager with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.