🌱 Contractor Chosen For City Center Improvements + Early Voting Info

Hey, Woodstock-Towne Lake! I'm here in your inbox this morning to tell you everything you need to know about what's going on in town. In today's issue, we'll cover these stories and more...

• 🚧 Approval reached for City Center contractor.
• 🗳️ Early voting locations, dates and times.
• 🚒 Job openings were posted at CCFES.

But first, your daily weather:

• Saturday: Sunny to partly cloudy. High: 51 Low: 31.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny and chilly. High: 48 Low: 26.

Here are the top four stories today in Woodstock-Towne Lake:

1. The Woodstock City Center improvement plan is officially underway with the Woodstock City Council approving an agreement with a contractor for the public portions of the project, to include the extension of Chambers Street and construction of a 647-space parking deck. The total improvement area will be the four acres at the corner of East Main Street and Arnold Mill Road, including the site where Ace Hardware stood until recently. Construction for the Chambers Street extension could begin early next year, and the parking deck construction is predicted to start in the fall of next year. The final center plan includes a hotel, conference center, retail and restaurant buildings. (Subscription: Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News)
2. 97.1 The River is holding a donation event today to benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The River Stomps Out Hunger event will collect frozen turkeys, boxed stuffing, boxed mashed potatoes, canned cranberry sauce, canned sweet potatoes and canned corn. The first 25 people to donate a frozen turkey will receive two tickets to the current Cirque de Soleil show, KURIOS - Cabinet of Curiosities. Head over to the Publix at 12165 Highway 92 to support the food bank. (9 a.m. - noon)
3. Early voting in Cherokee County for the December 6 runoff is taking place from November 28 - December 2, 8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. daily. You can put your ballot into an indoor drop box or vote in person during voting hours at the Elections Warehouse, 400 East Main Street, in Canton or the South Cherokee Annex, 7545 Main Street, Building 200, in Woodstock. An additional early voting in-person location is Grace Community Church, 7770 Hickory Flat Highway. This recently added third location does not have a drop box. (Atlanta News First and Cherokee GA Votes)
4. Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services (CCFES) is hiring! There are several openings for support positions throughout the agency, including a warehouse specialist position within the Logistics Division, a Fire Inspector and a Plans Examiner within the Fire Marshal's Office and a handful within the Training Division. If you'd like to see the full list of available jobs, head over to their website here. (Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services)

Today and tomorrow in Woodstock-Towne Lake:

Today

• Farm. Fresh. Market. is a great place to find lots of locally grown and created products, all in one spot. The market will be open every Saturday on Market Street in Downtown Woodstock until December 31. (8:30 - noon)
• 'Tis the Season to be Green! Recycling & Paper Shredding Event: presented by Woodstock Parks and Recreation. Items accepted free of charge include electronics, batteries, cell phones and more. Items accepted for a fee include televisions for $25, projection televisions for $40, CRT monitors for $10 and LCD monitors with broken screens for $5. You can view the entire list of accepted items here. Bring your items to the parking lot of Woodstock Elementary School, 230 Rope Mill Road. This is a cash-only, drive-through event - the team will unload your items for you. (9 a.m. - 1 p.m.)
• Yoga On Tap: the beginner yoga session includes a free pint or coffee, please bring a mat and water. The class fee can be paid at the door of Reformation Brewery, 105 Elm Street. (10 - 11:30 a.m.)
• Themed Adult Book Club: all adults are welcome. November's theme is "N," you can read any book with a title starting with the letter "N" and share your thoughts during the meeting at the Woodstock Library, 7735 Main Street. (10:30 a.m. - noon)
• Holiday Pop-Up Shop: food samples, local artists, crafters, vendors, products and services to purchase and a free wine tasting at Leaning Ladder, 105 East Main Street. (11 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
• Woodstock Arts Video Game Tournament - Madden 23: the tournament starts at noon and will be played on the PS5. Game play will run all day on the Event Green downtown, finishing up with Saturday Night College Football viewing. If you'd like to play, you can sign up for a spot here. (noon)
• Cars & Faith Car Show: all types of cars will be on display at the family-friendly event. Enjoy food trucks, a live DJ and a playground for the kids at First Baptist Church, 11905 Highway 92. (noon - 2 p.m.)
• Viola Shipman in-person event: presented by FoxTale Book Shoppe, the author will be on-hand discussing her new book "A Wish for Winter." You can purchase tickets here for the meet and greet being held at River Church, 2335 Sixes Road, Canton. (1 - 3 p.m.)
• Winter Wonderland LEGO Design Challenge: for children of all ages. Build fun, wintery creations at the Rose Creek Library, 4476 Towne Lake Parkway. (3 - 4 p.m.)
• Artisan Wine Tasting, Highlighting Thanksgiving Food Pairings: discover what wines will go best with your Thanksgiving menu at The Gifted Ferret, 1910 Eagle Drive, Suite 400. (5 - 7 p.m.)
• Charlotte's Web: performed at the Woodstock Arts Theatre, 8534 Main Street. (7:30 p.m.)
• The Trouble Tones: the blues band is playing live in The Listening Room at Rootstock, 8558 Main Street. (7:30 - 10 p.m.)
• Board Game Night with Mason: a great event for groups, have a fun evening learning about and playing the board game Catan at The Blue Ghost Arcade, 164 Towne Lake Parkway. (8 p.m.)
• Tragic Souls: playing live at Guston's Grille, 12195 Highway 92, Suite 156. (9:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.)
• MadLife Grill Patio Stage (free shows):
  • Casen Watson (11 a.m. - 2 p.m.)
  • Levi Ransom (2 - 5 p.m.)
  • Blackfoot Daisy (5 - 8 p.m.)
  • Eric Hogan Duo (8 - 11 p.m.)
• MadLife Stage & Studios:
  • Queen Nation - A Tribute to the Music of Queen (7 p.m.)
  • Nirvani - A Nirvana Tribute Experience (10 p.m.)

Tomorrow

• Charity Knife Sharpening Event: Tony from Y-Not Sharp will be available to sharpen your knives and shears. Bring two or more non-perishable food items and you'll receive 10% off the price of the service at Leaning Ladder, 105 E. Main Street. (11 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
• Canon Tyler: a brunch party with live music from Canon Tyler in The Listening Room at Rootstock, 8558 Main Street. (noon - 3 p.m.)
• Santa Sundays: visit with Santa in center court for a photo opportunity. Carolers will also be performing around the center at The Outlet Shoppes, 915 Ridgewalk Parkway. (1 - 5 p.m.)
• "Keeper of the Lost Cities" Book Release Event: free to attend and perfect for ages 8 and up. Activities include a Black Swan Scavenger Hunt, a chance to create your own Leaping Crystal bracelet, a Choose Your BFF button making craft, fan trivia and a selfie opportunity. You can order a copy of the book here, and the event will be held at the FoxTale Book Shoppe, 105 E. Main Street, Suite 138. (1:30 - 4:30 p.m.)
• Charlotte's Web: at the Woodstock Arts Theatre, 8534 Main Street - this is the last performance. (2:30 p.m.)
• MadLife Grill Patio Stage (free shows):
  • Al Urezzio (11 a.m. - 3 p.m.)
  • The Shetlands (3 - 6 p.m.)
  • Daniel Toole (6 - 9 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The Cherokee County Multi-Agency SWAT Team will have a new member soon. Officer John Hail graduated from the Atlanta Police Department's SWAT Level 1 training on Friday. Congratulations! (Woodstock Police via Facebook)
• The Cherokee County Animal Shelter is holding its regular Saturday adoption event this morning. All available animals can be seen online here. A QR code at the front door of the shelter will become active starting at 10 a.m. today, please scan the QR code to enter the "virtual line." The shelter adopts on a first come, first served basis, and animals can't be put on hold. The adoption fee includes the spay or neuter, heartworm and leukemia testing, initial vaccinations, deworming, flea preventative, microchipping and more. (Cherokee County Animal Shelter via Facebook)
• Santa has a stop scheduled at The Daily Draft on December 10, 1 - 3:30 p.m. There are limited spots available for this free event, so if you'd like to bring your child down for a visit with Santa, please register here before they're all sold out. (The Daily Draft via Facebook)
• Reminder: we will have freezing weather this weekend. Make sure to drip your faucets overnight, bring your pets inside and keep sink cabinets open when they are on an exterior wall. (The Weather Channel)
• Downtown Woodstock: "New Woodstock Hoodies now available at the Woodstock Visitors Center. Price $35 The Visitors Center is open Monday - Saturday, 10am-5pm, 8588 Main St." (Downtown Woodstock via Instagram)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday! I'll be in your inbox next week with your next update.

— Nina Lightcap

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Woodstock-Towne Lake Daily? Contact me at Woodstock@Patch.com