🌱 Dials Drive Fire + Air Quality Alert + Bells Ferry Trail Approval

Good morning, neighbors! It's me, Nina, your host of the Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch newsletter. Come along to find out everything you need to know about what's happening in town. Today you'll read about these stories and more:

• A residential fire shut down Dials Drive.
• It's another Code Orange day for us in Cherokee.
• A new trail along Bells Ferry Road gets the go-ahead.

Today's newsletter is sponsored by Michale Pena, Realtor at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Georgia Properties

The Realtor will see you now

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Now, today's weather:

Becoming cloudy. High: 80 Low: 57.

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

1. A home on Dials Drive was heavily damaged in a fire Wednesday night. Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services and Woodstock Fire & Rescue were called out to the fire just before 9 p.m. and saw fire and smoke coming from the home when they arrived. The residents were not inside the structure during the incident, and no injuries were reported. Dials Drive was shut down due to the fire and firefighting efforts, but travel was restored about three hours later. The cause of the fire is under investigation. (Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch)
2. For the second time this week, a Georgia Department of Natural Resources Air Quality Alert was posted by Woodstock Fire & Rescue. Our area is rated a Code Orange for today, with prolonged exposure considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. The air quality is likely to be unhealthy for children, those sensitive to ozone and those with heart or lung disease. Be sure to limit your outdoor activities if you fall into one of the sensitive groups. You can check the air quality on the official U.S. Air Quality Index website here. (Woodstock Fire & Rescue via Facebook)
3. Many of our local Cherokee County School District (CCSD) students received awards in a state literary competition. The Georgia Hight Schools Association State Literary Championships was the second win for the students, placing in the regional competitions earlier this year. Awards given to Sequoyah High School's team include first place for Girls Solo and International Extemporaneous Speaking, Argumentative Essay and Boys Solo. Cherokee High School students brought home first place for Duo Interpretation and second place for Essay Personal and Essay Literary Analysis. The teams and coaches will be recognized at the school board meeting on April 20. Congratulations, students! (Subscription: Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News)
4. The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners voted to award a $359,348 agreement to Thomas and Hutton Engineering Company to create the design plan for a trail to run along Bells Ferry Road. The trail will be 10-feet-wide and 3.5 miles, reaching Victory Drive and will provide pedestrian access from multi-family units to stores and businesses along Bells Ferry. The design phase alone is planned to take over a year, but there is no exact time estimate for the final plan delivery. (Subscription: Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News)
5. Looking for a rewarding way to honor the Earth Day spirit? Keep Cherokee Beautiful is holding a community cleanup day this Saturday. Those participating will meet up at the Kroger located at 6766 Hickory Flat Highway in Canton, the day will start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 11:30 a.m. The roadside cleanup will run along Batesville Road, from Highway 140 to Sugar Pike, and everyone is invited. Please wear long pants and sturdy shoes, and children must be accompanied by an adult. If you're interested, please reach out to twinkrunner@yahoo.com to give your RSVP. Garbage bags, trash pickers and vests will be provided. (Cherokee County GA via Facebook)
6. The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce is holding an Earth Day Recycling Event today. The event is free and open to the public and collections are taking place in the Chamber's upper parking lot at 3605 Marietta Highway. Items accepted include gardening pots and containers, rinsed aluminum beverage cans and electronic items like typewriters, scanners, toner cartridges, batteries, cell phones and more. If you have a car seat or athletic shoes you'd like to recycle, they're accepting those too. You can also bring your paper for shredding, but nothing with metal parts and there's a three-box limit. You can see a list of all accepted items and the charges for monitors, flat screen TVs and console or projection TVs at the link. (Cherokee Chamber of Commerce)

Today in Woodstock-Towne Lake:

• Neighborhood Garage Sale: the Sanctuary subdivision is holding garage sales throughout the neighborhood today and tomorrow. There is a list of participating addresses at the link, the subdivision is located just north of the Arnold Mill/North Arnold Mill intersection. (8 a.m. - 1 p.m.)
• Open Pickleball Play: open to county residents at The Buzz, 7345 Cumming Highway in Canton. (9 a.m. - 1 p.m.)
• Friday Flow Yoga: join instructor Melanie Pineda for an outdoor class at Trefoil Gardens, walk-ins are welcome. Proceeds go to food access initiatives in the community. The class will meet on the deck at the Kingsridge CoOp Meeting Space, 120 Bascomb Drive, please bring your outdoor mat, strap and sturdy blocks, if you have them. (12:30 p.m.)
• Basketball Open Gym: open to county residents at The Buzz, 7345 Cumming Highway in Canton. (1 - 6 p.m.)
• Rock Wall Climbing Zone: open to county residents ages 4 and up and 40-pounds and over at The Buzz, 7345 Cumming Highway in Canton. (3:30 - 6 p.m.)
• Drop-in STEM, Earth Day Grass Heads: plant seeds in a planter you make from recycled materials in recognition of Earth Day. For all ages, but children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. You can register here for the event at the Rose Creek Library, 4476 Towne Lake Parkway. (4:30 - 5:30 p.m.)
• Russ Still: the restaurant is open for the season, and Russ Still will be playing live at Sunset Grille, 1001 Victoria Landing Drive. (6 p.m.)
• Art On The Spot: local artists Samantha Kawesa, Tulani Kiara and Catherine Shope will create pieces of art in under three hours, the pieces will be raffled off at the end of the event at the Reeves House Visual Arts Center, 734 Reeves Street. (6 - 9 p.m.)
• Taylor Trivia: in celebration of Taylor Swift's new tour, head over to the R.T. Jones Memorial Library for teen trivia and lots of fun. The library is located at 116 Brown Industrial Parkway in Canton. (6:30 - 7:30 p.m.)
• Paint! with April Rain Studios: create a painting on canvas with a paint-by-number tutorial and learn the basics of color, value and the use of acrylic paint at Made Mercantile, 8636 Main Street. (7 - 9 p.m.)
• Top Shelf Wine Tasting: enjoy top-shelf wines with the option to add on gourmet charcuterie boards at The Gifted Ferret, 1910 Eagle Drive, Suite 400. (7 - 10 p.m.)
• Cotter Hill: the artist will be playing live at Rootstock, 8558 Main Street. (7 - 10 p.m.)
• DJ Queen: head up to the rooftop at PURE Taqueria for live music tonight, weather permitting, at 405 Chambers Street. (7 - 11 p.m.)
• The Legend of Georgia McBride: recommended for those 16 and older, catch the performance at the Woodstock Arts Theatre, 8534 Main Street. (7:30 p.m.)
• Rock Band Night: admission includes unlimited gaming all night, sign up to play Rock Band at the front counter. Play alone or with a team at The Blue Ghost Arcade, 164 Towne Lake Parkway. (8 p.m.)
• Kristin Tinsley: catch the live music tonight at Donovan's Irish Cobbler, 1025 Rose Creek Drive. (9 p.m. - 1 a.m.)
• DJ Karaoke: every Friday at Guston's Grille, 12195 Highway 92, Suite 156. (9:30 p.m.)
• Senior Center Programs - most classes and events are held at the William G. Long Senior Center (WGLSC), 223 Arnold Mill Road
  • Fit Over 50 - stretch and exercise with chair yoga, balance, bands, weights and core strength work every Wednesday and Friday at the WGLSC Activity Center Expansion. (9:30 - 10:30 a.m.)
• MadLife Grill Patio Stage - free shows, no ticket needed
  • Foster Greene Band (5 - 8 p.m.)
  • Steve Baskin & The Fourteens (8 - 11 p.m.)
• MadLife Stage & Studios
  • Friday: The Reflex - A Tribute to Duran Duran (7 p.m. and 9:55 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• This weekend would be a great time to check out TrailStory at Olde Rope Mill Park before it closes on April 30. For those with children, TrailStory is a wonderful walk and talk opportunity for you and the kids. Walk the Trestle Rock Trail for an interactive look at the book "Drawn Together" by Minh Li, as you walk, pages of the book will be posted along the trail on signs. On the other side of the sign you'll find a QR code to scan with your smartphone, the codes lead to questions about the book. The TrailStory project was created by the Sequoyah Regional Library System and Woodstock Parks and Recreation to give elementary school-aged children and their families a way to have fun reading and exploring our local trails together. (Woodstock Parks and Recreation)
• The Seis de Mayo Pub Crawl in Downtown Woodstock is coming up on May 6. The list of participating restaurants and bars has been released along with the specials they have for the event. Street corn, tacos, margaritas, empanadas and so much more. You'll get an entry form from the first establishment you visit, collect a stamp from each place you go, and when you get to five stamps, you can turn the entry in to any participating location to be entered to win prizes. Check the link for the full list of specials. (Visit Woodstock)
• If you're thinking about adding a furry friend to your family, take a look at the beautiful little ones looking for a family just like yours. Whether you're looking for a baby or a distinguished older pet, there are tons of local animals looking for a new home. Click the link to see what our area's shelters and rescues have to offer. (Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch)
• Downtown Woodstock: "Did you know the Woodstock Farm Fresh Market has expanded for 2023? The market will now feature additional vendors at Reformation Brewery’s backyard! The Woodstock Farm Fresh Market opens Saturday, April 22. Be sure to check out all the vendors on Market Street and Reformation's backyard." (Downtown Woodstock via Instagram)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Making Waves Salon & Brazilian Wax — (Visit website)
• Phoenix Flooring and More — (Visit Website)
• Add your business here

Featured events:

• Non-Profit Marketing Workshop - The Business of Saving Lives (April 21)
• 2023 Annual Atlanta Koi Club Auction (April 22)
• Veteran Block Party! Veterans eat free! (May 20)
• Add your event

Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll see you around!

— Nina Lightcap

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