🌱 Prepare For Disaster + Mayor's Challenge + Downtown Traffic Pattern

Good morning, everybody! Nina here with your fresh copy of the Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch newsletter, full of everything you need to know about what's going on locally. Including updates on:

• Community Preparedness 101 class signup.
• The mayor has a challenge for the young ones.
• A refresher on the new traffic pattern downtown.

But first, today's weather: Humid; an afternoon thunderstorm. High: 84 Low: 60.

Shoutout to the awesome local business that keeps this newsletter running:

Attention music lovers! Don't miss out on The Roswell Music Festival, a one-day, ticketed event on Saturday May 20th. This exciting festival will take place in Historic Downtown Roswell, featuring six amazing bands, tent vendors, and local businesses serving up delicious food and drinks. You won’t want to miss original and tribute bands covering classic rock, soul, funk, country and blues music — including the incredible talents of GRAMMY®-nominated powerhouse Southern Avenue, End of the Line, Funk You, Frankly Scarlet, The Highwaymen Show, and TROY. Tickets are on sale now!

Want to see your business featured in this spot? Click here to get started.

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

1. The Cherokee Office of Emergency Management and Cherokee E 9-1-1 are holding free Community Preparedness 101 classes this and next month. The evening classes will help participants protect their property in cases of severe weather and other disaster situations through topics like the different types of weather threats and hazards that occur in our area, the hazards and history of occurrences, the alerts and notifications used in the county and how to create a plan and a "ready kit." Participants will also get a look into how the E 9-1-1 Center works and how calls are handled. You can register here for the Woodstock class at The Chambers at City Center on May 31, from 6-7:30 p.m. There will also be two classes held in Canton and one in Waleska over the next two months. (Cherokee GA Communications Division)
2. It's the perfect time of year for going out and about in Woodstock, and with that in mind, the mayor has just released the "Mayor's Summer Fun Challenge" for kids of all ages. The challenge full of things to keep the kids outside and in the fresh air, there's a challenge card to download that lists the activities. You can find the card at the link, there are a ton of activities for the kids to take part in, like going fishing in Dupree Lake, visiting the Swallowtail Butterfly Garden, enjoying a special story time downtown and more. Prizes will be given for those that complete 10, 25 and 40 items. (Woodstock GA News)
3. If you're still a bit turned around with the new traffic patterns downtown, the City of Woodstock has posted a nice graphic to help out. Also of note, the city does have free shuttles around the area during concerts and other events — take advantage of those when you can, they're great. You can see the picture at the link, but remember, Mill Street is now a two-way road, now you can turn left onto Main Street from Towne Lake Parkway, there is no left turn from Main Street onto Towne Lake Parkway and East Main Street is permanently closed between Wheeler Street and Arnold Mill Road. (City of Woodstock via Facebook)
4. With the weather warming up, it's important to remember that the heat outside can raise the temperature inside a vehicle drastically, and seemingly every year, children fall victim to heat-related car deaths. It is reported that the interior temperature can raise around 20 degrees in as little as 10 minutes. What can we do? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) educates the public about the danger and reminds caregivers to check the back seat whenever you drive and to never leave a child in the car, even with the windows down. You can find more information from the NHTSA about heatstroke safety here. (Cherokee Fire & Emergency Services via Facebook)
5. The Cherokee County Animal Shelter has puppies, and they're available early! The litter is absolutely adorable, you can see the pups and all adoptable animals here. Instead of the regular Saturday adoption day, they are all available today at 10 a.m. You'll follow the regular adoption procedures for the shelter. Scan the QR code posted on their front door, it will become active at a random time. Once the code is active, you'll have the option of checking in to put yourself in the virtual line. The adoption fee includes the animal's spay or neuter, heartworm and leukemia testing, initial vaccinations, deworming, flea preventative and microchip. (Cherokee County Animal Shelter via Facebook)

Today in Woodstock-Towne Lake:

• Storytime at the Park: The special story time today will be held on the Event Green downtown, located at 111 Elm St. The event will feature stories, songs and fun. Children must be accompanied by an adult. (11 a.m. - noon)
• American Red Cross Community Blood Drive: You can make an appointment at the link for the blood drive at the R.T. Jones Memorial Library, 116 Brown Industrial Parkway in Canton. Donors will receive a $10 gift card. (11 a.m. - 4 p.m.)
• Karen White In-person Event: Your book purchase is your ticket to the book launch today, you can order a copy of "The House on Prytania" here to be picked up at the shop or shipped to you. The event will be held at FoxTale Book Shoppe, 105 E Main St., Suite 138. (6:30 p.m.)
• Music Bingo: Hosted by Lights Up! Entertainment every Tuesday at Truck & Tap, 8640 Main St. (7:30 - 10 p.m.)
• Mario Kart Tournament: All ages welcome, prizes for first, second and third place at The Blue Ghost Arcade, 164 Towne Lake Parkway. (8 - 10:30 p.m.)
• RPG Night: New players welcome, please make a reservation on the arcade's Meetup page to ensure your spot. The admission fee includes unlimited gaming until midnight, the arcade address is 164 Towne Lake Parkway. (8 - 11 p.m.)
• MadLife Grill Patio Stage - free shows, no ticket needed
  • Open Mic Night — You can sign up for a spot here. (6 - 9 p.m.)
• MadLife Stage & Studios
  
  • Undiscovered Artist Showcase — A Monthly Spotlight on 6-8 Rising Musicians (7:30 p.m.)

In partnership with T-Mobile:

Do you know an incredible mom you'd like the rest of Woodstock-Towne Lake to know about, too? We want to hear about her! Just fill out this simple form and we'll do the rest. And if you’re looking for some inspiration, have a look at these awesome moms!

From my notebook:

• If you love gardening and are a fan the ecosystem around us, Woodstock Parks and Recreation is sharing information on certifying your personal garden as a Pollinator Garden. The certification is for those that want to save the butterflies, bees, moths and other pollinators and have worked to provide a habitat for them, then this is for you. You can fill out an application at the link, as of right now it seems there are only a handful certified in Woodstock. If you'd like more information, please reach out to Jamey Snyder at jsnyder@woodstockga.gov. (Woodstock Parks and Recreation)
• Cherokee Recreation & Parks is holding a Cake Decorating 2.0 class on June 6 at the WREC. The class is for ages 6 and up and will go over finishing a cake with buttercream, basic fondant and piping techniques and cake stacking. The class will meet from 5:30-7:30 p.m., The WREC address is 7545 Main St., Building 200. If that day or time doesn't work for you, the class will also be held June 10 and Aug. 15. You can register here. (Cherokee Recreation & Parks)
• Looking for a new job? Take a look at some of the latest career opportunities the Woodstock-Towne Lake area has to offer. There are all kinds of customer service positions waiting to be staffed, warehousing jobs are there too. In fact, everything from truck driving to sales to consulting, there's a bit of everything. Take a chance, you'll do great! (Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch)
• Downtown Woodstock: "Woodstock Arts 'Art On the Green' is Saturday, May 13 & Sunday, May 14 on the Woodstock Arts Event Green. Local artists from around North GA will gather on the Event Green to display their art which includes paintings, mixed media, photography, hand-crafted jewelry, eccentric gifts... and MUCH more!" (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:

• Here Comes the Sun: Music of the Beatles (May 12)
• You're Invited to a House Party! (May 13)
• Mother's Day BeltLine Food and Street Art Tour (May 13)
• Veteran Block Party! Veterans eat free! (May 20)
• Cherokee County Alzheimer's Community Forum (May 25)
• Add your event

You're all caught up for today! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with a new update.

— Nina Lightcap

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