Photo Album 2008
Santa, we’ve been very, very good
Santa Claus arrived in Suwanee via his tractor-pulled sleigh just in time for the December 6 Old Town Holiday Festival and Caboose Lighting. Several hundred people braved the chilly weather to enjoy performances of favorite holiday tunes by elementary school choruses, hot chocolate and s’mores, and, of course, some face time with Santa.
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A grand opening for a grand park
The City of Suwanee celebrated the opening of its newest park November 8. Sims Lake Park grand opening activities included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, story time, nature scavenger hunt, make your own trail mix, and crafts.
Located at Suwanee Dam and Tench roads, Sims Lake Park includes 62 idyllic acres and features a 7-acre lake, 1.2-mile looping trail, well-fed streamscape, playground area, picnic pavilion, and two 2-acre play meadows.
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25th Suwanee Day: ‘A good day’
For Belinda Jacobsen, Ale Trevino, and Katie Holmes, it was hard to pinpoint the best part of the 25th celebration of Suwanee Day – perhaps it was the opportunity to “see everybody” – but the area 13-year-olds had no trouble providing an abundance of adjectives to describe the September 20th festival. In their words, Suwanee Day 2008 was: Fun. Active. Crazy. Hyperness. Lots of people. Unique. Hectic. Playful. Friendly.
The weather – blue skies and mid-70-degree temperatures – was, well, perfect. As for the festival venue, jewelry exhibitor Christie Merrick says, “I couldn’t think of a nicer setting for a festival.” And, other exhibitors had yet another adjective for festival volunteers: Wonderful.
Mom and daughter Aubrey and Jesse Groves have made Suwanee Day a family tradition for nearly 20 years. Jesse, 19, particularly loves the parade, though shopping with mom rates highly as well. “We see some really unique things,” says Aubrey. “I love getting ideas for Christmas and doing some Christmas shopping early.”
Melissa Zanone of Suwanee has been coming to the festival for 12 years. She says that she enjoys “coming together as a community to celebrate and have a good day.”
Festival helps make life better for others
Life was particularly good in Suwanee June 14 when the City hosted its first-ever Life is good Festival. About 6,000 people came to Town Center Park throughout the day to participate in wacky and traditional backyard games, cheer on 18 contenders in the World’s Greatest Backyard Athlete competition, and enjoy a variety of musical performances.
The festival raised more than $10,000 for the Life is good Kids Foundation and Project Joy.
After fierce competition in Frisbee-throwing, bocce ball, watermelon seed spitting, backyard obstacle course, and homerun derby, Suwanee area resident Scott Dovel was crowned the World’s Greatest Backyard Athlete.
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 Photo by MANGO SEED GROUP/Jennifer O. Jones |
 Photo by MANGO SEED GROUP/Jennifer O. Jones |
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Tour de Georgia rolls through Suwanee
Stage 5 of the 2008 Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T took off from Suwanee Town Center Park Friday, April 25. About 120 muscular, colorfully-attired athletes, representing 15 teams and 26 countries, departed Town Center Park and passed by Level Creek Elementary School on their 133.4-mile journey to Dahlonega. The seven-stage route across Georgia totaled nearly 600 miles.
The 2008 Tour de Georgia lived up to its reputation as North America’s premier professional cycling event and rolling festival. Activities in Suwanee included the week-long Tour de Suwanee Creek Greenway; a free concert and “the world’s largest outdoor spin class” the evening before; and a stunt bike demonstration and an opportunity for fans to meet riders in Autograph Alley the morning of the Stage 5 start.
Tour de Georgia photos taken by Lynne Bohlman DeWilde, Mac Hackney, Jack Harrington, Karen Lide, Suzee Northrup, Julie Perdue, Bill Thee, and Robin Walker.