Atlanta Galleria Now

Galleria Chat: May 31, 2012

The Galleria Chat appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat provides a hearty helping of stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado …

Small Businesses of the Year. The Cobb Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Small Businesses of the Year Awards on June 4 as part of its First Monday Breakfast.

The ceremony will unveil the Top 25 Small Businesses of the Year, an overall Small Business of the Year winner and the Small Business Hall of Fame inductees. A panel of independent judges selects the Businesses of the Year.

The awards begin at 7:30 a.m. Admission is $60 for the general public and $40 for Chamber members.

Chenoweth in Concert. In a rare concert appearance, Emmy Award- and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth comes to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on June 22.

Chenoweth will debut songs from her latest album, titled “Some Lessons Learned,” and will also perform some of her other Broadway show tunes. The show starts at 8 p.m.

Tickets start at $37 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Those purchased through Ticketmaster will include additional fees.

GR8 Technology Conference. Technology enthusiasts should look forward to Microsoft’s GR8 Atlanta SharePoint Conference at 8 a.m. on June 26 at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

The conference will provide presentations and session tracks designed to address the technology and business issues confronting company executives, project managers, IT staff and developers.

Registration is $149. Pre-register now for a chance to win an Xbox 360.

Summer Music. Summer’s here and that means it’s time to get outside and enjoy some local music. The city of Smyrna’s Summer Concert Series kicks off on Saturday, June 9, at the Village Green with a performance by The Mustangs. The group specializes in Top 40 and classic-rock hits from the past 40 years.

The show is slated to run 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is free to the public. Other concerts in the series are scheduled for July 14 and August 4.

Meanwhile, Galleria workers living in the Marietta area can look forward to the Glover Park Concert Series, which continues on Friday, June 29, from 8 to 10:30 p.m. with a performance by China Grove, a Doobie Brothers Tribute Band.

Galleria Chat: May 24, 2012

The Galleria Chat appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat provides a hearty helping of stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado …

Perry Takes the Stage. Local Tyler Perry fans have lots to look forward to in early June. That’s when two plays by the movie comedy director and actor will visit the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

Perry’s “Madea Gets a Job,” which chronicles his famous comedic character Madea as she works in a retirement home, will be performed at the center on June 6-7. “The Haves and Have Nots,” a comedy that details one family’s struggle to make ends meet, will be at the center on June 8-9.

Tickets can be purchased online or through Ticketmaster for $27. Those purchased through Ticketmaster will include additional fees.

The Blade Show. Area knife collectors will want to be at the Cobb Galleria Centre on June 8-10 for the Blade Show, which is billed by its organizers as the largest knife show in the world.

The show will feature seminars and displays from nearly 1,000 manufacturers and custom knifemakers. The event also will include competitions.

Tickets can be purchased on the show’s website. One-day tickets start at $15. An all-weekend, early-bird ticket is available for $25.

Small Business Expo.  Looking to learn successful small-business strategies and mingle with almost 400 other small-business owners? The Cobb Galleria Centre will be hosting the Atlanta Small Business and Entrepreneur Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 9.

Hosted by Jayvon Q. Bowens, CEO of Entourage Industries, the event will feature five guest speakers, an exhibit hall, raffles and door prizes.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.  

Sparkle and Hustle with Tory Johnson. “Good Morning America” contributor and New York Times bestselling author Tory Johnson brings her one-day “Sparkle and Hustle” seminar to the Cobb Galleria Centre on June 15. The event starts at 9 a.m. The seminar is geared toward women looking to start their own small business.

The event will include 10 speakers with successful businesses, remarks from Johnson and several networking opportunities.

An early-bird registration price of $77 is currently available. Regular registration is $97 per person. To purchase a ticket, visit the seminar’s website.

Galleria Chat: May 10, 2012

The Galleria Chat appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat provides a hearty helping of stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado …

Paying Your Respects. Help honor those who sacrificed their lives for our nation by attending a Memorial Day ceremony at the 20^th Century Veterans Memorial in Smyrna. The memorial is located at 2800 King Street.

Seating will begin at 8 a.m., and the ceremony will start at 9:30 a.m. In case of bad weather, the event will be held at the Smyrna Community Center in downtown Smyrna.

The ceremony, which is open to the public, is organized by the Smyrna Veterans Committee, an organization consisting of representatives from the Smyrna government, the Veterans Memorial Association of Smyrna and American Legion Post 160. For more information, visit the city of Smyrna website.

Jazz on the River. Local jazz aficionados will soon have a chance to listen to their favorite music while relaxing on the Chattachoochee River. Starting this month, nearby Ray’s on the River will host “Strings on the River,” a three-part jazz concert series to benefit local charities. The series will kickoff with a performance by the Ken Ford Symphony from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 19.

“The Chattahoochee River is the perfect setting to enjoy an afternoon of live music and great food with friends and family,” said Mike Ross, director of operations for Ray’s Restaurants, in an 11Alive article.

Tickets for the Ken Ford show start at $45 per person. A VIP package, which includes admission, an autographed CD and a meet-and-greet after the show, is available for $55 per person. Tickets can be purchased here. Proceeds will benefit The Ken Ford Foundation.

Future concerts are scheduled for Saturday, June 9, and Saturday, July 21.

Yanni Live. Just in time for Mother’s Day, world-famous instrumentalist Yanni is bringing his act to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. He will be there for two nights: Sunday, May 13, and Monday, May 14. Both concerts start at 8 p.m..

Yanni will feature music off his latest album “Truth of Touch.”

Tickets start at $47.50 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will include additional fees. For more information on Yanni, visit his website.

Songs and Stories. Country-music star Trace Adkins will visit the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday, May 17.

The “Songs & Stories Tour” promotes Adkins’ album “Proud To Be Here,” which was released last summer and features a mix of party anthems and tributes to his working-class background.

Adkins will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $39.75 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Those purchased through Ticketmaster will include additional fees.

Cobb Galleria to Host Second Annual Digital Summit

The Cobb Galleria Centre will soon play host to Digital Summit 2012, a two-day conference focused on technology, digital marketing and social media. The conference will take place May 9-10.

Billed as Atlanta’s largest technology conference, Digital Summit will feature more than 50 presentations on such topics as customer engagement, social media marketing, analytics, email and online video. Executives from such firms as Google, Turner, Twitter, ESPN, Pandora and Adobe will share their digital expertise.

This year’s conference features more start-up- and entrepreneur-focused content and more networking opportunities than past ones, according to event organizers.

Digital Summit is presented by TechMedia. Conference registration starts at $345 and can be completed online.

Galleria Chat: May 3, 2012

The Galleria Chat appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat provides a hearty helping of stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado …

Bonnie’s Back. Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt will bring her blues-, rock- and soul-infused sound to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on May 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Raitt will perform music from her new album “Slipstream,” which was released in April. “Slipstream” is the 62-year-old slide guitarist’s first album since 2005 and the first on her own record label. The album features music produced by Joe Henry and includes covers of Bob Dylan’s “Million Miles” and Loudon Wainwright III’s “You Can’t Fail Me Now.”

Marc Cohn is the opening act.

Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster and range in price from $45 to $105, not including processing fees.

Romney’s Coming to Town. The nearby Cobb Galleria Centre and Cobb Energy Centre will be the sites of a fundraiser and private reception for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on June 11.

For details about the Romney events, visit the Marietta Daily Journal.

Cobb’s Relay. The Relay For Life, a walk held to raise money for cancer research, will be held in May at Jim Miller Park in Marietta. The race involves an overnight, relay-style walk around a track, and lasts from 7 p.m. on Friday, May 11, to 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 12.

For more information or to sign up, visit the event’s website or Facebook page.

Want to Go to Key West This Weekend? Pollo Tropical opens its second Atlanta location tomorrow at the Akers Mill Shopping Center.

As part of its grand opening celebration, the restaurant, which features a variety of Caribbean-style grilled chicken dishes, will give away a free trip to Key West for one of the first 100 customers who show up at the restaurant with his or her bags packed. The winner will be allowed to choose a guest and both will then be escorted to the airport.

The grand opening celebration lasts from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., and the winner will be announced at 11 a.m. Participants are urged to line up early.

More information about the event can be found here.

Galleria Chat: April 27, 2012

Market Fresh. Skip the grocery lines and get your hands on some of the freshest fruits and vegetables in the area. From May 5 through September, the city of Smyrna will host the Smyrna Fresh Produce Market every Saturday in the parking lot of the Smyrna First Baptist Church, located at 1275 Church Street.

Market hours are from 8 a.m. to noon. For more information or to participate as a vendor, visit the city of Smyrna’s website.

Opera’s in Town. Local opera fans have something to look forward to this weekend. That’s because the Atlanta Opera’s production of “Don Giovanni” will be performed at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Additional performances of Mozart’s opera, which is sung in Italian and features English supertitles, will be held on Tuesday, May 1; Friday, May 4; and Sunday, May 6.

For more information about the opera or to purchase tickets, visit the Atlanta Opera’s website. Tickets may also be purchased through Ticketmaster; those purchased on Ticketmaster will include additional fees.

Franchising 101. Are you interested in becoming a franchisee? Then consider attending the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s “Franchising 101: What You Should Know Before Starting a Franchise” seminar from 10 a.m. to noon on May 10.

The seminar will feature Brian Annino of Annino Law Firm LLC, who will discuss the dos and don’ts of franchising.

General admission is $30. Chamber members can purchase tickets for $15 online and $20 at the door. Registration ends at noon on May 9. For more information or to register, visit the chamber’s website.

Circus in Town. The world’s largest shrine circus will be in Marietta this weekend through May 6.

Yaarab Shrine’s 2012 Circus features elephants, bears, show horses, high-flying trapeze artists, daredevil acts and more. The event also features carnival rides for the entire family.

The circus is located at Jim R. Miller Park on 2245 Callaway Road. Adult admission is $10; children 36 inches and under get in for free. 

The circus opens at 7:30 p.m. tonight. Additional information can be found on the Smyrna-Vinings Patch.

Photo Gallery: Memory Lane Jazz Ensemble Visits Food Truck Tuesday

Galleria workers attending Food Truck Tuesday on April 24 were treated to the big band sounds of the Memory Lane Jazz Ensemble.

Below are some photos of the show:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ensemble's playlist includes songs made famous by Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 19-member ensemble includes alto, tenor and baritone saxophonists; trumpeters; trombonists; a bassist; a guitarist; a keyboardist; and a 92-year-old drummer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dancing the hour away: these Galleria employees got some noontime exercise by dancing to the big band sounds of the Memory Lane Jazz Ensemble.

Memory Lane Jazz Ensemble to Play at Atlanta Galleria Tomorrow

Those attending Tuesday’s food-truck lunch hour should come armed with more than just hearty appetites. They should bring their dancing shoes as well.

The Memory Lane Jazz Ensemble, which performs big band, jazz and swing music, will give a free concert in the Galleria Gardens tomorrow at noon. The 19-member group’s playlist includes songs made famous by Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra.

The ensemble includes alto, tenor and baritone saxophonists; trumpeters; trombonists; a bassist; a guitarist; a keyboardist; and a 92-year-old drummer. The members are volunteers, some of who enjoyed professional music careers at one point. However, most of the musicians are simply continuing – or restarting – hobbies, says group leader Bobby Hudgins.

“I decided to join the group after 43 years of not touching my trombone,” he admits.

The Memory Lane Jazz Ensemble is part of the East Cobb New Horizons Band and also sponsors a scholarship program for promising young musicians. To find out more about the group, including information on future performances, visit its website.

Galleria Chat: April 19, 2012

The Galleria Chat appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat provides a hearty helping of stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado … 

Rite of Spring. For 24 years, the city of Smyrna has celebrated spring with a jam-packed weekend of festivities. The Spring Jonquil Festival, complete with music, food, arts, crafts and all types of activities for the kids, will return on April 28-29.

Entertainment includes musician Scott Thompson and Peter Hart of the Atlanta Puppet Show. There will also be a Featured Artists Market.

The festival will be held from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. on Saturday the 28^th and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m on Sunday the 29^th. All activites will be located at the Village Green, located at 200 Village Green Circle in Smyrna.

Admission is free. Visit the city of Smyrna’s website for detailed information on activities, vendors and performers.

Business Networking. You always hear the cliché, “Sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know.” The Cobb Business to Business Expo offers you the chance to expand who you know.

The event will be held on May 17 at the Cobb Galleria Centre, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and will feature more than 150 companies showcasing their products and services. The expo is expected to draw more than 1,500 attendees.

Admission is free. For more information, visit the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s website.

Get Digitally Connected. If you’re looking to get the inside scoop on the latest technology products and services, the Digital Summit 2012, to be held on May 9-10 at the Cobb Galleria Centre, may be right up your alley.

Described as Atlanta’s largest technology conference, the Digital Summit will feature more than 50 presentations on such topics as customer engagement, social media marketing, online advertising and email marketing. Executives from Twitter, Google and ESPN are expected to attend.

Conference registration starts at $345 and can be completed online. For more information, visit the summit’s website.

Crawfish, Crawfish and More Crawfish. Seafood lovers will converge on Atkins Park Tavern in Smyrna in late April for the restaurant’s 10^th Annual Crawfish Boil. The event starts at 1 p.m. each day.

The boil will feature crawfish from New Orleans and live music by Squirrel Heads Soulbound, Patrick Scott, Zack Graddy and the Martans. The menu also will include shrimp platters and Abita beer.

Food is limited and attendees are asked to purchase tickets online for $5. Proceeds will benefit the Georgia Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training.

Atkins Park is located at 2840 Atlanta Road in Smyrna. For more information on the event, visit the boil’s website.

Galleria chat: April 12, 2012

The Galleria Chat appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat provides a hearty helping of stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado …

Country on a Saturday Night. Country music star Josh Turner will perform at the Cobb Galleria Performing Arts Centre this Saturday. Starting at 8 p.m., the show will feature opening act Craig Campbell.

With numerous No. 1 hits, Turner is one of the youngest artists to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.

Concert information can be found on the centre’s website. Tickets start at $33.50 and can be purchased through the box office or Ticketmaster. Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will include additional fees.  

Local Reads. Have a favorite book written by local authors Margaret Johnson-Hodge, Deborah Elizabeth Merriman, Narayan Sengupta, Diane Z. Shore or Patricia Sprinkle? You’ll have a chance to see them in person on April 15 at the Smyrna Public library as they discuss and autograph their books.

The event is from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is free to everyone. The library is located at 100 Village Green Circle in Smyrna. For more information, visit the library’s website.

Read All About It. If you’re an animal lover and want to hear the latest on special events, volunteer opportunities and other animal-related news from Cobb County, sign up for the new e-mail newsletter from the county’s Animal Control Department.

To subscribe, visit the county website, click on the “News and Alerts” tab, enter your e-mail address and select the appropriate newsletter.

Joggers with a Cause. Those who like to pound the pavement early in the morning may be interested in the Jonquil City Jog on April 28, which will start at Smyrna’s City Hall.

The event actually a features a number of 5K races, each tailored to different age ranges and abilities. The races start at 8 a.m., and runners must arrive at City Hall by 7 a.m.

First-place winners will receive key lime pies, and all participants will receive commemorative ribbons.

Proceeds will go to the Campbell High School Educational Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides financial and community support to the school’s students. Registration can be done online by April 26 at 6 p.m. To register or for more information, visit the event’s website.