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.

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.

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.

Galleria chat: April 5, 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 …

Messy Photo Contest. This year’s spring cleaning could do more than just make your home look better – it could win you some money. Submit a photo of your worn-out shoes, tackiest outfit, or dirty room - or all three – in our neighbor Cumberland Mall’s contest, and you could win a $150, $250 or $2,500 gift card to use at the mall.

Finalists will be announced on April 10. For more information and to enter, visit Cumberland Mall’s Facebook page.

Easter Hunt. Cumberland United Methodist Church invites you and your kids to an Easter egg hunt this Saturday. The search for eggs runs from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and is free to everyone.

Cumberland United Methodist Church is located at 2375 Paces Ferry Road in Smyrna. For more information, visit the church’s website.

Be A Leader. Do you know a high-school student that has the makings of a leader? Cobb Youth Leadership (CYL), a program that develops leadership skills through a series of retreats, is accepting applications from rising juniors.

Supported by the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association, CYL gives high-school students a chance to network and receive education on topics such as college and community involvement. The cost of the program is $400.

Visit the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s website to fill out an application. For more information about the program, visit this page on the Chamber’s site.

Not as Healthy. Cobb County was ranked the sixth healthiest county in Georgia in the 2012 County Health Rankings, compiled by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The ranking represents a drop for the county, which traditionally has ranked in the top five.

Ranking factors include number of adult smokers, number of obese adults, the teen birth rate, number of uninsured residents, number of children living in poverty, level of residents’ education, number of fast food restaurants and air pollution.

While not in its usual top five spot, “Cobb still ranked better than the state average in each category except excessive drinking and air pollution,” noted a Smyrna-Vinings Patch article.

Adopt-A-Thon. Find your next furry friend at the Cobb County Animal Control’s upcoming Adopt-A-Thon, to be held on May 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature discounted adoption rates as well as food vendors, police K-9 demonstrations, a raffle and a chance to talk with the shelter’s veterinarian.

The shelter is located at 1060 Al Bishop Drive in Marietta. For more information, visit

the Cobb County Animal Control website or call 770-590-5614.

Become a Better Knitter. Want to learn how to knit? Or maybe you’re a long-term knitter looking to expand your skills. Then the upcoming Stitches South may be for you. The conference will take place at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel and Cobb Galleria Centre on April 19-22, and will feature classes, fashion shows, an exhibit hall for vendors and several dinners, among other activities.

Visit the event’s website for schedule details and registration packages.

Galleria Chat: March 30, 2012

The Galleria Chat appears on this blog each week to provide 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 …

Race for Research. Stretch those legs and raise money for Parkinson’s disease research by participating in RaceTrac’s Run for Research this Saturday in Vinings. The 5K race will start at 8 a.m. at the RaceTrac Store Support Center, located at 3225 Cumberland Boulevard.

The registration fee is $30. Participants can sign up either at the support center on the day of the race, or beforehand at register.runnersfit.com. All proceeds will benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

A free 1K race for children 15 and younger will begin at 7:45 a.m.

Allison Moran, senior vice president of Smyrna-based RaceTrac, told the Marietta Daily Journal that Parkinson’s has touched “RaceTrac very directly.” Her late grandfather and father, the founder and current CEO of the firm, respectively, were both diagnosed with the disease.

For more information, visit the event’s website.

Helping the Children. The 11th Annual Hearing Children’s Voices Gala will be held on April 14 at the Cobb Galleria Centre. The black-tie-optional event, which benefits the SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center in Cobb County, begins with a 6 p.m. cocktail reception and is followed by a 7 p.m. dinner and auction.

Sandra Deal, the first lady of Georgia, will be presented with the Hearing Children’s Voices Award. For more information, visit SafePath.org and the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s website.

The SafePath center provides services to victims of child abuse.

An End to the Teeth Gritting? If your travels to and from the Galleria area take you through the intersection of Windy Hill Road and Cobb Parkway, you know all too well how aggravating the traffic in that area can be.

Well, help may be on the way. Passage of the TSPLOST sales tax on July 31 could result in the construction of an interchange at the intersection. The Smyrva-Vinings Patch has all of the blood-pressure-dropping details.

A Funky Midweek Break. Legendary jazz and R&B singer Chaka Khan, known as the “Queen of Funk,” will perform at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre next Wednesday. Khan’s hits include “Tell Me Something Good,” “I’m Every Woman” and “I Feel for You.”

Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased at the box office or online at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will include additional processing fees.

The Easter Bunny’s Coming to Town. The Easter Bunny will visit our neighbor Cumberland Mall from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 7 (that’s the day before Easter), and will be available for pictures with children. The event also will feature music, face painting and balloon animals.

The festivities will take place on the lower level in the Fresh 2 Order/Costco wing of the mall. For more information, visit the Cumberland Mall website.

Galleria Chat: March 22, 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 …

Home Sweet Home. Buying a home can be a daunting undertaking, especially in today’s tougher lending environment. If you’re looking for some help with this stressful process, the Real Estate Gallery of Georgia’s 2012 Georgia Home Show has got you covered. The show will be held in Galleria 600 on March 28 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In addition to its session on homebuying, the show will feature presentations on “greening” your home, the latest design trends and building a real estate portfolio.

Registration is free, and attendees are welcome to bring their lunch. Dessert will be provided. To view the show agenda and register, visit the show page. For more information on The Real Estate Gallery, visit the firm’s website.

Speaking of Homes … Producers of a new NBC reality show called “Home Transformers” will be at the Atlanta Home Show at the Cobb Galleria Centre this weekend to look for contestants. The producers are looking for homebuilders, decorators and craftsmen.

The producers “are looking for contestants who can bring different skills and expertise to the table but still have one, big passion in common: creating a WOW factor,” according to a statement on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s The Buzz blog. “This competition series will feature amazing craftsmen who will rebuild and transform rundown homes across America into epic and unforgettable creations!”

The casting crew will be at the show from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. If you or someone you know is interested in being interviewed, email hometransformersatl@gmail.com in advance of the show. For more details, visit The Buzz.

Stop It in Its Tracks. Incidents of diabetes are spreading: 8.3 percent of the U.S. population now has the disease. Learn how to prevent diabetes or how to manage the disease if you already have it by attending “Focus Stop Diabetes,” a day-long expo to be held at the Cobb Galleria Centre on March 31.

The expo will feature healthy-cooking demonstrations, health screenings, exercise demonstrations and numerous seminars on diabetes-related topics. Both admission and parking are free. To view the agenda and register for the event, visit the expo website.

Celebrating Women. Friday evening brings the YWCA of Northwest Georgia’s 27th Annual Tribute to Women of Achievement, which will honor women who have exhibited great leadership in the region.

A silent auction will begin at 5:30 p.m., and the awards dinner starts at 7 p.m.

Fifteen Cobb County women will be honored at the dinner. To purchase a ticket, visit the YMCA of Northwest Georgia’s website. You can also find the names of honorees on Smyrna-Vinings Patch.

Rockin’ with Daughtry. All work and no play makes for one dull week, so take a break from the routine on Tuesday evening by seeing the rock band Daughtry perform at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The show starts at 8 p.m. and features two opening acts: the pop group SafetySuit and singer-songwriter Mike Sanchez.

Daughtry, fronted by former “American Idol” contestant Chris Daughtry, is touring in support of “Break the Spell,” the band’s multi-platinum third album.

Tickets start at $32.50 and can be purchased at the box office or online at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will feature additional fees.   

Galleria Chat: March 8, 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 …

• Looking to Get LinkedIn? On Monday, March 12, Juanita McDowell, the owner of the InMotion Real Estate Institute in Smyrna, will teach a three-hour class on how business professionals can best use the social network LinkedIn. The class, which costs $49, begins at 10 a.m. at the institute, located at 5020 Highlands Parkway SE.

The class will cover a range of topics, including putting video on your profile page, generating sales leads, status-update strategy, securing recommendations and LinkedIn etiquette.

For more information, visit Smyrna-Vinings Patch.

• Collecting Information about Collections. Does your business need to know more about how to collect payments from troublesome clients? If that’s the case, “Collections 101,” a Cobb Chamber of Commerce seminar that will be conducted by Neil Wilcove of Freeman Mathis & Gary, may be for you.

The session will be held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 22, and will cover when to hire an attorney, preventative measures, demand letters, how lawsuits work and contractual clauses that deter clients from walking away from their debts.

The registration deadline is at noon on Wednesday, March 21. Tickets are $40 for the general public and $25 for chamber members. For more information and to register, visit the chamber’s website.

• A Remodeler’s Paradise. Those looking to remodel their homes or spruce up their gardens will want to stop by the 34th Annual Atlanta Home Show, to be held at the Cobb Galleria Centre on March 23-25. Roughly 350 exhibitors will be at the show to display the latest home products and services.

Additionally, the show will feature a number of speakers, including Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri of HGTV’s “The Kitchen Cousins,” Tonya Williams of HGTV’s “Designed to Sell,” and Dave Baker of Atlanta radio station AM 750’s “The Home Fix-It Show.”

General admission is $10. For complete information, visit the show’s website.

• A Surprising Combination. One might not think of Johnny Cash and the art of ballet as a good combination. However, “The Man in Black,” a ballet set to the music of the country-music legend, is winning rave reviews; Dance Magazine labeled the production “ingenious.”

“The Man in Black” will be at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre from March 23-25. Tickets range from $20 to $135 and can be purchased at the center or through Ticketmaster. Purchases made through Ticketmaster will include additional processing fees.

• Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes. A new shoe store, Clarks, has opened in the Cumberland Mall. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

The store is located on the lower level near the Center Court entrance.