Miss Mary's Ice Cream Crankin'

The 9th Annual Miss Mary's Ice Cream Crankin', held August 25, 2013 in Roswell, GA, is the premier event for ice cream lovers and families. The event is a fund raiser for the Drake House. The Drake House offers a 90-day emergency residential housing program with a goal toward independent housing.

Story by Jonathan Copsey,  Appen Media.

ROSWELL, Ga. – For the ninth year in a row, the Drake House pulled off their annual Miss Mary's Ice Cream Crankin' event Aug. 25.

Dozens of volunteers set up booths and served homemade ice cream in all kinds of flavors – from the traditional to the creative and everything in between. Pecan flavor, green tea, cookies and cream, nutty monkey and dozens of other flavors were served up. In total, organizers said more than 120 flavors were served.

Jayden, left, and Zachary tied for the ice cream stacking contest.

The event happened on one of the nicest days of the summer, which helped draw the crowds to the Roswell Square.

Contests to determine the best boy and girl at eating ice cream the fastest and the best at balancing an ice cream cone saw 30 gallons of ice cream destroyed in a matter of minutes by excited children.

The event supports the Drake House, a Roswell nonprofit that provides emergency housing and life training for homeless women and their children. The Ice Cream Crankin' is one of the group's largest fundraisers.

For more on the Drake House, visit them online at www.thedrakehouse.org.

17th Annual Mayor's 5K Challenge

The 17th Annual Mayor’s Challenge 5K Road Race and Block Party on August 17 to help Rotary raise over $75,000 to meet the needs of local charities was a fun occasion. Despite an intermittent drizzle that kept away some potential participants, 431 people registered for the 5K challenge event.  Many more enjoyed the family-friendly live music, food and camaraderie in the heart of historic downtown Alpharetta.

This was a Peachtree Qualifying race, so there were some serious runners, like Mark Hhawu, who finished first in 17 minutes, 55.42 seconds. When asked how he would do, Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle responded, “Not well. We had actually challenged another mayor, so I was training, but he had to take his son to college so we won’t be able to compete today.”

Many jogged, some walked or pushed baby strollers and one teamed up with his dog. The last person to cross the finish line was Mercy Vennel, who finished in just under an hour.

Rick Tranor, CEO of Business Services at Lexis Nexis, a presenting sponsor, was there with his team “working hard to try and get under 25 minutes.” Carl Black of Roswell provided the pace car.

Jacob Edwards, 10, and Jaime Regan, 9, were the first boy and girl in the 10 and under age group to finish. Harold Frediani, 70, the only entrant in the 70-98 age category came in 186 overall, a respectable ranking.

The free Kids Fun Run took about a minute and a half for a pack of screaming, laughing children to run about the length of a football field with their parents cheering them on.

Support of this event, their largest fundraiser of the year, helps Rotary meet the needs of local charities including the Drake House, StandUp for Kids, Child Development Association, North Fulton Community Charities, Habitat for Humanity and others as well as having a global impact on polio eradication, clean water projects and humanitarian and medical aid.

North Fulton Alliance of Young Professional (NFAYP) 1st Anniversary

Celebration of the one-year anniversary of the North Fulton Alliance of Young Professionals (NFAYP).

Published Appen Media 31-Aug-2013. Story by Jonathan Copsey, Appen Media.

NORTH FULTON, Ga. – Ask any city planner or urban developer what an important ingredient of city life might be, and they will likely say a diverse and vibrant population, which includes a healthy dose of young people.

This is a problem for the cities of North Fulton. Housing prices are often too expensive for those just climbing the employment ladder to afford to live in the area, instead driving a population that ranges from middle age to retirement. Add to that the dormant status of many areas after 10 p.m., and young people would rather live and play closer to Atlanta, even though they might work north of the river.

The North Fulton Alliance of Young Professionals (NFAYP) hopes to change that.

Hans Appen, who was the youngest candidate running for Alpharetta city office last November, said the idea for an association for young professionals came to him during the campaign.

"I heard about all sorts of issues except strengthening the young labor force in North Fulton," Appen said. "As the 'young' candidate, I thought that this was an issue."

Appen said he hopes the group will help its members by enhancing their skills through job training, political advocacy and awareness, as well as community service projects. It's also a good way to network.

"You don't often hear too much about [the younger population]," Appen said. "People are too often caught up in the problems of today when they should be paying more attention in establishing a bright future for North Fulton."

And he said the youth are that future.

The sheer amount of universities and technology companies in and around North Fulton shows that there is a large, young and well-educated workforce in the area. And those people would likely want to live in the area they work.

"The jobs are here," he said. "By establishing a vibrant lifestyle [in North Fulton] we can make it not just a place where young people come to work."

For more information on the NFAYP and its future meetings, visit them online at www.nfayp.com.

Snow Tubing in August

As part of the City of Milton's Flickers and Flurries program (summer 2013), SnowKings of Atlanta provided a mountain of snow to allow everyone to enjoy snow tubing on a hot August Saturday.

Published Appen Media - Milton Herald (front page) 21-Aug-2013.  See story below.

Many are complaining that we’ve had too much rain this summer, but the City of Milton was thinking they didn’t have enough snow!

As part of the city’s free “Family, Fun, Flicks & Flurries” summer event series, snow tubing was available at Friendship Community Park last Saturday. Amazing technology provided by SnowKings turned 8,000 pounds of crushed ice into a 10 foot high, 45 foot long, snow-covered slope, the perfect venue for snow tubing. Almost everyone who tried it enjoyed it, and many got back in line to do it again!

For lots of young children there, the blow-over from the snow gun was their first experience playing with ice and snow. Some parents who didn’t want to miss the fun rode down the slope with their child on their lap. Gavin Lynch, 9, summed it up perfectly with, “That snow tubing was awesome! I’m having a great time!”

 There were many interesting attractions at the park in addition to the snow tubing. Be Dazzle-Do created wild, decorated hair styles, The School Place in Roswell provided free arts and crafts, and Sound Solutions kept spirits high and fingers snapping with the great music that was played during the entire event.

Additionally, the Milton Fire Department brought a truck and let attendees get into the cab. Two civic-minded young women from Girl Scout Troop 27332 were at the park selling homemade baked goods to raise money to make improvements at Friendship Park.