Around Towne
by Cherryl Greenman

Everyone is invited to visit the City of Woodstock Open House for the final meeting of the Livable Center Initiative on October 10, from 7 — 9 p.m. at Woodstock Community Church. The Downtown Core Committee, comprised of local residents, business owners and elected officials, was established in June to assist in this process. This initiative is designed to improve transportation options and traffic flow in and around downtown Woodstock; expand and improve the downtown area by building on its small town atmosphere; and increase the viability of live, work, and entertainment choices within the downtown area. (See page 10 for more information.)

Towne Lake residents, like the rest of the nation, came together on September 11 to remember those who lost their lives, and to honor their heroes. Schools performed programs and held luncheons to honor our Firemen and Law Enforcement Officers. Churches held candlelight and special services. We are proud to be Americans and the flags that we wave and fly show, not only to each other, but the world, where we stand! (See pages 48, 49 and 88 for local scenes of September 11, 2002.)

Now that fall is here, you may be thinking of heading up to north Georgia to see the changing of the colors. Keep in mind that there are numerous fun things to do right in the Towne Lake area, including a variety of fall festivals, pumpkin patches and of course the Cagle Dairy Corn MAIZE. (See pages 18 and 84 for more details.)

No doubt you heard about the SAT scores for Georgia. Well there is good news — Cherokee schools scored 12 points higher than the national average. (See page 74 to understand how this occurred.)

Coming Soon

La Parilla, an Atlanta-based Mexican restaurant chain, plans to open in November, occupying the space vacated by Barzini's restaurant in the Buckhead Crossing Shopping Center.

Dr. Tim Byrd's dental office is planning to open by the end of October. The office is located in the Towne Lake Promenade Shopping Center. In the same center, Starbuck's is in the process of receiving an inner face-lift. Stop by for a cup of coffee and check them out.

Two new restaurants are opening in the Shops at Eagle Pointe: Decio's, serving New York-style pizza, pasta and salads, and Cedars Taverna, a new Mediterranean/Greek restaurant, offering full-service and take-out. Both restaurants are scheduled to open in early October. Decio's has taken over the space vacated by Mama's Pizza and Cedars Taverna is in the space previously occupied by New York Deli.

What's New?

Merle Norman recently opened in the Colonnade at Towne Lake (next to Wendy's). In addition to cosmetics, they have clothes, purses and other specialty items. For more information, call (678) 494-0048.

Little River Grill, located on Bells Ferry Road across from the Little River Marina, opened their doors recently. The restaurant has been completely renovated by the new owners, including great outdoor deck seating overlooking Lake Allatoona. Their hours are Monday — Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Please call (770) 345-4444 for more information.

Cherryl is the Editor of The TowneLaker magazine. She lives in southwest Cherokee with her son Dale and daughter Lori.

Hurricane Bay car wash recently held their grand opening. Located behind Bruster's Ice Cream, they offer touch-less car washes, coin-operated self-serve units, and self-serve car vacuums.

Groomingdale's Pet Spa also held a grand opening recently. The spa offers a variety of services including medicated baths, nail filing, and teeth cleaning. For more information, call (770) 516-8666.

For all your landscaping needs, The Landscape Home Depot Center is now open for business. The Center is located on Parkway 575.

What's Ongoing

Camping Time RV Center on Parkway 575 (just north of the Post Office) now has its curbs poured. The developers anticipate opening in 60 — 90 days.

Georgetowne at Towne Lake hopes to be completed by the first part of October. These town homes are located at the corner of Rose Creek Drive and Grove Park Lane.

The Ravines, a four-story condominium unit on Towne Lake Hills South Drive, is scheduled to begin construction this winter and be completed by summer 2003.

Construction of the Crossing Shopping Center continues in the Buckhead Crossing area. The center will be anchored by a Publix at the rear of the property. Washington Mutual Bank will be in the out parcel between by Chili's and Longhorn.

Towne Lake Diner
Johnny's Pizza
By Kara Kiefer

Still looking for that New York-style pizza? Look no further than Johnny's Pizza located in the South Pointe Shopping Center. Johnny's has been in Towne Lake for five years, and it remains a consistently good, friendly neighborhood restaurant. Johnny's is a franchise, but each franchise is independently owned. This location is owned by Craig and Brian Loheide, who also own the Hiram location.

One of the things that makes Johnny's great is, of course, its pizza, which is available by the slice or pie. If pizza isn't your thing, they offer many other choices on their menu such as salads, subs, calzones, and complete dinners. They do offer free delivery around Towne Lake, and for your big events, they offer catering. Johnny's offers reasonably priced lunch combinations and is open for dinner as well. Part of being a neighborhood restaurant is being kid friendly, and Johnny's is just that. They offer kids selections as well as a variety of video games to keep the little ones occupied while parents dine.

Johnny's is also involved in the community and sponsors many local sports teams. They currently sponsor a Men's Deaf Softball team. They also hold a pizza night for Carmel Elementary in which part of that night's profit go to the school's PTA, and they also supply pizzas, at a reduced cost, to local schools' sporting events.