Around Towne
by Cherryl Greenman

Time to be PET-riotic!

There's only a few days until the First Annual Fur Ball! Tickets are still available for the Fur Ball which will be on Saturday, March 6 at the beautiful Canton Theater. Have fun and help Cherokee County animals at the same time! (See page 50 and 58 for further details.)

What's New

Calling all oyster and seafood lovers! Towne Lake is getting it's very own, oyster bar. J.P.'s Oyster Bar is scheduled to open in mid-March. J.P.'s promises to be a gulf-coast-style oyster bar with oysters served 19 different ways. The restaurant will also offer many fresh seafood dishes. J.P.'s Oyster Bar is located in the Southpointe shopping center in the space formerly occupied by Ambers Restaurant.

Butterfly Kisses, a new children's consignment boutique store, recently opened in Woodstock on Arnold Mill Road behind A Daughter's Dream. For those who are interested in consigning clothing, please call (678) 494-2138 for more information.

World of Swim, a new venture by World of Gymnastics and Cheer, is scheduled to open this Spring. World of Swim will offer learn-to-swim programs for children and adults in warm-water facility. Class registration is currently being accepted. For more information, please call (770) 516-6898. (See page 88 for further details.)

Marietta Injury and Rehabilitation Center recently opened in Marietta and Woodstock. The Center specializes in auto injuries and rehabilitation, headaches and neck and pack pain. In Woodstock, they are located at 301 Hickory Ridge Trail, Suite 140 and can be reached at (770) 516-5746.

Tired of the Winter Whites? Toucan Tan, a new tanning salon, is scheduled to open in early March. The tanning salon is located in the the Towne Lake Commons shopping center and is next to Your Turn Consignment.

Georgia Landscape Depot, a full-service landscape supply yard and design center, is scheduled to break ground in mid March. They will be located on Bells Ferry Road, just south of Towne Lake Parkway. For more information, please call (770) 309-6033.

Signs by Tomorrow, a new custom sign company, owned and operated by Towne Lake resident Ian Kirkpatrick, recently opened. They are located in the Piedmont Walk Shopping Center at the corner of Canton Road and Piedmont Road. For more information, please call (770) 329-2937.

The Towne Lake area will soon have a Chastain-style venue to listen to live music. JWS Promotions will present Musical Flavors of Hobgood Park 2004. The six outdoor concert series will begin April 24 with Smooth Jazz featuring Chuck Loeb, Kim Waters and Jeff Kashiwa. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. Patrons can bring picnics, including beer and wine. Vendors also will be on hand selling food and merchandise.

The Fifth Annual March of Dimes Benefit Wine Tasting event will be on Tuesday, March 16 at Featherstone's at Towne Lake Hills. There will be wine, hors d'ouevres and a silent auction. (See page 94 for further details.)

The Georgia Business Group will hold a seminar entitled "How to Sell or Acquire a Business," on Tuesday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. The last seminar was at full capacity so early registration is a must. To reserve a spot, please call Sue Fulton at (770) 516-9500 ext. 230. (See page 10 for further details.)

In honor of National Education Association's Read Across America program, local school

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

children wrote book reports on brown paper sacks furnished by the Towne Lake area Publix Supermarkets. On March 5 and 6, both Towne Lake Publix locations will bag customers groceries in these specially decorated sacks.

What's On Going

The Butcher's Block, A Market Place ran into a slight delay according to owner Kellie Block, but they are scheduled to open for business the first part of March. The shop is located in the Shops at Eagle Pointe.

The wait is finally over! The Woodstock Coffee House is opening (really!) this month. The restaurant is located in the Towne Lake Center (Publix center on Towne Lake Parkway). Stop in for a coffee, light lunch or yummy dessert.

The Woodstock City Council recently approved the rezoning of 15 acres behind Morgan's Ace Hardware from residential to Central Business District. The 25-acre mixed-use development is expected to be completed within four years. The project will have a combination of single family homes, townhomes, commercial space, residential lofts, parks and common areas and a town square.

Club Industry, a new teen nightclub, is scheduled to open on March 6. The Club is located in Towne Lake Fitness in the Southpointe at Towne Lake shopping center and will be open every Friday and Saturday night. The Club is for ages 13 - 18 and is fully supervised. For information, please call (770) 592-9933.

J.D.'s Bar-B-Que
by Cherryl Greenman

"Don't judge a book by its cover." My dad always said this when I was going up. Dad referred to himself as a "drugstore cowboy," - he loved to wear cowboy boots, hat and bo-la tie, but he grew up in the city. Well, I'm going to start calling myself a "born-again Southerner!" I know the South is famous for loving barbeque, and I have found a place where the barbeque is to die for! I'm sure you have driven past J.D.'s Bar-B-Que and if you didn't stop I'm sure you thought "Oh another new restaurant, hope this one lasts." This one will definitely last in my humble opinion.

J.D.'s Bar-B-Que moved from their previous location at the old Burger's Market, where his barbeque was offered as a carryout service only, to his current location about eight months ago. Owner and cook "J.D.," as he is known to his customers and friends, moved here from North Carolina and brought with him some great family recipes for barbeque.

Cooking only with wood, J.D. cooks his barbeque pork for 18 - 19 hours and his ribs and chicken for 7 to 8 hours. The side items include a very flavorful Brunswick Stew and a sweet cole slaw, both made from scratch by J.D. Also available are baked beans and potato salad, garlic bread and more. The best side item J.D. has on the menu is the fried corn on the cob. This item is amazing, and if you are like me, you'll want more of this gem.

J.D. offers catering as well as selling in bulk. "I have several clubs and organizations buy my barbeque and sell it as fundraisers." J.D. says.

J.D. and his fiancee Sarah are happy with the feedback they are receiving from their loyal customers about their offering not only carry out, but now the relaxing sit down atmosphere at their new location. "Try it, you will like it," is an understatement in my book.