The free air show will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. both days.

This year’s premier flying acts will feature the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels
and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds.

Other performers will include:
U.S. Air Force Academy Wings of Blue – Opening Ceremony
Red Eagle
Dan Buchanan
Gary Rower
Bill Braak Smoke-N-Thunder
Kent Pietsch Jelly Belly
Dobbins C-130 Airdrop
Otto The Helicopter
F/A-18 Hornet Demo
Georgia State Patrol Helo Demo
Viper East F-16 Demo
Sean D. Tucker/Oracle
numerous military and civilian static displays

With limited parking on Dobbins, base officials contracted to greatly
increase the bus capacity to bring spectators onto the base. This year, the
bus transportation will be at no charge from three parking lots in close
proximity to the base. “Free parking will be provided at Lockheed, Six
Flags White Water and Jim Miller Park. We greatly appreciate the generous
donations these organizations have provided with respect to the parking
which will help ensure the success of the Dobbins Open House/Air Show.
These three locations will provide approximately 10,400 parking spaces for
visitors, a 2,000 space increase over the prior Air Show in 2008,” said Col.
Timothy E. Tarchick, 94th Airlift Wing commander.

Buses will start running to the base at 8:30 a.m. both days. Return rides
to the parking lots will be available throughout the day. No one will be
permitted entrance to the base after 1 p.m.

“During our last show there were some 80 buses transporting people to and
from the base,” said Lt. Col. Steven Drosos, air show director. “We could
have used more in 2008, so this year we greatly increased the bus
requirements.”

“We would like to take the opportunity to thank Mr. David Hankerson, Cobb
County Manager and the Cobb County Emergency Management Agency for their
assistance,” said Colonel Tarchick. “We also thank the local law
enforcement from the Sheriff’s Office, Cobb County and Marietta Police
Departments who will be in place to control the heavy traffic expected in
moving up to 100,000 visitors each day to and from the base and parking
lots.” -

“Handicap parking will be provided on base with entry through the Windy Hill
Gate,” said Lt. Col. Timothy Martz, 94th Security Forces Squadron commander.
“In today’s environment, everyone must go through security prior to entering
the base. As such, the patience of all attendees is greatly appreciated for
this function will mirror that of a major sporting event. We anticipate a
large turn-out so delays should be expected in getting such a large amount
of traffic on and off base. When the air show ends we expect long lines on
base for buses returning attendees to the parking lots.”

Due to security, visitors are not allowed to bring weapons, glass
containers, backpacks, coolers, except small coolers for baby formula and
medications, and/or pets to the Air Show. Baby strollers will be allowed.

For additional information and updates to the show, visit
www.dobbins.afrc.af.mil or www.wingsoveratlanta.com. These sites are
updated daily with additional information as new performers and sponsor
information becomes available.

With some of the best dedicated riders out there, the trails at Blanket’s Creek are about as good as they get in the South, and they’re about get even better.

Read this post from the Sorba Woodstock Chapter….

Trail blazers
by Kristal Dixon
March 25, 2010 01:00 AM

Bike trails are on their way to Woodstock.

The Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association’s Woodstock chapter is actively working to complete the first loop of the Taylor Randahl Memorial bike trails in Olde Rope Mill Park.

The organization entered into a contract with the city of Woodstock to build 5.8 miles of bike trails in the park. City leaders budgeted $150,000 for the project in the city’s current budget

The association is working on the first loop of the trail, which is about 1.3 miles, said Jay Wilkes, the association’s president.

The organization is planning a work party from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the park. Volunteers are needed to clear the trail for machine work.

Wilkes said he hopes to have the first loop completed before Greenstock Day on May 8, when the trails are scheduled to be dedicated at 10 a.m. at Olde Rope Mill Park.

The planned mountain bike trails are named in memory of Taylor Randahl, a local teenager who was killed in 2000 while biking. A car going the opposite direction struck a deer, which went across the road and struck Taylor.

Wilkes said the first phase of the trail will be used as a “recruitment” tool to see how bike riders like the initiative.

The trails would eventually link to the Blankets Creek mountain bike trails in Sixes, providing connectivity for numerous riders throughout the county.

Mountain bike riding could provide an economic boost to both Woodstock and Cherokee County, Wilkes added.

He said Blankets Creek has about 10,000 users each month and if that many people came to Woodstock, the city would definitely see revenue spent in its hotels, restaurants and shops.

“It’s a minimal investment that draws people all over the southeast to ride it,” he said.

Woodstock Mayor Donnie Henriques is well aware of the economic capital having bike trails could do for the city.
Henriques has been on the forefront in the effort to get the trails funded and named after Taylor.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “It’s a little bit surreal nine years later.”

The mayor has also been leading an effort to make Woodstock an ecotourism location.

The mayor added the day of the dedication will “be a good day for the family” and for the community.

Local Marietta American teenager Melanie Oudin’s spectacular run at the US Open gathered momentum when she beat Russian 13th seed Nadia Petrova 1-6 7-6 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.

The 17-year-old has captured the imagination of the home public by rolling over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, fourth seed Elena Dementieva and 2006 champion Maria Sharapova.

On day eight of the last major tournament of the year, Oudin again whipped up the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium into a frenzy when she fought back from a set down to put Petrova on to the Flushing Meadows scrapheap.

Backed by 23,000 screaming fans, Oudin sealed victory by belting a forehand winner on her third match point. She will next face either a fifth successive Russian, French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, or Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki for a place in the semis.

Admission to the park is free, and the park is open to the public. Visitors are encouraged to enter the park by making a right off South Cobb Drive. “The park and all trails are open seven days a week during daylight hours,” Recreation Services manager Mike Gabler said.

“City Council recently passed an ordinance that allows bicycling on the trails at Burruss Park, and soon we’ll have them at Wildwood Park,” Marietta Parks and Recreation director Rich Buss said.

Burruss Park is a little more than 46 acres and includes a main family-friendly bike trail with three connecting trails and a pavilion. “The trails are not real difficult and are good for young children just learning how to ride,” Buss said. “There is one segment with a pretty good climb that will get anybody’s heart rate up.”

The city, in conjunction with the Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association (SORBA), hopes to continue to develop the park in the future, Buss said. “We hope to create more trails and a switchback off the more difficult trails,” he said. “People that spend a lot of time riding would probably say the more difficult trail falls in the intermediate range.”

City of Marietta and Life University police officers patrol the park regularly, Buss said.

The park has four hiking and family-friendly biking trails, which total approximately a mile, Gabler said. “The short trails are family-friendly and a great introduction to off-road bicycling.”

To help prevent injuries on the trails and ensure long-term trail sustainability, directional signs will be posted to let bicyclists and pedestrians know which way to go.

“The trails in Burruss Park are the only trails available in Marietta’s parks that people can ride bikes on,” Gabler said. “We hope the additional trails will encourage more use of the park by the public.”

Encouraging revitalization of current parks, establishing new parks for active and passive use and rejuvenating park and green space for the community are goals City Council established as part of Marietta’s vision statement.

For more information, call Marietta’s Parks and Recreation Department at 770-794-5601.

Marietta City Council at their August 12 meeting approved creating hiking and family-friendly Marietta mountain biking trails at Wildwood and Burruss parks off South Cobb Drive and Cobb Parkway.

To help prevent injuries on the trails and ensure long-term trail sustainability, directional signs will be posted to let bicyclists and pedestrians know which way to go.

Trails will be opened to the public August 24, Marietta Parks and Recreation director Rich Buss said.

Dog park approved

Council also approved a dog park at Wildwood Park, which Buss expects to open before the end of the year if funding is secured. To prepare the park for residents and their four-legged friends, workers have to cut down trees, clear brush, install fencing and level the ground, Buss said. Residents will be able to bring a limited number of breeds and dogs when they visit the park when it opens.

Encouraging revitalization of current parks, establishing new parks for active and passive use and rejuvenating park and green space for the community are goals City Council established as part of Marietta’s vision statement.

For more information, call Marietta’s Parks and Recreation Department at 770-794-5601.

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Two days after beating former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, the unseeded Melanie Oudin (above) fell in straight sets to 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska. “I’m very proud of myself how I did here,” the 17-year-old from Marietta, Ga., said Monday after losing 6-4, 7-5 to 11th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska. “I think it’s just like another step that I’m taking. Now I know that I can play with these girls and this is what I want to do, and this is what I want to be.”

Marietta native Melanie Oudin is a 17 year old tennis player with promising future. Melanie is currently ranked 124th in the world.

n addition to the grant from the USTA to build the new courts, an additional $25,000 in funding will also come from the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA), USTA-Georgia, the Georgia Tennis Foundation, A Tennis Association for Kids (ATAK), the Atlanta Youth Tennis Foundation and Superior Court Supplies. The Harrison Area Community Tennis Association, headed by president Jenny Christoffersen, was instrumental in organizing this fund-raising effort.

The USTA QuickStart program provides a means to teach tennis to young children on small size tennis courts. The equipment includes small tennis rackets and foam type balls that slow the game down and allows for children to have quicker success in playing points and games. This program and courts will also be utilized for children and adults with physical and mental challenges.

Harrison Tennis Center is Cobb County’s largest public tennis center and one of the busiest tennis facilities in Georgia. Harrison Tennis Center has more junior and adult teams than any tennis center in the area and is the home to several tennis academies that focus on player development. Harrison also plays host to numerous tournaments, including national championships and state championships. This grant will allow Cobb to continue to be a leader in growing the game of tennis by introducing new tennis players who will use the resources the county has to offer.

The City of Marietta resurfacing project is scheduled and will continue its repaving project with six city streets November 10-November 21. Below is the list of streets that will be resurfaced – and not soon enough as we’ve heard from some of our readers about the process and complaints that have been filed with the city of the poor surface roads in recent months. This is great news!

* Reynolds Street
* Griggs Street
* West Dixie Avenue
* Latimer Street
* Woods Street
* Merritt Road

Polk Street, Fairground Street and Canton Road will be paved after these roads are completed.

Marietta’s transportation system, which places a high premium on the quality of life of our citizens, is a goal in Marietta’s vision statement.

For more information, call Marietta’s Public Works Department at 770-794-5650.

McEachern’s Terrell Mitchell caught four passes for two touchdowns and 100 yards. King was spot on at QB Friday night (at least in the second half) and completed 9/20 passes for 154 yards. Behind the line O-line, McEachern’s Quenten Martin amassed 110 yards on 21 carries to help in the 19-16 McEachern victory over the Marietta Blue Devils (2-3, 1-3) on Friday night.

The Blue Devils did look strong, however. Running back Greg Franklin had 27 carries and rushed for 168 yds. Franklin to the ball to the end zone twice during the performance. The Blue Devils pushed the bar early when Franklin scored on a 44-yard run with just 5:25 left in the first quarter. The point after was missed and the the Blue Devils took a 6-0 lead. Early in the second half, the Blue Devils scored to make the contest 13-0. After an interception with just 1:56 remaining in the third quarter, the Blue Devils started to lose control of the game. McEachern stepped up and took control driving in the last minutes to the 19-16 victory.

Here’s the full 2008 Marietta Blue Devils schedule so you can catch the remaining games.

The Blue Devils will be facing McEachern on 10/3 at McEachern. Go Blue Devils!