Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services and the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office will compete in February to raise money for charity in the 16th annual Guns and Hoses 5K Run/Walk.

The Cherokee Recreation and Parks event is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 12 at Hobgood Park located at 6688 Bells Ferry Road in Woodstock.

The fire department will represent The Goshen Valley Boys Ranch, a non-profit home serving young men in the state foster care system, and the sheriff’s office will represent Sheriff Frank Reynolds Charities, which is dedicated to raising money to help fulfill the needs of the people of Cherokee County and assist other charitable organizations who support our community.

When registering, participants will pick the team they want to represent and a portion of the fee will go to that agency’s charity. Registration fees are $30 for the 5K race/walk. To register, visit playcherokee.org or for more information email bbjohnson@cheokeega.com.

Cherokee Warriors Baseball will host the 2022 Queen of Diamonds Pageant on Saturday, March 26, 2022.

The pageant will feature three divisions: The Little Miss Queen of Diamonds Pageant begins at 9 am and is open to all females ages 0-11 months, 12-23 months, 24-35 months, 3-4 years old, 5-6 years old, 7-8 years old, and 9-10 years old. One Queen will be crowned in each age group. The Junior Miss Queen of Diamonds Pageant begins at 1 pm and is open to all middle school female contestants currently in 6th, 7th and 8th grade.

One Queen will be crowned in each age group along with first and second alternate awards. Areas of competition will also include awards for Prettiest Eyes, Prettiest Smile, Prettiest Hair, Prettiest Dress and Sportswear Queen. The Miss CHS Queen of Diamonds Pageant begins at 6 pm and is open to female contestants who are currently enrolled at Cherokee High School. One Queen will be crowned and alternate awards will be presented to 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place.

Areas of competition will also include awards for Prettiest Eyes, Prettiest Smile, Prettiest Hair, Prettiest Dress, Miss Congeniality and People’s Choice Award. The winners in each age group will receive a sash, trophy, “2022 Queen of Diamonds t-shirt” and crown. All Queens will be recognized during the Miss CHS Queen of Diamonds pageant on Saturday evening.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Cherokee Warriors high school baseball program.

There is a $50 registration fee per contestant. Contestants may register at https://cherokeebaseball.square.site/queen-of-diamonds

The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Robert F. Logan has been named the 47th recipient of the First Citizen of Cherokee County Award. He was honored during the Chamber's 51st Annual Meeting held Thursday, January 20, 2022.

Robert Logan, 78, was born in Cordele, Georgia, and his family moved back to the Logan Family Farm in the Concord Community in Sumter County just outside Plains where he and his siblings were raised. After graduating from Plains High School, he began his college career at Auburn University. In 1964, after she graduated from the University of Georgia, Mr. Logan married Margaret Colston, and the Logan’s lived in the marriage dorms on campus at Auburn until Mr. Logan graduated in the spring of 1966 with a degree in electrical engineering. After graduation Mr. Logan went to work for Georgia Power Company living in Gainesville, Americus, Adairsville and finally Canton where he was transferred in 1970 as the District Superintendent for covering North Cobb, Cherokee, Pickens, and Gilmer Counties. Fortunately for Cherokee County, Mr. Logan remained in Canton for his entire career. Upon his retirement in 2002 as Canton Area Manager, he celebrated 40 years of service with Georgia Power, yet he continues to work with the Georgia Power Ambassadors. Actively involved in the Cherokee County community to this day, Mr. Logan is the epitome of Georgia Power’s 100+ year old motto – A Citizen Wherever We Serve – as he is truly a citizen who serves his community.

He has been a member of various organizations throughout his 78-year life – serving on numerous Boards and holding many leadership roles. He was an active member of the Canton Masonic Lodge where he served as the Master in 1981 along with District Deputy. He was also an active member of the Canton Lions Club, serving as club president from 1992-1993, and he continues to be very active in his church, Canton First United Methodist, where he has held numerous leadership positions including Chairman of the Board, Building Committee Chairman, and a member of the Chapel Committee. A graduate of Leadership Cherokee and Chairman of the former Leadership Cherokee Alumni, Mr. Logan served as Chairman of the Chamber Board of Directors in 1994. He was an active member of the Rotary Club of Canton, serving as President from 2003-2004 and was the recipient of the Cox Award for Outstanding Service in 2004. Former Chairman of the Canton Tree City Commission and a former member of the Canton Housing Authority and Canton Urban Redevelopment Agency, Mr. Logan has served as an Ambassador for Reinhardt University as well as a volunteer on the former A Day for Reinhardt committee.

Currently serving as the Treasurer for the Friendship Force of Big Canoe/North Georgia, Mr. and Mrs. Logan have been actively involved in the Friendship Force for many years - hosting guests from throughout the world and participating in exchanges in many countries as well. He has served on the Development Authority of Cherokee County since 1999, serving as the vice chairman from 2002-2003, and the treasurer from 2009 through present. The Logan’s have two sons and daughters-in-law, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

“The Cherokee County Chamber was honored to name Robert Logan as the 47th recipient of the prestigious First Citizen of Cherokee County Award. It is obvious, based upon his accomplishments, why he was selected,” remarked Brian Stevens, CEO and Co-Owner of FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers, and 2022 Chamber Board Chair.

The title of First Citizen of Cherokee County is bestowed upon a resident of Cherokee County who has resided in the county for a minimum of five years and has shown significant meritorious service to his/her community through family, civic and/or religious involvement. A panel of out-of-town judges reviews the accomplishments of each applicant then the winner is chosen based upon merit. The 2022 recipient joins a prestigious list of honorees including former Canton physician Dr. Grady Coker, who was the initial recipient in 1971, along with Jim Lindenmayer who was selected in 2021.

Cherokee County employees, who are active duty or retired military personnel, are being honored thanks to a generous donation to the Cherokee Recreation and Parks Commemorative Brick Program.

At the Jan. 18 Board of Commissioners meeting, Cherokee Recreation and Parks Director Jay Worley was presented with a $4,500 donation from Will Tomasello and Becky Massave, siblings who founded Legacy Event Management. First responders were also recognized for their ongoing work with the organization.

The organization is an event management company that specializes in hosting elite level sporting competitions that connect youth athletes with college coaches for potential recruitment. “Will and Becky reached out to me after hosting the Veterans Tribute Showcase at our parks last fall and inquired about donating to a local veterans’ charity in honor of Veterans Day,” said Worley. “I immediately thought about the Commemorative Brick Program for the veterans’ monument at Cherokee Veterans Park.”

The donation will be used to purchase veterans’ bricks for all active and retired military personnel currently employed by Cherokee County and will be displayed at the Cherokee Veterans Park Monument. The centerpiece of the design is a large United States Flag with five granite walls and plaques depicting the names and mottos for each uniformed branch of service along with the year each branch was founded. The pentagon-shaped plaza includes seat walls and a five-pointed star with a column at the point and the seal for each branch of the armed services on the column.

“Veteran causes are very close to Becky and I because of our father and family who have served,” said Tomasello. “Because of the investment the county has made to its parks system, over $130 million dollars have been awarded in scholarships to girls who play softball and by the county investing in our tournaments, we felt it was our place to make this investment into this county.”

The personnel committee of the Sequoyah Regional Library Board of Trustees has completed the search process for a new executive director and has selected Angela Cortellino as the sole finalist for the position. The board of trustees will vote to make an official appointment later in January.

Ms. Cortellino has served as deputy director for Sequoyah Regional Library System since 2016, after joining the system in 2015 as public services director. Prior to joining the Sequoyah system, which includes Cherokee, Pickens, and Gilmer counties, she worked in public libraries in Hall and Lumpkin counties. Ms. Cortellino holds a master’s of science degree in Information Technology from the University of Tennessee School of Information Science. She is a member of the Georgia Library Association, where she serves as advocacy chair. She was awarded the Georgia Library Professional Commendation for Outstanding Service in 2021 and was chosen one of the 2021 Cherokee County Top 10 Under 40 Professionals to Watch.

In her present role with the library system among her responsibilities she heads up communication and collaboration of the library system, provides leadership to all employees, leads efforts on customer service, and helps develop and monitor budgets. Cortellino will replace retiring Sequoyah Regional Library Executive Director Anita Summers.

The 2021 Lake Allatoona Association’s “Lights on the Lake” Christmas Parade was again very successful due to the sponsors, donors and participants in this year’s parade.  This year there were 19 boats registered to participate in the parade and the December 4th weather was awesome for participants and viewers.  Many folks chose to watch the parade on the shoreline at Bartow County’s Gatewood Park which is the best viewing site on the lake for the boat parade.  

Park Marina again hosted the event for the judges, participants, donors and participants.  Prizes for each vessel category were awarded to the following vessels and owner/operators:  Pontoon - Dean Schneider;  Other Category - AJ Murphy;  Cabin Cruiser - Tim Maxey; Houseboat - Bryan Kirby;  Best Spirit - Rachel Hutchinson; and Best Overall - Greg Kalin.

Each year a non-profit affiliate responsible for children ‘in foster care’, from one of the three counties adjacent to Allatoona Lake, is selected to be the recipient of the Christmas Parade proceeds.  On December 31, Lake Allatoona Association Board Members presented a check for $2,800 to The Calvary Children’s Home in Powder Springs.