Monetary gift to a friend from school. Is there an appropriate range for the gift?

Asking as a father whose daughter was invited to a quinceañera.

Does anybody know of local trivia bars and such? I'm looking to try and socialize a bit more and that seems a little more in my wheel house. There was a post on here 5 months ago, but it didn't include any info on what days the events are being ran on, and google doesn't really help much with that either.

Did anyone find out what the raffle prizes were for the contest where you had to spend $200 downtown?

I didn't get close to that number and I'm curious what they were!

I got nothing. No, really, all the newsletters let me down bad.

Seems like the local governments just don't ask people to do extra work this time of year. There will be a bunch of things surrounding the Menorah Lightings on 12/26, but until then nothing.

My family will be gathering to do the Lights of Life on Friday. I'm sure that there will be a ton of other people taking advantage of that last weekend to do the Mall Santa at Town Center, the Lights of Life in Marietta, and the walk-through Lights of Joy on Ben King Road. The Worlds of Illumination at White Water seems paradoxically too expensive and too busy to be worth it in my opinion.

If you know of something going on, feel free to share. I'm sure that there are tons of concerts at local churches and Nutcracker performances and schools hosting events, but I'm on exactly none of those mailing lists.

In the meantime, have a happy holidays and reach out to include family and friends who might be having a rough time of it. Little gestures mean a lot to people.

I have a friend that I mail seasonal/themed (birthday, Halloween, and Christmas) boxes to and I’m on the hunt for recommendations on local shops that have interesting or funny things. We love a snarky sticker or magnet but functional items are cool too (like kitchen or office items). I’ve had some luck at 2nd and Charles before, but wanted to see if there’s anything else around Kennesaw/Marietta/Woodstock/Acworth I’m missing? Thank you!

Does anyone else get woken up by loud, modified cars almost every night or do I just live in a really unfortunate part of town?

It wasn't bad a few years ago but it's gotten really bad recently. When I'm awake, I can also hear them far in the distance.

What’s up with the Oyster Cafe. Building now says Chopped. Google indicates Choped will be a Korean restaurant. Interesting.

Next on is on January 6th, so I have no idea what I would be posting the rest of the month.

The first thing was that rezoning request by the Hooters. Again, developers want out of building shops. Again, city says no they have to build shops. Again, developer stalls for time while trying to figure out how to get out of building shops. Proposal to delay to January 13th and 21st (the 20th is a Holiday) approved 5-0.

There was a big ass consent agenda that passed without comment. That's the thing where they were reallocating all the expiring money from last week.

Four liquor licenses came up. The Stop-To-GO Shell and Racetrack #052 both sold booze to minors and not have licenses back. The Cobb Food Mart finished training and certifying all their workers so they got theirs back. And there's the new Bottle Shop in the Publix Shopping center that got its license for the first time. All passed 5-0.

History Kid shared Letters to Santa from 1924. Those kids really wanted fruit and candy, mostly fruit but also candy. And then either dolls (ones that sleep or say "mama") or trains depending. History Kid (and his dad) also won "Kennesaw Citizen of the Year", congratulations History Kid (and his dad)!

One elderly gentleman wanted to thank the city for putting down straw and the like on the walking trail behind Kennesaw First Baptist that winds behind and connects all the neighborhoods up towards Moon Station. It was a lot of work that most people won't notice, but it makes the trail much nicer to walk.

And that's pretty much it. Quick meeting today.

The City Manager didn't have anything to say.

Councilman Guiterrez said that he got all the gifts wrapped (do you have all your gifts wrapped yet?) and can now thoroughly enjoy the holiday season.

Councilman Ferris said that he went to Wreaths Across America on that incredibly busy Saturday we just had. It was a highlight of the season for him. A bunch of different groups pitched in: the Daughters of the American Revolution, local scout troops, and the high school ROTCs all played key roles. They set up 135 wreaths, so take a time to stroll the graveyard and the park this holiday season.

Councilor Orochena wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

Councilman Jones had a good intergovernmental meeting last week and had a good talk at Wreaths Across America. He talked to a guy who had been stationed in Ethiopia and shook hands with the Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie, which was a very interesting connection for the councilman. It was also a good year for his family, even if his wife has had a crazy amount of work with all the new kids.

Councilor Viars wanted to give a blanket thank you to all the people who helped out the various programs that help people have a nicer Christmas. Giving toys and helping with meals goes a crazy long way for kids in families that are struggling and those small touches mean a lot.

Disappointing outcome for her family.

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/cobb-county/he-doesnt-care-family-disappointed-driver-only-serving-1-day-after-vehicular-homicide-conviction/2P7FQXIUUNAJHNO2IONRL6SSQM/

Hi, i’m in the Kennesaw area and love dungeons and dragons and want to learn more about it. Is there anyone in the area who is willing to talk to me about it? Adults are okay for me too

Not sure how or where to tag this but if it helps

I’m 21F and I don’t have any irl friendships to speak of so I’m trying to find community :]

I love anime and manga ! and I spend a lot of my free time at the arcade, I frequent bookstores when I can I enjoy 2nd and Charles a lot

I’m aware hobbytown has some gundam building “classes” on occasion every week, is there anywhere people go and sit to talk/make friends ? Thank you 🙏 any help is appreciated

I know this isn't necessarily Kennesaw as this location was in Woodstock. I would make trips to the outlets just to get their hot chocolate every winter. I saw the locations in both Woodstock and Alabama are permanently closed. Was just wondering if anybody had any info on that.

I have diapers of various sizes and brands, girl clothes pre-3 months. Various bottles. A diaper organizer. A infant car seat that would fit a smaller baby. Anyone know who may really benefit from this?

As my wife and I mourn the loss of our beloved Dollar Tree (AND BARGAIN HUNT), I was wondering if anyone had heard what was replacing the Dollar Tree on the corner of Kennesaw Due West and Stilesboro?

Basically what the title is asking. Are there any parks in Kennesaw that are decorated for the season?

So, there's a lot of events in Kennesaw instead of the one big one.

On Saturday (12/14) the Southern Museum will be having their Holiday Event it's all included in regular admission ($10 for adults/$5 for kids/$8 for seniors). The museum will have a special exhibit of antique toys while they will also have local groups show off dioramas, vintage dolls, and have a wood working group make some wooden toys. First Presbyterian Church of Marietta’s bell choir will have a show at 11. Santa will be available for pictures from 10 to 2.

Also on Saturday Wreaths Across America will be putting wreaths on the graves of veterans at the City Cemetery next to the Revival on Main from noon to 2. The event is being hosted by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

ALSO on Saturday at the Ben Robertson Community Center they're hosting a Family Crafting Event where a parent and child can make a winter-themed craft together for $20 (and $10 for each additional child). The event will run from 1 to 2:30. Examples of crafts include: pinecone door hangers, "Tree cookies", and watercolor greeting cards.

Cobb County Stuff-a-Bus will be making stops in the area to provide toys for 1,000 needy families. On Thursday the 12th the bus will be stopping at Wellstar Acworth Health Park, KNAPP in Kennesaw, and WellStar Pediatric Center. On Friday they'll be stopping by Marietta and East Cobb. On Saturday they'll be stopping in Marietta and Vinings.

Acworth is doing some stuff, too.

On that same Saturday from 9 to 11 in the morning they doing Breakfast with the Grinch at the Acworth Community Center. It's $30/head for non-residents.

One week from today, or Wednesday 12/18, Acworth will be having a golf cart parade on Main Street from 6 to 7. The Parade is free to attend or participate in, but you need to register your golf cart prior to the parade to enter.

Meanwhile out in the wilds of East Cobb Piedmont Church is having a holiday crafts fair. It's no Apple Annie, but it's still a 40 booth event with concerts from the local schools and what not. It's free admission on both Friday and Saturday. It runs on Friday the 13th from 5PM to 9PM and on Saturday from 10AM to 5PM.

Seems to me that the 14th is massively overbooked, and that's just with the things in the newsletters and calendars I signed up for. I'm sure that there's plenty more. Feel free to share if you know of something that people might want to hear about.

I am looking for one more Player for my tsukumogami In AliceLand campaign. We used to have three players but their player was a no-show and the player before them was also a no-show. But I haven't given up so here we are again. This campaign will be using the city of mist system with minor modifications. This will be a alternating schedule between Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday at 1:00 p.m. the next session will be at 1:00 p.m. Thursday at crazy book lady. If you're interested or have any questions please send me a message.

The truck hasn’t ran in about 5 years. It has two gas tanks that appear to be slap full. I don’t want to run it through the engine. Any idea of what to do? I can’t store or transport 30 gallons of old gasoline.

I'm not happy about this weather.

There are two developers' proposals this week. The first one was the postponed rezoning proposal for the property right behind the Hooters at the location of the former Electric Cowboy. They want to just not do the commercial component of the mixed-use development, and they still haven't gotten staff on board so they want to stall until the meetings on January 13th/21st. Council decided to let them have the time.

The other was for "The Station at South Main", the commercial component of "The Lacy at South Main" just south of the Post Office on Main Street. After resolving the issue with Cobb County Water, they need approval to start work on the 5 commercial lots and 1 parking lot. The city has no problem with them following through on their promises despite problems.

Neither developer gave more than $250 in campaign contributions over the past two years. I just noticed that they had a form for that in the application.

The next thing up for discussion was the GIRMA Fund. It's to fund health insurance specifically for PTSD for 9/11 operators and Police/Fire in accordance with a new state law that will be going into effect in January. There's two different programs a short-term insurance to get people started on treatment and a long-term disability for when people can't return to work due to PTSD. The last thing we want is an armed officer suffering from PTSD in a high stress situation. It's $10,508 per year.

Councilman Jones asked for some clarification between the two programs. Staff clarified that it's an either/or deal you either get the therapy while you work or three years of coverage if you can't work. Jones went on to ask if it was coordinated by the managers of these departments. Staff clarified that no, the programs are anonymous and should only be disclosed to managers and coworkers with the patient's consent.

The next up were a bunch of alcohol licenses, either those who need approval because they are getting them for the first time or are renewing after getting popped for violating their license last year. The Stop2Go Shell, RaceTrac #052, and the Cobb Food Mart all had violations but no new ones after their suspensions and were approved. The Bottle Shop was a new license since the business opens this month, it's at Cobb Parkway and Jiles in the Publix Shopping Center. Maybe check them out.

The KDA would like the city to transfer Jiles Place back to them. Back after the 2008 financial crisis the city bought up a bunch of foreclosed property downtown, Jiles Place is the last bit of that left. The KDA sold it to the city in 2016 and now they want it swapped back for the original purchase price because someone wants to buy it. Don't know why it makes more sense to transfer it to the KDA first, but whatever. Seems like it does.

The American Rescue Plan Act gave the city a ton of cash, but all that money has to be budgeted (but not necessarily spent) by the end of the year. So the current plan is to toss whatever is left into the new Public Safety Facility they are building. As long as it gets built in the next two years the city won't have to give back any Federal money.

Crime stats were ROUGH for November. Not only were the total number of serious crimes up, but we had a murder (3 this year) compared to 0 last year. But overall crime is still down for all of 2024 to 2023. Yeah we had some murders, but sexual assaults were down 25%. Don't know which I would prefer.

So, the city signed on to a FUSUS program that hooks all of the city's cameras to all of the county's cameras and some local business' cameras into one singular searchable database. The problem? The company we contracted with was bought by another company and they want to raise the price from $75,000/year to $100,000 a year in a 10 year contract. Yikes. They talked them down to 7 years with a cancelation option and a 10% discount, but the city would still be paying substantially more. The police chief said that the database really helped with the murder investigations, so it looks like we're doing it.

Councilman Ferris expressed concern about the new management undercutting the quality of the project and instructed the police chief to keep an eye on it, and use the exit clause if they start cutting back.

Councilor Viars wanted to know more about how it connects.

The police chief noted that it shared resources and information with Cobb PD, Cobb DOT, and neighboring cities so hit and run drivers can be caught by any police force in the county.

Thanks to problems filling empty positions in the Parks and Rec Landscaping crew (people quit for Covid and they've hired exactly 0 people to replace them since) they're farming out landscaping for City Hall, Gateway Park, Depot Park, and some other flashy spots to a private company. The city allocated a budget, but the bids came in way cheaper, they're going with a $107K bid.

Councilman Ferris asked if the neighborhood parks were still going to be done by the landscaping crew. Staff explained that while the city would retain the equipment the landscaping crew would be reassigned, but those duties would also be reassigned to the same crew that do road medians and the like.

One of the bathroom buildings at Adams Park is beyond the end of its service life. The city put out a bid to replace it. They're taking a $374,000 bid that wasn't the lowest, because the lowest bid didn't include all the necessary paperwork and if they can't be assed to file the right paperwork can they really be expected to do plumbing right?

Councilman Ferris asked if they were going to be tearing down the old building. Staff said that they would be and were replacing the 4 stall men's/women's with 4 family bathrooms and a utility closet. Ferris asked if that would be enough for gameday. Staff pointed out that these bathrooms were mostly for the playground and were only convenient to one softball field.

Now it's time for the wrap up.

The city manager said that the legislative meeting was being pushed to 7:30 AM on the 20th. This might conflict with other city events. Councilman Ferris said that he'd prefer they cancel, the city has been arranging this meeting with state reps but they just don't show up and when they do it's about what the state wants from the city rather than what the city is up to. Councilor Viars agreed, she already meets with the relevant state reps and doesn't see the value in these things. Neither Councilor Orochena nor Councilman Guiterrez had been to one so they just went with experience. City manager will cancel.

The city manager went on to say that the big even last weekend went quite well.

Councilman Guiterrez missed the Day with Santa because he was in Vermont for work. Turns out that he does not like driving in snow.

Councilman Ferris said that the tree is magnificent, thanks to public works, and that people should just take an opportunity to drive around and look at all the lights. There's a ton this year between Parks stepping up their game, Lights of Joy, and a good showing from everyday citizens doing up their homes.

Councilor Orochena said that her kids loved the parade, but they didn't quite make it over to the tree lighting. They did, however, stroll to the park. Turns out that she misremembered the lyrics to the 12 Days of Christmas and had to be corrected by the decorations.

Councilman Jones said that he also thoroughly enjoyed Saturday's event. He did go on to say that you should check in on friends and family this time of year, though. Everyone's going through something, and this can be a real hard time of year for some folks. A little care can go a very long way.

Councilor Viars said that she very much enjoyed the lights, and to be a little different she wanted to recognize the businesses that put out displays for the holidays. She also wanted to recognize the mayor's hard work and how he showed out for the event over the weekend.

I have decided that I do not like being wet.

Can anyone recommend a good tailor?

Have an issue with my landlord that has officially entered lawyer territory. Have been searching online for local lawyers with not too much success.

Seeing if anyone here has any recommendations for a lawyer that handles landlord/ tenant issues.

Thanks in advance.

Looking for a place to get a good live tree, preferably a tall one. I know I’ve waited too long but am hoping for a Christmas miracle.

Seeking clerical, customer service, or administrative positions. Can anyone recommend companies currently hiring or temp agencies that assist with placements?

So, the tempo for Christmas is beginning to pick up. A bunch more will be going on next weekend, but the city of Kennesaw's big event is on Saturday 12/7.

The first thing is Breakfast with Santa. It's $8 for an all you can eat breakfast of pancakes and a photo op with Santa. If you can't make the 8 AM start time don't worry, they're doing it again at 10 AM. It'll be at the Ben Robertson Community Center and you can buy tickets either through the link in the link or in person at the Community Center.

Later on, about 1 PM, Main Street will be closed for a parade that starts and ends at Adams Park. This will be followed by five hours of festivities between City Hall and Depot Park amphitheater. Santa stuff starts at 2 PM and includes free photos with Santa in the park.

Marietta is hosting their tree lighting TONIGHT (12/5) from 4 to 8 PM on the Marietta Square. They will be featuring an Ugly Sweater Parade at 4:45. Santa's arrival at the Glover Park Bandstand at 5:15. The tree lighting ceremony will be held at 6. Other offerings include both local Choirs doing Christmas songs and writing stations if you want to write a letter to Santa.

Acworth gets in on the action TOMORROW (12/6) with their Santa Arrival starting at 5:30 to 8:30 PM. They'll feature pictures with Santa starting at 6:45 and the mayor reading The Night Before Christmas. It'll be in the plaza behind Henry's unless there's rain in which case the whole thing relocates to their Community Center.

But that's not all. Running from Friday to Sunday (12/6-12/8) Marietta is hosting their Historic Home Tour called The Marietta Pilgrimage. Tickets are required, and can be purchased for $30 from the website before 4PM today or on site for $35. Purchases and tours begin at the Marietta Welcome Center or the Root House.

The Ballet Company on the Square is also performing the Nutcracker on Friday at 8PM, there will be other showings. Tickets are required.

Finally, for a more classic experience there's a Mall Santa at Town Center Mall.

Again, I'm sure there's a lot more happening this holiday season, but this is just what shows up in the various newsletters I got. Feel free to let me know of more events you think are worth telling people about.

Hello all!

I graduate this December and currently stay at SOVA. I had someone lined up to take over my lease in January but they dropped out a week before signing. I really can’t afford to stay here and urgently need to find someone to take over my lease ASAP.

My unit is located on the top floor with a super nice view of Kennesaw Mtn. It’s a deluxe unit with only one other roommate. Females only!! Super nice unit close to campus and I really enjoyed my time here.

Anyone know where I can find some subleasing groups or any recommendations? Also, please DM if interested! I can provide more info if needed.