Family Friendly Events for Easter Weekend

Friday 4/22

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Easter Egg Hunt at Brecht Stables. Find the secret egg and win a Bryer Horse!

8:30 pm – Flashlight Egg Hunt at First Baptist Cumming. Event for K-5 aged children. Bring a basket and flashlight.

All Day – Earth Day Celebration – Keep Forsyth Beautiful – Coal Mountain Recycling Center.For more information on any of these events or to schedule a tour for your group, call Keep Forsyth County Beautiful at 770.205.4573.

Saturday 4/23

10:00 am – 12:00 pm – Michaels – Free Easter Card make-it take-it event for kids 3 and up.

10:00 am – 11:00 am – Pike Nurseries – Creating Containers That Wow - FREE seminar at all Pike Nurseries garden centers. This seminar will teach you the ABC’s of color container gardens.  Learn how to select and plant containers with Thrillers, Spillers, and Fillers.  Attendees will receive coupon to use that day.

10:00 am – Lowes Build and Grow – Window Birdhouse - Spring is here! This unique birdhouse sticks to your window so you can actually see the nest! Your child will love it! Each participant also receives a free apron, goggles, a project themed patch, and a certification of merit upon completion of their project.

11:00 am – Barnes & Noble at The Avenues Forsyth – Kids Saturday Storytime – Happy Easter!

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Easter Eggstravaganza at Christ Community Church. We’ll have egg hunts with15,000 Candy Eggs (for Toddlers, Pre-school, Elementary, High-School, AND College!), Giveaways, Inflateables, Games for all ages, Fun Stations, Food & more! Admittance is free.

Events copied from http://www.forsythforfamilies.com/

Existing-Home Sales Rise in March 2011

According to the National Association of Realtors, existing-home sales rose in March by 3.7% to a "seasonally adjusted" annual rate of 5.10 million in March from 4.92 million in February, but are still 6.3% below the 5.44 million sold in March 2010.

NAR chief economist, expects the improving sales pattern to continue but cautions that not every month will show a gain since it is still very difficult for some buyers to obtain a mortgage.  For those that qualify for financing, monthly mortgage payments as a percent of income have been at record lows.  Data from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have tightened requirements to obtain conventional mortgage, with the average credit score rising to about 760 in the current market from nearly 720 in 2007.  

Home prices are still on the decline.  The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $159,600 in March, down 5.9% from last year. Distressed homes—typically sold at 20% discount, accounted for a 40% market share in March, up from 39% in February and 35% in March 2010.

Looking at all this regionally, in the South, existing-home sales rose 8.2% but are still 1.0% below sales in March 2010. The median price in the South was $138,200, down 6.6% from a year ago.

For more information, visit www.realtor.com.

Best of the Best - Cumming 2011

Saw this and thought it was worth a post:

All-Around Restaurant - Taco Mac (apparently everyone agrees because I was there a few weeks ago and it was packed - baseball teams, families, and fun!)

Bakery - Dutch Monkey Doughnuts (I must check this one out!)

Barbecue - Jim 'n Nicks

Coffee - Starbucks (gee really?)

Desserts - Dairy Queen

Ethnic Restaurant - Kani House

Fast Food - Chik-fil-A (another one that's no surprise)

Italian - Provinos (love those rolls)

Lunch - Lenny's

Kid Friendly - Chik-fil-A

Mexican - Chepes (again, always packed)

New Restaurant - Cheeky's

Oriental - Pacific Spice

Pizzaria - Mellow Mushroom

Seafood - Norman's Landing

Sports Bar - Taco Mac


Check out the rest of the list in AroundAbout Cumming Magazine, March 2011

Sawnee Mountain Rises to the Top

Sawnee Mountain is to Cumming what Stone Mountain is to Atlanta - sort of.  Like Stone Mountain, it is a recognizable landmark that is just, well, always there in the background.  And in the last few years, Sawnee Mountain has, like Stone Mountain, become a great place to enjoy the great GA outdoors.

During the months of April and May, Sawnee Mountain Preserve Visitor’s Center is offering a several outdoor activities for kids and adults.  Below are a few:

Intro to Vegetable Gardening: This class covers planning, soils and management, intro to plant growth, sowing seeds and transplanting, fertilizer application, watering, training plants, managing problems and harvesting produce. Enjoy hands-on exercises and outdoor work in raised bed vegetable gardens. (May 10 - 24 from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. for ages 18 and up. The cost is $45.00 for county residents and $54.00 for non-county residents.)

Georgia Master Naturalists: This program is a combination of lectures and outside hands-on learning through field studies. Participants will hear from experts who manage our natural resources.  (The eight-hour sessions are offered on Tuesdays, April 12 - May 31, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., for ages 18 and up. The cost is $200 for county residents and $240 for non-county residents.)


Introduction to Tree Climbing:  Tree climbing instruction will be offered on Saturday, April 16 and May 7 from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. and is for ages 8 and up. The cost is $30.00 for county residents, $36.00 for non-county residents (all equipment will be provided).

Container Gardening: You’ll learn about starting and maintaining a container garden. (Monday, May 16 from 10:30 a.m. – noon, and on Tuesdays, May 17 – 31 from noon – 2 p.m. The cost is $66.00 for county residents and $79.20 for non-county residents.)

Sawnee Mountain Preserve Visitor’s Center is located at 4075 Spot Road in Cumming.  ENJOY!