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Michael Brantley Named Interim PARKS Director
 Cobb County Manager Dr. Jackie McMorris has appointed Michael Brantley as interim director of Cobb PARKS. Brantley has served as the Operations Division Manager, a position he has held for the past three years. He is filling the position previously held by Jimmy Gisi, who was recently named as deputy county manager.
Brantley has been involved in recreation since his early childhood. He grew up across the street from a park in Dublin, Georgia and knew he was destined to serve in the recreation and parks field since high school. He graduated from Georgia Southern University with a Bachelor of Science in Recreation Administration beginning his career in Cherokee County Georgia serving in both the recreation and operation divisions. He left Cherokee County in 2017 to become the Operations Division Manager for Cobb PARKS. He was the President of the Georgia Recreation & Park Association in 2015 and is a member of NACPRO (National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials) and NRPA (National Recreation & Park Association). Michael and his wife Tiffani have been married seven years and they have a dog, Saki. In his spare time he enjoys golfing, fishing and cheering on his favorite sports teams.
Jimmy Gisi has served as the director of Cobb’s PARKS department since December 2016. He previously held the PARKS director position for 10 years before serving as the executive director of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association. In addition to his more than 33 years of government expertise, Gisi holds a bachelor’s degree in recreation and leisure studies from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in public administration from Valdosta State University.
Congratulations to both Michael and Jimmy as they continue to serve Cobb County!
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Holiday Events at Cobb Parks
 'Tis the season to be jolly and Cobb has a bunch of fun, family-friendly activities and events planned around the county in the coming weeks.
12 Days of Christmas Holiday Market
The 12 Days of Christmas Holiday Market is happening at the Mable House Arts Center! The market will run every day from 10am-6pm Dec. 2-13. The Friends of the Mable House will also be hosting their yearly Silent Auction to raise funds for the Historic Mable House Property. Please note this year’s market will have certain restrictions due to Covid19 such as masks will be required to shop, there will be no Tea Room, and there will be limited occupancy throughout the day. For more information, please call 770-819-3285.
The Quest is ON! Virtual Scavenger Hunt December 23-January 2
Cobb Parks Presents: Quest: Holiday Hunt. Join us for an end of the year Holiday Hunt! Celebrate the holidays and welcome in 2021 with this virtual scavenger hunt. This creative scavenger hunt will test the limits of your ability to be artistic, musical, festive and more. It’s a perfect social distancing activity for your family, a group of friends, or to find new friends! Deadline for registration is Dec. 21. For more information click here.
Cobb County’s Winter Wonderland
A new event to be held outdoors at the Fair Oaks Recreation Center! Families will have one picture taken by a professional photographer with a fun holiday backdrop, get hot cocoa, enjoy live entertainment, drop off letters to Santa with real elves, and pick up a special gift on the way out. Guests will also have access to The Art Center - Mountain View’s pop up artist market! The event runs Dec. 19 from 11am-5pm and the fee to participate is $10 (preregistration required).
Virtual Soup Kits
This year at The Art Place - Mountain View, we will be doing virtual soup kits instead of our traditional Empty Bowl Brunch. Gift bags include 1 cookbook, 2 coupons for soup at Greenwise Market, and 2 hand thrown bowls. The cost is $30 and they will be available for pick up at the Art Place Dec. 7-18, and any remaining kits will be sold at Cobb’s Winter Wonderland Dec. 19. The kits are currently on sale for preorder. All proceeds support the Mountain View Art Alliance. To order, see website.
Home for the Holidays 2020
Jennie T. Anderson Theatre
The 15th anniversary - featuring performances by the Atlanta Lyric Theatre and CCCEPA. This year's annual holiday tradition will be a streamed performance on Dec. 11-13. Tickets are $25 and are available at our website or ticket office (770) 528-8490.
Cookies for Santa
Ward Recreation Center
Who doesn’t love to leave cookies out for Santa? Ward Recreation Center is collecting the following items to be given out to families through the Georgia Department of Child and Family Services. Donate supplies to families needing a little bit of Christmas cheer this year. Our goal is to provide supplies to help 50 families. Each family will receive sugar cookie mix, frosting, decorations and Christmas themed cookie cutters. Donations can be dropped off at Ward Recreation Center through Dec. 10. If you would like to receive Cookies for Santa, please click here to register!
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'Fun in the Park' Photo Contest Winners Announced
The 'Fun in the Park' Photo Contest is over for 2020 and once again we had a great response. With one of our largest turnouts ever, there were over 230 photos submitted in thr ee different categories: General category, Nature and Wildlife and Sports and Action. With so many great photos submitted, the judges had a difficult time selecting the winners. Once the scores were tabulated, photos by the following photographers were selected:
General Category
1st Place Melinda Law (pictured)
2nd Place Missy Garrison
3rd Place Alisha Berry
Honorable Mention Anne Norton
Honorable Mention Craig Ehler
Honorable Mention Sheela Belagaje
Honorable Mention Ginny Jarvis
Honorable Mention Melinda Law
Honorable Mention Shacaira Shelton
 Nature and Wildlife
1st Place Madelyn Muraoka (pictured)
2nd Place John Ridings
3rd Place James Fletcher
Honorable Mention Craig Ehler
Honorable Mention Jemetria Mabrey
Honorable Mention Kaytlyn Bell
Honorable Mention Kevin Hill
Honorable Mention Madelyn Muraoka
Honorable Mention Ramses Rivas
Sports and Action
 1st Place Ginny Jarvis (pictured)
2nd Place James Northway
3rd Place Jeremy Tyson
Honorable Mention Jeremy Tyson
Honorable Mention Larry Schnall
Honorable Mention John Ridings
Honorable Mention John Purcell
Honorable Mention Srinidhi Krishnan
All the winning photos can be found here. Thanks to all the photographers for their participation! Now it is time to start taking pictures for the 2021 contest.
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Fall Adult League Champions Crowned
 Cobb PARKS adult athletic fall season has come to an end. This fall, in addition to softball leagues, Cobb PARKS offered league play for kickball and cornhole. There was enthusiastic participation for all of theses activities and now we have crowned our league champions. Here is a list of the fall results (champions / runner-ups):
Fall Adult Softball
Monday Coed Rookie League – Prestige Worldwide / Monkey Balls
Monday Coed Competitive League – On My Base / Kryptonite
Monday Men’s Rookie League – Howitzers / Valor House
Monday Men’s Competitive League – Sean Perren State Farm Bears / T.C. Williams
Tuesday Men’s Rookie League – BAMN / Stick Talk
Wednesday Coed Social Recreational League – JES Bears / Abusement Park
(Kennworth) Tuesday Men’s Competitive League – Kennessaw Generals / The Goonies
(Terrell Mill) Tuesday Men’s Competitive League – Bradley Bushwood All-Stars (pictured) / Outta The Parkers
Fall Adult Kickball
Thursday Kickball League – RTH Re-Loaded (pictured) / Suh Dude
Fall Adult Cornhole
Thursday Cornhole Beginner League – Swag Bags / Playing For Pie
Thursday Cornhole Intermediate League – Corn In The USA / Corn To Be Wild
Spring adult athletic registration will begin in late January - we hope to see you back for spring season. Congratulations to all the fall season winners!
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G ingerbread House Showdown
Think you have what it takes to be declared the ultimate gingerbread builder? The Mable House Arts Center is hosting the 'Gingerbread House Showdown' this holiday season. The event is open to all Cobb County residents and open to any age. Create your “Gingerbread House” using any materials and any size. Photos of completed works can be submitted through Dec. 12. Bracketed voting will take place Dec. 14-18 on our social media channels. The ultimate winner will be announced on Dec. 18 and will receive a trophy with bragging rights for the best gingerbread house in Cobb County for 2020.
To enter, send your photos (up to 2 photos per person) to marie.jernigan@cobbcounty.org. Time to starting building your masterpiece.
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Free membership to Community Garden in Austell Available
 Join the Riverside Neighborhood Community Garden outside the South Cobb Recreation Center in Austell. This garden is a space for Riverside community members to grow food and relationships. The community shares gardening knowledge, garden work time and free food for volunteers. Community garden days are held 1:30pm every Sunday and membership is free. To become a member or garden leader, email RNCommunityGarden@gmail.com. Find it on Facebook at Facebook.com/RNCommunityGarden.
South Cobb Recreation Center is located at 875 Riverside Parkway, Austell.
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Upcoming Events
For a full listing of upcoming activities and events, visit the Cobb County Master Event Calendar.
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Upcoming Registrations
We are proud to offer a wide range of activities and events throughout the year for the whole family! Visit cobbparks.org for more information.
Registration in progress.
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