Cobb County's Main Calendar of Events

Aug. 31 - Planning Commission work session. 10 a.m. Third floor board room, 100 Cherokee St., Marietta.

Sept. 2 - No limits library class. 3 p.m. East Cobb Library, 4880 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta. This free class will provide information on library databases. For more information, call 770-509-2730.

Sept. 3 - Keep Cobb Beautiful associate board member applications due. To be eligible, applicants must be a current county resident, at least 16 years old, able to pledge 35 hours during the school year and have an interest in environmental community service. Program applications are available at cobbcounty.org/kcb. For more information, call 770-528-1135.

Sept. 4-6 - Art in the Park. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Marietta Square. More than 130 artists showcasing talent through media including painting, photography, pottery, sculpture and jewelry. Enjoy Interactive Art Alley with make-and-take projects. Free festival admission and free parking in Cherokee Street parking deck. For more information, visit artparkmarietta.com.

Sept. 6 - All Cobb County Government offices will be closed in observance of Labor Day.

Sept. 7 - Preventing school truancy seminar. 11 a.m. Powder Springs Library, 4181 Atlanta St., Building 1, Powder Springs. Cobb County School System's Paul Purcell will host seminar. For more information, call 770-439-3600.

Sept. 7 - Keep Cobb Beautiful monthly board meeting. 5:30 p.m. Cobb Water Lab, 660 South Cobb Drive, Marietta.

Sept. 8 - Board of Zoning Appeals variance hearing. 1 p.m. BOC Room, second floor, 100 Cherokee St., Marietta.

Sept. 8 - Tech talk for book lovers. 3 p.m. East Cobb Library training room, 4880 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta. People who want their library to be portable can attend class on eAudiobooks and start downloading books. For more information, call 770-509-2730.

Sept. 8 - East Cobb Library begins children's storytimes and crafts. Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 9:30 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. (Wednesdays only). For more information, call 770-509-2730.

Sept. 8 - Registration ends for fitness program Walk Georgia. Free eight-week program. Participants log exercise virtually and the program translates activities, such as aerobics classes, walking the dog and a pick-up game of basketball, into "miles." Through the online map, you can electronically chart a course as you "walk" across Georgia, learning interesting history on counties visited. Online registration is open until Sept. 8. Actual recording of physical activity is Sept. 5-Oct. 30. For more information, visit walkgeorgia.org.

Sept. 7 and 9 - Basic computer class for adults. 3-4 p.m., both days. East Cobb Library, 4880 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta. For more information, call 770-509-2730.

Sept. 9 - Planning Commission zoning hearing. 9 a.m. BOC Room, second floor, 100 Cherokee St., Marietta.

Sept. 10 - Cobb Master Gardeners lunch and learn program. Noon. Central Library, 266 Roswell St., Marietta. Bring lunch and enjoy hour presentation on "Hostas" by Jack Driskell. Hosta leaves will be brought in to discuss.

Sept. 11 - East Cobb Library begins family storytime. Every second Saturday of the month. 11 a.m. Families with children of all ages may attend. For more information, call 770-509-4997.

Sept. 11 - East Cobb Library begins Saturday Tween Time. Every second Saturday of the month. 2 p.m. Tweens in grades 6 and up can join the Anime Club to discuss, watch and draw anime. For more information, call 770-509-4997.

Sept. 11 - Powder Springs Library begins Reading Paws. Every other Saturday. 2 p.m. One-on-one program for children in grades 1-5 that promotes confidence and reading skills when children read to a dog. Registration is required. For more information, call 770-439-3600.

Sept. 11 - Mountain View Arts Alliance Summer Stars Concert series presents Etowah Jazz Society. 7:30 p.m. Art Place Mountain View, 3330 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta. For more information, visit theartplace.us

Sept. 11 - Candlelite Concert Series presents Kayla Taylor Jazz. Mable House Barnes Amphithreatre. Doors open at 7 p.m., show begins at 8 p.m. Free for general seating. Tables in front of the stage that seat four are available for $45. For more information, call 770-819-3285 or visit mablehouse.org.

Country star John Michael Montgomery will close the summer concert series at Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre Friday, Sept. 10. Montgomery was born in Kentucky and arrived on the country music scene in 1993 with a debut album, "Life's a Dance," that became the only million-seller on the country charts by a new artist that year. Some of his hit singles include, "I Love the Way You Love Me," "I Swear," " Be My Baby Tonight" and "If You Got Love." Montgomery has won several Academy of Country Music awards, CMA awards and a Grammy.

The Van Lears, brothers Trey and Andrew Bentley, will be the opening act. The brothers were raised in Calhoun, Ga., and grew up with songwriting parents, making music before they could walk.

Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $20 to $45. A table in front of the stage that seats four is available for $350. Mable House is located at 5239 Floyd Road, Mableton. For more information, visit mablehouse.org or call 800-745-3000. To order tickets, visit ticketmaster.com.

Cobb County and the Town Center Area Community Improvement District officials will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Noonday Creek Trail 2 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 2. Town Center Area CID board chairman Mason Zimmerman called it "one of our most significant projects for enhancing connectivity and improving the pedestrian environment in the district." When the entire trail is complete, it will wind north and north east, ultimately to Bells Ferry Road from Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. The 10-foot-wide trail will provide access to pedestrians and bicyclists as well as a large amount of accessible greenspace.

Kennesaw State University recently celebrated the completion of an oral history project conducted by students and the Cobb branch of the NAACP. The event also highlighted the donation of a collection of the papers of the late Hugh Grogan, Marietta’s first black council member. Under the direction of history professor Tom Scott, KSU students conducted 46 oral history interviews with Cobb County residents. TV23 has more on this story (video).

For more information about the archives, visit kennesaw.edu/library.

Town hall meetings are designed to inform residents about progress being made in the county and provide an easy forum for two-way communication with elected officials. The public is invited to attend the district one town hall meeting scheduled for 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 9, at West Cobb Senior Center. Commissioner Helen Goreham will host the meeting and Kathy Nguyen, of the Cobb Water System, will present a regional water supply update. The senior center is located at 4915 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs. For more information, call 770-528-3313 or visit cobbcounty.org/goreham.

Plans are underway to use arts and culture as important tools to help restore and revitalize the Mableton community. The public is invited to the Mableton Arts Study open house 10 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 25, at Mable House Arts Center, 5239 Floyd Road, Mableton. Residents' input is vital to building better arts programs for children, families and seniors. At the meeting, participants will learn about planning so far and offer ideas to ensure Mableton's future as a vital arts community. For more information, call 770-528-2018.

Cobb Community Transit workers will host two public information meetings on proposed service changes 2-4 p.m., Monday, Sept. 13, and 7-9 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 14. Both meetings will be held at Cobb Central Library, 266 Roswell St., Marietta. A fare increase, service reductions and customer service changes are proposed. Rider input is encouraged and all comments will be referred to the Board of Commissioners for consideration. For more information, call 770-427-4444 or visit cobbcounty.org/cct. You can also email comments to rebecca.gutowsky@cobbcounty.org. The deadline to submit comments in Oct. 14.

Cobb and Douglas Public Health officials encourage residents to take necessary measures to protect themselves from West Nile Virus. It is important to eliminate mosquito breeding areas and take measures to protect from bites. Some of the tips to protect yourself include: wearing long pants, long-sleeved shirts and socks when outside; using insect repellants containing DEET; and making sure open doors and windows have tight fitting screens. Some of the tips to eliminate breeding sites include: cleaning clogged gutters; changing water in bird baths twice a week; emptying pet's water bowl daily if its kept outside; and using larvicide pellets when standing water cannot be removed. For more information and tips, visit cobbanddouglaspublichealth.org.

AAGF, Inc. is a nonprofit that offers disadvantaged youth opportunities to learn, play and enjoy golf. The organization developed a mentoring program called All "Fore" Children, which matches the children of incarcerated parents with screened and trained adult mentors in one-on-one, friendship-based mentoring relationships. The mentoring activities are structured around learning, playing and enjoying the game of golf. Activities will happen weekly at Fair Oaks Park and other area driving ranges and golf courses. There is no cost, so participants can learn and play golf for free. There will be an onsite registration at Fair Oaks Park from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 and 18. The park is located at 1460 West Booth Road in Marietta. If you know a child that has an incarcerated parent who might be interested in participating, or are an adult interested in volunteering as a mentor, call 678-324-3557, ext. 100 or email mdavid.martin@aagf.org.

Cobb 4-H Youth Club will gear up for the school year with its first meeting 6:30-8 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 7. This will be an introductory meeting to learn more about the program and Cobb residents in grades 5-12 are invited to attend. Public, private and home school students are welcome and there is no fee to join the club. Participation in 4-H helps youth acquire knowledge, develop life skills and form attitudes that will enable them to become more self-directing, productive members of the community. Hands-on activities, agricultural awareness, leadership, communications skills, healthy lifestyles, conservation and community service are all available. For more information, visit cobbextension.com or call 770-528-4076.