People who live in northwest Gwinnett County will have a chance to get a year's worth of free pizza next week.
A new Pizza Hut location, which is run by Flynn Restaurant Group, opened at 1550 Buford Highway in Buford on Dec. 23, but it's what the new store has planned for its grand opening festivities next week that will have tongues salivating. The first 25 customers who are in line at the store on Jan. 6 will get free pizza for a year. There are some limits on what pizzas qualify for the free pizza for a year, and what locations the pizzas can be picked up at. The deal is only valid at locations owned by Flynn Restaurant Group — which happens to be Pizza Hut's largest franchisee and which owns 10 other Pizza locations in Gwinnett County.
In addition to the Buford location, Flynn Restaurant Group also owns locations in Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Auburn, Dacula, Duluth, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Loganville, Norcross and Snellville. It also owns 15 other locations in metro Atlanta, including stores nearby cities such as Cumming, Flowery Branch, Hoschton and Alpharetta.
Other limitations on the free pizza for a year offer customers only being able to use it to get two complimentary specialty pizzas or up to three topping large pizzas per month for a year, a limit of one pizza per party, it only being valid on carryout orders, and it only being valid on Thin N' Crispy, original pan and hand tossed crusts.
The new store is expected to add 15 new jobs to the Buford and Sugar Hill area.
Now in its seventh decade of delivering compelling performances all over the world, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre — recognized by Congress as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World” — will make its return to Atlanta’s Fabulous Fox Theatre for a series of shows in mid-February.
Led by artistic director Robert Battle, the Ailey troupe will showcase premiers, new productions and repertory favorites for five performances February 16-19 as part of a 22-city North American tour.
While each performance will feature different choreographed works — including pieces by Kyle Abraham, Jamar Roberts and Twyla Tharp — each presentation will conclude with the stirring Ailey-choregraphed “Revelations,” which made its debut in 1960 and has been seen by more people than any other modern dance work. Ailey’s Fox Theatre residency begins at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 16 with Tharp’s 1997 piece “Roy’s Joys,” a new production of the 1986 production of “Survivors,” Ailey’s tribute to Nelson and Winnie Mandela, and “Revelations. Tickets, starting at $29, are available at the Fox Theatre box office at 660 Peachtree St., or by calling 855-285-8499 or visiting www.alvinailey.org or www.foxatltix.com.
The arts in Gwinnett made great strides in 2022 to return to the pre-COVID world, where more than one nonprofit was overjoyed to find their doors still open.
As a result, the vitality and pure joy of being back on stage or opening gallery doors was evident in the work art lovers could again absorb. Below are just a few of the highlights that made this writer smile in 2022. There were so many great performances, great exhibitions, great moments that it is hard to choose.
Spring was an exciting time for Gwinnett performing arts groups and audiences.
♦ Live Arts Theatre has been nurturing and growing talent for many years. In March, their efforts were enhanced when LAT Actor Rodney Johnson won Best Performer for his work in the play “Sea Wall” at both the Southeastern Theatre Conference and the Georgia Theatre Conference.
♦ The Aurora Theatre was the venue April 2-3 when Atlanta’s amazing “Dance Canvas” highlighted the work of seven emerging choreographers. Dance Canvas’ Founder and Director, Angela Harris, has a special relationship with the Aurora, having danced in a number of their productions over the years.
♦ Spring was also celebrated by the joining of two of the Southeast’s premiere Barber Shop Choruses. Gwinnett’s lauded Stone Mountain Chorus and Atlanta Harmony Celebration joined their voices together in a concert at Mountain Park’s United Methodist Church on May 21.
♦ Also in May, Duluth photographer Mary Buck traveled to Spain and returned with another treasure trove of images. Buck is known for her extraordinary photos of birds, whether taken in her own backyard or on the other side of the world.
Art Beat columns of summer and early fall seemed to be full of young, talented Gwinnett dancers finding success.
♦ Rachael Graham was once a featured performer at Gwinnett Ballet Theatre. Since this summer, she has sported a number of tiaras, dancing and singing as Disney Princesses on their Cruise Line in the Caribbean.
♦ Dreams came true for another ex-Gwinnett Ballet dancer. Runako Campbell is living the dream in New York City where she has performed in a variety of shows, commercials, and with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.
♦ The Hudgens Center is one of Gwinnett’s treasured arts entities, and The Hudgens Prize is a great example of how philanthropy can lift emerging artists into the spotlight. This year’s winner is sculptor Olu Amoda who received the Prize with its $50,000 cash gift in October.
♦ “The Lion in Winter” was presented in early December by Lionheart Theatre, directed by Brandi Kilgore. Taking on such a renowned and powerful work is a true artistic test and certainly a highlight of Lionheart’s season.
As 2022 comes to a close, one more young artist is spreading wings and flying into her future.
♦ By the new year, 10-year-old Lillian Sears, who has trained at Duluth’s Atlanta Professional Dance Academy, will begin studying at the Paris Opera Ballet. She is the first North American to be accepted into the POB’s six-month audition program. Dreams do come true.
Here’s to 2023!
Grayson’s girls basketball team defeated Archbishop Chapelle (La.) 58-22 Thursday in the championship game of the St. Pius Christmas Classic.
The Rams went 3-0 in the tournament, improving to 10-4 on the season.
Tatum Brown was named tournament MVP, and Samara Saunders earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
The Rams are back at home Friday where they’ll open the New Year with a game against Brookwood.
Georgia saw its population increase by 1.7% between 2020 and 2022, new numbers from the Census Bureau show.
As of July 1, Georgia’s population stood at more than 10.9 million, up from about 10.7 million at the same time in 2020.
The Peach State’s neighbor to the south, Florida, saw its population increase at a higher rate of 3% during the same timeframe, Census numbers show.
South Carolina (2.9%), North Carolina (2.4%) and Tennessee (1.8%) also grew more than the Peach State, though Georgia has a higher population than the three states. However, Georgia’s growth outpaced that of Alabama, which saw its population increase by 0.9%.
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