2011 News Archive
5th Annual Founders Day events bring civic pride and holiday fun
12/6/2011
Thousands of enthusiastic Johns Creek residents lined State Bridge Road Dec. 3 to watch the 5th Annual Founders Day Parade with its 85 floats, marching bands, and assorted vehicles. Afterward, residents flocked to Santa Jam, a community party at Johns Creek High School.
This year's parade float winners were:
- Best Float: Medlock Bridge Homeowners Association's "Wizard of Oz" theme;
- 2nd place: Wilson Creek Girl Scouts – Juniors;
- 3rd place: Johns Creek Arts Center's "A World of Art"
The Parade's popularity and growing reputation won a visit from the Georgia Tourism Commission's Izo character, a cardboard snowman from up North. Izo visits select events around the state and then Tweets about them and posts his experiences on Facebook for tourists to see.
The celebration of Founders Day commemorates the launch of the City on Dec. 1, 2006, and the City's many achievements since its start.
Highlights of the Parade included the Feed and Seed Marching Abominable, a zany street-theater marching band from Atlanta, the Atholl Highlanders Pipes and Drums of Stone Mountain, Homer the Brave and the Heavy Hitters, the World Financial Group's NASCAR race car, and the Marine Corps League Devil Dogs, a group re-enacting the flag-raising at the Battle of Iwo Jima.
The weeklong celebration started Nov. 28 with the lighting of the Christmas Tree and Dreidel and card-signings to our deployed troops. That was followed by the Johns Creek Arts Center's Kids Holiday Craft Workshop, book readings at elementary schools by city leaders, the Marine Corps Toys for Tots collection, and Emory Johns Creek Hospital Holiday Workshop.