-Sept. 13: Cartersville City Board of Education, regular meeting, 6 p.m.
-Sept. 13: Bartow County Board of Education work session. Work Session Agenda
-Sept. 13: Bartow County Board of Education called meeting. Called Meeting Agenda
-Sept. 16: Cartersville City Council, 7 p.m. Hear it live on WBHF 1450 AM or Web cast here on Bartow Headlines. Work session begins at 6 p.m.
-Sept. 18: Sixth Annual Hospitality Heroes Awards during the 35th Annual Arts Festival at Rose Lawn (click). The ceremony is at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18. The Arts Festival at Rose Lawn will be Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sept. 19, noon until 5 p.m. Free admission both days. Details: Rose Lawn
-Sept. 18: Beautiful Backroads Century cycling event returns. One of Georgia's most popular bike rides, Beautiful Backroads Century, will celebrate its 10th year on Sept. 18. For $30, riders are treated to beautiful route options, bountiful rest stops, beer, a delicious feast and an array of entertainment. It is no wonder BBC has grown from 166 local riders in 2001 to over 1,400 from across the country. The ride begins and ends at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Cartersville and participants can choose to ride 14, 31, 48, 66 or 100 miles on quiet roads through Bartow and Gordon counties. Most important, BBC is the largest fundraiser for Hickory Log Vocational School, a non-profit organization in White, which provides a caring, loving home for mentally challenged men and creates a family for its residents. The ride also benefits a variety of other local charities. Registration is $40. For more: visit www.bikebbc.com or (706) 296-7103.
Sept. 20: The next meeting of the Bartow County Democratic Party begins at 7 p.m. at IHOP at 640 E. Main St. Topic: volunteers to help with statewide campaigns. Contact: J.M. Prince, Chair, 770.386-1379.
-More changes at Riverbend Center/Riverbend Medical Center.
-For parents too busy to cook this busy fall season, Natalie Simms looks at some tasty, affordable local options--and at a great online idea, too.
-Three-Dot Buzz: Chamber symposium returns in November... Cartersville's Rose Lawn arts festival this weekend.
-Peaks & Valleys: Johnson's blue-ribbon win; saluting the Brown Conference Center; 4,000 applications at Steak N Shake?
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey
-Dan Houston subs for Norman today through Thursday; Norman's No-Nos return Friday.
-Dan's column today: The ACC: After last weekend, that might stand for 'Awful, Catatonic, Catastrophic.'
AP Top 25 College Football. Click
John McClellan's High School picks. McClellan
-Week four picks due Tuesday morning.
Darlington, Calhoun retain spots in high school poll. Click
Shorter Hawks football. Hawks
-Hawks travel to Pikeville Saturday for 1:30 p.m. game.
-Home opener is Sept. 25 vs. Georgtown, Ky., 1:30 p.m., Barron Stadium.
Rome Braves. Click Sports
-Next: April 7 vs. Hagerstown. Check for events at State Mutual Stadium.
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic move latest Riverbend change
-The offices of Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic are moving into the first floor of Riverbend Medical Center on Oct. 22 after seven years at Riverbend Center. Riverbend Medical is the home of Northwest Georgia Medical Clinic; the medical center opened in 2008
-Dr. David Carlton, right, leads the Rome office. The clinic has 19 locations in North Georgia. The team diagnoses and treats allergic diseases such as hay fever/nasal allergies, chronic sinusitis, allergy eyes, asthma, eczema, contact dermatitis, hives and swelling, food allergies and insect sting allergies. The clinic is known for its pollen count reports posted by Hometown Headlines and other media. Atlantaallergy.com
-The move is the latest change at the Riverbend complex, which replaced the former mall in 2003. In recent years, the center has added the nursing school from Shorter University and has maintained a pretty steady client list (Kroger, Barnes & Noble, Panera Bread). The allergy clinic spot will soon be vacant and the former Hallmark shop -- currently home to the Floyd County Republican Party -- will soon be available.
-Hibbett Sports just completed an expansion into the former Chico's location (Chico's closed the Rome store earlier this year). We also hear Panera is due for some remodeling.
-The most significant change has been the addition of the Northwest Georgia Medical Clinic, which had been based on Fifth Avenue.
-The spot to watch: Property between the clinic building and the bowling alley (top right corner of the map). It has been listed as a potential home for a hotel, perhaps fronting the Etowah River.
-Map from Ledbetter Properties.
Parents in a hurry looking for something besides fast food have more than a few options, from local shops to national chains
By Natalie Simms
nsimmshh@att.net
The lazy days of summer are over and if you're like me, you've been thrown into the busy hustle and bustle of school and fall activities. Some days, I just feel like a taxi driver, shuffling kids here and there. And while it's great to have our kids involved in dance or football, activities can take a toll on the family, especially at dinnertime.
When time is limited, many folks just whip into the nearest fast-food drive-through to grab dinner. I am certainly guilty of doing that some myself but if there is one thing I can control, it is what my kids eat.
So, what's a busy parent to do when you want a wholesome meal for your family, but no time to cook?
For one thing, have someone else do the cooking! There are a couple of local options for getting a nutritious dinner to-go that doesn't include anything fried.
For 20 years, Barbara Triplitt and Ellen Keene have been catering local events as Two Can Do. But as they saw clients needing small dinners for two to four people, they decided to start a dinner-to-go business. They opened a store-front inside the Forrest Building at 438 Broad St. about eight years ago.
"We really thought long and hard about our mission and why we were doing what we were doing. People were rushing out to get a burger, when they could eat one of our dinners," Triplitt says. "So, we came up with a mission statement: To encourage a better way of dining in by providing a quality product and maintaining a sense of balance in our daily lives."
And so, Two Can Do has been building a client base of some 175-200 people who have purchased one of their weekly dinners-to-go. The ladies plan menus based on their own recipes and offer two entrees or a casserole each week, available on Wednesdays only. The menus are planned two months in advance and sent via "snail-mail" to their clients.
"It really depends on the menu, how much we do each week. We usually average about 35 or more dinners a week and about 20 casseroles a week," Keene says. "About a third of our clients eat every week."
The weekly menu is available on the Two Can Do answering machine by calling 706-232-1219. Orders must be placed by 4 p.m. each Tuesday. Dinner is available for pick up on Wednesday between 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Dinner options include one of two entrees, a starch, vegetable, fresh bread and salad for about $9.75-$10.75 per person. There are two options for casseroles: the half-size feeds a family of four for $18 or the large-size feeds eight for $36. Casseroles can frozen and eaten at a later date.
Two Can Do is working on developing a website to include the weekly menus and to accept online orders. Look for more information about that soon.
Another idea for a wholesome dinner-to-go is from Honeybaked Ham at 900 Martha Berry Blvd. According to Manager Rick Davidson, they offer a dinner for two that includes a half-pound of ham or turkey with two deli sides for $19.99. To feed three or more, they offer the Tasty Trio for $25.99. It includes your choice of half pound of ham, turkey or ribs; one large frozen side dish; and one deli side. The frozen dishes can be cooked quickly in your oven. You do not have to call ahead for orders but for more information, call 706-291-0417.
And if you need to grab dinner while you are at the grocery, Kroger at 1476 Turner McCall Blvd. offers meals-to-go. According to Manager Steve Van Meter, the store features a number of meals ready-to-eat or that can be warmed-up quickly.
"Our dinners-to-go are very popular," he says. "A lot of families are so busy, they want something that is ready to eat or just have to warm-up when they get home."
The dinners-to-go include a rotisserie chicken or pork loin. A whole rotisserie chicken is $4.99 or the colossal chicken is $6.99. There are lots of fresh sides including cole slaw, various salads and fruit. You also can purchase larger side dishes to warm-up including okra and tomatoes, mashed potatoes or collard greens. Sides are two for $6. In addition, Kroger also offers a selection of ready-made soups sold in 12-ounce containers for $2.99 or 16-ounce containers for $3.49. Dinners are ready-to-go and no need to call ahead but if you have questions, call Kroger at 706-290-8039.
While these options will help you in the kitchen, there are some of us who just need a home-cooked meal. There is just something about mama's cooking that can't be 
duplicated. There are lots of families who want to cook but just need help with meal planning and staying on budget. If that's you, then check out www.e-mealz.com.
E-mealz is an online menu planning service that costs $1.25 per week but from testimonies on its website, it appears to save families even more than the service cost.
The website states "E-Mealz has been created to provide a kid-friendly and family uniting meal planning resource for busy moms and frugal family cooks. Each meal plan is based on the current sales at the grocery stores, with plan options categorized according to store and/or weight management strategy."
Meals are all planned by real moms with families. Menus are nutritious, family friendly and, best of all, are priced at approximately $75 a week for a family of four to six. Menus are planned according to weekly sales at local stores including Kroger, Wal-Mart and Publix. They also have a menu that could work at any store.
E-Mealz is designed to "make dinner time feasible for any busy family, for experienced kitchen wizards as well as the kitchen newbie. E-Mealz addresses the fundamental logistical problem that interferes with dinner for most busy households… 5 o'clock and there is nothing in the pantry to cook," the website states.
Three-dot buzz . . . :
Third edition of Spectrum of Technology Symposium set for Nov. 16: The 2010 edition of the chamber's big-picture conference is set for The Forum. Hours: 7:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Additional details soon: Click
Sept. 18/19: Arts Festival at Rose Lawn.
-One of the region's top arts events, the 35th Annual Arts Festival at Rose Lawn, is this weekend in Cartersville. More than 85 artists are due as well as entertainment and food. The show takes place Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday noon-5 p.m. at historic Rose Lawn, the home of evangelist Sam Jones. Admission is free. Details
-Barefoot, Warren to judge Arts Festival at Rose Lawn. Click
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs, lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to Johnson Elementary, a 2010 Blue Ribbon School: Ask just about any parent of a student attending Johnson Elementary School and you'll hear the same thing. Great school, great faculty, great students. That was before Johnson last week was named a 2010 National Blue Ribbon Schools winner, joining five others from around the state. Said Principal LaDonna Turrentine: "I am so proud of the hard work past and current administrators, teachers, students, and parents have put forth to make Johnson Elementary a school with consistent outstanding academic achievement. Being named a High Performing Blue Ribbon School is confirmation of our belief that ALL students can learn and achieve." What's key: Johnson made the grade despite all the issues tied to budget cuts. To excel in "normal" times is one thing; to achieve during recessionary times is another.
Peak to the citizens and governments of Bartow County:
Photos by Natalie Simms
Here's a wonderful example of community cooperation. In 2008, voters in Bartow County approved a $20 million SPLOST to fund a community conference center. Last week, the municipal and county government leaders gathered to cut the ribbon on the Clarence Brown Conference Center across from Georgia Highlands' Cartersville campus off Ga. 20. Several major events already are set for the center with more to come. The Brown Center features more than 44,000 square feet as well as an adjoining amphitheater. A public open house is set for Oct. 10.
Valley to the grim statistic of 4,000 applicants for Steak N Shake jobs:
-Perhaps it is just us but to see more than 4,000 people apply for some of the 125 jobs associated with the new Steak N Shake on Turner McCall is chilling. The jobs are good ones but keep in mind many will be part-time. The issue is that so many people are in search of jobs right now. More than 16,000 residents of Floyd, Bartow, Gordon, Polk and Chattooga counties were classified as looking for work in July. That's equal to half the population of Rome. We have got to get this community back to work. The job fairs organized by Shorter, the career center and Toyo Tires are a start. A regional initiative must be next.
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