Candidate forum Tuesday night, live on WBHF & webcast. Buzz of NW Georgia. What's ahead in Bartow. Another round of 90s today.

Please click www.bartowheadlines.com:

 

The Buzz of Northwest Georgia (click)

-Hometown Profile: 'Exit' interview with Guy Mannino as he leaves Rome.

-Marketing & Media: New websites, a little 'ink,' appreciating cows.

-Putting the 'grand' --and some fine wine -- in a triple grand opening.

-Huge weekend of Fourth of July celebrations across NW Georgia.

-Peaks & Valleys: Tellus, Mike Dunn, downtown Rome, candidate forums.

From CNN: West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, the longest-serving member of Congress, has died, the senator's office said. He was 92. CNN

WBHF Political Forums set for Tuesday, July 6: (Media release) The public will have an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates for State House districts 14 and 15 and Senate Senate districts 31 and 52 (click candidates) on Tuesday, June 29 at 6 p.m. at The Grand Theatre in downtown Cartersville during the WBHF Political Forum. Candidates will answer questions from staffs of The Daily Tribune News and WBHF radio AM 1450. Dana Fowle, I-Team Investigative Reporter with WAGA TV Fox 5 in Atlanta, will serve as moderator for the event. The forums will be broadcast live and the webcast will be available via BartowHeadlines.comWBHF is soliciting questions from the public for consideration. Questions can be submitted via the station's Facebook page or by email at news@WBHFradio.org. The public is encouraged to attend this free event at The Grand Theatre but the event will also be broadcast live on AM 1450 WBHF and replayed at multiple times before the primary election. A second WBHF Political Forum will take place on Tuesday, July 6 at 6 p.m. at The Grand Theatre with candidates for Bartow County School Board, and The Daily Tribune News will provide a panelist for that event as well.

Sunday report from the Bartow County Jail. Click

Your latest forecast: Sunday's high was 91.

-Monday: 40% chance of rain, high of 94. Heat index: 101.

-Monday night: 40% chance of rain, low of 70.

-Tuesday: 50% chance of rain, high of 92. Heat index: 98.

-Tuesday night: 50% chance, low of 69. 

 

Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable. Arey 

-The state of North Carolina refuses to recognize football.  

Rome Braves. Click Sports

-This time, the Braves rally with three runs in the ninth, win 6-3.

-Rome Braves at Lexington Legends, noon today.

-Braves home vs. Greensboro Tuesday.

-Mills Fitzner's latest home game photos.  (click)  

Hometown Profile: An 'exit' interview with Guy Mannino.

-One of the most respected business and community leaders in our area is moving back to Connecticut. Guy Mannino, whose Verdek-EV concepts are more popular than ever, and wife Phillippa are returning to Connecticut after coming to Rome with Pirelli Tire North America in 2001. Find out what's next for Mannino and what he'll miss about Northwest Georgia. Story by Michelle Picon. Click Hometown Profile

Media & marketing:

-Just think ink. We like smart marketing ideas and we tip our cap to the folks behind the new Cartridge World of Rome at Riverwalk. How's this for being classically clever: To contact them by phone, dial 706-234-9INK.

-New look for 333 on Broad's website: The popular Broad Street restaurant and entertainment venue has a new look online, incorporating the lunch and dinner menus, upstairs entertainment, specials and social media. Click 333.

-River City Bank's new look draws 'interest.' OK, we couldn't avoid that one. But the four-year-old bank's website has a new link incorporating the bank's features, from consumer and commercial to its River City Ramblers. Click RCB.

-The annual cattle call is July 9: You can get a free Chick-Fil-A meal provided you walk in wearing a cow costume. The annual Cow Appreciation Day is almost here. Details, including tips on making a cow costume: Click Cow

Putting the 'grand' in a grand opening in downtown Rome

By Michelle Picon 

Bussey's Flowers, Riverside Gourmet and The Season had a festive and well-attended grand opening celebration last week, with about 75 Romans dropping by.

The three-in-one store at 250 Broad St. is downtown Rome's newest neighbor  and a one-stop shopping destination. Guests loved the combination of the three stores and daydreamed about having the ideal party: Holly Lynch from The Seasons plans your event,  Todd Bussey  does the flower arrangements and accessories for your house, and Kevin Dillmon from Riverside Gourmet helps you select the kitchenware to prepare your food, plus delicious wine pairings.

A very special treat for the evening was the chance to sample some wines from Riverside Gourmet's new wine section. The wines average about $20 a bottle but there are higher priced wines for special occasions, said Dr. Ray Jarvis, who along with Dillmon, selected the wines featured at the store.

"We offer a wide variety of hard-to-find quality wines," said the Harbin Clinic OB/GYN whose passion for wine as hobby landed him the opportunity to become Dillmon's consultant.  

Said a local wine enthusiast the next day: "There wasn't a wine out there I didn't like. They did a great job selecting the wines."  

The three best sellers for the evening, according to Dillmon and Jarvis: 

-New Age, Argentinian Sauvignon Blanc/Malvasia Blend, $11.

-Cannonball, California Cab, $15.99.

-Joseph Carr, Napa Cab, $21.99.  

What else was everyone talking about? Another wine, CANA, at $23.99, is quickly becoming a favorite as a present. Why? Because it comes beautifully wrapped in tissue printed with the story of the Wedding at Cannan, when Jesus performed his first miracle and turned water into wine.  

Up next at Riverside Gourmet: Italian Wine Tasting, July 15th, 6:30 p.m., with Jenny Swab from Vinifera Wine Imports. A $10 tasting fee will be refunded with your wine purchase.  

-More local wine: June 30/Harvest Moon Cafe's first Summer Wine Festival. $10 per person; more than 50 wines. 5:30-7:30 p.m. 706-292-0099.

Celebrate the red, white & blue

Below please find our list of July Fourth activities in Northwest Georgia. To add an event that is free and open to all, click E-mail.

-Safety note: The Rome Fire Department has assembled a list of fireworks safety tips. Click Safety.

-July 1: Celebrating Freedom concert set: The Bartow Winds Community Concert Band announces its Celebrating Freedom Concert to be held at 7 p.m. in Freedom Plaza in downtown Cartersville at the Depot. Admission is free but donations will be accepted supporting Advocates for Children.

-July 2: First Friday free concert, 7 p.m., Bridgepoint Plaza. Performing: Delta Moon.

-July 2: Downtown Cartersville's Family Fun Night free movie, 7:30-11 p.m. Showing at dusk: The Tooth Fairy.

-July 3: Stars, Stripes & Cartersville (several venues): The Cartersville Optimist Club and WBHF AM 1450 plan a full day, starting with a parade at 9 a.m. along Main Street. After the parade: Arts & Crafts, entertainment, food, and children's games and activities beginning at 10 a.m. At 8 p.m., a free concert, followed by a fireworks display at Dellinger Park. Click CVB

-July 3: Fourth of July parade, downtown Cave Spring, 9 a.m. Motorized vehicles (four-wheelers, cars, tractors and horses)  line up on Perry Farm Road, walkers line up at the Depot. 

-July 3: Fireworks, downtown Cave Spring, 9 p.m.

-July 3: Rome Braves' post-game fireworks. Rome vs. Grasshoppers, 7 p.m. Rome Braves.

-July 4: Fireworks, Ridge Ferry Park. Gates open at 4 p.m. Parks & Rec.

-July 4: The ninth annual patriotic extravaganza, "One Nation Under God," will be Sunday at 6 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Cave Spring.  It is a community-wide event and everyone is invited. 

-July 4: Star-spangled celebration at the Cherokee Fairgrounds in Calhoun. Live music. Gates open at 5 p.m. Click

-Photo courtesy of Mills Fitzner and is from the June 18 post-game fireworks display following the Rome Braves' game. For more, click Gallery.

PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia

Peak to Tellus Science Museum passing the 300,000-guest milestone:

Last week, Tellus Science Museum greeted its 300,000th visitor since opening its doors in January 2009: Connecticut's Charles and Ilona Pomeroy, and daughter Gabrielle. It has taken the museum just 18 months to reach the milestone and look for more to come. In addition to the marvelous displays and exhibits within the center's 120,000 square feet, a continuing series of programs and specials enhance the experience. Coming up: Night at the Museum 2010, new planetarium shows and additional exhibits

 

Peak to Rome Braves General Manager Michael Dunn:

-The only general manager the Rome team has known in the Braves eight seasons here, Michael Dunn has been honored by the South Atlantic League with his induction into the group's Hall of Fame. Dunn, 43, was GM of the Macon Braves before the move to Rome in 2003 and has twice been named to league management honors. The inaugural Rome Braves also won the 2003 SAL championship. Although Rome is the smallest market in the 14-team league, Rome continues to be a solid draw with fans and a launch pad for Major League players who have crossed home plate at State Mutual Stadium: Brian McCann, Jason Heyward, Jeff Francoeur, Tommy Hanson and others. Click Hall.

Peak to the local political parties, chambers, media and volunteers:

-Voters have no excuse for not being informed about the local candidates on the July 20 primary ballot. We don't recall a more active season of candidate forums in Northwest Georgia; there were five last week and another one this Tuesday broadcast and webcast live by AM 1450 WBHF in Cartersville. Republican party groups in Floyd, Bartow and Gordon counties have organized forums as has the Rome/Floyd Tea Party and the Gordon County Chamber of Commerce. You still have time listen, read and analyze. The election is now in your hands. Be sure to vote now through the primary (early voting under way). Click Politics

Peak to the business surge in downtown Rome:

-Sure, we can count the number of storefronts along Broad Street with "for sale" or "for lease" signs in the windows. But we also can count high in the seven digits the amount of money being invested by restaurant owners alone in downtown Rome this year. From Bob Blumberg's booming Johnny's New York Style Pizza to Michael Lander's Greener Burger due in the next week or two to Truman Webb and Jeremy Duke's plans to bring Mellow Mushroom to the one-time Rome City Market site, we're tallying significant investment in just a few city blocks. As for competition concerns: We disagree. A strong restaurant selection will only boost downtown traffic.