First Sunday Lecture Series

How Georgia Cities Got Their Names
Sunday, January 5, 2020
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Cathy Kaemmerlen, author of Georgia Place Names From Jot-em-Down to Doctortown

Ever wonder how Rough and Ready got its name? Or what Stonesthrow is a stone's throw from? And surely the story behind Climax can't be...that thrilling, can it? The curious Georgian can't help pondering the seemingly endless supply of head-scratching place names that dot this state. Luckily, the intrepid Cathy Kaemmerlen stands ready to unravel the enigmas--Enigma is, in fact, a Georgia town--behind the state's most astonishing appellations. Cow Hell, Gum Pond, Boxankle and Lord a Mercy Cove? One town owes its name to a random sign that fell off a railcar, while another memorializes a broken bone suffered by a cockfight spectator. And just how many place names were inspired by insolent mules? Come on in to find out.

Speaker Biography: Cathy Kaemmerlen is a professional storyteller, actress, historical interpreter, and author known for her variety of one-woman shows, her creatively artistic and animated approach to storytelling, and her rapport with audiences of all ages. Her production company is Tattlingtales Productions, Inc.

Free admission. Light refreshments will be served.

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Lecture Series

Historic African-American Neighborhoods of Smyrna
Sunday, February 9, 2020
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Dr. William Marchione, author of A Brief History of Smyrna, Georgia

Free admission. Light refreshments will be served.

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Lecture Series

Lorena Pace Pruitt, Smyrna's First Female Mayor
Sunday, March 1, 2020
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Mary Wallace Moore, Smyrna Library Director

Free admission. Light refreshments will be served.

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Lecture Series

Cancelled Due to COVID-19 Restrictions

Smyrna Sustainability Initiatives
Sunday, April 5, 2020
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Janet Liberman, Smyrna Environmental Services Director

Free admission. Light refreshments will be served.

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Lecture Series

Cancelled Due to COVID-19 Restrictions

Concord Covered Bridge
Sunday, May 3, 2020
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Phil Ivester, Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District, Inc.

Free admission. Light refreshments will be served.

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Virtual Lecture Series

Smokelore: A History of Barbeque
Sunday, June 7, 2020
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Free Virtual Meeting Due to COVID-19 Restrictions

Presenter: Jim Auchmutey, author of Smokelore: A History of Barbecue.

In Smokelore, Auchmutey tells the story of the most truly American food -- barbecue -- which dates back to the earliest encounters between European explorers and native populations and was literally there at the foundation of the U.S. government. Barbecue figures in almost every epoch of our history. It is America in a mouthful.

Jim Auchmutey has written extensively about food. He has co-authored two cookbooks, including the first devoted solely to barbecue sauces and rubs, The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce Cookbook. He is a founding member of the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi and has won awards for his food writing from the James Beard Foundation and the Association of Food Journalists. He was a guest curator for the Atlanta History Center’s Barbecue Nation exhibition, which inspired his latest book, Smokelore.

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Virtual Lecture Series

Hernando de Soto in Georgia
Sunday, July 12, 2020
3:00-4:00 p.m.

Speaker: Professor Dennis B. Blanton, author of Conquistador's Wake

The focus of Conquistador's Wake is a decade-long archaeological project undertaken at a place now known as the Glass Site, located in Telfair County, Georgia. This spot, near the town of McRae, Georgia, offers clues that place Hernando de Soto in Georgia via a different route than previously thought by historians and archaeologists.

Professor Blanton's archaeological focus is eastern North America. His teaching at James Madison University concerns historical archaeology, especially the topic of cultural encounters. His interests also extend to questions of prehistory in the Southeast and Middle Atlantic, Native American smoking ritual, and climate change. More information about Professor Blanton's work is available at his website: https://dennisblanton.weebly.com/.

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Virtual Lecture Series

A Short History of Bird Feeding in America
Sunday, August 2, 2020
3:00-4:00 p.m.

Speaker: Professor Jeff Van Detta

Professor Van Detta's presentation is based on the book Feeding Wild Birds in America: Culture, Commerce, and Conservation. The presentation also incorporates fascinating material from the works of Francis Merriam, including her 1889 classic, Birds Through An Opera Glass; the works of Roger Tory Peterson and David Allen Sibley; and Professor Van Detta's own personal experiences in feeding birds in Smyrna. He uses a richly illustrated PowerPoint to engage the audience and to explain how the extraordinary history of backyard bird feeding (1) informs us about feeding our own local backyard birds today; and (2) helps us to support their annual nesting season and the sojourn of migratory birds in our area during spring and fall.

Professor Jeffrey Van Detta has been a lawyer for 33 years, a resident of Georgia for 32 years, and a law professor and legal scholar for 21 years. He has been a knowledgeable amateur bird feeder since summers during the 1960s and 1970s that he spent in Northern Alabama with his maternal grandmother. He has also been a principal in a local bird feeding store.

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Virtual Lecture Series

Day of the Dead: Souls and Sweets
a Hispanic Heritage Month event
Sunday, October 4, 2020
3:00-4:00 p.m.

Speaker: Professor Audry Garcia

This presentation addresses the culturally diverse origin of the Mexican tradition and the relevant role that food, particularly sweets and bread, plays in it.

Dr. Audry García is a native of Mexico City. She has been a faculty member at Kennesaw State University for the last 25 years. She enjoys researching and teaching socio-cultural aspects of Spanish speaking communities, and intercultural communication.

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Virtual Lecture Series

Renewing Smyrna’s Tree Canopy: From Vision to Inheritance
Sunday, November 8, 2020
3:00-4:00 p.m.

The Smyrna City Council recently passed a resolution to join other Atlanta Metro communities in planting 1 million trees over the next ten years. Learn how Trees Atlanta, Keep Smyrna Beautiful, the Smyrna Tree Board, and Smyrna citizens are working to achieve this goal - from vision to inheritance. Our discussion covers forest ecology, the benefits of trees to our community, and practical advice on how to select, plant, and care for trees in your yard. Questions from the audience are welcomed and be ready for riddles and games that test your tree IQ.

Speakers:
Chris Zweifel is the founder of Plant A Tree Smyrna and a former science and social studies teacher.
Judy Yi is the Director of Outreach & Marketing for Trees Atlanta. Previously, she was the Director of Education and established the TreeHouse, its first education center. Before joining Trees Atlanta in 2015, she was a marketing and sales operations executive in the telecommunications and digital marketing industries.
Eric Dennis is a member of the Keep Smyrna Beautiful Board and helped create the Adopt a Tree Program for KSB.

Sean Murphy is an ISA Certified Arborist and a Professional Landscape Architect with over 30 years of experience working with trees and he has designed significant projects around Smyrna, including Concord Road Linear Park, Jonquil Plaza and the Shops at Belmont.
Jean Manki has served on the Smyrna Tree Board for the past 3 years and helped write the revised Smyrna Tree Ordinance and organize the Smyrna Tree Scarves Project.

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.