On a recent Saturday, early morning clouds gave way to blue skies and sunshine — perfect for a visit to the Peachtree Corners Farmers Market at Town Center.

Set within the parking lot directly in front of Firebirds, Beard Papa’s and Fire & Stone Italian Pizza Kitchen, the market was lightly bustling when we arrived and more families were making their way over from the Town Green playgrounds and splash pad to shop, sample their way through the booths or pick up quick snacks.

Parents lined up at the Sequel Coffee cart and Nurture Coffee for a mid-morning caffeine fix, while kids gravitated to the King of Pops cart and the games that had been set up next to the Jazzercise booth. Other shoppers lingered over baked sourdough breads, spice blends and craft booths or lined up to get a bag of fresh Pearson Farm peaches.

The vendor tents lined both sides of the blocked off section of the parking lot — enough booths to make for a fun morning of shopping and tasting, but not so many that you’d feel rushed to see them all. The overall vibe was happy as neighbors greeted each other, shoppers and vendors laughed and chatted and everyone seemed to enjoy being outdoors supporting local businesses.

Food, fun and more

The many food offerings at the farmers market ranged from baked goods and desserts to delicious mac ‘n cheese squares (packaged up for a quick and easy lunch), Hooch Pickles, a variety of creative empanadas from Healthy Bites and Venezuelan street food from Friticas.atl.

Peachtree Farm, organizers of the market, was there with fresh vegetables and starter plants for sale. Blossom & Vine had a lovely display of fresh-cut flower arrangements. Sumthin About Spice offered a selection of specially blended organic seasonings. And Herbal Health 360 presented herbal teas and other wellness products alongside several local crafters selling hand-made artisan goods.

The lineup may change slightly from week to week as organizers continue to accept applications from vendors who want to take part, but many of the businesses said they plan to be there all summer.

About the market

The Peachtree Corners Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., May 10 through August 30. Organized by Peachtree Farm in partnership with the City of Peachtree Corners, their mission is to support local businesses while bringing fresh produce, prepared foods and artisan goods to the community.

Parking for the market is available in the Town Center parking deck and throughout the rest of the open lots.

For more information, visit peachtreefarm.org/farmers-market. Or keep up with market dates and other community events at community.peachtreecornersga.gov.

Photos by Shawne Taylor

Gwinnett County Public Library (GCPL) has been selected for a major national grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, one of the country’s oldest and most influential philanthropic institutions.

GCPL plans to use the funds to expand their English language classes, working in partnership with Gwinnett County Public Schools.

The grant will increase the number of free English classes offered and help recruit community volunteers (who pass background checks) to support English language learners. Stipends for volunteer English teachers and bus passes for program participants will also be available.

Expanding library access

Gwinnett County Public Library is one of just 11 libraries nationwide chosen through the Libraries as Pillars of Education and Democracy initiative, which aims to help public libraries expand access to adult literacy and college readiness programs.

“Fluency in the English language is essential for everyone to participate in American society, culture, politics and business,” said Charles Pace, executive director of Gwinnett County Public Library. “We are delighted that the Carnegie Corporation has recognized the importance of English language classes and libraries in general to maintain a literate and engaged citizenry.”

“Thanks to this generous award we will be able to better support the English language learner needs of the Gwinnett community than ever before.”

Carnegie’s history of philanthropy

Carnegie has been one of the largest philanthropic funders of libraries, from the early construction of almost 1,700 libraries in the U.S. to helping establish the endowment of the American Library Association, funding the nation’s first graduate library school and digitizing archival collections around the world.

“Andrew Carnegie believed libraries were ladders upon which anyone and everyone could rise, and that belief continues to guide us,” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie.

“At a time when trust in public institutions is fraying, libraries retain public trust. We are delighted to support these grantees as they provide essential programs and community services.”

Career Online High School graduates earn diplomas

GCPL also recently awarded nine graduates their high school diplomas at a ceremony that took place on June 7 at the Norcross branch. Family and friends joined the graduates, along with guest speaker Constance Brown, chair of the Hooper-Renwick School Legacy Committee.

Gwinnett County Public Library offers qualified community members the opportunity to earn an accredited high school diploma and credentialed career certificate through Career Online High School, a program supported by community donations.

About the program

Career Online High School is specifically designed to re-engage adults in the education system and prepare them for entry into postsecondary career education or the workforce.

In the last 12 months, GCPL has graduated 24 people from the program, with 132 graduating since its 2016 launch in Gwinnett County. GCPL’s students are mostly BIPOC women. Many are new to the US or are ESL. Most of the program’s US students come in with 10th or 11th-grade level schooling with the goal of completing their diploma.

“Earning a high school diploma is a life-changing achievement,” said Executive Director, Charles Pace. “Career Online High School is a key part of our mission of inspiring our residents to learn, grow and dream.”

GCPL awards scholarships annually to qualified learners looking to earn a high school diploma and advance their careers. Once enrolled, students access a 24/7 online learning platform with board-certified instructor assistance.

Students can graduate within a year by transferring in previously earned high school credits but are given up to 18 months to complete the program.

Gwinnett County residents can learn more about Career Online High School and take an online self-assessment by visiting gwinnett.careeronlinehs.org.

About Gwinnett County Public Library

Gwinnett County Public Library is a free provider of education and information. Located in metro Atlanta, the library system has 15 branches that offer free access to computers and Wi-Fi, classes, materials, books and programming for people of all ages.

For more information about Gwinnett County Public Library programs and services, visit gwinnettpl.org.

On Memorial Day last month, Peachtree Corners residents, officials, veterans and business leaders joined together on the Town Green to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.

The day started with a special 9 a.m. ceremony at the city’s Veterans Monument to recognize that sacrifice and honor the lives of those who died while serving. As in previous years, the ceremony was organized by the Peachtree Corners Veterans Association and included the raising of the flag, placing of the wreath, remarks from city officials and a moment of silence.

For this year’s event, three keynote speakers — each connected to the community and now at a different place in their journey of service to our nation — were also invited to address the gathered crowd.

The 2025 keynote speakers

Sean Balderas (Norcross High 2025) — Sean was accepted to the Naval Academy and begins his military career there this fall.

Kellen Grave de Peralta (Norcross High 2020) — Kellen graduated from the Naval Academy in May and will attend flight school as a 2nd LT in the Marines.

Justin White (Wesleyan School graduate) — Justin graduated from the USNA in 2014 and completed his service commitment a few years ago as a Marine Officer. He now works as a consultant for Bain & Company.

Each speaker talked about what Memorial Day means to them and also shared their thoughts on the importance of service.

Memorial Day Youth Challenge 2025

Following the ceremony, the city and the PCVA hosted the Memorial Day Youth Challenge.

Held at Town Green’s Fort Pain, the challenge is a thrilling obstacle course-themed physical competition for kids and teens ages 9 to 18 with the purpose of increasing the knowledge and appreciation of Memorial Day and those we honor.

Each participant was paired with a veteran who served as their judge, safety spotter and cheerleader as they worked their way through the course. Family members and spectators also added to the excitement of the challenge, cheering on the competitors as they gave their all to complete the course in the fastest time.

According to Alex Wright, former U.S. Naval officer, Peachtree Corners councilmember and a founder of the Memorial Day Challenge, the event had a full field of 45 on race day (with eight no-shows), and 37 racers completed the course.

Each competitor received a t-shirt, dog tags and refreshments for attempting the challenge, and first and second place finishers also received awards during a short ceremony following the race. 

Community contributions

Several local businesses also contributed to the success of this year’s Memorial Day Challenge with both material donations and volunteer support. King of Pops Peachtree Corners was on hand to give out popsicles for participants, and Vox-pop-uli provided the challenge t-shirts and signs.

Photos courtesy of Jim Stone, TYTAN Pictures.