OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Arts, Cultural, and Entertainment Committee Meeting - February 12, 2026

City Council — Thursday, February 12, 2026
BodyJohns Creek, Georgia
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, February 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 28:10

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Okay, we're recording.

0:04

Calling the meeting to order at 6:30.

0:10

Thank you.

0:10

I will call roll.

0:12

Um, Cynthia?

0:14

That's not here.

0:15

Dan?

0:15

Here.

0:16

Karen.

0:16

Azure.

0:17

Here.

0:18

Matthew.

0:19

Here.

0:19

Zach.

0:20

Here.

0:20

Christy.

0:21

Here.

0:21

Scott.

0:22

Present.

0:22

Thank you.

0:23

We have a quorum this evening.

0:28

Staff reports.

0:30

All right.

0:31

Before we get started on the staff report, it is my extreme pleasure to introduce you to Amanda Bach, who started with us in January.

0:39

Hi, Amanda.

0:40

Hi.

0:40

Welcome.

0:41

Amanda is our new special projects coordinator, and she's going to be the primary liaison to ACE moving forward.

0:47

Although I'm sure you're really going to enjoy getting to know her over time.

0:52

A couple of quick facts to jumpstart that process.

0:55

Amanda is a graduate of Georgia Tech with a master's in public policy, and she previously completed internships at lots of great places, including the Georgia General Assembly, the Georgia Office of Planning and Budget, the Judicial Council of Georgia Office of the Courts, and the United States House of Representatives.

1:12

So Amanda comes to us with a lot of great experience at different levels and types of government that we are already putting to work.

1:19

She's helping us with lots of different projects.

1:21

And although she's only been on the team a few weeks, I have already found her to be reliable, organized, her attention to detail has really helped us move forward a couple projects.

1:30

When we get into the discussion of America 250, I think you're really gonna see how she's great at taking initiatives, ideas, and moving them forward into implementation.

1:38

So rather than do the city update this month, I'm gonna let Amanda share a little bit about what she's learned about different projects and initiatives like events that are coming up.

1:51

All right.

1:52

Um good evening, Ace.

1:54

Um it's great to see everyone here tonight.

1:56

And as uh Kimberly so kindly introduced me, my name's Amanda, and I'll be the new liaison for this committee.

2:04

So I look forward to getting to know and work with each of you over throughout this year so we can better advance the arts and cultural initiatives across Johns Creek.

2:16

Um I'll begin with some updates from the city that you should all be aware of.

2:20

First off, just a reminder that next weekend is going to be the Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday, February 21st from 11 to 3 p.m.

2:31

at the Atlanta Athletic Club Fields.

2:34

Um and so I just encourage everyone to get your friends and family and neighbors to check out the event.

2:40

It's gonna be a good time.

2:42

Uh next up, uh reminder that Battle of the Bands is also coming up on Saturday, March 7th at Newtown Park, now to be starting at 6 p.m., which is giving the event a little bit extra time to host more bands than last year.

2:58

So applications to participate as a band have been closed.

3:02

Um but the event will line will have a lineup featuring about 11 bands, including six youth bands, which is very exciting.

3:11

Um additionally, the competition is going to be judged by local music industry professionals and at least one member of the centennial band and winners will be awarded free studio time to record their music.

3:24

So that's really exciting.

3:26

Um so definitely encourage your friends and family to come.

3:30

Then finally, the last event update is uh Daffodle Days, which now has an adjusted time from 12 to 6 on Saturday, March 28th.

3:40

Um thing to note is that the city is working to launch a social media campaign to celebrate volunteer efforts um throughout the week leading up to that event.

3:50

And so earlier this week, our comms team shared a social media post, essentially calling for um people to submit their volunteer stories.

4:00

And so um I encourage each of you to spread the word about that initiative so we can spotlight great volunteers throughout this community.

4:10

Um just to also note we're happy to have John's Creek beautification as a supportive partner for this event.

4:18

And they've done so much work, and so we really want that to be shared as well.

4:22

So encourage your networks to come out to Dapital Days.

4:26

That's all I have for city updates, but feel free to check the city's website and social media channels for more details about these events and more.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Arts And Culture█████████████████████████████████████████████68%
Procedural███████████████22%
Tourism Development███4%
Signage██3%
Youth Programs█2%
Public Safety█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Arts, Cultural, and Entertainment Committee Meeting – February 12, 2026

The Johns Creek Arts, Cultural, and Entertainment (ACE) Committee met on Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 6:30 PM at 11360 Lakefield Drive. Chair Zach Hahn called the meeting to order with a quorum present. The committee welcomed new Special Projects Coordinator Amanda Bock, reviewed city updates, approved prior meeting minutes, and discussed the upcoming America 250 celebration scheduled for July 3, 2026 at the Boardwalk at Town Center.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (November 13, 2025): A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to approve the minutes from the November 13, 2025 meeting as presented.

Reports & Presentations

  • City Update (Amanda Bock): She highlighted upcoming events: Lunar New Year celebration (February 21, 2026, 11 AM–3 PM at Atlanta Athletic Club Fields), Battle of the Bands (March 7, 2026, 6 PM at Newtown Park, featuring 11 bands including six youth bands, judged by music professionals), and Daffodil Days (March 28, 2026, 12–6 PM, with a social media campaign celebrating volunteer efforts). Johns Creek Beautification was noted as a supportive partner for Daffodil Days.

Discussion Items

  • America 250 Celebration Planning: Staff reported that most ideas from the November 2025 meeting are being implemented: American-themed food trucks, patriotic attire contest with prize vouchers, giveaways (mini flags, glow sticks), Park Place knitting club creating a flag project, a time capsule (working with School Engagement Committee and a Georgia-based vendor), veteran acknowledgements (possible Johns Creek Veterans Association presentation of colors), a “Happy Birthday America” cake moment, a DJ/announcer, and a fireworks finale with a Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra performance. Items not proceeding due to logistical/safety constraints include pie-throwing, naturalization ceremony, historical presentation, water balloon battle, and community bake-off. Staff also noted potential additions (mist zone, costumed entertainers) pending sponsorship success.

    Discussion Point 1: Declaration of Independence Banner for Signatures – Staff expressed concern about inappropriate graffiti. Committee members suggested either limiting signatures to names only, using the banner as a sponsorship display, or displaying it without signing. Alternative ideas included a “We the People” Constitution banner as a photo backdrop. Consensus leaned toward dropping the signature component or pivoting to a display-only format.

    Discussion Point 2: Youth Constitution Reading – The committee agreed a full reading of the Constitution is too long and does not fit the high-energy atmosphere. Alternatives discussed: selected famous American quotes, a “parade of stars” where children carry decorated stars on stage, or having children share what America means to them. Staff will work with the School Engagement Committee to develop engaging options and will bring back suggested passages.

    Discussion Point 3: Patriotic Photo Backdrop Design – Ideas included a “We the People” backdrop with a balloon arch featuring 250 balloons, a Mount Rushmore cutout for photos, a historical timeline from 1600s to present, or a simple red/white/blue design with “250”. Committee leaned toward a simple, elegant patriotic backdrop (e.g., navy with stars) to keep focus on people. Props for photos were also suggested. Staff will develop options based on feedback.

    Sponsorship: The committee was encouraged to begin exploring potential sponsors from their networks. Staff are developing a sponsorship flyer with tiers (similar to Lunar New Year but larger scale) to be presented at the next meeting (April 9, 2026).

  • Orchestra & Fireworks Coordination: Staff clarified that the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra performance and fireworks finale are still being coordinated. The exact timing (whether simultaneous or sequential) is under discussion with multiple partners.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved minutes from November 13, 2025 (unanimous).
  • Directed staff to proceed with most America 250 ideas and to refine the signature banner, youth activity, and photo backdrop based on committee input.
  • Committee members will seek event sponsors; staff will finalize sponsorship materials.
  • Staff will return at the April 9, 2026 meeting with further options for the Constitution reading/alternative, backdrop design concepts, and a sponsorship flyer.
  • Meeting adjourned at approximately 6:55 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, we're recording. Calling the meeting to order at 6:30. Thank you. I will call roll. Um, Cynthia? That's not here. Dan? Here. Karen. Azure. Here. Matthew. Here. Zach. Here. Christy. Here. Scott. Present. Thank you. We have a quorum this evening. Staff reports. All right. Before we get started on the staff report, it is my extreme pleasure to introduce you to Amanda Bach, who started with us in January. Hi, Amanda. Hi. Welcome. Amanda is our new special projects coordinator, and she's going to be the primary liaison to ACE moving forward. Although I'm sure you're really going to enjoy getting to know her over time. A couple of quick facts to jumpstart that process. Amanda is a graduate of Georgia Tech with a master's in public policy, and she previously completed internships at lots of great places, including the Georgia General Assembly, the Georgia Office of Planning and Budget, the Judicial Council of Georgia Office of the Courts, and the United States House of Representatives. So Amanda comes to us with a lot of great experience at different levels and types of government that we are already putting to work. She's helping us with lots of different projects. And although she's only been on the team a few weeks, I have already found her to be reliable, organized, her attention to detail has really helped us move forward a couple projects. When we get into the discussion of America 250, I think you're really gonna see how she's great at taking initiatives, ideas, and moving them forward into implementation. So rather than do the city update this month, I'm gonna let Amanda share a little bit about what she's learned about different projects and initiatives like events that are coming up. All right. Um good evening, Ace. Um it's great to see everyone here tonight. And as uh Kimberly so kindly introduced me, my name's Amanda, and I'll be the new liaison for this committee. So I look forward to getting to know and work with each of you over throughout this year so we can better advance the arts and cultural initiatives across Johns Creek. Um I'll begin with some updates from the city that you should all be aware of. First off, just a reminder that next weekend is going to be the Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday, February 21st from 11 to 3 p.m. at the Atlanta Athletic Club Fields. Um and so I just encourage everyone to get your friends and family and neighbors to check out the event. It's gonna be a good time. Uh next up, uh reminder that Battle of the Bands is also coming up on Saturday, March 7th at Newtown Park, now to be starting at 6 p.m., which is giving the event a little bit extra time to host more bands than last year. So applications to participate as a band have been closed. Um but the event will line will have a lineup featuring about 11 bands, including six youth bands, which is very exciting. Um additionally, the competition is going to be judged by local music industry professionals and at least one member of the centennial band and winners will be awarded free studio time to record their music.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com