ACE Committee Meeting April 9, 2026: America 250 Planning and City Updates
ACE Committee Meeting – April 9, 2026
The Arts, Cultural, and Entertainment (ACE) Committee of Johns Creek met on April 9, 2026, at 6:30 PM at 11360 Lakefield Drive. The meeting covered a city update, approval of prior minutes, and continued discussion on the America 250 celebration planned for July 3, 2026. No public comments were made.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes – The minutes from the February 12, 2026 ACE Committee meeting were approved unanimously by motion of committee member Duan, seconded by Fuller.
Reports & Presentations
- City Update – Special Projects Coordinator Amanda Bock reported on recent successes: the Boardwalk at Town Center opened two weeks prior; recent events (Lunar New Year, Battle of the Bands, Daffodil Days, Bunny Hop) had high turnout. Upcoming events include the International Festival (May 2, applications close April 10), Juneteenth (June 20), and the Summer Concert Series launch (May 8). City Manager Kimberly Greer announced an updated attendance policy allowing excused absences for jury duty, illness, bereavement, etc., but not work obligations.
Discussion Items
- America 250 Celebration Updates – Ms. Bock reported that planning is on schedule. The fireworks launch site is finalized; food trucks and alcohol booths arranged. Entertainment includes a 90-minute Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra performance, a Star-Spangled Banner guitar soloist, an Uncle Sam volunteer, and the Johns Creek Veterans Association presenting colors. The Daughters of the American Revolution and Johns Creek Corral have expressed interest in participating.
- Photo Station Options – Committee members reviewed options. Balloon displays were rejected due to July heat and wind. The committee reached consensus on a simple blue backdrop with white stars (not limited to the eight options provided) for an elegant, family-friendly photo spot. They also supported interactive cutouts (e.g., Mount Rushmore, Lady Liberty, space-themed) for children, subject to budget.
- Youth Engagement – The Parade of Stars program will feature children decorating round shields (with a star design) and parading across the stage; no speaking is planned. For older students, the committee favored using short quotes from famous Americans (e.g., from the provided list) rather than verbose founding document passages. Staff will coordinate with the School Engagement Committee to finalize.
- Time Capsule – Suggestions included group photos, letters from graduating classes, drone shots of Johns Creek, a list of 2026 prices (e.g., gas, milk), pop culture items (e.g., a Labubu toy, trading cards), and an unopened iPhone. Concerns were raised about USB drives becoming obsolete. The committee agreed to pass these ideas to the School Engagement Committee. The capsule will likely be placed in a city park.
- VIP Table Sponsorship – A committee member proposed selling VIP tables at $250 each to fund activities. Staff noted that the City Council will address rental fees for the Boardwalk at their April work session; a decision is pending.
Key Outcomes
- Approved February 12, 2026 meeting minutes unanimously.
- Reached consensus to use a blue-with-white-stars backdrop and interactive cutouts for children (subject to budget approval).
- Agreed to have Parade of Stars (no speaking) and potentially short quote readings by older students; staff to coordinate with School Engagement Committee.
- Collected time capsule item suggestions; staff to relay to School Engagement Committee.
- No formal votes were taken on the America 250 design elements; consensus was used.
- Next ACE Committee meeting is scheduled for June 11, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
We're recording whenever you're ready. Calling the meeting to order at 6 30. Thank you. I'll call roll. Cynthia is coming late. Dan? Present. Matthew. Here. Zach. Christy. Here. Did I say that right? Minakshi. Here. Okay. And that's not Scott. So we do have a quorum this evening. All right. Moving on to public comment. It looks like we have some guests here. Would you like to step up to the podium or say anything? Or are you just attending to check it out? Um you can finish in Scout rewards. Okay. Welcome. Glad to have you. And there's Scott. Scott. Cool. Moving on to reports and presentations. All right. Hello again. It's good to see everyone back. I know it's been a few months and a lot has happened in that time, so I have some very exciting updates to share with you all. First, the boardwalk is now open. So this new park behind us was opened two weeks ago when Mayor Bradbury welcomed the community for his outdoor state of the city address. This year he highlighted key priorities, including an emphasis on public art for the upcoming year. So that's some great news for this committee. Since ACE last met, the city has also had four successful events, including February's Lunar New Year, which received front page coverage in the Johns Creek Herald. Here you go. Nice. Yeah, that's the one with me on it. I know you're on the you're right on the cover too. We had to bring it into show. Show and tell, you know. Um and so after that successful event, we had Battle of the Bands, which took also took place in early March. And the winners of that will will return to perform at one of our comp summer concert series events. Also in March, Daffodil Days celebrated the community's contributions to volunteerism and giving back. Finally, last Friday, the boardwalk hosted the city's annual bunny hop, giving our staff a better opportunity to understand the logistics of hosting a large event at this venue, which will be really helpful for America 250 later this year.
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