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Holly Jolly Block Party bedazzles Johns Creek
CIVIC DUTIES
By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
Johns Creek Firefighter David Hemmings, Fire Capt. Brad Ridings, Fire Chief Chris Coons and Fire Apparatus Operator Carlton Flora gather at Fire Station 64 in front of Quint 64, the department’s $2 million ladder truck.
Firefighters act on community needs By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Unlike some other fire departments in north Metro Atlanta, the Johns Creek Fire Department prioritizes every level of a 911 call. That includes Alpha calls, or calls that are considered the least emergent, such as a sprained ankle. The list runs through Echo, something as critical as cardiac arrest. “Anything you may go to your primary care physician for, or you may go to an urgent care
and emergency room for, these guys will go,” Fire Chief Chris Coons said from inside the 9,000-square-foot Station 64 off Kimball Bridge Road, radio information intermittently playing through an intercom. “Unfortunately, to some people, this is their primary care.” In a “former life,” Coons said he responded to someone’s call about a toothache at 3 a.m. He even delivered a baby at a gas station, when he moonlighted as a part-timer with the Roswell Fire Department.
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JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The City of Johns Creek pushed past the cold Dec. 5 to welcome the holiday season with its annual Holly Jolly Block Party. At the sparsely attended event, members of the cover band Hot Flash persisted in the name of ’80s alternative rock on a stage in front of City Hall. Meanwhile, street performers danced, twirled and juggled in holiday attire throughout the parking lot. Most visitors were caught up in an inflatable zone or in lines to take pictures with Santa and the returning favorite, a festive pair of llamas. Some got their fill of free hot chocolate, alleviating the biting chill, as well as selections from the half dozen food trucks lining the lot. Soon after the sun set, Mayor John Bradberry stepped on stage, readying himself to flip a big switch that would light up a 40-foot Christmas tree. “Hey, I know it's cold, but are you feeling jolly?” he asked the small crowd. “Man, I feel good. It's always good to be here for the Holly Jolly Block Party. It feels like Christmas. It feels like the holidays.” The countdown followed, and those gathered around the tree took in the elaborate light display. “Merry Christmas, and happy holidays, Johns Creek,” Bradberry said.
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry welcomes a small crowd to the city’s annual Holly Jolly Block Party at City Hall Dec. 5 before flipping the switch on a 40-foot Christmas tree.
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