by Larry Felton Johnson
Each year brings fall festivals, some celebrating Halloween, some Thanksgiving, and others just to celebrate the relief from the summer heat pending the arrival of cold weather.
Cobb County has more than its share of autumn fun, and the county helpfully provided a summary of some of them on its website.
We’ve reprinted the schedule of fall events provided by the county verbatim. Wherever you live in the county, there’s certain to be something within reasonable distance, from Austell in the south to Acworth in the north.
Here’s the list, reprinted from the Cobb County website:
Acworth Fall Classic Car Cruise, Sept. 30, 4 – 9 p.m. at Logan Farm Park at 4405 Cherokee Street, Acworth. Check out the classic car show in Historic Downtown Acworth at Logan Farm. The show features over 200 automobiles from Chevy Chevelles to Model T Fords. A $5 entry fee is requested for all vehicles in the cruise. All proceeds go to the Horizon Field, an all-inclusive special needs sports facility in Acworth. It is free to view the cars. More information here.
911 Kids Expo Saturday, Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. – noon at 140 North Marietta Parkway, Marietta. Bring your elementary school-aged children over and learn about calling 911 from the pros! Kids can play fun games, tour the 911 center, talk on the radio, and more! This event is FREE! An adult must accompany all children.
Cool Cars and Cops Car Show, Saturday, Oct. 7, noon – 4 p.m. at Cobb Public Safety Training Center, 2435 East-West Connector, Austell. There will be food trucks, raffles and prizes, music, and most importantly, cars of all make and models! This is a free charity event raising money to provide gifts for children in families who experience financial hardships during the holiday season. $20 per vehicle entry. Free entry to the public. More information here.
Smyrna 151st Birthday Celebration / Culture & Spirit Festival, Oct. 7, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. It’s a big day with a concert on Atlanta Road with GOO GOO DOLLS headlining, THE WALLFLOWERS opening – with a special afternoon performance by 10,000 Maniacs at the new Village Green Park at 4:30 p.m. – Fireworks at the end. Cultural fest includes drummers, salsa, bluegrass, jazz, rock and dance performances. More information here.
Fall-O-Ween Fest, Oct. 7, 4 – 9 p.m. at Swift Cantrell Park, 3140 Old 41 Highway NW, Kennesaw. Come celebrate Halloween early at Swift Cantrell Park for the Fall-O-Ween festival. There will be lots of spooky activities, a candy trail, costume contests for all ages, a scavenger hunt, arts and crafts, field games, and music. A movie showing will take place after sundown on a giant inflatable screen. Bring your blankets or low-back chairs for comfort but nothing that will obstruct the view of others. Admission is free. More information here.
Taste of Acworth , Saturday, Oct. 7, 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Taste of Acworth offers fun for the whole family with a live entertainment stage, inflatables, a Georgia Grown Member Village, and a beer garden. Enjoy over 150 booths of local businesses and restaurants. Restaurants will be offering food samples ranging from $1 to $10. Admission is free. More information here.
Chalktoberfest, Saturday, Oct. 14 -15 – Enjoy a weekend filled with art and music in the square at Marietta’s annual Chalktoberfest. This event will feature the work of more than 85 professional chalk artists, live music from local entertainers, and the opportunity to sample over 120 craft beers and 25 wines. Chalktoberfest also includes a chalk art competition, an artisan market and food trucks. All of the proceeds will benefit the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art. Admission is free. More information here.
Harvest Fest Oct. 21, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. at Glover Park Marietta/ HarvestFest offers all of the fall weekend fun for the whole family. Admission is free. Come participate in seasonal events all day: Pie eating contest ,Touch-A-Truck , Scarecrows in the Square, Costume Contest (for all ages as well as pets) , Halloween Happenings kids’ festival (ages 12 and younger) . More information here.
Smyrna Crafts and Drafts Festival – Oct. 28 – 29, Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sunday noon- 5 p.m. 2800 King Street, downtown Smyrna. Smyrna Crafts and Drafts festival has fun for the entire family, with more than 150 arts and crafts booths, 12 food booths, live entertainment, a children’s section with a puppet show, big screen TVs for football and a beer garden featuring a variety of craft beer. Admission is free. More information here.
Acworth Halloween JamBOOree, Oct. 21, 3-7 p.m. at Logan Farm Park, 4405 Cherokee Street, in the field in front of the playground. Come out and enjoy all of the Halloween fun in the park. There will be a costume contest for the kids, games, rides, food and music. Admission is free. For more information, contact: 770-917-1234.
About Cobb County
Cobb County is the third most populous county in Georgia, smaller only than Fulton and Gwinnett counties.
The governing authority is the five-member Cobb County Board of Commissioners, which includes a Chairperson and four district commissioners.
The current board is:
| Chairwoman | Lisa Cupid |
| District 1 Commissioner | Keli Gambrill |
| District 2 Commissioner | Jerica Richardson |
| District 3 Commissioner | JoAnn Birrell |
| District 4 Commissioner | Monique Sheffield |
The U.S. Census Bureau gives the following quick facts about the county:
| PeoplePopulation | |
| Population Estimates, July 1 2021, (V2021) | 766,802 |
| Population estimates base, April 1, 2020, (V2021) | 766,149 |
| Population, percent change – April 1, 2020 (estimates base) to July 1, 2021, (V2021) | 0.1% |
| Population, Census, April 1, 2020 | 766149 |
| Population, Census, April 1, 2010 | 688078 |
| Age and Sex | |
| Persons under 5 years, percent | 5.6% |
| Persons under 18 years, percent | 22.7% |
| Persons 65 years and over, percent | 13.3% |
| Female persons, percent | 51.3% |
| Race and Hispanic Origin | |
| White alone, percent | 61.7% |
| Black or African American alone, percent(a) | 29.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent(a) | 0.5% |
| Asian alone, percent(a) | 5.7% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent(a) | 0.1% |
| Two or More Races, percent | 2.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino, percent(b) | 13.7% |
| White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent | 50.2% |
| Population Characteristics | |
| Veterans, 2016-2020 | 40562 |
| Foreign born persons, percent, 2016-2020 | 15.6% |
| Housing | |
| Housing units, July 1, 2021, (V2021) | 311450 |
| Owner-occupied housing unit rate, 2016-2020 | 65.8% |
| Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2016-2020 | $273,900 |
| Median selected monthly owner costs -with a mortgage, 2016-2020 | $1,672 |
| Median selected monthly owner costs -without a mortgage, 2016-2020 | $474 |
| Median gross rent, 2016-2020 | $1,264 |
| Building permits, 2021 | 3247 |
| Families & Living Arrangements | |
| Households, 2016-2020 | 283359 |
| Persons per household, 2016-2020 | 2.63 |
| Living in same house 1 year ago, percent of persons age 1 year+, 2016-2020 | 84.6% |
| Language other than English spoken at home, percent of persons age 5 years+, 2016-2020 | 20.5% |
| Computer and Internet Use | |
| Households with a computer, percent, 2016-2020 | 97.2% |
| Households with a broadband Internet subscription, percent, 2016-2020 | 93.3% |
| Education | |
| High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2016-2020 | 92.6% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2016-2020 | 48.4% |
| Health | |
| With a disability, under age 65 years, percent, 2016-2020 | 6.2% |
| Persons without health insurance, under age 65 years, percent | 13.8% |
| Economy | |
| In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2016-2020 | 69.6% |
| In civilian labor force, female, percent of population age 16 years+, 2016-2020 | 64.3% |
| Total accommodation and food services sales, 2017 ($1,000)(c) | 2056579 |
| Total health care and social assistance receipts/revenue, 2017 ($1,000)(c) | 5569500 |
| Total transportation and warehousing receipts/revenue, 2017 ($1,000)(c) | 1536858 |
| Total retail sales, 2017 ($1,000)(c) | 18543691 |
| Total retail sales per capita, 2017(c) | $24,615 |
| Transportation | |
| Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16 years+, 2016-2020 | 31.2 |
| Income & Poverty | |
| Median household income (in 2020 dollars), 2016-2020 | $80,830 |
| Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2020 dollars), 2016-2020 | $41,480 |
| Persons in poverty, percent | 9.2% |
| BusinessesBusinesses | |
| Total employer establishments, 2020 | 21492 |
| Total employment, 2020 | 358927 |
| Total annual payroll, 2020 ($1,000) | 21780372 |
| Total employment, percent change, 2019-2020 | -0.3% |
| Total nonemployer establishments, 2019 | 86497 |
| All employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 17066 |
| Men-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 10386 |
| Women-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 3537 |
| Minority-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 3058 |
| Nonminority-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 12177 |
| Veteran-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 1204 |
| Nonveteran-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 13909 |
| GeographyGeography | |
| Population per square mile, 2020 | 2254.8 |
| Population per square mile, 2010 | 2026.4 |
| Land area in square miles, 2020 | 339.78 |
| Land area in square miles, 2010 | 339.55 |
