The story behind The Jewelsmith, a famil y-owned jewelry store at The Avenue of West Cobb, may have been described best by Monique Sparks, wife of third-generation jeweler Oliver Ronquillo, as “the epitome of the American dream.” Oliver, a GIA-certified master jeweler, immigrated from the Philippines in 1971. His primary education started at age 15, as he watched and worked … [Read more...]

Stories Abound About How City, Mountain Got Their Name Why do we call our city Kennesaw? Our community officially was named Kennesaw when it was incorporated in September 1887. We were named after the nearby mountain, which, since 1864, had been nationally famous for its role in the Civil War. Where, then, did our mountain get its name? In the past, the National Park … [Read more...]

The March of the Toys Parade in downtown Ball Ground has become a Cherokee County tradition. Ten years ago, our local Santa and Mrs. Claus, Tim and Pam Cavender, launched the parade, to join Toys for Tots (TFT) and help children in need. This holiday season marks the 75th anniversary of the Marine Corps Reserve TFT Program. Maj. Bill Hendricks started the charity in Los … [Read more...]

We all have an inner life and an outer life. Our inner life is supposed to be the guardian of our outer life. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to focus more on our outer life. The problem with this way of living is the outer life can’t truly satisfy the inner; yet, success in the inner life almost always satisfies the outer life. Philosopher Dallas Willard said, “You’re a … [Read more...]

Hello, Kennesaw! November is an awesome month in which we set aside a day to honor our veterans and a day to give thanks for peace and opportunity and reflect on the importance of family. Veterans Day. The foundation of our personal success, as well as the success of this country, is forged in freedom. Famed news anchor Walter Cronkite said, “There is no such thing as a … [Read more...]