Hey Neighbor,
Here's a sentence I never expected to type: my boys are excited that summer is almost over. All four of them.
Somewhere between pool days and popsicles, they started missing their friends, their teachers — even the routine. And watching them count down like it’s Christmas has me seeing back-to-school season in a whole new way.
three more weeks of summer, neighbor. Let’s make them count.
Quick question: How does your family get ready for a new school year (or what did your parents do)? Hit reply — I’ll share the best traditions in a future issue.
TL;DR
This Week in Gwinnett
Lawrenceville
Beats on the Streets — Thursday, July 23, 6–10pm (Downtown Square)
The free Thursday-night takeover of the square is back — DJs, food, and the best people-watching in the county. Grab dinner downtown and let the night happen.
Movie Club on the Lawn: Romeo + Juliet (1996) — Thursday, July 23, 6–10pm (Lawrenceville Lawn)
Free outdoor movie night with food trucks — the Leo DiCaprio version, under the stars. Yes, you can do Beats on the Streets and this in the same night. They're blocks apart.
Evening of the Arts — Saturday, July 25, 3–9pm (Lawrenceville Arts Center)
Six free hours of live theatre, music across every genre, art displays, and hands-on workshops. Bring the kids who are "bored" — they won't be.
Duluth
Parsons Thursday Nights Out — Thursday, July 23, 6–9pm (Parsons Alley)
Duluth's free Thursday hangout in the alley — rotating themes, good food steps away, zero dollars required.
👉 Details
Rock The Block: Live & Loud Fridays — Friday, July 24, 6–9pm (Town Green)
The most reliable free concert night in Gwinnett. Blanket, chairs, dinner from Parsons Alley — done.
👉 Details
Tattoo You: A Rolling Stones Tribute — Friday, July 24, 8pm (Red Clay Music Foundry)
Atlanta's all-star Stones tribute in Eddie Owen's intimate listening room. Tickets $25–$34 — cheaper than one song at a stadium show.
👉 Tickets
Suwanee
Broadway in the Park: The Lion King Jr. + The Jungle Book Kids — Friday, July 24, 7–10pm (Town Center Park)
Hundreds of local kids putting on a Disney double feature on an outdoor stage. Free lawn seating (bring chairs), reserved seats and VIP tables available, food vendors on site.
Broadway in the Park — Night Two — Saturday, July 25, 7–10pm (Town Center Park)
Suwanee Farmers Market — Saturday, July 25, 8am–12pm (Town Center)
Peaches, pastries, and a cold brew before the heat kicks in. Still the most Gwinnett way to start a Saturday.
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Sugar Hill
Sugar Hill Farmers Market — Tuesday, July 21, 4–7pm (The Landing)
The Tuesday-evening market at The Landing — produce, honey, baked goods, and a nice excuse to not cook.
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Sugar Hill Night at the Gwinnett Stripers — Friday, July 24, 7:05pm first pitch (Coolray Field)
$15 tickets through the city, Stripers vs. Iowa Cubs, and a full fireworks show after the game. This is your one baseball pick of the week — and it's the right one.
Yoga at Sugar Hill — Saturday, July 25, 9–10am (The Plaza)
Free all-levels community yoga. Bring a mat, bring water, register ahead.
👉 Register
Better Than Ezra with Tonic & Vertical Horizon — Saturday, July 25, doors 6pm, music 7pm (The Bowl)
If you had a radio in the '90s, this triple bill at the amphitheater is your Saturday night. Ticketed — and worth it.
👉 Tickets
BUFORD
37 Main is single-handedly carrying Buford's week, and I respect it:
21+ Thursday Night Live: Rock Station — Thursday, July 23, doors 5pm, show 8:30pm
Free admission, no cover. A full rock show for the price of your drink order.
👉 Details
Don't Push: Sublime Tribute — Saturday, July 25, 9pm
$10 general admission for a full night of Sublime. "What I Got"? A cheap Saturday night out.
👉 Tickets
PEACHTREE CORNERS
Forum Fit: Yoga + Sound Bath — Wednesday, July 22, 6–7pm (The Plaza at The Forum)
A free outdoor yoga and sound bath session, taught in English and Spanish. Mid-week reset, handled.
👉 Details
Friday Night Live: The Ides of June — Friday, July 24, 6–8pm (The Plaza at The Forum)
Free live music on the plaza — dinner and a show without a babysitter or a ticket.
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Summer Concert Series: Material Girl + B4Y2K — Saturday, July 25, 7pm (Town Green, Vox Stage)
A free '80s-to-'90s double bill on the Town Green. This series fills up — claim your lawn spot early.
👉 Details
Norcross • Lilburn • Snellville
Jazz in the Alley: The Human DJ + Lizzy Kay — Saturday, July 25, 7:30–9:30pm (Thrasher Park, Norcross)
Free live jazz in downtown Norcross — lawn chairs, picnics welcome, food vendors on site. One of the county's best-kept Saturday-night secrets.
👉 Details
Author Talk: Callie Murray, "The Brunswick" — Tuesday, July 21, 6:30–7:30pm (Norcross Branch Library)
A free evening with the author of a novel set right in Norcross, moderated by veteran reporter Dale Russell. Seats are nearly gone — register now.
👉 Register
Dino-Yoga: Stomp, Stretch & Roar — Tuesday, July 21, 10:30am (Lilburn Branch Library)
Free dinosaur stories + kid yoga. If you have littles, this is your easiest Tuesday win.
👉 Details
Lilburn Farmers' Market — Friday, July 24, 4–7pm (1400 Killian Hill Rd)
Friday-evening market, local growers, zero stress.
👉 Details
Snellville Farmers' Market — Saturday, July 25, 8:30am–12:30pm (Towne Green)
Snellville's Saturday-morning staple on the Towne Green.
👉 Details
Gus' Pick of the Week
Local Republic — Lawrenceville
139 N Perry St, right on the downtown square
If you're heading to Beats on the Streets or Evening of the Arts this week, do yourself a favor and build dinner around it. Local Republic has been quietly doing from-scratch Southern gastropub food on the square since 2011 — industrial-chic downstairs, craft bar upstairs, and a menu that takes zero shortcuts.
This is where I'd take a friend who thinks you have to drive to Atlanta for a great meal.
Order this: the Hanger Steak Frites (garlic-herb butter, hand-cut fries) — or if you're feeling fun, the "Celine Dijon" smash burger with crispy fried cheddar and house-made bacon jam. Yes, that's really the name. Yes, it's really that good. Heads up: they're closed Mondays.
Good News from the County
This Saturday morning, the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds turns into a cloud of color — the 4th Annual Splash & Dash Color Run (July 25, 5K at 8am, fun run at 9:15) benefits Because One Matters, a local nonprofit serving foster children and families right here in Gwinnett. A chip-timed 5K, bounce houses, a car show — and every registration helps a foster family in our own county. Neighbors running for neighbors' kids. That's about as Gwinnett as it gets.
Before You Go
I keep thinking about my boys being ready — ready for new teachers, new friends, a new year. Somewhere along the way we start treating "new seasons" like something to brace for instead of something to run toward. Maybe the kids have it right. Whatever August is bringing to your house — a first day of kindergarten, a senior year, an empty seat at the table — you don't have to brace. You can run toward it.
Two more weeks of summer. Go spend them.
Know someone with kids heading back to school? Forward this to them — they'll thank you.
