Powder Springs wins parks agency of year

The parks, recreation and cultural affairs department of a Cobb County city has been named the state’s best for its population category of under 20,000 for this year.

Powder Springs officials received the award recently from the Georgia Recreation and Park Association.

The department of six employees — four full-time and two part-time — manages 47 acres of park space as well as the Patricia C. Vaughn Cultural Arts Center, the multipurpose Ford Center Reception Hall and the Seven Springs Museum at the Bodiford House, according to a city news release.

In July, the department opened the city’s new Skate Park at Silver Comet Linear Park, which welcomed several pro skaters and skate enthusiasts at a grand opening event in October.

Drawing more than 10,000 visitors each May to Thurman Springs Park is the “Bringing the Sea to the Springs” seafood festival, which earned the 2022 “Spot-On Event of the Year” honor from Cobb Travel & Tourism.

Next year’s calendar will bring back all of the same events and add a series of Brown Bag Lunch midday concerts in April to complement the annual September slate of such concerts.