JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Lynn Pennington, president of Johns Creek Beautification, is someone you see at most every city-organized event, speaking on behalf of a nonprofit that unites people through landscaping and public art.
“If you stay close to our mission statement … it is really a way to bring people together,” said Pennington, whose wealth of energy exceeds her small frame. She stays busy, also serving as co-president to the Cultural Arts Alliance at Johns Creek and as a member of the Johns Creek Historical Society.
While Johns Creek Beautification formed in 2007, its beginnings precede the city’s incorporation with work toward beautifying medians along Medlock Bridge Road.
Over the years, the nonprofit has developed a slate of initiatives.
One can be seen throughout the city, lit up with 52,250 yellow daffodils. The organization’s planting campaign Daffodils4Hope, brought forth by more than 1,100 volunteers of all ages, is in partnership with the nonprofit CanCare Atlanta which provides counseling support to cancer patients and caregivers in the community.
Johns Creek Beautification President Lynn Pennington, center, works a stand April 13 at the Daffodil Days market with volunteers and board members of the nonprofit. Johns Creek Beautification boasts a slate of initiatives related to its mission to enhance the city’s landscape.
Johns Creek Beautification also hosts a Secret Garden Tour every other year. The rain-or-shine event features an array of private home gardens and the Autrey Mill Nature Preserve, each with musical ensembles or solo performers, along with visual artists sharing their talents with visitors.
Pennington, co-chair to the tour, said she is seeking volunteers to lead the effort next spring with planning beginning in August.
Currently, board members are preparing for a fundraiser in June in support of a new Native American sculpture for the city’s Town Center area — 192 acres anchored by the oncoming Creekside Park, centered around the pond behind City Hall. The hub is also poised to bring retail and industry with tenants like mixed-used development Medley and biomedical engineering giant Boston Scientific.
The Native American sculpture would be the second permanent installation born from the nonprofit’s ArtSpot subcommittee.
The first, unveiled in June 2022 at the Bell and Boles roads roundabout, is Entwined Strength by artist Eric Strauss. Its vine-like form, created from 4,000 pounds of hot forged steel, honors the diverse community members and its leaders who pulled together to create a new city.
Pennington envisions the new sculpture to showcase thousands of years of Native American history that covers what is now Johns Creek, beyond the known Cherokee Nation. She said its intended location, close to City Hall, would allow it to become a symbol of unity and respect for indigenous peoples, showcasing a commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
“In the research, we found out that Native Americans were in the Johns Creek area for 14,000 years,” she said. “There is nothing that really shows that history in Johns Creek yet, so through art we hope to … capture history, heritage.”
The impetus for the project dates to around 2015, a collaboration between the now-defunct Newtown Park Community Foundation and that year’s Leadership Johns Creek class, which included former CEO of Emory Johns Creek Marilyn Margolis.
The group set its eyes on a stone sculpture, a work that could endure the weather, akin to Native American petroglyphs found around the Southeast in places like Blairsville.
But, Pennington said the sculpture would be under the artist’s discretion, ideally to be placed in a new plaza area created from stones that could be purchased and inscribed.
Artist Eric Strauss stands with his sculpture Entwined Strength at a ribbon-tying ceremony in June 2022 at the Bell and Boles roads roundabout. The sculpture was the first permanent public art installation born from Johns Creek Beautification’s ArtSpot subcommittee. Currently, the nonprofit is in the fundraising stage for a second sculpture, themed around Native American history.
Once Johns Creek Beautification has sufficient funds, Pennington said a call will be cast out, prioritizing Native American artists. She said the selection committee would likely be composed of board members from Johns Creek Beautification and the Cultural Arts Alliance as well as a Johns Creek city councilmember.
While the project is pending City Council approval, Pennington said $50,000 has been raised so far across the nonprofit’s Secret Garden tours, and the goal is to collect $100,000 over the next 18 months.
Another $50,000 may head their way, considering a recommendation made at a recent Johns Creek Arts, Culture and Entertainment Committee meeting on the use of hotel/motel tax collections in fiscal year 2025.
The June 6 fundraiser will be the nonprofit’s first annual learning luncheon, featuring two guest speakers — Ashley Frasca, who hosts a Saturday morning garden show on WSB Radio, and Mark Hoban, a golf course superintendent at Rivermont Golf Club who focuses on sustainable, organic methods in his work.
The luncheon aligns with the nonprofit’s other effort to recertify Johns Creek as a National Wildlife Habitat, promoting sustainable gardening practices. The city first earned certification with the National Wildlife Federation’s Community Wildlife Habitat program in April 2012.
Johns Creek Beautification Vice President Liliana Brenner said the organization is also helping to certify individual properties such as homes, parks, schools and businesses by providing food, water, shelter and places to raise young. Residents are encouraged to certify their properties at certifiedwildlifehabitat.nwf.org.
“Our aim is to build a resilient ecosystem where people, wildlife and plants can thrive together for generations,” Brenner said.
