On Monday, October 16, 2023, the City of Duluth, Georgia embarked on a magical journey as they broke ground for the much-anticipated Playable Art. A testament to community creativity and the spirit of play, this unique project has captured the imagination of residents across Gwinnett County.

In 2022, the City of Duluth invited Gwinnett County residents of all ages to submit drawings of their dream pieces of playable art for the Playground Design Contest. Among the 175+ entries, designs ranged from sea creatures to tree houses, pirate ships to crash-landed satellites, and musical instruments to giant animals. withthe youngest artist to participate being just three years old!

The Duluth Public Art Commission faced a fun yet challenging task of analyzing these submissions and selecting the top nine. The Mayor and Council, used these top nine designs to determine their top three winning selections in July of 2022. Ultimately, the winning design, submitted by Lyn-Nell Huffman, was inspired by a willow tree, and it became the foundation for the creation of the Gigglebark Tree.

The Gigglebark Tree playground is a visually stunning combination of several trees. It boasts the colorful bark of a Eucalyptus, the twisting roots of an Overcup Oak, and the swaying branches of a Willow Tree. What sets this playable art apart is the inclusion of a slide winding around the trunk and a root system with steps and tunnels. To add a touch of enchantment, the willow-like branches will illuminate the playground, creating a magical ambiance for all who visit.

Breaking ground on this extraordinary project was anything but ordinary. In a whimsical turn of events, the Mayor, council members, and other adults in attendance were transformed into kids, celebrating the childlike wonder that the Gigglebark Tree playground promises to inspire.

“Duluth has always been a place where art and play converge. The Gigglebark Tree is a symbol of our commitment to fostering creativity, nurturing our green spaces, and ensuring that all generations can find joy right here in our city” said Mayor Nancy Harris.

The Gigglebark Tree Playground is an extension of the existing Taylor Park playground in Downtown Duluth. While it’s always bittersweet to say goodbye to old trees, some of them had to be removed due to disease, and their tendency to drop branches and pecans, making them unsuitable for a children’s play area. However, the City is committed to maintaining the natural beauty of the area and plans to work with an arborist to plant new, safe trees once the playground is complete.

During the interim period as the new trees grow and provide natural shade, the City will install shade sails around the playable art, ensuring that visitors can enjoy the playground even on the sunniest days.

This exciting project is expected to take a couple of months and is being brought to life by ID Sculpture, a company known for their innovative playground designs.

Can we hear a round of a-paws for September’s Dog of the Month: Murphy!

Murphy’s humans said. “He is a 3-year-old golden doodle, who loves to play ball and bring his favorite stuffed toy to you. He also loves to snuggle and gets super jealous when he isn’t the center of attention. ” Sounds like if you see this good boy around town you should stop and give him a pet!

For his dedication to helping keep our waterways clean and local ecosystems intact, @tiger_tails_animal_hospital has partnered with us to offer a great prize pack to our Dog of the Month.

Take the pledge and your pup (or pups) may just be featured as our next Dog of the Month!

DuluthGA.net/PetWastePledge

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at City Hall? Well, wonder no more! The City of Duluth has just launched its newest series, Undercover Mayor, where Mayor Harris goes incognito to learn about the different departments and operations of the city.

In this second episode, Mayor Harris goes undercover with the Parks & Rec Department, pretending to be a Mayor from another city who wants to learn more about how Duluth operates. She’s accompanied by the Jason Rogers, Assistant Director of Recreation, Brandon Davis, Assistant Director of Athletics, and John Keating, Assistant Director of Parks.

The show gives you an inside look at the hard work that goes into keeping Duluth compliant with regulations and standards. Mayor Harris uncovers some surprising issues that the Code Compliance Department is working to address, and it’s eye-opening to see the effort that goes into keeping our city running smoothly.

So, grab your popcorn and tune in to the first episode of Undercover Mayor to see what Mayor Harris discovers in her covert mission. You won’t be disappointed!

The Barbies came out in full force to Friday’s Barbie’s Dream Pop-Up event! Thank you to DJ Barbie (AKA Jessica It’s All Good) for keeping the Barbieland party going!

Learn more about Duluth’s upcoming events by visiting duluthga.net/events.

Photography provided by DV Photo Video.

Can we hear a round of a-paws for August’s Dog of the Month: Kolo!

Kolo’s humans said he “is a 5-year-old Samoyed who loves to sing, spin, snack on popcorn and give the vacuum overtime hours. If he’s not playing with one of his (current) favorite toys, like Mr. Hotdog or Mr. Hedgehog, he’s probably taking a stroll down the street to visit his auntie. Kolo’s lived in Duluth for 2 of his 5 years and has loved getting to show off his smile around town!.” Sounds like if you see this good boy around you should stop and give him a pet!

For his dedication to helping keep our waterways clean and local ecosystems intact, @tiger_tails_animal_hospital has partnered with us to offer a great prize pack to our Dog of the Month.

Take the pledge and your pup (or pups) may just be featured as our next Dog of the Month!

DuluthGA.net/PetWastePledge

Human Resources Manager Jocelyn McGiboney, recently attended The Municipal Leader Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certificate Program through Georgia Municipal Association (GMA). This program is designed to equip municipal leaders with the knowledge, tools and resources to create a foundation for sustainable, equitable and economic prosperity for their city and its residents by creating an environment that values differences, fosters relationships and seeks a spirit of belongingness. This program is for individuals, targeting city leaders such as mayors, city managers, city council members, and senior staff. It supports day-to-day operations within city governments and aims to support municipal leaders by providing resources and connections with other city leaders for evaluating various areas of their governmental functions. 

Participants met monthly in person at GMA in Atlanta from 9 am – 4 pm over eight months. The program also included Emotional Intelligence testing, two virtual training classes, a book discussion of “How to Be an Inclusive Leader” by Jennifer Brown and a Capstone Project on an area of interest chosen in one of the modules. Jocelyn created her project in the area of Human Resources for an evaluation of various areas, including obtaining leadership support, developing diverse contacts with trusted colleagues, evaluating Duluth’s employee pay chart, HR Manual policy review, Performance Appraisal review and Recruiting/Retention of Diverse candidates. Jocelyn obtained feedback on the project from various employees prior to submission. The certificate program and project are resources for the continued development of the City of Duluth’s initiatives to recruit and retain diverse staff. She plans to use this knowledge to continue building Duluth’s workforce to show that our leadership team values our employees and plans to continue improving our recruitment and retention efforts and embracing our vibrant workforce to positively impact our community.

Can we hear a round of a-paws for July’s Dogs of the Month: Duke & Daphne!

Duke & Daphne’s humans said they “are both golden retrievers that are siblings of the same pawrents but different litters! They love to snuggle & give kisses, wrestle, and naturally (as retrievers) bring you any shoe left behind around the house!”

For their dedication to helping keep our waterways clean and local ecosystems intact, Tiger Tails Animal Hospital has partnered with us to offer a great prize pack to our Dog of the Month.

Take the pledge and your pup (or pups) may just be featured as our next Dog of the Month!
DuluthGA.net/PetWastePledge

We took a time-traveling trip through the decades last week at Fridays-N-Duluth! We swung through the roaring 20’s, got groovy in the 70’s, took it back to the rad 80’s, and got jiggy in the 90’s. Which decade was your favorite?!

See a familiar face? Tag them!

Photography provided by DV Photo Video.