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As we usher in a new year, the North Gwinnett Voice is revisiting some of the top stories of 2024. 

Under construction: City of Buford Stadium 

Work on a new stadium for Buford High School’s football team was ongoing in 2024 off Buford Highway. The state-of-the-art facility was bid at xxx, according to Buford City Manager Bryan Kerlin. 

“The new stadium will be great for not only the high school but the City of Buford,” Buford Athletic Director Tom Beuglas said in April 2024. “I think it will be a great place for the people of our community to come watch games and enjoy first-class facilities. It will provide a great opportunity for local businesses to advertise, alumni to come back and meet, and Buford to continue to lead the way in providing a great experience for everyone involved.”

Tom Riden Stadium. Photo by Christian Stahl.

Buford plays final season in Tom Riden Stadium 

In anticipation of the new City of Buford Stadium being built, the Buford Wolves played their final season in Tom Riden Stadium, which opened in 1990 and was named for local educator Tom Riden in 1995. Riden served as principal, science teacher and coach at Buford. 

Buford Athletic Director Tom Beuglas said the \use of Tom Riden Stadium won’t cease. It will be used for middle school events, and the high school track-and-field team will implement it as its main venue. It will receive a new track surface this summer.

“The teams here and the community know the history and significance of Tom Riden Stadium,” Beuglas said. “Everyone is excited about the new stadium, but it will be good to still have teams occasionally competing in Tom Riden. It is great that we will be able to utilize both locations.”

Crews with Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services battle a blaze at First Pentecostal Church of Buford on East Moreno Street on Nov. 28, 2024. Photo courtesy of Gwinnett Fire and Emergency Services.

Fire destroys historic church

A fire on Thursday night, Nov. 28, the day on which Thanksgiving was celebrated in 2024, destroyed the historic First Pentecostal Church of Buford on East Moreno Street. Portions of the church collapsed as firefighters with Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services worked to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported as churchgoers had attempted to put out the fire. 

The church building was constructed before World War II and carried history as a beloved place of worship. It was purchased as the First Baptist Church of Buford in 1937, before being sold to the late Bishop Timothy Copeland’s congregation 61 years later. 

Following the tragic fire, many of the church’s gatherings have been held at nearby Buford Church of God, along with other holiday-centric meetings being hosted at churchgoers’ homes.

First Pentecostal Church of Buford is pastored by Jordan Copeland, the son of Tommy Lee Copeland. 

From left, Buford High School band director Erik Mason, drum majors Caleb Terry, Jacob Nabors, Peter Kwak, Crestard Falohun and assistant band director Bridget Wildes take a photo in London, where the Band of Wolves participated in the city’s New Year’s Day parade on Jan. 1, 2024. Photo courtesy of Buford City Schools.

Buford marching band performs in London 

The Buford High School Band of Wolves crossed the ocean to perform in London on Jan. 1, 2024. The school dispatched 121 musicians to perform in London’s New Year’s Day Parade in front of more than 750,000 spectators and a worldwide television audience of 350 million. 

“It felt exhilarating to see thousands of people waving and smiling at you and just enjoying your music,” band member Anna Belle Clayborn said following the international trip. 

Chamber Chorus members participated in the London International Choral Festival, a three-day event where students attended rehearsals and performed a 75-minute concert alongside other high schools and a professional orchestra.

The Buford High School boys lacrosse team won its first state championship title on May 10, 2024. Submitted photo.

Buford boys lacrosse team brings home first state title 

Buford secured its first-ever state championship in lacrosse with a 14-13 overtime win against Lambert on May 10, 2024, making history for the program, which started in 2013. 

A back-and-forth scoring affair had the Wolves down one point with under two minutes remaining in the game. With hopes of a first state championship hanging in the balance, sophomore Drew Maloney scored the tying goal with 58 seconds on the clock. But celebration would turn into focus as Lambert tried to make a final run to close out the game. The Longhorns took possession and immediately got within scoring range. But the Buford defense smothered the offensive attack and didn’t allow Lambert to get a final shot off. The game went into overtime, with Maloney making the final shot of the season to propel Buford to state championship glory.  

The Wolves finished the 2024 season 21-1, avenging their only loss against Lambert in the championship matchup. 

The sensory treehouse at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center is an ongoing project. Submitted photo.

Sensory treehouse is ‘planted’ in Buford 

In March 2024, the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center in Buford unveiled an evolving $4.5 million sensory treehouse-type structure along a 340-foot accessible walkway designed to serve residents and visitors with intellectual and physical disabilities. The overall purpose of the treehouse is to connect visitors to the forest and immerse them using sight, sound and touch. The 20-foot-tall treehouse is surrounded by a viewing and activity platform with a high-hanging hammock. Visitors can take part in a circular audio-visual experience in a domed ceiling, which can be used for various teaching and entertainment purposes. The entire structure is ADA-accessible, which allows for wheelchair users to access an area in the forest that couldn’t be reached within conventional footpaths.

“With inclusivity at the forefront of our initiatives, the treehouse enables our residents to connect with peers and develop lifelong skills related to science and nature,” Gwinnett County chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson said. “We strive to ensure that every member of our community can access resources without unnecessary barriers.”

The sensory treehouse is an evolving project for the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center and the Gwinnett County government, with additional interactive components planned for installation.  

Eli Boley, a Buford resident, is pictured with Dr. Joshua Chern, division chief of neurosurgery at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Chern performed a successful craniotomy on Eli when he was 4. Eli was named a Miracle Child by Children’s Miracle Network in 2024. Photo courtesy of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Buford youth named ‘Miracle Child’ 

Eli Boley, then 10 years old, was named a 2024 Miracle Child by Children’s Miracle Network in April for his perseverance and bravery. In 2017, the Buford youth was diagnosed with focal cortical dysplasia, a miswiring of the brain that causes electrical imbalance and seizures, which were found to be drug resistant. Eli needed surgery, though success rates were only 50 to 60%.

In April 2018, Dr. Joshua Chern, division chief of neurosurgery at Children’s, performed a craniotomy to remove the walnut-sized lesion on Eli’s brain. After surgery, Eli started intense physical and occupational therapies at Children’s to re-learn to walk and strengthen the areas of his body weakened by the seizures. 

In April 2024, Eli was free of seizures and seeing his doctor for annual checkups. He was playing baseball and was an honor roll student at his school. 

“It’s crazy, the fact, what I have suffered through,” Eli said in April, “and today I’m running around with my head up, the left side of my body, running, catching a ball, hitting a ball.”

Ervin Pearson celebrates his state title-winning finish in the 400-meter race on May 9 in the GHSA 7A track and field state championships. Photo courtesy of Jamesy Codrington.

Buford track athletes win state titles 

Buford senior Ervin Pearson III, nicknamed “Flash,” raced to a photo finish in the state 400-meter competition May 11, 2024, in Carrollton, edging out his closest opponent by just two milliseconds with a time of 45.35 seconds. Pearson set a record for the fastest time in Georgia high school history.

“It was surreal,” Pearson said. “As competitors, we know what it takes to win. The ending of that race was two athletes battling it out.”

Freshman Olivia Harris recorded a time of 53.69 seconds to win the girls’ 400-meter race. Harris set a personal best the week prior in the regionals, and set the best time in Gwinnett County history.

FEATURED PHOTO: The site of the City of Buford Stadium is pictured in April 2024. The stadium is expected to be finished for the opening of the 2025 high school football season this fall. Special photo.  

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