The Suwanee City Council recognized the winners of the 2022 Snap Suwanee photography contest during a meeting Tuesday, March 22.

The annual photo competition invites amateur and professional photographers to submit up to five photos they feel celebrate something meaningful about the city of Suwanee.

The overall judges’ choice winner of the competition was Kate Durden for her photo “Jubilation.” The photo depicts Kate’s sister, Molly, jumping through the air on a sunny day by the lake.

“It was just a really pretty day,” Durden said. “It’s of my sister … she always helps me do it, so thanks.”

It was Durden’s first time shooting on a Canon camera, but her early success in photography bodes well for her aspirations to be a journalist. She currently writes and takes photos for her school paper at Midtown High School in Atlanta.

The other winners of the competition included Koyya Russell for his photo “Stillness I,” Keith Costley for “Catching Up Over Coffee” and “Harmony at the Amphitheater,” Marni Smith for “Frosty Caboose” and “Live Colorfully,” Mary King for “Fountain Surprise,” Traci Dickson for “Fountain Fun Dip” and Amy Doherty for “Sunrise in Sunset.”

Mayor Jimmy Burnette also made an announcement about a number of upcoming races being held, including the Run 4 Hope 5K on Saturday, March 26, HappyFeat’s Happy Hour 5K on Saturday, April 16, and the Race to Cure Sarcoma on Saturday, April 23.

Next, the mayor made an announcement asking the city to join Friday, April 1, to celebrate Cheers Day honoring the memory of Adam Edge.

Edge was a treasured member of the community who served as Suwanee’s Downtown Development manager but tragically passed away in 2020 at the age of 37 after battling cancer.

“Adam was one of the great ones,” Burnette read, “and we celebrate his birthday by doing random acts of kindness and paying it forward to local nonprofits, especially HomeFirst Gwinnett, which Adam was most passionate about.”

Other announcements included Suwanee’s Winter Farmers Market on Saturday, March 26, and 

Saturdays, April 9 and 23, and the Atlanta International Night Market hosting two days of fun in downtown Suwanee on Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23.

Following the announcements, the council unanimously approved a contract with Peach State Construction Company to construct a sidewalk at the intersection of Settles Bridge Road and Moore Road.

Council members also approved the third quarter budget adjustments and items for the annual surplus sale.

When residents were given an opportunity to make remarks, Tom McConnel spoke up with a public service announcement regarding a woman who had walked down his driveway past a number of no trespassing signs to claim she was lost and ask for directions.

When he and his wife got a bad feeling about the woman, Mrs. McConnell called the police while Mr. McConnell escorted the woman off the property. Upon hearing the police had been called, the woman reportedly fled.

When police arrived, McConnell told them which way she went, and when she was apprehended, they discovered that she had a warrant out for her arrest and likely meant trouble for the unsuspecting McConnells had they not reacted as they did.

McConnell thanked the efforts of the Suwanee Police Department for their swift action and cautioned those present that, “Criminals think differently than a lot of us … they’re intent on doing what they want to do.”

The Suwanee City Council will meet again at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at Suwanee City Hall, 330 Town Center Ave.

FEATURED PHOTO: Suwanee Mayor Jimmy Burnette makes a presentation to Kate Durden, the judges’ choice winner for the 2022 Snap Suwanee photography contest during a Suwanee City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, at City Hall. Photo by Chris Bellows.