The City of Marietta announced on its website that the 4th annual Lemon Street Classic will be held on December 21, 22 and 23, 2023.
The event features three days of basketball tournament for young athletes. More than 25 high schools from around the state and five from out-of-state are scheduled to participate.
According to the news release:
The name of the event pays homage to the area’s only school for minorities during segregation. The Lemon Street School was a place of community and pride for the Black community in Marietta and throughout Cobb County. The last graduating class was in 1966, before its integration with Marietta High School and various Cobb County Schools. Lemon Street Elementary School has recently been added to the Georgia Registry of Historic Places.
“We are fortunate to have an event like Lemon Street Classic in our community, not only from a tourism standpoint, but from a historical standpoint as well,” said Rachel Rogers, Director of Sports Sales & Engagement at Cobb Travel & Tourism and the Cobb Sports Alliance. “Lemon Street has such a rich history, and to see it honored in a unique way is a testament to the innovation and thoughtfulness of the sports community in Cobb.”
The Marietta High School Boys Basketball team will be playing as Lemon Street High School to honor the historic Black school.
The following statements by people involved in organizing the tournament were provided on the city’s website:
“We are honored to wear the Lemon Street Hornets uniforms and represent all those that came before us, just as we do when we put on the Marietta Blue Devils uniform,” said Coach Nicholas Estes, Varsity Assistant Boys Basketball Coach at Marietta High School for the news release. “We hope to inspire and untie our community through this event and hope to make our city proud.”
“We began this event to honor the history of Lemon Street and now it’s taken a history of its own. We have been…
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