THE POLITICAL SEASON is in full swing in Cobb. With the party primaries a scant five weeks away, it almost seems there are more forums and fundraisers scheduled than there are days on the calendar.

Numerous Republican candidates for U.S. and state-level elective positions representing Georgia will be on hand for tonight's candidate forum presented by the Cobb County Republican Women's Club. The 7 p.m. event will take place in the Cobb Commission Board Room and televised by TV 23. AT's Joe Kirby will be among those posing questions for the candidates.

Tonight's forum will feature candidates for Congress, governor, lieutenant governor and Georgia secretary of state. The June 29 forum will feature more statewide races and the July 6 forum will focus on state Senate, House and county-level races. ...

The Cobb GOP Independence Day Barbecue will be from noon till 3 p.m. July 3 at Jim R. Miller Park on Callaway Road following the Marietta July Fourth Parade. There'll be no shortage of candidates in this year's parade, and you can be sure that most or all of the Republican ones will swing by the barbecue afterward.

Meanwhile, the various campaigns are being challenged to bring as many non-perishable food items as possible to the event for later donation to MUST Ministries in Marietta. Each campaign's donations will be counted and volunteers photographed with the donation. Donation suggestions are canned soup, peanut butter, jelly, spaghetti sauce, dried pasta, canned vegetables, crackers, dried milk and baby food. ...

The Mableton Improvement Coalition and Austell Community Task Force will also co-host a candidate forum at 7 p.m. on June 22 at the South Cobb Community Center, located at 680 Lions Club Drive in Mableton. For more information, visit mableton.org.

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MOST OF THOSE on Cobb's primary ballots will likely be at Wednesday's meet-and-greet forum at the Parc at Piedmont in east Cobb. The 7-9 p.m. event is more of a mixer than a forum, with no candidate speeches or debate, just the opportunity for one-on-one and small-group interaction. Among those expected to attend are all candidates for Cobb Commission Chair and the northeast Cobb Commission seat, all but one school board candidate, state attorney general candidate Sam Olens, numerous statehouse candidates and Cobb Superior Court Judges Jim Bodiford, Tain Kell, Stephen Schuster, Mary Staley and Lark Ingram.

Late additions to the list of candidates expected include Tim Lee (commission chair), Stephen Moon and Earl Stine (Northeast Cobb District 3 Commission) Jim Snell (school board), Diane Lore and Alvin Rhodes (state House).

Sponsors are Don "the Godfather" Jenacova, Oliver Halle and the Parc at Piedmont. For more info, call (770) 992-7195 or (770) 321-2778.

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ALL FIVE CANDIDATES for state attorney general are expected to be on hand for an AG-specific forum June 22 at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta. The race matches former Cobb Commission Chairman Olens, state Sen. Preston Smith and former U.S. Attorney Max Wood in the GOP Primary and state Rep. Rob Teilhet and ex-Dougherty County D.A. Ken Hodges in the Democratic Primary. Hosts will be TV journalists Maynard Eaton and "Good Day Atlanta" host Mark Hayes at the event, which is sponsored by the Rho Zeta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority in conjunction with the Cobb Political Education Coalition. The coalition includes local chapters of a number of fraternities and sororities, as well as the League of Women Voters, the SPSU NAACP chapter, the Cobb Southern Christian Leadership Council and the Gate City Bar Association.

Candidates at the forum will take questions from the audience but not each other. The event will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Burruss Auditorium in the Joe Mack Wilson Student Center.

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POLITICAL PATTER: Cobb GOP Chair Scott Johnson tells AT that although he attended a fundraiser for Northwest Cobb Commission District 3 candidate JoAnn Birrell, as reported by the MDJ last week, he is not allowed to make endorsements in races that have more than one Republican candidate, like this one. ...

Beth Farokhi, Democratic candidate for State School Superintendent, received the 2010 Woman of the Year Award this week from the Cobb County branch of the American Association of University Women. A past president of the local Cobb AAUW branch, Farokhi recently was executive VP of the AAUW National Board.

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NORTHWEST COBB Commission Chairman Helen Goreham took time out from her re-election campaign last week to testify before Congress about the expansion of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. House Resolution 5152, introduced by U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta), would allow the National Park Service to accept the donation of the historic Wallis House on Burnt Hickory Road, which was purchased by Cobb in 2004 with funds from Gov. Perdue's Greenspace program. Goreham's testimony was before the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands of the Committee on National Resources. The Wallis House served as headquarters for one-armed Union Gen. Oliver Otis Howard, one of Sherman's corps commanders and later namesake of Howard University in Washington, D.C.

U.S. SEN. JOHNNY ISAKSON (R-Ga.) was endorsed by numerous well-known education figures on Friday via the creation of Educators for Isakson. Among its leaders are state school Superintendent Kathy Cox, Cobb school Superintendent Fred Sanderson, Marietta Superintendent Dr. Emily Lembeck, Dr. Frances Roberson, Business Department chair at Life University, Karen Lockhart, associate principal at Walton High School, Charlotte Stowers, retired principal of Pope High School, and Alvin Wilbanks, superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Isakson served as chair of the Georgia Board of Education for three years in the 1990s and now serves on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

And the Isakson campaign also has announced the formation of the Cobb-based Veterans for Isakson, headed by retired Navy Capt. Ted Daywalt, president of VetJobs.

"In over three decades of public service, Johnny has never forgotten veterans, active duty personnel and our families. In short, Johnny Isakson has a consistent public record of supporting us each and every time we have called on him," said Daywalt.

Other "co-chairs" of the group who live in Cobb are: Marine Col. Mike Boyce, Rear Admiral Casey Coane, Army Lt. Jim Fleming, Air Force Capt. Stuart Fleming, Army Maj. C.A. Gruggel, Army Capt. Hunter Hill, Army Col. Alan Johnson, Army Col. Brian Johnstone, Army Lt. Col. Jack Pattison and Army Col. Al Rowe, all retired.

Isakson served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966 to 1972 and is a member of the American Legion, Post 233.

INTO THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE: Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Superintendent Dan Brown, who prior to that was super of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, has just been transferred to head the park at the epicenter of the BP oil spill fallout - Gulf Islands National Seashore, which encompasses a number of coastal barrier islands in the Pensacola, Fla., and Gulfport, Miss., areas. That park remains open, with park personnel, volunteers and others working hard to minimize the impact of the oil washing ashore and its impact on wildlife.

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EVENTS: The next Brown Bag Banter at the Marietta Museum of History, 1 Depot St., in Marietta, will feature Rhetta Akamatsu from 11:30 to 12:30 p.m. Thursday. Paranormal specialist and Marietta resident Akamatsu combines her research with a passion for history to deliver a one-of-a-kind glimpse into Marietta's rich and, in some cases, undying spirit. There are tales surrounding locations such as Kennesaw Battlefield and the Town Square in her book, "Haunted Marietta." Light refreshments will be served. Make reservations by calling (770) 794-5710. On July 15, the Brown Bag Banter will feature Lauretta Hannon of Powder Springs, award-winning author of "The Cracker Queen - A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life." Hannon is a commentator on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," where her stories reach 25.5 million listeners. She has also been known for her Georgia Public Radio stories, many of which celebrate strong, authentic Southern women.

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PEOPLE: The Rotary Club luncheon meeting on noon Wednesday will feature David Bottoms speaking about the new federal health bill.

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THE MARIETTA ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME Class of 2010 has been announced. Members are: Contributor - Dr. John Knox, Dr. Al Colquitt and Dr. Steve Gibbons (posthumously). Athlete/Contributor - Ken Kirk, Class of 1960; Athletes - Andy McCollum, Class of 1978; Labrone Mitchell, Class of 1997; Ezra Williams, Class of 1999; Joseph Kozloski, Class of 1959; and Macky Nolen, Class of 1952. Coach - Roscoe Googe, 1979-2009. Team - 1950 Marietta High School Varsity Boys State Champion Track Team.

The induction ceremony will be Oct. 22 at 11:30 a.m. at Marietta High School. All inductees will be recognized that evening during halftime of the Marietta-Lassiter football game.