The stove was on, the freezers were being opened
and shut and then her brother-in-law went to flip
the switch and … everything went dark.
Marie and her husband, former Georgia
Gov. Roy Barnes, were about to host a “Who’s
Who of Marietta” and they suddenly had no
power, with Roy left in the shower as he was
trying to get ready with no lights.
That’s when Marie went into recovery mode,
because not even this would prevent her from hosting a
festive holiday evening.
She broke out all of her lanterns and candles, the real
kind because the battery ones weren’t as prevalent then.
She found little battery Christmas lights and placed them
on the tables.
And she found 50 glowsticks she had for her
grandchildren, took them out of the packages and
handed them out one per table.
She also called Marietta Power trying to
get the transformer to her home replaced. The
bad news? They needed permission from their
boss to install a larger transformer. The good
news? He was on his way to the Barnes’ house
for the event, so Marie simply called him and got
that permission.
It took 45 minutes for the old transformer to cool
down to be removed, but eventually the power was
restored.
And the Christmas season at the Barnes’ home was
saved again.
With a mix of memorabilia from her spotlight as the former First Lady of Georgia, Marie Barnes creates a winter wonderland for Christmas for her
family to enjoy as she places her favorite angel figurine in the foyer of she and former Gov. Roy Barnes home on Whitlock Avenue in Marietta.
DECEMBER 2021 | COBB LIFE 25