Commercial and Residential Locksmiths in Cartersville, GA

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — A piece of the "bolide" meteorite that startled Georgians and lit up the sky across multiple states in late June will soon be on display at a Cartersville museum.

The Tellus Science Museum announced last week that it acquired a piece of the meteorite, which created a visible fireball across Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee as it fragmented on June 26 over Henry County.

The event caused a stir across the Southeast, though no injuries or major damage was reported. One homeowner in Henry County reported a small piece that fell through a roof.

A release by the Tellus Museum described the piece as a 150-gram chondrite meteorite — "a stony-type meteorite containing small mineral granules" — that was found by a meteorite hunter in Henry County the day after the bolide event.

"We're very fortunate to have this piece," said Tellus' director of Curatorial Services, Amy Gramsey.

According to Tellus, the Henry County home impact was just the second time recorded in Georgia that a meteorite has fallen into a home. The first happened in March 2009 in Cartersville — and that piece is also on display at the museum

The museum's release said the new piece of meteorite has not yet been named (the other one is called the "Cartersville Meteorite") but will become a permanent part of Tellus' mineral collection.

It is expected to go on display sometime by the end of summer, the release said.

The NASA Center for Near Earth Object Studies further defines bolides as "exceptionally bright meteors that are spectacular enough to to be seen over a very wide area."

"They are moving very fast and when they hit Earth's atmosphere they could be going 50,000 MPH or faster, but they quickly decelerate and by the time they come and, and, you know, like they stop all their cosmic velocity at like 20,000 or 30,000 feet up, and by the time they hit your roof, they're going about the speed of a golf ball or maybe a little bit faster," said Mike Hankey, operations manager of the American Meteor Society.

"So still hundreds of miles an hour, but a far cry from the 50,000 miles an hour. You don't want to get hit by one. They can cause a lot of harm, damages, they'll go through multiple floors of a home oftentimes, but believe it or not, it is a blessing to have your home hit by a meteorite, because it's a very rare thing to happen as long as no one's hurt in the process," Hankey said.

The Fourth of July falls on a Friday this year, and Cartersville residents are lucky to have so many ways to celebrate — both in town and just a short drive away. Whether you're after fireworks, food, live music or something else, we’ve got you covered. Just be sure to confirm details with event organizers, as timing, parking, ticketing or weather plans may change.

When: Friday, July 4, 2025 — Parade at 9:00 a.m. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m.Where: Dellinger Park, 100 Pine Grove Road, Cartersville, GAAdmission: Free; $10 parking feeClick here for more info.

When: Friday, July 4, 2025 — Parade at 10:00 a.m. to Fireworks at 9:30 p.m.Where: Historic Marietta Square, 99 S Park Square NE, Marietta, GAAdmission: FreeClick here for more info.

When: Friday, July 4, 2025 — 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.Where: Cauble Park, 4415 Center Street, Acworth, GAAdmission: FreeClick here for more info.

When: Friday, July 4, 2025 — Meet 8:15 p.m.; hike begins 8:30 p.m.; fireworks viewing start ~9:30 p.m.Where: Pine Mountain Recreation Area trailhead (within Cartersville) Admission: FreeClick here for more info.

When: Thursday, July 3, 2025 — At sunset (~9:00 p.m.) Where: Allatoona Yacht Club, Webster Overlook Drive, Lake Allatoona, Cartersville, GA Admission: Boater access only for members and guests; public viewing from shoreClick here for more info.

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GEORGIA — More than $43 million was secured in scratch-off wins last week, Georgia Lottery officials said Monday.

Most notably, a Cartersville resident hit the jackpot, recently winning the $10 million grand prize in the Georgia Lottery's 500x the Money scratch-off game, lottery officials said.

They added the lucky resident on May 27 claimed their winnings in a cash option totaling $5,200,629.

The winning ticket was bought at an Old Allatoona Road gas station in Cartersville, lottery officials said.

Furthermore, on Thursday, the Color Word Match diggi game proved to be lucrative for a Stone Mountain resident who won $20,000 playing the game on the Georgia Lottery mobile app, lottery officials said.

An Ellenwood resident scored $513,332 playing the Jackpot Spectacular, a digital game, according to the lottery's online winners gallery.

Lottery drawings planned for Tuesday are Cash 4 Life, Georgia Five, Fantasy 5, Mega Millions, Cash 3, Cash 4 and Cash Pop. The Mega Millions jackpot sat at $243 million on Tuesday.

With a $65 million jackpot, the next Powerball drawing will be held at 11 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets cost $2, and Power Plays are an additional $1.

All funding from the Georgia Lottery's digital games, scratch-offs and other games benefit education in the Peach State, lottery officials said. They noted $29.5 billion has been allocated for Georgia's HOPE scholarship, the state's pre-kindergarten program and other educational initiatives.

Online winning tickets in Georgia have an expiration date of 180 days from the drawing date while instant ticket winners have 90 days from the expired date to claim prizes. Instructions on how to receive prizes are on the Georgia Lottery's website.

Georgia takes 5.75 percent in state taxes and 24 percent in federal taxes for winnings more than $5,000.

"The GLC reports to the IRS and Georgia Department of Revenue the names of winners of prizes above $600. ... Additionally, the GLC is required to check for and deduct any outstanding child support payments for prizes of $2,500 and above and student loans and state taxes for prizes of $5,000 and above, net of wager or ticket cost," lottery officials said on the Georgia Lottery website.