Dunwoody Crier - March 28, 2024

Commerce group fosters a new Dunwoody Village ► PAGE 3

March 28, 2024 | AppenMedia.com | An Appen Media Group Publication | Ser ving the community since 1976

CITY OF DUNWOODY/PROVIDED

City officials and representatives from the Perimeter Chamber and Rotary Club celebrate the unveiling of the “The Landscape of Dunwoody” March 20. The Dunwoody Art Commission tapped local artists to produce the mural as a part of the intersection improvement project at Chamblee Dunwoody and Womack roads.

City officials unveil ‘The Landscape of Dunwoody’

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — On a sunny spring afternoon March 20, Dunwoody officials and supporters of the local art community celebrated the unveiling of “The Landscape of Dunwoody.”

The rolling hills and towering pine trees depicted on the mosaic mural highlight scenery typical of Metro Atlanta. The brighter orange

and purple tiles reflect the red clay soil found throughout the state’s Piedmont region.

“The Landscape of Dunwoody,” gracing the corner of Chamblee Dunwoody and Womack roads, is the creation of artists Julie Mazzoni and Jennifer Freeman. The work stretches 36 feet and varies in height from 3 and a-half feet on the left to 5 feet on the right. It adorns “I was driving around Brook Run Park at the Nature Center during the design phase,” Mazzoni

said. “I was making sure I had the right feel for [the city].”

Off-site work on the mural began last August, with Mazzoni and Freeman speaking every day and transporting pieces back and forth between their home studios.

Thousands of pieces of stained glass, fused glass and porcelain tile compose the mural’s 22

See MURAL, Page 11

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Dunwoody Elementary parents were upset after hearing about a student threat days after it was made. On Wednesday the principal announced she would move to another role in the school system.

Principal to leave Dunwoody Elementary following off-campus threat from student

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — The principal of Dunwoody Elementary School is leaving the role following reports of a threat made by a student off campus March 15.

In a March 19 email sent to the Dunwoody Elementary community, Principal LaTonya Gray said the threat was made outside of school March 15, and staff were made aware of the situation March 18.

“A threat was made in a personal text exchange between two students and the text message was posted on social media,” Gray said in the statement. “Whenever this happens, students are subject to district discipline consequences as outlined in the DCSD Student Code of Conduct.”

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Gray apologized for the delay in communicating the incident, saying staff wanted to “ensure that all the information we provided to you was accurate and complete.”

Dunwoody Elementary parents said Gray’s email was not received until 8:40 p.m. March 20.

Some five hours before the statement, parents said they received an additional email from Gray announcing that she is leaving as principal for another position in the school system starting April 1.

Beth Kyle, who serves as superintendent for area one elementary schools in the district, later issued a statement on Gray’s departure.

Kyle said Mindee Adamson, who served as principal at Oak Grove Elementary before her retirement, will

This is an ongoing story. Visit appenmedia.com for updates. fill the vacancy as interim principal until the district the Dunwoody Elementary Principal Advisory Council selects and hires a new candidate.

Neither email about Gray’s departure referenced the March 15 incident.

Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan said the department was unaware of the threat until a concerned parent reached out around Tuesday.

He said the Police Department responds to DeKalb County School Police incidents if it requests assistance. The School Police is handling the investigation.

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BUSINESS

AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody | Dunwoody Crier | March 28, 2024 | 3

Dunwoody Village businesses sculpting a downtown for city

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — In a continued effort to boost Dunwoody Village as the city’s downtown, a newly formed group of area business owners are working on a game plan.

Dunwoody Village, a neighborhood of shops, offices and residences along Chamblee Dunwoody Road near Mount Vernon Road, has been a focus for city officials for some time.

In 2011, the Dunwoody Village Master Plan was created through the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Center Initiative grant program, which incentivizes local jurisdictions to revitalize areas into self-sustaining communities with a diverse range of housing, employment and commercial options.

About a decade later, an update was adopted that focused on rewriting zoning regulations.

Dunwoody Community Development Director Richard McLeod said he had passed Dunwoody Village in the ’70s, growing up in Roswell while his mother worked at Perimeter Mall, and noted it hadn’t changed.

“I thought it was a little weird, and I started talking to some of the councilmembers and some of the folks who live around here, and they said, ‘It’s so tired. It needs a lift,’” McLeod said.

There had been criticism from the community that spanned from the number of banks in the Village to style limitations, he said.

Michael Starling, Dunwoody’s director of economic development, said aesthetics of Dunwoody Village were meant to capture the historic feel of Williamsburg, Virgnia, but that they became a hindrance to new development. Based on a survey conducted by an architectural firm, Starling said most people were more concerned with function anyway, giving city staff ammunition to incorporate design changes into the zoning code.

The master plan also resulted in more city investment into key Dunwoody Village corridors, like the $2.33 million streetscape project on Dunwoody Village Parkway, completed in 2014. Another project, Village Crossroads, is underway which intends to make Chamblee Dunwoody Road more walkable and bike-friendly with additional traffic calming measures.

Merchants group Then, last year, the Dunwoody Village Merchants Association was formed, composed of about a dozen

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Situated between business owner David Abes’ Bar{n}, Morty’s Meat & Supply and Message in a Bottle, is the Dunwoody Village courtyard, a community gathering spot. Abes noted his work to transform the space into something more vibrant and welcoming.

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Business owner David Abes leans on a community-created wall inside his restaurant Morty’s Meat & Supply, which features a “shrine” to Dunwoody native Ryan Seacrest. Abes, who also owns the nearby Bar{n} and Message in a Bottle, is a member of the Dunwoody Village Merchants Association, a group of business owners working to further define the area as the city’s downtown.

The main goal is to make sure people understand that the Village is so much more than one section, and it’s a destination.”

LAUREN SOK Owner of Functionize Health & Physical Therapy

business owners, pulled together by city staff.

“I think the majority of Dunwoodians believe that the Village is sort of their local downtown, and we agree with that and think it needs to look and feel and operate more like a downtown,” Starling said. “One of the things that downtown does is have events, concerts, sidewalk sales, that kind of thing, so that’s what that group is focused on.”

David Abes, an association member and owner of a number of restaurants in Dunwoody Village, said the group is planning for quarterly events.

His overall project to do business in Dunwoody, as founder of Dash Hospitality Group, is six years in the making.

Abes first opened Bar{n} around two and half years ago, a craft beer and

whiskey bar with a menu that offers charcuterie and small plates.

Then came Morty’s Meat & Supply, named after Abes’ grandfather and featuring a community-created “Wall of Fame” with pictures, a 1976 map of Dunwoody Village and a “shrine” to Dunwoody native Ryan Seacrest, which includes portraits painted by Dunwoody High School students. “[Seacrest] just posted about Dunwoody yesterday on social media,” Abes said. “So, the mayor actually tagged him and said, ‘You need to go to Morty’s and see your shrine.”

There’s also an old program from a Dunwoody July 4 parade — this year, Abes was elected as the parade’s Grand Marshal.

“I said, ‘Am I old enough for this?’” he said. “Because I have gray hair, but … No, it was a really nice honor.”

LAUREN SOK/PROVIDED

Lauren Sok, owner of Functionize Health & Physical Therapy and member of the Dunwoody Village Merchants Association, and Paula Shiver, vice president of engagement at the Perimeter Chamber, stand together during a recent Chamber meeting. The Chamber took over the association in December.

Gathering place Across the way is Message in a Bottle, a seafood restaurant and Abes’ latest addition. In another interactive feature, Abes invites families to submit their beach pictures for a TV display as well as write messages to be placed in stacked bottles near the entrance.

All his restaurants, including his food truck Yoffi which serves Mediterranean food, are situated around a courtyard. In a tour, he highlighted the work he had done to transform the space into a more

See VILLAGE, Page 15

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Sandy Springs celebrates state champions

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs officials invited players, coaches, and supporters of four local high schools to the “City of Champions” celebration March 22.

The first event of its kind on the City Green at 1 Galambos Way came together to honor the outstanding performances of boys and girls teams during the Georgia High School Association winter sport championships.

Cheerleaders from Riverwood, Mount Vernon and Holy Innocents’ warmed up the crowd with high-energy displays of school spirit.

After victories in the basketball state championships March 6-9 at the Macon Centreplex, the celebration honored the girls team from Marist and the boys teams from Mount Vernon and Riverwood.

Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul joined councilmembers to present five teams with congratulatory plaques at the afternoon event.

Paul said Riverwood administrators reached out to the city about a potential celebration after the school won its first state championship in boys basketball.

He said officials he learned about all the other champions in the city and surrounding areas, the celebration expanded.

“I don’t believe this will be the last one of these we do,” Paul said. “Both the public high schools and the private schools here are excellent in academics, and they are proving that they’re excellent in athletics.”

While Marist is in neighboring Brookhaven, Paul said many War Eagles live in Sandy Springs and North Fulton.

The Marist girls basketball team took home the Class 6A championship with a 67-48 victory over North Forsyth.

Sophomore Kate Harpring scored 27 points to help secure the War Eagles second state title in three years.

The No. 4-ranked Golden Bears from Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School fell in the Class 4A championship 60-65 to the North Oconee Titans.

Despite the heart-wrenching loss, the runner-up Golden Bears were also honored alongside state champions after sporting an 18-1 record against region opponents.

The boys team from Mount Vernon beat Paideia 48-40 to win the Class A Division I championship.

After falling to Paideia during the regular season, the Mount Vernon Mustangs defeated the Pythons in the Region 6 championship before heading to the state playoffs.

Xavier Shegog, a 6-foot-6 senior for the Mustangs, scored 18 points on the way to the school’s first state championship.

Riverwood stands out Sporting the most cheerleaders and the loudest fans at the celebration, the Riverwood Raiders accomplished a lot during the winter sports season.

The Riverwood Raiders sent two championship teams to the City Green after the school took home its first state basketball contest and the girls swim team won the 200-meter freestyle relay.

During the 6A State Swimming Championships at Georgia Tech Feb. 9, the Raiders girls team placed sixth overall.

The 200-meter freestyle relay team, Katie Kessell, Hannah Gosch, Emma Freer and Kenzie Robinson, set a school record in the event, edging out runner-up Lassiter by 0.18 seconds.

Riverwood senior Lizzie McGrath also won the GHSA’s 3-point Contest March 8.

Competing in the Class 6A championship March 8, the Riverwood Raiders boys basketball team knocked off the defending champion, Douglassville’s Alexander Cougars, in overtime.

Head coach Buck Jenkins spoke with Appen Media about the resilience of the 2023-24 squad.

“We made history with this one,” Jenkins said. “This year’s team was special, this group has been together for a couple years.”

Two years ago, the team won just six of 26 games.

Jenkins said the group of seniors, now state champions, understood the process of developing a competitive team.

“We really turned it on at the right time,” Jenkins. “We stayed hot and lockedin during the entire state tournament.”

The Raiders lost at home to Marist in the semifinals of the Region 4 tournament. As a result the team was the region’s bottom seed going into the state playoffs.

After a narrow victory over thirdranked Lee County in the first round, the Raiders rolled through Evans, Woodstock and Jonesboro on their way to the championship game.

JR Leonard, a junior guard at Riverwood, scored 31 points against Alexander, the most points scored by a boy in any championship game this year.

Mayor Rusty Paul presented plaques to all five teams that either won or finished runner-up.

“I cannot tell you how proud we are of the young men and women in this community,” Paul said. “They went out and showed what excellence really looks like.”

Paul told high school athletes that they are developing life-long skills, like teamwork, selflessness and hard work, which will stay with them throughout their lives.

“The only thing I ask is let’s do this again next year,” Paul said.

HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA

The Riverwood High School Raiders boys basketball team and Class 6A champions stand with Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul March 21 on the stage at the City Green.

Head coach Buck Jenkins, right center, said the team overcame adversity throughout the season to bring home the school’s first state championship in basketball.

dunwoodyga.gov | 4800 Ashford Dunwoody Rd., Dunwoody GA 30338 | 678.382.6700

The City of Dunwoody Economic Development department presents

AAPI

C E L E B R AT I O N S U N D A Y, A P R I L 2 8 1-4 PM

April Highlights

4 Zoning Board of Appeals 17-21 Lemonade Days City 8 Dunwoody Council Meeting 18 GreenSpeak 9 Art Commission Meeting Game Night 20 Sustainability Committee 11 Meeting City Hall | 6 p.m.

a fundraiser for the Dunwoody Preservation Trust

Brook Run Park

presented by Dunwoody’s Sustainability Committee

City Hall | 6 p.m.

@Spruill Center for the Arts | 7:30 a.m.

Energy Efficiency at Home Dunwoody Nature Center | 6 p.m. presented by Dunwoody Preservation Trust

N. Shallowford Annex 5 - 10 p.m.

City Hall | 8 a.m.

Development Authority Speciall Called Meeting @High Street | 5 p.m.

“Granular Landscapes”

Opening Reception Spruill Gallery | 6 - 9 p.m.

Exhibit open through June 6

12 15-22 Earth Day Plant Sale “Native Gardens”

26-28 Spring Plant Sale and Pacific 28 Asian-American Islanders Heritage Celebration

Opening night | Stage Door Theatre Dunwoody Nature Center

Dunwoody Community Greenhouse

The Lawn at Ashford Lane 1 - 4 p.m.

Afternoon Tea

Donaldson-Bannister Farm 2- 4 p.m.

29 Dunwoody City Council Meeting City Hall | 6 p.m.

6 | March 28, 2024 | Dunwoody Crier | AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody

COMMUNITY

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Appen Media staff field audience questions at the Appen Press Club Listening Tour March 21. Reporters visited Sugo in Johns Creek for the fourth stop on the tour to gather story ideas, tips and feedback from readers.

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More than a dozen people gather at Sugo in Johns Creek for the Appen Press Club Listening Tour March 21. Attendees, many Johns Creek residents, vocalized the need for more diverse voices in the paper, high school sports coverage and highlighting the dozens of nonprofits that operate out of the city.

Appen staff open ears to Johns Creek in newsroom ‘tour’ of North Atlanta JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The newsroom at Appen Media Group stopped at Sugo in Johns Creek March 21 to listen to residents about the stories they want to see.

This was the fourth stop on Appen Media’s “Listening Tour,” where reporters are visiting the company’s seven coverage areas to gather story ideas, tips and feedback from readers.

The next event is scheduled for April 18 at Cherry Street Brewing, Vickery Village in Forsyth County.

Staff reporters Amber Perry, Shelby Israel and Hayden Sumlin kicked off the event with general questions to more than a dozen in the audience, from how readers get their news to what coverage is missing. The reporters also gathered potential sources for beats they hope to dive into, like housing, environmental

reporting and traffic issues.

The hour-long event was filled with guests vocalizing the need for more diverse voices in the paper, to better represent the varied ethnicities and backgrounds of those living in Johns Creek, high school sports coverage and highlighting the dozens of nonprofits that operate out of the city.

Town Center was another point of discussion, with one guest voicing her excitement about the businesses that have already been secured for the area, like biomedical engineering giant Boston Scientific and Atlanta restaurant group Fado. She wanted staff to continue to keep an eye out for new developments.

The project, spanning 192 acres, will be anchored by the pond behind City Hall, also the centerpiece to the future Creekside Park.

COMMUNITY

AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody | Dunwoody Crier | March 28, 2024 | 7

Forsyth County welcomes Danish officials

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Georgia and Danish officials joined Kamstrup leadership March 21 to commemorate the opening of the company’s new North American headquarters in Forsyth County.

The noon ribbon cutting at the new 150,000-square-foot facility on Forsyth Commerce Way featured remarks from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Danish Ambassador to the U.S. Jesper Møller Sørensen, Kamstrup CEO Søren Kvorning, Kamstrup Vice President and Country Manager Bruce Bharat and Chris Smith, honorary consul of Denmark.

Kamstrup is a water metering solutions and services company based in Denmark that aims to reduce waste and support production of clean water and energy. Its U.S. operations began in 2013 and focus on supporting water utilities. The company’s previous headquarters opened in Roswell in 2018.

Kemp said the new headquarters and manufacturing facility would not be possible without support from Forsyth County government and Georgia’s longstanding relationship with Denmark. The first Danish consulate in the state was established in 1802 in the Port of Savannah.

“I’m so excited about Kamstrup and certainly want to thank the ambassador for being with us today and for his support of this great company,” Kemp said. “It’s an honor to have him in the State of Georgia.

We had a great visit about this, so many things that our state and his country are doing together, and we’re excited about the future of that.”

PHOTOS BY SHELBY ISRAEL/APPEN MEDIA

Kamstrup leadership, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Danish Ambassador to the U.S. Jesper Møller Sørensen and Honorary Consul to Denmark Chris Smith cut the ribbon on Kamstrup’s new North American headquarters in Forsyth County March 21.

Ambassador Møller Sørensen thanked Kemp for the welcoming business climate in the state, and he recognized Kamstrup’s growth in Georgia from a company with four employees to more than 130.

“As we now look ahead, let us continue to build on this foundation of cooperation and shared goals,” Møller Sørensen said. “And let us work together toward a future that is not only more sustainable, but also full of opportunities for our next generation.”

Local officials including Forsyth County Commission Chairman Alfred John and commissioners Laura Semanson and Cindy Jones Mills also attended the ceremony.

Gov. Brian Kemp speaks at a ribbon cutting ceremony at Kamstrup’s new North American headquarters on Forsyth Commerce Way March 21. Kemp thanked Forsyth County leaders for their partnership with the state to open the 150,000-square-foot facility.

8 | March 28, 2024 | Dunwoody Crier | AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody

PALS

NEWS

PERIMETER ADULT LEARNING & SERVICES

SPRING 2024 April 1st – May 13th (7 Weeks)

Dunwoody Baptist Church 1445 Mt. Vernon Rd., Dunwoody, GA 30338.

Registration will be available on the PALS website: www.palsonline.info The class line up is as follows: MONDAYS: From 10:00 am - 11:00 am The Lost Generation – American Writers in Paris in the 1920s – Professor Gautam Kundu will continue his survey of the highlights of American literature, this time focusing on the ex pat American authors living in Paris in the 1920s, which had become the world’s epicenter of culture. Included in this survey will be Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Djuna Barnes, Henry Miller, E. E. Cummings, Ezra Pound, Sylvia Beach and Claude McKay. From 10:00 am - 11:00 am World War II – Behind the Scenes – There is much about World War II we do not know. This class will delve into those little known stories, including from 2 soldiers who were there (they are 100 and 99 respectively). We will also hear about the Untold Story of the Rise of Imperial Japan, Robert Oppenheimer in perspective, building the atomic bomb and finally a description of the air war in both the European and Pacific Theaters.

From 10:00 am - 1:45 pm Mah Jongg – Bring your own Mah Jongg card and come play. There is no instructor for the session - just fun and selfevaluation.

From 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Libraries – with Betsy Jones – From the ancient library of Alexandria to the Library of Congress, scores of libraries have been the repository of the written word. Among others, the class will look at several Presidential libraries and explore the 2509 Carnegie libraries which formed the backbone of our public library system.

From 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Art History – Mannerism and Baroque in 16th Century Italy – Marilyn Morton will discuss the abrupt change in art style following the Protestant Reformation in 1517 and the sack of Rome in 1527. The art of the High Renaissance ended to be replaced first by Mannerism, which concerned itself with the human figure but without perfection and then with Baroque, which was an architectural concept which included the building of St. Peter’s Basilica. This architectural phenomena soon spread across Europe.

From 10:00 am - 11:30 pm Canasta for Beginners – Rhea Berger will teach beginning canasta. Class will be limited to 12 people. Please contact Iris at PALS before registering to insure seats are available.

CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS/PROVIDED

A map shows the route of the 2A Trail project, which is a part of the Morgan Falls Connector in the Sandy Springs Master Trail Plan.

Recreation and Parks Director Brent Walker said a rock formation beneath the surface of Lake Orkin is causing delays.

Morgan Falls trail faces delays

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Morgan Falls Connector, one of the first installments of the Sandy Springs Master Trail Plan, has hit a few snags, or rocks to be specific.

At the March 19 City Council meeting, city officials discussed a fourth change order related to 2A Trail, a 1.88-mile segment that runs over Orkin Lake.

When completed, the 2A Trail will connect Morgan Falls Overlook Park on the Chattahoochee River to Roswell Road at Cimarron Parkway.

Recreation and Parks Director Brent Walker said contractors encountered issues during the drilling process for the 2,933-foot-long boardwalk last July.

“These conditions continue to be prevalent and have slowed the construction,” Walker said. “To help address the issues of the boardwalk drilling depth, contractors deployed the use of specialized drilling attachments and pumps to lower the lake level.”

City officials approved a $7.8 million bid from Newnan-based JHC Corporation when the project broke ground in November 2022.

After Sandy Springs received a $3 million grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the city was required to cover remaining construction costs.

The first three change orders added just over $525,000 to the original contract.

The fourth change order, around $550,000, brings the cost of the project to $8.8 million.

Outside of drilling for the boardwalk,

the change order includes funding for a parking lot at the Morgan Falls Dog Park and the removal of unsuitable soil.

Mayor Rusty Paul asked Walker if the contractor is making reasonable progress drilling through the rock formation beneath the surface of Lake Orkin.

“They created a new drill attachment for this project that acts like a rock hammer…which necessitates the lake being pumped down,” Walker said.

“There are a lot of weather issues that we’ve run into over the past few months.”

In September 2022, former Recreation and Parks Director Michael Perry estimated the project could be completed in October 2023.

Additional work related to the unforeseen conditions brings the expected completion of the 2A Trail to Dec. 31, 2024.

“The proposed change order and timeline extension are based on the worst-case scenario,” Walker said. “If more favorable drilling conditions are found, the cost of the installation of the piers will return the original contract sum.”

Walker also said staff continues to work on lowering project costs with contractors.

“As of today, we are at 1,906 feet of 2,933 feet of boardwalk over the water,” Walker said. “So, 65 percent.”

Walked also clarified that the 2A Trail is not officially open to the public, even though some surrounding residents have been spotted using completed sections.

Councilman Andy Bauman asked Walker if there is potential for construction costs to increase again.

“We’ve run into a lot of obstacles here, and I know we have talked about lessons learned,” Bauman said.

“Because we are really on the front-end of our Master Trail plan for the city.”

Walker said around $200,000 remains in the budget but he does not expect the worst-case scenario to happen.

Mayor Paul said he knows the project fell into Walker’s lap when he took over the Recreation and Parks Department in December and hopes the director still wants to work for the city.

“It’s a good project, it really is,” Walker said. “[The Morgan Falls Connector] is going to be a phenomenal asset to the city when it’s done.”

After laughs around the dais and among city staff, Councilman Tibby DeJulio asked Walker if the 2A Trail is the most difficult portion of the entire Trail Master Plan.

“From what I know, we are not putting a boardwalk over a lake again,” Walker said. “So, whatever conditions we find will be easier to get to.”

In other business, the City Council approved a contract with Murphs Surf River Adventures to provide canoe, kayak and paddleboard rentals at Morgan Falls Overlook Park.

After the previous operator declined to renew its contract, Walker said Murphs Surf provided the best recommendations from other local governments.

The contract includes yearly rent at just over $20,000 and 10 percent of annual revenues.

The opening date of the Paddle Shack at Morgan Falls Overlook Park will be announced on the city’s website, Walker said.

March 28, 2024 | Dunwoody Crier | 9

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Brought to you by - Alice D, Hoag, EdD, LPC, Summit Counseling Center A few years ago, I intercepted one of my sons as he was descending the staircase and heading outside. He explained, with a guilty expression on his face, that he was going to go outside to smoke a cigarette. Ever since I was my grandmother’s companion during her final months of life as she went through chemo and radiation treatments for lung cancer after her 50 years of smoking cigarettes, I’ve not been a fan of cigarette smoking.

And he knew this. I stopped him and challenged, “Either do it with gusto or don’t do it at all.” I went on to encourage him, “Fully enjoy inhaling and blowing smoke rings or whatever you do. Get the most out of whatever it is that you do. Choose wisely, then do it with no guilt. If you cannot enjoy it fully, then don’t do it at all.”

In the decade since that first statement just slipped out of my mouth on its own, I’ve reflected on that sentiment. I believe it is a way of living life to its fullest. “Either do it with gusto or don’t do it at all.”

Guilt and anxiety. Neither is a good option to live with as a way of life, yet I interact with so many people who do live in a constant state of guilt and/ or anxiety! It’s their default mode; it just happens without even thinking.

Every action and thought carries with it either a sense of guilt or anxiety.

“Being my best self” is a way of life that I attempt to live by every moment of every day. While I may not hit the “best self” goal all the time, I can

ISTOCK

certainly choose the “better self” more often than not. It’s an element of being a good steward of what I’ve been given.

And we’re all called to good stewardship of everything we’ve been given: time, talent, energy, body, mind, actions, motives, finances, relationships, and on and on.

It is not an easy task to choose our better self (or best self). It requires that we surrender the easy path, the selfish or self-protective default mode in each of us. However, as we do, we become more intentional. When we choose our actions intentionally to be consistent with our best self, we end up being less guilt-driven. And when we act intentionally, there is less anxiety. There’s actually less emotional involvement at all. Acting intentionally requires that we observe the options from several angles, then choose the best version of ourselves to move forward in a direction. This results in freedom, contentment, and joy. That’s living with Gusto!

If you’d like guidance and encouragement on choosing joy and living with gusto as your better self, The Summit would love to come alongside and walk with you on your journey.

Live Your Best Life Healthy Relationships Positive Coping Skills Balanced Emotions We can help!

www.SummitCounseling.org (678) 893-5300

10 | March 28, 2024 | Dunwoody Crier | AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Painter turns vibrant work into fashion pieces

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Over a cup of coffee at Warm Waves in Alpharetta, resident Monika Mittal described how she creates each of her scarf collections.

The designs in Alora, her brand, are taken from Mittal’s acrylic paintings, largely featuring colorful birds and flowers, washed with a medium that allows the work to resemble water color.

Like a journal entry, she said each collection is an impression of her travels abroad — her next will be based on her time in Norway, though some feature her own backyard, like Georgia hummingbirds.

“Each of the scarves is associated with some place,” Mittal said, referencing London as she pulled out a scarf featuring English roses. “London is famous for its roses … In India growing up, I loved roses. The best rose that people would say is the English rose.”

Mittal has two collections featured on her online shop, each using six paintings, and she is beginning to collaborate with other artists to have their paintings featured through Alora,

Monika Mittal shows off a piece from her fashion brand Alora.

PHOTOS BY AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Monika Mittal, an Alpharetta resident and president of the Johns Creek Arts Center Artist Guild, shows a scarf featuring an English rose, a print of one of her acrylic paintings. Mittal started her fashion brand Alora four years ago but has been painting for two decades. which is Mittal’s 20-year plan.

The site also features kaftans, worn like a loose dress, as well as winged tops and crop tops. She has added

other items like paper products and belts, which can be used as bandanas, in her pop-ups.

Versatility is a key aspect to her brand, being able to wear one scarf in multiple ways and giving a familiar outfit a boost. Mittal said scarves allow her to cater to people who want a unique style every day.

With only a carry-on for a two-week trip in Europe, Mittal said she looked fabulous almost every day because of the three scarves she brought. The fabric is mostly satin, wrinkle-free and light, suitable for long trips.

Images are often symbols in Mittal’s work, representing concepts like freedom that harken back to her upbringing in Pilkhuwa, a small town in India.

While Mittal was surrounded by conservative beliefs, living in a building filled with dozens of family members, she said her mother, who taught English in Delhi, instilled in her a sense of empowerment, that she could do anything.

“Being a girl in the 1970s, to grow up and learn that from her, it was amazing,” Mittal said. “I used to dream — I was always doodling and felt like I could fly. That’s how I used to feel.”

Inspired by her daughter who studies fashion in Chicago, Mittal said she found the courage to start Alora four years ago after a career in IT and heading a local pre-school she founded with her husband. Mittal also had to spend time finding the right fabric suppliers and printers, who offer quality, an ongoing process.

I used to dream — I was always doodling and felt like I could fly. That’s how I used to feel.”

MONIKA MITTAL Alpharetta resident and painter

To shop Monika Mittal’s apparel brand Alora, visit www.alorabymonika.com.

Mittal has been painting for much longer, though, around two decades, and is currently the president of the Johns Creek Arts Center Artist Guild.

She said people wear yellows, reds, greens to all the many celebrations and festivities in India, also excitedly describing Holi, or the festival of colors. Black is not a color you see often, Mittal said, and white is worn to funerals.

For Mittal, colorful clothing, like what’s found in her work, acts as an offering of happiness.

“I say this to my friends. When they’re looking at me, they’re like, ‘I love what you’re wearing.’ I say, ‘Because it’s colorful,’” Mittal said. “If you’re happy looking at me, I should be happy looking at you, too.”

She described the discomfort some of her friends feel in wearing bright colors, but she’s slowly introducing them to adding just a pop, even if it’s adding a scarf to their purse.

“We love seeing people in color,” Mittal said, still appreciating neutrals.

“When you look at a painting, you love seeing that.”

NEWS

AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody | Dunwoody Crier | March 28,PuzzleJunction.com 2024 | 11

Dunwoody Crier 3/28/24 Crossword Across

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1 Places 5 Food fish 19 17 18 9 Book of maps 21 22 23 20 14 Rush job 25 26 24 notation 15 On the safe 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 side, at sea 37 38 39 34 35 36 16 Dog 17 Movie 41 42 43 40 sensation 46 47 44 45 19 Itinerary 20 Knitted fabric 50 51 48 49 21 Comparable 52 53 54 55 56 57 23 Keyboard key 24 March follower 58 59 60 61 62 25 Code name 65 66 63 64 27 Winged it 30 Feminine 68 69 67 member 71 72 70 34 Open carriage 37 Morning Copyright ©2024 PuzzleJunction.com moisture 9 Party after hitting 41 Migraine 65 Pond 39 Spit the slopes 67 Parasite 42 Deep-six 40 Egypt and 10 Also 68 Collar type 45 Can. neighbor Syria, once 11 Lummox 69 Just 47 Within the (Abbr.)

12 Court records 70 Indian lodge sound of a 41 Grill CITY OF DUNWOODY/PROVIDED 13 Actor, singer voice 43 Before, in verse 71 Family rooms From left, artists Jennifer Freeman and Julie Mazzoni stand in front of the retaining Wooley 49 Gloated 44 Ballroom dance 72 Hardy heroine wall at Womack and Chamblee Dunwoody roads March 20 for the unveiling 18 Bun 51 Military award 46 Sprinted of a 36-foot-long mosaic mural. Freeman and Mazzoni began working on “The 22 Avatar; Hare ___ 53 Related Down 47 Feudal worker Landscape of Dunwoody” last August.

26 Summer (Fr.) maternally 48 Humdrum 1 Cannelloni and 28 Magazine issue 55 Make amends 50 Astronaut’s to decide which colors went into each 29 Network orzo, e.g.

56 Prison parts insignia plane.”

31 Amazes 2 Seize 57 Low cards 52 Cherish Rolling hills and a matching 32 Flowerless plant 3 Rhino relative 58 Shed 54 Stretch of land skyline, the planes running across Continued from Page 1 33 At liberty 4 Elaborate 59 Fencing sword 58 ___ amis each panel, traverse the length of the 5 Throw off 34 Pump type AM11:22 60AM Dance bit 1 61 Soon, to a bard 12-28-2016_HindsonMelton_01-19-11_HindsonMelton.qxp 12/15/16 Page 12-28-2016_HindsonMelton_01-19-11_HindsonMelton.qxp 12/15/16 11:22 Page 1 panels. The design includes the city’s mural.

35 Locks 6 Cockpit abbr.

62 Sloughs 62 Cry to a name in a colorful display of trees, Mazzoni said they collaborated 36 Florence’s river 7 Bailiwick 64 Driving hazard racehorse? hills, fields and sky. more on the first two panels before 38 Combat 8 Era 66 Freight weight 63 Kind of nerve “We don’t have a clue how many working more independently.

Mural:

pieces,” Freeman said.

“We were trying to enjoy the process, so we didn’t count,” Mazzoni joked.

The City Council supported a plan for the installation after the Art Commission proposed the idea of adding public art to the intersection improvement project at Womack and Chamblee Dunwoody roads.

Commission members worked with the Public Works Department to dedicate space on the new concrete retaining wall for a mural.

The improved intersection and mural at the Spruill Center for the Arts serves as a gateway into the Dunwoody Village.

Mazzoni, a mosaics instructor at Spruill, and Freeman, credited with public art across Gwinnett County, knew each other before work began on the “The Landscape of Dunwoody.”

Freeman said they work well together and are thrilled with the public-facing display.

“It was a mutual decision, and we had differences,” she said. “So, we had

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“I spent a lot of time in Jennifer’s studio to make sure we were on the See solution Page 15 same page,” she said. “After the first 12-28-2016_HindsonMelton_01-19-11_Hind two panels were done, we were off and running.” ourand clients and community with integrity, honesty, integrity, and courage.”

“Serving “Serving our clients community with honesty, and courage.”

Dunwoody Mayor L ynn Deutsch, city officials and representatives from the Perimeter Chamber and Dunwoody Rotary joined a crowd 12-28-2016_HindsonMelton_01-19-11_HindsonMelton.qxp 12/15/16 11:22 AM Page 1 of art enthusiasts for the unveiling ceremony.

“The mosaic is stunning, especially “Serving our and LLC community with Hindson & clients Melton when you get up close, and it adds Attorneys at Law Solution on next page a colorful and creative touch to “Serving our clients and community with honesty, integrity, and courage.” an intersection that serves as a “Serving our clients and gateway to the Dunwoody Cultural Arts Center,” Deutsch said. “This is community with honesty, another example of our commitment to integrity, and courage.” growing Dunwoody’s public art scene.”

James Cramer, former chairman of the Dunwoody Arts Commission, Conveniently located at: said public art always has a social Karen Hindson Karen Hindson Joy Melton Joy Melton 1050 Crown Pointe Pkwy Karen Hindson Joy Melton dimension.

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12 | March 28, 2024 | Dunwoody Crier | AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody

Support Local News PUBLIC NOTICE appenmedia.com/join

The 13th annual Daffodil Dash 2024 will take place at Brook Run Park on Sunday, April 7, 2024. The race takes place within the park between 8:30am and 11:30am. There may be increased traffic on North Peachtree Rd, Peeler Rd and Barclay Drive.

There will be minimal interruption.

For more information or any questions, visit www.daffodildash.org

In Memoriam

Barbara Ann Barwis

Just as the sun was rising on the morning of March 10th, Barbara Ann Barwis peacefully passed away at Emory St Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, GA. Barbara (Barb) was 83 years old.

Barb was born in Palmerton, PA on March 17, 1940, to parents Anna and Howard Reber. She was raised in this small town and graduated from Stephen S. Palmer High School in 1958. It was during her years in Palmerton that she met her high school sweetheart and future husband Calvin (Cal) Barwis. The two went to college together at Pennsylvania State University. Their college years were filled with many friends and activities, Barb was a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority, where she was recognized for her scholastic achievements. She was also named the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity Sweetheart in 1959. Barb excelled at Penn State, graduating in just three years with Bachelor of Science degree, which enabled Barb and Cal to begin their post college journey together. They went on to marry in 1961, have three children and celebrate 54 anniversaries together before Cal’s passing in 2014.

Barb and her family moved many times, but spent most of her years in Quakertown, PA, Kingwood, TX and finally Dunwoody, Georgia. Barb spent early years of her career as a teacher, and later worked in the banking industry holding the positions of teller and branch manager at a variety of banks. Most

cherished of all her roles was being a devoted wife, mother and homemaker.

Barb was active in the Kingwood Women’s Club and the Newcomer Women’s Club of North East Suburban Atlanta for many years where she held several officer positions including a term as president of the organization. She also continued to support her sorority as an alum and was welcomed into Kappa Delta’s White Rose Circle.

Barb’s interests over the years included playing bridge, bunko, volunteering, cooking, entertaining and taking care of her dogs.

Barbara was proceeded in death by her loving husband Calvin Barwis, her mother and father Anna and Howard Reber, sister Janet Reber and daughterin-law Mary Davis Barwis. Barbara is survived her son Robert Calvin Barwis of Dunkirk, Maryland and his three children John, Robert and Alexandra, her son James Scott Barwis of Atlanta, GA, his wife Cheri and their two children Calvin and Sarah, her daughter Jane Louise Barwis of Alexandria, VA, her brother Richard Reber of Tampa, FL, his wife Sherry, and their sons, and her greatgrandchildren Bridgette and Savannah, daughters of grandson John Barwis.

Per Barb’s wishes, she will be cremated, and a small service will be held for immediate family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to American Heart Association www.heart.org) or the National Kidney Foundation (www. kidney.org ).

PAST TENSE

OPINION

Moving by wagon or train No one likes to move. It is one of the most difficult and exhausting tasks we manage in our lives, even if a moving truck is coming to pick up our belongings.

VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Imagine all your possessions fitting Columnist in a wagon.

In the early twentieth century, before everyone had a car or truck and before moving companies, families were still moving everything they owned with a wagon pulled by a mule or horse. If the destination was near the railroad, a family could move their household and personal items by train.

Nancy and Fred Miles moved from Atlanta to Sandy Springs in April of 1915, along with their seven-yearold son Edward and five-year-old daughter Alice. Fred worked a half day at his job with Georgia Power in downtown Atlanta and rode the streetcar to Buckhead to meet his family on moving day.

The possessions of the Miles family, including their chickens, were brought to their new home by a muledrawn wagon. Their cow Betsy and her calf walked behind the wagon.

The family arrived at their new farm at the corner of Dalrymple and Brandon Mill Roads, known today as Lost Corners Preserve. The log home with two lean-tos was replaced later that year with a new home on the same foundation. Fred Miles, Jr. was born in 1916, Peggy in 1922, and Henry in 1929.

The Webb family made their move from the area where Lindbergh

KIRBY FAMILY/PROVIDED

The Tolleson Kirby family came to Dunwoody by train. Later, Tolleson delivered the mail by horse and wagon, then with his Model-A Ford, seen here parked by the New Hope Presbyterian Church.

MARTA station is today to their new home in Sandy Springs in 1924. Cliff and Clara Webb and their twelve children traveled down Lindbergh Drive towards Peachtree Road, turned on Peachtree Battle Road, then north on Northside Drive. Their home was at the intersection of Glenridge Drive and Johnson Ferry Road.

The family brought their Aberdeen Angus and Holstein cattle on their move and started C. S. Webb Dairy in Sandy Springs. The dairy barn, milk house, sleeping barn, engine and boiler room were built by local builder Arthur Mabry.

Posey and Feriba Mitchell moved from Sandy Springs to Roswell in the Fall of 1905. The family had already moved multiple times, and their last move before Roswell was to Sandy Springs where Posey began working construction at Morgan Falls Dam. Feriba and her daughters prepared

See MOVING, Page 13

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING The City of Dunwoody Zoning Board of Appeals will meet on Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council of Chambers of Dunwoody City Hall, located at 4800 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338, for the purpose of due process of the following: ZBA 24-06, 5196 Hathburn Court: Variance from Sec. 16-78 to allow a porch to encroach into the 75-foot stream buffer.

ZBA 24-07, 2505 Kingsglen Court: Variance from Sec. 27-58 to allow a house addition to encroach into the side setback.

ZBA 24-08, 2768 Fontainebleau Drive: Variance from Sec. 16-78 to allow a deck and spa to encroach into the 75-foot stream buffer.

Should you have any questions or comments, or would like to view the application and supporting materials, please contact the City of Dunwoody Community Development Department at 678-382-6800. Members of the public are encouraged to call or schedule a meeting with the staff in advance of the Public Hearing if they have questions or are unfamiliar with the process. The staff is available to answer questions, discuss the decision-making process, and receive comments and concerns.

GET OUTSIDE, GEORGIA!

OPINION

AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody | Dunwoody Crier | March 28, 2024 | 13

Let’s take a nice walk in the rain Welcome to March, everybody.

It that’s time of year when one minute it’s high summer and the next it’s deep winter gray.

And sometimes it goes from one to the other just like that.

STEVE HUDSON Today was one Columnist of those quickchange days. It was blue sky at dawn, so I decided to go hiking at the Gold Branch Unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Of all the CRNRA units, it’s the one that to me feels the most remote. It’s like you’re out in the wilds, far from everything, and the illusion of true wilderness is comforting.

But then it clouded up. The temperature is dropping, and now it’s 42 degrees outside, but I’m hiking anyway ¬- walking what seems like a million miles from nowhere out in the middle of the woods, even though deep down I know that Roswell Road is just right over there somewhere.

And now it’s starting to rain.

That’s okay though. I’ve got a poncho in my day pack, and it’s supposed to be a good one. The package told me it’s the latest thing, ripstop and water resistant and probably bulletproof too. Ripstop is good since thorn bushes try to torpedo it on occasion. Water resistant is good, too, though I’ve discovered a couple of inefficiencies up by the neck.

Is it bulletproof? It occurs to me that I don’t know, and without even an instant of warning my mind jumps back to what I’ve started calling, at least to myself, the Incident on Roswell Road.

I’m amazed how clearly I recall every little detail.

Moving: Continued from Page 12 and sold lunches to workers at the dam. They were saving up for the final move to the home they bought in Roswell.

The journey to their home at Oak Street and Ellis Street in Roswell was not long, but the roads were narrow with deep ruts from wagons. A good portion of their journey was along

II. Memory is a wonderful thing. In it I see two vehicles, a van and a car, drivers waving arms and shouting, stopped at a traffic light. The driver in back got out. Words were exchanged.

He went back to his car, reached inside, pulled out a pistol, and fired three times. One, two, three. Pop, pop, pop, like flat and dimensionless firecrackers. Then he jumped back in his car and with screeching tires roared away.

I was frozen 20 yards away, held prisoner by a red light, boxed in by a Toyota and a light blue Ford, mesmerized by the movie unfolding before my eyes.

I remember part of me thinking, briefly and almost instantaneously, “No big deal. You’ve seen it hundreds of times before.” Belligerence and bluster, violence and force. Every night it’s on TV, in the programs, in the news.

But this time the movie had three dimensions instead of two, and I was one of the extras.

I couldn’t see the faces of the drivers ¬– neither gunner nor gunnee – but I could make out every detail of the instant terror in the eyes of the young mother in the car to my right.

And I remember two little heads that popped up from that car’s back seat, appearing as soon as the shooting started, perhaps to see what was causing all the neat noises and whether they would sound again –

IV. – but they did not.

In times of stress, they say, you resort to basic conditioning: The mother, apparently petrified, did not scream, and so the children, no longer interested, disappeared from view and resumed whatever child’s game they were playing.

Me? I went on when the light turned green.

I drove about 100 yards before it dawned on me that I really should go back…to help? To lend aid? To see what I could see?

And so I turned around and drove back past the scene.

The car had not come back.

The guys from the van were standing around looking at three little holes in the back door of the van. They pointed and gestured, then got in their van and drove away too.

The mother and her kids were gone.

T ime to be on my way too, I told myself. My assistance was not needed, and I did not want to be involved. No. I did not want to be involved at all.

Later I watched the news at both six and 11. There was no mention of the incident. No mention at all.

That was good. If there was no incident, there was no need.

III. At Gold Branch, the rain continues. I sit down on a soggy log and look across the little pond nearby. The downpour has turned its surface into a continent of tiny liquid explosions. Each drop makes a sound, but the notes are undistinguishable.

There’s just a muted roar, like an angry mob, a rumbling continuous

explosion, a cacophony of impacts blasting the quiet surface of the pond.

I sit for a while, watching, until a new sound eases into my mind. It is soft, a flannel sound almost as soft as rain, and it comes from the bushes ten yards to my right.

Another hiker? Not likely. Not here. Not now. Not in this rain.

What, then?

It is a cat. It is not a family cat, I surmise, though it may have been so once. It may have had a collar with a bright metal tag, may have curled up on sofas and sat in warm laps, may have dined nightly on tidbits from the rich man’s table.

We look at one another, the cat and me, and I can tell that the cat is thinking. I had a cat once, and I know their looks. One says, “I am hungry and I want to be fed.” Another says, “I think it is time for me to be scratched behind the ears.”

Yet another says, “I think it is time to visit the little box behind the door.”

And there is one more. It is the look that says, “Don’t bother me.

I am a cat, and I am thinking cat thoughts. They are secret, and you will never know them, but I know them always and am thinking them now.”

That was the look that this cat has. It is the cat thoughts look, and the cat is looking at me.

The cat sits motionless, then ever so slowly eases into a crouch, as if to spring, tail straight out, not so much as the twitch of an ear.

Still the cat looks at me. Deciding – Deciding what?

I blink first. The tip of the cat’s tail twitches. I blink again.

The cat slowly stands and turns and starts to walk away.

For a moment, I watch. A second more, and he is gone.

what would become Roswell Road.

Nolan Reed wrote, “Moving day came and all our belongings loaded on our two-mule wagon, the cow had to be walked by Papa, so Mama drove the mules and wagon.” At the Chattahoochee River, the mules refused to cross the covered bridge.

They made it across the bridge after encouraging the mules with oats. Next was the steep hill up to Roswell.

When the Reed family arrived at their new home to find the previous owners had not moved out due to

an illness, they lived with their cousins Lemma and Austin Martin temporarily.

Tolleson and Laura Little Kirby brought their family from Tate, Georgia to Dunwoody by train in 1914. They traveled to Atlanta and Chamblee, then north on the Roswell Railroad to Powers Station. Their possessions were in a boxcar, which was left at the station for the night while the train continued to the Roswell Depot. Everything had to be unloaded overnight before the boxcar

was picked up the next morning.

Their three-room house was on forty acres Tolleson Kirby purchased from Scott Powers. Back then, the road was called Little Kirby Road, combining the family names. Today, that road is known as Pitts Road.

V. Remember the Salvadore Dali painting? The one with the timepieces that seem to be flowing like soft plastic off the edges of the tables?

Remember it’s title?

I did not want to be involved. But I was I was…

And as the memory comes back I realize that I still am, even now, even here, in this screaming, deafening silence a million miles from nowhere, in these woods under siege in an icy cold rain.

Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier.

She lives in Atlanta. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.

14 | March 28, 2024 | Dunwoody Crier | AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody

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SCREENSHOT

Dunwoody Village, a neighborhood of shops, offices and residences along Chamblee Dunwoody Road near Mount Vernon Road, is the focus of area business owners working to further define it as the city’s downtown.

Village: Continued from Page 3 inviting community hangout spot with investment from Regency Centers, the property owner.

“There were literally two metal benches in the whole place and one lamppost,” Abes said. “So, we cleaned it all up, added furniture, the stage, the big screen.”

The courtyard also features colorful murals for picture-taking moments, one with his trademarked “Funwoody” and another with “Good Vibes.”

Abes said he and other merchants saw missed opportunities, looking over to the “cool” events that Alpharetta and Roswell were hosting.

Two years ago, he created Green Eggs and Kegs which will be the group’s first event, held in the courtyard on April 20. It will benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, hitting close to home as his son was diagnosed as a toddler.

“I always want to do stuff for charity,” Abes said. “I think that’s very important. Whatever we do — it’s like you got to do it community-focused.”

All the Village The association also plans to host an all-day, back-to-school event in August called “Funwoody Field Day,” which will include school field day classics like relay races and a scavenger hunt as well as a sidewalk sale in the second half of the day.

Lauren Sok, association member

and owner of Functionize Health & Physical Therapy, said Funwoody Field Day will be spaced out throughout all the Village.

“What we realize is when most people say the ‘Dunwoody Village,’ they think it’s the side where Fresh Market is,” Sok said. “All of the businesses in the greater Chamblee Dunwoody/Mount Vernon area are part of the Village.”

Light Up Dunwoody, a pre-existing city event, will be the group’s fourthquarter focus, but Sok said they plan to make it more magical and again, ensuring it is held throughout the village, with hot chocolate stands, carolers and maybe a petting zoo.

“The main goal is to make sure people understand that the Village is so much more than one section, and it’s a destination,” Sok said, with a hope that the city’s marketing dollars will go toward the area.

The Dunwoody Village Merchants Association is under the auspices of the Perimeter Chamber now, allowing them greater autonomy and an organized platform.

As a longstanding Dunwoody resident, Perimeter Chamber Vice President of Engagement Paula Shiver said she has always felt like there were things that can be done to the Village to bring cohesiveness to the space and that Abes has had that same vision.

“The whole thing sort of clicked and fell into place was his motivation and his enthusiasm and people really seeing how just a little bit of effort can bring a whole community together,” Shiver said.

16 | March 28, 2024 | Dunwoody Crier | AppenMedia.com/Dunwoody