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UGA’s African Student Union will host the immersive cultural experience Africa Night, showcasing an array of cultures through dances, fashion, music and drama, at Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall Apr. 6. For more info, visit pac.uga.edu.

First Amendment A ack

CANDIDATE SEEKS TO SILENCE JOURNALIST, AND MORE LOCAL NEWS

By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com

Athens-Clarke County Commission candidate Stephanie Johnson has threatened to seek a restraining order against local journalist Chris Dowd, which one First Amendment expert described as an attempt to intimidate him and keep him from doing his job.

Oconee County attorney Kevin Epps, on behalf of Johnson, sent Dowd a cease-anddesist letter Mar. 27 accusing him of criminal stalking and intimidation. Epps did not give any specifics, only referencing “your recent actions.”

Dowd said he believes the letter stemmed from a recent incident when Johnson accused him of sharing a copy of her 2021 severance letter from her Google Drive, which she took as a threat. However, Dowd denied that he shared the letter, obtained in the course of his reporting on Johnson (then named Stephanie Maddox) being fired from her job as ACC internal auditor by the mayor and commission. According to Dowd, the document was set to “public” and could be accessed by anyone.

Epps wrote that if Dowd attempted to contact Johnson again, he would file for a restraining order against him that would ban him from even being in Johnson’s presence, essentially barring him from continuing to cover local government and politics if she were to win.

Dowd contacted the UGA law school’s First Amendment Clinic, which sent a response to Epps on Mar. 29. e letter from staff attorney Samantha Hamilton said that Epps failed to describe any conduct by Dowd that could constitute a crime, and that judges are generally extremely reluctant to grant restraining orders against journalists.

Hamilton wrote: “ e only interactions Mr. Dowd has had with Mrs. Johnson

have been in his capacity as a journalist reporting on matters of public concern to the Athens community. Mrs. Johnson is an electoral candidate running for the District 6 seat on the Athens-Clarke County Board of Commissioners who has worked in local government for years. e suggestion that Mr. Dowd, as a journalist, should be prohibited from even being in the same room as Mrs. Johnson during her campaign for public office strains credulity. Mr. Dowd has not engaged in any conduct that can even remotely be characterized as stalking or intimidation. In contrast, Mrs. Johnson’s sending a letter from legal counsel to chill Mr. Dowd’s ordinary newsgathering and reporting amounts to intimidation, threatening infringement of his First Amendment rights.”

Epps sent the cease-anddesist letter on the same day Flagpole published a feature on the District 6 race written by Dowd. In addition to running the blog Athens Politics Nerd, Dowd is a freelance Flagpole contributor. e cease-and-desist letter does not mention Flagpole, nor has Flagpole received any complaints from the Johnson campaign about his coverage.

town last week in a longshot bid for a seat on the Georgia Supreme Court. No Supreme Court justice has ever lost a race since the court was created in 1845, but if anyone can knock off an incumbent, it’s Barrow.

After serving 14 years on the AthensClarke County Commission, Barrow became the first Deep South Democrat to beat a Republican incumbent in a quarter-century when he defeated U.S. Rep. Max Burns in 2004. “As a reward, I became the most gerrymandered man in the history of the republic,” he told Athens-Clarke County Democrats last week. First Republican state legislators removed his hometown from his district, forcing him to move to Savannah. When that didn’t work, they took out Savannah, and Barrow went to Augusta.

the city during the civil rights movement. e nonpartisan election is less than seven weeks away. “If you help me on May 21, we will strike a blow for Roe,” Barrow said.

Commission District 6 candidate Stephanie Johnson also spoke, pushing back against the idea that she is running to seek retribution against ACC Manager Blaine Williams. Johnson clashed with Williams during her time as ACC internal auditor and filed a federal lawsuit accusing him and Mayor Kelly Girtz of discrimination after the commission voted to fire her in 2021.

“I’m not running for District 6 because I’m angry, I have an ax to grind or I want to fire somebody,” she said. Instead, she said she is running to bring transparency and fiscal accountability to the local government.

Nevertheless, the Blue Dog Democrat triangulated his way to victory four times until Rick Allen finally unseated him in 2014.

Johnson is running against restaurant and nonprofit owner Rashe Malcolm for the District 6 seat on the commission. Incumbent Jesse Houle opted not to run for re-election.

Barrow Runs for Supreme Court

Former congressman John Barrow, an Athens native, campaigned in his home-

Four years later, Barrow outperformed the top of the ticket in forcing a runoff with Brad Raffensperger for secretary of state. In 2020, Barrow sought Robert Benham’s Georgia Supreme Court seat, but was foiled when Benham retired, giving Gov. Brian Kemp the opportunity to appoint his replacement and postpone the election.

Now, Barrow is the definition of a single-issue candidate, and that issue is abortion. “I believe Georgians have the same rights under the Georgia constitution as we used to have under Roe v. Wade,” he said.

e Dobbs ruling made abortion a state issue, not a federal one, so Barrow said he is running for Georgia Supreme Court to “protect us from the Georgia legislature,” which enacted a harsh six-week abortion ban in 2019 (with Athens state Rep. Houston Gaines as the deciding vote) that took effect when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe in 2022. In 2023, the Georgia Supreme Court allowed the law to stay in effect while a lawsuit claiming that the so-called “heartbeat bill” violates the state constitution’s privacy protections makes its way through the courts.

Barrow noted that Justice Andrew Pinson, whom he’s running against, is a member of the ultraconservative Federalist Society and clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence omas. As state solicitor general, he signed onto the effort to overturn Roe. Pinson, 38, was appointed to the high court by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022.

Among Barrow’s credentials, he graduated from Harvard Law School in 1979, along with Chief Justice John Roberts and the progressive former Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold. “Two out of three ain’t bad,” Barrow quipped. His father, James Barrow, was a longtime judge in Athens, remembered particularly for his role in integrating

District 8 incumbent Carol Myers told the audience that she expected a “chill” campaign until Laken Riley’s murder turned the race on its head. Her opponent, Sidney Waters, was among a small group that heckled Mayor Kelly Girtz during a news conference on public safety following Riley’s murder allegedly by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan who entered the U.S. illegally. Waters also appeared on Fox News to talk about Athens’ supposed “sanctuary” policies.

“My election May 21 embodies what we’re up against this election year,” Myers said. “My campaign is to show those 10 people don’t represent Athens.”

Myers said she is proud that Athens is a welcoming community for immigrants, seniors, LGBTQ residents and others.

Elections Board Says No to Nickname

Athens-Clarke County Commission candidate Sidney Waters may be better known in the community as “Mama Sid,” but the ACC Board of Elections ruled that she cannot use that nickname on the May ballot because it’s also the name of the Eastside pizzeria she owns.

“When I walked through the door people were saying, ‘Hello, Mama Sid,’” Waters told the BOE at a Mar. 25 meeting. “Very few people know my name is Sidney.”

Waters and her son said she’s been called Mama Sid since the early 1980s, when her son’s friends gave her the nickname. Several years later, after the nickname caught on, she renamed her restaurant Mama Sid’s.

State law allows candidates to put their nicknames on the ballot if they’re wellknown as, say, “Bubba,” but only under certain circumstances. Waters’ opponent, incumbent Commissioner Carol Myers, argued that business names are among the nicknames prohibited by state election law, along with monikers reflecting a professional or religious affiliation. e county attorney’s office backed up Myers’ interpretation in a memo to the BOE.

When Waters ran for and won a school board seat in 2004, she was listed as Sidney Anne Waters on the ballot, without the nickname.

Waters has been using a pizza icon and the slogan “a fresh slice for District 8” on her yard signs, leading to concerns that

BLAKE AUED

Construction on the new Classic Center arena is expected to take another four to five months.

Waters is trying to capitalize on the popularity of her business for political gain. “It could provide a slight advantage, which I’m not comfortable with,” said BOE member Hank Qadir.

Another board member, Adam Shirley, agreed. “If it were a question of Sid, Sid Waters, it would be a different story to me,” he said, but using Mama Sid blurs the line.

“ e tie between the nickname and the business name is a little too close for my comfort,” said board chairman Rocky Raffle.

Two board members voted to allow Waters to go by “Sidney ‘Mama Sid’ Waters” on the ballot.

“Mama Sid is still Mama Sid whether she has a business or not,” Ann Till said. And Willa Fambrough said she doesn’t associate the name with pizza.

Pro Hockey Coming to Athens

Obviously, Athens is best known sportswise for college football, but it’s become something of a hockey town since UGA’s club team began playing at the Classic Center 10 years ago.

e Ice Dawgs routinely sell out their games at the Classic Center’s Grand Hall, which seats 1,000 in temporary bleachers for sporting events, and a newer women’s club team also plays there. But now, a professional minor league hockey team will call the Classic Center’s new arena home.

e 5,500-seat arena, now under construction behind the Foundry Street Warehouses and the Multimodal Transportation Center, will host a yet-to-be named Federal Prospects Hockey League team, officials announced ursday. e home opener is slated for Oct. 26, according to Scott Hull, executive vice president of Athens Pro Hockey, the team’s owner.

e FPHL currently has 11 teams spanning the entire eastern half of the U.S., from Baton Rouge, LA to Watertown, NY, on the Canadian border. League commissioner Don Kirnan described the style of play as fast and physical, and said he expects the Athens team to develop a “tremendous rivalry” with the River Dragons in Columbus, GA. “ e battle for the leading team in the league is likely to be right here in Georgia,” Kirnan said.

A fan vote will be held to decide the team name. e options are: e Athenians, Rock Lobsters (a reference to a B-52s song), Athens Owls (a symbol of the goddess Athena) and Classic City Panic (after another famous Athens band, Widespread Panic).

Whatever the name, the team is slated to play 28 home games during the 2024-25 season. Both UGA hockey teams will also play about 10–15 games at the new arena.

e Classic Center had originally signed a contract to move the Greenville, SC East Coast Hockey League team here, but a new owner bought the franchise and didn’t want to follow through on the deal, according to Classic Center President and CEO Paul Cramer.

e $151 million arena, funded partially with local sales tax revenue but mostly through private sources, is expected to be completed late this summer. It will also host large conventions, concerts, high school athletic tournaments and family shows like Disney on Ice—all told, over 100 events per year, some of them multiple days. Depending on the type of event, the arena can be expanded to seat 6,500 or hold 8,500 for conventions. f

news

10th Congressional District

LEXY DOHERTY AND JESSICA FORE FIGHT TO FACE MIKE COLLINS

By Xinge Lei news@flagpole.com

Georgia’s 10th congressional district will be holding its Democratic primary election on May 21, where candidates Jessica Fore and Lexy Doherty will compete against each other for the chance to face incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Collins (R) in the general house election on Nov. 5.

gender, across religion,” Doherty says. “ ere’s so much that we could get done even though we are not 100% aligned on everything.”

Due to her personal experiences, Doherty is focusing on promoting rural economic development and fighting against corporate lobbyists. If elected, her top priorities include raising minimum wage to at least $15, passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, limiting gerrymandering and advocating for environmental stewardship. She also highlights the importance of lowering costs for housing, food and health care, disappointed at past representatives who have ignored the widening gap between productivity and wages.

Fore, who was born and raised in Macon, has lived in Athens for over 20 years. Having graduated from the University of Georgia in 2002, she currently works as a real estate agent in Clarke County. While she lost to Tabitha Johnson-Green in the 2022 Democratic primary, she believes her cultural upbringing gives her an advantage in this year’s race. (Johnson-Green, who had won the Democratic nomination for the past three election cycles in GA-10, is not on the ballot for this year.) As an evangelical Christian with an extensive background in ministry work, Fore is used to forming relationships with people who are culturally conservative in the state. Because of these connections, Fore says she is uniquely positioned to persuade crossover voters, disaffected conservatives, independents and people who don’t typically show up to vote for Democrats.

Competing against Fore is Doherty, an educational consultant and appointed member of the Oconee Rivers Greenway Commission. Originally from Chapin, SC, Doherty grew up working at her family-owned business and witnessed the grave repercussions of the 2008 financial crisis on her community. She thought it was unjust how local small businesses were forced to close, eventually turning into corporate storefronts. After moving to Athens in 2018 to complete her master’s degree at UGA, she says that she saw the need for a strong Democratic candidate to represent the interests of GA-10, which is why she decided to run for Congress.

“Democracy works best when we have everyone’s voice represented… to me, that is bringing in people across race, across

Like Fore, Doherty is focused on building coalitions across rural and urban Georgia communities. Her inclusive approach welcomes discourse from people of all political and social backgrounds. With over 20 team members and organizers throughout the district, Doherty sees strength in grassroots outreach.

If elected to the House, Fore says her priorities would differ depending on the outcome of the upcoming presidential race. Facing another Trump presidency, Congress must focus on preserving basic democratic norms, like fair elections. In the event of another Biden presidency, issues affecting working class people would take precedence, such as promoting universal healthcare, livable wages and affordable housing. Fore says that working class struggles present the biggest obstacle to GA-10, especially when it comes to the cost of living, because wages have failed to keep up with the cost of housing and groceries, hindering even those working fulltime from accessing basic necessities.

tion in the political process,” Fore says. “We need people who are operating in good faith and who can’t be bought and sold by special interests.”

In the wake of the Dobbs Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, abortion will be a critical issue for many voters. e two Democratic candidates have similar policy stances, but different personal views on the subject.

“Not legally, but personally, spiritually, morally, I’m deeply opposed to elective late-term abortions,” Fore says. But she supports the Democratic position on abortion: “We’re going to allow it to be legal, we’re not going to intervene in health care decisions between women and their doctors, but we do want health care access, we want birth control and sex education, so that people can be equipped to prevent unplanned pregnancies.” is will actually reduce abortions, she says.

“I don’t think we can say we live in a free country if we can’t make decisions about our own bodies,” says Doherty. “To me, this should be a fundamental human right.” e larger issue, though, is lack of access to health care, she says. According to Doherty, eight of the 20 counties in District 10—spanning from Commerce to Eatonton—do not have an OBGYN. is is related to Georgia’s high maternal mortality rate, especially among Black women, Doherty says.

Doherty says she would like to see a Constitutional amendment enshrining abortion rights, but recognizes that it is unlikely to happen anytime soon. If Biden

Moreover, Fore says that systematically, it would be beneficial for political discourse to contain more than two extreme, polarized sides. For this reason, she supports the ideas of ranked choice voting, open primaries and expanded ballot access beyond the two parties.

“Most Americans want an opportunity for more expressive voting and participa-

wins and Democrats win the House and retain the Senate, she says she would push to codify Roe into law.

Neither candidate is likely to unseat Collins, who defeated Johnson-Green by 29 points two years ago. Republican state legislators drew the district to strongly favor the GOP, and outside of liberal Athens it mostly consists of deep-red rural and exurban areas. f

Jessica Fore

Lexy Doherty

School Board District 2

FORMER MEMBER AND FORMER CANDIDATE CHALLENGE INCUMBENT

By Rebecca McCarthy news@flagpole.com

Kirrena Gallagher and Mary Bagby are challenging incumbent Claudia Butts for the District 2 seat on the Clarke County School Board.

Both are familiar to voters. In 2020, Gallagher—endorsed by former board member Antwon Stephens—defeated Bagby and was elected to the school board. She then resigned the seat in 2022 to run for the AthensClarke County Commission after commissioner Mariah Parker resigned. She lost that race in 2023 to Melissa Link, who is still in office.

e board appointed Butts to the District 2 seat when Gallagher left. A 2012 graduate of Cedar Shoals High School, Butts earned a psychology degree from Paine College in Augusta, a historic Black institution, and returned to Athens. She started a tennis club in 2021 with the East Athens Development Corporation, growing the membership from eight to 20 children. She also leads a Girl Scout troop.

Incumbent Butts rarely speaks at board meetings and did not respond to Flagpole’s interview requests. However, she has said that while she’s on the school board, she reminds herself that she’s there to serve the students and to be a voice for the community. One of her goals is to improve school spirit. She wants to make sure that every vote and decision she makes is centered around students.

I have a sound belief in the children of the Eastside.”

Bagby has been trying, unsuccessfully, to get a seat on the school board since the late Vernon Payne resigned his seat in 2019 because of declining health, after serving 40 years. Former CCSD teacher Frances Berry was appointed—over former Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Harry Sims and Bagby—to take Payne’s place. When Berry resigned after a few months, the board appointed Stephens, who it turned out had misrepresented his qualifications. He didn’t run for re-election in 2020, but he did endorse Gallagher against Bagby.

Like Butts, Gallagher is a Cedar Shoals graduate. She studied early childhood education at Athens Tech and runs a licensed home educational daycare. She has two sons who have been educated in the school district.

“My vision for education, centered on empowering parents, students and accountability to us as decision makers, is what I believe helps me stand out as the best candidate for the District 2 school board representative,” Gallagher said. “I aim to be the change that District 2 needs by advocating for comprehensive reforms in phonics and literacy education.”

Mary Bagby was a vocal supporter of former CCSD Superintendent Demond Means, speaking in his favor at most board meetings and getting testy with those she felt weren’t backing him. At one meeting, she implied that board member Patricia Yager was a Nazi.

Bagby told the Cedar Shoals High School newspaper Blueprints in 2022 that she was running to gain more resources for District 2, consisting mostly of East Athens. She has said that sending her two children through Clarke County schools qualifies her to run.

She emphasized her faith during a short speech at Commissioner Melissa Link’s campaign kickoff event last week. “People have told me, ‘Don’t talk about God, because they already think you’re crazy,’ so if I start talking about the Devil, that’s going to validate that I am,” Bagby said. “So I am not crazy. I have a sound mind. I have a sound doctrine. I have a sound ministry.

Both Bagby and Gallagher have been involved in community projects. Gallagher passed out food during the pandemic, and Bagby helped serve anksgiving dinners at Weaver D’s Fine Foods. Gallagher is on the Classic Center Arena Bonds Oversight Committee and the LSGT for Fowler Drive Elementary. She has been on the LSGT for Coile Middle School, on the board of directors for the Athens Land Trust, DFCS, Action, Inc., and the ACC Vision Board. She recently organized a workshop series at the Boys and Girls Club to help parents navigate the school system.

“I believe I am uniquely equipped to foster collaborative relationships with parents/guardians, fellow board members, teachers and the community at large,” Gallagher said. “I am dedicated to being a voice for change and progress in District 2.”

District 2 is the only contested race for school board this year. District 4 representative Yager, Mumbi Anderson in District 6 and Nicole Hull in District 8 are running unopposed. f

TRUMP IS WHAT ORWELL WARNED US ABOUT

By Ed Tant news@flagpole.com

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” So begins 1984, author George Orwell’s frightening novel about citizens under the thrall of a dictatorship. “Big Brother is watching you” is a threat and a warning to the populace that is surveilled by the all-seeing eye of the “telescreen” that tracks their every move while also pacifying them with cheap entertainment and state propaganda. “War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength” are watchwords of the shadowy, thuggish regime in Orwell’s cautionary tale of tyranny rampant in a future world where courage is quashed while complacency and compliance are expected and enforced.

power. Trump depends on their cultish allegiance or their cow-like indifference.

America has endured a long series of traumas since the 21st century began in 2001. at year was defined by the 9/11 terrorist attacks that led to the ill-starred and ill-conceived Iraq War that began in 2003, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, and fueling more tension in the Middle East. e COVID pandemic of 2020 brought this nation to a shut-down and fueled conspiracy theories that fester to this day. When Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, Trump and his henchmen howled that the election was rigged, setting the stage for the right-

Flash forward to today’s bleak political landscape. e fictional dystopia of 1984 was an imaginary world, but an authoritarian regime could become an American reality in 2024 if Donald Trump returns to the White House. Trump has long had a fascination with political strongmen in such countries as Russia, China, Turkey, Hungary and North Korea. He has made remarks about using dictatorial powers to close the borders and drill for oil on his first day back in office if he wins in November. George Orwell warned long ago that there is no such thing as “dictator for a day” when he said, “We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it.”

In a Washington Post column last fall headlined “A Trump dictatorship is increasingly likely. We should stop pretending,” conservative foreign policy expert Robert Kagan wrote, “How will Americans respond to the first signs of a regime of political persecution? Will they rise up in outrage? Don’t count on it.” He added that “if most Americans can go about their daily business, they might not care.” us this “land of the free” could become a land of fascism, American-style, where millions of citizens happily trade their freedoms for the blandishments of a flag-hugging con man promising to “Make America Great Again.” Today there are millions of citizens walking around America who would have been gladly goose-stepping around Germany if they had lived there during Hitler’s rise to

wing riot in Washington on Jan. 6, 2017. Such assaults on the psyche of this nation have provided fuel for the fire of fascism in America, and Trump seems all too willing to fan those flames of repression, revenge and retribution.

At a campaign rally in Ohio on Mar. 16, Trump saluted as the national anthem was sung by a choir of convicts who are imprisoned for their crimes during the Capitol Hill riot four years ago. Before the recording of the singing jailbirds was played for the crowd, an announcer called the prisoners “horribly and unfairly treated Jan. 6 hostages.” Trump echoed and inflated that rhetoric in Ohio and at a recent rally in Rome, GA, calling the Jan. 6 MAGA mob “unbelievable patriots.”

Trump has vowed to pardon members of that mob if he becomes president again. Such freed felons would be perfect recruits for bully-boy brigades of street fighters against dissenters during a second Trump administration. Just as fascist Benito Mussolini had his thuggish Black Shirt legions in Italy and Nazi despot Adolf Hitler had his Brown Shirt terror troops in Germany, a dictatorial Donald Trump would have his cultish cabal of criminals to do his bidding against any opposition.

George Orwell wrote 1984, but his words are a warning for 2024: “All tyrannies rule through fraud and force, but once the fraud is exposed they must rely exclusively on force.” f

GAGE SKIDMORE

Claudia Butts

Kirrena Gallagher

Mary Bagby

Sine Die

CULTURE WAR BILLS MOSTLY FIZZLE ON LEGISLATURE’S LAST DAY

By Jill Nolin and Ross Williams news@flagpole.com

State lawmakers closed out the 2024 legislative session with a flurry of votes that spilled over into the early morning hours.

But the night ended with some of the most closely watched bills—like a bill banning puberty blockers for minors and a proposal to put sports betting on the ballot this fall—fizzling out in the House.

e last votes were taken well after the traditional midnight deadline and in a fog of confusion. Paper airplanes, balls and tatters were already flying around the House as lawmakers waited anxiously for the speaker to yell “Sine Die!” Some House lawmakers had already left when they were called back to their desks shortly before 1 a.m. to pass a bill renaming roads and another that increases the state’s homestead exemption in a move to give property owners some tax relief.

But the final day offered its share of controversial bills, too. Republican lawmakers signed off on a wide-ranging election measure ursday, prompting the ACLU of Georgia to immediately issue a statement saying it would file a lawsuit if the governor signs the bill into law.

And GOP leaders pushed through a bill designed to punish sheriffs who do not enforce federal immigration laws, though another related bill did not survive. ese bills gained momentum after the death of a nursing student on the University of Georgia’s campus, which has become a political flashpoint nationally.

One of the biggest storylines of the session, though, wrapped up last week. After months of chatter, a proposal to fully expand Medicaid failed in a Senate committee. Instead, lawmakers passed changes to the state’s health care business regulations and created a commission that will look at fully expanding Medicaid.

“I’ve gotten in trouble for saying this, but I’ll say it again: ere’s nothing that the House cannot talk about, that we can’t discuss,” Speaker Jon Burns told reporters early Friday morning. “And we can look for the facts on it to see how it may impact our state.”

Burns said those conversations will continue this summer as the commission gets to work. But he also said he thought the governor’s partial expansion plan is “gaining some momentum.” About 3,500 people have signed up for Pathways to Coverage, which launched last summer.

No Statue for Clarence Thomas

House lawmakers took a pass on voting on a proposal calling for a statue of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence omas, who is from Georgia.

e proposed tribute to the controversial figure was met with intense opposition in the Senate the last two years. State senators wanted to place the statue on the state Capitol grounds as a high honor.

House lawmakers explored alternatives this week. A proposal floated earlier this

week would have put the statue of omas within the nearby Nathan Deal Judicial Center, along with statues of other Supreme Court justices from Georgia. ree other justices called Georgia home.

A revised House plan would have limited the tribute to just omas but kept it at the judicial center. e Senate mimicked that idea and tacked it onto another bill, but in the end, the proposal was never called up for a vote in the House.

E ort to Protect Okefenokee Sinks

A late attempt to impose a three-year moratorium on new mining permits near the Okefenokee Swamp hit a brick wall in the Senate.

Under pressure, House lawmakers used a legislative maneuver Tuesday to usher forward the proposal.

e bill was a scaled-down version of another House proposal that had picked up opposition from environmental groups. Specifically, it calls for a moratorium on dragline mining—the method Alabamabased Twin Pines Minerals plans to use at Trail Ridge—in previously untouched areas like Trail Ridge.

Like other proposals, it would not have stopped Twin Pines from mining for titanium dioxide and zirconium at a nearly 600-acre demonstration site about three miles from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Rep. Lynn Smith, a Newnan Republican who chairs the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, said the bill is intended to have the effect of “quieting things down.” Another bill that would permanently block new or expanded mining permits at Trail Ridge was stuck in Smith’s committee despite having more than 91 signers—enough support to clear the full House. It passed out of the House Tuesday with a 167-to-4 vote, though some voted for it with reservations.

Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast ursday that he thought the state Environmental Protection Division should be left alone to decide what should be done. e EPD issued draft permits last month and is in the process of collecting public input on those permits. ose permits have faced intense public opposition.

“If we began the process of circumventing the rule makers and the regulatory agencies on this issue, then the next issue will be landfills, quarries, water treatment, wastewater treatment, so the list goes on and on and on,” the Dahlonega Republican said.

Transgender Bills Die

Two bills watched with dread by transgender Georgians and their allies withered away in the wee hours Friday morning after the House took no action on them on the final day of the 2024 legislative session.

Every year under the Gold Dome brings new battles in the culture wars and bills often based more upon ideology than practicality, nestled firmly within the crusty crannies of the cultural divide.

is year, as in previous years, questions of ethical appropriateness centered largely on transgender children, but unlike in recent years, trans kids made it through Sine Die without new restrictions—despite two bills out of the Senate that would have banned transgender children from playing on sports teams or using restrooms corresponding with their gender identities, and blocked them from accessing puberty blocking drugs.

Cole Muzio, president of the conservative Frontline Policy lobbying group, called the bills’ failure to pass “a missed opportunity.”

“Both of those issues are broadly supported by a lot of Georgians,” he said. “And I think as people prepare to go to the polls in November, as they’re looking for what they expect out of this building, that’s the kind of bold action they are looking for. Obviously, a lot of good things happened in this building this year. Georgia needs to turn in the right direction, but we’ve a lot to do heading into 2025, and so we’re excited to add those onto our agenda then and we’ll be back tomorrow.”

House Democrats expressed relief when the chamber adjourned close to 1 a.m. without taking up the controversial measures.

“I’m happy that we did not pass legislation that would have caused a lot of real harm for a very vulnerable population, transgender youth,” said Lawrenceville Rep. Sam Park, Democratic Caucus whip and the first openly gay man elected to the General Assembly. “It’s a reminder that despite the polarized political environment that we’re in, that we can still come together and move Georgia forward by, again, not passing a very dangerous and harmful piece of legislation. It’s been a tough legislative session, but yeah, I think we ended just fine.”

Puberty Blockers

Under the pen of Senate Education and Youth Committee Chair Clint Dixon, House Bill 1170, which originally put opioid reversal drugs into government buildings, instead became an effort to ban puberty-blocking drugs for transgender minors.

Both passed the Senate on party lines, but neither got a House vote ursday.

“Although I’m not really in love with this bill, and I’m not ever going to be for the mining… this is the only thing we can do right now to save the swamp. It’s the only option,” said Rep. Debbie Buckner, a Junction City Democrat.

Buckner said she hoped a three-year moratorium would at least buy opponents of mining near the Okefenokee some time to figure out a way to “save the swamp.”

But the bill faced an even cooler reception in the Senate. Majority Leader Steve Gooch said on the Atlanta Journal-

“We know there’s some things, we know there’s some issues, social issues, if you will, that are important to Georgians,” Burns said to reporters after the House adjourned. “And there’s some of them that we embrace, but they’re also—we know there’s a time. And timing was maybe not right today for some of those issues that came over from the Senate.”

“We’ll continue to work with the Senate and look at those issues and make some determinations on what’s good for all Georgians in every walk of life,” he added. “And so we’re conscious of those issues. ey’re priorities—many of them are, but they’re maybe not the same ones as the Senate.”

ese drugs, originally used by children who enter puberty too early, have been used in recent years by kids with gender dysphoria to put off going through a puberty that doesn’t match their views of themselves. Last year, the state banned hormone therapy, or prescribing testosterone or estrogen, to minors, but allowed puberty blockers to remain as what GOP lawmakers called a compromise.

Sen. Ben Watson, a Savannah physician who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said also forbidding doctors from prescribing drugs to prevent children from going through puberty will make parents’ jobs easier.

“Last year and this year, many parents have come to me privately wishing that this law was in effect in the past,” he said. “And I find that affirming, I find that sometimes challenging, from that perspective, it is difficult, no doubt, being a parent, and sometimes saying no is difficult, but saying no, many times, with the law behind you makes it easier.”

Watson said the effects of puberty blockers can be permanent, and he hoped to prevent minors from making life-altering decisions.

“Surgery is irreversible. Sex change hormones are irreversible, and puberty

Sen. Ben Watson discusses his bill banning transgender teens from taking puberty blockers.

ROSS WILLIAMS / GEORGIA RECORDER

blockers can also be irreversible,” he said. “With the fact that if you’re not on puberty blockers, half of the children do not go on to proceed changing their sex, I think that’s very important. With the puberty blockers, virtually 100% go ahead and do sex change hormones. I think we need to give the children continued mental health counseling, continued care, continued love.”

Many transgender people say going through what they often call the wrong puberty was a difficult time.

“It can really make a big difference. I started before I turned 18, and that was before SB 140, and that was a big hot-button issue for some people, but I can’t tell you how happy that made me,” said Lucas Tucker, a transgender man from Decatur who came to the Capitol to speak against anti-trans bills in committee hearings. “If I wasn’t on them now, I would not be the person I am. It really makes a huge difference.”

“Giving trans children access to their bathrooms and their hormone therapy and things like that will save them,” he added. “Because people make fun of us. ey say, oh, 40% or whatever of trans people kill themselves. You know why? It’s because of you. It’s because you make it possible for us to do that. You enforce legislation that shoves us back in the closet. And for a lot of people, being in the closet is the same as being dead, because you can’t live in the closet.”

Christmas Tree Bills

Senators placed provisions banning transgender students from playing on sports teams or using restrooms conforming with their gender identity, as well as a ban on sex education before 6th grade and provisions allowing parents to more easily monitor the books their children check out from school libraries, into House Bill 1104. at measure was originally a bill from Decatur Democratic Rep. Omari Crawford that was intended to address mental health and suicide risks for student athletes.

Such bills are sometimes called Christmas tree bills because they are adorned with amendments like a Christmas tree is covered in decorations.

As he left the chamber early Friday morning, Crawford said he hopes to come back next year and push for his original bill, which he says will protect student athletes’ mental health.

“I’m glad that the bill and the Senate substitute did not pass,” he said. “ ere was

a lot of language that I didn’t agree with, and so what we’ll try to do next year is make sure that language that was the intention of the bill is reintroduced, hopefully we can pass that.”

Renter Protections

A proposal to increase protections for Georgia renters is now in the governor’s hands after receiving a final vote in the House on Mar. 26.

e bill, sponsored by Rep. Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton), sailed through the House a year ago before stalling in the Senate. e measure fared better in the Senate this year, advancing with only a minor change and finding overwhelming support last week.

Under the measure, rental properties must be “fit for human habitation” and security deposits are capped at two months’ rent. It also requires landlords to give tenants a three-day grace period after failing to pay rent and bars them from turning off the air conditioning during an eviction process.

“For the first in Georgia code we are going to put ‘fit for human habitation’ for the rights of tenants across this state,” Carpenter said.

e North Georgia lawmaker gave an emotional speech last year, recalling the hardships of his own childhood growing up in Whitfield County. He said at the time his family moved 16 times in 18 years, mostly living in rental properties. When he was 17, his family spent a three-month period during one winter without heat.

“We always try to say Georgia is the best place to work and play but sometimes for some folks, it’s not always the best place to live,” Carpenter said. “ is legislation will move that ball forward so we protect Georgia renters.”

House Speaker Jon Burns celebrated the bill’s final passage, calling on lawmakers to applaud themselves.

Sen. Brian Strickland, a McDonough Republican who carried the bill in the Senate, called the provisions “common sense standards.”

Carpenter has said the bill is in response to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s 2022 investigation that showed how the business practices of apartment owners have trapped Atlanta-area renters in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. f

These stories originally appeared at georgiarecorder. com.

Up Close and Personal

SMALL TOWNS TEACH US A LOT ABOUT POLITICS

By Pete McCommons pete@flagpole.com

Regular readers of this column (when it was regular) know I grew up in a small town— Greensboro, in nearby Greene County. ose who also have grown up in small towns have had similar experiences, and to some extent, so have those who grew up in cities, with their neighborhoods.

In small towns, you see people up close, and they see you. You have constant interaction. Your schoolteacher is also your customer at your store job, and in the pew next to you at church on Sunday, and maybe your cousin. Small town people can’t hide and can’t hide who they are. Everybody knows everybody, knows who can’t handle their money or their drinking or their love life, and there are gossips who make sure you keep up.

Still, the fact of it being a university town has always given Athens an acceptance of newcomers and a willingness to judge them on their merits, and I have found in my checkered career here many opportunities for friendly fraternizing with political opponents. When I was part of a group prosecuted (twice) for criminal trespass because of a sit-in at the UGA president’s office, we could still enjoy an afterhours drink with our prosecutors. “Mr. McCommons was no doubt sincere, but so was Adolph Hitler.”

In later years, in spite of intense political battles in Flagpole, we were always welcome at the local Republicans’ annual Christmas party. Old adversaries welcomed us with warm smiles and overlooked our scurrilous

Small towns are hard on introverts and are made for extroverts, because life is a constant round of interactions, and you run into people everywhere, and they ask how you’re doing and your spouse and your children and your mama and daddy, bless their hearts.

You live under the watchful eyes of others, but there’s a built-in forgiveness, too. You can be peculiar, and people will say, oh that’s just how he’s always been, even when he was a kid. His daddy was like that. You can be sorry, and people who have always known you will make allowances.

e main thing is that small towns are a laboratory of life, where you can find just about every type of person you’ll ever meet, so that when you do go out into a wider world, you’ve got a pretty good grasp on human nature in all its manifestations. You’ve seen them before, up close. You know their type.

Athens has always been a unique small town for those who grow up here because it is shared with the university and all its transient students and faculty from all over, plus the fans who come here for the sports. People who grow up here, though, know each other as they can never know those of us who have become Athenians along the way, since we’re “not from around here.”

attacks as we forgave them their wrongheaded politics.

But the last time I dropped by for the Christmas party, it had turned into a room full of strangers; no drinks, just a sit-down dinner. ey couldn’t figure out who I was, nor could I figure out who they were. I made excuses and eased out.

Since then, I have been out of circulation and out of touch. I hope Republicans and Democrats can still enjoy a beer together, but I fear the Age of Trump has changed everything, even here. Signs are that it is no longer possible to separate politics from personal relationships. I hope I’m wrong, but I assume that a group agitating for book banning would not be likely to enjoy a beer afterward with the people they have just confronted, and vice-versa.

e saving grace of politics is the give and take of ideas, and the understanding that none of us is right all the time or in control all the time, and that a certain forbearance is necessary, an acceptance of differences, as in a small town. But when politics become a religion, there’s no discussion, there’s no chance for honest debate, adversaries become enemies. us do we lose our democracy, and our republic. at’s why small towns try not to discuss religion and politics. f

It’s tradition for lawmakers to throw paper when the 40-day legislative session gavels out.

ROSS WILLIAMS / GEORGIA RECORDER

Those guys are not reading their phones; they’re rolling cigarettes.

JACK DELANO / LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

By Sam Lipkin editorial@flagpole.com

Spring looks a little different this year in Athens, with the first week of April bringing blossoming flowers, chirping birds and ghastly ghouls. Horror fans and appreciators of the odd and eclectic can rejoice that HauntFest has returned with an “April Ghouls” installation of its off-season Halloween-themed festivities and year-round spooky season spirit.

After a successful debut of HauntFest Mayhem last May, founder and CEO Roseann Harpold has expanded the festival to two days this year, Apr. 6–7, utilizing Southern Brewing Co.’s expansive space to include more attractions, vendors and fun oriented for all ages. Feedback from last year’s attendees suggested catering more to children, so each day of HauntFest, from 5–6 p.m. on Saturday and 4–6 p.m. on Sunday, will begin with a “family hour.” e haunters will be safely locked away until their release at 6 p.m., so children can freely enjoy trick-or-treating, pumpkin painting and browsing the section of kid-friendly vendors.

e full slate of entertainment includes snake encounters with the Georgia Reptile Society, a kitten meet-andgreet with Circle of Friends Animal Society (to calm your nerves), horror art and oddity vendors, ghost stories around the fire led by local authors, freak shows for ages 18 and up, a weight-lifting blacksmith doing live demonstrations, Harpold Manor s’mores by the fire, body art and classes, old-fashioned hayrides, a haunted car show, Terror Trivia on Saturday and a separately ticketed haunted trail that begins at 9 p.m. each evening.

thought that was the big step that I needed to take to make it bigger. But I’m realizing that’s not necessarily true because there’s a lot more things that I’m doing that are different that are making it bigger,” says Harpold. “ at’s why a lot of the activities were added, because I want it to be like a party, you know, where you want to stay and hang out and just meet people and chat.”

close to Harpold’s heart, and the weekend will showcase a total of 15 bands setting the vibe from open to close during the festival. Saturday’s lineup includes Karma Kat (5:10 p.m.), Beat Up (6 p.m.), Tattoo Logic (6:55 p.m.), Nix the Scientist (7:50 p.m.), e While (8:45 p.m.), Florence Cardigan (9:40 p.m.), House Guests (10:35 p.m.) and First Jason (11:30 p.m.). Punk rock and metal band First Jason

is led by none other than Ari Lehman, known as the actor who played the first Jason Voorhees as a child in the original Friday the 13th horror film. Lehman will be hanging out both days offering autographs, pictures and other merch. Sunday’s lineup will pick up with e Young Frankensteins (4 p.m.), Jacket (5 p.m.), Hypersleep (6 p.m.), Swear Jar (7 p.m.), Parking Garage (8 p.m.), Second Nature (9 p.m.) and Roomate (10 p.m.).

Speaking with Harpold about all the pieces of HauntFest that have come together, she says that several of them, like Cyanide Suspension hosting the freak shows and the farmer running the hayride, “fell into my lap.” Lehman’s presence at the festival this year is another such instance. Harpold and her business partner, HauntFest COO and music coordinator Abigail Sullivan, had been reaching out to celebrities in the horror world to add an extra draw to the festival. However most were either located too far away or out of budget. en, Lehman’s wife coldcalled Harpold’s cell.

“I said, ‘Did we reach out to you?’ She said, ‘No, I just found you.’ I was like,

was my favorite thing to go out in costume and scare. I love doing that.”

HauntFest was sparked from a dream to own a haunted theme park, and at the beginning of last year Harpold took that inspiration as a UGA junior studying biology and psychology to the Terry College of Business’ Idea Accelerator Program. Harpold says she’s always had a creative mind and loved art but never knew what to do with it, and the education path into the medical field that her parents steered her toward wasn’t something she was passionate about, so she decided to join the entrepreneurship program. In the accelerator program, she was challenged to test the theme

The “World’s Strongest Blacksmith” lifting HauntFest scare actors.

park idea by seeing if there was widespread interest in a year-round Halloween attraction. Harpold says the program was one of the hardest months of her life, with only about a quarter of the students finishing it as a testament to the grueling process. But it pushed her to finish a lot of the work required quickly, and with four months to plan it, Harpold launched HauntFest that May to test public interest.

Leading up to this year’s event, the HauntFest team has organized a plethora of auxiliary events to improve outreach and help foster the local community of horror fans. HauntFest pop-ups, horror trivia nights and flash dance mobs over the past couple of months have been fun marketing tactics to draw interest in the festival, but Harpold sees value in continuing one specific event after the hard work of April Ghouls is over. On Tuesday evening at Southern Brewing Co., HauntFest has been hosting a weekly Horror Enthusiasts Meet-and-Greet that invites the community for a casual evening of games and getting to know each other. Harpold says that the people she’s been able to meet through these events are “all-in” when it comes to their common interests.

With graduation in sight for Harpold in December, she’s eager to move on to producing HauntFest full-time. Ultimately, the goal is to continue an annual festival in Athens and travel with the event similarly to how fairs operate, moving from state to state with her attractions. Harpold has booked a venue to host HauntFest in South Carolina this December, working with someone who already has a haunted attraction who would run their haunt with the addition of Harpold setting up live music, vendors, entertainers, etc.

From the beginning of planning and executing HauntFest, Harpold says the thing that has surprised her the most is the passion that everyone involved has for creating this experience. e volunteer scare actors will drive hours just to meet and discuss the project, says Harpold, and a lot of vendors and other people involved would do anything to support the success of the festival.

“I have a lot right now that are helping me on the sidelines, and I’m just like, you don’t even know me. is is so cool that you’re willing to do all this and reach out to these newspapers and talk to all the people. So, I don’t know, it just puts my faith back into humans,” says Harpold.

For more details about individual vendors, entertainers and activities or to purchase tickets, visit hauntfest.us. f

WHAT: HauntFest

WHEN: Apr. 6, 5 p.m.–12 a.m. Apr. 7, 4–11 p.m.

WHERE: Southern Brewing Co.

HOW MUCH: $15/day or $25/weekend (adv.), $20 (door)

Tell our readers about what makes your business “green”, sustainable or eco-friendly. Deadline to be included is noon on Thursday, 4/11 Contact the flagpole ad department for details: ads@flagpole.com

We Run This Town

Sunday, April 21, 2024 | 2 - 5 p.m.

Medical Services Building - 3rd Floor - Piedmont Athens Regional 242 King Avenue, Athens GA

Female runners and walkers – please join us as we gather together to discuss how we can safely run this town. Participate in a panel discussion with local law enforcement, prepare yourself in a self-defense class; and purchase your running and safety gear from local businesses. Light refreshments provided.

We Run This Town is a free event but registration is encouraged: www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0D4AAFAB29ABFC1-48380523-werunthis

Piedmont Athens Regional thanks the following community partners for their support and participation.

The McLeroy Family Foundation

For more information, contact Tammy Gilland, Director of Community Relations, 706-475-7025 or tammy.gilland@piedmont.org

HAUNTFEST

calendar picks arts & culture

MUSIC | THU, APR. 4

Alejandro Escovedo and James Mastro

40 Watt Club • 7 p.m. (doors) • $25

Alejandro Escovado has lived his entire life immersed in music. After growing up in a musical family in Texas, he moved to San Francisco and joined the punk rock group e Nuns. His career then took him to New York City and back to Austin as a member of several roots rock and alternative country bands. His latest work, solo album Echo Dancing, traces his storied musical history as he reinvents his older works with inspiration from acts like Brian Eno and Suicide. James Mastro is a Hoboken-based rock and Americana musician who is coming along on the tour, both to join Escovedo’s band on stage and to support his newest release, Dawn of a New Error Mastro has a history of touring with legends, among these Patti Smith, Judy Collins and Robert Plant. His new record is similarly star studded, including Brian Griffin and Steve Goulding. He describes it as, “Textural and otherworldly one minute and retro-rock the next.” [Mary Beth Bryan]

MUSIC | THU, APR. 4

The Electric Nature

Flicker Theatre & Bar • 8 p.m. (doors) • $10–15

e Electric Nature is putting on its final Athens show before hitting the road for a 39-stop U.S. tour in support of its new album, Plastic Mind, coming out Apr. 5 via Los Angeles label Already Dead Tapes & Records. is set will feature electroacoustic trance music in honor of being joined by bands from its former folk label, Garden Portal. e first among these, Magic Tuber Stringband, is an Appalachian music duo formed by North Carolinians Courtney Werner and Evan Morgan. Next is Joseph Allred, a Tennessee-based singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer who draws from Appalachian folk, bluegrass, blues, flamenco, avant-garde and classical influences. Last is Kelby Clark, a composer, improviser and multi-instrumentalist from South Georgia who is inspired by old-time fiddle and banjo music and drone, free improvisation, avant-garde and traditional music from across the world. [MB]

MUSIC | FRI, APR. 5

Jet Engine Dragons

Flicker Theatre & Bar • 8:30 p.m. (doors) • $12

Ronin, the forthcoming release by local progressive death and groove metal band Jet Engine Dragons, has been a long time coming. After the band’s last full-length release in 2017, Ashes of Anthemusa, guitarist and vocalist Corey Flowers traveled to Austria, an experience that provided much of the material for Ronin, including themes of culture shock, isolation, rejection and loss of purpose. However, for health and personal reasons, in addition to the pandemic, the band could not finish the album until years later. Ronin’s time has finally come, though, delivering a story for anyone who has ever experienced the cognitive dissonance of making sacrifices to achieve your goals. e band is celebrating the album’s release at this show, presented by Shadebeast, alongside sci-fi progressive metal concept band Scorched Moon and technical death and black metal band Control the Devastator. [MB]

EVENT | SATURDAY, APR. 6

International Street Festival

College Ave. • 12–5 p.m. • FREE!

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the International Street Festival was founded by UGA’s department of

International Student Life to promote cultural awareness and appreciation within the local community through music, dance and food from around the world. is year’s performances include Athens Tango Project, Kenya Safari Acrobats, Tonalli Danza Folklórica Mexicana, Bollywood fusion dance team Saazish and several others. e street block will be lined with over 25 information tables representing UGA student groups alongside community-wide organizations such as Historic Athens and the Classic City Pétanque Club. Jamaican food truck Rashe’s Cuisine and King of Pops will be on site. In addition to raffle prizes from local businesses and a photo booth, the festival will have a designated Children’s Corner with crafts, inflatables and other family-friendly activities. [Jessica Smith]

ART | SAT, APR. 6

Café Apollinaire

ATHICA • 6:30 p.m. (doors) • Donations accepted e 17th annual Café Apollinaire event, named for poet and champion of the arts Guillaume Apollinaire, will transform ATHICA into the café-lined streets of Paris where artists can gather and discuss their work. e event is held in memory of William “Bill” Bray, founder of the Georgia Fine Arts Academy nonprofit organization. e evening will include many attractions, such as violin music from Mamie Fike Mills, a play reading by Eva Creel, a short film showing from Isabel Bobrik and Daniel Gauldron, a performance by singer-songwriter Billy Dunn, art displays from Bob Fetzer’s book, a reading by Sean Polite from Mark Katzman’s upcoming novel M7, a poetry reading by Jeff Fallis, and a comedy sketch by Bowen Craig. [MB]

ART | TUE, APR. 9

Opening Reception

Lyndon House Arts Center • 6–8 p.m. • FREE!

“RESCUE: Waste and Redemption” is an exhibition guest curated by Lizzie Zucker Saltz that features artworks from 22 different artists, all made from upcycled industrial materials saved from the fate of becoming environmental pollutants. Saltz says of the exhibition, “I love the idea of redemption through transformation, and how the artists in ‘RESCUE’ embody that kind of material alchemy.” It will be on view Apr. 6–June 15. “Linnentown: en and Now” is an exhibition by artist and educator Caroline Ford Coleman that grapples with the destruction of many Black family homes in the now nonexistent Linnentown, which fell victim to urban renewal funds that allowed the expansion of the University of Georgia campus into the town in the 1960s. Coleman’s grandparents were among the displaced families, and her exhibition asserts their place in Athens’ history by painting the faces of the Linnentown community into the current Athens landscape. Her exhibition is currently on view through May 10. [MB] f

Alejandro Escovado

good growing Apples in Stereo

HEIRLOOM VARIETIES GEARED TO GROWING IN THE SOUTH

By Erin France news@flagpole.com

Mention Southern apples to many folks— those living here or in more northern climes—and you’ll often hear, “Can you even grow apples in the South?”

Yes, we can. But the apple trees sold at big box stores usually aren’t the types that survive Athens’ heat and humidity.

Tim Mercier, orchardist and owner of Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge, pointed to the well known Honeycrisp, a Minnesota variety, as a tree antithetical to the Georgia Piedmont’s environment. “It’s got no business growing well in Georgia,” he said. Mercier and other orchardists, heirloom apple curators, historians, farmers and gardeners recently gathered for a day of pomology focused on Southern heirloom apples at the State Botanical Garden in Athens.

European domesticated apples grew in the South—eaten, cared for and bred with native crab apples by white, Indigenous and enslaved Black people for hundreds of years. Families kept their favorite trees alive through grafting techniques, passing down grandmother’s favorite baking apple or jelly apple for generations. Nearly all landholders grew some apple trees to make the ubiquitous drink of the time, cider.

Pinnacle, NC could make a fun, overnight apple-filled adventure.

For admiring a local collection of these old-timey Southern apples, check out the Georgia Heirloom Apple Collection curated by Gareth Crosby at the State Botanical Garden this year. I visit the Botanical Garden at least once a year to try and mimic the pruning and growing techniques I see on display.

If you want to grow apple trees in your yard, you’ll need at least two trees (apple flowers can’t pollinate themselves) that bloom at the same time. Look for disease-resistant varieties. Like tomatoes and strawberries, the heat and humidity can wreak havoc on an apple variety unprepared for a Southern summer. You likely also will want to explore the difference between full-sized, semi-dwarf and dwarf varieties for your yard. A smaller tree can allow a grower to fit more trees, but less growth also means less vigor and ability to bounce back as quickly after an injury, infection or infestation. I have semi-dwarf trees in my tiny orchard, and I like the balance between sturdiness and size. Any apple tree you plant will require patience—it’ll be five or more years before there’s any fruit for picking.

Southern apple diversity waned in the 1800s with the temperance movement, the Indian Removal Act and as improved transportation brought cheap apples from across the nation. For more about the history of Southern apples, read Diane Flynt’s Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: e Surprising Story of Apples in the South

Despite its Northern heritage, Honeycrisp saplings are for sale locally and could look like a good choice for a gardener. Instead, investigate regional plant purveyors, particularly those dealing in heirloom apples for a home orchard.

No space for trees? You can still taste some of the Southeast’s heirloom apples at regional orchards this summer and fall— varieties that can’t be found on grocery store shelves and offer a wide selection of flavors, uses and appearances. Mercier Orchards sells apples and apple products, like cider, year-round. Other Georgia heirloom apple sites aren’t regularly open to the public, but visiting James Creek Orchards in Cameron, NC or Horne Creek Farm in

music

threats & promises

Delta 8’s Greased Lightning

PLUS, MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP

By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

My current collection includes Jonagold, Mutsu, Golden Delicious, Gala, Winesap and Granny Smith. Don’t copy that list. I bought and planted those five years ago, when I first moved to Oglethorpe County. I picked the varieties the seller suggested for the South, generally those with the fewest chill hours. Peach and apple trees remain dormant until reaching a fixed number of cumulative hours below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. en, they start to come out of dormancy, break buds and unfurl leaves. Plant a tree with too few chill hours in the North, and the buds will freeze off the trees during a late frost. Attempt to grow a tree with too many chill hours in the South, and it will miss the signal for spring growth.

I’ll keep the Winesap, but the Granny Smith and Golden Delicious aren’t thriving in their current environment. I’ll try to replace them with something heirloom and stubborn, like the Horse apple tree, a variety that nurseries in the 1800s didn’t even sell because most everyone already had them in their yard. Heirloom doesn’t mean the plant will grow better, but it does give growers a larger selection of genetics to find a better match for their environment.

If you’re in the market for an heirloom apple tree, check out specialty nurseries like Century Farm Orchards in North Carolina, the spring plant sale at the State Botanical Garden or nearby orchards that will occasionally sell heirloom saplings. f

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC?: After not having a whole lot going on for the second half of last year, Jake Brower released two new tracks this month after just releasing a new single in February. e first one is named “Gotta Lotta Beans,” which is sweet and, as we describe this music in our Calendar, whimsical bubble gum pop. is month’s release, the two-track High n’ Low & New Name In Your Phone—which is really just the names of the songs—won’t rot your teeth quite as much. “High n’ Low” is a gentle acoustic number beholden to at least a couple of folk traditions. e second, “New Name In Your Phone,” has a very early-1960s pop waltz rhythm and a very light melody that carries along just strong enough to see the song through. e whole package is kind of sad and forlorn and encapsulates a type of bedroom pop that is often mimicked but will only shine if authentic. Which this clearly appears to be. ese are released courtesy of Athens label Attaboy Tapes and can be found at attaboytapes.bandcamp.com.

is that a full-length album should happen before the end of the year. Find this at primordialvoid.bandcamp.com.

BLATANT LOCALISM: e local hardcore punks in Delta 8 have released a super impressive eight-song album named Greased Lightning It’s available on cassette and name-yourprice digital via label Hard Tack, and as a free digital download through the band itself. ese recordings so closely resemble the band’s live sound, it wouldn’t be sur-

RE·AC·TOR: Songwriter Chris Ezelle stayed silent for over a decade before releasing last year’s full-length 60 Pieces Of Silver. is week he’s releasing another new album, the 10-song In On It. is one is pure Ezelle, too, as it’s basically genre-less or, rather, genre-filled. Although, I suppose, you could discern a basic category in country blues for most of these songs, Ezelle decorates them with electro drum beats, effects-processed vocals, proggy guitar riffs, organ trills, etc. At a certain point, it’s clear that Ezelle makes music for no one but himself and, clearly, will sell no wine before its time. Find this at chrisezelle.bandcamp.com starting April.

THE WORLD IS AS SOFT AS LACE: I’m convinced that Marcel Sletten never sleeps anymore. In addition to running the release-heavy Primordial Void label, he’s also constantly playing music with others, creating new projects and continuing his own solo release schedule. Most recently, though, he’s formed Chairs with Atlanta singer Reed Winckler. e pair’s first single, “Dilaudid,” is a pretty perfect lesson in turning one’s admiration for past musical works into one’s own. In the simplest terms, this is a mid-tempo jangle pop tune awash in influences from Felt to the earliest days of Dreams So Real to even e Field Mice and associated Sarah Records groups. e twist here, though, is that the song cuts off without warning at the 1:31 mark. It’s incredibly jarring and attention grabbing which may have been exactly the point. I’m not crazy about it, but I sure do like everything that happens before then. Word on the street

prising to learn that this was all recorded essentially live. But, honestly, I have no idea. What matters is this thing is relentless, lithely muscular and totally enjoyable from start to finish. Among the many subgenres in which it could rightfully claim occupation, it’s most closely aligned with 1980s skate punk. Particular highlights here are the title track, “Stay Down,” “Beach And A Mule” and the menacing album closer “Do Not Ask.” Find tapes at hardtackk.bandcamp.com, and grab a free download at delta888.bandcamp.com.

PERPETUAL CHANGE: MG Williams just put out a new EP from his long-running project Psyop. It was produced by Kyle Spence (Harvey Milk) and includes some impressive guests including Chris McNeal (Vincas, Maserati) and Gene Woolfolk (T. Hardy Morris, Powder Room). ing is, this is a record so in search of an identity I don’t know what to do with it. Musically speaking, it only briefly resembles the band’s 2020 album Utopia Now, which occasionally missed the mark but overall stayed solidly within the parameters of bass-heavy hard rock. is new EP, Blip, approaches the listener as futuristic with its outrun-style cover art and presentation, but slides into Primus territory with the title track, early 1970s prog with the opening song “Ghost In My Mind,” space cowboy land with “Soft Kill” and reached for epic grandeur on EP closer “Outside Of Exile.” For the band’s 2020 record, they chose to use the category “wankery” in its description, and that’s pretty on the mark. Your mileage will vary, of course, so if you’re interested try to find this on Spotify and have as much fun as I did digging through every possible iteration of the band name “Psyop” before you find it. f

An apple blossom blooming in March.

ERIN

FRANCE

Delta 8 MASON

TUESDAY, APRIL 2ND

NO PHONE PARTY

W/ KENOSHA KID (SETH BDAY EDITION)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3RD

OPEN MIC

HOSTED BY LIZ FARRELL

THURSDAY, APRIL 4TH

FLYING SQUID IMPROV & LANNY'S COMEDY SHOW

FRIDAY, APRIL 5TH

AUBREY ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS SUPER CITY

W/ THE ECHOLATIONS

SATURDAY, APRIL 6TH

ATHENS SHOWGIRL CABARET

SUNDAY, APRIL 7TH EMPRESS MOKAH

ALBUM RELEASE

ATHENS’ INTIMATE LIVE MUSIC VENUE CHECK OUT OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE HENDERSHOTSATHENS.COM AND ORDER UP SOME FRESHLY IN HOUSE ROASTED COFFEE!

237 prince ave. • 706.353.3050 ... just listen

UGA Symphony Orchestra presents “From the New World” Works of Dvořák

The program includes works by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák including the Carnival overture, American Suite, and his Symphony No. 9 “From the New World.” (Formerly listed as “French Masterpieces.”)

Wind Ensemble presents “Remixes and Mash-Ups”

This eclectic collection of composers includes: Holst - Suite in E-flat, Bryant - Suite Dreams, Gershwin/Williams - Preludes, Grantham - JS Dances , Likhuta – Bury and Rise (a consortium premiere).

UGA Symphony Orchestra and Combined Choirs “Dona Nobis Pacem”

Presenting “Dona Nobis Pacem” (Grant us Peace) by Ralph Vaughan Williams with the UGA Symphony Orchestra, combined choirs, and soloists. Featuring over 300 student musicians in the closing concert of the season.

WED 4/3 5:30 p.m.

RAMSEY HALL

THURS 4/4 5:30 p.m.

RAMSEY HALL

FRI 4/5 7:30 p.m.

RAMSEY HALL

MON 4/8 7:30 p.m.

HODGSON HALL

WED 4/10 7:30 p.m.

HODGSON HALL

MON 4/15

UGA Jazz Ensembles I & II

The bands performs music of a variety of styles, including swing, be-bop, Latin, and contemporary jazz. Concerts often feature Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Frank Foster, Oliver Nelson and more. Free performance.

Faculty and Guest String Quartet

“Levon and Friends”

Levon Ambartsumian, violin; Oliver Yatsugafu, violin; Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva, viola; David Starkweather, Cello; and Leonardo Lorenco Lopes, double bass. Free Performance.

Latin American Music Ensemble presents “Años de soledad”

This ensemble, conducted by Iris Marcipar, will feature music from the northwest parts of Argentina that speak to a yearning for connection. Free performance.

Don Gillespie Memorial Concert

The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble celebrates the life of UGA HHSOM Alum Don C. Gillespie, who worked for music publishing house C. F. Peters for 31 years and championed 20th Century composers. Free Performance.

Chinese Music Ensemble

Featuring guest artists Spring Yang, Huang Rong Fu, and Ying Chen as well instruments such as the erhu, guzheng, pipa, and the yangqin. Conducted by Vicki Lu. Free performance.

live music calendar

Wednesday 3

40 Watt Club

7 p.m. (doors). $8. www.40watt.com

HALOGENIC Local alternative psychedelic rock band.

CAM NORTON The primary songwriter of Cam and his Dam Jam Band plays solo.

Creature Comforts Brewery

Athens Farmers Market. 5–8 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmersmarket.

net THE HUMDINGERS Acoustic interpretations of pop and soul. (6 p.m.)

Flicker Theatre & Bar

9 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreandbar.com

DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Featuring a large assortment of pop, rock, indie and more.

Georgia Theatre

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $17 (adv.), $20. www.georgiatheatre. com

JOSIAH AND THE BONNEVILLES

Musical project of Josiah Leming, a folk, Americana and country singer-songwriter from Morristown, TN who is touring in support of his most recent album, Endurance.

Hendershot’s

7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com

HENDERSHOT’S OPEN MIC

NIGHT Discover new Athens musical talent. Hosted by Liz Farrell. No. 3 Railroad Street 6 p.m. FREE! www.3railroad.org

OPEN MIC Picnics, chairs, dogs and children are welcome.

Porterhouse Grill

6–8:30 p.m. www.porterhousegrill athens.com

JAZZ NIGHT Captained by drummer Mason Davis performing American songbook, bossa nova classics and crossover hits.

Ramsey Hall

5:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

UGA JAZZ ENSEMBLES A variety of swing, be-bop, Latin and contemporary jazz.

Thursday 4

40 Watt Club

7 p.m. (doors). $25. www.40watt.com

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO Texas

native who has been performing punk rock, roots rock and alternative country guitar music since the 1970s.

JAMES MASTRO Multi-instrumentalist who has played with legends including Patti Smith, John Cale and Robert Plant.

Athentic Brewing Co. Blues and Brews Residency. 6–8:30 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com

RICK FOWLER ACOUSTIC BAND

Original, guitar-driven local bluesrock group. Every first Thursday of the month.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. (doors), 9 p.m. (show). $10–15 sliding scale. www.flicker theatreandbar.com

THE ELECTRIC NATURE Experimental improv group that delves equally into psychedelic noise, dark and light ambient, blistering free rock, modular synthesis, formless drone voids and field recording manipulation. Album release show!

MAGIC TUBER STRINGBAND

North Carolina duo whose primal,

vital energy speaks to an intimate relationship with both folk practice and the natural environment.

JOSEPH ALLRED Tennesseebased guitarist, composer and visual artist who draws from diverse musical styles including Appalachian folk, classical guitar, avantgarde and musical traditions of India, Iran and the Arab world.

KELBY CLARK Composer and improviser from South Georgia whose banjo-heavy compositions are layered and haunting.

Georgia Theatre

8 p.m. (doors), 9 p.m. (show). $25. www.georgiatheatre.com

GIMME GIMME DISCO DJ based dance party playing favorite ABBA tracks alongside disco hits from the ’70s and ’80s by The Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Cher and others.

Hotel Indigo

Live After Five Series. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/AubreyEntertainmentAthensGA

MARTY WEATHERFORD Singersongwriter and guitarist.

Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall

7:30 p.m. $3 (w/ UGA ID), $15. music.uga.edu

UGA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

“From the New World” features works by Dvorák including the Carnivale overture, American Suite and Symphony No. 9

Hugh Hodgson School of Music

2:20 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

UGA JAZZ COMBOS Music and non-music majors performing American standards, jazz standards, Latin jazz and contemporary commercial compositions.

Ramsey Hall

3:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

MICHELLE MOELLER Oboist performing for her graduate recital.

Ramsey Hall

5:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

FACULTY AND GUEST STRING

QUARTET Featuring Levon Ambartsumian and Oliver Yatsugafu on violin, Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva on viola and David Starkweather on cello.

Southern Brewing Co.

6–10 p.m. www.sobrewco.com

KARAOKE NIGHT Every Thursday evening.

Friday

5

40 Watt Club

7 p.m. (doors). $22 (adv.), $27. www.40watt.com

DYLAN GOSSETT Acoustic country singer-songwriter from Texas. Athentic Brewing Co. 7 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing. com

JACK MILLER AND JIM GREEN

Easygoing acoustic guitar performers who will play both covers and originals.

Dancz Center for New Music

6 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

MIXED MEDIA RECITAL Saxophone quartet performing works including original compositions by UGA students.

El Paso Tacos & Tequila Nightshade Family’s 3 Year Anniversary. 10 p.m. $10.www.night shadefamilyband.com

GLUME & PHOSSA British deep dubstep producer duo with melodic

tracks that mesh together synthetic and natural sounds.

DREWDREW Dubstep DJ from Atlanta.

ELLWIN Nightshade Family member playing deep dubstep, riddim, drums and bass, and dark synth.

DJ HENNY Up-and-coming local DJ.

Flicker Theatre & Bar Shadebeast Presents. 8:30 p.m. $12. www.flickertheatreandbar.com

JET ENGINE DRAGONS Progressive and technical death metal band from Athens that is influenced by bands like Opeth, Nevermore and Allegaeon. Album release show!

SCORCHED MOON Sci-fi soaked progressive metal from Atlanta.

CONTROL THE DEVASTATOR

Atlanta tech-death metal.

The Foundry 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $12 (adv.), $15. bit.ly/TheFoundryApril5

BICHOS VIVOS Local band playing forró, accordion and triangle-driven country music from Brazil.

KLEZMER LOCAL 42 Local sevenpiece klezmer band specializing in Jewish and Romani music.

Hendershot’s 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $7 (adv.), $10. bit.ly/HendershotsApril5

SUPER CITY Baltimore band with a hooky pop sound blending heavy rock elements and danceability.

THE ECHOLOCATIONS Local rock band embracing a retro, ’60sinspired sound.

MaiKai Kava Lounge

Cortez Garza’s Songwriters Residency. 7 p.m.www.athenskava.com

CORTEZ GARZA Singer-songwriter with wide-ranging influences and an ever-evolving sound.

THE REVEREND SLY DAVID Acoustic singer-songwriter. Nowhere Bar 8 p.m. www.facebook.com/Nowhere

BarAthens

BLUE TALK Four funkateers from Atlanta.

Ramsey Hall

5:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

HANA BELOGLAVEC International award-winning trombonist and professor of trombone at Louisiana State University.

7:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC

ENSEMBLE The program “Años de soledad” will feature music from the northwest parts of Argentina that speak to a yearning for connection.

VFW Post 2872

6 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (show). $10. www.facebook.com/vfw2872

CHRIS HAMPTON Performing a variety of country, western and rock dance music.

JUKEBOX COUNTRY Old-school country.

COUNTRY RIVER BAND Classic western and honky-tonk style country band.

RAMBLIN’ COUNTRY BAND WITH STEVE DYER Georgiabased band playing country, western and rock classics. Tonight’s benefit show raises money to rebuild Dyer’s house that burned down.

Saturday 6

40 Watt Club

7 p.m. (doors). $21 (adv.), $26. www.40watt.com

SLAUGHTER BEACH, DOG Indierock band from Philadelphia formed in 2014 by Jake Ewald of Modern Baseball.

Bishop Park

Athens Farmers Market. 8 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmers market.net

JIM COOK High-energy solo blues, classic rock and roots music. (8 a.m.)

ARTIE BALL SWING BAND Swing, blues, boogie and Dixieland with all the camp and candor of the glory days of the ‘30s and ‘40s. (10 a.m.)

Flicker Theatre & Bar Attaboy Tapes Presents. 8 p.m. (doors). $12. www.flickertheatreand bar.com

NIGHT PALACE Ethereal dreampop group fronted by Avery Draut. DEAR NORA Indie-pop band formed in Portland, OR in 1999.

JAKE BROWER Whimsical bubblegum pop.

The Foundry

7 p.m. (doors). 8 p.m. (show). $12 (adv.), $15. bit.ly/TheFoundryApr6

NEW SENSATION American tribute band to Australia’s #1 export, INXS.

Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall

7 p.m. $15–17. pac.uga.edu

AFRICA NIGHT A night of music, dancing, fashion and drama. Nowhere Bar

9:30 p.m. www.facebook.com/

NowhereBarAthens GRITS & GREENS Rock and roll four-piece with a soulful and jamheavy delivery.

Southern Brewing Co. HauntFest. 4:30 p.m.–12 a.m. www. sobrewco.com

KARMA KAT Group blending indie, pop and jazz. (5:10 p.m.)

BEAT UP Local punks resisting the darkest timeline. (6 p.m.)

TATTOO LOGIC Five-piece funk punk band from Athens frotned by Mía Hill and Swathi Ramaswamy. (6:55 p.m.)

NIX THE SCIENTIST Progressive rock trio based in Atlanta by way of Athens. (7:50 p.m.)

THE WHILE Dynamic ensemble navigating the mood swings of life. (8:30 p.m.)

FLORENCE CARDIGAN Local “reggae disco dreamy funk pop” trio. (9:40 p.m.)

HOUSE GUESTS High-energy indie alternative rock band playing covers and originals. (10:35 p.m.)

FIRST JASON Ari Lehman, the first Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th, performs with his metal band. (11:30 p.m.)

Strange Duck Brewery Mini Masters Mini Golf Tournament. 2–4 p.m. (tournament), 4:30–7 p.m. (music and mini golf). $20. www.lovecraftathens.org

THE LOVE.CRAFT BAND Crew members of Love.Craft Athens perform songs.

The Winterville Auditorium 7 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (show). $34.95. wintervillecampus@mail.

com

BAD MOON RIDERS The ultimate Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute show. work.shop

11 p.m.–4 a.m. $10.www.nightshade familyband.com

NIGHTSHADE FAMILY HOMEGROWN Tonight spotlights locals

who have been instrumental in building the electronic music scene since the ‘90s: DJ 43, D:RC and XB, with support from DJ Banjo.

Sunday 7

Athentic Brewing Co. 2–5 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing. com

ATHENTIC BLUEGRASS JAM

Bring an instrument to participate in an open jam or just grab a seat and enjoy.

Buvez

Primordial Void Presents. 7 p.m.

$10.www.facebook.com/buvez

athens

R. MEXICO Atlanta/NYC-based producer known for collaborating with acts such as Atlas Sound, Elysia Crampton and Gobby.

MARCEL SLETTEN California-born and Athens-based electronic music producer, composer and artist whose sound varies from peaceful to intense.

SOPHIA RUBEN Local dark ambient composer spins gothic club tracks.

Hendershot’s 6 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com

EMPRESS MOKAH Mokah

Jasmine Johnson makes her live musical debut. EP release party for Love & Justice!

DJ D BLUE Sounds of reggae, afrobeat, dancehall and R&B.

Oak House Distillery 3:30–6 p.m. FREE! www.facebook. com/McHanIxBand

MCHANLX Husband and wife duo Allen and Laura McHan perform pop, rock and country acoustic and electric arrangements.

Southern Brewing Co.

HauntFest. 3:30–11 p.m. www. sobrewco.com

THE YOUNG FRANKENSTEINS

A frankenband of some lawyers, a librarian and a neurosurgeon stitching together a spooky set of rock covers. (4 p.m.)

JACKET Athens band rooted in heavy alt rock, grunge and punk rock spirit, peppered with gritty downtown service industry ruckus. (5 p.m.)

HYPERSLEEP Local sci-fi-fueled psychedelic doom four-piece. (6 p.m.)

SWEAR JAR Local ’90s inspired rock band exploring new horizons in punk, indie and alternative. (7 p.m.)

PARKING GARAGE Local self-proclaimed “salt rock” outfit, mixing dance, pop punk, emo and alternative with a hint of brass. (8 p.m.)

SECOND NATURE Athens-based three-piece alternative rock band whose sound is self-described as “psychedelic beach rock.” (9 p.m.)

ROOMMATE What happens when funk and soul meet indie rock. (10 p.m.)

Terrapin Beer Co. 5–7 p.m. FREE! www.terrapinbeer.

com

JIM COOK High-energy solo acoustic blues, rock and country

Monday 8

Georgia Theatre

6:30 (doors), 7:30 (show). $20 (adv.), $25. www.georgiatheatre.com

CHRIS RENZEMA Singer-songwriter from Grand Rapids, MI who

blends indie rock, contemporary Christian and folk influences into his music.

CITIZENS Seattle, WA-based Christian rock band.

Hugh Hodgson Concert

Hall

Don Gillespie Memorial Concert. 7:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

UGA CONTEMPORARY CHAMBER ENSEMBLE Performing 20thcentury masterworks to celebrate the life of UGA School of Music graduate and music publisher Don Gillespie.

Tuesday 9

40 Watt Club

7 p.m. (doors). $21 (adv.), $26. www.40watt.com

NOLAN TAYLOR Singer-songwriter from Cincinnati, OH who writes about themes including desperation, sorrow and joy and delivers songs with a wide range of vocal emotion.

ZANDI HOLUP Nashville-based folk singer-songwriter who takes inspiration from Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. $10. www.flickertheatreandbar. com

SUNSET HONOR UNIT Sentimental pop from Atlanta comprised of dueling songwriters Drew Kirby (Mothers, CDSM) and Jake Chisenhall (Delorean Gray).

LILY KONIGSBERG Brooklyn, NYbased singer-songwriter who makes poppy and plainspoken indie rock.

GRETA KEATING Songwriter whose sound is comparable to Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten. Hendershot’s

No Phone Party. 7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com

KENOSHA KID Instrumental adventure-jazz group centered around the rollicking compositions of Dan Nettles and featuring Josh Allen, Seth Hendershot and various guests.

Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall

7:30 p.m. $10 (w/ UGA ID), $40-60. pac.uga.edu

JORDI SAVALL Spanish conducter, composer, viol player and researcher of early music. A preperformance talk will be held in Ramsey Hall at 6:45 p.m.

HESPÈRION XXI International early music ensemble directed by Jordi Savall.

Hugh Hodgson School of Music

7:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

ROVSHAN MAMEDKULIEV

Esteemed classical guitarist who has won over 25 awards in national and international competitions. WUOG Live in the Lobby. 8 p.m. FREE! www. wuog.org

SUNSET HONOR UNIT Sentimental pop from Atlanta comprised of dueling songwriters Drew Kirby (Mothers, CDSM) and Jake Chisenhall (Delorean Gray). Swing by the station to watch live or tune in to 90.5 FM.

Down the Line

4/10 Hibbs Family Band (Creature Comforts Brewery) 4/10 Music for Medical Aid in Gaza (40 Watt Club) f

event calendar

Tuesday 2

CLASSES: iPhone Basics (ACC Library) Learn the basics of navigating your device. 10 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org

CLASSES: ESOL (Bogart Library) Learn or polish your English skills using Mango languages online and in-person basic conversation and vocabulary. 12:30 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

CLASSES: Yoga with Phelan (40 Watt Club) Enjoy yoga with a live musical guest, Half Acid. Bring your mat. 7 p.m. $20. www.40watt. com

GAMES: Lunch and Learn New Games (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and try out some new games. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

GAMES: Mahjong Club (Winterville Cultural Center) Learn to play the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong. Tuesdays & Fridays, 1–4 p.m. $1. www.wintervillecenter.com

GAMES: Tuesday Night Shenanigans (Southern Brewing Co.) Play board games and arcade games on site, bring your own games or even your D&D group. Tuesdays, 5–10 p.m. www.sobrewco.com

GAMES: Dirty South Trivia (White Tiger Deluxe) Test your trivia knowledge. Tuesdays, 6 p.m. www. facebook.com/DirtySouthTrivia

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici Athens) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens

GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Akademia Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo

GAMES: Singo! (Beef O’Brady’s) Win gift certificates and prizes at this music bingo night. Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m. www.beefobradys.com/athens

LECTURES & LIT: Bogart Bookies (Bogart Library) Pick up a copy of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore and discuss it with the group. 1–2 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

LECTURES & LIT: Book Swap (Athentic Brewing Co.) Browse free books to take home or settle in to read in the front lounge. Donating books is encouraged but not required. 5–10 p.m. FREE! www. athenticbrewing.com

MEETINGS: Knot Just For Knitters (Oconee County Library) Bring your own crafting project to work on while chatting with fellow crafters. Tuesdays, 3–5 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee

MEETINGS: Silent Book Club (The Foundry) Settle in with some food and beverages, then enjoy an hour of quiet reading time. Registration required. 6–8 p.m. FREE! linktr.ee/ silentbookclubathens

OUTDOORS: 5K Guided Walk (Dudley Park) Southeast Striders Walking Club leads a round-trip walk from Dudley Park to the Firefly Trail and North Oconee River Greenway. All fitness levels welcome. 9 a.m. FREE! www.southeaststriders walkingclub.org

SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@petanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

Wednesday 3

ART: Curator Talk (Georgia Museum of Art) Kathryn Hill, associate curator of modern and contemporary art, will give a gallery talk about the exhibition “Nancy Baker Cahill: Through Lines.” 2 p.m. FREE! www. georgiamuseum.org

CLASSES: Salsa Dancing (Starland Lounge & Lanes) Join SALSAthens for Cuban salsa lessons that meet a variety of dance abilities, including beginners. Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. (advanced), 7:30 p.m. (beginner/ intermediate). $10. SALSAthens Dancing@gmail.com

COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Buvez) Townie improv that invites you to bring suggestions to help create improv magic. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flying squidcomedy.com

EVENTS: 13th Annual UGA Three Minute Thesis (Morton Theatre) This international research competition requires contestants to explain their thesis or dissertation topic in three minutes or less. 7–9 p.m. FREE! www.mortontheatre.com

FILM: Blood Everywhere (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Screening of the 1985 horror film Formula for a Murder. 7 p.m. FREE! www.flicker theatreandbar.com

GAMES: Shadowfist Power Lunch (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and play Shadowfist. New players welcome. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

GAMES: Classic City Trivia (The Local 706) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/

ClassicCityTriviaCo

KIDSTUFF: Busy Bee Toddler Time (Bogart Library) Join Ms. Donna for rhymes, songs, puppets and a story. 10 a.m. & 11 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

KIDSTUFF: LEGO & Builder’s Club (Bogart Library) Drop in to use LEGOs and other building materials. All ages. 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

LECTURES & LIT: Book Discussion (Unity Athens Church) Join the group meeting led by Sharon Duncan and Martha Cook to discuss the book A Course of Love. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. FREE! www. unityathens.com

LECTURES & LIT: Word of Mouth (The Globe) Athens’ longestrunning spoken word open mic, with this month’s featured theme being “Poems for the Planet.” 6 p.m. (sign-ups), 7 p.m. (poetry). FREE! www.facebook.com/athens wordofmouth

LECTURES & LIT: Author Talk (ACC Library) Author Elizabeth Barks Cox will discuss her book Reading Van Gogh: An Amateur’s Search for God. 7 p.m. FREE! www. avidbookshop.com

MEETINGS: Avid Writers’ Collective (Avid Bookshop) Members critique each others’ pre-submitted writing of all forms. First Wednesdays, 6:15 p.m. FREE! events@ avidbookshop.com

OUTDOORS: ‘Normal’ Run (Athentic Brewing Co.) Join the Athens Road Runners for a 1–3 mile run that starts and ends at Athentic Brewing. Every other Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing.com

Thursday 4

ART: Artist Talk (Lyndon House Arts Center) Hear a small grouping of exhibiting artists from the “49th Juried Exhibition” discuss their works. 6 p.m. FREE! www.facebook. com/LyndonHouseArts

COMEDY: Flying Squid Improv & Lanny’s Comedy Show (Hendershot’s) Members of Flying Squid Comedy perform improvised scenes followed by standup performances by local comedians hosted by Lanny Farmer. First Thursdays, 8 p.m. $10. www.flyingsquidcomedy. com

COMEDY: Comedy in the Cellar (Onward Reserve) This week Athens Comedy presents headliner Stephen Henry from Chattanooga along with a local lineup of comedians. Thursdays, 8:30–10:30 p.m. $8–12. www.facebook.com/athenscomedy

EVENTS: Coffee and Tea at No. 3 (No. 3 Railroad Street) The Friends of the Oglethorpe County Library are hosting a coffee shop featuring beverages for sale, Wi-Fi, games, crafts and creative activities. Thursdays, 8 a.m.–12 p.m. www. oglethorpefol.org

EVENTS: STEAM: Eclipse (Bogart Library) Enjoy crafts and activities with certified eclipse glasses available for participants while supplies last. 4 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/bogart

FILM: Club Ned Anime Society (ACC Library) Join club members to watch and discuss episodes of “Future Boy Conan,” “Samurai Champloo” and more. 6:30–8:30 p.m. FREE! www.animefandom.org

GAMES: Teen Dungeons & Dragons (Bogart Library) Join the volunteer led role-playing adventure where you can fight dragons, join an army, go on a quest in distant lands or find hidden treasure. 4 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

GAMES: Thursday Trivia (Johnny’s New York Style Pizza) Test your trivia knowledge with host Jon Head. 6:30 p.m. www.johnnyspizza. com

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (The Foundry) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Thursdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddog athens

LECTURES & LIT: EARTH 16-18: Ecocriticism and Race Theory (UGA Founders Memorial Garden) Professors Emmanuelle Peraldo and Nora Galland introduce attendees to their multi-campus, multiyear research project EARTH 16-18. Registration required. 11:10 a.m. FREE! https://forms.gle/HZwdYnm oig41KYRM9

LECTURES & LIT: The Classical Garden (UGA Founders Memorial Garden) Mario Erasmo, UGA professor and head of the classics department, and Miriam Jacobson, UGA associate English professor, will present. 2:20 p.m. FREE! https:// forms.gle/aCfuXAtDND8VTwyC6

LECTURES & LIT: Author Talk & Book Signing (UGA Main Library) UGA creative writing program’s 2024 Diann Blakely Visiting Poet Ana Božičević will read from her works. 6 p.m. FREE! english.uga. edu

MEETINGS: Coffee Hour (Oconee County Library) Drop in to drink some coffee, while supplies last.

Thursdays, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/oconee

MEETINGS: KnitLits Knitting Group (Bogart Library) Knitters of all levels are invited to have fun, share craft ideas and knit to their hearts’ content. Thursdays, 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

OUTDOORS: 5K Guided Walk (Dudley Park) Southeast Striders Walking Club leads a round-trip walk from Dudley Park to the Firefly Trail and North Oconee River Greenway. All fitness levels welcome. 9 a.m. FREE! www.southeaststriders walkingclub.org

OUTDOORS: Roaming Readers (Oconee County Library) Enjoy a morning walk around Wire Park, and talk about books (or anything). First Thursdays, 10 a.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee

SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@petanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

Friday 5

ART: Art History MA Research Talks (Lamar Dodd School of Art) Graduating second-year MA students will present on the subject of their master’s research in the field of art history with refreshments. 1 p.m. FREE! art.uga.edu

ART: Curator Tour (UGA Special Collections Library) Explore Hargrett’s newest exhibit “Sunken Treasure: The Art & Science of Coral Reefs” with curator Dr. James Porter. First Fridays, 2 p.m. FREE! libs.uga.edu/hargrett

ART: Opening Reception (Lamar Dodd School of Art) The exhibition “Liminal” will feature the art of 40 students graduating this spring. 6–8 p.m. FREE! art.uga.edu

CLASSES: Live Figure Drawing (Revolution Therapy and Yoga) In this beginners friendly class, take turns as students and clothed models to practice drawing human figures. Bring sketchbook and drawing tools. 5:30 p.m. $10 suggested donation. www.revolutiontherapy andyoga.com

CLASSES: Nutrition Night (By Your Leave Family Resource Center) Learn about managing a healthy diet prenatally and as a family, and create affordable snacks to make at home. 6 p.m. FREE! www.facebook. com/ByYourLeave

COMEDY: small talk, BIG SHOW (work.shop) A late night talk show hosted by Matt House featuring hip-hop artist Bryant Perez and the musical stylings of libbaloops. 8–9:15 p.m. $10. www.flyingsquid comedy.com

EVENTS: UGA College of VetMed Open House (University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine) People of all ages can explore the world of veterinary medicine through activities like teddy bear surgery, a Q&A panel and more. 9 a.m.–4 p.m. FREE! vet.uga.edu

EVENTS: First Fridays (Southern Brewing Co.) Kick off the weekend with live music, an on-site food truck and a mini-market featuring local vendors. First Fridays, 5–10 p.m. FREE! www.sobrewco.com

FILM: Rock Doc Block: Amy (Ciné) Enjoy viewings of documentaries

and music videos chosen by Athens musicians with this week’s feature of Amy presented by Kishi Bashi. 10 p.m. $8–11. www.athenscine.com

GAMES: Mahjong Club (Winterville Cultural Center) Learn to play the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong. Tuesdays & Fridays, 1–4 p.m. $1. www.wintervillecenter.com

GAMES: Chess Club (Winterville Cultural Center) Join others for a weekly chess competition. Fridays, 6–10 p.m. FREE! www.winterville center.com

GAMES: Friday Night Initiative (Online: Tyche’s Games) Learn how to play a RPG game with others on Discord. New players welcome. 7 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

KIDSTUFF: Meet & Play (Bogart Library) Drop in for facilitated open play with age-appropriate toys. Best for ages 6 & under. Every Friday, 10:30 a.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/bogart

KIDSTUFF: Fantastic Friday (Bishop Park) An instructor supervises while a parent/caregiver leads their little ones through obstacle courses. Ages 1–4 years. Register online. 10–11:30 a.m. $7.50 (ACC residents), $11.25 (non-ACC residents). www.accgovga.myrec.com

LECTURES & LIT: Arts Collaborative Conversation: (art)WORK (Lamar Dodd School of Art) Graduate assistants in interdisciplinary arts research will discuss art and labor. 12 p.m. FREE! arts-collab. uga.edu

THEATER: Oh, Kay! In Concert (Morton Theatre) A comedic musical written by American composer George Gershwin that tells a Prohibition story of bootleggers, society matrons and new love. Apr. 5–6, 7 p.m. $15. www.mortontheatre.com

Saturday 6

EVENTS: UGA Trial Garden Spring Plant Sale (Trial Gardens) This annual sale will feature landscape ornamentals curated from the garden’s collection of annuals, perennials and more. 8 a.m.–1 p.m. FREE! ugatrial.hort.uga.edu

EVENTS: Spring Fling Patio Pop-Up (Sunroof Coffee) Browse goods by local artists and vendors with music and coffee. 9 a.m.–2 p.m. www. instagram.com/sunroofcoffeeath

EVENTS: International Street Festival (College Avenue) Celebrate 25 years of the festival that explores different cultures through performances, activities and food from around the world. 12–5 p.m. FREE! isl.uga.edu/internationalstreet-festival

EVENTS: Spring Fling Market (Athentic Brewing Co.) Browse local vendors offering jewelry, ceramics, textiles, one-of-a-kind home decor and more with live music and refreshments. 1–6 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing.com

EVENTS: Historic Athens Heritage Walk (Cobbham Historic Neighborhood) Jacob Richardson will guide an exploration of the history of Cobbham, Athens’ first neighborhood. Registration required. 2 p.m. $25. www.historicathens.com

EVENTS: HauntFest (Southern Brewing Co.) This off-season Halloween/horror festival features live music, art vendors, entertainment and activities with the theme April

Ghouls. 5 p.m.–12 a.m. $15/day or $25/weekend (adv.), $20/day. www.hauntfest.us

EVENTS: Saturday Salsa (Oak House Distillery) Enjoy a cozy night of dancing salsa, bachata and merengue. All ages. 6:30–10 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ OakHouseDistillery

EVENTS: Café Apollinaire (ATHICA) The Georgia Fine Arts Academy will present its seventeenth “artsplosion” featuring live music, art, a short film, readings of short plays and comedy. 7–9 p.m. FREE! www. georgiafinearts.org

EVENTS: Africa Night (Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall) This annual event is an immersive cultural experience showcasing an array of African cultures through dances, fashion, music and drama. 7 p.m. $15. pac. uga.edu

FILM: Rock Doc Block: The Story of the Minutemen (Ciné) Enjoy viewings of documentaries and music videos chosen by Athens musicians with this week’s feature of We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen presented by David Barbe. 2:30 p.m. $8–11. www. athenscine.com

FILM: Rock Doc Block: The Elephant 6 Recording Co. (Ciné) Enjoy viewings of documentaries and music videos chosen by Athens musicians with this week’s feature of The Elephant 6 Recording Co. presented by Bryan Poole. 6 p.m. $8–11. www.athenscine.com

GAMES: Learn to Play the Shadowrun RPG (Tyche’s Games) Face off against the mega-corporations in a dark future. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

PERFORMANCE: Athens Showgirl Cabaret Drag For All (Hendershot’s) Enjoy a fabulous night of fun with open drag night. 7:30 p.m. (sign-ups), 8–11 p.m. $5. www. athensshowgirlcabaret.com

SPORTS: Mini Masters Mini Golf Tournament (Strange Duck Brewery) In benefit of Love.Craft Athens, enjoy a fun day of mini golf games. 2–4 p.m. (tournament), 4:30–7 p.m. (music and mini golf). $20. www.lovecraftathens.org

SPORTS: WrestleMania 40 (Beef O’Brady’s) Come watch the professional wrestling event on the big screen. Apr. 6–7, 7 p.m. FREE! www.beefobradys.com/athens

THEATER: Oh, Kay! In Concert (Morton Theatre) A comedic musical written by American composer George Gershwin that tells a Prohibition story of bootleggers, society matrons and new love. Apr. 5–6, 7 p.m. $15. www.mortontheatre.com

Sunday 7

CLASSES: Athens YOGA Collective (Athentic Brewing Co.) Enjoy a yoga class on the patio. First and third Sundays, 12 p.m. FREE! www. athenticbrewing.com

CLASSES: UGA Salsa Club (UGA Memorial Hall) Learn foundational movements of salsa with no partner or experience required. 3:30 p.m. FREE! Experienced salsa dancers will learn a new style and more advanced techniques. 4 p.m. $5. www.ugasalsaclub.com/sundayclass

COMEDY: Best of Athens Comedy (The Globe) Athens Comedy pres-

ents a lineup of local comedians including Angel, Jacob Snipes, Tim Chirikalov and more hosted by Lanny Farmer. 9 p.m. $7. www. athenscomedy.com

EVENTS: 45th Annual Miss Black University of Georgia Pageant (Morton Theatre) In this academic scholarship competition contestants will compete in platform speech, talent presentation, question and answer, and formal wear. 3–6:30 p.m. $15. www.mortontheatre.com

EVENTS: Crawfish Boil (Paloma Park) Celebrate National Beer Day with a bottomless crawfish/low country boil. 3–8 p.m. $30–40. www.palomapark.com

EVENTS: HauntFest (Southern Brewing Co.) This off-season Halloween/horror festival features live music, art vendors, entertainment and activities with the theme April Ghouls. 5 p.m.–12 a.m. $15/day or $25/weekend (adv.), $20/day. www.hauntfest.us

FILM: Rock Doc Block: Running with Our Eyes Closed (Ciné) Enjoy viewings of documentaries and music videos chosen by Athens musicians with this week’s feature of Jason Isbell: Running with Our Eyes Closed presented by Bertis Downs. 7:15 p.m. $8–11. www. athenscine.com

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Southern Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Sundays, 4 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddog athens

SPORTS: Classic City Rollergirls (Fun Galaxy Athens) Watch this intraleague match of Green vs. Black. 10:30 a.m. (doors). $15. www.classiccityrollergirls.com

SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@petanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

SPORTS: WrestleMania 40 (Beef O’Brady’s) Come watch the professional wrestling event on the big screen. Apr. 6–7, 7 p.m. FREE! www.beefobradys.com/athens

Monday 8

GAMES: General Trivia with Erin (Athentic Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host Erin. Mondays, 7–9 p.m. FREE! www. athenticbrewing.com

GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Dooley’s Bar and Grill) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (LumberJaxe) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Mondays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens

GAMES: Team Trivia (Southern Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host Team Trivia. Mondays, 7 p.m. www.sobrewco.com

KIDSTUFF: Monday Funday (Bogart Library) Join Ms. Donna for songs, fingerplays, storytelling and STEAM activities. Ages 3–7 years. Registration suggested. 10:30 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

MEETINGS: Classic City Rotary (Athentic Brewing Co.) The local chapter meets weekly. Mondays, 11:30 a.m. FREE! www.athentic brewing.com

MEETINGS: Hook and Needle (Winterville Cultural Center) A crafting group with a focus on creating and contributing blanket projects for Project Linus. Second Mondays, 2 p.m. FREE! www.wintervillecenter. com

MEETINGS: Pen Pals Writing Group (Oconee County Library) Meet other writers, share your writ-

ing experiences and get feedback on your work. Second Mondays, 5:30 p.m. Fourth Mondays, 4 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/ oconee

MEETINGS: ACC Federation of Neighborhoods (Ciné) The group will host a panel consisting of District 6 and 8 commission candidates. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook. com/federationofneighborhoods

OUTDOORS: Total Solar Eclipse Event (Oglethorpe Co. Library) Solar glasses will be provided with activities and crafts for attendees to watch the eclipse. 1:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/oglethorpe

Tuesday 9

ART: Curator Talk (Lyndon House Arts Center) This talk and artist reception for the exhibition “RESCUE: Waste and Redemption” features artwork using upcycled and repurposed materials. 6–8 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/Lyndon HouseArts

ART: Artist Reception (Lyndon House Arts Center) Caroline Coleman’s exhibition “Linnentown Then and Now: Paintings” features portraits of the Linnentown community. 6–8 p.m. FREE! www.facebook. com/LyndonHouseArts

CLASSES: ESOL (Bogart Library) Learn or polish your English skills using Mango languages online and in-person basic conversation and vocabulary. 12:30 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

CLASSES: Reiki Circle (Serenity Attunement) Connect in meditation and learn more about Reiki. Second Tuesdays, 6 p.m. $22. www.serenity attunement.com

GAMES: Lunch and Learn New Games (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and try out some new games. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

GAMES: Mahjong Club (Winterville Cultural Center) Learn to play the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong. Tuesdays & Fridays, 1–4 p.m. $1. www.wintervillecenter.com

GAMES: Tuesday Night Shenanigans (Southern Brewing Co.) Play board games and arcade games on site, bring your own games or even your D&D group. Tuesdays, 5–10 p.m. www.sobrewco.com

GAMES: Dirty South Trivia (White Tiger Deluxe) Test your trivia knowledge. Tuesdays, 6 p.m. www. facebook.com/DirtySouthTrivia

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici Athens) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens

GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Akademia Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo

GAMES: Singo! (Beef O’Brady’s) Win gift certificates and prizes at this music bingo night. Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m. www.beefobradys.com/athens

KIDSTUFF: Toddler Tuesday: Five Senses (Georgia Museum of Art) Enjoy art and storytime in the galleries, then complete an art activity. Ages 18 months to 3 years. RSVP by email. 10 a.m. FREE! gmoatours@uga.edu

LECTURES & LIT: Time, Fugitivity and Global Black Aesthetics (UGA Miller Learning Center) Dr. Matthew Omelsky of the University of Rochester will give a lecture that theorizes the embodied experience of time in black artforms. 4 p.m. FREE! calendar.uga.edu

MEETINGS: Knot Just For Knitters (Oconee County Library) Bring your own crafting project to work on while chatting with fellow crafters.

Tuesdays, 3–5 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee

MEETINGS: Athens Fibercraft Guild (Lyndon House Art Center) Ann Flippen will present on the Quilts of Valor program that makes quilts for veterans. 12:30–2:30 p.m. FREE!www.athensfiber.org

MEETINGS: Memoir Writing Group (Bogart Library) During this monthly group, hear memoirs from others and learn tips on how to write your own. 5:30–6:30 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@petanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

Wednesday 10

ART: Student Spotlight Tour (Georgia Museum of Art) Curatorial intern Mary Alice Smith will discuss selected objects from the museum’s self-taught art collection. 2 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum.org

CLASSES: Salsa Dancing (Starland Lounge & Lanes) Join SALSAthens for Cuban salsa lessons that meet a variety of dance abilities, including beginners. Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. (advanced), 7:30 p.m. (beginner/ intermediate). $10. SALSAthens Dancing@gmail.com

COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Buvez) Townie improv that invites you to bring suggestions to help create improv magic. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flying squidcomedy.com

FILM: Pachinko Pop (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Screening of the 1991 Japanese science fiction film Zeiram 7 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreand bar.com

GAMES: Shadowfist Power Lunch (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and play Shadowfist. New players welcome. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

GAMES: Classic City Trivia (The Local 706) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo

KIDSTUFF: Busy Bee Toddler Time (Bogart Library) Join Ms. Donna for rhymes, songs, puppets and a story. 10 a.m. & 11 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

KIDSTUFF: LEGO & Builder’s Club (Bogart Library) Drop in to use LEGOs and other building materials. All ages. 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

LECTURES & LIT: Public Memory and Our Passing World (Online) This virtual discussion will explore the power of the arts and public memory in a time of climate change. Register for Zoom link. 4 p.m. FREE! www.events.mellon.org

MEETINGS: Future Land Use Public Input (Hilsman Middle School) The public is invited to learn more, ask questions and provide feedback on future land use efforts. 6–7:30 p.m. FREE! www.accgov.com/ compplan

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Sweet Honey in the Rock

bulletin board

Deadline for getting listed in Bulletin Board is every THURSDAY at 5 p.m. for the print issue that comes out the following Wednesday. Online listings are updated daily. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

Art

AAAC QUARTERLY GRANT (Athens, GA) The Athens Area Arts Council offers $500 grants to visual and performing artists in any medium to support specific projects that enrich the culture of Athens. Rolling deadlines are June 15, Sept. 15, Dec. 15 and Mar. 15. Apply online. www. athensarts.org/support

BIPOC ARTIST/CURATOR PROJ-

ECT OPEN CALL (Lyndon House Arts Center) Seeking BIPOC individuals residing in Georgia to develop an art exhibition to be on display for 6–8 weeks at the LHAC. A stipend of $1500 is provided. www.accgov.com/9799/ ArtistCurator

CALL FOR ART (Winterville Cultural Center Gallery) The gallery’s grand opening exhibit will have the theme

“New Beginnings: Works About A New Beginning.” Submissions accepted through Apr. 27. www. wintervilleccgallery.com

CALL FOR COLLECTORS (Lyndon House Arts Center) The LHAC’s “Collections from our Community” series features unique collections of objects found in the closets, cabinets and shelves of Athenians. Email if interested in displaying your collection. shelby.little@ accgov.com

CALL FOR EXHIBITION PROPOSALS (Lyndon House Arts Center) Artists, artist groups and curators can submit original exhibition proposals for consideration in the arts center’s gallery schedule. Arts can

also submit images of their work for consideration in larger group or themed shows. Deadline Apr. 20, 11:59 p.m.. https://www.accgov. com/6657/Exhibition-ProposalForm

EMERGING BLACK ARTIST

SCHOLARSHIP (Athens, GA) The Athens Area Arts Council will award a $500 scholarship annually to one Black artist from a Clarke County high school who is attending, or has been accepted to, a college or university to study the arts. Deadline June 30. www.athensarts.org/ support

JOKERJOKERTV CALL FOR ARTISTS (Online) JOKERJOKERtv is actively accepting proposals for collaboration from visual, musical and video artists and curators living in Athens. Artists worldwide can also submit music videos, short films, skits and ideas to share with a weekly livestream audience. www. jokerjokertv.com/submit OPEN STUDIOS (Lyndon House Arts Center) Studio members have access to spaces for painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, jewelry, fiber and woodworking. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. $65/month. www. accgov.com/7350/Open-StudioMembership

PUBLIC ART SELECTION PANELS

(Athens GA) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission is seeking community members to participate in upcoming public art selection panels. Panels review, evaluate and select from submitted proposals for ACC-funded public art com-

art around town

ACE/FRANCISCO GALLERY (675 Pulaski St., Suite 1500) Jason Thrasher’s exhibition of photographs, “Kashi Washi,” documents his return to a specific street corner in Benares, India 25 years after his first visit in 1998. Through May by appointment.

ATHICA@CINÉ GALLERY (234 W. Hancock Ave.) Christina Habibi shares a collection of large abstract paintings incorporating architectural and structure elements juxtaposed with single words. Through Apr. 25.

BOGUE GALLERY AT ACC LIBRARY (2025 Baxter St.) The 38th annual “Georgia Artists with DisAbilities Art Show and Tour” presents over 50 works by members of GAWD ranging from pottery, painting and sculpture to wood carving, photography and weaving. Through Apr. 21.

CIRCLE GALLERY AT UGA COLLEGE OF ENVIRONMENT & DESIGN (Jackson Street Building) Atlanta artist and National Geographic photographer Peter Essick presents “Work in Progress,” a collection of images offering a bird’s eye view of construction sites. Closing Reception Apr. 17, 4:30 p.m.

CLASSIC CENTER (300 N. Thomas St.) In Classic Gallery I, “Spotlight” features works by painters William Ballard, Jaci Davis and Ella Hopkins. • In Classic Gallery II, Kristin Roberts’ “The Fables” illustrates Aesop’s Fables with detailed works that are both whimsical and dangerous.

DODD GALLERIES (270 River Rd.) “Liminal: BFA Exit 1” features the works of 18 student artists graduating this semester. Opening Reception Apr. 5, 6–8 p.m.

FLICKER THEATRE & BAR (263 W. Washington St.) Whimsical works by Jill Carnes and bright geometric paintings by Hannah Jones. Through April.

GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) “Nancy Baker Cahill: Through Lines” is a mid-career survey demonstrating the artist’s progression from drawing into digital works of art in augmented reality. Through May 19. • “Richard Prince: Tell Me Everything” includes a suite of works based on the joke archives of comedian Milton Berle. Through June 16. • “Decade of Tradition: Highlights from the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection.” Through July 3, 2024. • “Kei Ito: Staring at the Face of the Sun” uses photography to examine the intergenerational trauma of nuclear disaster and the

missions. www.accgov.com/9656/ Public-Art-Selection-Panels

SEEKING ACAC MEMBERS (Athens, GA) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission is seeking three candidates to fill three-year volunteer positions. The ACAC meets the second Monday of every month at 6 p.m. Application deadline Apr. 14, 11:59 p.m. Tatiana.veneruso@ accgov.com, www.accgov.com/ acac

Classes

ACCA CLASSES (Athens Community Council on Aging Center for Active Learning) “Qigong for Vitality with Anna DiBella” includes gentle movements to help improve balance, coordination and the mind-body connection. Mondays, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. $20–25/five week series. “Feel Better Yoga with Elizabeth Alder, CYT” is a slowgoing yoga class for all abilities. Tuesdays, 2:30–3:30 p.m. $20–25/ five week series. abarefoot@acc aging.org

A COURSE OF LOVE (Unity Athens Church) Learn a positive path for spiritual living based on A Course in Miracles. Wednesdays, 10–11:30 a.m. FREE! www.unity athens.com

ART CLASSES (K.A. Artist Shop)

The shop offers a range of fine art classes and workshops for adults, private classes and parties, summer camps, and art clubs for youth. Topics include acrylic, aqua oil, bookmaking, calligraphy, gouache,

printmaking, and watercolor. Register online. www.kaartist.com

ART CLASSES (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) “Collage & Mixed Media.” Apr. 13, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $90–130. “Folk Art Painting” focuses on recognizing basic geometric shapes of animals, people and foliage. Tuesdays, Apr. 16–May 7, 7–9 p.m. $15/class, $60/series. edriscoll60@gmail.com

BACHATA WORKSHOPS (YWCO)

Join TIMBAthens for a bachata workshop led by Terri Ann Feliciano, a founder of Atrevidos Dance Company. Workshops include basic styling technique (1 p.m.), body movement and sensual bachata drills (2:15 p.m.), social combo partner work (3:30 p.m.). Feb. 6, 1–4:30 p.m. $25/workshop. bit.ly/ bachata2024

BLACKSMITHING CLASSES (Greenhow Handmade Ironworks, Washington) A variety of classes include “Forge a Firepoker with Decorative Handle” (Apr. 6, May 11 or June 14), “Forge Grilling Tools” (Apr. 13 or June 1), “Forge a Three Hook Rack” (Apr. 26 or May 25), “Forge Garden Tools” (Apr. 27 or June 8), “Forge a Railroad Spike Knife” (May 3, May 24 or July 26), “Forge a Tomahawk” (May 4 or July 25), and “Forge a Spear” (May 31 or July 27). Classes run 10 a.m.–5 p.m. www.greenhowhandmade. com/blacksmith-classes

CLASSES (Winterville Cultural Center) “Chair Yoga” promotes deep breathing, mindfulness and inward listening. Mondays, 9:10–10:10 a.m. $12/drop in. “Botanical Sketchbook” explores drawing techniques like shading, perspective and light. Mondays, 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m. $12/drop in. wintervillecampus@gmail.com, www.winterville center.com

possibilities of healing and reconciliation. Through July 14.

GLASSCUBE@INDIGO (500 College Ave.) Zane Cochran presents “Aurora,” a sculptural interpretation of the aurora borealis using 3D geometric figures and lights.

HENDERSHOT’S (237 Prince Ave.) Nirvinyl Album Art presents “Nirvinyl For Sale” featuring vintage album cover art. Through mid-April.

LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (211 Hoyt St.) Collections from our Community presents Ikla McConnell’s collection of Pyrex casseroles and dishware. Through Apr. 9. • The 49th annual Juried Exhibition features 160 works by 111 local artists. Artist Talks held Apr. 4, 11, 18 and 25, 6 p.m. Through May 4. • “Linnentown Then and Now: Paintings by Caroline Coleman” is an exhibition of portraits telling the story of her family and other Linnentown community members. Reception Apr. 9, 6–8 p.m. Currently on view through May 10. • The Window Works series presents a site-specific artwork by Atlanta artist Michael Reese that questions the perception of the Black Body against cyanotype photography popular with architectural blueprints. Through spring. • Guest curated by Lizzie Zucker Saltz, “RESCUE: Waste and Redemption” presents 22 artists who transform industrial byproducts into artworks or craft objects. Opening reception Apr. 9, 6–8 p.m. On view Apr. 6–June 15.

MADISON-MORGAN CULTURAL CENTER (434 S. Main St., Madison) “John Lewis Series: Painting by Benny Andrews” features 17 paintings by Andrews depicting the life of late U.S. Congressman John Lewis and the Civil Rights Movement. • In celebration of National Women’s History Month, the gallery shares 13 photographs by Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864–1952) taken in Madison in 1939 of seven antebellum homes and one church as part of the Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South. Through May. • Photographer Emily Jenkins Followill shares images that capture an appreciation for the beauty of the past and an eye for the present in “Enhancing History: The Beauty of Land & Spaces in the South.” Through May 10.

OCONEE CULTURAL ARTS FOUNDATION (34 School St., Watkinsville)

“Youth Art Month 2024” features artwork by students in kindergarten through 12th grade attending Oconee County schools. Through Apr. 6. • “Explosive Encounters: Where Paint Meets Thread” features over 20 art quilts by Laura Leiden. Through Apr. 6.

PORCELAIN AND DECORATIVE ARTS MUSEUM (2450 S. Milledge Ave.) Two new collections celebrating the connection between art and nature

COOKING CLASSES (Athens Cooks)

“Sushi and Sake” will be held Apr. 3, 6–8 p.m. $103. “French Bistro Basics” will be held Apr. 6, 6–8 p.m. $103. “Taste of Thailand” will be held Apr. 18, 6–8 p.m. $103. Register online. www.athenscooks. com

PÉTANQUE CLUB OF ATHENS (5 Alumni Dr.) Learn to play Pétanque. RSVP for a free Wednesday introduction. athenspetanqueclub@ gmail.com, www.athenspetanque club.wixsite.com/play

QPR SUICIDE PREVENTION

TRAINING (Nuçi’s Space) Nuçi’s hosts free monthly QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention sessions for anyone interested, not just mental health professionals. Nuçi’s also offers free training for businesses and organizations. qpr@nuci.org, www.nuci.org/qpr

SPANISH CLASSES (Multiple Locations) Casa de Amistad offers beginning and intermediate GED and ESL classes in-person and online. An eight-week course to learn Spanish meets Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:30–1:30 p.m. $60. www.athensamistad.com

SUPPLY CHAIN AND WELDING

TRAINING CLASSES (Athens

Career Center) Goodwill of North Georgia is offering no-cost job training and support programs. Both programs begin in April. www. goodwillng.org

TRADITIONAL MARTIAL ARTS

CLASSES (Live Oak Martial Arts) Traditional and modern-style Taekwondo, self-defense, grappling and weapons classes are offered for all ages. Classes in Jodo, the art of the Japanese staff and sword, are held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 p.m. Visit the website for a full schedule. liveoak martialarts@gmail.com, www.live oakmartialarts.com

Help Out

ADOPT AN ANIMAL (Bear Hollow Zoo) Different sponsorship levels are available to “adopt” a zoo resident. Donations are used for exhib-

its, food and wildlife education.

706-613-3580

SEEKING BOARD MEMBERS (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Sandy Creek Nature Center, Inc., is seeking new members for its board of directors. Brochures and applications are available online. scncinc@gmail. com, www.sandycreeknaturecenter inc.org/board-members

Kidstu

ATHENS FOREST KINDERGARTEN

(Sandy Creek Park) Now enrolling children ages 3–6. AFK is a cooperative preschool that aims to develop initiative, persistence, interdependence, and empathy. www.athensforestkindergarten.org

BLACKSMITH SUMMER CAMP (Greenhow Handmade Ironworks)

Ages 13 and up can learn basic blacksmithing skills through different hands-on projects like making fire pokers, tomahawks, scrolls, hooks and more. Materials, fuel and tools are included. July 8–12, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. $525. www.greenhow handmade.com/blacksmith-classes

FARM CAMP (Sweet Olive Farm) This all-outdoor camp for ages 6–12 includes caring for and interacting with the animals, creek time in the woods, outdoor crafts, games, music, art-making, writing and exploring the farm. Mondays–Fridays, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. during the summer. Register online. www. sweetolivefarm.org

GROUPS AT REBLOSSOM (ReBlossom) A variety of classes, playgroups and support groups are offered for parents and young children. Topics include birth and breastfeeding, prenatal and parent-baby yoga, instrument play, maternal mental health and more. Check website for a schedule. www. reblossomathens.com

LEARN TO SWIM (Multiple Locations) The ACC Leisure Services Department offers swim lessons for children ages 3 and up at Heard Park, Lay Park, Memorial Park and Rocksprings Park including “Swim School” and “Parent/Tot Swim

include a complete Jasperware tea set from Wedgewood in England and a series of hand-carved coconut vessels.

THE ROOK & PAWN (294 W. Washington St.) Painted wood cutouts by Marisa Mustard. Through Apr.15.

SPACEBALL BAZAAR (130 N. Church St., Bogart) “In Like a Lion” is a group exhibition featuring regional artists. Closing Reception Apr. 6.

STATE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF GEORGIA (2450 S. Milledge Ave) Judy Bolton Jarrett presents “ART and SOUL,” a collection of paintings depicting landscapes and flowers in textured acrylics as well as mixed media works featuring collage techniques. Closing reception Apr. 28.

STEFFEN THOMAS MUSEUM OF ART (4200 Bethany Rd., Buckhead)

“Peace in Our Time: Steffen Thomas Meisterwerke from the Lowrance Collection” shares works collected by Marjorie and Richard Lowrance over the span of 60 years. Through July 23.

UGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER LOBBY GALLERY (230 River Rd.) The new gallery debuts with large-scale paintings from Margaret Morrison’s “Paradigm Shift,” a series created after Morrison began questioning historical aspects of her closely held Mormon faith. Through July 26.

UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) “Paving the Road to Progress: Georgia Interstate Highways” traverses the rocky path of the interstate system’s development through maps, reports, correspondence and legislation. Through Apr. 24. • “HBO at 50: The Rise of Prestige Television” highlights some of the groundbreaking programming created by and aired on HBO with items selected from the Peabody Awards Archive. Through May 2024. • “Legacy: Vince Dooley, 1932-2022” celebrates the life and career of the late UGA football head coach and athletic director through photographs and artifacts. Tours held before home games on Fridays at 3 p.m. Through spring 2024. • Developed by James W. Porter, Meigs Professor of Ecology emeritus at UGA, “Sunken Treasure: The Art and Science of Coral Reefs” explores the marine lives of coral through specimens and photographs. Family Day Apr. 13, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Through July 3.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP OF ATHENS CLEMENTS

GALLERY (780 Timothy Rd.) “The Three Graces” is a collaborative art exhibit by Elizabeth Bishop-Martin, Starr Ramsey Helms and Kim Kendall. Artist talk with Bishop-Martin Apr. 21, 12 p.m. Reception Apr. 28, 12–2 p.m. On view Apr. 5–June 23.

School.” $33 (residents), $50 (non-residents). The department’s Kinderswim program is offered to five-year-olds at no cost. www. accgov.com/myrec

LIBRARY STORYTIMES (ACC Library) Storytime for preschool aged children and their caregivers is offered every Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. www.athens library.org

LUTHEROAD DAYCAMP (Holy Cross Lutheran Church) Camp for rising 1st–6th graders runs June 24–27, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. and June 28, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. www.holycrossathens.com/ lutheroad

SUMMER ART CAMPS (K.A. Artist Shop) Art Camps for Promising Young Artists are offered for half or full days Mondays–Fridays during the summer. Activities range from drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, illustration, calligraphy and character design. www.kaartist.com

SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION

(Athens, GA) ACC Leisure Services Department offers camps highlighting art, nature education, sports and theater. Now registering. www. accgov.com/myrec

TREEHOUSE SUMMER CAMPS

(Treehouse Kid & Craft) Camps are offered in a variety of themes including “Camp Swiftie,” digital art illustration and animation, “Mouse Palace,” “Craft Inc. Business,” fairy tales, “Crafty Carnival,” “Mini Museum” and more. Visit the website for details and to register. www. treehousekidandcraft.com

UGA SUMMER ART CAMP (Lamar Dodd School of Art) High school students with a passion for the arts are invited to participate in a fourday camp featuring drawing, painting, printmaking and photography. June 24–27. summerartcamp@ uga.edu, art.uga.edu/programs/ community-programs/uga-summerart-camp

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL (Athens

First United Methodist Church) Kids entering grades K-5 in the fall can participate in a summer camp exploring faith and the deep blue sea through various games, music, snacks and activities. June 3–6, 9 a.m.–12:25 p.m. www.athensfirst um.org/scuba

WILD EARTH CAMP (Piedmont Preserve) Wild Earth Camp offers

spring break camp (Apr. 1–5), summer camps and homeschool programs for ages 4–13. Participants explore the natural environment through games, storytelling, free play and teaching earth skills. Register online. www.wildearth camp.org

Support Groups

ACA ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS AND DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES (Holy Cross Lutheran Church) This support group meets weekly. Tuesdays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. annetteanelson@gmail.com

AL-ANON 12 STEP (Multiple Locations) Recovery for people affected by someone else’s drinking. Free daytime and evening meetings are held several times throughout the week in Athens. Tuesday meetings, 1:30–2:30 p.m., are held at Watkinsville United Methodist Church. www.ga-al-anon.org

ATHENS COUNCIL OF THE BLIND (Athens, GA) Open to people of all ages with vision impairments, their families and friends. Topics include adaptive equipment, recreational

and social opportunities, and advocacy. 706-424-2794, dlwahlers@ gmail.com

BRAIN INJURY SUPPORT GROUP (St. Mary’s Hospital, 5th Floor Therapy Room) This support group for survivors of traumatic head injury, their families, friends and caregivers offers friendship, information about resources and opportunities for advocacy. Every third Monday, 4:30–6 p.m. Contact Floretta Johnson, 706-353-1892, floretta.johnson@stmarysathens. org

NAMI FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (Oconee Presbyterian Church) Peer-led support group for any adult with a loved one who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition. Second Monday of the month, 6:30–8 p.m. FREE! joannehnamihallga@gmail.com

NEW PARENTS AND INFANT

FEEDING SUPPORT GROUP (BYL Family Resource Center) Come as you are for community, snacks and feeding advice from professionals. Babies and children of all ages are welcome. Second and fourth Wednesdays, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.byyourleave.org

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS (24th Street Clubhouse) Learn to stop eating compulsively or curb other unwanted food-related behaviors. Tuesdays, 12 p.m. Text: 678-7363697

PARKINSON’S SUPPORT GROUP (First Baptist Church) This group is to encourage, support and share information with fellow sojourners who manage the challenges of Parkinson’s disease or other movement disorders. Second Friday of the month, 1 p.m. gpnoblet@ bellsouth.net

POLYAMORY SUPPORT GROUP (Revolution Therapy and Yoga) This open support group for adults practicing or considering polyamory or nonmonogamy discusses navigating jealousy, polysaturation, relationships with metamours and polyamorous parenting. Thursdays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. $10 donation. www.revolutiontherapyandyoga.com

PROJECT SAFE (Family Protection Center) Project Safe hosts a support group for survivors of domestic violence. Mondays, 6:30–8 p.m. www. project-safe.org

RECREATE JOY (Sunny Days Therapeutics) Nuçi’s Space hosts a recreational therapy support group. Improve coping skills and self esteem while reducing depression and anxiety through adaptive yoga, games and leisure education. Sixweek sessions. Wednesdays, 5–6 p.m. tinyurl.com/rnvuhesa

RECOVERY DHARMA (Athens Addiction Recovery Center) This peer-led support group offers a Buddhist-inspired path to recovery from any addiction. Visit the website for details. Thursdays, 7 p.m. www.athensrecoverydharma.org

SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE (Nuçi’s Space) SOS is a support group for anyone who has lost a loved one to

suicide. Meets the third Wednesday of every month, 5:30–7:30 p.m. www.nuci.org

Word on the Street

ATHENS VEGAN CHEF CHAL-

LENGE (Multiple Locations) This month-long challenge hosted by Vegan Outreach and Farm of the Free encourages diners to try featured vegan menu items and vote on their favorites. Visit website for participating restaurants. Through April. www.veganchefchallenge.

org/Athens

BIKE REPAIR STATIONS (Multiple Locations) Over 15 free bike repair stations are located across Athens with tools, an air pump and a QR code for quick guides on basic bike repairs. Visit the website for participating locations. www.accgov. com/10584/Bike-Repair-Stations

DIAMOND HILL FARM CSA (Athentic Brewing Co.) The Community Supported Agriculture program offers a variety of seasonal vegetables, fruits and/or flowers directly to consumers each week. Check website for weekly pickup locations, home delivery details and to register. $15 (flower share), $25–35 (farm box). www.diamondhillfarm athens.com

POP UP BOOK SALE (Oglethorpe County Library) The Friends of the Oglethorpe Country Library are hosting a sale of books, DVDs, CDs and more, with most items $1 or less. Special topic sale tables include gardening (Apr. 4–7), science fiction and fantasy (Apr. 8–13), history and travel (Apr. 15–20), romance (Apr. 22–27), Mother’s Day and family (Apr. 29–May 4) and the environment (Apr. 22). Sale runs during operating hours Apr. 4–May 4. www.oglethorpefol.org

PRESERVATION AWARDS (Athens, GA) Nominations for the 55th annual Historic Athens Preservation Awards are now open. The awards recognize buildings and projects making outstanding contributions to the preservation and restoration of Historic Athens’ heritage. Deadline Apr. 17. bit.ly/55awards

PSCOB COMMUNITY SURVEY (Athens, GA) The Public Safety Civilian Oversight Board is seeking feedback on the perception of law enforcement officials. www.aad movement.org

PUBLIC COMMENT ON POLICE

COMMUNICATIONS (Athens, GA)

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) is currently receiving comments regarding the Police Department’s Central Communications Division, which is responsible for 9-1-1. Deadline Apr. 3. cimrs2. calea.org/338

RABBIT BOX THEMES (Athens, GA)

Seeking storytellers to share true short stories on stage. Upcoming themes include “The Story of Your Name” on Apr. 23 and “With This

Ring” on May 28. Visit website to apply. www.rabbitbox.org/tell

RABBIT HOLE EVENTS (Rabbit Hole Studios) Weekly events include Open Mic (Tuesdays, 7–11 p.m.), Acoustic Song Circle (Thursdays, 7–11 p.m.) and Drumming and Song Circle (Sundays, 3–5 p.m.). Wednesday Yoga (5 p.m.) is followed by Meditation and Integration (6 p.m.). Events are free or donation based. www.rabbitholestudios.org/ calendar

SEEKING CANDIDATES (Athens, GA) ACCGov is seeking qualified candidates to fill volunteer positions on a number of policy-making boards including the Airport Authority, Classic Center Authority, Hearings Board, Historic Preservation Commission, Human Relations Commission, Join Development Authority of ACCGov/Winterville and Planning Commission. Applications accepted through Apr. 5. www.accgov.com/boards

SEEKING COMMUNITY INPUT

(Athens, GA) ACCGov seeks input on desired growth and future land use planning. A series of eight public input events will be held now through Apr. 18. Additionally, community members can fill out the online survey. www.accgov. com/compplan

SEVENTH GENERATION (Multiple Locations) Seventh Generation Native American Church hosts gatherings on Sundays at 11 a.m. at Rabbit Hole Studios. Men’s Group meets Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at Healing Path Farm. www.seventhgenerationnativeamericanchurch.org

SPRING ACTIVITIES (Athens, GA)

ACC Leisure Services will offer a variety of arts, environmental science, recreation, sports and holiday events this spring for all ages. Now registering. www.accgov.com/ myrec

TORRANCE FESTIVAL OF IDEAS

(Online) Commemorate 40 years since the founding of UGA’s Torrance Center for Creativity with three days of innovative and inspiring discussions on creativity and learning. View schedule of speakers and topics online. Apr. 23–25, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. www.tinyurl. com/2024ideasfest

VHS DIGITIZATION (Athens, GA)

Brad Staples (of the Athens GA Live Music crew) is seeking previously recorded concerts and events on VHS, VHSC or DVDs to digitize and archive on his YouTube channel, vhsordie (@vhsordie3030). Original recordings will be returned, and credits and dates will be included in the online video description. Digitization services are free. Contact for details and to coordinate shipping. bradley.staples88@gmail.com

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE

(Athens, GA) The voter registration deadline for the May 21 General Primary/Nonpartisan Election is Apr. 22. Verify voting status, change your name or address, or register to vote online. www.mvp. sos.ga.gov f

“My Sister Always Was the Weird One” by Cameron Bliss is currently on view in the 49th Juried Exhibition at the Lyndon House Arts Center through May 4.

classifieds

REAL ESTATE

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

2 Spaces avail. in CHASE ST WAREHOUSE. Each space has concrete floors, bathroom, HVAC and own exterior access. 700 sqft @ $1200 per month and 900 sqft @ $1500 per month. If interested call or text 323-304-0720 or email mfp productions@gmail.com.

HOUSES FOR RENT

House, 3BR/2BA in Normaltown. Central heat/air. Apartment, 2BR/1BA. Furnished. Washer/dryer. Wi-Fi. No smokers, pets. Calls only! 706-372-1505

HOUSES FOR SALE

Looking for a house or a home? Condo or land? Call Daniel Peiken. REALTOR

5Market Realty. Selling in and around Athens for over 20 years. 706-296-2941

Sell or Rent your properties in the Flagpole Classifieds in print and online.. Call 706-549-0301 or email class@flagpole.com today!

FOR SALE

MISCELLANEOUS

Business Water Solutions offers the cleanest drinking water available through innovative bottle-less water coolers and ice machines. Call 706-248-6761 or visit www.businesswatersolutions.com to set up a consultation.

MUSIC

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nuçi’s Space is always accepting and selling used gear and instruments. All profits go toward our mission of ending the epidemic of suicide. Visit nuci.org/ rewired.

INSTRUCTION

Athens School of Music. Now offering in-person and online instruction in guitar, bass, drums, piano, voice, brass, woodwinds, strings, banjo, mandolin and more. From beginner to expert, all styles. Visit www.athensschoolofmusic.com. 706543-5800

MUSIC SERVICES

Instant cash is now being paid for good vinyl records & CDs in fine condition. Wuxtry Records at corner of Clayton & College Dwntn. 706-369-9428

SERVICES

CLEANING

Peachy Green Clean Cooperative, your local friendly green cleaners! Free estimates. Call or go online today: 706-248-4601, www. peachygreencleancoop. com.

HOME AND GARDEN

Woman-Run Gardening

Services: Prep for spring! We offer garden clean-up/ maintenance, invasive plant removal, raised beds, personalized native/edible gardens for home/business and more! Call/Text: 706395-5321.

Advertise your services in the Flagpole Classifieds in print and online. Call 706549-0301 or email class@ flagpole.com today!

HEALTH

MINDFULNESS RETREAT

HOSTED BY MINDFUL BREATH SANGHA OF ATHENS/OCONEE June 6 – June 9 1241 BRITAIN ESTATES DRIVE, WATKINSVILLE GA OVERVIEW:

This Retreat will be led by monks and nuns from the Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi. Magnolia Grove Monastery is a Mindfulness Practice Meditation Center practicing in the tradition of Plum Village, founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, who was nominated for a Noble Peace Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is one of three Buddhist Monasteries in the U.S. which practice in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. FEE: $285.00(includes 9 meals). Half of the fee($142.50) is due with registration. To request a registration form, or more information, email Claire Bolton at cbolton08@gmail.com or Becky Lockman at beckylockman@gmail.com.

Flagpole ♥s our advertisers, donors, & readers!

Pain? Depression?

Insomnia? Call us today to find out how we can help you using natrual plant medicine. 888-4203848 . Use coupon code “Athens24” for 15% off your first order.

JOBS

PART-TIME

Join a diverse, inclusive workplace and get paid to type! 16–40 hours, Mon–Fri. NEVER be called in for a shift you didn’t sign up for. Must type 55+ wpm. Make your own schedule and work independently with no customer interaction. Starts at $13 with automatic increases. www.ctscribes. com

UU Fellowship of Athens seeks Childcare Workers for Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. Learn more at www.uuathensga. org/employment

Get Flagpole delivered to your mailbox! Purchase at www.flagpole.bigcartel. com, 706-549-0301 or frontdesk@flagpole.com.

White Tiger is now hiring for BOH positions at the Athens and Watkinsville locations! No experience necessary. Email work history or resume to catering@whitetigergourmet.com.

FULL-TIME

Athens Bagel Company is seeking awesome early risers to staff the freshly renovated downtown bagel shop! Bakers, cooks, counter staff. Apply online www.athensbagel.com/jobs.

A. La Fera is Now Hiring: Licensed Hair Stylist, Fulltime or Part time. Located at 600 Oglethorpe Ave. Great products and beautiful space. Send your resume or portfolio to a.lafera@gmail. com.

Summer Seasonal (May-Aug) Classic City Installation: Starting @ $20-25/hr. Assistant Manager and Manager roles performing furniture installation on college campuses. Great benefits, travel as a team w/ food stipend and lodging 100% covered. Email: caswall@classiccityinstallation.com or 706-3407694.