OFFICE MANAGER & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Jennifer Keene
CLASSIFIED ADS & CALENDAR COORDINATOR Jennifer Keene
AD DESIGNERS Chris McNeal, Cody Robinson
CONTRIBUTORS Chris Dowd, Erin France, Gordon Lamb, John Morris, Lee Shearer
CARTOONISTS Missy Kulik, David Mack, Klon Waldrip, Joey Weiser
CIRCULATION Jennifer Bray, Charles Greenleaf, Joe Rowe
EDITORIAL & OFFICE INTERN Mary Beth Bryan
PHOTOGRAPHERS Kat Wood, Jake Zerkel
SPECIAL AGENT Pete McCommons
Joseph Zebenne
SUMMER SUMMIT
city dope
Let Down on RAISE Grant NO
IMPROVEMENTS COMING FOR NORTH AVENUE, AND MORE NEWS
By Blake Aued and Chris Dowd news@flagpole.com
Athens- Clarke County is likely to lose a $25 million federal grant for North Avenue, and now the commission faces a choice of whether to cut bait or change the plan to try to meet a looming deadline.
The deadline to spend the federal RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) grant awarded by the Biden administration was always going to be tight, but as the project evolved, it moved further and further away from the original proposal, stretching the timeline even more. The original grant application proposed a three-lane configuration for North Avenue with separated walking and biking paths. Engineers added back a northbound lane after institutions like UGA and the Classic Center raised concerns about traffic jams for people leaving events. Then commissioners Ovita Thornton and Tiffany Taylor pushed through a plan in November to leave the current five-lane configuration in place, forcing designers to start over again. In addition, the Georgia Department of Transportation delayed the planned replacement of a bridge over the Loop where pedestrians are forced to walk along an 18-inch curb.
meet federal standards. “That’s not a typical transportation project element… and from a safety standpoint, it’s not something the design team would recommend,” said Stephen Bailey, director of the Transportation and Public Works Department.
That’s not the only reason, though. County officials had been seeking a twoyear extension from the U.S. DOT, which looked promising until the Trump administration took over. “The shift at the federal level from ‘extensions are an opportunity’ to ‘don’t even think about it’ happened after the CDO was done, which put us in a different position than we were before,” interim county manager Brad Griffin said.
“ The trust level is none for some staff people, and they know who they are.
Taylor and Thornton complained about criticism in the press and “phone calls from spouses of staff,” Taylor said, as well as “misinformation” and “lies and confusion,” as Thornton put it. She accused staff of not telling her that the grant was in jeopardy. “We couldn’t meet the deadline in 2023. And you knew it. And you didn’t tell us,” Thornton said.
“The trust level is none for some staff people, and they know who they are,” she added.
Highway Administration to convert the grant from a construction grant to a planning grant, allowing ACC to continue the design process and seek other sources of funding to build it. The third is to go back to the four-lane design proposed by staff, eliminating the need to acquire right-ofway, but the odds of success are only 50/50, according to Bailey.
Taylor asked if removing bike lanes from the CDO would allow it to move forward. “At that point we’ve gotten so far away from the original plan, we’re dead in the water,” Griffin responded. Safety—particularly for cyclists and pedestrians but also for drivers—was the point of seeking the grant in the first place.
With $8 million from TSPLOST 2023, the 1% sales tax for transportation, designated for North Athens, the commission discussed using $2 million to design a new pedestrian- and cyclist- friendly North Avenue bridge over the Loop, then seeking outside grant funding to build it. Other money goes toward traffic calming and roadway lighting in the area.
And on the west side of the corridor—Prince Avenue outside Sunset Drive and Jefferson Road—a user group has recommended spending $8.7 million allocated in TSPLOST on new sidewalks, signalized crosswalks and bus shelters. [Blake Aued]
Sheriff, DA Seek Funding
mission has not even chosen a location yet, and the $72 million SPLOST- funded project has already been scaled back due to budget constraints.
“The courthouse is in disarray,” Williams said. “Pardon my French, I got judges, attorneys, everybody crawling up my ass asking me what I’m going to do, and I’m asking y’all what y’all are going to do.”
The grant requires ACC to sign a construction contract by September 2026, and the chances of finishing the design by then are virtually nil, county staff told commissioners at a May 13 work session. The Taylor/Thornton commission-defined option would require obtaining parts of 49 land parcels. Street lights and shade trees would have to be eliminated to stay within the road’s current width. And a wall around the Advantage Behavioral Health day shelter included in the CDO probably doesn’t
But Mayor Kelly Girtz said commissioners were informed years ago that missing the deadline was a possibility. “Staff did inform the full body that there was some risk in 2023, and that’s why I wrote a letter that was distributed to the whole body at that point,” he said.
Bailey said the commission has three options: The first is to give up the grant and reimburse the federal government the approximately $400,000 already spent on design. The second is to ask the Federal
More inmates will die at the AthensClarke County jail unless the ACC Commission approves funding for deputy pay raises, Sheriff John Williams told commissioners at a budget hearing last week.
Two men, aged 39 and 32, died while in custody within the past month. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting autopsies but has not released the results.
“I’m telling you in no uncertain terms, more people are going to die if I can’t hire more people. Is that clear?” Williams told commissioners.
“If I don’t get my staffing up, the next person who dies at that jail, let it be on your head,” he continued. “The next time one of your Clarke County employees gets assaulted at that jail because of low staffing, let it be on your head.”
The sheriff’s office is down approximately 40 out of 195 employees. Williams has repeatedly blamed the chronic staff shortage on the disparity in pay between sheriff’s deputies and ACC police officers. He has requested $600,000 for pay raises this year. “The bottom line is what money does, it fills positions and it keeps people there,” he said.
Williams also requested $1.3 million for medical care, but Mayor Kelly Girtz’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget only includes $177,000.
In addition, Williams said he will be bringing forward a request for a new camera system, in conjunction with Superior Court Chief Judge Lisa Lott and Court Administrator Laura Welch, at a cost of $1.5 million to $2 million. He accused the commission of resisting needed improvements to courthouse security because ACC is planning on building a new judicial center. But the com-
Meanwhile, District Attorney Kalki Yalamanchili is asking for funding to hire six new staffers. The DA’s office currently only has 23 positions because, according to Yalamanchili, his predecessor Deborah Gonzalez did not apply to renew a federal grant that funded seven jobs.
Gonzalez lost her re-election bid last year at least in part because of an inability to fully staff the office. Since he took over in January, Yalamanchili said he has hired nine prosecutors and has an offer out to a tenth, which would bring the total to 14 assistant DAs and leave just one ADA position open. One of those ADAs is assigned full- time to accountability courts that provide treatment for offenders with mental health and substance abuse issues. He also said he’s re-established a relationship with the University of Georgia School of Law and is bringing in law students as interns starting this fall.
Yalamanchili told the commission his office has a backlog of about 1,500 felony cases, more than three times the usual caseload. With the police department fully staffed and new technology like a real- time crime lab, prosecutors have more evidence to go through than ever, which he said is a good thing but time- consuming.
Yalamanchili said he will receive $150,000 from the Oconee County government and is asking ACC for $240,000. The funding would allow him to hire special victims unit investigators and a full- time investigator for juvenile court. [BA]
McKillip Launches Senate Bid
Former state Rep. Doug McKillip is looking to make a political comeback by seeking the state Senate seat Bill Cowsert is vacating to run for attorney general.
First elected as a Democrat in 2006, McKillip earned local notoriety by switching parties in the aftermath of 2010’s
Sheriff John Williams
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Republican wave. GOP leadership in the House tried to protect him by shifting his blue-leaning Athens district to include portions of deep-red Oconee, Barrow and Jackson counties. But he lost in the Republican primary two years later, with several thousand Democrats crossing over to vote for his opponent, Regina Quick. He briefly considered running for his old seat in a 2017 special election, after then-Gov. Nathan Deal named Quick a Western Circuit Superior Court judge, but deferred to Houston Gaines, who lost to Deborah Gonzalez but then won a 2018 rematch and still holds the seat now.
New Tank Eases Water Woes at Pinewoods Library
The private well maintenance issues that have deprived hundreds of Athens residents consistent access to water and forced the public library located in the Pinewoods neighborhood to shut its doors almost twice a week for more than a year are still ongoing, but a new 120-gallon reservoir tank has greatly improved the situation, at least for the library.
The mobile home park off U.S. Highway 29 in north Athens gets its water from a private well through an aging network of pipes that frequently break. During the repair process, which can take hours, water access for the entire area—including the library and over 100 homes— must be shut off due to the way the system is designed.
In a news release announcing his candidacy, McKillip cast the loss as “sacrificing his House seat to secure passage of Georgia’s historic pro-life law that banned late- term abortions.” McKillip sponsored a controversial 20- week abortion ban in 2012, when Roe v. Wade was still in effect, and the generally accepted standard for when states could restrict abortions was around the 24th week of pregnancy, the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb.
“I’m driven by my faith, not political power. When Democrats threatened my family and my political career, I didn’t back down. They may have taken my seat, but I won for life, delivered conservative results and have no regrets because our values are worth fighting for,” he said in the news release. He promised “big wins for MAGA and the Georgia First agenda of President Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp,” including fighting to “eliminate the income tax, keep more money in our families’ pockets, block the Left’s woke ideology from our schools, crack down on illegal immigration to keep our families safe, and protect life and our Constitutional rights.”
The lawyer—who now lives in Oconee County with his wife Mary and three sons—said he would spend $400,000 of his own money on the campaign. Such deep pockets could muscle out any other potential Republican contenders.
Considered safe for Republicans, Senate District 46 includes Oconee County and parts of Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett counties. Cowsert won by a 28-point margin each of the past two elections. [BA]
This has caused inconsistent access to water for hundreds of Athens residents. It has also meant that the Pinewoods library—a source of vital public services including internet, tutoring, translation assistance and English language classes—has been forced to operate on a limited and inconsistent schedule. When their water isn’t running, the library must close due to sanitation concerns.
While the library still occasionally needs to close due to lack of water, its schedule is much more consistent these days thanks to a new 120-gallon reservoir tank. Pinewood Estates, the landlord for both the Pinewoods public library and the surrounding community, paid to install the tank in March in an effort to keep the library open.
The tank fills with water when it is available, forming a reservoir that can be drawn from when the water is shut off. 120 gallons is usually enough to keep the library open until the water line can be fixed. It has “greatly helped” the water situation there, according to Darcy Calia, public information officer for the Athens Regional Library System.
However, there have been some mechanical issues with the tank, which occasionally drains of water when the library needs it the most. Pinewoods Library Branch Manager Evelyn Rushing said that the library was forced to close twice in April due to a lack of water. That still represents a big improvement; water for the Pinewoods community was shut off about 10 times that month, meaning the reservoir has allowed the library to remain open eight days in April when it would have otherwise closed. Rushing said that Pinewoods Estates is attempting to find and repair the leak in the tank.
Rushing has other concerns about the water as well. For example, she feels that the water at the library is not safe to drink. Therefore, she relies on donations of bottled water from the nonprofit City of Refuge Athens so that library patrons can have access to water. City of Refuge also supplies bottled water for residents throughout the mobile home park.
Pinewoods residents have suffered through “boil water notices” in the past, but their water supply is permitted by the state as a safe drinking water source. The landlord performs monthly tests on the well water and has not had any health violations since 2019. [Chris Dowd] f
pub notes
Illegal Procedure HOW
TO UNDERSTAND GOVERNMENT WITHOUT FUMBLING
By Pete McCommons pete@flagpole.com
One summer back in the 1960s I tutored several UGA football players who had to pass Political Science 101 in order to retain their eligibility. We met evenings in an unairconditioned room in the upper reaches of the Fine Arts Building, looking out over the old track field, where the Tate and Miller centers are now.
Those guys didn’t want to be there, and I didn’t either, but they needed to pass polisci, as they called it, and I was paid to help them. The main thing I remember was the difficulty in making the course interesting, especially the interactions of the three branches of government—the legislative, the executive and the judicial—baked into the Constitution. Congress makes the laws, the president executes them, and the Supreme Court interprets the laws. And that structure is repeated at the state level and at the local level. OK. So what?
without his permission and the backfield not to run unless he approves. Suppose the quarterback claims he deserves a fifth down and immunity from the rules, and the refs usually go along with him, and when they don’t, he ignores them and loudly complains to his fans that the game is rigged, and he pockets the ticket money.
Do you see, I would have asked, why all three branches are essential in our government? Now they’re laughing. They may not know much about political science, but they know a joke when they’re being kidded. They’re laughing and shaking their heads. No way, they say. That could never happen. No way the House and Senate would only do what the president told them to do and be afraid he would stir up the fans against them. After all, Mr. McCommons, you just told us those three branches of government are what you call “co-equal,” right?
The three branches lay there on the page, inert. The players’ world was football, filled with challenge and action and striving to win. The division of powers could barely keep them awake.
Recent events have caused me to think of those UGA players. They did pass the course, and one of them went on to play some pro ball. If they are still around, do they ever flash on our long-ago sessions and have an a-ha moment? So this is what Mr. McCommons was trying to tell us.
For my part, I have always remembered them, and I feel that I failed them. What I should have done, I can see so clearly now, is lay it all out in football terms.
Look at it like this: The line is the House of Representatives. You’ve got to have them up there blocking. The backfield is the Senate. They run through the openings set up by the House. The president, of course, is the quarterback. He calls the plays and puts them into action. The referees are the Supreme Court. They apply the rules and assess penalties if there’s an infraction. It all works together. See?
There’s a glimmer of recognition, but they’re still not getting it.
OK, I say, look at it this way. Suppose the quarterback starts calling goofy plays that cost us yardage and leaking his calls to the opponents, and telling the line not to block
It’s strange to me how I keep thinking about those guys during this weird time that is proving the fragility of the government structure that used to appear so firmly wrought. And it’s not just the national government, remember.
Just look at what “our” state legislators have done to our local community they are supposed to represent. Years ago they gerrymandered us and split us up into districts where the voices of all AthensClarke County citizens are diluted and overwhelmed by submerging us into districts where the rural counties and small towns surrounding us elect our representatives. And those representatives, elected in that way, swooped in and ripped three of our elected commissioners out of their districts and upended our local government to satisfy the conservative businessmen who are trying to wrest control of our town from the majority of our voters.
And now one of “our” legislators, who lives and practices law in Athens, is running for statewide office on a full MAGA platform that offends the majority of Athens citizens. Athens doesn’t matter to him. The integrity of local government means nothing to him. Only power counts.
So see what the course was all about back then, you guys—wherever you are? Go Dawgs! f
Doug McKillip
PHOTO BY TONY WALSH /
Cuts Will Hurt Homeless
By John Morris news@flagpole.com
The Trump administration released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 on May 2. The proposed funding cuts to the federal Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) will undoubtedly contribute to increased homelessness in the Athens area.
The proposed budget reduces federal rental assistance programs administered by HUD by an estimated 43%. Affected programs include housing authorities, HUD 811, Housing Choice Vouchers and Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly. These cuts would threaten the stable living arrangements of over 9 million low-income renters across the U.S., particularly older adults and people with chronic disabilities.
In Athens, 4,557 households depend on these essential rental assistance programs for their housing. HUD rental assistance programs are severely underfunded as is, with only one in four eligible households actually receiving the assistance nationwide. In Athens, 5,333 households await affordable housing through the Athens Housing Authority, with an average wait of about two years.
The budget also dismantles two key homeless assistance programs—the federal Continuum of Care (CoC) grant and the Housing for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) grant—by cutting $532 million from their budgets and merging them into the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG). This consolidation would strip decision-making power from local leaders in favor of priorities informed at state and federal levels, inevitably shrinking the availability of crucial services.
Smaller communities will feel more impact, as they will be competing for the same funding with larger cities. Additionally, the newly consolidated CoC and HOPWA funding would be required to adhere to established ESG restrictions that
limit the amount of time a household can receive assistance to two years $787,811 in ESG funds are currently awarded and productively exhausted by the Athens Area Homeless Shelter and Advantage Behavioral Health Systems.
Athens has a robust CoC, established alongside hundreds of communities in 2009 following the bipartisan HEARTH Act. The Athens CoC is led by a board of service providers and community advocates that conducts a range of critical activities to understand and respond to homelessness in our community. The CoC board reviews applications and allocates over $1 million to Athens programs, conducts an annual census of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, fosters collaboration and strategic planning amongst providers, and governs systems-level policies impacting service delivery and equity.
“
Each year, the locally allocated CoC funds are distributed to Athens-based agencies that support approximately 105 households annually. In 2025, the CoC awarded funds for permanent supportive housing through Advantage Behavioral Health Systems, short- term rental assistance for survivors of domestic violence through Project Safe, and a new transitional housing program for families managed by Family Promise. The proposed budget cuts would end funding for these vital programs, with a high likelihood that many residents would experience a housing crisis once again. Even a partial loss of programming would damage the already limited homeless response system.
Following national trends, homelessness
in Athens has steadily increased over the past 15 years due to market conditions beyond the scope of service providers. The work of the Athens CoC and other CoCs around the country have been largely responsible for community adaptations to the brutal realities generated by the current housing crisis. An underfunded social safety net cannot be expected to overcome the widespread challenges generated by the free market.
Alternative policy options exist. Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is a widely recognized housing intervention that is already being implemented in Athens with over 234 units as of January 2025. PSH is a cost-effective solution, shown to decrease public costs associated with shelters, hospitals, jails, court proceedings and encampment clean-ups. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that PSH can increase housing stability and connect people to community-based services. With the proposed federal budget, local CoC funds would be lost, including 96 units of PSH that could not be replaced through the ESG program. The combination of permanent, income-based housing with wraparound supportive services has demonstrated time and time again to be a more cost-effective and humane use of public dollars.
PSH is for the most vulnerable neighbors, those with the most strenuous barriers. Many households can exit homelessness with less than two years of housing
assistance through an ESG funded program. Others face persistent mental health needs or chronic disabilities that limit their ability to earn income, making it nearly impossible to afford market-rate rent. Permanent supportive housing keeps neighbors safe and healthy, and drastically decreases the likelihood of experiencing an episode of homelessness again.
Ending homelessness in our community and in our country is possible. Increases in federal expenditure for permanent supportive housing resources for veterans over the previous decade have reduced veteran homelessness by 55.6% since 2010, despite large increases in homelessness over the same period. Decades of randomized trials demonstrate success with other unsheltered populations.
Homelessness is a community problem requiring community solutions. Please join us in upcoming roundtable discussions about these topics. These conversations are designed to foster dialogue between community members regarding solutions to reduce and end homelessness in Athens. These discussions will be held on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 5–7 p.m., and are hosted by the Athens Homeless Coalition, Athens CoC, Family Connection- Communities in Schools Neighborhood Leaders and Athens Urbanists. Please also consider sharing your thoughts and reflections with elected officials by phone and email. f
This column was collaboratively written and adopted by voting members of the Athens-Clarke County Continuum of Care board of directors. John Morris is the current board chair.
Federal Continuum of Care Funding
Density and Dollars
HOW INTOWN PROPERTIES SUBSIDIZE THE SUBURBS
By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com
The massive house in Five Points that Kirby Smart recently put on the market is valued by the tax assessor at $3.1 million. A typical bungalow in Boulevard is worth $650,000. Which is more valuable? The answer might surprise you.
The Lyndon Avenue house, which sits on about a tenth of an acre, is actually more productive, with a value of $6.9 million per acre. Smart’s mansion is worth $1.6 million per acre. In other words, denser development produces more tax bang for the land than large suburban lots.
The same goes for commercial development. A big-box store on Atlanta Highway produces $144,000 in sales and property tax revenue per acre, whereas downtown acreage yields an average of $558,000 annually, according to Joe Minicozzi, an Asheville urban planner who specializes in visualizing data related to density, land value and tax revenue. He visited Athens recently to give several presentations on Athens’ first future land use map update in 25 years.
With Athens projected to add 30,000 people by 2050, the Athens- Clarke County Planning Department hired Minicozzi’s firm Urban3 to provide a data-driven perspective on why it’s preferable to allow some modest vertical growth than to accommodate a rising population by sprawling outwards. The third alternative is to do nothing, allowing housing costs to continue to escalate because demand exceeds supply, and pricing more people out of the city.
“The average Walmart consumes more police services than it pays in property taxes,” Minicozzi said, explaining that “parking brings down value” while “density creates value.” So does good architecture, as opposed to “throwaway trash.”
Meanwhile, downtown makes up just 0.2% of Athens’ land area but generates 8% of its tax revenue. “That is astounding,” Minicozzi told ACC commissioners at a work session. “This is your most fertile soil producing the most wealth.”
Overall, 20% of Athens’ land subsidizes the other 80%. Low-density strip malls and subdivisions are money losers for the local
government, while higher-density single- family homes and commercial developments, multifamily and especially mixed-use pay the bills.
Much of that low-density development happened post-World War II, when cities all over the country changed the way they grew to accommodate vast numbers of automobiles. “We were sold a bill of goods, and no one really penciled [the cost] out,” Minicozzi said.
but the tradeoff is the jobs they create, he said.
Minicozzi at a town hall meeting. “We’re choking on density already.”
Property doesn’t need to be built up to a 10- story luxury student apartment building to bring in net revenue, though. One- to three- story commercial buildings like those in Five Points and Normaltown are also incredibly valuable, worth millions of dollars per acre. In addition to the tax benefits, those areas tend to feature locally owned
About 17% of Athens is tax exempt, which Minicozzi said is actually on the low side despite the presence of the University of Georgia. However, 56% of the most valuable property downtown is nontaxable—owned by churches or the ACC government—which he said should make city officials think twice about taking any more
small businesses that pay higher wages than chains and are more likely to hire other local businesses to handle their accounting or marketing, for example, Minicozzi said. Farmland is generally neutral, not creating much revenue nor costing much in services. “An ear of corn doesn’t call the police,” Minicozzi said. Industries tend to be a major drain, primarily because of the massive amounts of water they consume,
off the tax rolls. The commission recently rejected an opportunity to put downtown property back on the tax digest by allowing First United Methodist Church to tear down the Saye Building rather than accept an offer by private investors to buy it.
All of this matters because the ACC government has been underfunding infrastructure maintenance, particularly roads, to the tune of $29 million a year, and the bill will eventually come due. “You can kick the can down the road, but it’s still going to be there,” Minicozzi told the mayor and commission.
Higher density development could help close that gap. Minicozzi’s firm, Urban3, looked at potential developments at the Willowood shopping center, on South Milledge Avenue and along Firefly Trail, and calculated that five developments alone could net the county $3 million.
The idea of higher density is causing heartburn among some suburban residents, though. “We don’t need any more density in Athens,” Republican activist Michael McLendon told
Eastside residents raised concerns at a town hall meeting at Hilsman Middle School last month. “There has been some conversation out there about single- family homes and allowing quadruplexes, multifamily to be built,” said former commissioner Andy Herod, a Green Acres resident. That’s fine if it’s new development, he added, but not in established neighborhoods.
The current version of the land use map changes the zoning on less than 6% of Athens’ land and leaves single- family neighborhoods untouched, although there was sharp debate on an advisory board about whether to abandon single- family zoning, according to ACC Planning Director Bruce Lonnee. “We’re not trying to be Minneapolis,” a city that recently did so, he said. But the map leaves the door open for a future conversation about where to allow “missing middle” housing like duplexes and accessory dwelling units (aka granny or in-law flats).
The map would focus the coming growth along the county’s main roads, ideally allowing residents to avoid car trips by making it easier to walk to the store or the doctor’s office instead. “A lot of our corridors are overlooked. They’re just places just to get to the next place,” Lonnee said. “We’re trying to get people to live on these corridors and not have them be just for cars.”
Some in the Black community are also suspicious, raising the specter of gentrification and displacement. “It’s too close to urban renewal for me,” said Commissioner Ovita Thornton, referring to a time when cities tore down Black neighborhoods like Linnentown. “That’s where my folks are panicking.”
Lonnee said the proposed land use map wouldn’t displace anyone because people aren’t currently living in the areas targeted for more density—primarily aging commercial parcels and underused parking lots. “We’ve got all kinds of land that can support more development and not displace anybody,” he told Thornton.
Minicozzi responded to those concerns by saying his study was based on economics, not sociology. “There’s a lot of trauma, there’s a lot of past history going on that needs to be raised to the surface,” he said, adding that he was merely providing data to help guide the community’s decision-making.
The planning department is likely to present the future land use map to the mayor and commission for approval in August or September, Lonnee said. More information about the map is available at accgov.com/compplan. f
Joe Minicozzi
A Wrongful Arrest
On the morning of Feb. 16, John Choe, a traveling minister with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), was on his way to worship at the Athens Friends Meeting in Arnoldsville. As heavy rain began to fall, he pulled into a gas station in Clarke County to wait out the storm. Parking responsibly, far from the entrance, he remained in his car, reading Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell.
What happened next serves as a troubling example of law enforcement overreach, racial profiling and a justice system that prioritizes revenue over rights. A sudden knock on his car door startled Choe. A man with a weapon stood outside, failing to identify himself while demanding identification. Startled but composed, Choe raised his hands and exited the vehicle. Only then did he realize the man was a police officer—his name tag read “Lavalley.” The accusation? That Choe had been parked too long and was now trespassing.
Despite calmly explaining that he was waiting for the rain to subside before continuing to church, Officer Lavalley was uninterested in explanations. When Choe declined to hand over his ID—knowing his rights and recognizing that he had done nothing wrong—the officer escalated the situation, refusing to let him leave. Choe requested the presence of a supervisor, hoping reason would prevail. Instead, the supervisor arrived only to reinforce the threats of arrest if he did not comply.
Choe was subsequently handcuffed and taken to Clarke County Jail. His belongings, including cash, were confiscated. He was placed in a filthy cell alongside individuals arrested for infractions as minor as jaywalking and tinted windows—people trapped by a system that demands payment for freedom. As he sat on the cold bench, the undeniable racial disparity was evident: nearly every other detainee was African American.
Denied water and food for the many hours he remained incarcerated, Choe also observed the jail’s striking focus on money. Choe was informed that he had to pay a sheriff’s fee and bond—reduced from an absurd $3,000 to $26 after confirming his clean record—to be released from jail. The final charge? No mention of trespassing or loitering—only obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
A first- time visitor to Athens and far from home, Choe was disoriented and was left to find his own way upon discharge from jail. The fear that his car had been impounded loomed, but using free Wi-Fi found along the highway, Choe was able to return to the gas station—a half-hour walk later—where his car remained untouched.
This arrest was a wrongful act. Officer Lavalley and his department will likely attempt to justify their actions with baseless claims that Choe was possibly overdosing on illegal drugs or hiding from the law. The truth is an upstanding citizen was unjustly targeted, harassed and detained. The fact that the police could only come up with obstruction as the sole remaining charge underscores that the entire arrest had no legitimate basis. Law enforce-
ment officers knowingly abused their authority, and such behavior must not go unchallenged.
Choe’s experience is not an isolated incident, but a reflection of a deeply flawed system, where racial profiling remains rampant, and where the presumption of innocence is too often ignored.
This was not a lawful arrest. These officers must be held accountable.
Mokah Jasmine Johnson
Co- founder, Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement
Editor’s Note: The ACC Police Department declined to comment on an ongoing court proceeding.
Trump Isn’t Protecting the U.S.
We look to President Trump to defend the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Surely all Americans are aware of the threats to our country posed by Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and of the immense challenge of defending our country from this new axis of evil. Russia has turned to North Korea to provide the troops it desperately needs in the genocidal war on Ukraine and obtains weapons and ammunition from that country and Iran. And yet President Trump threatens to cease aiding that beleaguered nation, attacks our longest- term and most faithful allies in NATO and declares the defense of Europe from Russian aggression not a priority or perhaps even a commitment. He threatens to invade Greenland and Panama, states that Canada must become a 51st state, and demeans and belittles that nation. And now he has levied huge, commerce-killing tariffs on our most important trading partners. Our NATO allies have been forced to conclude that they can no longer rely on us, even as a source of vital weapons and ammunition. How is all of this making America safer? The obvious answer: It is not. Indeed, these incredibly irresponsible and dangerous actions have placed our nation at immense risk and made us more vulnerable than we have been in the past 80 years. We must stop these destructive and groundless attacks on our friends and allies, actions which are a gift to our enemies and threaten the safety and security of our nation.
an art show, and I suggested holding it in Memorial Park. Even though he was then working for the Lamar Dodd School of Art at UGA, Ronnie took over developing the show, inviting the artists and managing the event.
Following the Memorial Park Art show, Ronnie wanted to teach a community art class, and once again came to the recreation and parks department. We began discussing the possibility of turning the Lyndon House, which had been owned by the city since 1939, into an art center. It had once housed almost the entire recreation and parks program. We undertook the task of fixing up the Lyndon House, and Nancy was in charge of the new art center. In 1974 she organized the first juried art show. Fifty years later the show is still being held annually.
After the success of that first exhibit, Ronnie became the city’s first cultural arts supervisor, and the Lyndon House became a full- time arts center. Since then the Lyndon House has been restored and a beautiful annex built to better serve the cultural demands and needs of the county.
“ Ronnie and Nancy were a dynamic team dedicated to improving community arts in Athens-Clarke County.
Along the way, because of the community’s growing awareness of the arts, many other venues have been built or improved. The mobile art program, the Harvest Festival and many other programs began during Ronnie’s time as cultural arts supervisor of the new Cultural Arts Division. When Ronnie was hired by the Georgia Museum of Art in 1978, Nancy became the cultural arts supervisor. In 1975 I was hired as director of parks in Charleston, SC. The mayor there asked me to merge the parks and the recreation departments. We did that, and included a Division of Cultural Arts in the new Department of Leisure Services. I held that position until 1981, when the UGA Institute of Community and Area Development hired me to head its Recreation Technical Assistance Office. My job was to assist agencies at the city, county and state level as part of the university’s public service and outreach arm.
Shortly after I returned to Athens, Nancy asked me if I would help find a way to enlarge the Lyndon House. That effort resulted in the repair of the house itself, the annex to the Lyndon House and the creation of the Lyndon House Arts Foundation. Ronnie and Nancy took lead roles in this effort. Unfortunately Ronnie died of a heart attack before the new addition opened to the public.
Because my request was not acted upon until after the new process was begun, a simple process that named a gallery for Ronnie now has become difficult and lengthy. Bishop Park had been named for a mayor while he was alive and in office. Thomas Lay Park was named after a longtime superintendent of recreation after he died. In 2021 the former East Athens Community Center was renamed the Aaron Heard Park and Community Center Park in honor of another former employee who dedicated years of his life to the ACC Leisure Services Department.
Athens- Clarke County has one of the finest community arts programs, and finest supporting facilities, in Georgia. It took many years of hard work, and it happened because three people had a dream, and two of them took the lead to bring that dream to fruition.
Julius Bishop was the longest serving mayor in Athens history (1964–1976) and got a whole park named after him. Nancy dedicated 49 years of her life to make the arts available to everyone in Athens- Clarke County and beyond. The simple act of naming an art gallery for a professional artist who, with her husband Ronnie, gave so much to Athens- Clarke County should not be so difficult.
The University of Georgia named its School of art after Lamar Dodd. Maybe we should consider naming the entire Lyndon House Arts Center after Ronnie and Nancy. Daniel Hope III Athens
Congressman Collins, Do the Homework
A huge number and variety of sources claim to provide Americans with accurate and objective information. It is no easy task to determine which sources are trustworthy and reliable and which are not. In this regard, the records of National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System are extraordinary.
NPR (which reaches 43 million people weekly) has received numerous awards and prizes for its journalism and broadcasts, including the Pulitzer Prize, Edward R. Murrow Award, Gracie Award and Alfred I. duPont- Columbia University Award, among others. PBS and its programs have also won numerous awards, including Webby Awards, IDA Documentary Awards, Emmy Awards, Peabody Awards, Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards, National Headliner Awards and others.
Name Art Gallery for Nancy Lukasiewicz
Robert B. Covi Bogart
In 1972, while I was in graduate school at the University of Georgia, Dave Dugan, director of the Athens Recreation and Parks Department, hired me to be the superintendent of parks. In 1973 Ronnie and Nancy Lukasiewicz moved to Athens. They brought with them a vision for enhancing the arts in the community similar to one I had based on the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA. Their first idea was to have
A few years after the new Lyndon House opened, I asked Commissioner Cardee Kilpatrick if she would help get one of the galleries in the building named for Ronnie Lukasiewicz. Though it took a while, the gallery was named for Ronnie.
Ronnie and Nancy were a dynamic team dedicated to improving community arts in Athens- Clarke County. I felt Nancy should also have a gallery in the building she helped make possible. In the early 2000s, I suggested the gallery above the one named for Ronnie should be named in Nancy’s honor. She was the county’s second supervisor of cultural affairs and an integral member of the team that created the community art programs we enjoy today.
I suggested naming a gallery for Nancy before the ACC Government decided it needed a process for naming facilities.
So why does our congressman, Mike Collins, want to defund NPR and PBS, proven sources of the highest quality journalism and reporting over many decades? It seems unlikely that Congressman Collins knows about this incredible record or, indeed, cares about it. Ironically, the easiest and most effective way for Collins to inform himself about the impressive performance of NPR and PBS would be by simply listening to NPR and watching PBS.
By failing to inform himself, Collins consistently speaks and acts in ways which are extremely detrimental to the welfare of our district, our state and our nation. Surely we, his constituents, are entitled to expect more of Collins, an individual to whom we have given such extraordinary power to either enrich or impoverish our daily lives. Bruce Menke Athens
food & drink
The Buzz About Bees
FESTIVAL AIMS TO EDUCATE ATHENS ABOUT THE POLLINATORS
By Erin France news@flagpole.com
This weekend, buzz over to the 2nd Annual Athens Honey Bee Festival for some free fun and a peek inside the world of bees. The festival will be held Saturday, May 24 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Athens- Clarke County Extension Office on Cleveland Road. It will include honey tasting, craft construction, and the opportunity to get up close and personal with honey bees.
FRIDAY, MAY 23RD
ATHENS
SATURDAY, MAY 24TH
IMPROV
BICHOS
TUESDAY,
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The first honey bee festival last year was a success they’ve built on, said ACC Extension Agent Laura Ney. “We’ve added more educational booths and some more vendors,” she said.
One of the most popular activities last year was the chance to suit up and explore the extension office’s demonstration hives under the guidance of experienced beekeepers. “That filled up really fast last year,” Ney said. “So we’re doubling the amount that we can do this year.”
The public will be able to suit up eight at a time. Available protective beekeeping suit sizes range from large adult to child- sized suits that can fit a 4- year-old.
If suiting up sounds like a little too much for you, there’s also an observation hive for less adventurous, yet still curious folks. A thick pane of glass allows visitors to minutely inspect hive goings-on without a layer of protective clothing. “You can go right up to the glass and get like half an inch away from the bees,” Ney said.
Another fun activity for kids and adults alike is the honey tasting. “They can have so many different flavors,” Ney said. “People don’t realize that, if they’ve only ever had store-bought honey.”
Honey flavors can change depending on factors like the season, the location and the amount of pollen collected from a type of flower. Some beekeepers are skilled in moving their hives to different locations to work particular areas. Besides creating delicious honey flavors, this practice can aid farmers growing insect-pollinated produce.
nating more than 100 commercial crops in North America. Commercially grown plants like watermelon, soybeans, apples and blueberries produce more and larger fruit if pollinated by bees, according to a 2021 study on bee pollination and its economic value on crop production.
My favorite bee identification book right now is The Bees in Your Backyard by Joseph S. Wilson and Olivia Messinger Carril. If you are, or know someone, who gets frustrated with the inaccurate or conflicting IDs from the internet, this book is a salve. It also contains information about favorite plants and habits.
The Annual Honey Bee Festival is hosted by a partnership between the extension office and the Eastern Piedmont Beekeepers Association as part of an annual outreach and education effort. Ney hopes the festival will encourage people to learn about bees and reduce any fear folks might have about them. Busy bees, focused on collecting pollen, taking a drink of water or just buzzing around, aren’t going to go out of their way to sting anyone. “It’s just a hive protection thing when they sting you,” Ney said.
Though honey bees will be in the spotlight, the festival will include information about native pollinators and the plants they like best. This addition was based on feedback from the more than 300 people who attended the festival last year, Ney said “We’re going to have more stuff about our native pollinators,” she said. “We’re going to have more about how to support them.”
Honey bees were imported to America several hundred years ago, Ney said. They are now the pollinator workhorses in some agricultural sectors, responsible for polli-
If you’re looking for a way to promote native bees in your yard, Ney suggests planting a wide array of native flowers. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out the Georgia Native Plant Society’s Plant of the Year, blue mistflower. The State Botanical Garden of Georgia chose four native pollinators for 2024: Robin’s fleabane, spotted horsemint, white wood aster and American witchhazel.
If you’re looking to support honey bee populations, they prefer a whole flower field of resources, Ney said. “What’s kind of good for them is a large amount of something,” she said. “Not just one or two plants, but a bunch of them.” For example, seeding a lawn with white clover can provide a bunch of blooms for the way honey bees prefer to work. f
Athens residents of all ages were treated to a face-to-face meeting with some friendly honey bees during the first Honey Bee Festival last year.
Paws Up or Paws Down?
By Lee Shearer news@flagpole.com
There’s a lot to like about the (somewhat) new dog park within Athens’ Memorial Park, said Athens resident Chris Moore, or Cee Mo to friends on the local music scene.
First of all, he likes the main thing any owner likes about a dog park: It’s a place where he can take off mixed-breed Cooper’s leash and let him run free for a while—one of the high points in Cooper’s or just about any dog’s life. “I like the rolling hills,” Moore said, looking out over the gentle slopes nestled into Memorial Park’s back side, just up from a small lake where turtles and ducks bask and beg.
“I like the size of it.
And the swings,” he added, nodding toward an edge of the dog park, where a couple of fellow dog owners gently swayed in a sliver of late-afternoon shade from a line of trees outside the dog park as they kept an eye on their pooches at play.
Moore’s not the only one who gives the Memorial dog park high grades. “I love it,” said Caitlyn Riesenger, there with Pink and Poppy, a pitbull/lab mix and a Chihuahua mix.
in the public areas. Dogs are allowed in other Athens parks, but they’re required to be on leash.
For people who live in the most urban parts of Athens, though, Southeast Clarke and Sandy Creek parks are a long drive away. “It’s a lot more convenient than the
regulars here.”
There’s been a dog park in Memorial since the beginning of the century, but the current version opened only last summer, after extensive renovation not only to the dog park, but to aging sewer lines that run beneath it. It’s quite a bit different, with some added features such as a doggie drinking fountain, access for owners with impaired mobility, a concrete pad with benches and awnings for shade and a secondary entrance, with no parking, at the top of the park at Woodland Hills Drive.
Now a broad expanse of grass, the old version of the dog park was dotted with trees, and that’s the one shortcoming several owners mentioned when asked what
The Athens- Clarke County government operates three dog parks. Wiggley Field, at Southeast Clarke Park, is larger and features a separate area for pint- sized pooches, while out at Sandy Creek Park, dog owners can book private areas if they or their canine pets aren’t interested in socializing
Eastside,” said University of Georgia professor Walter Schmidt, who’s there several times a week.
Another plus for Schmidt and other steady Memorial visitors is the social aspect. On a recent visit with his pit bull Rocco, he knew the names of at least a dozen dogs, and those of their owners. “I love the people,” he said. “There are a lot of
they liked or didn’t like about the new one. “If there’s anything we don’t like, it’s a lack of shade,” Schmidt said.
“The old one, by far,” said Nathan Sonke when asked whether he preferred the old or new version as he kept an eye on his golden retriever. He also missed the trees and the shade they provided.
But Rachel Wakefield, there with Apollo
and Rocky, was fine with no trees. It’s easier now to pick up dog poop, she said. The main reason trees had to go was the “substantial erosion problems” they created, according to planning documents justifying and outlining the renovation—part of a continuing larger renovation project at Memorial Park, financed primarily with revenues from Athens- Clarke County’s voterapproved 1% Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or SPLOST. Little ground cover (grass) would grow beneath the trees, and because of that, the park had become highly eroded, contributing to the silt that chokes the small lake below. “Overland stormwater flow has caused widespread erosion that visibly transports soil to the lake below. Regrading and terracing may allow for vegetation to become established and reduce erosional activity,” according to the SPLOST documents.
The renovation also allowed for the rerouting and replacement of sewer lines in the park, which transport wastewater from some Five Points neighborhoods. Those aging lines were suffering “extensive inflow and infiltration,” requiring “ongoing maintenance to remove sand.”
The trees, mostly pines, also had to come down to allow for regrading and terracing, creating more “functional space, allowing more sunlight and improving grass-growing conditions,” according to the SPLOST project description. Besides that, the trees were “generally in a state of decline due to the heavy compaction and damage to their critical root zones from persistent foot traffic.”
After a year, the grass is well established, but on park land above and below the dog park, large patches of bare clay remain for now, suggesting the erosion problem may not be completely cured. f
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Henry & Max
Dobby Andromeda
Hotdawg
Doug Baby Pony Boy
Jesus Eleanor Baxter
Leo
Poly Styrene
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Louie & Otis
Qira & Jenna
Tux
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Queen Paddy
Zoe
Sweet Olive Farm
ANIMAL RESCUE CELEBRATES 15 YEARS WITH FUNDRAISER
By Sam Lipkin music@flagpole.com
Winterville-based nonprofit Sweet Olive Farm Animal Rescue is kicking off the summer with a fundraising event celebrating its 15th anniversary. The community is invited to the farm on Saturday, May 31 from 4–7 p.m. to enjoy its natural beauty while supporting its continuation and making a difference in the lives of the animals.
The event is a testament to the farm’s mission to be “a safe and welcoming space” for all. Guests can enjoy tours of the farm, games for children and adults, lemonade and a Kona Ice truck, a DJ spinning tunes and vegan hot dogs that are included with the price of admission. Each $45 entry ticket also includes a raffle entry, with additional raffle entries available for sale.
Sweet Olive has a goal of raising $50,000, says co-owner and CEO Kat Howkins, which would fund the general maintenance and upkeep of the farm. Infrastructure repairs like fencing end up being very costly and one of the farm’s greatest needs.
Of course on a sanctuary with a surprisingly harmonious mix of farm and exotic animals—alpacas, zebu cattle, pot-bellied
pigs and hogs, horses, an emu, a peacock, turkeys, ducks, geese, chickens, sheep, goats—vet bills run up quite a charge, too. During Flagpole’s interview with Howkins, she received a call from the UGA School of Veterinary Medicine, which was in the process of X-raying their recent rescue Timothy, a goat attacked by a dog. When Timothy returns to the farm, he’ll be bunk mates with Lambo, the farm’s special needs sheep who has trouble walking.
Howkins shares that there are a number of newer additions to the farm that people may not have seen yet. There’s a new pig named Blossom who came from Save the Horses rescue, two goats named Mickey and Joey from Gainesville required to move by an HOA, and a babydoll sheep from Decatur. Although many of the rescues come from animal control, there are also many that are owner surrenders.
“People are always saying, ‘How do you know all these animals’ names?’ And I say, well, you know, people got these animals and they love them and they gave them names. And then they had to, for one reason or another, give them up,” says Howkins.
Neighborhood HOAs often dictate the types of animals that can be kept on residential properties and are a common source of people having to surrender their pets. Sometimes people just aren’t prepared to care for a farm animal as a pet, and it ends up being a poor fit.
more land to expand on, but the farm is currently near capacity for the amount of animals it can take care of properly to maintain the quality of life that is so meaningful to Sweet Olive. There is a team of volunteers that feeds, waters and checks on each animal every day.
“It doesn’t make these people any less attached to their animals. Some people are like, ‘Well, they just shouldn’t have gotten it.’ I do agree you need to do some research before you go get a farm animal to bring into your yard. But it’s our goal just to be compassionate with the people that have to relinquish their animal as well as the animal,” says Howkins.
A lot of the time when Sweet Olive receives a call from a pet owner, they’re looking for advice and solutions to keep their animal when possible, says Howkins. She also helps connect people with other rescues, whether it’s an organization that specializes in wildlife or cats and dogs. Sweet Olive does not adopt out its animals, so new rescues become permanent members of the family.
Sweet Olive’s Texas Longhorn, Cheyenne, was previously a model. As a baby Cheyenne was used as a prop in photoshoots, particularly alongside newborns. It didn’t take long for Cheyenne to outgrow her modeling gig, and at one year old she was returned to the dairy farm she came from. Sadly she was not going to survive on the dairy farm, and Cheyenne found a home at Sweet Olive.
Although Sweet Olive owns 30 acres, Howkins explains the farm currently occupies about 10 of those acres. There is plenty
Summertime also means the kickoff of Sweet Olive’s various summer camps for children ages 6–12. Groups meet daily to help with chores around the farm, enjoy creative outlets, participate in craft workshops and play teambuilding games. Camp fees also directly benefit the general upkeep of the farm.
Since its nonprofit status in 2015, Sweet Olive has worked with the community and school groups to provide educational opportunities. School groups, homeschoolers, teachers and parents are invited to the farm to learn about the care and feeding of farm and exotic animals, but they also learn the stories behind the animals, how they came to the farm and why they’re not suitable pets. Educating the community about these types of animals is a step toward lessening the number of animals that end up in rescues.
For more info about Sweet Olive or its events, visit sweetolivefarm.org. f
WHO: SOFAR Fundraiser WHEN: Saturday, May 31, 4–7 p m
WHERE: Sweet Olive Farm HOW MUCH: $45
Murals of the Moment
By Lauren Leathers
BACK WHERE IT ALL BEGAN: Growing up with a veterinarian father and an artist mother, painting a mural at Firehall 4 Animal Hospital is a full- circle moment for Will Eskridge “It’s like being home again,” he says. The clinic, which is celebrating 20 years in business, recently underwent renovations and asked Eskridge to paint the walls of its expanded examination rooms. Eskridge’s signature bold colors and textured style are on full display in the piece, which features a broad spectrum of small animals, silhouettes of iconic Athens structures and a 1953 GMC fire engine that pays homage to the building’s history as a fire station—all set in a “party-like atmosphere,” as he describes it. “I knew I wanted to have a fire hydrant as a sort of focal point,” Eskridge says. “I was thinking about the summer street parties where kids would open up the fire hydrants and have their own water park party.”
The mural also includes Binx, the clinic’s black and white tuxedo cat, and Rushmore, Eskridge’s late terrier, whom he adopted from his father’s practice in 1999. More of Eskridge’s large- scale murals can be found all over town at places like the College Avenue Parking Deck, Flicker Theatre & Bar, Bojangles, Agua Linda, Clarke Central High School and others. Check out more of his work at instagram.com/willeskridgeart.
Mustard also wrapped up a show at Flicker Theatre & Bar last month that featured a diverse collection of art, including large cuts of wood, paper mache, canvas paintings and functional pieces like piggy banks and cupboards. See more of her work at www.instagram.com/m.leilaniart.
CREATIVE FLOW: Also at Firehall 4 Animal Hospital is a second mural completed by Meredith Raiford Akins, who began apprenticing as a muralist at just 14 years old. The design continues the cohesive themes of small animals, classic Athens references and fire station elements, but introduces more of a graffiti vibe with paint drips and textures. The mural, which showcases Akins’ love of color and nature, was completed over the course of four days. Akins says it was the perfect project to take on fresh off maternity leave. “One of my favorite aspects of mural work is the collaboration,” she says. “They explained to me what they were envisioning, and then we sent reference pictures back and forth until I had a good grasp of their vision. I free handed the design we landed on and was able to balance painting for a few hours at a time with going home to feed my daughter in between.” To keep up with her work, head over to instagram.com/ meredithraifordart.
COLOR BURST: Over at Normaltown Brewing Co., which inhabits the former Jittery Joe’s Roaster on Barber Street, is one of several new murals completed by Marisa Mustard. Her signature bright and bold style is on display as more than a dozen orange and yellow flowers spill across the wall. “I love creating functional and public art,” she says. “I feel so absolutely lucky that I get to do this as a job. I love sharing my art with the community and creating every day.” Other recently completed projects include five murals on the side of Habitat for Humanity off Atlanta Highway, Winterville Cultural Center, Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School and brush-painting the entire D12 Commercial Interiors building, which she says she’s most proud of.
IN BLOOM: A new 100- foot mural is currently in progress on the Oconee Rivers Greenway, marking the second largescale piece on the trail system. “Georgia Flora,” by local artist Amanda Burk, is expected to be completed along the Greenway’s East Campus Connector by early June. The project is funded by SPLOST—a local sales tax supporting capital projects, including public art—and facilitated by the Athens- Clarke County Leisure Services Arts Division. The ACC Mayor and Commission approved the design in
November 2022. Burk’s design was selected by a blind community panel from 25 applicants who responded to a nationwide call for proposals. The mural features a variety of flowers commonly associated with Georgia, which Burk is freehanding based on her original sketch. A longtime figure in the Athens art scene and a University of Georgia graduate, Burk’s murals can also be seen at Automatic Pizza, Half- Shepherd Market, Boulevard Animal Hospital, Paloma Park and more. Click over to instagram.com/ourladyofmurals to follow along. f
Will Eskridge Meredith Raiford Akins
LITERATURE | WED, MAY 21
Will Leitch Author Talk
ACC Library • 7 p.m. • FREE!
Local author Will Leitch’s newest novel, Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride, is about a beat cop in Atlanta with three months to live who discovers he hasn’t earned enough money to leave to his son. After finding out his benefits will increase if he dies in the line of duty, Lloyd tries to come up with a scheme to make that happen, but things don’t quite go as planned. Leitch didn’t begin publishing fiction until he was 45, but since then he has released seven novels, with Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride serving as his second book in a two-book publishing deal with Harper Collins. In addition to writing novels, Leitch is also a founding editor of the sports and culture website Deadspin and a sports, politics and pop culture contributing editor at New York Magazine. He has also contributed to The New York Times, The Atlantic and The Washington Post. This event will feature a reading from his book followed by conversation and signings. [Mary Beth Bryan]
MUSIC | FRI, MAY 23
Tyler Key & Strangers
the penultimate stop on a larger U.S. tour before the band hits cities throughout Europe in June and July. Gringo Star will be joined in Athens by Honeypuppy and Sovus Radio. [MB]
Coming up in Bowdon among the farmland and his Southern family, Americana artist Tyler Key developed a keen ear for storytelling. Key’s creative spark found a home in Athens when he came here to study literature and became acquainted with the city’s creative types and eccentrics. Since then, he has released three records— most recently 2019’s Wild Azaleas and Other Tall Tales—and played pedal steel with T. Hardy Morris’ and Pony Bradshaw’s bands, as well as in The Howdies and Little Gold. Key is playing three shows in Georgia to celebrate the release of his next album, You Okay, out May 23. The songs on the record contain varied depictions of people dealing with grief and numbness. Key says, “these songs are for sad bastards who’ve been to therapy.” Will Stewart & His Band, Cannon Rogers and Jon Nolan will join Tyler Key and his backing band Strangers for their Athens show. [MB]
MUSIC | FRI, MAY 23
Gringo Star
Flicker Theatre & Bar • 8 p.m. (doors) • $10 Atlanta psychedelic garage rocker Gringo Star is back with a new record called Sweethearts, a dreamy and sweet- sounding collection of songs that marks the band’s eighth full-length release. Gringo Star was formed in 2007 by brothers Nicholas and Peter Furgiuele, with their early releases receiving shouts from the likes of Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, and even a spot on NPR’s “All Songs Considered” in the fall of 2011. The band has stood the test of time in the Atlanta music scene through waves of coming-and-going rock bands, touted for its constant reinvention and buzzing live shows. Sweethearts has quickly gained traction, currently sitting at number 51 on the college radio charts. This show marks
R&B and pop artist Shalyse the Lover Girl is known for her soulful and honest musicianship, influenced by time spent in both Georgia and Queens, NY. She frequently explores the complexity of womanhood, with her newest single, “I’m Just a Girl,” delving into themes of self- worth and empowerment. Shalyse will be joined by several of her favorite fellow musicians for a show celebrating up-and- coming independent artists, as well as the continued pursuit of her music career in Miami, FL. Joining her are Squallé, a local hip-hop artist with a passion for encouraging young creatives; BeeTaylor, an Atlanta-based lyricist and producer; Kxng Blanco, an influential force in the local new school hip-hop scene; Zay Blaze, an emerging R&B singersongwriter with a range of influences from Marvin Gaye to SZA; and RJ Stackhouse, a hip-hop artist from Virginia who fuses trap influences with raw storytelling. The event will be hosted by artist, curator and entrepreneur TheSativaDiiiva with additional sounds by DJ Heard. [MB]
ART | SUN, MAY 25
Hannah Reynoso Toussaint Artist Demo
tiny ATH gallery • 2 p.m. • FREE! Athens-based metalsmith Hannah Reynoso Toussaint is hosting a glass flameworking demo to go with their current exhibition of glass jewelry at tiny ATH gallery. Toussaint is a queer latinx maker who is currently earning their M.F.A in Metalsmithing and Jewelry at the University of Georgia. Their work has been shown across the country, from the Metal Museum in Memphis, TN to New York City Jewelry Week in 2024 and 2025. They also have a co- curated exhibition with 30 other jewelry artists called “Everybody’s Bolos” opening this summer at Hencho a Mano in Santa Fe, NM. Toussaint’s work focuses on identity, ancestral wisdom and the liminal spaces between worlds, using jewelry as a storytelling tool and conduit for reflection, protection and connection. The closing reception for their tiny ATH gallery exhibition will be held May 29 at 6 p.m. and is free to attend. [MB] f
The Soundtrack of Roy’s Dog Mind PLUS,
MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP
By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com music
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Like one of the many vertebrae making up a backbone, Athens folk group Cicada Rhythm has released a stream of dependable music for nearly 15 years, and thus has fully solidified its place in the musical central nervous system of our town. Its newest album, Magic State, is out now. As the band is wont to do, the record slides in and out of the more psychedelic elements of the band’s sound, so it’s alternately trippy and calming. The Revolver-isms of the title track are nothing to be ignored and are shockingly fresh- sounding. The, ironically, bluesy and whimsical “Quick Buck” is a shuffling thing of a tune that doubles as an earworm. The minor chord and desert melody journey of “Power Lines” is another swell treat here. And that’s the real substance of Cicada Rhythm: The band is exceptional when exploring the quiet and introspective corners, and less so when pushing everything out front and being loud. Find this at cicadarhythm.bandcamp.com, and keep up at facebook.com/cicadarhythmmusic.
MAN’S BEST FRIEND’S BEST FRIEND: Computer music (but what isn’t these days?) project Potioner has been a curiosity for a while now, but nothing piqued my interest until it released Roy San Good Boy San. Described by its composer as, “This is the soundtrack that I imagine plays inside of Roy’s dog mind.”
So, as far as albums inspired by and written for one’s dog, this may well be not only one of the first of its kind but one even further distinguished by not being about a dog but an imagining of the sounds inside its head. To this end, Roy is kind of a goofy boy, and bounce-along tracks like “Peeing Outside While The Sun Rises,” “Wrapped In My Blanket,” and “Waiting For Grandma To Drop Food On The Floor” set the tone. Roy can also be reflectively thoughtful as demonstrated on “The Spot Beside The Mailbox,” and sometimes he’s just ready to party as indicated by “Riding Shotgun To Arby’s.” Grab it at grangrumpmedia.bandcamp.com.
casual project, and contains some real gems. I found the grand “San Diego Nights,” the Tin Pan Alley-ish “Opportunities,” and the band’s version of the classic “Enjoy Yourself” to be particularly high points on an album full of them. Find this at jaygonzalez.bandcamp.com, and check out some other related stuff at youtube.com/@sunnybankmusic.
FANGS FOR THE MEMORIES: I always kick myself for missing out on mentioning when Phantom Dan is playing live, because I either always get the information too late or something else pressing takes up the space. But not this time! The emo-pop powerhouse will play The World Famous on Thursday, May 22. Also on the bill are Cuddling and Cult Potential. I’m telling you, all it’s going to take for Phantom Dan to blow up Andrew WK- style is one viral hit. This show tonight is $10 and all ages. So, get up to speed via phantomdan.com and make something happen.
MUSIC FOR MIDNIGHTS: Musician and composer Marcel Sletten released his fifth album, Sounds of Schmaltz, a few weeks ago. Recorded in a single take and performed entirely improvisationally on MIDI guitar, and recorded nearly exactly a year ago, it spans five tracks which are categorized here as movements. While each movement is somewhat distinct, they each possess a full dose of treble and trill. They wax and wane in both intensity and mood. These movements being broken apart makes for easy navigation between them, but I would encourage you to listen to this album as a whole piece. Don’t be tempted by this album’s instrumental classification to lull you into thinking this is an easy listen. It’s not, but it’s also not so difficult that this wouldn’t be a good introductory doorway into the work of one of Athens’ most prolific artists. Find this at primordialvoid. bandcamp.com.
HABEAS MUSICA: Retired attorney, native Athenian and noted children’s book author Grady Thrasher wrangled Jay Gonzalez to put his words to music, assembled a band, and then Jay & The Boulevardians was born. I’ve probably got some aspect of that either too condensed or inaccurate, so please accept my apologies. The album notes reveal a deeply interconnected network of longtime Athens folk, so I encourage you to read them. The group just released its debut album The Lady of Sunnybank Farm Normally, I’m not a fan of albums that shift in styles, but this one is charming, shockingly complete for what appears as a
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: OK, I generally never talk about things like this because they never really fit my selfimposed parameters for this column. That said, there was just something cute and charming about learning about Boots And Brews Line Dancing with Becky and Patty. It happens every fourth Thursday at Athentic Brewing Co. from 7–8:30 p.m. So that means it’s happening this week on Thursday, May 22. This is a casual event featuring line dancing lessons. That said, some line dancers are deadly serious about their art, so keep that in mind if you’re thinking you’ll just show up and goof off. For more information, please see facebook. com/athenticbrewing and athenticbrewing. com. f
Shalyse
Yes,
Rebecca Adkins
Gerald Arscott
Daphne Bailey
Sharon Barnes
Carrie Bette-Duncan
Patsy Black
Selena Blankenship
Jacqueline Bolton
Clarissa Brock
Martha Campbell
Diane Drum
Curtis Epps
Paula Farmer
Eliza Fennelly
Nancy Flexner
Vanessa Ford
Tommy Glenn
Jesse Halbert
Delphine Harris
Gregory Hull
Deborah Johnson
Marcia Jones
Jacqueline Jones
Pamela Layne
Stacey Lewis
Traci Miller
Bryan Moore
Bridget Paul
Carol Payne
Rosemary Pizza
Beth Ricks
Melanie Pruitt
Tina Pullen
Rodney Robinson
Marissa Rodriguez
Gail Segars
Lynne Sparks
Betty Thomas
Danny Ward
James Willingham
Reginald Willis
Cynthia Zelik
live music calendar
Tuesday 20
The Classic Center
7:15 p.m. $55–127. www.classic center.com
JJ GREY & MOFRO Southern rock/swamp rock band from Jacksonville, FL.
THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND Rock band from Spartanburg, SC that helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s by blending blues, country and jazz. Hendershot’s
No Phone Party. 7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com
KENOSHA KID Entering its 20th year, the brainchild of guitarist Dan Nettles performs two sets of adventurous new music each week from his ever-expanding catalog that exists “somewhere in the Schrödinger’s nexus of jazz, postrock and improvised music.”
TOMMY STINSON Rock musician who came to prominence in the 1980s as the bass guitarist for The Replacements.
KARLA ROSE Musician joining Tommy Stinson on stage for a few songs and opening the show. Creature Comforts Brewery Athens Farmers Market. 5–8 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmersmarket. net
38 STRINGS Multi-generational acoustic folk music with 38 strings between them. (6 p.m.)
El Paso Tacos & Tequila 6–10 p.m. www.instagram.com/ elpasoathenss
KARAOKE WITH DJ D00MSDAY Every Wednesday.
Flicker Theatre & Bar
9 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreand bar.com
DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Featuring a large assortment of pop, rock, indie and more.
MAIKAI OPEN MIC Share your music, comedy and poetry every Wednesday.
Porterhouse Grill
7 p.m. www.porterhousegrillathens. com
JAZZ NIGHT Longest running jazz gig in Athens featuring a rotating cast of familiar faces performing American songbook, bossa nova classics and crossover hits.
Thursday 22
Earth Fare
2 p.m. www.earthfare.com
RC OUTLAW COWBOY Country and gospel singer with over four decades of experience.
TYLER KEY & STRANGERS Multi-instrumentalist Tyler Key of T. Hardy Morris, The Howdies and others plays his own set of folk rock, backed by The Strangers. WILL STEWART & HIS BAND Birmingham, AL singer-songwriterguitarist who recently released his sixth studio album, Moon Winx CANNON ROGERS Local songwriter, guitarist and pedal steel player.
JON NOLAN Internationally touring musician, producer and frontman of alt-country band Say ZuZu. Athentic Brewing Co.
6–8 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com
TRIO METRO WITH LIZ FARRELL This piano, sax and drums trio plays jazz standards and an array of more contemporary covers
with a jazz twist, featuring special guest vocalist.
BRETT CARSON Composer, pianist, improviser, poet and theater artist based in Berkeley, CA.
BRAD BASSLER & KILLICK
HINDS Piano and strings duo specializing in expansive vocabularies and shapeshifting consonances.
LEEANN PEPPERS Showing new video “RECKONING” made in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Evan Tyor (New York).
Nashville and performing working class psychedelic folk.
MARISSA MUSTARD Musician and popular mural artist.
Monday 26
Flicker Theatre & Bar
9 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreand bar.com
BLUE MONDAY De La Luna and DJ Charlieflower spin new wave, post-punk, remixes, goth and Italo disco for this ’80s dance party. Porterhouse Grill 7 p.m. www.porterhousegrillathens. com
JAZZ NIGHT Longest running jazz gig in Athens featuring a rotating cast.
LITTLE MAE Indie band with melodic, textural songwriting. LANDER COMBS Athens musician who makes atmospheric instrumental tracks that pull from indie, pop and electronic influences.
BICHOS VIVOS Local band playing forró, an accordion, zabumba and triangle-driven genre of party music from Brazil.
PERRENGUE Ensemble recreating the sounds of a summer night party in Brazil through samba, bossa nova and more.
MOYUBA Folkloric drum ensemble studying and performing the traditional drum music of Cuba, Haiti and the African Diaspora since 1994.
UGA LATIN AMERICAN ENSEM-
BLE Performing folk, classical, popular, nationalistic and contemporary music and dance of Latin America. No. 3 Railroad Street OZmosis Live! 5 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.3railroad.org
MARTY WINKLER Singer-songwriter playing music in between readings by Noel Holston.
Oak House Distillery 3:30–6 p.m. www.oakhousedistillery.
com
FOLIE À QUATRE Playing tunes from diverse musical genres and cultures sung in French and English.
The World Famous 9 p.m. $10 suggested donation. www. facebook.com/theworldfamous athens
SETH MARTIN Georgia born and raised songwriter, painter, filmmaker, short story writer, photographer and poet currently working in
JOSEY Athens-based indie pop artist, incorporating audience participation and off-kilter comedy into her sets.
JANUARY Indie singer-songwriter with thoughtful lyrics whose melodies echo the big hits of the late ’90s and early 2000s.
KEATNLEA No info available.
DUSTY JOY Musician whose latest single, “i don’t wanna be a ghost without you,” came out last month.
The Foundry
7 p.m. FREE! www.libbaloops.com OPEN MIC Hosted by Libbaloops the last Tuesday of every month. Sign up online or in person starting at 6 p.m.
Hendershot’s No Phone Party. 7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com
KENOSHA KID The brainchild of guitarist Dan Nettles performs two sets from his catalog that exists “somewhere in the Schrödinger’s nexus of jazz, post-rock and improvised music.”
Normal Bar 8–11 p.m. FREE! booking@rudy montayremusic.com
OPEN MIC All musicians welcome. Every Tuesday.
Down the Line
5/28 MrJordanMrTonks (Creature Comforts Brewery) 5/29 Hotel Fiction (Normaltown Brewing Co.) f
Bichos Vivos will perform at Hendershot’s on Sunday, May 25.
event calendar
Tuesday 20
CLASSES: ESOL (Bogart Library) Learn or polish your English skills using Mango languages online and in-person conversation. 12 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart
COMEDY: Monthly Movie Improv (Athentic Brewing Co.) Improv group Take This! will perform an abridged version of movie favorites. Third Tuesdays, 7 p.m. FREE! www. athenticbrewing.com
COMEDY: Flying Squid Open Improv Jam (150 Fritz Mar Lane) Improvisors of all skill levels are invited to practice and play together. 8 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flyingsquidcomedy.com
COMEDY: Open Toad Comedy Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Comedy performed by a mix of newcomers and local favorites from Athens and Atlanta. 8:30 p.m. (doors). $7. www.flickertheatreandbar.com
EVENTS: Tiki Taco Tuesday (Live Wire) Enjoy craft cocktails and a taco pop-up from Don Carne with themed weeks, live music and dancing. Tuesdays, 5–10 p.m. www.livewireathens.com
EVENTS: UGA Presents Preview Event (UGA Performing Arts Center) Learn about the 2025–2026 season’s offerings, ask questions and order tickets. 5 p.m. FREE! pac. uga.edu
GAMES: Lunch & Learn (Tyche’s Games) Bring your lunch and learn new games. 11:30 a.m. FREE! www. tychesgames.com
GAMES: Adult Dungeons & Dragons (Bogart Library) A gaming session for players of all skill levels. Ages 18 & up. 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart
GAMES: UnPhiltered Trivia (Mellow Mushroom) Test your trivia knowledge with host Phil. 7 p.m. www. facebook.com/MellowMushroom
Athens
GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici at The Falls) Test your trivia knowledge with host Miles Bunch. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/ baddogathens
GAMES: Singo! (Beef O’Brady’s) Win gift certificates and prizes at this music bingo night. Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m. www.beefobradys.com/athens
KIDSTUFF: Storytime (Oconee County Library) Drop in and join Ms. Jera for rhymes, songs, movement, a story and a craft. Ages 5 & under. 11 a.m. & 12 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/oconee
KIDSTUFF: Crafternoon (Oconee County Library) Drop in for a craft or two. Supplies Provided. All ages. Tuesdays, 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/oconee
LECTURES & LIT: Athentic Book Club (Athentic Brewing Co.) Discuss Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao with the group. 6 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing. com
SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@athenspetanque. org, www.athenspetanque.org
Wednesday 21
ART: Tour At Two (Georgia Museum of Art) These drop-in public tours
feature highlights of the permanent collection. 2 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum.org
COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Buvez) Townie improv that invites you to bring suggestions. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flying squidcomedy.com
COMEDY: Hendershot’s Comedy (Hendershot’s) Enjoy a lineup featuring comics from Athens and Atlanta as well as newcomers. Hosted by Noell Appling. Third Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com
EVENTS: The Athens Farmers Market (Creature Comforts Brewery) Markets offer fresh produce, flowers, eggs, meats, prepared foods, arts and crafts. Live music at 6 p.m. AFM double SNAP dollars spent. Wednesdays, 5–8 p.m. www. athensfarmersmarket.net
FILM: Three Star Cinema (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Screening of the 1985 action film Exciting Dragon 7 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatre andbar.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: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (South Main Brewing) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu nottrivia
GAMES: Trivia Night (Hotel Indigo) Test your trivia knowledge. 6 p.m. FREE! www.indigoathens.com
GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (La Fiesta) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia
GAMES: Music Bingo (B&B Theatres) Join in to play music bingo. 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.bbtheatres. com
GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Locos Grill and Pub Eastside) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/ shihtzunottrivia
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 Mania (Bogart Library) Drop in to free build and create. All ages. 3–5 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart
LECTURES & LIT: Author Talk (ACC Library) Award-winning local author Will Leitch will read from his newest work Lloyd McNeil’s Last Stand. 7 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org
Thursday 22
CLASSES: Genealogy Research Methods (ACC Library) Expand your knowledge of genealogical research methods and learn how to form a research question, discover sources, create citations and more. Registration required. 12 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org
CLASSES: Cutting Machine Basics (ACC Library) Learn how to create designs and cut vinyl with Cameo Silhouette 3. 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org
CLASSES: Boots & Brews Line Dancing (Athentic Brewing Co.) Learn the line dancing basics from
hosts Becky and Patty. 7 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing.com
FILM: Tokusatsu Club (ACC Library) Screening of the 2018 Japanese mockumentary/reboot The Great Buddha Arrival. 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org
GAMES: BINGO (VFW Post 2872) Join in to play this weekly game of chance. Thursdays, 5 p.m. (doors). FREE! www.facebook.com/vfw2872
GAMES: Thursday Trivia (Johnny’s New York Style Pizza) Test your trivia knowledge with host Todd Henderson. 6:30 p.m. www.johnnys pizza.com
GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Terrapin Beer Co.) Test your general
SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@athenspetanque. org, www.athenspetanque.org
Friday 23
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 (Tyche’s Games) Learn how to play a new roleplaying game. New play-
CLASSES: Workshop on Finding Common Ground (Public Safety Building) This “Bridging Perspectives and Building Leadership” workshop will educate participants on how to find common ground with differing viewpoints. 6 p.m. FREE! www.bit.ly/MadisonGAWorkshop.
COMEDY: Improv Comedy with Matt House (Hendershot’s) Learn the basics of improv comedy. 2 p.m. $15. www.hattmouse.com/ classes
EVENTS: The Athens Farmers Market (Bishop Park) Markets offer locally grown groceries and handmade goods with live music and children’s activities. AFM doubles
GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (The Foundry) Test your knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Thursdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens
GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Your Pie Watkinsville) Test your general trivia knowledge. Thursdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia
KIDSTUFF: Open Play (Oconee County Library) Drop in for playtime that’s focused on encouraging early literacy and brain building. Ages 5 & under. 10 a.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee
KIDSTUFF: LEGO Club (Oconee County Library) Drop in to free build and create, or do one of the fun LEGO challenges. Ages 5–12. Thursdays, 3–5 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee
LECTURES & LIT: Across the Board Book Club (Oconee County Library) Discuss books chosen by the group. New members welcome. Fourth Thursdays, 11 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/oconee
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
ers 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. Fridays, 10:30 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/ bogart
LECTURES & LIT: Sound Studies (Buvez) Local authors and poets Will Stanier, Amanda Dzimianski, Ellie Swensson and J.R. Barner will read from their works. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/buvezathens
MEETINGS: Abolition 101 (Heard Park) Learn more about abolition or meet like-minded people with a discussion about building a world without prisons. 6 p.m. FREE! dylank@tutamail.com
PERFORMANCE: Athens Showgirl Cabaret Fabulous Fridays Benefit Show (Hendershots) Enjoy a fabulous night of drag entertainment to benefit Freya Diva. Ages 18 & up. 9 p.m. $5. www.athensshow girlcabaret.com
Saturday 24
CLASSES: Homebuyer Education Workshop (Athens Land Trust) Athens Land Trust hosts this HUD-certified course for first-time homeowners to learn about the home-buying process in Georgia. Registration required. 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. $10. housingcounseling @athenslandtrust.org
Sunday 25
ART: Artist Demo (tiny ATH gallery) Jewelry artist Hannah Reynoso Toussaint will give a glass flame working demonstration. 2–5 p.m. FREE! www.tinyathgallery.com
CLASSES: Mah Jongg (Oconee County Library) Adults of all skill levels are invited to learn and play American Mah Jonng. Every Sunday. 2–4 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/oconee
COMEDY: Comedy Open Mic (MaiKai Kava Lounge) Show up and go up with your stand-up material. 6–8 p.m. FREE! www.instagram. com/bulaatmaikai
COMEDY: Off the Clock Comedy (The Globe) Athens Comedy presents a lineup of local and touring comedians. 8:30 p.m. (doors), 9 p.m. (show). www.facebook.com/ athenscomedy
GAMES: Lazy Sunday Games Day (Athentic Brewing Co.) Bring your favorite board, video, card or role playing games and meet fellow gamers. 1–5 p.m. www.athentic brewing.com
GAMES: SIM Race Sunday (ACC Library) Drive for fun or compete for fastest lap against other participants in Grand Turismo 7. Registration required. 3 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org
GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (The Globe) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Sundays, 6 p.m. www. facebook.com/baddogathens
GAMES: Trivia Night (Cheba Hut) Test your trivia knowledge. 7:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/chebahut
LECTURES & LIT: OZmosis Live! (No. 3 Railroad Street) Readings from author Noel Holston with music performed by Marty Winkler. 5 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.3railroad.org
EVENTS: Athens Honey Bee Festival (ACC Extension Office) Learn more about bees with crafts, photo ops, honey tasting and hive explorations. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. FREE! extension.uga.edu
EVENTS: Distillery Moving Sale (Soldier of the Sea Distillery) Fans, lights, sinks, fridges and more will be up for sale. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. thehivepub62@gmail.com
GAMES: Day of Board Game Demonstrations (Tyche’s Games) Try new games and watch how they’re played. 12 p.m. FREE! www. tychesgames.com
LECTURES & LIT: Historic Athens Heritage Walk (Brooklyn Cemetery) Join Linda and Kimberly Davis of the Friends of Brooklyn Cemetery for a walk through one of Athens’ oldest African American cemeteries. 2 p.m. $25. www.historicathens.com
THEATER: Matilda the Musical (Oconee Youth Playhouse) Oconee Youth Playhouse presents the classic story by Roald Dahl. May 24, 7:30 p.m. May 24–25, 2:30 p.m. $15 (students), $20 (adults). www. oconeeyouthplayhouse.com
SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@athenspetanque. org, www.athenspetanque.org
THEATER: Matilda the Musical (Oconee Youth Playhouse) Oconee Youth Playhouse presents the classic story by Roald Dahl. May 24, 7:30 p.m. May 24–25, 2:30 p.m. $15 (students), $20 (adults). www. oconeeyouthplayhouse.com
Monday 26
EVENTS: Marigold Farmers Market (100 North Church Street) Vendors offer organic produce, prepared foods, agricultural products and artisanal goods. Mondays, 10 a.m.–7 p.m. www.marigoldcollectivewinterville.com
GAMES: Star Wars Trivia (Athentic Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge of the galaxy far far away. 7–9 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing. com
Tuesday 27
CLASSES: Internet 101: Privacy and Security (ACC Library) Learn how to protect your data, recognize security risks and get tips on how to manage your personal information. Registration required. 10 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org
This month’s Athens Showgirl Cabaret Fabulous Fridays event is a benefit show held at Hendershot’s on May 23.
KAT WOOD
CLASSES: ESOL (Bogart Library) Learn or polish your English skills using Mango languages online and in-person conversation. 12 p.m.
FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart
COMEDY: Flying Squid Open
Improv Jam (150 Fritz Mar Lane) Improvisors of all skill levels are invited to practice and play together. 8 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flyingsquidcomedy.com
EVENTS: Tiki Taco Tuesday (Live Wire) Enjoy craft cocktails and a taco pop-up from Don Carne with themed weeks, live music and dancing. Tuesdays, 5–10 p.m. www.livewireathens.com
FILM: Athentic Movie Night (Athentic Brewing Co.) Screening of the 1942 war film with a romantic twist Casablanca. 7 p.m. FREE! www. athenticbrewing.com
GAMES: Lunch & Learn (Tyche’s Games) Bring your lunch and learn new games. 11:30 a.m. FREE! www. tychesgames.com
GAMES: UnPhiltered Trivia (Mellow Mushroom) Test your trivia knowledge with host Phil. 7 p.m. www. facebook.com/MellowMushroom
Athens
GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici at The Falls) Test your trivia knowledge with host Miles Bunch. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/ baddogathens
GAMES: Singo! (Beef O’Brady’s) Win gift certificates and prizes at this music bingo night. Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m. www.beefobradys.com/athens
KIDSTUFF: Storytime (Oconee County Library) Drop in and join Ms. Jera for rhymes, songs, movement, a story and a craft. Ages 5 & under. 11 a.m. & 12 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/oconee
KIDSTUFF: Crafternoon (Oconee County Library) Drop in for a craft or two. Supplies Provided. All ages. Tuesdays, 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/oconee
MEETINGS: Death Over Drafts (Athentic Brewing Co.) Casual destigmatizing discussion about all things death and dying while using The Death Deck. 6–8 p.m. FREE! organizingdeath@gmail.com
MEETINGS: AthensGATV Meetup for Content Creators (ATHICA)
JOKERJOKERtv and CreativeSpace invites livestreamers, podcasters, content creators and influencers to network and listen to presentations. 7–9 p.m. FREE! www.athica.org
PERFORMANCE: Rabbit Box Storytelling (VFW Post 2872) This month’s storytelling theme is “Soundtrack of My Life” with eight people sharing real life stories. 7–9 p.m. $10. www.rabbitbox.org
SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@athenspetanque. org, www.athenspetanque.org
Wednesday 28
ART: Tour At Two (Georgia Museum of Art) These drop-in public tours feature highlights of the permanent collection. 2 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum.org
COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Buvez) Townie improv that invites you to bring suggestions. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flying squidcomedy.com
EVENTS: The Athens Farmers Market (Creature Comforts Brewery) Markets offer fresh produce, flowers, eggs, meats, prepared foods, arts and crafts. Live music at 6 p.m. AFM double SNAP dollars spent. Wednesdays, 5–8 p.m. www. athensfarmersmarket.net
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: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (South Main Brewing) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu nottrivia
GAMES: Trivia Night (Hotel Indigo) Test your trivia knowledge. 6 p.m. FREE! www.indigoathens.com
GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (La Fiesta) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia
GAMES: Trivia Night (B&B Theatres) Test your trivia knowledge on a variety of topics. 7:30 p.m. FREE! www. bbtheatres.com
GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Locos Grill and Pub Eastside) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/ shihtzunottrivia
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 Mania (Bogart Library) Drop in to free build and create. All ages. 3–5 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart
KIDSTUFF: Teen Summer Reading Kickoff (Oconee County Library) Stop by to celebrate the summer reading kickoff with games, treats, prizes and more. Grades 6–12. 6–8 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/ oconee
LECTURES & LIT: Author Conversation & Book Signing (ATHICA) Author Martha Park will discuss her new book World Without End: Essays on Apocalypse and After followed by a conversation with Josina Guess about climate crisis, faith and the South. 7 p.m. FREE! www. avidbookshop.com
MEETINGS: Film Athens (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Meet and network with others in the filmmaking community (actors, directors, etc.) during happy hour. 5 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/FilmAthens
MEETINGS: C3 to End Homelessness (Heard Park) A roundtable discussion regarding housing and homelessness to educate, identify issue and plan steps to solutions. Fourth Wednesdays, 5–7 p.m. FREE! www.athenshc.org/coc
MEETINGS: Celebrating Kick Ath Women (Live Wire) Join Women Who Work for a communityfocused networking event with light refreshments and sign-ups for a professional headshot. Registration required. 5–7:30 p.m. $15. www. business.athensga.com
Down the Line
5/29 Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park)
5/29 BINGO (VFW Post 2872)
5/29 Adobe Lightroom for Beginners (ACC Library)
5/29 Closing Reception (tiny ATH gallery)
5/29 Tarot & Tea (Indie South)
5/29 KnitLits Knitting Group (Bogart Library)
5/29 Thursday Trivia (Johnny’s New York Style Pizza)
5/29 Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Terrapin Beer Co.)
5/29 Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Your Pie Watkinsville)
5/29 Bad Dog Trivia (The Foundry)
5/30 Skateboarding For Adults (Skatepark of Athens)
5/30 Chess Club (Winterville Cultural Center)
5/30 Friday Night Initiative (Tyche’s Games) f
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.
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. Apply online. www.athensarts.org/support
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM (Lyndon House Arts Center) The AIR Program provides participants with a workspace, access and a stipend. Visit www.accgov.com/ lyndonhouse for application and more information.
ATHENS CREATIVE DIRECTORY (Athens, GA) The ACD is a platform to connect creatives with patrons. Visual artists, musicians, actors, writers and other creatives are encouraged to create a free listing. www.athenscreatives.directory
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. www. accgov.com/9799/ArtistCurator
CALL FOR ART (Amici at The Falls) Amici is seeking artists to share artwork in monthly exhibitions. Email an introduction and a few examples of work. careywelsh20@gmail.com
CALL FOR ART (Oconee County Library) The library is seeking local artists to share their artwork in monthly exhibitions. Email for information. adial@athenslibrary.org
CALL FOR ART (Winterville Library) Apply to be a featured local artist in the Front Room Gallery. The library accepts all 2D mediums such as watercolor, collage, textile and more. Email swatson@athenslibrary.org
CALL FOR ARTIST (ACCGov) Seeking professional artist to work with
stakeholders and government staff to create a mural for Costa Building. Submission deadline June 27. For project details, applications and other information visit website. www.accgov.com/10597/Call-forPublic-Art-Costa-Building CALL FOR ARTISTS (MAGallery) Now accepting artist applications for gallery exhibits. MAGallery is a nonprofit cooperative gallery. Gallery Artists work one day a month and participate on a committee. Visit www.themadisonartistsguild. org/call-for-artists for more information.
CALL FOR ARTISTS (Online) JOKERJOKERtv is actively accepting proposals for collaboration from artists and curators living in Athens. Artists worldwide can also submit films, skits and ideas to share with a weekly livestream audience. www. jokerjokertv.com/submit
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. shelby.little@accgov.com
OPEN AUDITIONS (Athens Symphony) Auditions and membership open to qualified musicians able to attend rehearsals and maintain preparation of music. Current listings can be found online. www. athenssymphony.org/openings
OPEN STUDIOS (Lyndon House Arts Center) Studio members have access to spaces for photography, ceramics and more. Visit website for availability and cost. www. accgov.com/7350/Open-StudioMembership
PUBLIC ART SELECTION PANELS (Athens, GA) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission is seeking community members to participate
art around town
ACE/FRANCISCO GALLERY (675 Pulaski St., Suite 500) Show of monochromatic works featuring Keith Bennett’s “ORB COMPULSIVE DISORDER” and Mike Landers in the Upper Gallery with “Black & White LEGO.” Through June 19.
AMICI AT THE FALLS (8851 Macon Hwy., Suite 501) Paintings by Abby Boylen that represent a song and her visual experience while listening are on view through June 13.
ARTS + ATHLETICS (130 The Plaza) Paul Leroy’s solo exhibition “Love My Way” presents a series of mixed media paintings that celebrate independent music and zine making. Through June 11.
ATHENS INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: ATHICA (675 Pulaski St.) “DELUGE” presents the work of four artists in an exhibition that celebrates their resilience—not only in surviving hurricanes, but in navigating the ongoing challenges faced as working artists and women. Through June 8.
ATHENTIC BREWING CO. (108 Park Ave.) Juancho Cano’s “Fragmentario: Visions in Pieces” presents visual work and video art. A live concert will take place June 7, 7 p.m. On view May 23–July 23.
ATHICA@CINÉ GALLERY (234 W. Hancock Ave.) “Blunders & Wonders” showcases Jeffrey Whittle’s latest drawings that explore nature, fantasy and material experimentation. Through June 25.
AURUM STUDIOS (125 E. Clayton St.) “All Banners of Living Things” from local artist Margaret Agner features painted silk wall hangings of moths, butterflies and florals. Through May.
CREATURE COMFORTS BREWING CO. (271 W. Hancock Ave.) Local artist Will Eskridge’s solo show presents paintings that “celebrate the soul of animals through bold colors and high texture.” Through May 31.
in upcoming public art selection panels. Panels review, evaluate and select from submitted proposals for ACC-funded public art commissions. www.accgov.com/9656/ Public-Art-Selection-Panels
Auditions
RUMORS (Town & Gown) Auditions for this version of Neil Simon’s classic murder comedy will be held June 16–17. Performances held Aug. 8–17. Email info@townand gownplayers.org for specific roles and requirements.
Classes
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. www.unityathens.com
ACCENT REDUCTION CLASS (Covenant Presbyterian Church) Improve your American English pronunciation skills. For ages 18 and up. Tuesdays, 12 p.m. marjoriemiller@ gmail.com
ART CLASSES (K.A. Artist Shop) The shop offers a range of fine art classes and workshops for adults, private classes and parties, and more. Register online. www.kaartist. com
CANOPY CLASSES & SCHOLARSHIPS (Canopy Studio) Canopy offers a variety of trapeze and aerial arts classes for children and adults. Scholarships and financial aid are available. outreach@canopystudio. org, www.canopystudio.org/ outreach/scholarships
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS (Athens, GA) The Athens Land Trust hosts a variety of virtual and
in-person classes. Topics include “Homebuyer Education Workshop” (May 24) and “Affordable Housing Info”. Visit website for full list. www.athenslandtrust.org/classesevents
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS (The Lightroom Athens) A variety of programs to help build skills in photography, videography and audio production. Follow @lightroomath on Instagram for the latest updates.
COOKING AND BAKING CLASSES (Athens Cooks) Upcoming classes include “Summer Salads & Grain Bowls” (May 23) and “English Muffins & Egg Benedicts” (May 27). Visit website for full list, prices and registration. www.athenscooks.com
GUIDED GARDEN TOURS (UGA Botanical Garden) Learn about various plants at this guided walk. Available for groups of less than 10. Every Tuesday–Friday, 11 a.m. $5 per person. botgarden.uga.edu
UGA COMMUNITY ART SCHOOL (Lamar Dodd School of Art) Summer registration now open for instructor-led classes in a variety of mediums. Email CommunityArt School@uga.edu for more information on schedules, cost and availability.
Help Out
ATHENS REPAIR CAFE (Solid Waste Office) The repair cafe is seeking volunteers comfortable fixing a variety of items including: clothing, small appliances, tools and more. Fourth Sunday of every month. reuse@accgov.com, www.accgov. com/RepairCafe
ATHENS SKATEPARK PROJECT (Athens Skate Park) Seeking volunteers and community input. Every third Sunday of the month. Visit www.athensskateparkproject.org for information and opportunities.
BRAS FOR A CAUSE (Grail Bra Specialists) Seeking donations of gently-used bras for distribution to local shelters, recovery centers
GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) Shot through the windows from inside Waffle House restaurants across the Southeast, Micah Cash’s photographs in “Waffle House Vistas” contemplate the built and natural environments. Through June 1. • “The Awe of Ordinary Labors: 20th-Century Paintings from Ukraine” exemplifies socialist realism, a style of art promoted by the government of the Soviet Union. Through June 1.
GLASSCUBE@INDIGO (500 College Ave.) Atlanta artist Paul Leroy’s installation “Tree of Life” will begin growing for its six-month exhibition.
JITTERY JOE’S EASTSIDE (1860 S. Barnett Shoals Rd.) Susan Pelham’s collages, oil and wax paintings are on view through June. Her work is inspired by magic realism, myths, songs and children’s literature.
LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (211 Hoyt St.) 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 2025. • “Unbroken Circle: The Musical Threads of Art Rosenbaum” showcases the late artist’s exploration of American vernacular music through his paintings and drawings. Through June 14. • “Pretend,” an exhibition by Anne McInnis, uses delicate layers of washi paper and silk organza to explore the fluidity of identity and the blur between reality and illusion. Artist talk June 12, 5:30 p.m. Through July 12.
OCONEE LIBRARY (1925 Electric Ave.) Athens Art Association has an art exhibit on view through June 26. Various works are available for purchase. THE ROOK & PAWN (294 W. Washington St.) Group exhibition “Dream Journal” will feature 25 local artists. Through June 15.
STATE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF GEORGIA (2450 S. Milledge Ave)
Multidisciplinary artist Robert Clements presents paintings that capture the beauty of Southern landscapes. Through June 22.
STEFFEN THOMAS MUSEUM OF ART (4200 Bethany Rd., Buckhead) Developed in collaboration with the Georgia Writers Museum in Eatonton, “Touch Grass: Steffen Thomas, Senora Lynch, Raven Waters” is an environ-
and communities in need. Contact Athens Area Bra Bank at 706-8500387, support@grailbras.com
MULTIPLE CHOICES VOLUNTEERS (Multiple Choices Center for Independent Living) Seeking volunteers to assist a nonprofit agency that serves individuals living with disabilities throughout a 10-country area of Northeastern Georgia. Contact Daniel Myers at 706-850-4025 or dmyers@multiplechoices.us
PACK WALKS (Animal Services Adoption Center) Volunteer dog walkers needed for daily interactions with the shelter dogs. Open opportunities every day, 4–5 p.m. Register at www.tidycal.com/ animalservicesvolunteer/pack-walk
PET FOOD PANTRY (Animal Services Adoption Center) The Animal Services community pet food pantry provides pet food to ACC residents at no cost. Donations always welcome. Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sundays, 12–3 p.m. www.accgov.com/adoptioncenter
SEEKING BOARD MEMBERS (Bigger Vision of Athens) The nonprofit homeless shelter Bigger Vision of Athens, Inc. is seeking new members for its board of directors. The application is available online. the biggervisionshelter@gmail.com, www.bvoa.org/boardmember
SEEKING BOARD MEMBERS (Moms Adopting Moms) Local nonprofit seeks board members, including a chair and treasurer, to support foster children and families through mentorship and reunification. momsadoptingmoms@ gmail.com
SEEKING FOOD DONATIONS (The Cottage) Seeking donations of single-serving, non-perishable snacks to help children and adults navigating interviews, therapy sessions and court hearings. To arrange a drop-off please call 706546-1133, ext 223.
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Athens Farmer Market) Seeking volunteers for the 2025 season to help with weekly markets, special events and more. Submit applications online. www.athensfarmersmarket.net/ volunteer
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (KACCB) Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful has volunteer opportunities that include roadside cleanups, adopta-ramp and more. Visit www.keep athensbeautiful.org for more info.
SPRING RAFFLE (Athens, GA) Athens Area Diaper Bank is hosting a Spring Getaway Raffle to benefit its work distributing diapers to families in need in our community. Tickets are $20 each or 3 for $50. Winners will be notified May 24. Visit bit. ly/2025diaperspringraffle to view prizes and purchase tickets.
TEACHER SUPPLIES (Teacher Reuse Store) Educators can access free creative supplies at the store. Visit accgov.com/trs for hours. TOWELS FOR ANIMALS (Animal Services Adoption Center) Seeking donations of gently used bath towels and hand rags for bathing animals and cleaning kennels. Donations can be dropped off at the door if it’s after hours. www.accgov. com/animalservices
Kidstuff
BRELLA ACTIVITIES (‘Brella Studio)
A variety of after-school art lessons available for all ages. Other events and programs include “Art Truck,” art camps, “Mommy & Me” mornings and more. Check website for descriptions and meeting times. www.brellastudio.com/events
CAMP PROGRAMS (ACC Leisure Services) Registration for the 2025 Summer season is now open. A variety of programs, classes and camps for all ages are available at local parks and community centers. Visit website for full list of classes, availability and registration. www. accgov.com/myrecs, 706-6133800
CAMP PROGRAMS (Athens Humane Society) “Humane Heroes” and “Junior Vet” summer camps are open for registration. June and July availability but spaces are limited. www.athenshumanesociety.org/ summer-camp
CAMP PROGRAMS (Firefly Homeschool Community) Registration for “Be Wild” Homeschool Summer Camp for students grade K–12 is now open. Programs run through June. Visit fireflyhomeschool community.org for pricing and scheduling.
CAMP PROGRAMS (Merit Music Academy) Registration for a variety of Summer Camp classes is now open. Offering Puppetry, Piano, and Ukulele Camps, with crafts, snacks and performances. Visit MeritMu-
mentally-focused exhibition that explores humanity’s place in the natural world. Through June 28. • Alexandra Huynh presents “From Tears to the Sea and Other Works.” Through June 28. • “The Madness of Clowns” is a collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures that explores humanity’s interest in clowns. Through July 1.
TINY ATH GALLERY (174 Cleveland Ave.) Artist and MFA candidate Hannah Reynoso Toussaint will display a collection of glass jewelry. Artist demo May 25, 2 p.m. Closing reception May 29, 6–9 p.m.
UGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER LOBBY GALLERY (230 River Rd.) Benjamin Britton, an associate professor at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, presents “surface potential,” a collection of four abstract paintings over 7 feet tall. Through Aug. 8.
UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) “Precious, Almost Sacred: Voting Rights in America” features photos, pamphlets, letters and more from the Russell Library archives to illustrate the expansion of voter access in Georgia. Through May. • “From Farms to Fast Fashion: Unraveling the Need for Sustainable Style” explores the rise of fast fashion and who pays for the cost of its convenience. Through July. • “The Golden Age of Broadway” provides a glimpse into Broadway’s Golden Age through musical posters, playbills and artifacts. Through August. • “Captain Planet: The Power Is Yours” explores the origins and impact of the TV series, which inspired young people to care for the environment. Through May 2026. WINTERVILLE CULTURAL CENTER GALLERY (371 N. Church St., Winterville) Featuring the works of more than a dozen potters, “Georgia Contemporary Wood-Fired Potters” highlights the tradition of wood firing. • The first annual “Friends of the Gallery: Members’ Exhibition” will showcase the works of 40 local artists. Through May 22.
WILLSON CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIES AND ARTS (1260 S Lumpkin St) A new series of landscape photographs by Michael Lachowski, alongside a photo series of clouds, is on view through summer.
sicAcademy.com/summercamp for pricing and scheduling.
CAMP PROGRAMS (Nuçi’s Space) Registration for 2025 camp programs is now open for June and July Camp Amped sessions, Camp Amplify recording/engineering camp, Camp Amped Half Day 1 week sessions and 1 week Sound Check sessions. Visit www.nuci. org/camp for more information.
CAMP PROGRAMS (Sweet Olive Farm) Registration for 2025 camp programs for children ages 6–12 is now open. Activities include animal care, music, arts and crafts, outdoor adventures and more. Programs run June through Aug. Visit www. sweetolivefarm.org for pricing and options.
CAMP PROGRAMS (The Studio) Registration for “Creative Kids Camp” starting in June is now open. Programs are for ages 4–8 with music, art and movement to foster creative expression and imaginative play. www.thestudioath.com
CAMP PROGRAMS (University of Georgia) Registration for a variety of art programs for teens ages 14–17 is now open. June 2–July 18. Subjects include metals, printmaking, painting, and photography. Both daytime classes and overnight residential programs available. art. uga.edu/programs/communityprograms/uga-summer-art-camp
CREATIVE CLASSES & SUMMER ART CAMPS (K.A. Artist Shop)
Classes include “Art Card Club” for teens and pre-teens. Summer art class camp registration is now open for young artists ages 10–17. Visit Visit www.kaartist.com for schedules, costs and general information.
CREATIVE CLASSES (Treehouse Kid & Craft) Treehouse offers a variety of art-centric activities for children, such as “Art School,” “Saturday Morning Crafts” and more. Summer camp registration is now open. Check website for schedule and details. www.treehousekidandcraft.
com
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 parentbaby yoga, maternal mental health and more. Check website for a schedule. www.reblossomathens. com
KIDS CAN COOK! (Athens Cooks) Mini-chefs can learn a variety of cooking techniques at these 4-day camps. Ages 10–13, June 16. Ages 6–9, June 23. Visit www. athenscooks.com for information including cost and registration requirements.
SUMMER CAMPS (Athens First UMC) Registration for True North Vacation Bible School for kids K–5 is now open. June 2–5. Outdoor adventures and lessons of trusting Jesus in a wild world. www.athens firstumc.org/vbs
SUMMER THEATER WORKSHOPS (On Stage Walton) “Space & Burgers” for grades K–3. June 2–7 with a performance June 7. “Agents of Space Encounters” for grades 4–8. June 16–21 with a performance June 21. $95. Scholarships available. Registration and information available online. www.onstage walton.org
YOUTH BLACKSMITHING CLASSES (Metal Shop Fantasy Camp, Watkinsville) Basic classes scheduled weekly for children, teens and homeschool groups. Visit www. metalshopfantasycamp.com for cost, registration and requirements.
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
ADVANCED CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (University Cancer and Blood Center) A support group for those living with advanced/ terminal cancer with the goal to find comfort, encouragement and valuable resources. First Monday of every month. 5:30–7 p.m. www.university cancer.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. www.ga-al-anon. org/meetings
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (Athens, GA) If you think you have a problem with alcohol, call the AA hotline or visit the website for a schedule of meetings in Barrow, Clarke, Jackson and Oconee
Counties. 706-389-4164, www. athensaa.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
Babies and children of all ages are welcome. Second and fourth Wednesdays, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. www.byyourleave.org
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS (Multiple Locations) Do you worry about the way you eat? OA may have the answer for you. Meetings held Tuesdays, 12 p.m. at 24th Street, Inc. and Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Text 678-736-3697 about Tuesdays or 706-224-4919 about Saturdays. www.oa.org
injury, their families, friends and caregivers offers information about resources and opportunities for advocacy. Every third Monday, 4:30–6 p.m. floretta.johnson@ stmarysathens.org
NAMI CONNECTION SUPPORT GROUP (Multiple Locations) Peerled support group for any adult who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition. First and third Friday of the month, 5:30–7 p.m at Inclusive Recovery Athens. Second Monday of the month, 6:30–8 p.m at Oconee Presbyterian Church, Watkinsville. www.namiga. org
NEW PARENTS AND INFANT FEEDING SUPPORT GROUP (BYL Family Resource Center) Come as you are for community, snacks and feeding advice from professionals.
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
PET LOSS AND GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP (Chase Park Warehouses) A peer-led support group of people who understand the depth of love and grief for animal companions. Meets every second and fourth Wednesday, 6:30–8 p.m. www. vibrantbeing.net/grief-support POLYAMORY SUPPORT GROUP (Revolution Therapy and Yoga) An open support group for adults practicing or considering polyamory or nonmonogamy. Thursdays, 6:30–
PREVIVORS SUPPORT GROUP FOR WOMEN (Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support) Women ages 18–50 who have been diagnosed with a genetic mutation for breast cancer (but not diagnosed with cancer) can gather for peer support and share unique challenges. Third Thursdays, 5:30–7:30 p.m. 706465-4900, loransmithcenter@ piedmont.org
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
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
RECOVERY DHARMA (work.shop) A Buddhist-inspired support group for addiction of all kinds. Meetings consist of introductions, a short meditation and book reading, followed by group sharing. Open to all, especially service industry workers. Meets every Monday, 6:30 p.m. www.recoverydharma.org
SEX ADDICTS ANONYMOUS (Athens, GA) Athens Downtown SAA offers a message of hope to anyone who suffers from compulsive sexual behavior. Contact for location. athensdowntownsaa@gmail.com
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 ZEN GROUP (work.shop)
Sangha sits every Sunday morning 8:30–10:00 a.m. followed by a discussion of Zen teachings 10:00–10:50 a.m. Newcomers’ orientation is the second Sunday of every month at 11:00 a.m. Other sits are held at various times of the year. Visit www.athenszen.org for schedule and information.
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 CALL FOR STORYTELLERS (Rabbit Box) Rabbit Box presents true short stories shared by community members. Submit story ideas for upcoming shows. Themes include “Soundtrack of My Life” on (May 27). www.rabbitbox.org/tell
FILM LOCATION DIRECTORY (Athens, GA) The Athens Film Office, part of the ACCGov Communications Department, recently launched a new database to showcase potential local sites that could be considered for film, TV or other production projects. www.athensga filmoffice.com
RABBIT HOLE EVENTS (Rabbit Hole Studios) Weekly events include Open Jam (Tuesdays, 8–10 p.m.) and Acoustic Song Circle (Thursdays, 8–10 p.m. & Sundays, 3–5 p.m.). www.rabbitholestudios.org
SEEKING VENDORS (Athentic Brewing) Seeking a variety of vendors to participate in the Pride Month Market on June 14. Contact jess@ athenticbrewing.com or visit instagram.com/athenticbrewing for more information.
SEEKING VENDORS (The Foundry) A variety of vendor spots and sponsorships available for pop-up shop event on July 12. Contact tjordan@ hotelabacusathens.com for more information.
SEVENTH GENERATION (Various Locations) Seventh Generation Native American Church hosts gatherings on Sundays at 11 a.m. at Feel Free Yoga and Men’s Group on Tuesdays at 6 p.m at St. Gregory’s Church. For information: 706-3407134
SUMMER REGISTRATION OPEN (ACC Leisure Services) A diverse selection of programs for both adults and children are now open for registration. Visit www.accgov. com/myrec to sign up. Scholarships available. www.accgov.com/ scholarship VHS DIGITIZATION (Athens, GA) Seeking previously recorded concerts and events on VHS, VHSC, Hi8, MiniDV and DVDs to digitize and archive on YouTube channel, @vhsordie3030, and the Athens GA Live Music channel. bradley. staples88@gmail.com, vhsordie. com f
Will Eskridge’s solo show featuring the neon panel series “Wing Rhythm” is on view at Creature Comforts Brewing Co. through May 31.
classifieds
REAL ESTATE
HOUSES FOR RENT
3BR/2BA house. Fenced yard, CHAC, W/D. garage, front porch and FP. $1300/mo. and $1300 sec. dep. Avail. May. No pets. Call 706-254-2936. House in ARMC. 3BR/2BA. Central HVAC. Furnished. Hwd floors. Washer/dryer. Driveway/ on-street parking. 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
LAND FOR SALE
Land For Sale. Quiet spot off 441 in Oconee County. 1.142 Acres with easement. 10 minutes to Watkinsville/Sanford Stadium. If interested, call 912596-9350
OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT
10x20 windowless studio upstairs with hardwood floors inside Work.Shop $400 incl. utils and wifi @160 Winston Dr. in Athens, Ga. 706-247-4513
ROOMS FOR RENT
Male individual in Bogart area looking for roommate. Utils. included. W/D on site. Furnished. Private bath. Queen bed. $600/mon. Deposit required. Call 678-227-2704.
FOR SALE MARKETS
SummerFest Stop & Shop. Shop/support over 75 small businesses from Athens and surrounding areas. Kids zone with inflatables and a rock wall, lots of crafts, health and beauty, fashion, gifts, chair massage or reflexology, food options and more. Saturday May 31st. 10:00a.m.4p.m. East Athens Baptist Church at 4325 Lexington Rd. in Athens. www.facebook.com/ AAVGfanpage
MUSIC 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.athensschoolof music.com. 706-543-5800
MUSIC SERVICES
Instant cash is now being paid for good vinyl records & CDs in fine condition. Wuxtry Records at corner of Clayton & College Dwntn. 706-3699428
SERVICES
CLASSES
Collective Artists Workshop is offering a Teen Theatre Camp and a Grown-Ups Theatre Camp this summer! Details at collectiveartistsworkshop.org
Registration for The Studio’s “Creative Kids Camp” starting in June is now open. Programs for ages 4–8 with music, art and movement to foster creative expression. www.the studioath.com
CLEANING
Peachy Green Clean Cooperative, your local friendly green cleaners! Free estimates. Call or go onlinetoday: 706-2484601, www.peachygreenclean coop.com
HOME AND GARDEN
Need old newspapers for your garden? We have plenty here at Flagpole! 706-549-0301
Get ready for spring! Woman-Run Gardening Services: We offer garden clean-up/ maintenance, invasive plant removal, raised beds, personalized native/edible gardens for home/business and more! Call/Text: 706-395-5321.
Hi! I’m Pablo, an expert gardener offering personalized care for your landscape. I specialize in low-maintenance, native gardens that support pollinators and biodiversity. Find me @pablofromseed, email pkozatch@gmail.com or call 631-903-4365.
PETS
Pamper your pup at Bark Dog Spa, Athens’ premiere dog grooming facility! Book online at barkdogspa.com
SPA
Ceremony Salon offers gratuity-free pricing, a beautiful atmosphere, and specialists for all hair types. Book online at ceremonysalonathens.com
JOBS
FULL-TIME
Advertise full-time and parttime jobs in the Flagpole Classifieds. Call 706-549-0301 or email class@flagpole.com.
Join a diverse, inclusive workplace and get paid to type! 12–40 hours, Mon–Fri. NEVER be called in for a shift you didn’t sign up for. Must type 65+ wpm. Make your own schedule and work independently with no customer interaction. Starts at $13 with automatic increases. www.ct scribes.com
PART-TIME
Tired of meetings that could’ve been emails? Us too. Looking for dependable, service-minded folks who get things done. Part-time work with community focus. Apply at 1190 Prince Ave.
NOTICES
MISCELLANEOUS
Hotel Abacus seeks a temporary social media manager for the summer. Contact Trina Jordan at tjordan@hotelabacus athens.com
ORGANIZATIONS
Become a Juvenile Offender Advocate to compassionately and effectively transform the lives of young people in need of mentorship and rehabilitation. juvenileoffenderadvocate inc.org
Follow ACC Solid Waste on Instagram/Facebook @ accsolidwaste for tips and resources for recycling, composting, repairs, and more or visit accgov.com/solidwaste. If you are in crisis due to domestic violence, Project Safe is here to help. Call 706543-3331 or visit project-safe. org.
Join the Athens Creatives Directory, a resource hub for local makers, buyers, educators, and businesses. athens creatives.directory
Microfiction Judges & Contestants Wanted One hundred words or fewer. Lokhuza.com/ fp
Northeast Health District offers free or low-cost services to all people within our area and to promote healthy lifestyles among all members. northeast healthdistrict.org
VFW Post 2872. Join us for weekly Bingo nights, live music and more at VFW Post 2872 at 835 Sunset Drive in Athens! Get Flagpole delivered to your mailbox! Weekly delivery straight from the source. Only $65 for six months or $125 for one year. Purchase online at www.flagpole.bigcartel.com, call 706- 549- 0301 or email frontdesk@flagpole.com.
The Ultimate PLAYGROUND
At Pawtropolis we honor the unique bond people have with their pets while cultivating a community that serves pets, clients, and employees alike. We do this in the following ways.
We build personal relationships with our clients, find ways to make their lives easier, and always maintain open and honest communication.
We focus on pets’ physical A emotional well-being by creating personalized experiences for the pets in our care.
We are owned, operated and staffed by industry experts.
Owner: 24 years experience
Leadership: ertified Pet are xperts
Playgroup Supervisors: average 100 hours of training and observation before independently managing daycare groups
We have beautiful facilities specifically designed for the pets’ safety and well-being, and to provide transparency to clients.
We offer our employees competitive pay, health & retirement benefits, paid time off, and more.
