FP260304

COLORBEARER OF ATHENS GOING ROUND AND ROUND

LOCALLY OWNED SINCE 1987

MARCH 4, 2026 · VOL. 40 · NO. 9 · FREE

Classic City Roller Derby Celebrating 20 Years of Mayhem p. 8

2

F L A GP OL E .C OM · M A R C H 4, 2026

this week’s issue

contents

FADI KHEIR

INDOOR A TROCK GA H E N S , CLIMBING

INTRO BOULDERING CLASSES YOUTH TEAMS LADIES NIGHT STUDENT DISCOUNTS ACTIVECLIMBING.COM (706)354-0038

665 BARBER ST. ATHENS,GA

Brazilian-born brothers Sérgio and Odair Assad will perform a 60th anniversary farewell tour of their blend of Latin American music and European classics at the Ramsey Concert Hall on Tuesday, Mar. 10. For more info, visit pac.uga.edu.

This Modern World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 NEWS: City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Mayoral Campaign Donations NEWS: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Legion Pool in Peril

Pub Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Street Scribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Dream Scholarship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Classic City Roller Derby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Curb Your Appetite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Calendar Picks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

ARTS & CULTURE: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Flight of the Fireflies

Live Music Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Threats & Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Event Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

FOOD & DRINK: Good Growing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Starting Seeds for Spring

Art Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

WASHINGTONSQUARESTUDIO.COM

706.395.6633

WE DO HAIR!

Adopt Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 PUBLISHER & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Alicia Nickles PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner ADVERTISING SALES Dave Martin, Isabella Williams EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Sam Lipkin CITY EDITOR Blake Aued MUSIC EDITOR Sam Lipkin ARTS & CULTURE COORDINATOR Libba Beaucham OFFICE MANAGER & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Jennifer Keene CLASSIFIED ADS & CALENDAR COORDINATOR Jennifer Keene AD DESIGNERS Chris McNeal, Cody Robinson CONTRIBUTORS Makenna Carlton, Erin France, Gordon Lamb, Ed Tant CARTOONISTS Missy Kulik, David Mack, Klon Waldrip, Joey Weiser CIRCULATION Jennifer Bray, Charles Greenleaf, Joe Rowe EDITORIAL & OFFICE ASSISTANT Mary Beth Bryan EDITORIAL INTERN Lily Thomas PHOTOGRAPHERS CJ Bartunek, Kat Wood, Jake Zerkel SPECIAL AGENT Pete McCommons

Local Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

COVER PHOTOGRAPH by Kat Wood (see story on p. 8) STREET ADDRESS: 220 Prince Ave., Athens, GA 30601 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603 EDITORIAL: 706-­549-­9523 · ADVERTISING: 706-­549-­0301 CLASSIFIED ADS: class@flagpole.com ADVERTISING: ads@flagpole.com CALENDAR: calendar@flagpole.com EDITORIAL: editorial@flagpole.com

ARTS & CULTURE: arts@flagpole.com LETTERS: letters@flagpole.com MUSIC: music@flagpole.com NEWS: news@flagpole.com

Flagpole, Inc. publishes Flagpole Magazine weekly and distributes 8,600 copies free at over 275 locations around Athens, Georgia. Subscriptions cost $125 a year, $65 for six months. © 2026 Flagpole, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOLUME 40 ISSUE NUMBER 9

Association of Alternative Newsmedia

PLEASE SUPPORT FREE LOCAL NEWS SUPPORT FLAGPOLE

online exclusive Howdy, Fellow Traveler! released its debut demo tape Snow Day Demos, featuring a four-song introduction to the project ahead of its full-band release due this fall via Athens label Indecent Artistry. Howdy, Fellow Traveler! is the project of songwriter, farmer and “overall sweetheart” Isaac Johnson.

See “Flagpole Premieres: Howdy, Fellow Traveler!; Snow Day Demos” at flagpole.com.

BUY IT RENT IT

IN THE FLAGPOLE CLASSIFIEDS our weekly rates are cheaper than other papers’ daily rates!

SELL IT

PLACE YOUR AD BY CALLING 706-549-9523 or email class@flagpole.com

M A R C H 4, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM

3

city dope

BLAKE AUED

news

Mayoral Money

CAMPAIGN DONATIONS AND MORE LOCAL NEWS

By Blake Aued and Lily Thomas news@flagpole.com Almost a dozen developers, landlords and business leaders each gave the maximum $3,300 contribution to Dexter Fisher’s campaign for mayor, campaign contribution disclosure reports show.

Among them were John and Susan Barrett of Barrett Club Properties; Burton & Burton balloon company owners Robert and Maxine Burton; James Hopkins of consulting firm Strategic Ventures Group; Watkinsville resident Mark Jennings of The Leaven Group, which unsuccessfully tried to redevelop Georgia Square Mall, and his wife Delores; Zaxby’s CEO Zachary McElroy of Watkinsville; construction company CEO Quaison Payne and his wife Carla; Cindy and Robert Scott of RAC Properties; and retirees Thomas and Lori Scott.

Fisher, who represents District 5 on the ACC Commission, reported raising $115,211 through Dec. 31. He spent $25,375 and had $89,835 left on hand.

Other prominent contributors to Fisher’s campaign included former commission candidate and current school board candidate Carl Blount; Republican Watkinsville Mayor Brian Brodrick; Tim Burgess, a retired UGA administrator and Watkinsville resident who worked with Fisher; Piedmont Athens Regional CEO Michael Burnett of Watkinsville; UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark; ACC Commissioner John Culpepper; Hathaway Properties owner Richard Hathaway; Christopher Joiner of Joiner Realty; 2006 mayoral candidate Charlie Maddox and wife Linda; Carl Parks, a former GOP political strategist and Clarke County school board member; Grant and Holly Whitworth of Whitworth Land Corp.; Western Circuit District Attorney Kalki Yalamanchili; and the Inner East Athens Neighbors Association.

Tim Denson had the second-­highest haul at $17,414. He spent half that amount and

4

had $8,865 left on hand at the end of last year. No contributor gave Denson’s campaign more than $1,000—most were $100 or less, which he listed on his disclosure form despite not being required to under the law.

Denson’s financial supporters included commissioners Melissa Link, Patrick Davenport and Carol Myers; former commissioner Jesse Houle; well-­known artist Eleanor Davis; Shellby Branch, chair of the ACC Democratic Committee; state Rep. Eric Gisler (D-­Watkinsville); planning commissioners Matthew Hall, Sara Beresford and Alice Kinman (also a former county commissioner); and UGA professor Richard Dien Winfield, also a former candidate for U.S. House and Senate.

Mara Zuniga, who filed an election-­year report Jan. 31, raised $8,100 that month and $17,365 total dating back to 2025.

She had spent $5,347, with a balance of $12,017. Former Athens GOP chair John Elliott; Asia Thomas and Sydney Waters, who ran conservative campaigns for ACC Commission in 2022 and 2024, respectively; and Republican candidate for state House of Representatives Kris Kendrick were among the contributors to Zuniga’s campaign, along with Quaison Payne (who previously maxed out for Fisher).

LaKeisha Gantt reported raising $4,405, spending $2,265 with a balance of $2,139.

Her most prominent supporter was Deborah Gonzalez, the progressive former DA who lost to Yalamanchili in 2024.

A fifth candidate, Sharon Miller, filed a declaration of intent to accept campaign contributions in October, but has not filed a disclosure.

The qualifying period for candidates to officially put their names on the ballot started Monday and ends Friday, Mar. 6.

F L A GP OL E .C OM · M A R C H 4, 2026

Keisha Lance Bottoms (right) poses with Athens-­Clarke County Commissioner Stephanie Johnson during a Bottoms campaign event at Ted’s Most Best.

Check flagpole.com for the latest news.

[Blake Aued]

Denson Meets With Students Mayoral candidate Tim Denson visited the University of Georgia on Feb. 24 for a Q&A hosted by the campus’ Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter.

Students introduced Denson as a grassroots candidate with 15 years of involvement in Athens politics, 10 of those being in office as county commissioner or school board member.

“I kind of fell into politics and organizing backwards, which was never what I intended to do, but I honestly love it,” he said. “I love this community. Athens has been my home.”

Denson said he was instrumental in establishing Athens-­Clarke County’s fare-­ free bus system, decriminalizing possession of less than one ounce of marijuna, and passing the 2035 Clean and Renewable Energy Plan.

Former democratic socialist district commissioners, including Denson, have backgrounds in music. Facilitators asked what he believes the tie is between artists and progressivism. Denson replied, “it helps you get over stage fright” and allowed him to be around large diverse communities of people, in addition to being “broke all the time.”

Following Athens’ music legacy, facilitators asked how Denson would support musicians and historical venues, if elected.

Denson proposes an entertainment district in Athens, where open containers are allowed in cups sold to establishments by the county government. The extra fee paid by drinkers would fund improvements downtown. He also supports the ACC Cultural Affairs Commission giving grants to artists.

Athens’ 26% poverty rate—double the state average—was discussed. Denson said that major employers are not paying a living wage, and as a commissioner he helped instate a living wage ordinance for the Classic Center and Akins Ford Arena. He proposed a “Mayor’s Living Wage Award,” where businesses meeting a threshold receive stickers and logos to incentivize supporting businesses paying fairly, because mandating wages citywide is restricted by state law.

Another pressing concern for students was the ACC Police Department’s Flock

camera system. Denson stated he would reduce such surveillance programs, echoing that many people across the political spectrum are worried about data from the Flock cameras being controlled by the corporation, not the county. He shared that crime rates, violent and nonviolent, are both trending down.

On immigration enforcement, Denson said he is the only candidate to state plainly that “ICE has no place in Athens.” He referenced past local ICE activity and said, if elected, he would work to reinstate communication channels that previously alerted local officials to federal enforcement actions.

While the county cannot bar ICE agents from operating locally, Denson said Athens can prohibit them from using county property or coordinating with local officials.

Housing affordability also drew attention. With nearly 60% of Athens residents renting and UGA enrollment steadily increasing, Denson argued that restrictive zoning has effectively outlawed “missing middle” housing such as duplexes and small multifamily units. He called for zoning reforms, inclusionary housing policies, and the potential use of SPLOST funds to build publicly subsidized housing to create competition in the market and drive prices down.

Only two of five mayoral candidates have reached out to students, despite making up 30% of Athens’ population. Denson added that “Athens isn’t Athens without the university and students.”

While he’s not relying on a large percentage of student voters in the race, Denson said, “I’m going to be the mayor for everyone, no matter what… I think it’s still very important that I am engaging with everyone.

“I want to make sure that everybody else who comes here to Athens, Georgia has the same opportunity to really be able to feel like Athens is home,” he said. [Lily Thomas]

Bottoms Addresses Affordability Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms made a campaign stop in Athens on Feb. 26, emphasizing her local roots and commitment to making the cost of living more affordable.

“Affordability is not a hoax,” Bottoms said, referring to a comment by President Donald Trump. “Every single place we go, people are talking about the cost of living.”

If elected governor, Bottoms said, she would crack down on corporate landlords, push to expand Medicaid and “create a pathway” for free higher education at technical and community colleges. She also pledged to restore the abortion rights in place before the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade.

One option that is likely off the table, though, is rent control. Georgia law favors property owners over tenants, Bottoms said, and she does not see that changing as long as Republicans control the legislature.

“Quite honestly, I don’t know what the appetite would be for that,” she said.

However, Bottoms said that during her administration the city invested $700 million in public and private funding to build or preserve 7,000 affordable homes, including creating a $28 million affordable housing fund. That approach could be “scaled up” statewide, she said.

Bottoms met with about 20 voters at Ted’s Most Best, including former district attorney and state representative Deborah Gonzalez, Athens-­Clarke County Commissioner Stephanie Johnson and Athens Anti-­Discrimination Movement cofounder Mokah Jasmine Johnson. Asked by Gonzalez about criminal justice reform, Bottoms said that, as mayor of Atlanta, she gave raises to firefighters and police officers. “But I also believe you should hold public safety accountable,” she said.

Bottoms was serving as mayor during the George Floyd protests of 2020, when she condemned rioting and told constituents to vote if they wanted change. During that time she also feuded with Gov. Brian Kemp over COVID-­19 restrictions, opposing Kemp’s effort to reopen businesses.

Bottoms criticized Kemp for reversing many of the criminal justice reforms implemented at the state level by his predecessor, Gov. Nathan Deal. As mayor, she said the Atlanta police department adhered to the Obama administration’s 21st century policing policy, and trained inmates at the Atlanta jail to work for the city water department upon their release. The jail population also declined significantly because she eliminated cash bail for nonviolent offenses and did not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she said. “Incarceration is not always the answer,” she said. “It becomes a revolving door.”

Asked by Flagpole about data centers—a high-­profile issue locally in recent months—Bottoms called for a pause.

“It’s a big issue across the state. People are concerned about data centers, because across the state we are experiencing an increase in utility bills, and many people are connecting that with data centers and then just the unknown. We are one of the top three states in terms of expansion of data centers and with the amount of money and incentives that have been put in have made the state very attractive,” she said. “I think we need to take a beat and assess where we are and determine if we are on a path that is healthy for the state as a whole. I’m concerned about the rapid growth, and I’m concerned about its impact on our environment and our communities.”

Bottoms said one of her great-­ grandfathers hailed from Athens, and she could trace her ancestry back five generations to a plantation in nearby Crawfordville. She is competing in the Democratic primary against Michael Thurmond, among others—an Athens native and the first

Black man to represent Athens in the state legislature since Reconstruction, who went on to become state labor commissioner, then school superintendent of Dekalb County and later its chief executive.

“What separates me are a number of things. One of them is my executive experience, experience that I’ve had in leading our capital city, my service in the White House assisting the president of the United States [in the Obama administration] and being able to get things done under the most challenging of circumstances,” she said. “I served as mayor of Atlanta under the first Trump administration, so I’ve read this book before, and even in the midst of those monumental challenges, we were able to balance the budget, provide affordable housing, we were able to leave our budget intact, we didn’t raise property taxes, and these are issues facing cities and towns across the state.”

In addition to Bottoms and Thurmond, other Democratic candidates for governor

to support the measure. The bill has passed out of committee and could advance with the public’s pressure and support.

Transparency bills are also on the table.

SB 421 and House Bill 528 would require data centers to disclose annual reports detailing water usage, energy consumption and community impacts, while preventing companies from entering nondisclosure agreements with local governments.

HB 1012 proposes a year-­long statewide moratorium on new data centers. The Athens-­Clarke County Mayor and Commission are currently considering extending a local three-­month moratorium. That vote is expected at their Mar. 3 meeting.

SB 408 would sunset tax incentives currently benefiting data center developments.

It currently holds broad support after Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed a similar effort in 2024.

Gisler emphasized that 600,000 households in the state are considered “energy burdened,” spending more than 6% of their income on electricity.

in the May 19 primary include former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves of Columbus, Olu Brown and Derrick Jackson. Gwinnett County state Rep. Ruwa Romman ended her campaign last week. [BA]

At the town hall, community leaders and residents raised concerns about environmental justice. Many data centers are being placed in historically Black and low-­income neighborhoods. Speakers referenced water contamination issues near Pittard Road and construction beginning on a new facility on Voyles Road with no notice. Calls for a community benefits agreement and stronger zoning protections were echoed by the public.

ACC Commissioner Carol Myers spoke, too, sharing her support of a moratorium extension on data center development and encouraging concerned citizens to speak to the ACC Planning Commission about what a data center amendment should entail.

Hubbard, one of five members of the PSC, said the commission recently voted to certify 10,000 megawatts of new energy generation, roughly enough to power every household in the state, largely through natural gas. Hubbard opposed the decision and filed a motion for reconsideration, which failed.

“I’m not convinced yet that data centers are paying their fair share,” Hubbard said, warning that ratepayers could be left “holding the bag” if projected economic benefits do not actually occur. He pointed to the permanent 25% bill increase following the completion of Plant Vogtle and $912 million in storm recovery costs from Hurricane Helene.

Data Center Regs Proposed Athens Democrats held a town hall meeting on data centers Feb. 26, including newly elected state Rep. Eric Gisler (D-­Watkinsville) and Public Service Commissioner Peter Hubbard, who warned residents that Georgia’s rapid data center expansion can increase utility bills and water usage unless state legislation changes course.

Gisler outlined several major bills under consideration this legislative session. The key bill is SB 34, which aims to ensure large tech companies pay for the infrastructure upgrades required to power data centers, rather than shifting costs to Georgians.

Considered the most likely to pass, Gisler noted that it was weakened under pressure from Georgia Power and now gives the Public Service Commission more influence over implementation.

Another proposal is Senate Bill 94, which would reestablish a consumer utility counsel, or a public advocate within the attorney general’s office to represent Georgians before the PSC. Gisler urged citizens to call members of the local legislative delegation

Hubbard advocated for greater transparency, solar expansion and requiring data centers to subsidize renewable energy or battery storage. He also encouraged citizens to participate in PSC hearings, acknowledging that regulatory change is “slow by design.”

However, Hubbard said, “There is always hope. We can always reverse these bad decisions.” Remaining informed about the 2026 PSC elections and staying engaged with state and local legislation will be crucial for Athenians to voice their opinions on data centers and their future in Georgia. [LT]

Website Details Urban Renewal Mayor Kelly Girtz, Historic Athens and a University of Georgia professor unveiled a new website last week with information about the R-­51 urban renewal project, which dramatically reshaped the area just north of downtown Athens.

The R-­51 area was larger than the better-­ known Linnentown—a neighborhood off Baxter Street that was demolished to make way for UGA dorms—which was documented by local author Hattie Thomas Whitehead and UGA geography professor Jerry Shannon. R-51 included about 400 homes and dozens of businesses in neighborhoods known as Lickskillet (on the western bank of the North Oconee River) and The Bottom (which became Bethel Homes, now being redeveloped as The View at NoDA).

Approximately 60% of the displaced residents were Black. They received a median payment for their property of less than $100,000 in today’s dollars, and a quarter of homeowners were not able to buy a new house, instead moving into public housing.

“My priority from the beginning has been to highlight the impact that R-­51 had on Athens at the individual level.

This census starts with resident names rather than addresses and attempts to paint an honest picture of each person using the limited information available in the archives,” Claire Hagan, a mayoral fellow at Historic Athens, said in a news release announcing the project. “We also encourage viewers to keep in mind that this data may not tell the full story of R-­51. Our bias as researchers and the urban renewal agents’ interpretation of each household may not match up with how these Athenians would have described their own experiences. We’ve done our best to show the information that’s there and make space for what isn’t.”

The project started with Charlene Marsh and Ammishaddai Grand-­Jean, who digitized Linnentown records in 2019. Historic Athens mayoral fellow Dale McCaller started researching R-­51 in 2023, work that was continued by Hagan. The Community Mapping Lab at UGA, led by Shannon, became involved in 2024.

“While we know we still need more voices at the table to tell the story of R-­51,” Shannon said, “the work done thus far is a great example of collaboration between the ACC government, Historic Athens as a nonprofit, and my group at UGA. We’re excited to present the initial phase of this work.”

The website, which includes maps, photos, Census records and other information, is at communitymappingarchive. org/s/athens_r51. It also includes a form where former residents can submit information. [BA] f

M A R C H 4, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM

5

news

feature

news

pub notes

Legion Pool in Peril

Coleman Barks 1937–2026

By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com

By Pete McCommons pete@flagpole.com

F

or Athens residents, Legion Pool on the UGA campus has been in danger of being demolished for almost 15 years. A statewide historic preservation group recognized it last week, at a point when it’s likely too late to save it.

Over the objections of UGA faculty and staff members and other community members with fond memories of the Great Depression-​era pool, as well as historic preservationists, the university officially announced its decision on the day after Christmas to demolish Legion Pool and its clubhouse. The University System Board of Regents ratified the decision three weeks later. So did Gov. Brian Kemp, who issued an executive order last month, the last step before UGA could send in the bulldozers.

COURTESY OF FRIENDS OF LEGION POOL

year on Aug. 1, before the fall semester starts.

UGA’s initial plan called for a parking lot where the pool now stands, as well as an expansion of nearby Legion Field. However, the most recent proposal now calls for sand volleyball courts.

“Places in Peril is about awareness and opportunity,” said W. Wright Mitchell, president and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. “This is the trust’s 21st annual Places in Peril list, and we hope it will continue to bring preservation solutions to Georgia’s imperiled historic resources by highlighting ten representative sites.”

An affiliated group, Historic Athens, has released a list of local Places in Peril since 2020, including Legion Pool in its 2021 edition. Flagpole detailed Historic Athens’ most It was once the largest swimming pool recent list in the Feb. between Richmond, Virginia and Miami.

25 issue.

Other sites on the Georgia Trust list are: • the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp at Hard Labor Creek State Park in Morgan County, established in 1934.

• the Boggs Rural Life Center in Burke County, a boarding school for African American students founded in 1906.

• Eggleston Hall at All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta. The horseshoe-​shaped 1918 Gothic Revival building reflects the “Akron Plan,” which allows for flexible instruction via “Opened in 1936, Legion Pool is a Works movable partitions around a central hall.

Progress Administration-​era recreational • the McCranie Turpentine Still in Atkinfacility located in the heart of the Universon County, the last intact wood-​burning sity of Georgia campus. Built through a turpentine still in Georgia in its original partnership between the WPA, the Amerlocation, threatened by damage from Hurican Legion and the City of Athens, it was ricane Helene. once the largest swimming pool between • Orange Hall in Camden County, a mid-​ Richmond, Virginia and Miami,” according 19th century Greek Revival landmark that to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservathe Georgia Trust calls the most architection, which placed Legion Pool on its 2026 turally significant in the coastal town of “Places in Peril” list. “For decades, the pool St. Mary’s. has served UGA students and the broader • Salem Campground in Newtown County.

Athens community, becoming a beloved It was established in 1928, making it one campus and civic gathering place. UGA’s of Georgia’s oldest religious camp meeting own historic study identifies Legion Pool as sites. The campground includes a tabernaeligible for listing in the National Register cle built in 1954 and a family tent dating of Historic Places.” back to 1840.

Such arguments failed to sway UGA • Thomas L. Bell Memorial Ballpark in administrators in December, when about Americus, a rare wooden baseball stadium 40 students and Athens residents spoke at built in 1938. a legally required public hearing to oppose • Union Brothers and Sisters Mission Hall Legion Pool’s demolition. University offiin McIntosh County, a burial hall founded cials said that students were not using by formerly enslaved African American the pool, despite student fees subsidizing members of the Gullah Geechee commuits operations, and it was leaking water. nity in 1887.

Opponents countered that the pool could be • the Wayne County Courthouse in Jesup, repaired. They also noted that its existence a 120-​year-​old Romanesque Revival landwas poorly publicized, and it closed for the mark damaged by fire in 2025. f

“

6

F L A GP OL E .C OM · M A R C H 4, 2026

THE POET CONTINUES HIS SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

Coleman called me up on the telephone and asked me if I knew where Po Biddy, GA was.

I didn’t, but I was a little ahead of him on the internet back then, so I looked it up and found an aerial photograph of Po Biddy— actually Po Biddy Crossroads—down in Talbot County, in Middle Georgia. I printed it out and dropped it by Coleman’s house, and he was delighted. It turns out that he was going to interview his friend and fellow poet, Mary Oliver, and wanted to ask her about her poem, “In Pobiddy, Georgia.” You can see the interview at: vimeo. com/11367099.

If you didn’t know Coleman and wonder about the outpouring of feeling for him occasioned by his death last week, the interview will give you a sense of Coleman, his wit and his probing delight in people and in ideas, and especially in words, and especially in words that reveal flashes of the infinite in people and in nature and in the oddities like Po Biddy that crack the veil of ordinariness and invite us into a dimension of wonder.

We used to consider stealing one of the garden club’s “Yard of the Month” signs and planting it in Coleman’s front yard. He lived on a prominent corner in Five Points in a home left over from his earlier days as a UGA English professor, husband and father, and his yard was untouched, left to grow however nature intended, an affront no doubt to his neighbors and to real estate values in general, but as time passed his yard attained a wild beauty, and his back driveway looked just like a mountain lane.

With his vision and discipline, Coleman could have earned Yard of the Month every month, but his eyes were elsewhere.

You can just imagine what this handsome, witty, thoughtful, erudite guy was like in the classroom, and students say his were the best classes they had. Of course, in addition to his day job, Coleman was a poet whose words are so plain and accessible that you don’t have to be an English major to take delight in them because, like Coleman, they are about everyday life and the nature around us and people, and they are like putting on a new pair of glasses and seeing whole new dimensions in the shapes before our eyes.

Early on, Coleman’s poet-​friend Robert Bly introduced him to the poems of the 13th century Persian poet Rumi, telling Coleman in effect that the available translations failed to convey the depth and beauty of Rumi’s poems. “These poems need

to be released from their cages,” Bly told Coleman.

That encounter propelled Coleman into using his skills to emancipate Rumi’s words and make them sing to the extent that he unleashed a fervent love of Rumi that catapulted Coleman to international fame as he published books of Rumi’s writings and gave readings all over the world.

BENJAMIN ROUSE

UGA SWIMMING SPOT MAKES STATEWIDE LIST

So Coleman became a rock star and had to deal with fame while continuing to live in his adoptive small town. Nope, same old Coleman—on his corner stool at the Manhattan and in his place at the Five Points Waffle House, until they tore it down for more pizza. It probably helped that his fame was literary, so that he wasn’t instantly recognizable like some of his famous musician friends. Maybe it was his innate spiritualism and his seeing the world through Rumi’s eyes, but also for sure it was the fact that he was Coleman, who went right on enjoying the people he knew and the people he met, finding joy in others and in the oddities and infinite delights of the world around him.

In the introduction to his book The Soul of Rumi, Coleman wrote, “That’s how the collaboration feels. It’s also a form of healing, a way to play and praise, to feel grief and gratitude, and an unfolding friendship with a teacher. Or say these poems are love poems, the intimate conversation of self with deep self… Rumi’s poetry is God’s funny family talking on a big open radio line.”

That’s a pretty good summary of Coleman, too. He loved and celebrated and reveled in being a member of God’s funny family. A Celebration of Life is scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 23, at 4 p.m. in the UGA Chapel, with a gathering afterward perhaps at The Manhattan or Little Kings. f

news

street scribe

news

feature

Jesse Jackson Kept Hope Alive

HOPE and DREAMS

By Ed Tant news@flagpole.com

By Makenna Carlton news@flagpole.com

He was loved and hated, revered and reviled, lionized and lambasted, but when civil rights icon Jesse Jackson died on Feb.18 at the age of 84, he was remembered as a Black leader who called for racial unity and as a fiery orator who could leaven soaring rhetoric with earthy humor.

Jackson began his political activism as a college student in the early 1960s, just as the civil rights movement focused the eyes of America on the segregated South.

Jackson was a college football star, but he showed courage on the streets instead of on the gridiron when he told his protest followers, “I’ll go to jail, and I’ll go to the chain gang if necessary.”

only–major party convention in Atlanta.

Thunderous applause, throaty cheers, and a sea of red and white “Jesse!” signs filled the arena as Jackson took the stage. He introduced activist Rosa Parks as “the mother of the civil rights movement,” then launched into what turned out to be one of the best political speeches in American history, a speech that will never be forgotten by those who were there to hear it.

“When I look out at this convention, I see the face of America,” he said. “Red, yellow, brown, black and white, we are all precious in God’s sight.” With rhythm, rhyme and his preacher’s cadence, Jackson reminded his audience that, “There are differences of religion, region and race… but the genius of America is that out of many we become one.”

Unity was the underpinning of his 1988 speech to the Democratic convention. “I challenge you tonight, my friends. Let’s be bigger and better as a nation and as a party,” he told them.

Excitement surged like electricity in the Omni as Jackson roared to his conclusion. “Never stop dreaming,” he cried. “Don’t stop with the way things are. Dream of things as they ought to be.” Cheers rose to a crescendo as Jackson shouted, “I was born in the slum, but the slum was not born in me… We must never surrender. America will get better and better. Keep hope alive!”

In 2001, more than a decade after his historic speech in Atlanta, Jackson Jesse Jackson in 1988, the year he gave the keynote address at spoke to a large crowd at the the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta downtown Human Rights Festival here in Athens.

Jackson became a disciple and friend Looking out at the multitude that packed of freedom fighter Martin Luther King Jr., College Square, Jackson exulted that, “Dr. even though the two men sometimes disKing would rejoice. This is the Georgia of agreed over Jackson’s style and tactics in our dreams: a multiracial coalition respectthe movement. Jackson was with King in ing everyone’s rights. This is America at its Memphis on Apr. 4, 1968 when King was best.” gunned down by an assassin. No one could Emphasizing his theme of unity and replace King, but Jackson became a promalluding to a line from folk singer Woody inent figure in U.S. politics after King was Guthrie, Jackson told his Athens audience, murdered.

“Slavery is behind us, segregation is behind Jackson angered many people—Jews us. One America! One flag! This land is our and Gentiles—when he called New York land.” Harking back to his roots as a Baptist City “Hymietown” because of its high minister, Jackson said, “We come together Jewish population. That remark hung over as sinners saved by grace, not divided by Jackson for years, but it did not stop him race.” from making groundbreaking campaigns Athens was abuzz with excitement as for the presidency in 1984 and 1988—cam- Jackson finished his speech here 25 years paigns that called for unity among religions, ago. “I know change is coming, because the races and regions. change is in you,” he said. “When young In 1988 I was in the crowd inside the America comes alive, you have the power.”

Omni Coliseum in Atlanta when Jackson Jackson brought power to protest and made a barn-​burning, rafter-​rattling speech excitement to politics. In these times of at the Democratic National Convention. anger and divisiveness, he kept hope alive It was the first national political convenwith his wish that “conservatives and libertion I attended, and the first–and so far, als can find common ground.” f

NEED-​BASED COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS MOVE FORWARD

G

eorgia’s first comprehensive needs-​ based college scholarship came closer to becoming reality last week after the state House and Senate approved a budget plan that would fully fund the endeavor.

Gov. Brian Kemp proposed the DREAMS scholarship in his State of the State Address last month with a price tag of $325 million.

Then the House and Senate cut $25 million and $200 million, respectively, from that fund, leaving only $100 million.

Lawmakers restored the proposed funding after Kemp increased the revenue estimate for the current budget year by $1.4 billion dollars, which includes $145 million in state lottery funds for the DREAMS scholarship program. Georgia Lottery funds are exclusively earmarked for education, mostly for the merit-​based HOPE Scholarship and pre-​K programs. In a letter to the House and Senate budget chairmen this week, Kemp said that he remains “fully committed to funding” the program.

“This one-​time allocation of reserves will not impact HOPE and pre-​K in any way, and we will be revising the statutory lottery reserve to further protect those reserves,” said House Appropriations Committee Chair Matt Hatchett (R-​Dublin).

As proposed, $25 million would go to college students in need for the school year starting in the fall of 2026, with the remaining $300 million launching a long-​ term endowment to sustain the DREAMS program. Eligibility would be based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and eligible students could receive up to $3,000 per academic year for up to eight semesters, according to the University System of Georgia. To be eligible, students must be Georgia residents with unmet financial needs after all other scholarships, grants and loans are accounted for, and they must either be employed or volunteer at least part time.

The revised budget allots $180 million from state general funds and $145 million from lottery reserves, raising the endowment back to the governor’s originally proposed $325 million. The DREAMS scholarship and endowment fall under the Georgia Student Finance Commission, which also oversees HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships.

Ashley Young, a senior policy analyst at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, said having the program under the commission will allow for more transparency on how the program is being run each year. “[DREAMS] will be centrally located and disseminated through Georgia Student Finance Commission, which will be very helpful in terms of ensuring that students that qualify for the funds at all institutions will be able to receive them,” Young said.

“And that we will have transparency and important data on who receives the need-​ based aid.”

Supporters of the scholarship, such as Georgians for College Affordability and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, had warned that reductions to the proposal would hinder long-​term efforts to improve college affordability.

While investing in merit-​based aid such as the HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships, Georgia is one of two states that does not currently offer comprehensive need-​based financial aid. Merit-​based scholarships can leave some students behind, said Hamida Labi, senior policy counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

“Black students enroll in state schools at far lower rates than their counterparts, yet have the highest rates of student loan debt,” Labi said. “Black students also receive HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships at a rate vastly lower than students from other racial backgrounds.”

CHAMBERLAIN SMITH / UGA

CIVIL RIGHTS ICON WORKED FOR UNITY UNTIL HIS DEATH

Kimberly Morris, a higher education consultant, said students often look to her to answer how they can fund their college journeys. “It breaks my heart when I can only offer them student loans,” Morris said, “knowing that statistically, the loans can change the trajectory of their life that they haven’t even begun to live.”

Labi also said some Georgia students need as little as $3,000 a year to be able to graduate without student loans. House Bill 1413, introduced by Rep. Chuck Martin, an Alpharetta Republican and chair of the House Higher Education Committee, outlines program eligibility and formally establishes the program.

Scholarships like DREAMS can be the difference between getting a degree or dropping out, said Georgia high school graduate Kamore Campbell. “Two of my closest friends started at Georgia Southern,” Campbell said. “Like me, they were strong, hardworking students. They both had the HOPE scholarship and the maximum Pell grant, but the financial gap was too hard, and they never made it to their second year.”

Campbell said her best friend went to Georgia State University and worked full-​ time to fund her education. Her friend took two days off of work to study and was fired from her job, rendering her unable to pay her spring education costs. The DREAM scholarship would bridge the financial gap and take the strain off of working students. f This article was originally published at georgia recorder.com.

M A R C H 4, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM

7

feature

KAT WOOD

arts & culture

Classic City Roller Derby CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF MAYHEM WITH A STRONG TEAM

By Sam Lipkin editorial@flagpole.com

W

“Because we had so few people, we were like, ‘Oh my God, you came back to skate outside with us in this very not optimal condition where we can’t even offer you the ability to scrimmage yet.’ So we had to think about how do we keep these people with us, and how do we have another boot camp while we’re still outside, and convince those people this is something they want to do? It really propelled us towards being extra concerned about the ways that we interacted with our community and with the kinds of people that were coming to us. Saying, ‘How do I make this person feel accepted and a part of things?’ And it just made us realize that that should be a double underlined part of our mission,” says Wrath.

Member Fish Fear Me joined CCRD about a year ago, and although they are not in bouting shape yet, they are a non-­skating official (NSO) who is also learning to referee. When Fish signed up for skate camp, they were relatively new to Athens and had not made any friends yet. Their prior knowledge of roller derby came down to knowing there was a movie called Whip and having read a roller derby themed graphic novel.

JOHN BLOOD

hen the Classic City Rollergirls (since rebranded as the more inclusive Classic City Roller Derby) were featured on the cover of Flagpole’s Mar. 11, 2020 issue, the league was gearing up for a season that would never happen. Then, after the nearly two-­year shutdown of the sport caused by COVID-­ 19, when the team came together for its first outdoor practice, only a handful of players showed up—and maybe three that had ever played a bout before.

However, the Classic City Roller Derby has rebuilt itself over the last few years and is entering its 20th anniversary season with confidence. The league’s traditional Green vs. Black scrimmage that serves as the season opener will be held on Sunday, Mar. 8 at The Classic Center, which will be the first time in 10 years that their skates have touched the Grand Hall’s floors. Team captain and jammer Ethel Murderz says that this will also be the first year post-­COVID that the team has enough members to split down the middle and play each other without a significant amount of subs from other areas joining.

“We’re really excited to have that many bouting skaters that we can do that. It’s always our most profitable bout because every skater in the league is playing, all their friends and family are coming,” says Murderz.

“Because we know each other, it’s a more exciting game because we know every single trick that the players on the other team are doing,” says Sylvia Wrath, a blocker and pivot who has been on the CCRD for 10 years.

Now that the team’s roster of bout-­ready players has grown, Murderz says that it gives them the ability to create more skating opportunities for everyone.

CCRD can schedule more games at different skill levels. However, the league is still navigating some leftover challenges from the pandemic.

CCRD used to hold its games at the now-­closed Athens Arena, and with The Classic Center and Akins Ford Arena being too costly, the only space available is where the league also practices: Fun Galaxy. While Fun Galaxy does have a lot of nostalgic charm, it’s also not up to code as a sanctionable space for the home games to count towards CCRD’s national ranking. For now, home games exist as a way for the league to raise some money, entertain its local audience and just have fun.

The team hopes that the season opening game at The Classic Center will draw a larger audience that will come out to the Fun Galaxy home games, which might generate enough money to leverage a new home game venue next year. Although the process of rebuilding can be a lot of work with setbacks, it can also create some new opportunities.

8

“When I showed up, everybody who knew each other was helping each other, and if you didn’t know them, they were still trying to help you. If on my first day of skate camp Wrath hadn’t been so nice to me, I probably wouldn’t have come back,” says Fish. “I could not stand on wheels to save my life. I kept falling over, and Wrath kept coming over and telling me that I was doing a great job.”

Roller derby culture has always been driven by inclusivity, for women of all backgrounds but also for the LGBTQ+ community. Wrath says that the roller derby community does a really good job of polic-

F L A GP OL E .C OM · M A R C H 4, 2026

ing itself and keeping an eye on situations where members might feel uncomfortable.

In the sports world, it often draws people who feel outcast in other athletic areas.

“I always feel like half of the battle of skate camp and when we get new skaters in here is literally just convincing people to take up space. A lot of times they’re people who are part of marginalized communities. We’ll be teaching them a skill, and the whole time they’re apologizing because they don’t know the skill. And it’s like, what do you think we’re here for?” says Murderz.

“I think roller derby also gets this reputation of being hard hits and stuff like that.

But it’s also very inclusive for people who have disabilities. If your body doesn’t work the same as someone else’s, OK, let’s find a way to make this skill work for you,” says Wrath. “If your body is having trouble with that, someone else’s body is also probably having trouble with that, and they might not feel as comfortable saying it. Also just enforcing boundaries is really good here.”

Much like other sports, though, the CCRD members encourage audience members who are new to the sport to read up a little online before judging if it’s something they enjoy watching or not. Or just ask around once you’re there.

“If you ask the people around you what’s going on, like, ‘Hey, I’ve never done this before, what’s going on?’ You’re going to have a lot more fun talking to the person next to you who might know, or theorizing about what’s going on with someone who also doesn’t know what’s going on,” says Fish.

For tickets to the Mar. 8 game and info about the rest of the season, visit classiccityrollerderby.com. f

WHAT: Green vs. Black Season Opener WHEN: Sunday, Mar. 8, 4:30 p.m. (doors), 5 p.m. (bout) WHERE: The Classic Center HOW MUCH: $15 (adv.), $18

MUSIC QUARTETS

E N TE RCTA LENDA A I NR M E N T COMING SOON

BY BRAHMS AND MOZART MONDAY, MARCH 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Ramsey Concert Hall. FOR TICKETS:

Closing out the season of Faculty Chamber Ensembles are four of our UGA string and piano faculty presenting an evening of piano

quartets by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and $15 - Adults $3 UGA students Johannes Brahms. Pictured clockwise from

music.uga.edu 706-542-4400

top: Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva, viola; Levon

Ambartsumian, violin; James Kim, cello; and Alan Woo, piano.

COMING TO THE CLASSIC CENTER THEATRE

MARCH

Lake by International 11 Swan Ballet Stars with the Athens Stars 21 Dancing benefiting Project Safe Symphony Spring 22 Athens Concert Doubtfire - 25/26 25 Mrs. Broadway Entertainment Series Doubtfire - 25/26 26 Mrs. Broadway Entertainment Series COMING TO AKINS FORD ARENA

THURSDAY, MARCH 26 at 7:30 p.m. UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA SYMPHONY Hodgson Concert Hall. FOR TICKETS: ORCHESTRA “FAN FAVORITES” The upcoming “Fan Favorites” program

$15 - Adults includes Scheherazade, Op. 35, a symphonic $3 UGA students suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov music.uga.edu 706-542-4400

in 1888 and based on One Thousand and One Nights. Come join us for a beautiful night and see if we picked your favorite piece!

UPCOMING FREE PERFORMANCES

MARCH

Rock Lobsters vs.

1 Athens Twin City Thunderbirds Rock Lobsters vs.

11 Athens Pee Dee Ice Cats Rock Lobsters vs.

14 Athens Twin City Thunderbirds Athens Rock Lobsters vs.

15 Twin City Thunderbirds C lassicC e n t e r . c o m/ Up c o mi n g E v e n t s

FACULTY ARTIST SERIES DANIEL BOLSHOY, GUITAR TUESDAY, MAR. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Ramsey Concert Hall

UGA CONCERT BAND & UGA UNIVERSITY BAND WEDNESDAY, MAR. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Hodgson Concert Hall

“LOVE AND LOSS” UGA REPERTORY SINGERS FRIDAY, MAR. 20 at 3:30 p.m.

Ramsey Concert Hall All Hugh Hodgson School of Music events take place at the UGA Performing Arts Center, 230 River Road in Athens unless indicated.

Explore the arts. KNOW YOUR WORLD.

Suppor Sup portt Local Journalism Local journalism comes with a cost: Salaries, freelance pay, printing, website maintenance, rent…it all ads up.

Help us keep flagpole FREE for our readers.

Consider tossing us a buck or two.

DONATE A FEW BUCKS With a recurring donation through PayPal: (https://flagpole.com/ home/donations) mail in a check: flagpole, PO Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603 or you can make a tax-deductible contribution at: altnewsfoundation.org/ flagpole

M A R C H 4, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM

9

2311 N. Elm St. IN COMMERCE GA • 706-335-0163

RESTAURANT SECTION

ALL YOU CAN EAT KOREAN BBQ AUTHENTIC KOREAN FOOD

CALL

FOR CATERING COME EAT WITH OUR FAMILY

LUMPKIN & CEDAR SHOALS 706-227-9979 • 706 - 355 - 7087

CUBAN SANDWICH • TOSTONES • QUESADILLAS • TACOS • BURRITOS

CUBAN SANDWICH • TOSTONES • QUESADILLAS • TACOS • BURRITOS •

LOMO S A LTA D O • W I N GS • E M PA N A DA S • S H A K E S • M A D U RO S •

LIVE MUSIC

THURS/FRI/SAT NIGHTS!

-DAILY SPECIALS-

Monday: $2.99 12 oz House Margaritas OTR, $5 Blueberry Mojitos Tuesday: 2 x 1 Mojitos, $5 12 oz Kiwi Margaritas Wednesday: $2 12 oz Draft Beer, $5 12 oz Blackberry Margaritas, $2 Well Shots Thursday: 2 x 1 12 oz House Margaritas OTR or Frozen, $20 Beer Buckets Fri/Sat/Sun: 3 PM – 7 PM Happy Hour 2 x 1 12 oz House Margaritas

FAST, FRIENDLY, AND LOCALLY OWNED

Online Ordering • Curb-side pick-up • Box catering Homemade Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, and Desserts

IT’S SOUP SEASON! Serving Breakfast and Lunch Monday – Friday 975 Hawthorne Ave • 706-206-9322 emskitchenathawthorne.com

10

F L A GP OL E .C OM · M A R C H 4, 2026

SUN–THURS 10:30AM–10PM • FRI & SAT 10:30AM–11PM

LUNCH MENU M-F • 10:30AM–3PM SAT & SUNDAY BRUNCH SPECIALS 255 W WASHINGTON ST. (706)850-0833

An Athens Institution Since 1977 EASTSIDE

2230 Barnett Shoal Rd. • 706-549-5481

arts & culture

calendar picks

MUSIC | FRI, MAR. 6

Dom Flemons

Madison-­Morgan Cultural Center • 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (show) • $35

With a repertoire covering over 100 years of American roots music and expert-­ level skill in eight instruments, Dom Flemons has earned his title as “The American Songster.” Born in Arizona, Flemons grew up consuming a steady diet of his parents’ Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Chuck Berry records. This led to him finding the music of folk pioneers like Woody Guthrie and Tom Paxton. Inspired by these artists, he soon became a regular in the Arizona busking and performing scene. In 2005, Flemons co-­founded the Carolina Chocolate Drops with some musicians he met at the first Black Banjo Gathering, later beginning his solo career in 2007. Now based in Chicago, Flemons has since received an Honorary Doctorate from Northern Arizona University, won and been nominated for several Grammy Awards and Emmy Awards, won the International Acoustic Music Award Grand Prize and served as a United States Artists Fellow. Outside of his work as a songwriter and multi-­instrumentalist, he is a music scholar, historian, actor, narrator, host, slam poet, record collector, podcaster and the creator/host/producer of the American Songster Radio Show on WSM in Nashville, TN. [Mary Beth Bryan] MUSIC | FRI, MAR. 6

The Howdies

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

Outlaw country act The Howdies is named after not only the cowboy greeting, but also the Athens townie term for half a shot. Vocalist Austin Darnell says, “It’s a wink and a nod to something that feels so specific to this place… a small college town with a big music scene.” The band’s two frontpeople, Darnell and Shoni Rancher,

Special Screening on Saturday, March 14 at 2:30 pm!

set of folk rock for this gig, and Atlanta/ Athens-­based band Coyote Holler will also perform. [MB] MUSIC | SAT, MAR. 7

Infinite Favors

Dead Beat Club • 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show) • $10

Athens band Infinite Favors is the home recording project of brothers Andrew and Nathan Prater. Andrew Prater is also known for his work in the band Pride Parade, which was active in the late 2000s and early 2010s, though Infinite Favors’ sound is on an entirely different plane from Pride Parade’s loud, gruff riffs and shredded vocals. It’s melodic and minimal in comparison, filled with nostalgic instrumentals and cozy vocal harmonies. The project debuted with the 2017 EP I Am a Bird and has released three additional EPs since then.

The brothers also now perform with several other local musicians, including members of Cars Can Be Blue, Daffodil and Weaponized Flesh. Joining Infinite Favors will be singer-­songwriter Johann Greco, whose record Hopelessness came out last year, and noise-­punk band Bursters. [MB] MUSIC | SUN, MAR. 8

HARD TACK Show

The World Famous • 9 p.m. • $5

MIKE WHITE · DEADLYDESIGNS.COM

Local zine-­maker, tape label and DIY show promoter HARD TACK—which is known for hosting a large portion of the Athens punk community from Rubber Udder to Bone Bag to Crying Form—has invited in a few out-­of-­towners to play alongside local bands Big Trouble and Arms Dealer. The latter local band recently released a new record, Mutually Assured Destruction, which is streaming now via HARD TACK’s bandcamp page. Tapes will also be available for purchase at the show.

Hailing from Richmond, VA will be punk bands YANKEE BASTARD and UAV. Finally, Kentucky-­based hardcore band Abuse SS will finish the bill. As is typical for HARD TACK, the show has an entry fee, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. [MB]

ATHENS IN OUR LIFETIMES Recalling the evolution of our town over the last six decades

A Documentary Produced and Directed by Kathy Prescott and Grady Thrasher Filmed and Edited by Matt DeGennaro • Associate Producer Michelle Castleberry Presented by Sunnybank Films In Association with Suprislingly Professional Productions 2017 • www.suprislinglyprofessional.com For Showtimes go to www.athenscine.com

MUSIC | WED, MAR. 11

Gary Numan

40 Watt Club • 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show) • $33 (adv.), $38

Gary Numan

bonded while working together at a pizza shop. Darnell had a musical background as a member of Darnell Boys, while Rancher, a philosophy professor, had never played in a band before, but the two shared a love for classic country songwriting. They eventually added Seth Barham, Rob Hibbs, Tyler Key and Johnny Watson to their ranks and played their first show in 2021. The Howdies’ debut record, 2023’s Howdies All Around, pays homage to its name, inspired by late nights spent in Athens’ extensive local bar scene with a sound the band characterizes as “a rambunctious yet thoughtful brand of honkytonk.” Key will play his own

Considered one of modern electronic music’s pioneers, London-­ born musician Gary Numan rose to fame in the late ’70s through his new-wave band Tubeway Army.

Its final album, 1979’s Replicas, featured UK No. 1 single “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” Following the band’s split, Numan began his solo career with The Pleasure Principle, producing another No. 1 hit in “Cars.” Numan’s signature sound is defined by heavy synth hooks fed through guitar pedals. He’s also known for the android persona that he adopted for live appearances throughout the ’80s. While he no longer uses this persona, he remains very active in his career, having released many extended editions of his past records in the few years since his latest studio album, 2021’s Intruder. Numan is on tour across the U.S., Canada and the UK through August. [MB] f

M A R C H 4, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM

11

live music calendar Tuesday 3

Dead Beat Club Craig Topple Meet & Greet. 5:30–7:30 p.m. FREE! www.deadbeatathens. com HEAVY PETTY Live karaoke band performing with a drop-­in to ask the District 5 commissioner candidate questions.

Georgia Theatre 7 p.m (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $23.50. www.georgiatheatre.com ALEXSUCKS LA-­based band fronted by Alex Alvarez influenced indie rock acts like The Strokes, but with a dance-­punk approach.

DOGMA SOCIETY Band with a DIY sound that fuses hip hop, indie and pop punk.

Hendershot’s No Phone Party. 7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com KENOSHA KID 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, post-rock and improvised music.”

Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $6 (w/ UGA ID), $18. music.uga.edu HODGSON SINGERS SPRING CONCERT Talented vocalists showcase their precision and artistry, often performing a demanding and thoughtfully curated program that spans diverse styles, cultures and musical traditions.

Ramsey Hall 5:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu GUEST ARTIST RECITAL Featuring Renee and Joe Skerik with Susan Snyder.

UGA Tate Student Center Live in the Lobby. 8 p.m. FREE! www. wuog.org STRUMBRUSH Twinkly and effect heavy DIY art rock from Atlanta.

Wednesday 4 40 Watt Club Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $21 (adv.), $26. www.40watt.com ROBERT JON & THE WRECK Blues rock and Southern rock band formed in Orange County, CA in 2011 whose live performances are known for being communal and life-­affirming.

SAM MORROW LA-­based musician playing his own version of modern-­day American roots music: a mix of roadhouse rock and roll, bluesy R&B and country-­fried funky-­tonk, driven forward by groove, grease and guitars.

Dancz Center for New Music 6 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ UGAcomposers WILLIAM AND WILLIAM An evening of new experimental music.

Dead Beat Club 8 p.m. $10. www.deadbeatathens.com SERF LORDS Local surf band offering a post-­apocalyptic view of the empire that was, set to heavy riffage at high tide.

WOAH NELLY Three-­headed rock and roll outfit based out of Atlanta blending punk, prog, new wave and indie rock.

12

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.

Hendershot’s 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.hendershots​ athens.com OPEN MIC Hosted by Liz Farrell the first Wednesday of every month.

Sign up online.

Nowhere Bar 9 p.m. www.instagram.com/nowhere​ barathensga THE CROWDED TABLE Blues, jam, rock and funk band from Portland, ME. 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.

DERBY Corporate music for business bugs.

CGI JOE AND THE DOO-­DAD CREW Psychedelic power pop ensemble featuring Joe Kubler (CGi Joe), Greg O’Connell (Half-­Acid) and Charlie Wilson (Eternal, The Skippers).

Nowhere Bar 9:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/ nowherebarathensga DOG (IN HUMAN COSTUME) Alternative rock band based out of Alpharetta and influenced by acts like The Pixies, Radiohead, Queens Of The Stone Age and Jeff Buckley.

Salem, NC who cites The Beatles, John Mayer, Hall and Oates and The 1975 as inspirations for his sound.

KIT Athens-­based kaleidoscopic rock band expanded from the eponymous solo project Catt Malonius.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. (doors). $10. www.flicker theatreandbar.com THE HOWDIES Old-­school outlaw country act featuring vocalists Austin Darnell and Shoni Rancher.

COYOTE HOLLER Atlanta/Athens-­ based two steppin’/dust up music.

TYLER KEY Multi-­instrumentalist Tyler Key of T. Hardy Morris, The

Nowhere Bar 9:30 p.m. $10. www.instagram.com/ nowherebarathensga ANDOVIA Hard alternative rock rooted between the Atlanta and Athens areas. Album release show!

FRIGGA FIVE Raucous Atlanta rock band.

GREYWATER Elements of shoegaze, grunge and metal siphoned into a single alt-­rock act.

The Rail 8–11 p.m. www.instagram.com/ baddogathens BAD DOG KARAOKE Every other Friday.

Thursday 5 40 Watt Club 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10 (adv.), $12. www.40watt.com THE SEVEN TWO Indie rock to country, classic rock to folk music and everything in between from four UGA students.

THE SQUATCHES Cover band and jams.

AIRBALL No info available.

Dead Beat Club 8 p.m. $12. www.deadbeatathens.com BICHOS VIVOS Local band playing forró, an accordion, zabumba and triangle-­driven genre of party music from Brazil.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. $30. www.flickertheatreandbar. com THE DESLONDES Gritty New Orleans-­based Americana band on New West Records that blends influences of folk, blues, country and gospel.

SABINE MCCALLA Artist who spins stories of heartbreak and hope through intimate arrangements and honest inflections, combining elements of gospel, folk, soul, blues and Americana.

Georgia Theatre 7 p.m (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $27.43. www.georgiatheatre.com WINYAH Nashville-­based indie and Southern rock band.

THE OCHO A multi-­genre band that focuses on classic rock, alternative, funk and country.

The Globe 7:30–10 p.m. www.facebook.com/ globe.athens MARY & THE HOT HOTTY-­HOTS Hot jazz and swing band offering music from the 1910s, ’20s and ’30s.

Hendershot’s 8 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com KARAOKE WITH DJ GREGORY Enjoy singing and dancing for all.

Normal Bar Attaboy Tapes Presents. $10–20 (benefiting Support for Immigrant Families in Crisis). www.instagram. com/normal_bar_athens THE THINGS Alternative country noise for sweetie pies.

JOSEY Athens-­based indie pop artist, incorporating audience participation and off-­kilter comedy into her sets.

F L A GP OL E .C OM · M A R C H 4, 2026

Andovia is playing at Nowhere Bar on Friday, Mar. 6.

VIOLET Five-­piece alternative rock band from Atlanta.

SPIDERHOUSE Atlanta-­based indie music.

Rialto Club Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $25 (adv.), $30. bit.ly/RialtoClubMarch5 RANDALL BRAMBLETT This established Georgia singer-­ songwriter’s Southern-­tinged music pulls from a variety of influences.

MURRAY ATTAWAY Singer-­ songwriter best known for his work as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the legendary Guadalcanal Diary.

Friday 6 40 Watt Club Tank Touring Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10 (adv.), $12. www.40watt.com THE WRAPS Dynamic local rock act with sounds reminiscent of the Drive-­By Truckers.

ASHES Dynamic, psychedelic rock and roll.

EMBER Local indie pop/rock band.

Athentic Brewing Co. 6 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com THE HOBOHEMIANS Six-­piece acoustic band performing American and European roots music of the 1910s–30s, with a mix of proto-­ jazz, blues and folk.

Ciné 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $15. www.athenscine.com BEDROOM DIVISION Mellow, woozy and romantic shimmer pop from Greensboro, NC. WILLIAM HINSON Indie pop singer-­songwriter from Winston-­

Howdies and others plays his own set of folk rock, backed by The Strangers.

Hendershot’s Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10 (adv.), $15. bit.ly/HendershotsMarch6 ATHENS ALL-­STAR SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND Some of the city’s finest tunesmiths together on one stage, sharing original songs.

Featuring Todd Cowart, Kimberly Morgan York, Fester Hagood, Joshua Walker & Brodye Brooks, Adam Poulin, Curt Spell and Bo Hembree with special guest Travis Porterfield.

Live Wire Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $13.58– 118.69 (benefiting Artist2Artist and Daily Groceries Co-­Op). www. facebook.com/AubreyEntertainment​ AthensGA BOB WEIR TRIBUTE Members of Cosmic Charlie, Dire Wolf, Mr​ Jordan​Mr​Tonks and more perform the music of the late Grateful Dead co-­founder.

Madison Morgan Cultural Center 7:30 p.m. $35. www.mmcc-­arts.org DOM FLEMONS Grammy Award-­winning member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and multi-­ instrumentalist.

Marigold Auditorium for Arts and Culture Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $15 (adv.), $20. www.facebook.com/Aubrey​ EntertainmentAthensGA ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW LIVE Frankie & The Fantoms will perform live with the cult classic film featuring musical guests from the community.

VFW Post 2872 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10. www.facebook.com/vfwpost2872 DAVID LONG BAND Country artist from Covington, with line dancing between the breaks.

Saturday 7 40 Watt Club Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $20 (adv.), $25. www.40watt.com GLOWBAND “Eagles & Friends” features quintessential Eagles songs, plus favorites by Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Bob Seger.

Athentic Brewing Co. 6–8:30 p.m. www.athenticbrewing. com YOU’VE GOT MAIL Playing ’80s classics to early 2000s pop-­punk.

Bishop Park Athens Farmers Market. 8 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmers​ market.net LIBBALOOPS Electronic musician and looping artist who loves to be silly and get “loopy doopy.” (9 a.m.)

Ciné Athens Goth Night Dance Party. 9 p.m. (doors), 9:30 p.m. (show). $10. www.athenscine.com DJ CROWE DJ Steven Crowe.

DJ TOMB LILY Adria Stembridge of Tears For The Dying spins deathrock, post-­punk, goth and more.

TWIN POWERS Local DJ who is also a member of DJ trio Booty Boyz.

DJ GOTH DAD Dustin Gannon formerly of Vision Video leads a dance party spinning goth, post-­

punk, ’80s, Halloween music and much more.

Dead Beat Club 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10. www.deadbeatathens.com INFINITE FAVORS Project of brothers Andrew and Nathan Prater that trades in the sludgy, punishing riffs of previous projects for vocal harmonies, melodic basslines and hand percussion to create unforgettable, minimal bedroom pop.

BURSTERS Noise punk whimsy-­ core attack.

JOHANN GRECO Singer-­song­ writer from Northeast Georgia.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. (doors). $10. www.flicker theatreandbar.com DQE Band formed by singer-­ songwriter Grace Braun, formerly known as Dairy Queen Empire.

HANS CONDOR Hard rock out of Nashville, TN. BROKEN DOWN BOXES New project of Jim Willingham.

Hendershot’s 3–5 p.m. FREE! www.hendershots​ athens.com CLASSICAL REVOLUTION Open classical play by local musicians.

Live Wire 9 p.m. $10. www.livewireathens.com HEATED RIVALRY DANCE PARTY Dance the night away to all the hits from the TV and book series.

Normal Bar 8 p.m. $10–20 (benefiting Support for Immigrant Families in Crisis). www. instagram.com/normal_bar_athens ATHENS MIDDLE EAST ORCHESTRA Athens very own Middle Eastern inspired outfit that focuses on the musical culture of Egypt, Turkey, Israel, Syria and more.

DRÍ & THE VIOLENCE Project of singer, percussionist and songwriter Adriana Thomas.

JACKIE HALES Singer-­songwriter of Your Ex’s Pets.

KIT Athens-­based kaleidoscopic rock band expanded from the eponymous solo project Catt Malonius.

Nowhere Bar 9:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/ nowherebarathensga LOS CANTARES Stoned desert rock and roll band from Athens.

NORMALTOWN SOUND MACHINE Athens quintet featuring Jamie Reynolds, Ben Spraker, Jef Whatley, Eli Truett and Phil Weed perform asymmetrical pop rock reminiscent of The Sea and Cake, The Cardigans, Herbie Hancock and LCD Soundsystem.

Nuçi’s Space 3:30 p.m. (doors), 4 p.m. (show).

FREE! www.nuci.org CAMP AMPED AFTER SCHOOL FINALE Campers show off what they’ve learned.

The Root 10 p.m. FREE! www.therootathens. com SILENT DISCO Grab a pair of headphones, choose a music channel and dance the night away.

South Main Brewing Community Fueled Festival. 2–9 p.m.

FREE! www.southmainbrewing.com JOSH BRICKER Country singer-­ songwriter.

TRIPP AND THE BREAKERS Atlanta-­based blues band.

CLAUDIA HOYSER Country singer-­songwriter from Rochester, NY.

Athentic Brewing Co. 5–7:30 p.m. www.athenticbrewing. com JEREMY WELLS AND THE DALIS Ever evolving with over 30 years sellin’ syllables and seeding dreams.

Boutier Winery & Inn Wine Down. 3–5 p.m. www.boutier​ winery.com RAILTOWN Performing ’70s soft rock, Americana, country, pop and current tunes.

Comer Coffee Company 11 a.m.–1 p.m. www.comercoffee.co DAN NETTLES & LONELY ORCHESTRA Dan Nettles presents radiant solo guitar interpretations ranging from the unique originals you know and love to melted funhouse mirror reflections of David Bowie, Willie Nelson and Aaron Copland.

The Globe 4–7 p.m. www.facebook.com/globe. athens TRADITIONAL IRISH SESSION Easy listening traditional Irish music.

Hendershot’s Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 6 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (show). $10 (adv.), $15. www.facebook.com/Aubrey​ EntertainmentAthensGA SHEHEHE Local band that draws from old-­school punk and arena rock to create a fist-­pumping atmosphere.

WOLVESX4 Four-­piece band hailing from the Winston-­Salem, NC punk scene.

BADKILL Baddest, deadest local punk rock band.

No. 3 Railroad Street 6 p.m. $10 suggested donation. www.3railroad.org MOJO CONFESSIONAL SONGWRITER SHOWCASE Every second Sunday. Bring a dish to share at the potluck.

The World Famous 9 p.m. $5. www.facebook.com/the​ worldfamousathens YANKEE BASTARD Richmond, VA punk band that released its album, FUCKING USA, in 2024.

ARMS DEALER Welcome to the gun show punks.

ABUSE SS Kentucky hardcore punk/d-­beat.

BIG TROUBLE Hardcore thrash gods.

UAV Punk band from Richmond, VA.

Monday 9 Normaltown Brewing Co. 6:30 p.m. (sign-­ups), 7–9 p.m. (show). FREE! www.normaltown​ brewingco.com MONDAY FUNDAY FUNK JAM Will Shine hosts this open jam with a house band made up of rotating local musicians.

Tuesday 10 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.”

Nowhere Bar 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/nowhere​ barathensga DD ISLAND Psych-­infused, twangy folk rockers from Brooklyn.

HONEYPUPPY Four-­piece indie rock band self-­described as a “menace to society.”

DERBY Corporate music for business bugs.

BALACLAVA NYC trash rock.

Ramsey Hall 7:30 p.m. $84 (discount w/ UGA ID). pac.uga.edu SÉRGIO AND ODAIR ASSAD Brazil-­born brothers and guitarists whose performances feature a compelling blend of musical styles, periods and cultures.

Wednesday 11 40 Watt Club 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $33 (adv.), $38. www.40watt.com GARY NUMAN English musician who entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army and reached peak popularity in the ’70s and ’80s, maintaining a strong cult following ever since.

Athentic Brewing Co. 7–10 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com KARAOKE WITH DJ GREGORY Second and fourth Wednesdays.

Ciné 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $12. www.athenscine.com YOUR EX’S PETS Haunting, groovy, soft-­loud songs with rich vocal harmonies and layered arrangements.

MIRACLE HOUSE Collaborative project of Marcel Sletten and Oliver Domingo.

BABYBABY_EXPLORES Art rock project from Providence, RI playing danceable songs that pay homage to musique concrète, European underground synth punk of the late ’70s through the ’80s, anthem music, dada and the Providence DIY & noise scene.

Creature Comforts Brewery Athens Farmers Market. 5–8 p.m.

FREE! www.athensfarmersmarket.net HIBBS FAMILY BAND Quartet of family members combining the textures and rhythms of bluegrass and folk music with alt-­rock melodic sensibilities and lyricism. (6 p.m.)

Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreand​ bar.com DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Featuring pop, rock, indie and more.

Hendershot’s 7 p.m. (sign-­ups). FREE! www.hendershotsathens.com BEATS, RHYMES AND LIFE OPEN MIC Emcees, poets, rappers and freestylers of all styles are invited to perform with the backing band.

Nowhere Bar 9 p.m. www.instagram.com/nowhere​ barathensga REVERIE Ethereal metal from Durham/Boone, NC. OXYSTAR Alternative and stoner metal mixed with shoegaze and space rock.

BIMBOS Atlanta hardcore for baddies.

Porterhouse Grill 7 p.m. www.porterhousegrillathens. com JAZZ NIGHT Longest running jazz gig in Athens performing American songbook, bossa nova classics and crossover hits.

The World Famous 9 p.m. $10. www.facebook.com/the​ worldfamousathens MUZAK Paparazzi-­dodging indie-­ rockers from Los Angeles, featuring the bassist from Ski Club.

KARMA KAT Local band with sounds of rock, pop and funky jazz.

They’ll rock your whiskers off!

MAWSS Four-­piece pride of the Louisville, KY indie-­rock scene, PINKY DOWN Surfer-­punk jam band from Athens. f

music

threats & promises

Grassland Releases Patches PLUS, MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP

By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com ALL STITCHED UP: Grassland releases its first album in over three years this week on Wednesday, Mar. 4. It’s titled Patches, runs 13 songs and is available as a digital download and a double vinyl LP. I’m pretty sure I’ve never used the term “down home” to describe a record, but dammit if this doesn’t call for it. Grassland excels in creating modern Americana that draws from a deep ocean of influences and even leans into some 1970s styles such as the Fleetwood Mac-​ish “Damn This Rain.” For my tastes I’m most partial to the slower, moodier stuff here, like the aforementioned, as well as “Needle and Thread” and “Hands.” Upcoming live dates include May 9 at Winterville’s Marigold Auditorium and July 11 at the 40 Watt Club. You can stream the record on the major services and grasslandstringband1. bandcamp.com, and to grab a copy on vinyl, please see echobase.com/projects/ patches.

GOIN’ TO A TOWN: The second Dex Fest, coordinated in loving memory and in celebration of the late Dexter Romweber (Flat Duo Jets), is slated for June 25–28 in Romweber’s original stomping ground of Carrboro, NC and Chapel Hill, NC. Advance tickets go on sale this Friday, Mar. 6.

While the lineup is not yet announced, performances will happen in the following locations: Cat’s Cradle, Local Grassland 506, The Cave and Lapin Bleu. For ongoing information and tickets, please see facebook.com/DexFestNC and instagram.com/dexfestnc.

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS: Let’s face it, most band names aren’t very good. Every now and then, though, someone really nails it. So, let’s hear it for the best name I’ve heard this year so far. This honor goes to Greater Tri-​County Area (aka GTCA). These guys, Byron Adams and Gabe Slagle, released a demo a few weeks ago that has four songs and a completely refreshing earnestness that basically says, “this is what we do.” There’s an ostensible country influence here, but it’s not overwhelming, and indeed, most of these songs could fall more easily into a folk category. Specific highlights here are “Shadowboxing Man” as well as the opening song “Blue Mountains.” Find this at greatertricountyarea. bandcamp.com.

HANGING AROUND: Hendershot’s and Aubrey Entertainment will host an Athens All-​Star Songwriters in the Round show Friday, Mar. 6. Featured artists are Todd Cowart, Kimberly Morgan York, Fester Hagood, Joshua Walker and Brodye Brooks (Holman Autry Band), Adam Poulin, Curt Spell and Bo Hembree (with guest Travis Porterfield). Doors open at 7 p.m., and music starts at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are $10, but it’s $15 at the door. For tickets, please see bit. ly/HendershotsMarch6 and for more information, please see facebook.com/hendershots.athens and hendershots​ athens.com.

CRAPPY NEW YEAR: Trembling Earth Orchestra doesn’t produce much music, but is certainly committed to what it does produce. The band—composed of Joseph Willey (Joe Willey & The Moving Men), Thomas Willey and Thomas Terrell, aka Dr. T—just released the first two songs of a planned year-​long series of songs that will ultimately compile the entirety of A Whole Fuckin’ Year: Seasonal Songs for

the Cynical, Depressed and Disaffected. In keeping with this theme, the two new songs cover Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras with the songs “Coverup Tattoo” and “Oh Chérie,” respectively. The former is a lighthearted alt-​Americana-​ pop, and the latter is a slightly swampy zydeco tune. You can find the tunes at tremblingearthorchestra.bandcamp. com, and for more information, please see tremblingearth​ orchestra.com.

BACK ON THE BEAT: It’s been a long minute since we heard anything from Echobass Records, who kept Athens bathed in dub, reggae and associated styles for several years. Now, IAN MCFARLANE

Sunday 8

it has roared back a little with the new album by Ricky B.E. (Becoming Everything) titled The Art Of Becoming.

This is a straight-​up hip-​hop record with clever production courtesy of Medicus_x, LZYBU+, Boomerang Kid Beats and Killa Cabbi. The record really starts to develop its personality with the second track, “The Ballad Of The Smoking Man,” which is mid-​tempo and direct in a way reminiscent of People Under The Stairs. By the same token, “The Goodtimes”—mostly due to its production—has a nice 1970s-​era R&B feel about it. Dig this at echobassrecords. bandcamp.com.

JUST IN TIME FOR SPRING: Preorders are now open for HHBTM Records’ vinyl re-​release of Black Swan Network’s Early Music Volume 1. Black Swan Network was a semi-​collaborative project by the late W. Cullen Hart undertaken during the time between when Olivia Tremor Control went on hiatus and the formation of Circulatory System. Prices range from $20 for the LP itself and up to $25 for deluxe preorder packages. This edition is limited to 550 copies. To order, please see hhbtm.com.

COVID-​1980: I feel like Athens foundational punk band The Plague has released its archives multiple times over the years, but maybe it’s just been a series of collections of stuff and not comprehensive. Honestly, no real clue here. I know that I have both CD and cassette collections on my shelf, though. At any rate, Chunklet Industries is helping distribute The Plague’s new collection, which is a four-​CD set referred to as Box Set. Each set is hand-​assembled by band founder Link Souter and contains a whopping 52 songs. I agree with Chunklet’s head honcho Henry Owings in his assessment that this stuff is more proto than hardcore, which isn’t exactly surprising given the band’s birthdate of 1980. The whole thing costs just 10 bucks and can be had by heading over to chunklet.bandcamp.com. f

M A R C H 4, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM

13

Tuesday 3

event calendar

EVENTS: Mara Zuniga Meet & Greet (ACC Library) Drop in to ask the mayoral candidate questions, share ideas and concerns, and discuss priorities. 5:30–7:30 p.m.

FREE! www.maraformayor.com EVENTS: Craig Topple Meet & Greet (Dead Beat Club) Drop in to ask the District 5 commissioner candidate questions or discuss his position, with live karaoke band Heavy Petty performing. 5:30–7:30 p.m. FREE! www.deadbeatathens. com EVENTS: Bachata Conexión Athens Latin Night (Social Dance Preserve) Bachata and salsa dancing with special performances by the UGA Ballroom Performance Group and Salsa Passion. 7 p.m. (dance class), 8–10:30 p.m. (social dance). $10. www.bachataconexion​ athens.com GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici at The Falls) Test your knowledge with host Miles Bunch. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/baddogathens GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Paloma Park) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/baddogathens GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Winghouse Grill Hull) Test your general trivia knowledge. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Akademia Brewing Co.) Test your general trivia knowledge with host Garrett. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/classiccitytriviaco GAMES: Bingo & Sip (MaiKai Kava Lounge) Play BINGO with a chance to win prizes. Every other Tuesday, 7 p.m. FREE! www.athenskava.com

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 GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Magnolias of Athens) Test your general trivia knowledge with host Benjamin. Tuesdays, 8 p.m. www. instagram.com/classiccitytriviaco LECTURES & LIT: Historic Athens History Hour (Lyndon House Arts Center) Learn about the life and legacy of Dr. Ida Mae Hiram, Georgia’s first Black female dentist and a beloved figure in Athens. 12–1 p.m.

FREE! www.historicathens.com LECTURES & LIT: Environmental Ethics Spring Seminar (UGA Founders Memorial Garden) This seminar explores ethical conflicts in invasive species management using feral cats and urban Muscovy ducks as case studies. 5:45 p.m. FREE! ced.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT: From Georgia to the World (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Dorinda G. Dallmeye will discuss William Bartram’s botanical legacy and highlight five of his Georgia discoveries. 6:30 p.m. FREE! botgarden.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT: Normal Talk (Normal Bar) A discussion about AI and its impact on global technology, the economy, education, creative work and social media.

7:30–​​9 p.m. FREE! www.normal​ talk.org

Wednesday 4 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

art around town ATHICA (675 Pulaski St. Ste. 1200) “New in Town” features works from first year graduate students of the Lamar Dodd School of Art including sculpture, photography, jewelry, painting and video. Through Mar. 14.

ATHENAEUM (287 W. Broad St.) “Beverly’s Athens” is a concurrent exhibition with the Georgia Museum of Art featuring works by Beverly Buchanan.

The exhibition includes sculptures, drawings, photographs, print multiples, autobiographical ephemera and research materials alongside examples of her well-​known “shacks.” Closing symposium Mar. 20–21. Through Mar. 21. • Prompting artists to create the “wildest bathrooms in Athens,” artists Amanda Burk and Elinor Saragoussi designed installations for the Athenaeum bathrooms. Burk’s installation is titled “Mars: a color study,” and Saragoussi’s is titled “threshold (true): finding comfort in hidden worlds.”

ARTS + ATHLETICS (130 The Plaza) Atlanta artist Paige Adair’s exhibition “The Swan’s Chamber and Other Enchanted Portals” features paintings, printmaking and works on paper. On view by appointment only through Mar. 21.

DODD GALLERIES (270 River Rd.) On the third floor landing, Derek Larson’s “Made in Mexico” features animated films produced in Mexico City between 1952–1956 by the studio Dibujos Animados S.A. • In the Margie E. West Gallery are animations by Derek Larson titled “Très Mall, Episodes 1–8” that are inspired by the decay of American shopping malls. • MFA candidate Phoebe-​Agnès Mills’ paintings in “Ekstasis” consider how the spiritual might be sensed within the material world. • The 35th Annual Student Scientific and Medical Illustration Juried Exhibition features illustrators from UGA and Augusta University. • “the green glass door” is a collaboration by Jon Vogt’s digital printmaking class. • “Quantum Castle” is an interactive and immersive exhibition featuring ceramic characters by Adah Bennion, Eve J. Brown, Brian George, Jana Ghazawi, Clara-​Beth Hamill, Jeanne Marie Martineau, Maddy Underwood and others. Through Mar. 20.

DONDERO’S KITCHEN (590 N. Milledge Ave.) Photography by Jennifer Keene featuring the symbolism of gravestone art and cemetery monuments will be on display through March.

GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) Drawing on Ada Limón’s poem “In Praise of Mystery,” “We, Too, Are Made of Wonders” explores humanity’s fascination with the cosmos through poetry, science and visual

14

F L A GP OL E .C OM · M A R C H 4, 2026

CLASSES: Microsoft Powerpoint (ACC Library) Learn how to create slides, enter content, change layouts, and use styles and themes. 6 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org EVENTS: Opening Reception (Historic Athens Welcome Center) The exhibition “The Women Who Changed Athens” will be on view celebrating eight women in the fields of medicine, education, journalism and the arts. 4–6 p.m. FREE! www.athenswelcomecenter.com FILM: Blood Everywhere (Flicker Theatre & Bar) After witnessing a bloodbath in a neighbor’s apartment, a young reporter must attempt to solve the mystery in Sisters. 7 p.m. FREE! www.instagram. com/bloodeverywhere.athens GAMES: Shadowfist Power Lunch (Tyche’s Games) Drop in and play Shadowfist. All skill levels. 11:30 a.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: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Normal Bar) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Classic City Trivia (The Local 706) Test your general trivia knowledge with host Garrett.

Wednesdays, 7:06 p.m. www.instagram.com/classiccitytriviaco GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Locos Grill and Pub Eastside) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/ shihtzunottrivia LECTURES & LIT: Word of Mouth (The Globe) Athens’ longest-­ running spoken word open mic, with this month’s featured reader

Ellen Wynne. 6 p.m. (sign-­ups), 7 p.m. (poetry). FREE! www.facebook. com/athenswordofmouth

Thursday 5 CLASSES: Lantern Making Workshop (Lyndon House Arts Center) Drop in to build your own lantern to carry in the Flight of the Fireflies Lantern Parade. Supplies provided.

5:30–7:30 p.m. FREE! www.accgov. com/lyndonhouse COMEDY: Icebreakers Comedy Fundraiser (Athentic Brewing Co.) The Athens Area Democratic Socialists host Athens-­area comedians with proceeds directly supporting the Athens Immigrants Rights Coalition. 8 p.m. www. athenticbrewing.com EVENTS: Ladies Night Out (Boutier Winery & Inn) Enjoy a night of line dancing with wine and a buffet. First Thursdays, 6–9 p.m. $20. www. boutierwinery.com GAMES: Dancing With the Athens Stars Fundraiser & Trivia (Terrapin Beer Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with proceeds benefiting Project Safe. 5–9 p.m. www.terrapin​beer.com GAMES: Bad Dog BINGO (Amici at The Falls) Play BINGO with host TJ Wayt. Thursdays, 6 p.m. www. instagram.com/baddogathens GAMES: Love.Craft Bingo Night (Athentic Brewing Co.) A bingo event benefiting the nonprofit organization Love.Craft Athens. 6:30–8 p.m. $3–5. www.lovecraftathens.org GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Terrapin Beer Co.) Test your general trivia knowledge. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu​ nottrivia

art from the museum’s collection. Through June 28. • “Shacks, Stories and Spirit: Beverly Buchanan’s Art of Home” is a concurrent exhibition with the Athenaeum featuring works by Beverly Buchanan. The exhibition includes sculptures, drawings, photographs, print multiples, autobiographical ephemera and research materials alongside examples of her well-​known “shacks.” Through June 28. • asinnajaq’s “Three Thousand” combines archival videos from the National Film Board of Canada with animations, soundscapes and contemporary video footage. Through June 28. • “Looking Through a Sewn Sky: Rachel B. Hayes” is a commissioned installation in the Jane and Harry Willson Sculpture Garden that blends sculpture, painting and craft. Through Jul. 30, 2027.

LAST RESORT (174-​184 W. Clayton St.) Known for her surreal and whimsical themes of magic realism, Susan Pelham’s mixed media works will be on display through Mar. 8.

LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (211 Hoyt St.) The 51st Juried Exhibition will take place Mar. 19–May 16 featuring 130 works by 91 artists selected

by Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe of the Katonah Museum of Art in New York.

Opening reception Mar. 19, 5:30–7:30 p.m. • In the Ronnie Lukasiewicz Gallery, “Creative Tracks: Artwork from Inside the Athens-​Clarke County Jail” presents art created by participants in the Creative Tracks studio art program taught by Kristen Bach at the ACC Jail. Through Mar. 21. • In the Lounge Gallery, “hold still, please” features abstract landscape paintings

by Kate Kaiser, exploring memory, space and quiet presence through oil on wood panels. Through Mar. 21. • In the North Gallery, “En mi mente” features charcoal and wax pastel works by Sebastian Granados. Through Mar. 21. • A new Lobby installation by artist and STEAM educator Maria Nissan, “18,443 Souls: A Metamorphosis of Coffee Culture,” features works inspired by the multicultural connections to coffee that are composed using coffee and tea filters touched by 18,443 people in Athens. Through May 8.

MAGALLERY (125 W. Jefferson St., Madison) “Nature Mirrored in Silk” features a series of hand-​painted silk wall hangings by Athens-​based artist Margaret Agner through April 18. Opening reception Mar. 13, 6–8 p.m.

MADISON-​MORGAN CULTURAL ARTS CENTER (434 South Main St., Madison) “Color Resonance: Gary Hudson in Full Hue” presents vibrant abstract artwork by Gary Hudson through Mar. 27.

OCONEE CULTURAL ARTS FOUNDATION (34 School St., Watkinsville) In the Main Gallery, “A Way Among Ways” is curated by Director Beth Malone and features artists whose work explores labor, material and improvisation.

Through Mar. 7. • In the Members Gallery, “This Beautiful Tangle” includes

GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Butt Hutt) Test your general trivia knowledge. Thursdays, 7 p.m. www. instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia KIDSTUFF: Lego Builder’s Challenge (Oconee County Library) Drop in to free build and create, or do one of the fun LEGO challenges.

Ages 5–12. First thursdays, 3:30– 5:30. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/ oconee SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@athenspetanque. org, www.athenspetanque.org THEATER: Scripts & Sips (OCAF) All skill levels can drop in for script reading of Bonnie Roberts’ A Brush With Murder. 6 p.m. $10 (member), $15 (non-­member). www.ocaf.com

Friday 6 COMEDY: Off the Cuff Comedy (Dead Beat Club) Hosted by Miles Bunch, an evening of impromptu and stand-­up local comedy featuring Peyton Johnson, Lanny Farmer, Allen Teems, Cori Isla and Ngozi.

8 p.m. $10. www.deadbeatathens. com COMEDY: The Ensemble Super Show (Flying Squid Comedy) Ensemble improv comedy from some of Flying Squid’s best. 8 p.m. $10. www.flyingsquidcomedy.com EVENTS: Spring Forward Wine Tasting (Tonique Bottle Co.) Drop in to try four wines from lesser known, underrepresented regions across the globe. 5–7 p.m. $10. www.shoptonique.com GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Oak House Distillery) Test your general

trivia knowledge. Fridays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Friday Night Initiative (Tyche’s Games) Learn how to play a new roleplaying game. 7 p.m.

FREE! www.tychesgames.com LECTURES & LIT: Open Mic Poetry (ATHICA) Read something you love or share something you wrote.

Snacks provided. 7–8 p.m. FREE! www.athica.org

Saturday 7 ART: Art & Maker Show (Oconee Presbyterian Church) Local art from the Firefly Homeschool Community will be on view and for sale. 1–4 p.m. www.fireflyhomeschool​community.org CLASSES: Clay Handbuilding Workshop (Southern Star Studio) Learn how to create a piece of pottery and decorate it. All supplies provided. Ages 12 & up. First Saturdays, 2 p.m. $60. www.southern​ starstudioathens.com EVENTS: The Athens Farmers Market (Bishop Park) Markets offer locally grown groceries and handmade goods with live music and children’s activities. AFM doubles SNAP dollars spent. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–12 p.m. www.athensfarmers​ market.net EVENTS: Community Fueled Festival (South Main Brewing) Celebrate new beer releases with a day of live music and games. 2–9 p.m. FREE! www.southmainbrewing.com EVENTS: Oyster Fest (Athentic Brewing Co.) Enjoy some Get Shucked Oyster Stout beer with the SeaBear Shuck Truck and special guests from Shell to Shore. 3–6 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com

paintings and illustrations by Jeffrey Whittle alongside prints and paper works by Melissa Harshman. Through Mar. 7.

OCONEE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (2601 Hog Mountain Rd., Watkinsville) View and purchase local art from the Firefly Homeschool Community during the Art & Maker Show and Sale on Mar. 7, 1–4 p.m.

STATE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF GEORGIA (2450 S. Milledge Ave.) “Nature Escapes” features hyper-​realistic watercolor works of nature by Athens-​ based artist Jackie Dorsey. Opening reception Mar. 8, 2–4 p.m. Through Apr. 19. • “Reimagine: Contemporary Georgia Artists” presents 20 works from Georgia’s State Art Collection alongside pieces by local and regional artists including painting, ceramics, fiber, sculpture, photography and works on paper. Presented by the Georgia Council for the Arts as part of a statewide touring exhibition through May 29.

STEFFEN THOMAS MUSEUM OF ART (4200 Bethany Rd., Buckhead) “Steffen Thomas Through the Eyes of Young Adults” is on display in the Educational Gallery. Changes quarterly.

TINYATH GALLERY (174 Cleveland Ave.) Works by sculpture artist Martijn van Wagtendonk on view through Mar. 5.

UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) “Captain Planet: The Power Is Yours” explores the origins and impact of the TV series.

Through May. • “Sustained Excellence: A History of UGA Swim & Dive” explores the program’s history through photographs and artifacts. Through May. • “Fashioning the Classic Bride: The Life and Career of Anne Barge” features 33 dresses from the UGA alumna. Through July. • “Beyond the ’96 Games: Atlanta’s Olympic Legacy” features an original torch from the opening relay and other authentic memorabilia. Through October.

UGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (230 River Rd.) In the Lobby Gallery on the mezzanine level outside Ramsey Concert Hall are large-​scale paintings

by Christopher Hocking with themes of pop culture, history, literature and more.

WINTERVILLE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER (371 N. Church St., Winterville) Six new exhibitions will run through Mar. 24. Gallery 1 features plein air works by the Athens Area Plein Air Artists depicting the Winterville Trestle and local scenes. Gallery 2 features modern quilted wall pieces by Sarah Hubbard and complex sculptures by Kelly King. The Narrow Gallery features resin works by local author and artist Anita Eberhart Shaw. The Foyer Gallery features paintings by Sherre Watwood. The Garden Gallery features fused-​ glass works by Babs Kall. • The Firefly Trail photo contest winners will be displayed through Mar. 26.

EVENTS: Whiskey Tasting & Cigars (Athentic Brewing Co.) Drop in to sample the new whiskey release along with cigars from The Amber Belle. 6–8 p.m. www.athentic​brewing.com EVENTS: Flight of the Fireflies Lantern Parade (Dudley Park) The community is invited to light up the winding paths to Dudley Park together with lanterns, flashlights or other light sources. 7 p.m. FREE! www.accgov.com/lanternparade FILM: Saturday Cinema (Bogart Library) Join a fellowship of fantasy fans for an extended movie adventure and the official launch of Middle-­Earth March. 2 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart FILM: View Finders Season 4 (Rocket Hall) Screening of the season premiere with proceeds benefitting Rocket Hall improvements. 6 p.m. $75. www.ocaf.com GAMES: Learn to Play Shadowrun RPG (Tyche’s Games) Join others to learn about the science fantasy tabletop role-­playing game. 12 p.m.

FREE! www.tychesgames.com GAMES: Chess Tournament (Oconee County Library) Informal play led by instructor Bryce Dejno open to all skill levels and ages. 3 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/ oconee LECTURES & LIT: On Tyranny Book Study (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) Discuss lessons in resistance to authoritarianism and protection of democracy based on the book by Timothy Snyder. 9 a.m.

FREE! www.uuathensga.org LECTURES & LIT: Educational Plant Care (Foxglove Plantbar) Plant experts will share practical guidance on using beneficial insects for natural pest control and how artificial lighting can support healthy indoor plant growth. 2 p.m.

FREE! www.foxgloveplantbar.com PERFORMANCE: Athens Showgirl Cabaret Drag For All Drag Show (Hendershots) Enjoy a fabulous night of open drag fun for all ages.

8–11 p.m. $5. www.athensshow​ girlcabaret.com

Sunday 8 ART: Opening Reception (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Artist Jackie Dorsey’s paintings in the exhibition “Nature Escapes” will be

on view. 2–4 p.m. FREE! botgarden. uga.edu ART: In Awe of Existence (Madison Morgan Cultural Center) Matthew Georgia Demarko will present a photo lecture on what photography has to teach every human about living well. 4 p.m. FREE! www. mmcc-­arts.org ART: Paint & Sip (Terrapin Beer Co.) Drop in for a guided painting session. 6:30 p.m. $15. www.terrapin​ beer.com COMEDY: Comedy Showcase (The Globe) Athens Comedy hosts themed and general showcases of local and regional comedians.

Sundays, 9 p.m. www.athens​comedy.com EVENTS: ICE Detention Center Rally (Walton County Courthouse) A rally opposing the ICE Detention Center the Department of Homeland Security is planning to locate in Social Circle. 2–4 p.m. FREE! www. indivisiblega10.org GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (The Globe) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Sundays, 6 p.m. www. instagram.com/baddogathens 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 SPORTS: Classic City Roller Derby (The Classic Center) The first bout of the season celebrating CCRD’s 20th anniversary. 4:30 p.m. (doors), 5 p.m. (game). $15 (adv.), $18. www.classiccityrollergirls.com

Monday 9 CLASSES: Coyote Hendy (Hendershot’s) The Dancing Ruth leads a line dancing class. Second Mondays, 6 p.m. www.hendershots​ athens.com GAMES: Chess and Community (ACC Library) Drop in for open chess play to learn the game, challenge skills and engage with other enthusiasts. Mondays, 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Fully Loaded Pizza Kitchen (Normaltown)) Test your general trivia knowledge. Mondays, 7 p.m. www. instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Dooley’s Bar and Grill) Test your general

706-548-2188 600 Oglethorpe Ave #4 Athens, Georgia 30606

trivia knowledge with host Garrett.

Mondays, 7 p.m. www.instagram. com/classiccitytriviaco GAMES: General Trivia (Athentic Brewing Co.) Test your general trivia knowledge. Mondays, 7 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Pancho’s Tacos & Tequila) Test your

make art in the studio classroom.

All skill levels welcome. Ages 55 & up. Registration required. 10 a.m.

FREE! gmoa-­tours@uga.edu CLASSES: Introduction to ChatGPT (ACC Library) Learn what ChatGPT is, how it works, and how it can be used in a writing and research. 10 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org

general trivia knowledge with host Garrett. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/classiccitytriviaco 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 GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Magnolias of Athens) Test your

An opening reception for Jackie Dorsey’s “Nature Escapes” will be held at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia on Sunday, Mar. 8. general trivia knowledge. Mondays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu​ nottrivia GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Grindhouse Killer Burgers) Test your general trivia knowledge with host Benjamin. Mondays, 7:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/classiccity​ triviaco MEETINGS: Pen Pals Writing Group (Oconee County Library) Meet other writers, share your writing experiences and get feedback on your work. Second & fourth Mondays, 5 p.m. FREE! www.athens​ library.org/oconee

Tuesday 10 ART: Creative Aging Art Workshop (Georgia Museum of Art) Join teaching artist Toni Carlucci to discuss art in the galleries and to

GAMES: Lunch & Learn (Tyche’s Games) Bring your lunch and learn new games. 11:30 a.m. FREE! www. tychesgames.com GAMES: Rock ’n Roll Trivia (Athentic Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host The Music Man. Second Tuesdays, 6 p.m.

FREE! www.athenticbrewing.com GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici at The Falls) Test your trivia knowledge with host Miles Bunch. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/ baddogathens GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Paloma Park) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/baddogathens GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Winghouse Grill Hull) Test your general trivia knowledge. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Akademia Brewing Co.) Test your

general trivia knowledge with host Benjamin. Tuesdays, 8 p.m. www. instagram.com/classiccitytriviaco 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 11 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 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: Pachinko Pop (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Screening of the 1976 Japanese action drama film Machine Gun Dragon. 7 p.m. FREE! www. flickertheatreandbar.com GAMES: Shadowfist Power Lunch (Tyche’s Games) Drop in and play Shadowfist. All skill levels. 11:30 a.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: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Normal Bar) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Classic City Trivia (The Local 706) Test your general trivia knowledge with host Garrett.

Wednesdays, 7:06 p.m. www.instagram.com/classiccitytriviaco GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Locos Grill and Pub Eastside) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/ shihtzunottrivia MEETINGS: C3 to End Homelessness (Hendershot’s) A roundtable discussion regarding housing and homelessness to educate, identify issues and plan steps to solutions.

Second Wednesdays, 5–6:30 p.m.

FREE! www.athenshc.org/coc MEETINGS: Athens Psychedelic Society (ACC Library) Meet like-­ minded individuals interested in topics related to expanded states of consciousness. 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenspsychedelicsociety.com PERFORMANCE: Swan Lake (The Classic Center) International Ballet Stars present this classic performance featuring hand-­painted sets and over 200 custom-­designed scenery elements. 6 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (show). $45–107. www. classiccenter.com

Down the Line 3/12 Queering the South (UGA Special Collections Library) 3/12 The Long Table (UGA Special Collections Library) 3/12 The Holy Mountain (Ciné) 3/13 80s Prom (Athentic Brewing Co.) 3/13 Friday Night Initiative (Tyche’s Games) f

Indulge in expert hair services, restorative float pod therapy, infrared sauna sessions, therapeutic massage, radiant facials, and meticulous nail care—all thoughtfully designed to renew your body, mind, and spirit.

VOTED AN ATHENS’ FAVORITE TATTOO STUDIO 2011–2020

ALAFERA.COM

285 W. Washington St.

Athens, GA 30601

706.208.9588 www.painandwonder.com M A R C H 4, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM

15

bulletin board & classifieds BULLETIN BOARD: Listings from nonprofits, community resources and free opportunities. Print deadline is THURSDAY at 5 p.m. for the following Wednesday issue. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

CLASSIFIEDS: Rates are $10/individual * $14/real estate * $16/business. Deadline to place ads is FRIDAY at 10 a.m. for the following Wednesday issue. Email class@flagpole.com or call 706-549-0301.

Classifieds HELP WANTED (Part-​Time) Join our growing team of well-​paid, motivated, hardworking individuals.

Junk South offers starting pay of $15/hr-​$20/hr + Tips. Learn more about Junk South at www. junksouth.com and text us at 706-​ 424-​4389.

HELP WANTED (Seasonal) Summer Opportunity -​Nationwide FF&E Installation. Hiring Project Manager w/starting pay of $300-​$400/day.

Online www.classiccityinstallation. com, email rnichols@classiccity​ installation.com or text/call 470-​ 866-​8777.

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 (Instruction) Now offering electronic music lessons. Specializing in Ableton Live, VCV Rack, vintage synths, and modular systems. 706-​495-​6416 Instagram: @ microsoundathens MUSIC (Musicians Wanted) BAND: 20 yr. old male guitar player looks to form or join an alternative rock band. Check out my originals and DM me on IG @gmarkey2024

MUSIC (Services) Instant cash is now being paid for good vinyl records & CDs in fine condition. Wuxtry Records at corner of Clayton and College Dwntn. 706-​369-​9428 REAL ESTATE (Room for Rent) Lovely furnished room w/BA. Decatur area. Just north of I-20 & south of Glenwood. Looking for someone who has to commute from Athens area during the week. As I did for years! Very reasonable rate.

Serious inquiries only please. 706424-1866 SERVICES (Home & Garden) Brrr… winter is here! A perfect time to tackle those invasive plants!

Woman-​Run Gardening Services: We offer garden maintenance, invasive plant removal, personalized edible and native gardens for your school, home or business! 706-​ 395-​5321 SERVICES (Home & Garden) 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.

SERVICES (Travel) Retired professional driver with vehicle for hire.

Can transport up to six passengers where needed; anytime. Will drive your car or truck one-​way or round-​ trip anywhere in U.S. Call Bob

Andrews 706-​608-​2288 or email AthensBob5@gmail.com.

Arts AAAC QUARTERLY GRANT (Athens, GA) The Athens Area Arts Council offers $500 grants to visual and performing artists. www.athensarts. org/support ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM (Lyndon House Arts Center) The AIR Program provides participants with a workspace, access and a stipend. www.accgov.com/lyndonhouse ATHENS CREATIVE DIRECTORY (Athens, GA) The ACD is a free platform to connect creatives with patrons. www.athenscreatives. directory BIPOC ARTIST/CURATOR PROJECT OPEN CALL (Lyndon House Arts Center) Seeking BIPOC individuals to develop an art exhibition for LHAC. www.accgov.com/9799/ ArtistCurator CALL FOR ART (Amici at The Falls) Seeking artists to share artwork in monthly exhibitions. careywelsh20​ @gmail.com CALL FOR ART (Donderos’) Seeking new artists to exhibit works. contact@donderoskitchen.com CALL FOR ART (OCAF, Watkinsville) Now accepting submissions for the 31st annual SouthWorks National Juried Art Exhibition. Juried by Beth

ADOPT ME!

Visit www.accgov.com/257/Available-Pets to view all the cats and dogs available at the shelter

Dandelion (60001365)

Dandelion is a year old, and she still has all her bouncy puppy energy! She loves sitting for treats and running with toys, and would fit in great with an active family who loves the outdoors.

Peach (59803202)

Peach has a tough backstory, but after some time at the shelter she’s finally at a healthy weight and has even made some new friends. Adopt or foster her to give her the love she deserves!

Duck (58726307)

Unfortunately, Duck is back at the shelter after being adopted as a puppy. This adorable girl is as friendly as can be, though, whether she’s playing with adults, children or other dogs.

These pets and many others are available for adoption or foster at:

Athens-Clarke County Animal Services 125 Buddy Christian Way · 706-613-3540 Call for appointment

16

F L A GP OL E .C OM · M A R C H 4, 2026

Malone. Awards include a $2,500 prize Best-​in-​Show and $2,500 Prize Member’s Choice. Deadline Apr. 4. Submit up to 3 pieces. www.ocaf.com/exhibitions CALL FOR ART (Oconee County Library) Seeking local artists to share their artwork in monthly exhibitions. Contact adial@athens​ library.org CALL FOR ART (Winterville Library) Apply to be a featured local artist in the Front Room Gallery. The library accepts all 2D mediums. swatson​ @athenslibrary.org CALL FOR ARTISTS (MAGallery) Now accepting artist applications.

MAGallery is a nonprofit cooperative gallery. Gallery Artists work one day a month and participate on a committee. www.themadisonartists​ guild.org/call-​for-​artists CALL FOR ARTISTS (Online) JOKER​ JOKERtv is accepting proposals from artists and curators living in Athens. Artists worldwide can submit ideas. www.jokerjokertv. com/submit CALL FOR ARTISTS (Winterville Cultural Center Gallery) Now accepting submissions for Third Annual Juried Exhibit. Deadline Mar. 14 with notification of acceptance Mar. 25. $25–35 fee. Prizes for top three artists. Rules, regulations and submission form online. www.instagram.com/winterville​ centergallery

CALL FOR STORYTELLERS (Rabbit Box) Rabbit Box seeks story ideas for upcoming shows. www.rabbit​ box.org/tell CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS (Athens Homeless Coalition) Seeking submissions for street newspaper.

Poetry, short stories, visual art, song lyrics. enagementcoordinator​ @athenshc.org CALL FOR VENDORS (Foliage Festival, Jefferson) Applications now open for nature-​centric artists, crafters and other vendors for annual outdoor festival. Deadline Mar. 13.

Event held Mar. 21. www.jefferson​ ga.gov/382/Foliage-​Festival, communications@city​of​jefferson​ ga.com CALL FOR VENDORS (Marigold Collective, Winterville) Applications for artists, crafters, community services and more. The 2026 Marigold Market season will run Saturdays from Apr. 11 through Nov. 21. www. marigoldcollectivewinterville.com COMMUNITY TOURS (Georgia Museum of Art) A variety of tours open to the public including “Student Perspectives” which runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays throughout the month. www.georgia​ museum.org LIFE DRAWING (Winterville Cultural Center, Winterville) Open studio for artists 18 & up to draw unclothed models. Two models, Mar. 6. $25.

Male model Mar. 26. $20. Registration required. www.drawathens.org PUBLIC ART SELECTION PANELS (Athens, GA) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission is seeking community members to participate in upcoming public art selection panels. www.accgov.com/9656/ Public-​Art-​Selection-​Panels

Auditions OPEN AUDITIONS (Georgia Children’s Choir) GCC serves singers in grades 2–12. Auditions for placement across five ensembles currently available for all skill levels. www.georgiachildrenschorus. org/about/audition OPEN AUDITIONS (Athens Master Chorale) Seeking new members in all voice parts including high sopranos, tenors and basses. Scheduled auditions held at St. Gregory the Great Church. athmcdirector@ gmail.com

OPEN AUDITIONS (Athens Symphony) The Athens Symphony is holding auditions for qualified musicians. www.athenssymphony. org/openings

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 & up.

Tuesdays, 12 p.m. marjoriemiller@ gmail.com CLASSES, PROGRAMS & TOURS (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Various ongoing weekly events including Guided Plant Walk (Tuesdays–Fridays), Porcelain and Decorative Arts Tour (Tuesdays), Free Sketch (Fridays) and more. botgarden.uga.edu CLASSES & WORKSHOPS (Athens, GA) The Athens Land Trust hosts a variety of virtual and in-​person classes. Topics include “Affordable Housing Info” and “Homebuyer Education Course.” www.athens​ landtrust.org/classes-​events CUBAN MUSIC & MOVEMENT (The Studio Athens) TIMBAthens offers multiple classes for different skill levels. Sundays, 3 p.m.

(Level 1), 4 p.m. (Level 2 & 3), 5 p.m. (Advanced). $10 drop-​in. timbathens@gmail.com, www. timbathens.com CUBAN SALSA LESSONS (El Carretonero) SALSAthens offers multiple classes for different skill levels.

Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. (advanced) and 7:30 p.m. (beginner/intermediate). $10 drop-​in. www.SALS​ AthensDancing@gmail.com DANCE CLASSES (East Athens Educational Dance Center) The center offers classes in ballet, hip hop, jazz, modern and more for all ages and skills. www.accgov.com/myrec FREE CLASSES (The Athens Free School) Learning network for community centered around compassion, autonomy and playfulness. Visit @athensfreeschool on Instagram.

NETWORKING, LESSONS AND MEETINGS (Integrative Medicine Initiative) Free events for those in

Help Out ANIMAL SERVICES VOLUNTEERS (Animal Services Adoption Center) Sessions run Monday through Friday; training session required.

Individuals under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. www.tidycal.com/animalservices​ volunteer ATHENS SKATEPARK PROJECT (Athens Skate Park) Seeking volunteers and community input. Third Sundays. www.athensskatepark​ project.org BRAS FOR A CAUSE (Grail Bra Specialists) Seeking donations of gently-​used bras for distribution to local shelters, recovery centers and communities in need. 706-​850-​ 0387 or support@grailbras.com MEDICAL EQUIPMENT (Friends of Disabled Adults and Children) Free home medical equipment provided to those in need. Athens locations for pickup at Northeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging and Multiple Choices. Donations also accepted. www.fodac.org MEDICAL EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE (Silver Lace) Open registration for consideration for free mobility and daily living medical items. Donations also accepted. www.silver​ laceinc.org, info@silverlace.org MICROCHIP SCANNING STATIONS (Multiple Locations) Connect lost pets with their owners. Available 24 hours. Located at ACC Animals Services, Memorial Park Dog Park and Southeast Clarke Park. Instructions provided at each location.

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. 706-​850-​4025, dmyers@ multiplechoices.us 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 (Athens Area Arts Council) The council is accepting applications from individuals who can commit to monthly meetings and have a passion for the arts. www.athensarts.org 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​ 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 COMMITTEE MEMBERS (CCSD) The Clarke-​County School District is seeking additional members for the West Broad School Building committee. Ideal candidates would be interested in historic preservation. qrco.de/ wbroadbuilding SEEKING 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 706-​546-​1133, ext 223.

SEEKING NEW MEMBERS (ACAC) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission is seeking new members.

Deadline to apply is Mar. 13. www. athensculturalaffairs.org SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (KACCB) Keep Athens-​Clarke County Beautiful has volunteer opportunities that include roadside cleanups, adopt-​a-​ramp and more. www. keepathensbeautiful.org SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Marigold Collective, Winterville) Volunteers needed for community food distribution events including weekly food kitchen, meal deliveries and more.

Also accepting donations of canned and dry goods. wwwmarigold collectivewinterville.com VOLUNTEER NETWORK (Community Works, Watkinsville) A nonprofit organization that connects volunteers of all ages to events, resources and training opportunities. CWorksOC@gmail.com

Kidstuff CALL FOR ART (ACC Waste) Athens-​ Clarke County PreK-​12 students are invited to create paintings, sculptures, photographs, poetry or other art about “Hometown Heroes” for 2026 Green Life Exhibition.

Deadline Mar. 4. Exhibition will be displayed at Lyndon House. www. accgov.com/GreenLife CALL FOR ART (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Seeking original art submissions from students 9th grade and above attending school full-​or part-​time in Georgia. Winning art may be used for promotional materials and merchandise.

Prizes include $1,000 for 1st place, $500 for 2nd place and $250 for 3rd place. Application deadline Mar. 27. www.botgarden.uga.edu/ student-​art-​competition CLASSES & PROGRAMS (Bogart Library) Various ongoing weekly events including LEGO Mania (Wednesdays), Storytime with Miss Harli (Mondays) and more. www. athenslibrary.org/bogart CLASSES & PROGRAMS (Oconee Library) Various ongoing weekly events including children’s yoga (Tuesdays), “Story Time” and “Tween Cocoa Club” (Wednesdays), and more. www.athens​ library.org/oconee GUITAR CLUB (Lay Park Community Center) Monday classes run through Apr. 27. Ages 8–11, 5:30 p.m. Ages 12–17, 6:30 p.m. $10. Registration required. www. accgovga.myrec.com/ POSTER CONTEST (Athens, GA) Georgia DNR, The State Botanical Garden of Georgia and TERN encourage K-​5 students to submit works to the 36th annual Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest. Part of the “Kids for Conservation” initiative, the 2026 theme is “Welcome to the Wild World, Little Ones!”

Deadline is Mar. 6. www.georgia​ wildlife.com/PosterContest

SPRING & SUMMER CAMP (Canopy Studios) Registration for a variety of day camp dates for grades K-​12 is now available. www. canopystudio.org/class-​schedule/ camps/ SUMMER CAMP (Nuçi’s Space) A production, engineering, mixing and live sound curriculum added to the two week summer Camp Amped sessions. Registration now open.

Financial aid available. www.nuci. org/camp SUMMER CAMP (Athens Area Humane Society) Registration is now open for “Humane Heroes” and “Junior Vet” summer camps in June & July. Ages 6–14. www. athenshumanesociety.org/summer-​ camp SUMMER PROGRAMS (Athens, GA) The Leisure Services Department offers a diverse selection of activities highlighting the arts, environmental science, recreation, sports and special events. Now registering. www.accgov.com/myrec YOUTH FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUE (ACCGov) Registration now open for ages 5 to 14 to learn about the sport, develop their flag football skills and learn social interaction skills. Season begins Mar. 16. www.accgovga.myrec.com

arts & culture

feature

Flight of the Fireflies LANTERN PARADE LIGHTS UP DUDLEY PARK

By Libba Beaucham arts@flagpole.com

W

hen the sun sets on Saturday, Mar. 7, Dudley Park will transform into a glimmering wonderland during the Flight of the Fireflies Lantern Parade, organized

by Athens-­Clarke County Leisure Services.

Arrive at 6 p.m. to enjoy live music, illuminated art installations, dance performances and more before the parade through the park at 7 p.m.

“We really transform Dudley Park into this magical place overnight,” said Stephanie Raines, arts administrator for ACC Leisure Services. “Everyone who brings their light contributes to that beauty, and that’s what makes it a really special event.”

Many attendees bring a picnic to enjoy during the golden hour before the official festivities. “There’s lots of different ways to enter the park, so we’ll have plenty of people posted around the park to help guide you,” said Raines. Consider biking to the park and take advantage of the free bike valet offered during the event. Once you arrive, you’ll know the event has begun when you hear drumming by the Palms of Fire, a West African drum circle group from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens. “One of the really important things about this event, and for me as the arts administrator, is to think about how we can

A big part of the experience is the spectacle of twinkling lights from simple DIY lanterns to extravagant, glowing costumes.

“A lot of people have not only brought a lantern, but they also wear illuminated crowns and even light up shoes, light up earrings… I love seeing what people bring,” said Raines.

This is the fourth year of the event, which has grown significantly to nearly 1,500 attendees. Over the years, groups have worked together to create elaborate lanterns and illuminated art. It’s not a requirement to bring a lantern, and there are many easy ways to participate and help illuminate the landscape. Raines suggests using battery-­operated string lights and everyday objects. “You can place those in an old two-­liter bottle or a milk jug… take a beautiful, sheer scarf, wrap the lights, and carry them on a stick.” Turn flashlights into torches with construction paper and tape. Transform party decorations into lanterns with LED tea lights. “People also have adapted solar rechargeable camping lights as the base for something they’ve made with paper or cloth, so that’s really fun and easy to carry,” said Raines.

On Thursday, Mar. 5, the Lyndon House Arts Center will host a free community lantern-­making workshop from 5:30–7:30 p.m. with all materials provided. The workshop is open to all ages and is a great way to connect with other parade attendees.

The full event is three hours, from 6–9 p.m., but all are welcome to arrive early.

highlight the creativity of the people who live here,” said Raines.

Enjoy a performance by the East Athens Educational Dance Center in illuminated costumes, groove to live music, check out large-­scale art works, and marvel at the creativity and beauty of lanterns and lights in all their forms. “Our poet laureate reads a poem just before we step off on our journey together into the forest… It’s always a really nice way to start the parade,” said Raines. Last week Amanda Dzimianski was announced as the new Athens Poet Laureate. and the Firefly Lantern Parade will be her first official appearance in the role.

The parade route is a leisurely 30 minutes starting from the center of Dudley Park. Alternative routes are available for those with mobility challenges. A map is available on the ACC Leisure Services webpage with parking, accessible routes, entrances, restrooms and bus access noted.

Wear comfortable shoes for the varying terrain throughout the park, bring a flashlight in addition to your lantern, and enjoy being an Athens “Firefly” for the night. f

MASON PEARSON

the local wellness sector seeking support and educational opportunities. admin@integrativemedicine​ initiative.org OPEN ICE SKATING (Akins Ford Arena) Athens GA Figure Skating Club offers open ice skating for all skill levels every Monday through Thursday, 4–5 p.m. $10 students, $15 general admission. RSVP required. Athensgafigureskating@ gmail.com, athens_ga_figure_​ skating_club VARIOUS ONGOING CLASSES (Winterville Cultural Center, Winterville) The Basics of Crocheting (Thursdays), Yoga in the Gallery (Tuesdays and Wednesdays), Tai Chi (Wednesdays) and more. www. wintervillecenter.com

Word on the Street CITY TOURS (Historic Athens Welcome Center) A variety of guided tours available including a daily shuttle tour, walking tour of the downtown area and local music tour. Schedule in advance. www. athenswelcomecenter.com COMMUNITY RUNNING GROUPS (Athens Road Runners) Weekly community runs for all skill levels including “Speed Workout” (Wednesdays, 5:30 a.m.) and “Fun Runs” (Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. & Saturdays, 7:15 a.m.). www.athens​ roadrunners.org FRIDAY EVENTS (Multiplechoices Center for Independent Living) The organization hosts ongoing Friday gatherings. Tech discussions, support groups, movies and games. www.multiplechoices.us/youre-​ invited FOL BOOK SALE (Madison County Library) Open to the public Mar. 6–14 during regular library hours.

Member preview sale Mar. 5, 5–8 p.m. All proceeds benefit the FOL. www.athenslibrary.org/madison MEDICAL ASSISTANCE (Nuçi’s Space) Direct connections to mental healthcare like counseling and psychiatry, medical care for physical concerns and more. www. nuci.org, 706-​227-​1515 MINDFUL BREATH SANGHA MEETING (Healing Lodge) In the Zen tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.

Sundays, 1–2:30 p.m. Newcomers welcome. Free. www.mindful​breath​ sangha.org SUMMER JOBS (ACCGov Leisure Services) Now hiring for more than 100 summer positions including camp counselors, counselors in training, lifeguards and more. $15.60–$17.94 an hour. www. accgov.com/jobs VHS DIGITIZATION (Athens, GA) Seeking previously recorded concerts and events on VHS, VHSC, Hi8, MiniDV and DVDs to digitize and archive. www.vhsordie.com VOTER REGISTRATION RESOURCES (ACC Library Atrium) Economic Justice Coalition community volunteers assist Georgia residents with registration, confirm prior registration and update voter registration information as needed. www.economicjusticecoalition. org f

WHAT: Flight of the Fireflies Lantern Parade WHEN: Saturday, Mar. 7, 6–9 p.m.

WHERE: Dudley Park HOW MUCH: FREE!

M A R C H 4, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM

17

food & drink

2.5 GALLON COLD WATER TANK UP TO 1.8 GALLON HOT WATER TANK

... just listen

4 STAGE ULTRAFILTRATION OR 4 STAGE RO SYSTEM WITH SEDIMENT, PRECARBON, AND POST CARBON FILTERS FOR GREAT TASTING WATER

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4TH

OPEN MIC THURSDAY, MARCH 5TH

BUSINESSWATERSOLUTIONS.COM

KARAOKE NIGHT WITH DJ GREGORY FRIDAY, MARCH 6TH

AUBREY ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS...

AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT WITH

ATHENS ALL-STAR SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND

BUY IT SELL IT RENT IT

SATURDAY, MARCH 7TH

CLASSICAL REVOLUTION & ATHENS SHOWGIRL CABARET DRAG FOR ALL SUNDAY, MARCH 8TH

SHEHEHE, WOLVESX4, AND BADKILL

IN THE

TUESDAY, MARCH 10TH

FLAGPOLE CLASSIFIEDS

NO PHONE PARTY & TACO PARTY WITH KENOSHA KID HENDERSHOTSATHENS.COM ORDER UP SOME FRESHLY IN–HOUSE ROASTED COFFEE!

CALL 706-549-9523

ATHENS’ INTIMATE LIVE MUSIC VENUE

or email

237 prince ave. • 706.353.3050

class@flagpole.com

Winners of the 2026 flagpole Athens Favorites will be announced in the March 11th issue.

Thanks to everyone who voted!

18

F L A GP OL E .C OM · M A R C H 4, 2026

On Your Mark START SEEDS NOW FOR THE SPRING

By Erin France editorial@flagpole.com If you don’t have a greenhouse, now is a great time to start seeds for your garden.

Planting somewhere between Valentine’s Day and the Ides of March gives warmer weather plants a chance to germinate in the protected indoors without becoming too unruly and attracting pests. Starting your own seeds gives you the chance to grow exactly what you want. It also costs less than buying the same number of transplants. If you’re starting seeds this year, here’s my essentials list of what you’ll need.

SEEDS: I buy from reputable seed catalogs

starting bagged mix. Otherwise, I stick to buying a few bags of potting soil, then use a sieve (made from old wood and hardware cloth) to shift out any larger bark chunks.

You can germinate seeds in compost or your own garden soil—but there will be weed seeds, diseases and possibly pests included.

I have cutworms lurking in my garden, so I only use garden soil in seed trays where I have a ton of seeds to germinate and can easily replant.

GROW LIGHT: If you have a large, perfect, South-​facing window with generous room for your seeds, you won’t need this. I’m not sure how many people actually have such a window. A grow light—one that is long and can be mounted on a shelving unit—does

including Johnny’s, Kitazawa, High Mowing and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. You can trade seeds with a neighbor, or even find seeds at the local library. Avoid Etsy shops or other small outlets online that could be a scam.

Pick plants you’re excited about growing, cooking, eating or enjoying. Not all seeds benefit from the indoor coddling environment. Some seeds don’t do well with transplanting and shouldn’t be started indoors (like dill and carrots); others are big hardy seeds and don’t need the extra care and attention (peas and beans). I start my tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers at this time because they respond well to trans- Starting seeds inside now can give tender plants a chance to thrive in the garden later in the season. planting and because I’m desperate to have the job well and is easy to put up and take some homegrown goodness back in the kitchen. I also like to start some of the leafy down as needed. The single grow lights, greens indoors like kale and lettuce because ready to fit into almost any lamp, are good for a few plants. The single bulbs don’t emit I can grow them big enough to survive any a large area of concentrated light and can cutworms lurking in the garden soil. be difficult to use for numerous trays. Non-​ CONTAINERS: I prefer the 72-​cell seed starting labeled grow lights are less expensive and trays. I’m familiar with them and can accustill get the job done. Look for something rately predict when they need water. They’re in the 4,500–6,500 Kelvin range to grow easy to clean and store. Some are sturdy seedlings. enough to be used multiple years in a row.

DIFFUSED WATER: Whether you use a mister, a If you want to DIY your containers, you can watering can or a simple plastic water bottle use egg cartons or yogurt cups. Be sure to with a few holes punched in the lid, make poke a few holes for drainage. I’d also sugsure your chosen watering device does not gest keeping to roughly the same size and flow into a single stream. One concentrated shape—this makes keeping up with waterblast of water can dislodge little roots or ing much easier. break tender stems.

TRAYS: For bare bones budget-​watchers, like myself, this tends to get left by the wayside. NOT NECESSARY: I think humidity domes and heat mats are overrated. They both can help Learn from my mistakes. Purchasing a few germinate seeds, but are often detrimental trays to catch the drips underneath your when used past a certain point. I’ve fried seeds is worth it. Containing the inevitable a few rounds of pepper plants on seed mess will keep pests and cleaning frustramats myself. I’ve seen a few people, excited tions in check. about their humidity domes, come home to GROWING MEDIUM: If you have a plant you droopy, pale seedlings after a first flush of love yet struggle with germination rates, growing success. If you decide to use these shell out the extra cash for the specific seed tools, beware of overuse. f

ERIN FRANCE

BWS FQ • $30 A MONTH

good growing

SUDOKU

Edited by Margie E. Burke

Difficulty: Easy

LET PEIKEN HELP! PRONOUNCED I CAN HELP

9 6 4 9 8 8 4

Selling In-Town Athens for Over 25 Years UGA Graduate / 706-296-2941

2 8 7 4 8 6 5 7 7 1 2 8

4 7 9 6

REFOR N T

Voted one of Athens Favorite Realtors by Flagpole’s readers!

2014-2016, 2018

595 MACON HIGHWAY #22

4 1

5 BED / 3 BATH / POOL 2 LIVING ROOMS $2600 / MONTH

Daniel Peiken dpeiken@hotmail.com • 5Market Realty 824 South Milledge Ave., Ste 200 • 706.850.4636

6

5

Copyright 2026 by The Puzzle Syndicate

HOW TO SOLVE:

Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3 by 3 boxes must contain Week 3/2/261- to 3/8/26 the of numbers 9.

The Weekly Crossword 1

2

3

4

5

7

8

9

10

15

14

23

13

31

32

33

51

52

19

24

7 263 2 9 6 5 4 8 1 27 28 25 1 4 9 2 8 7 5 3 6 29 30 8 6 5 4 3 1 7 2 9 34 35 9 1 3 6 5 2 8 4 7 37 38 39 5 8 7 1 4 3 9 6 2 42 4 2 6 8 7 9 1 5 3 47 44 45 46 6 5 1 7 2 8 3 9 4 49 50 3 7 4 5 9 6 2 1 8 53 54 2 9 8 3 1 4 6 7 5

36 40

41

43 48

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

ACROSS 1 Be nomadic 5 Gyro holders 10 Arsenal stash 14 Thor's father 15 Concerning, old-style 16 Skin swelling 17 Pie à la __ 18 Capitol building 20 Evictor's phrase, "Vacate the _____" 22 Briefly halted 23 Edmonton athlete 24 Things often cut 25 Roadside stop 27 Gave a ring 29 Build up 30 Relief from symptoms 34 Canine cry 35 Sweeten the deal 36 ___ de Janiero 37 Filled with stories 40 Series opener?

42 Curtis of hair care 43 Belittle 44 Carbonated

12

22

21

Solution to Sudoku:

11

16

18

17 20

6

by Margie E. Burke

Copyright 2026 by The Puzzle Syndicate

47 Put to the test 49 "Mad Men" character Don 50 Film legend Marlene 53 Temperance 55 In ___ land (spacy) 56 Revered one 57 Not a soul 58 Lay ___ the line 59 Till compartment 60 Lacking slack 61 Brings home

24 Successful passes on the gridiron 25 Hawke of "Stranger Things" 26 Mideast land 28 Studly fellow 31 Brighten 32 Lubricates 33 Stem swelling 35 Broad-minded 38 Wedding settings 39 Steer away 40 "Hurry up and DOWN ___" 1 Boisterous play 41 First co-ed 2 Glade target college 3 VCR insert 44 Own up to 4 They may be 45 Wear away bitter 46 Dangerous 5 Out of fashion household gas 6 Translated orally 48 Soprano Fleming 7 Pekoe and oolong 50 Singer Celine 8 Crumb carrier 51 What a stent 9 "Get moving!" will prevent 10 Is plentiful 52 ___ Christian 11 Awaken Andersen 12 Frugal fellow 54 Hammer slant13 Olympic racers ingly 19 Rabbits' relatives 21 Society's woes

Puzzle answers are available at www.flagpole.com/puzzles

M A R C H 4, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM

19

student perspectives

Tuesday, March 3, 17, 24 and 31_______3 p.m.

Thursday, March 5, 19, 26 _________1:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 21, 28_______________noon Sunday, March 15, 22, 29_____________2 p.m.

Join one of our student guides for a conversational tour of the permanent collection.

Free Admission

BIRTH CONTROL MADE EASY visit an

ATHENS AREA HEALTH DEPARTMENT Northea stHea lthDistrict. org