ADVERTISING SALES Jonathon Musser, 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 Iris Aued, Joshua Baer, Gideon Cade, Erin France, Cem Uelzmann Gueneli, Jennifer Keene, Gordon Lamb, Rebecca McCarthy, Ezra Minard, London Peel, Alander Rocha, Ed Tant, Sullivan White
CARTOONISTS Missy Kulik, David Mack, Klon Waldrip, Joey Weiser
CIRCULATION Gerald Burris, Charles Greenleaf, Joe Rowe
EDITORIAL & OFFICE ASSISTANT Mary Beth Bryan
EDITORIAL INTERNS Lily Thomas
PHOTOGRAPHERS CJ Bartunek, Kat Wood, Jake Zerkel
SPECIAL AGENT Pete McCommons
Natalie Jane Hill
Rosenbaum
Downtown Apartments Approved
A SIX-STORY BUILDING BEHIND THE 40 WATT AND MORE LOCAL NEWS
By Blake Aued and Rebecca McCarthy news@flagpole.com
The Athens- Clarke County Historic Preservation Commission signed off on a six- story apartment building last week in the parking lot behind the 40 Watt Club downtown.
While most of the buildings in the West Downtown Historic District are one to three stories, the new development would not be the tallest in the area. Across Pulaski Street is the AT&T building, which at 82 feet would be approximately the same height, despite being only four stories. Across Clayton Street are the Gameday condos and hotel, which would be slightly taller. Even though those buildings are virtually next door, the HPC is only supposed to consider other buildings within the historic district, and they are just outside the borders.
“It is still much larger than buildings around the West Downtown Historic District,” ACC planner Amber Eskew said. “All the other higher ones are outside the district.”
HPC members were not concerned so much about the height as the massing, and asked if more of the upper floors could be stepped back from the street. Architect Brett Nave of local firm Studio BNA, however, said that sacrificing those apartments would mean the development would no longer be profitable because of the fixed costs involved, like the land and the foundation.
“There’s an irony that suddenly we’re like, ‘Hey, let’s save a parking lot,’ and often we’re like, ‘Oh no, you want to tear down this building and just have a parking lot.’ So, it’s interesting,” Katie Marages said. “I think we can’t use that argument and have it go both ways. Density is good.”
HPC members were inclined to table the discussion again, after having tabled it May 20, but Nave asked for an up-or-down vote to keep the project on schedule. (If denied, the developer could appeal to the
or parking deck on the Classic Center’s covered pavilion and outdoor skating rink.
[Blake Aued]
CCSD Focuses on Literacy
In 2022, after the COVID-19 pandemic ended, an evaluation showed that only 27% of Clarke County public school thirdgraders were reading on grade level. That figure spurred the CCSD administration into action.
In 2023, the district changed the way it was teaching reading, moving to the Science of Reading, which emphasizes phonics and “evidence-based teaching methods.” Teachers themselves had to learn how to teach according to the Science of Reading protocols.
The timing couldn’t have been better. The Georgia General Assembly this session passed House Bill 538, the Georgia Early Literacy Act. It acknowledges that a “comprehensive approach to early literacy can ensure early identification of struggling readers,” and says that public schools 1) have their K-3 teachers use the science of reading, 2) screen children for dyslexia and reading ability three times a year, 3) train teachers in “evidence-based” reading instruction and 4) intervene if students have reading deficiencies.
ACC Commission.) The HPC then voted to approve the development on the condition that Studio BNA work with ACC planning staff to change the yellow/green color of the brick.
“As far as stepping a floor back, it’s a very small footprint… We recess the middle, we just don’t have anything left,” he said.
Barrie Buck, owner of the 40 Watt Club, said she was afraid that the apartment building would tower over the one- story music venue. Because of Pulaski Street’s slope, the parking lot is 19 feet below the 40 Watt, Nave said, and from the north only the top floor or two would be visible.
Buck also expressed concerns about parking. “It isn’t a beauty, but it’s a very useful parking lot that everyone uses,” she said, adding that, “I’m mystified as to where those people [the tenants] are going to park.”
Parking will be located underneath the building and on the bottom floor, which will also house retail spaces. Nave said that— compared to the parking lot, billboards, vape shop and ATM on the site now—the new building would be “iconic” for that end of Clayton Street, and an influence on future developments if, for example, Redeemer Presbyterian Church decides to sell its property one day.
One HPC member noted the irony of fighting to preserve a parking lot when, just last year, some people were up in arms about First United Methodist Church fighting to have the Saye Building removed from the West Downtown Historic District, then tearing it down to create a parking lot.
If not for its location within a historic district, the project could have moved forward by right, with only administrative approval required. For “noncontributing” or non-historic properties like a parking lot, the HPC’s role is to ensure that new development neither clashes with nor mimics the district’s historic buildings.
The parking lot and a neighboring building near the former Caledonia Lounge were recently acquired by Athens-based Landmark Properties, developer of The Mark, The Standard and numerous other student apartment buildings around the country. The vacant building at 290 W. Clayton St. is slated to become the headquarters for Cafe Racer, a small local fast- food chain.
In other development news:
• Plans have been submitted to turn the medical office building at 644 N. Chase St. into apartments.
• The former Cafe on Lumpkin at 1700 S. Lumpkin St. is being renovated and expanded, and will become a restaurant or event space with apartments upstairs.
• The Arena District Steering Committee is considering options for private development of an entertainment district around Akins Ford Arena, including a hotel, parking deck, retail space, apartments and townhouses. One presented by consultants Accenture would relocate the Multimodal Transportation Center to make space for retail and an “innovation hub;” two others involve building a hotel
grade child in the district reading at or above grade level by 2029, and having incoming kindergarten students ready to learn to read. Several local groups have stepped up to help, including nonprofit Books for Keeps, former UGA football player Malcolm Mitchell’s Share the Magic Foundation and Get Comfortable, the philanthropic arm of Creature Comforts Brewing Co.
Partnering with UGA, Books for Keeps and other local nonprofits and businesses, Get Comfortable has paid to train volunteers as literacy coaches, who then read with young school children, one-on-one, at Howard B. Stroud Elementary and Fowler Drive Elementary. The program is improving the reading ability of participating students and will be expanding to other grades and other schools.
Researchers Weldon and McGiboney said there are a host of good reasons for children to be reading well by third grade, as well as numerous factors that could impede them. As Scott said, “Literacy touches every part of a child’s day.” Third grade is seen as the time when children should stop learning to read and start reading to learn.
At a recent CCSD conference—called Culture of Literacy, Community Stakeholder Forum—Superintendent Jennifer Scott said literacy should extend beyond the classroom and into the community. Guest speakers were literacy researchers Garry McGiboney and Arianne Weldon, members of the governing board of the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy, housed at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville. Both are part of the Get Georgia Reading campaign.
CCSD has a goal of having every third-
McGiboney and Weldon said that numerous outside factors influence a child’s “path to literacy.” Factors impeding a child from learning to read can include: a family in which no one reads to the child; whether the child was born prematurely, a negative classroom environment, vision or hearing issues, poor dental health or absences from school—as few as five missed days means a 20% lower score in reading. Food insecurity is another factor. With the recent changes in SNAP benefits, one in three Georgia families is experiencing food insecurity.
Weldon views literacy holistically, as a public health issue. She came up with the term “language nutrition,” believing that frequent, positive, language-rich social interactions nurture brain growth and language development. Scott is inviting community members and businesses to participate in the Culture of Literacy Initiative. People can become literacy mentors or tutors, community partners or early literacy supporters, among other things. [Rebecca McCarthy] f
The parking lot at the corner of Clayton and Pulaski streets, with the Georgia Gameday Center in the background.
BLAKE AUED
Athens’ ‘Moon Tree’
COURTHOUSE PROJECT COULD MEAN THE END FOR LUNAR LOBLOLLY
By Ed Tant news@flagpole.com
“He who plants a tree plants a hope,” wrote poet Lucy Larcom during America’s Gilded Age of the late 19th century. Today, hope may be running out for a historic tree that was planted here in Athens during the 1976 U.S.Bicentennial celebration. The Athens Moon Tree has grown from a seedling to a stately tree in the half- century since it was planted, but it may soon be destroyed by construction of a courthouse where the tree now grows near downtown.
our Founding Fathers. May it inspire us to strive for the kind of growth that benefits our own citizens and all mankind.”
When Apollo astronauts flew to the moon in the late 1960s and early ’70s, their journeys were much-needed inspiration for an America reeling from war abroad and political corruption and chicanery at home.
The trees that grew from the seeds carried by Roosa are living links to a time that was fraught with fear but filled with hope.
The Athens Moon Tree grew from seeds flown aboard the 1971 Apollo 14 moon mission. Astronaut Stuart Roosa brought the seeds back to Earth after his long lunar voyage with fellow astronauts Ed Mitchell and Al Shepard. Commander Shepard had gained fame and fortune as America’s first astronaut in 1961, when Shepard took a 15minute rocket ride three weeks after Russia’s Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel to space and back. Ten years after his brief suborbital jaunt, Shepard was walking on the moon with Mitchell while Roosa kept a lonely vigil flying the Apollo mothership high above the lunar surface, ready to rejoin his cosmic comrades when they blasted off from the moon.
After Apollo XIV’s crew returned to Earth, seeds that Roosa took along on the voyage grew into seedlings that were planted in the United States, Brazil and Switzerland. Surviving moon trees are rare, and Athens is fortunate to have a living connection to American space history and to the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations that marked this nation’s 200th birthday.
A handsome plaque at the base of the Athens Moon Tree quotes then-President Gerald Ford, who wrote: “This tree is a living symbol of our spectacular human and scientific achievements. May this young tree renew our deep-rooted faith in the ideals of
For years, Athenian Melanie Ford has worked to preserve the Athens Moon Tree and raise awareness of the dwindling numbers of such trees. She serves as senior director of construction for the Office of University Architects at UGA. After talking with local officials and people involved with the proposed construction at 120 Dougherty St.— currently home to the Athens- Clarke County planning, building inspections and transportation departments—Ford told Flagpole, “I think/hope that I convinced them that there are some viable options to save the tree if they will reconsider a little bit of potential site design revisions, and I am hopeful that they are exploring those.” She noted “how fortunate we are to still have a living Moon Tree when there just aren’t that many left.”
In an article titled “Where on Earth are the Moon Trees?” published in the journal Plant Perspectives last year, Ford and coauthor Eric MacDonald wrote that only 66 known moon trees survive across America today. They asked if a tree grown from a seed that went from lunar orbit to Earth’s soil could be considered “just” a tree. Their answer was a heartfelt “no.”
Roosa died in 1994, but the celestial seedbearer’s work is carried on by his daughter, Rosemary Roosa, president of the Moon Tree Foundation. The organization’s motto is “Planting the Seeds of Inspiration.” Moon trees do indeed continue to inspire. In 2024, two years before their lunar odyssey last spring, the four astronauts of Artemis II planted on Capitol Hill in Washington a tree grown from a seed carried to lunar orbit aboard an unmanned spacecraft in 2022. No Russians have been to the moon, but to this day Russian cosmonauts plant trees before they fly to Earth orbit—a tradition that began when Gagarin planted a poplar tree before his pioneering flight in 1961. The Gagarin Tree still stands.
Lucy Larcom’s words from the Gilded Age apply today during the Space Age: “Heaven and Earth help him who plants a tree.” f
Investor-Owned Homes
WARNOCK TOUTS NEW LAW LIMITING CORPORATE OWNERSHIP OF HOUSING
By Alander Rocha news@flagpole.com
Speaking in southwest Atlanta in front of a home that is corporate owned, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock touted a new federal law that went into effect over the weekend that is aimed at making homeownership more attainable, joined by city leaders and a local resident struggling to find an affordable home for sale.
The legislation, headed by Massachusetts Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and South Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, automatically became law after President Donald Trump did not sign the measure but also did not veto it.
Warnock, who is a Democrat, highlighted a provision he pushed for that limits the number of single- family homes an institutional investor can own to 350 homes. “What’s happening in metro Atlanta is happening in communities all across the state. Private equity firms and major corporations have bought up thousands of singlefamily homes, leaving Georgians without an opportunity. Let’s be clear: If you’re a single mom, if you’re the married father of two trying to buy a home, owning a small barber shop, you cannot compete with Wall Street,” Warnock said.
harder for working families to achieve their dream of home ownership, and it becomes harder for legacy residents to remain rooted in the communities that they helped to build,” Dickens said. “Here in Atlanta, we see the negative impacts of unchecked institutional investment. Over the last decade or more, corporate investors have suffocated metro Atlanta’s housing market.”
Atlanta was identified in a 2024 U.S. Government Accountability Office report as a hotspot for investor-owned homes. The report named the city as the top market in the country for homes owned by private equity firms, with 25% of single- family homes owned by a private equity firm.
Most of the Georgia delegation voted in favor of the new law, with only GOP U.S. Reps. Andrew Clyde of Jackson County and Clay Fuller of Lookout Mountain voting against it.
The law is “forward-looking,” Warnock said, and corporations won’t have to divest if they currently own more than 350 investment homes. But moving forward, if a corporation goes beyond the 350-home cap, the federal government can impose a fine of up to $1 million per violation or three times the purchase price of the home involved, whichever is greater.
“What I want to do is to stop the spread of corporations buying homes. If you’re already in a home that’s owned by one of these corporations, this does not force the corporation to sell that home. But what we’re trying to do is stop the spread, and this is a start in that direction,” Warnock said.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who joined Warnock the morning of Monday, July 12, said the new federal law would complement his administration’s local efforts to build or preserve affordable housing, pointing to initiatives that are aimed at revitalizing underserved neighborhoods in Atlanta.
“Large institutional investors, private equity firms—they buy up neighborhoods and the homes in bulk. It becomes so much
Despite the lack of data on private-equity homeownership outside of Atlanta, Todd Edwards, director of governmental affairs for the state association that represents counties at the state Capitol, said that any place in the state that is growing or has a tourism industry is a target area for corporations to buy homes. Edwards said that rural areas, however, aren’t as impacted.
“Any cities and counties that are growing. It’s not just Atlanta. You go up all the way to Cherokee [County], anywhere on the outskirts, inside and out. It’s all demand,” Edwards said. “And then if it’s not for outright purchasing and renting, it’s purchasing for short- term rentals anywhere that’s a vacation spot around the state.”
Jacob Parcel, a Smyrna barbershop owner who joined Warnock at the Monday press conference, has been trying to buy a home for the last two years in that area. He said that affordable homes for sale “have been few and far in between.” He said that with unaffordable options, he’s had to consider moving farther away from his family and business.
“I believe if you work hard and if you save for years, you should be able to buy a home in the neighborhood that you want to be in, and with all the homes being purchased up by major companies, it’s very hard to do,” Parcel said. f
This article originally appeared at georgiarecorder.com.
Athens-Clarke County officials say the Moon Tree is likely near the end of its lifespan, and could be cloned or its seeds planted elsewhere.
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (left) speaks at a press conference on July 13, 2026, in Atlanta and is joined by Mayor Andre Dickens to discuss a new federal law that limits the number of singlefamily homes an institutional investor can own to 350 homes.
Student Essays
MIDDLE-SCHOOLERS WEIGH IN ON TECHNOLOGY, TESTING AND TEACHERS
By Various Authors news@flagpole.com
Editor’s Note: These essays were submitted by Clarke Middle School teacher Julia Dawson-Deweese on behalf of students in her Expanded Learning Time (ELT) classes. She selected the three essays that received the highest grades.
Let’s Go Analog! More Recess, Fewer Computers at School
As rising seventh graders at Clarke Middle School, we call for less computer time and more active breaks during the school day. On average, middle school students like us use computers for up to four hours each day during school hours, and we often don’t get any time outside. In our opinion, both factors make learning harder. The amount of information that teachers expect us to remember can feel overwhelming, especially without breaks.
Computers create distractions and work against learning goals. A 2015 study published by the journal Education Next agrees. That study was led by three researchers who studied 726 students in 50 classrooms at West Point military college in New York for two college semesters, fall and spring. The researchers divided students into three groups: 1) technology- free, 2) technology-atwill and 3) tech-limited. What did the researchers find? According to the journal, “On the… final exams… students in the technology- free group fared best… No matter how they sliced the data, the researchers found no group in which those using classroom technology outperformed their no- tech peers.” The researchers added that their results match several others from that time, which showed that “classroom technology had negative effects on student learning.”
Screen use is impacting kids’ ability to learn outside the U.S., too. According to a 2015 study by Microsoft Corp. in Canada, as technology use increased since the year 2000, the average attention span decreased. Some people believe that computers in schools make learning more efficient, but we believe they are incorrect. Screens bring in distractions that slow kids down.
Students like us also engage with our work more when we use paper and pencil instead of typing on computers. A 2024 report by National Public Radio found research from different scientists in the U.S. and Norway which showed that “In kids… writing by hand improves memory and recall of words… In adults, taking notes by hand during a lecture, instead of typing, can lead to better conceptual understanding of material.”
To solve this problem, we call on education leaders to train teachers to reduce how often they assign students to complete work on computers, and to make outdoor recess time part of the regular school day. A 2024 article published by the website Edutopia quotes the book The Anxious Gen-
eration by Jonathan Haidt. Haidt’s book agrees with our argument that too much screen time, and almost no outside time, hurts the mental health and learning of students like us. As the Edutopia article shares, Haidt’s book shows research to explain why students in kindergarten up to eighth grade should have “generous free time,” and how that actually helps learning instead of taking away from it, as some argue.
Research from the United States, Canada and Norway going back to 2015 backs up our experiences as middle- schoolers here in Athens: Too much screen time and no outside time in U.S. schools is hurting students instead of helping us. Adults can use the evidence found in this research, and
needed for success like problem solving, logic and teamwork. A 2024 survey done by The EdWeek Research Center asked 1,135 educators if they thought standardized tests covered all the knowledge needed for life outside of school. The results showed that about 60% of the educators said that standardized tests don’t test students on skills like logic or problem solving. This can cause students to be unprepared for the workforce and daily life. This narrow view of academic ability could be caused by the fact that standardized tests mostly contain multiple choice questions. Too many multiple choice questions can stop students from using logic and critical thinking skills, especially in subjects like English Language Arts. Some people say that standardized tests are the only way to test children’s knowledge fairly. This leads to my third argument— that standardized tests are biased towards students from higher income families.
From 1999–2015, Harvard University researchers conducted The Opportunity Insights study, where they collected data from 500,000 student volunteers. This study compared students’ families’ tax
the voices and opinions of students like us, to work together to change schools for the better. Our ability to learn depends on it.
[Gideon Cade, Cem Uelzmann Gueneli and Sullivan White]
The Effects of Standardized Testing
As a rising seventh grader here in Athens, a big part of the end of our school year as students has to do with end-of- year tests. Standardized testing is one of the main ways schools check students’ academic performance, but is it effective?
A 2018 study done by The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) called “Testing, Stress, and Performance: How Students Respond Physiologically to HighStakes Testing,” tested the cortisol levels of 93 student volunteers ages 8–13. The results showed that the students’ cortisol levels rose 15% on weeks they were taking standardized tests, compared to weeks when they weren’t. Spikes in cortisol levels can cause a lack of focus and memory loss. These cortisol spikes could be caused by a number of factors, but I believe that they are at least partly caused by schools teaching children that they’re only smart if they get a high score on end-of- year tests. Standardized tests also do not test skills
What if Teachers Asked Us How We Wish to Learn?
As rising seventh grade students at Clarke Middle School, we strongly support increased training for middle- school teachers nationwide to create lessons that are engaging. This issue cannot be ignored, and in our view is partly why, according to reporters like Andrew Rice and his November 2025, New York Magazine article “The Big Fail,” students in U.S. schools have fallen behind on reading and math scores since 2015.
As middle- schoolers ourselves here in Athens, if we are ever not engaged in a class, we “zone out,” then get behind in our learning, which makes our anxiety increase. Lack of classes with excitement and engagement could even discourage attendance, as kids feel hopeless when they’re in the school environment. Still, this issue is avoidable.
A 2019 article published by Gallup called “Focus on Student Engagement for Better Academic Outcomes” agrees with us. It discusses a study of over 128 schools and 110,000 students. The results were that, “schools [at] the top… of student engagement had significantly more students exceeding and meeting proficiency requirements than schools [at] the bottom… of engagement.” That same study found that “in math, students with higher engagement had [about 22%] higher achievement compared to students with lower engagement.” For reading, the increase was about 4%, and it was 13% for all subjects combined.
records with their SAT scores. What they found was that children of the top 1% do, on average, 13% better on the SAT than kids from low-income families. This can pose some major disadvantages, including less access to higher education, and could stop children from getting other opportunities that could help them build a successful career. One of the reasons this happens is because families with lower incomes may not be able to afford things like tutors. Another reason is that, on average, children from lower-income families are more stressed, which can cause problems when taking tests.
One solution to the problem of so much weight being put on standardized tests is something called portfolio-based assessments. This is where teachers get an accurate idea of a student’s learning using school work from the entire year. Another solution schools can consider is free tutoring for children who need extra help. Schools could ask high school or college students to volunteer to tutor children who need it.
In summary, standardized testing should not be the only way to measure student learning. We need changes to the ways schools measure the learning of students like me, and as part of that, we need to make sure that more low-income students have better access to learning support. [Iris Aued]
One strategy we like for improving engagement in school lessons is training teachers to use short videos in ways that keep students more actively involved. A second way to make lessons more enjoyable is to ask students themselves what they think should be added to lesson plans; also, give students like us choices in how assignments are completed. We also suggest that engagement could be increased if teachers verbally check in with individual students to ensure that they understand the current content before moving on to a new topic.
Some in education believe that traditional methods, like having students in their seats most of the class listening to adults read from a slideshow, are better for learning. But this is simply not the case. These teachers might believe that boredom is good for kids and causes them to perform better. That is not true. A 2022 article published by Kappan Online talks about many studies that say: “Without a curriculum that engages [students] in new and interesting ideas and requires them to work to maintain high grades, students are more likely to become unmotivated, unengaged and achieve less academic growth.” We agree.
We call for teachers to look carefully at the problem of low engagement in U.S. schools and change the contents of their lesson plans. Every student is different. We all have different dreams, personalities and histories. Therefore, we ask that our teachers talk with us face- to- face about what we need to know, and then ask us how we wish to learn. Use that information to find fun, engaging ways to replace old, traditional teaching methods. [Joshua Baer and London Peel] f
An Outsider’s Roadtrip
GEORGIA FOLK ART INSTALLATIONS TO VISIT
By Jennifer Keene editorial@flagpole.com
Many road trip lists revolve around destination locations like theme parks full of rides and interesting fried foods or visiting a sprawling city full of gleaming buildings to shop ’til you drop. Nothing wrong with any of those things, but would you like a different flavor of adventure—say, the world of folk art and outsider art greenspaces in Georgia? No matter what part of the state you want to see, you’ll be able to jump in the car for a day adventure to visit one of these creative spots.
First, let’s start close to Athens. Like, right here in Athens. Harold Rittenberry’s home is just off of Baxter Street, and his yard is a spectacle of delights created from cut iron. While I don’t encourage you to roam right up to his door, you can definitely drive by and gawk from the street. You can also find his work at almost any park in town, the parking lot of the Lyndon House Arts Center, the library, and the gates of Brooklyn Cemetery and the Georgia Museum of Art, to name just a few locations. For armchair travelers, a new book, Harold Rittenberry: Love is All, will be released this fall by the Georgia Museum of Art that features his art and story.
ment to take a self-guided tour of the place, and donations are always welcome.
SamG Land is another meandering art installation on personal property, but instead of metal, it’s brightly colored quirky creations that include mannequin parts and army men that can be found under trees, in the woods, around/on several outdoor structures, and inside the artist’s studio. You can see the world’s biggest grit and then take home a miniature version of it for a steal.
St. EOM’s Pasaquan and Howard Finster’s Paradise Garden are the two most well-known and well- funded outdoor art experiences in the state. Contemporaries but on very opposite sides of the spectrum—St. EOM was an avid spiritualist, and his pieces were filled with nudity and whimsy, while Finster was a preacher who used his pieces to celebrate God and country. They both left lasting impressions and very large works that needed restoration. Each place has undergone expansive, sweeping and extensive work and are very much recommended experiences. Pasaquan is located just south of Columbus and is free to visit most of the year. Paradise Garden
If you like heavy metal, then The Mechanical Riverfront Kingdom is going to be right up your alley. Located off of Druid Hills Road in Decatur, it’s a free public sculpture installation on the property of artist, musician and political activist Clark Ashton. Ashton uses his experience as a welder to create various pieces that focus on the changed landscape of Druid Hills—from the Native American community that once called it home to the land lotteries of 1821 to prehistoric landscapes. Since its establishment in 1984, the spot has expanded to include more interactive exhibits that you walk through as well as a steampunk- styled chapel that towers over the backyard. You don’t need an appoint-
and figures, most representing the lives of sailors who felled the giant oaks for boating materials in days of yore, are found scattered across several square miles. Carved into trees using minimal damage, placement approved by arborists, the trend was started by a local artist in the 1980s. Today his son has continued the tradition, adding new touches to the aging sculptures. Hop on a bike, dodge swaying moss and enjoy the sea air as you go on a scavenger hunt to find those open to the public.
famous women of history, politics and literary society, as well as notable military figures of the time. The artist’s home has distinctly different interior wall paintings, and the many porches’ decorative design uses sewing machine parts. After her death in the 1970s, her home and land went into decline, and many of her works were lost or destroyed. What remains and what continues to be unearthed as the vegetation is cleared is carefully tended to by the current property owners. While most of Forrester’s
in West Georgia is open year-round and requires a fee to enter.
The Calhoun Rock Garden is Georgia’s version of an outdoor grotto of sorts, as it was created to honor Christianity and the expansion of religion, all while using found materials. Volunteers have recreated over 50 historic locations and scenes using tiny stones, shells, broken crockery and glass. You can visit the exhibit all year-round, but they are very strict about after-hour excursions, as it’s on church property. Remember, God sees everything—including you trying to sneak a peek after closing.
Head way south to Saint Simons Island to find the eerie-looking tree spirits of coastal Georgia. Over 20 different faces
Last but not least is the little-known Pope’s Museum near Whigham. Pope’s is officially recognized as one of Georgia’s earliest outdoor folk art environments, but has only recently received restoration and recognition. Created by Laura Pope Forrester, her property is a showcase with over 200 yard sculptures that focus on
sculptures can be viewed from the road and via various pathways, you must make an appointment to have a guided tour of the interior of the home, as the space is being used for local events.
As Finster said, “The more art you have, the more life you have.” So get on out there and start living. f
Pasaquan
Paradise Garden
Pope’s Museum
event calendar
Tuesday 21
COMEDY: Open Toad Comedy Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Comedy performed by a mix of newcomers and local favorites from Athens and Atlanta. 8:30 p.m. (doors). $7. www.flickertheatreandbar.com
EVENTS: Tiki Taco Tuesday (Live Wire) Enjoy craft cocktails and a taco pop-up from Don Carne with themed weeks, live music and dancing. Tuesdays, 5–10 p.m. www.livewireathens.com
FILM: OLLI Summer Film Festival (Ciné) This weekly film festival featuring best-rated movies sponsored by OLLI presents Sorry To Bother You. Tuesdays, 1:30 p.m. $9. www. athenscine.com
GAMES: Bad Dog Bingo (The Globe) Drop in to play and win prizes. 6–8:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/ baddogathens
GAMES: Dino Bingo (Bogart Library) Enjoy an afternoon of fun games and prizes with dinosaur themed games. All ages. 6 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart
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/shihtzunot trivia
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: UnPhiltered Trivia (Mellow Mushroom) Test your trivia knowledge with host Phil. 7 p.m. www. facebook.com/MellowMushroom Athens
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: Athentic Book Club (Athentic Brewing Co.) Discuss Hooked by Asako Yuzuki with the group. 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenticbrewing.com
SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. www.athenspetanque.org
Wednesday 22
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: Pints & Paint (Terrapin Beer Co.) Drop in for a guided painting session. 6:30 p.m. $10. www.terrapinbeer.com
EVENTS: The Athens Farmers Market (Creature Comforts Brewery) Markets offer fresh produce, flowers, eggs, meats, prepared foods, arts and crafts. Live music at 6 p.m. AFM double SNAP dollars spent. Wednesdays, 5–8 p.m. www. athensfarmersmarket.net
GAMES: Shadowfist Power Lunch (Tyche’s Games) 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: Classic City Trivia (Hotel Indigo) Test your general trivia knowledge with host Ian. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/ classiccitytriviaco
GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Normal Bar) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia
art around town
ATHICA (675 Pulaski St.) “Nonsensica” is an immersive art experience that engages the senses. Through July 30.
ATHICA@CINÉ GALLERY (234 W. Hancock Ave.) “Piecemeal” features collages by Brian George incorporating pieces of discarded books, including children’s bibles, medical textbooks and frontier history books. Through Aug. 25.
ATHENS CLARKE-COUNTY LIBRARY (2025 Baxter St.) The 2026 Athens Art Association Members Exhibit is on display in the Bogue Gallery. Through July 26.
AURUM STUDIOS (125 E. Clayton St.) “The Silk Show ’26” features painted silks by Margaret Agner. Through July.
BMA DESIGNS (1354 South Milledge Ave.) An art installation featuring floral works by Sarah Mason is on display. Through August.
DONDEROS’ KITCHEN (590 N. Milledge Ave.) Whimsical artworks by Susan Pelham are on display. Through August.
GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) On loan from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art are 377 painted ceramic plates from Julie Green’s “The Last Supper” series inspired by death row inmates’ final meal requests. Through Aug. 16. • “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 July 30, 2027.
HISTORIC ATHENS WELCOME CENTER(280 E. Dougherty St.) The exhibit “Anne Brumby: Her Life in Athens, Georgia” shares the story of Anne W.
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: Bad Dog Trivia (Cafe Racer (Oak St.)) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/ baddogathens
GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Locos Grill and Pub Eastside) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/ shihtzunottrivia
KIDSTUFF: Magic Show (Oconee County Library) Join magician Keith Karnock for a comedy show about paleontology and archeology. 11 a.m. & 12 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/oconee
LECTURES & LIT: RIP Book Club (Hendershot’s) Casual discussions about horror-themed books, comics and graphic novels with rotating monthly picks. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.instagram.com/ripbookclub athens
PERFORMANCE: Open Mic (G H O S T) A performance opportunity for a variety of creative expression. Sign up required. 7 p.m. FREE! www.instagram.com/ghost.athens
Thursday 23
CLASSES: Maximizing Social Security (ACC Library) Learn about social security claiming decisions, benefits, common mistakes to avoid and more. Registration required. 6 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org
COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Flying Squid Comedy) Bring a loose funny bone to some home-grown townie improv. 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (short-form), 8 p.m. (long-form). $5. www.flyingsquidcomedy.com
FILM: Marigold Movie Night (Marigold Auditorium for Arts and Culture) Screening of the 2025 movie How to Train Your Dragon with refreshments. 7 p.m. $6. www. wintervillecenter.com
GAMES: Bad Dog BINGO (Amici at The Falls) Play BINGO with host
GAMES: Adult TTRPG (Bogart Library) All skill levels can join for Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop role playing games. Ages 18 & up. 6 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart
GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Terrapin Beer Co.) Test your general trivia knowledge. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu nottrivia
GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Terrapin Beer Co.) Test your general trivia knowledge. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu nottrivia
GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Butt Hutt) Test your general trivia knowledge. Thursdays, 7 p.m. www. instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia
GAMES: Athens’ Hardest Trivia Night (Nighthawks Lounge) Test your trivia knowledge with host Phil. 7 p.m. www.nighthawkslounge.com
KIDSTUFF: Dinosaur Discovery (ACC Library) Learn about dinosaurs with a live show, fun facts and a fossil experience. 10:30 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org
KIDSTUFF: LEGO Builder’s Challenge (Oconee County Library) Drop in to complete challenges and earn prizes. Ages 5–12. Fourth Thursdays, 3:30 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee
LECTURES & LIT: Across The Board Book Club (Oconee County Library) Discuss books chosen by the group. New members welcome. Fourth Thursdays, 11 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/oconee
LECTURES & LIT: Author Talk (Rec Room Books) Author Emily Martin discusses her new book Nell O’Dell Hates Quests with local author Carey Blankenship-Kramer. All ages. 6:30 p.m. FREE! www.instagram.com/recroombooks
MEETINGS: KnitLits Knitting Group (Bogart Library) Knitters of all levels are invited to have fun, share craft ideas and knit to their hearts’ content. Thursdays, 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart
MEETINGS: Athens Science Café (Little Kings Shuffle Club) Join the
Brumby and features a curated selection of antique women’s garments on display in the master bedroom of the c. 1820 Church-Waddel-Brumby House. Through Aug. 17. LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (211 Hoyt St.). “Speaking in Tongues” features multi-media works by local and regional artists inspired by language and text across mediums and eras. Poetry/spoken word event Aug. 27, 5:30–7:30 p.m. Through Aug. 29. • A Pet Portrait Exhibition features works submitted by the public. Through Aug. 29. • “Excursions in Ukraine” features photographs by Stephen Humphreys. Through Aug. 29. • “Son of a Griff” features paintings by self-taught Black and Indigenous American artist Rial Rye that explore race and identity through saturated color and found objects. Artist Talk July 30, 5:30 p.m. Through Aug. 29. • “BEE CITY OF NOW” is a 24-foot model community for bees by Swannatopia and Experimental Art Club, installed on the Arts Center’s second-floor outdoor patio. Through May 1, 2027. • “It Came to Me in a Dream” features paintings by selftaught Georgia artist Valton Murray exploring dreamlike landscapes and abstract forms rooted in memory and personal history. Through Oct. 10. • “Interwoven” features paintings and ceramic sculptures by Athens-based artist Jennifer Heynen inspired by the coast, combining loose brushwork with free-form weaving in yarn, string, wire, beads and sequins. Through Oct. 10. • In the Lobby Case is “Critters,” which features colorful cut-tin figures by Steven Burnley that blend human and animal forms. July 23–Sept. 26.
MADISON-MORGAN CULTURAL CENTER (434 South Main Street, Madison) In celebration of the center’s 50th anniversary, the exhibition “experience and intersection” features works by John Cleaveland and the late Richard Olsen. Through October.
OCAF (34 School St. Watkinsville) In the Main Gallery, “Southworks” showcases a variety of mediums juried by Beth Malone and Rachel Waldrop.
Coalition of Athens Scientists for a discussion and Q&A with The Scientists Engaged in Educational Research (SEER) Center. 6 p.m. FREE! www.instagram.com/athens sciencecafe
SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. www.athenspetanque.org
Friday 24
ART: Opening Reception (Winterville Cultural Center Gallery) The exhibitions “This and That,” “Art: Through the Decades,” “Layers” and “The Art of Sedition” will be on view. 5–7 p.m. FREE! www.wintervillecenter.com
EVENTS: Cookout on the Cobblestones (Historic Fire Hall No. 2) Join the preservation impact team for a community open house with food, drinks and information about upcoming programs. 11 a.m.–2 p.m. FREE! www.historicathens.com
EVENTS: Mid Georgia Bull Bash (Heritage Park) The third annual event features competitive bull riding with food and retail vendors. July 24–25, 5:30 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (event). $20 (adults), $10 (ages 6–12). www.midgeorgia bullbash.com
FILM: Marigold Movie Night (Marigold Auditorium for Arts and Culture) Screening of the original mafia movie The Godfather with refreshments. 7 p.m. $6. www. wintervillecenter.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. New players welcome. 7 p.m. FREE! www. tychesgames.com
PERFORMANCE: Athens Showgirl Cabaret Fabulous Fridays (Hendershots) A fabulous night of drag entertainment. Ages 18 & up. 9 p.m. $5. www.athensshowgirl cabaret.com
THEATER: The Prince of Egypt (Oconee Youth Playhouse) Oconee Youth Playhouse presents a musical based on the 1998 DreamWorks animated film. July 24–25, 31 & Aug. 1, 7 p.m. July 26 & Aug. 2, 3 p.m. $15–20. www.oconeeyouth playhouse.com
Saturday 25
CLASSES: Learn Miniature Painting Workshop (Tyche’s Games) Bring your primed miniatures and learn the basics of painting them. Supplies provided. 1 p.m. $5. www. tychesgames.com
CLASSES: Dig Up Your Roots (Bogart Library) Learn about how to research records and search for family members. 3 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart
COMEDY: Rapture Comedy Show (Sister Louisa’s Church Bar) Lineup of Southern-based comedians. Last Saturdays, 9 p.m. FREE! www.instagram.com/rapturecomedy_
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: Comer Community Market (The Perch) Browse flower and vegetable plant starts, baked goods, vegetables, honey, pottery, eggs, mushrooms and handmade items. 9 a.m.–12 p.m. www.theperchcomer. com/farmers-market
EVENTS: Marigold Farmers Market (Pittard Park) Vendors offer organic produce, prepared foods, agricultural products and artisanal goods with live music, kids activities and more. Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. www.marigoldcollectivewinterville.com
EVENTS: End of Summer Dance Party (Oconee County Library) Celebrate the end of the summer reading program with a dance party, snacks and more. All ages. 10 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/oconee
Through July. • “Art in the Family” presents multi-medium works by OCAF members and volunteers. Through July.
STATE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF GEORGIA (2450 S. Milledge Ave.)
“Defining the Lines” features watercolor paintings by Leigh Ellis. Artist reception Aug. 2, 2–4 p.m. Through Aug. 9.
TINY ATH GALLERY (174 Cleveland Ave.) Artist Cecilia Reynolds will have works on view in the exhibition “rivers, roots, and bones.” Closing reception July 30, 6–9 p.m. Through July.
UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) “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) In the Narrow Gallery, “This and That” features collages and wall works by Jack Burk. Opening reception July 24, 5–7 p.m. Through Sept. 15. • In Gallery 1, “Art: Through the Decades” features works by the late artist and folklorist Art Rosenbaum. Opening reception July 24, 5–7 p.m. Through Sept. 15. • In Gallery 2, “Layers” is a juried Members exhibit with works in a variety of mediums. Opening reception July 24, 5–7 p.m. Through Sept. 15. • In the Music Room Gallery, “The Art of Sedition” is on view through Sept. 15. Opening reception July 24, 5–7 p.m. • In honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary, “Rebellious Art, Treasonous Artists” is on view in Room 103. Through December.
EVENTS: Back to School Jam (Georgia Square Mall) This third annual event offers students in grades K-5 the opportunity to receive backpacks and school supplies plus games, snacks and more. 11 a.m.–2 p.m. FREE! www. georgiasquaremall.com
EVENTS: Mid Georgia Bull Bash
(Heritage Park) The third annual event features competitive bull riding with food and retail vendors. July 24–25, 5:30 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (event). $20 (adults), $10 (ages 6–12). www.midgeorgia bullbash.com
GAMES: Day of Board Game
Demonstrations (Tyche’s Games) Try new games and watch how they’re played. 12 p.m. FREE! www. tychesgames.com
KIDSTUFF: Family Day: World Explorers (Georgia Museum of Art) Play gallery games, enjoy interactive storytime and create your own take-home project. 10 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum. org
KIDSTUFF: Chess Club (Oconee County Library) Drop in for open chess play to learn the game, challenge skills and engage with other enthusiasts. 3 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee
LECTURES & LIT: Local Author Storytime (ACC Library) Authors Ricky Tavernier and Jenifer Borg read their books and demonstrate how to create collage illustrations. All ages. 11 a.m. FREE! www.athens library.org
THEATER: The Prince of Egypt (Oconee Youth Playhouse) Oconee Youth Playhouse presents a musical based on the 1998 DreamWorks animated film. July 24–25, 31 & Aug. 1, 7 p.m. July 26 & Aug. 2, 3 p.m. $15–20. www.oconeeyouth playhouse.com
Sunday 26
CLASSES: Herbal Study Group (Revolution Therapy and Yoga) Learn about specific herbs including their properties and uses, affect on different body systems, how to identify and prepare them and more. 4:30 p.m. Donation suggested. www.revolutiontherapyandyoga.com
COMEDY: Funny Femmes (The Globe) An all-femme showcase featuring comedians from Athens and Atlanta. Fourth Sundays, 9 p.m. $10. www.globetavern.com
GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (The Globe) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Sundays, 4 p.m. & 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/baddogathens
KIDSTUFF: Kids Club Dog Training (Pet Supplies Plus) Learn how to foster better relationships with dogs through games, activities and play with stuffed dogs. Registration required. 2 p.m. FREE! Find Sit Happens Kids Club on Eventbrite.
SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. info@athenspetanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org
THEATER: The Prince of Egypt (Oconee Youth Playhouse) Oconee Youth Playhouse presents a musical based on the 1998 DreamWorks animated film. July 24–25, 31 & Aug. 1, 7 p.m. July 26 & Aug. 2, 3 p.m. $15–20. www.oconeeyouth playhouse.com
Monday 27
CLASSES: Vietnamese Class (Oconee County Library) Instructor Martine Thy Nguyen will lead a class on the basics of Vietnam-
ese. 6–7 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/oconee
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 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
EVENTS: Dueling Daiquiri Competition (Puma Yu’s) Contestants compete for the best daquiri with tastings and voting by attendees, benefiting Farm 2 Neighborhood. $10. 6–9 p.m. www.instagram. com/pumayus
FILM: OLLI Summer Film Festival (Ciné) This weekly film festival featuring best-rated movies sponsored by OLLI presents Moonrise Kingdom. Tuesdays, 1:30 p.m. $9. www.athenscine.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: Classic City Trivia (Grindhouse Killer Burgers) Test your general trivia knowledge with host Benjamin. Mondays, 7:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/classiccity triviaco
KIDSTUFF: Archaeology Adventure! (Bogart Library) Learn about about archeology, see real archeology tools and then dig for treasure in the dino pool. 1 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart
MEETINGS: Writers of Oconee (Oconee County Library) Learn how to share your writing experiences and get feedback on your work with Sanese Pippen. Second & fourth Mondays, 6:30 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee
Tuesday 28
CLASSES: Microsoft Powerpoint (ACC Library) Learn how to create slides, enter content, change layouts, and use styles and themes. 10 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org
CLASSES: Boots & Brews Line Dancing (Athentic Brewing Co.) Learn the line dancing basics from host Lindsay before the floor opens for social dancing. Fourth Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m. www.athentic brewing.com
EVENTS: Tiki Taco Tuesday (Live Wire) Enjoy craft cocktails and a taco pop-up from Don Carne with themed weeks, live music and dancing. Tuesdays, 5–10 p.m. www.livewireathens.com
days, Thursdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. info@athenspetanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org
Wednesday 29
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
GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (South Main Brewing) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu nottrivia
GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Hotel Indigo) Test your general trivia knowledge with host Ian. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/ classiccitytriviaco
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: Bad Dog Trivia (Cafe Racer (Oak St.)) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/ baddogathens
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: Stories of the AT with GATC (REI) Join the Appalachian Trail Club for an evening of stories about the Appalachian Trail. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.rei. com/events
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: UnPhiltered Trivia (Mellow Mushroom) Test your trivia knowledge with host Phil. 7 p.m. www. facebook.com/MellowMushroom Athens
GAMES: Back-to-School Trivia (Hendershot’s) Test your trivia knowledge with host Arden. 7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.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: Mystery Book Club (Bogart Library) Discuss The Searcher by Tana French with the group. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/bogart
MEETINGS: Athens Photography Guild (Lyndon House Arts Center) Heather Larkin will give a presentation on flower photography. 6 p.m. FREE! www.athensphotography guild.wordpress.com
SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tues-
MEETINGS: Film Athens (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Meet and network with others in the filmmaking community (actors, directors, etc.) during happy hour. 5 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/FilmAthens
Down the Line
7/30 Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park)
7/30 Snake Encounter (ACC Library)
7/30 Read to Rover (Oconee County Library)
7/30 Closing Reception (tiny ATH gallery)
7/30 Author Talk & Book Signing (Ciné)
7/30 Mesozoic Movies (Bogart Library)
7/30 KnitLits Knitting Group (Bogart Library)
7/30 Bad Dog BINGO (Amici at The Falls)
7/30 Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Terrapin Beer Co.)
7/30 Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Flying Squid Comedy)
7/30 Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Terrapin Beer Co.)
7/30 Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Butt Hutt)
7/30 Athens’ Hardest Trivia Night (Nighthawks Lounge)
7/31 Bucket Drum Experience (ACC Library)
7/31 End of Summer Reading Party (Bogart Library)
7/31 The Prince of Egypt (Oconee Youth Playhouse)
7/31 Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Oak House Distillery)
8/01 The Athens Farmers Market (Bishop Park) f
CHASE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
The Prince of Egypt will open at the Oconee Youth Playhouse on Friday, July 24.
The Grawks
By Sam Lipkin editorial@flagpole.com
Noticing the pterodactyl tattoo on the forearm of The Grawks frontman Steve Phillips and knowing the band has a fondness for the extinct flying reptile, it felt necessary to ask, “So, what’s the deal with the pterodactyl?”
“He’s our mascot,” Phillips says, laughing. “It’s ridiculous. It means absolutely nothing except that now it means so much because it’s been from the beginning.”
When Phillips decided to put together a band 14 years ago after a long hiatus from the music scene, one of the first songs that he wrote was named “Pterodactyl.” One of the lines was, “You’ve got to grawk like a pterodactyl,” playing on his idea of what sound the creature might make intertwined with the expression “let’s rawk.” It was a lighthearted, funny song at the time, but it spurred an idea for the nameless band that had been looking for a unique moniker. Phillips says his bandmates at the time thought The Grawks was the funniest name ever, and a better name never came along, so the pterodactyl became its mascot.
and energy. In a way it’s more punk rock because it’s more confident.”
“Mark is now, other than me, the most tenured. Chemistry- wise what he does for us is the embodiment of what drums do for a band in general. Like he holds us all together, the solid propulsion that he gives us, no matter what we do, just everything is rock solid on time. I don’t think that the rest of the three of us, what I talked about before trying to be curious with each other and more playful and figure out what we can do, that would not be possible without him,” continues Phillips.
The confidence to explore with this lineup has come at the perfect juncture with Phillips’ songwriting inspiration likewise moving in a different sonic direction. Magnificent Little Deaths carries less angst than previous releases by The Grawks, and in part, Phillips says it’s because he’s reached a point in life where he’s not constantly battling his own demons and writing emotionally charged confessionals. If anything, he’s had to learn how to translate happiness, positivity and spirituality into his music for the first time. The dark moments and themes on the record come from experiences happening out in the world and not focused on Phillips’ own internal universe.
Since this moment, The Grawks has primarily been the songwriting vehicle of Phillips with a turnover of collaborative band members over the years. He says that the current lineup—Mark Brill on drums, Eric George on bass and Nick Shelton on lead guitar—has inspired a lot of confidence to stretch the band’s sound and material outside of its prior iterations. This is most noticeable in the new EP release, Magnificent Little Deaths, that will be available to stream and on vinyl Aug. 1.
The biggest challenge Phillips faced when he started the band was communicating his points of musical reference to people willing to play who weren’t quite on the same page. Although they were great musicians, the musical inspirations weren’t the same. Phillips had to open himself up to what others were bringing to the table, but at the same time, he felt something was missing. Now he says that the band has the best of both worlds, members drawing from the same well of sounds but with different styles and technical expertise.
“I’ve always needed a lead guitar player because I play rhythm and I write songs, but I’ve never been a proficient, technically skilled guitar player. Nick is a guy that is more willing as a lead player to leave space open for that second guitar, and it’s really forced me to think harder about what I’m doing, and we’re getting more guitar interplay… He brings a lot of originality and artistry to what he does,” says Phillips. “We’re just more curious about what we could do playing off of each other than the band has ever shown before, which sort of strays from our punk rock roots, but not really so much because we have that same attitude
Overall the project was a more community-based collaboration than any of the band’s previous releases, too. Recording with Kyle Spence and having Asa Leffer on as a producer helped to push the band outside its comfort zone and maintain its newfound confidence. Phillips says that this EP has been “less navel gazing” and more “communityminded,” interjecting some much needed hope and positivity into the world.
One week before The Grawks share Magnificent Little Deaths with an album release show at Nowhere Bar on Saturday, Aug. 1, the band will delve into another first: an acoustic set for Athens Goes Acoustic at Athentic Brewing Co. on Saturday, July 25. Phillips says when The Grawks were invited to participate by Ashthrone Booking, he expected his fellow bandmates to say, “What are you talking about?” But instead, they enthusiastically agreed to give the format a try.
“I love that they didn’t want to just say, ‘Well, let’s go do it and turn down and just make it a softer version of what we do.’ We’re doing a full-on real acoustic set. Everything is geared towards how the songs should translate to more of an acoustic, folky kind of countryfied feel, and we have been having a blast. It’s just so much fun. We’re even thinking about maybe just incorporating it into what we do every so often, just because we have had so much fun doing it,” says Phillips.
The Grawks set at Athens Goes Acoustic will be a unique experience and a different way to get to know the band before seeing it in its full glory for the Nowhere Bar record release show. For more info about these shows and updates on the band, follow The Grawks at instagram.com/ the_grawks. f
calendar picks arts & culture
MUSIC | FRI, JULY 24
Dog Days Freq Beats
Dead Beat Club • 8 p.m. • $5
Four acts with distinct takes on electronic music will take over Dead Beat Club this Friday. The first is DJ Other Voices, Other Rooms, who typically performs live on synth hardware, but for this occasion will be spinning a vinyl record set including Chicago house music, punk and post-punk. Next is Ellwin, a DJ and producer who combines riddim, heavy dubstep, tearout and techno, but is also inspired by metal, punk and K-pop subcultures. Third is Smoggo Sound System, an improvisational electro funk project that uses modulated oscillators and sampled ethnography. Sci- fi electronic act Space Brother will round out the bill, adding in elements of trip hop, sampling, techno, and drum and bass. [Mary Beth Bryan]
MUSIC | JULY 24–25
Threats & Promises
country musician Johnny Riordan at 7:55 p.m. and garage rock group The Grawks at 8:30 p.m. Headliner Trvy and the Enemy will close out the show at 9:15 p.m. with a set of trap- and psychedelic rock- tinged hip hop. While the musicians take the inside
stage, local artisans, food vendors and a silent auction will be located outside. The proceeds from Athens Goes Acoustic will benefit the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. [MB]
40 Watt Club • 5:30 p.m. • $15 each day
Hosted by Most Known Unknown, Threats & Promises is an annual gathering of punk bands from near and far. This year’s festival has expanded into a two-day event that will host over 40 bands representing all kinds of punk subgenres and punk-inspired noise. Event organizer Thomas Kim, whose own bands are featured on the bill, says that he reached out to twice as many acts this year compared to last, drawing in both local musicians and folks he’s seen on tour or played with over the years. Threats & Promises is the spiritual successor of the late Derek Wiggs’ Slopfest, which Kim says he has a soft spot for as essentially the first show he ever played. Like Slopfest, Threats & Promises fills the summer music void in Athens and gives people a way to familiarize themselves with the regional punk scene. It’s representative of the local punk community’s goals of “bringing in cool bands, creating art, making and distributing our tapes, and hopefully facilitating other folks getting involved and finding their way.”
Most Known Unknown will also host after party shows each day, beginning at 12 a.m. at Nowhere Bar after the Friday lineup and at The World Famous after the Saturday lineup. [MB]
Returning for its second year, Athens Goes Acoustic is an event featuring 10 local artists performing stripped back and acoustic sets. This year’s show will begin at 4 p.m. with Southern rock band Ol’ Fader, followed by indie-pop artist Quentin Love at 4:35 p.m., alternative pop/rock band Laurelwood at 5:05 p.m., funk punk outfit Tattoo Logic at 5:40 p.m. and pop-punk band Full On Monet at 6:15 p.m. Starting the second half of the lineup will be funky rock/jazz band Karma Kat at 6:50 p.m., followed by heavy psych band Murder the Mood at 7:25 p.m.,
MUSIC
| SUN, JULY 26
Queer Joy for Mutual Aid
The World Famous • 8 p.m. • $10 suggested donation Athens’ Queer Joy Dance Party is back for its fifth installment, combining live music and intersectional activism. The lineup features several electronic musicians from Athens and Atlanta, including intense and danceable music from kamikaze_lover_, textured pop from treypxy, dusky and moody music from Nightout and more. Beyond being a celebration of electronic music and a gathering place for the LGBTQ+ community, all of the proceeds from the event will also benefit Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition’s Support for Immigrant Families in Crisis. SIFIC provides emergency assistance to local immigrant families facing the trauma of forced separation or violence in their home country, financial losses and medical crises by connecting them with volunteers, resources and support systems. [MB]
EVENTS | TUE, JULY 28
Dueling Daiquiri Competition
Puma Yu’s • 6 p.m. • $10
Southeast Asian restaurant Puma Yu’s hosts an annual daiquiri competition, using Pelacañas rum as the main ingredient, as a fundraiser for the local nonprofit Farm 2 Neighborhood, and as a fun way to build community in the cocktail scene of Athens. The nonprofit works with local and minority farms to deliver free, healthy meals to people who are living in poverty. For the competition, 12 contestants will go head- tohead in three rounds, with only one winner crowned at the end. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample drinks and vote for their favorite in round one. The $10 door fee will be donated directly to Farm 2 Neighborhood, and it covers the tasting of all contestant drinks. A special food and beverage menu will be available for separate purchase through Puma Yu’s. [Sam Lipkin] f
Karma Kat will perform at Athens Goes Acoustic
CHASING SUNBEAMS AND SUMMER VIBES
live music calendar
Tuesday 21
Daily Groceries Co-op
6–7:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/ dailycoop
TUESDAY TUNES AT DAILY
Rotating local musicians play stripped down sets.
Hendershot’s
5–7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.
com
PIANO BAR HAPPY HOUR Enjoy drink specials and live piano music. Nowhere Bar
SCOTT PRYOR Alternative rock from Atlanta. State Botanical Garden of Georgia Sunflower Concert Series. 7 p.m. $12 (ages 5–16), $24. botgarden. uga.edu
THE ORIGINAL SPLITZ BAND A mixed drink of the classic Motown sound, part 1970s funk and disco flavor, a dash of the old-school and contemporary R&B, and a guaranteed good time.
KAITLIN SIMOTICS Collaging a unique selection of samples, text to speech poetry and effected vocals.
NIGHTOUT Dusky monastic plur; asks you to dance.
MARCEL SLETTEN Athens-based electronic music producer, composer and artist playing a DJ set.
PEAKS Playing an experimental ambient DJ set.
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.
Nowhere Bar
9:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/ nowherebarathensga
KIRKOS Progressive punk jazz band from St. Louis, MO, described by audiences as “swamp jazz for the third eye” and “villain funk.”
SAMURAI TEST DRIVE Fivepiece jazz fusion band based out of Athens, GA that takes inspiration from artists like Casiopea, Return to Forever, Lettuce and Jaco Pastorius. The World Famous 8 p.m. (doors), 9 p.m. (show). $10 suggested donation. www.facebook. com/theworldfamousathens
DOGSMILES A live set from Florida’s favorite hardcore keyboard dance punk freaks.
DJ ESTHER DIAL Spinning punk, bounce and techno.
DJ REQUEST Spinning punk, bounce and techno.
Friday 24
40 Watt Club
Most Known Unknown Presents. 7 p.m. (doors). $15. www.40watt.com
THREATS & PROMISES Day one of this punk and hardcore festival
features D. Sablu, Born, Degreaser, Cervix, Confusion’s Prince, Abuse SS, Regulator, Whiphouse, Mr. [Redacted], Arms Dealer, Mortuary Ritual, Suffer Bomb Disease (first show!) and Multiple Miggs.
Athentic Brewing Co.
7–9 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com
TERRAPLANE BLUE Versatile trio performing originals, traditional blues tunes and blues rock songs.
HARVEST MOON Athens songwriters in the round pay tribute to Willie Nelson and Neil Young.
Saturday 25
40 Watt Club
Most Known Unknown Presents. 5 p.m. (doors). $15. www.40watt. com
THREATS & PROMISES Day two of this punk and hardcore festival features Harsh Words, Coffee Stain, Allergic, Rubes, Curleys, Lower Receiver, De()t, Magic Cross, Chloride, Dres Code, Zero Sum, Pollute, Sour Yellow, Bolt Swallower, Hospice, Centipede, Big Trouble, Crying Form and Taxpayer. Athentic Brewing Co.
ATHENS GOES ACOUSTIC Ten local artist performed strippeddown sets, including Trvy & the Enemy, The Grawks, Johnny Riordan, Murder the Mood, Karma Kat, Full On Monet, Tattoo Logic, Imogen & the Strays, Quentin Love and Ol Fader.
MANIC WAVE Emotionally charged alternative rock band from Atlanta with haunting soundscapes, introspective lyrics and a fearless approach.
RADIO DECAY New new wave emo and post post-punk.
SID ALCATRAZ AND THE KILLJOYS Local post-industrial funk band.
STARLUVR Electronic pop/rock project with a recently released single called “Wasting Away.”
Dead Beat Club
8 p.m. $10. www.deadbeatathens.com
TENNIS COURTS Singer-songwriter duo Patrick Walsh and Andrew Clarke plus an ever-fluctuating lineup of friends and musicians sitting comfortably on the fence between power pop glitz and alt-country gloom.
HOMEMADE HAIRCUTS Fourpiece indie rock outfit from Columbia, SC that began as a bedroom recording project.
SILENT EUPHONY Progressive death metal band forging a unique sound at the intersection of chaos and melody.
PERSONA MACHINE Athensbased metalcore.
RAPID CHANNEL Local alternative thrash-metal, punk rock and grunge trio.
Nuçi’s Space
6 p.m. FREE! www.nuci.org
CAMP AMPED JUNE FINALE
Young musicians in the Nuçi’s Space Camp Amped program 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.
Southern Drawl Bar & Grille
6–9 p.m. www.southerndrawlbarand grille.com
HOMAN AUTRY BAND Long-running local band blending rock and country.
The World Famous
Most Known Unknown Presents: Threats & Promises After Party. 11:30 p.m. (doors), 12 a.m. (show). FREE! www.facebook.com/ theworldfamousathens
GARBAGE FOR LUST Hardcore experimental electronic project based out of Atlanta.
RAUNCHER Electronic duo from Athens blending aggressive bass, experimental sampling and dark punk vibes with a pop sensibility and a focus on overstimulation of mind and body.
OBSCURITY Local digital hardcore duo.
Sunday 26
Athentic Brewing Co.
5:30–7:30 p.m. www.athenticbrewing. com
ALLIE BRYAN & AUSTIN SISK
Acoustic singer-songwriter duo.
The Globe
4–7 p.m. www.facebook.com/globe. athens
TRADITIONAL IRISH SESSION
Easy listening traditional Irish music.
The World Famous 8 p.m. $10 suggested donation benefiting SIFIC. www.facebook.com/ theworldfamousathens
QUEER JOY FOR MUTUAL AID
Featuring performances from kamikaze_lover_, treypxy, Nightout and more.
TUESDAY TUNES AT DAILY Rotating local musicians play stripped down sets. Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. (doors). $10. www.flicker theatreandbar.com
MIRACLE HOUSE Hazy, lo-fi synth meditations from Marcel Sletten. CIRCLE K Pulsating arctic dub and disintegrated fourth world electronics from Samuel Miller and Jackson McLendon.
BUGS EAT BOOKS Fearsome foursome that plays jangly, chaotic and surferyish indie pop. Hendershot’s 5–7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens. com
PIANO BAR HAPPY HOUR Enjoy drink specials and live piano music. Rialto Club Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). SOLD OUT! www.facebook.com/AubreyEntertainmentAthensGA
KEVN KINNEY Lead singer and songwriter of the Atlanta rock band Drivin N Cryin.
PETER BUCK Co-founder and lead guitarist of Athens alt-rock legend R.E.M.
WOODSHEDDING: Trvy & The Enemy release an ambitious new album this week, and you can begin streaming it on major services starting July 25. The whole album runs as a single 36-minute track, but inside this are 12 different songs. The record is named aura: spirals, and the central story here seems to be group leader Trvy assembling the band in a barn and not giving up until the sessions rendered an album. For the uninitiated, Trvy & The Enemy are at first blush a hip-hop group, but significantly, they are an actual live band, and a lot of times the only immediate connection they have with hip hop is Trvy’s rap vocal style. They are just as often a jazz combo, small R&B band or occasionally very heavy rockers. Fans that want to support the band directly can access the record via even.biz/r/aura- spirals where a purchase also yields behind- thescenes footage, some artwork, live stuff and more. Word is the band did this entire record in three days, and that’s pretty impressive when you hear how layered and complete the arrangements are. For more information, please see @trvyf on Facebook or Instagram.
of people to snake down a few city blocks, all you had to do was book Kinchafoonee to perform at one end, and the people would follow. Their shows remain in-demand events. Now, if this is your type of thing,
time it happens at Dead Beat Club. This will happen each Tuesday in August (i.e. 4, 11, 18 and 25), and the group will play two sets each night. One at 8 p.m. and one at 9 p.m. These shows are free, if you can believe that. But they are, so be on time. If you’re on the ground floor, then head over to kenoshakid.com and get familiar with these modern jazz stylings.
FLY INTO THE SUN: Iodine Watt may now be in the running for best album name of 2026. It’s “Cycles” (or “Life is Stupid, Why Should Death Be Any Different?”). Yeah, it’s a mouthful, but if this town can produce
hear someone spreading their wings in a way such that everything still makes sense. Too many artists lose the plot when trying, but Iodine Watt never does. Find this at iodinewatt.bandcamp.com.
OPENING THE VAULT: Athens instrumental artist Mellow made four albums between 2014–2018, but only released one of them. Recently, though, he dropped them all online, and someone should thank him. The most recent drop is his album Asylum, recorded in 2018. It’s 15 tracks of electro excursion, deeply groovy slow numbers and icy cold futuristic beats, and it places you inside your own spy adventure when listening. Some of the vibes here are so classic you’ll swear you’ve heard them before. This is especially true for tracks like “Machine Gun Love” and “Invictus.” Take some time and head over to staymellow.bandcamp.com and sit with all this for a while.
BARROW COUNTY BY MORNING: The city of Winder will host Kinchafoonee Cowboys at Jug Tavern Park (139 E. Athens St., Winder) on Friday, July 24, and the event runs from 6–9 p.m. Food trucks and local vendors are to be on site as well. This event is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, etc. Kinchafoonee Cowboys have been performing for over 30 years, and there was a time that if you ever needed a gigantic line
I’d encourage you to go see them in Winder, even if just for a change of scenery, but if you can’t be bothered to get off the couch, daddio, then you can catch them at Paloma Park on Friday, Sept. 25. For more information, please see kinchafooneecowboys.com. If you have any specific questions about the facilities, please see cityofwinder.com.
MARK UP THE CALENDAR: Kenosha Kid will once again sit for a local residency. This
something named Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse, then there’s no reason to complain about this. It opens with the heavily vaporwave-ish “Heaven Scent.” I’m also very partial to the plucked melody and drone bass of “Big Lullaby,” as I am to the filthy, funky metal of “No, Explain the Joke To Me.” That said, I think I’ll always be more drawn to Iodine Watt’s electro experimentation than any standard rock tropes, but damn, it’s nice to
DOUBLE-FEATURE: The split release from Macon/Athens band Cult of Riggonia and Athens-based Modern Lamps titled In the midst of strin / Terracotta Changeling slipped through my fingers a couple of months ago, but I’m here to make amends. Each group contributes one long, expansive track of music, and each clocks in at around 23 minutes. Riggonia’s is from 2016. The first four minutes are essentially a sitar convocation, and it really starts stomping around the seven-minute mark. As expected, it traverses several movements, none of which are challenging by themselves. Taken as a series, though, they offer a range of emotions and reactions. Modern Lamps music here was inspired by a vision of a rock being torn apart like wool and the Lamps attempting to capture that through improvisation with multiple instruments and effects. At around eight minutes in the track drops off precipitously from its previous full arrangement, and the aural impact is like peeling back layers of an onion. Find this at hookervision.bandcamp.com. f
Fool’s Errand
FROM DAVIDSON COLLEGE TO TWEED AUDIO PRODUCTION SCHOOL
By Ezra Minard editorial@flagpole.com
Fool’s Errand, a young rock band born in the brick dormitories of Davidson College in North Carolina, recently traveled south to record an EP at Tweed Recording and Audio Production School in downtown Athens.
Fool’s Errand has been a campus staple ever since I arrived in the small North Carolina town as a student in 2024. Playing its first show behind a Davidson fraternity house in 2024, it became not only known to the entire student body, but genuinely loved by it. The band’s loyal following grew quickly through shows at fraternity and eating houses, the student favorite Summit Coffeeshop (nicknamed “Nummit” by students), and other venues around the area. It’s a three- time Davidson College Battle of the Bands champion.
One night in early May, students packed shoulder- to- shoulder into the campus coffeeshop, dancing with and holding one another as Fool’s Errand played the final song of its final set of the year. Three of the band’s six members were graduating that month. Crying seniors knew that Fool’s Errand had become a soundtrack of their college lives. That sense of community followed the band south to Athens, a town where music history hangs in its air like humidity. Over the course of 36 warm hours in Athens, the band recorded its first EP, Final Errand, which features three original songs alongside three covers.
To me, the trip felt assembled and executed with miraculous ease. That’s because my decision to go was made in the 11th hour, after I determined that finals studying could wait one more weekend. Niko Cope (class of 2028, an Athens native and perhaps the single most important factor in making the weekend happen) and Annabel Semans (class of 2026 and the band’s lead vocalist) had been planning the project through various interactions and over the course of more than a year.
But Cope, like I said, is the magical glue that made Athens happen. It is, after all, his town. His mother Jasna emigrated from Bosnia at age 20 in 1994 and built a life in Athens. She teaches piano out of her beautiful home in the Boulevard Historic District, which I’ve heard in the background while calling Cope when he’s home. And that’s where the band stayed. Walking through the dogwood-laden neighborhood with him, I quickly learned that Cope is a product (or maybe a child) of the village.
Another marker of Cope’s Athensentrenchment is his friendship with Bertis Downs (class of 1968). A resident of the nearby Cobbham Historic District, Downs is known to both the Davidson and Athens communities for, among many other things, his decades-old connection to R.E.M. as their friend and agent. Downs reached out to Cope when he landed on Davidson College as a Questbridge Scholar during his senior year of high school, but they had known each other for years before. During that time, Downs’ daughter had taken lessons with Cope’s mother Jasna. Despite the two Davidsonians being separated by
50 years, they hit it off and a friendship formed.
Inspired by both Downs and Fool’s Errand, Cope was insistent upon creating a connection between the music scene of Davidson College and Tweed Recording, at the center of the town he loves so dearly. His unlikely weaving together of several friendships, generous grants and determined individuals resulted in this beautiful weekend, much of that work happening behind the scenes for months. Cope and Semans secured funding from the Davidson College’s music department as well as from the TryItFund, an entrepreneurial funding source from Davidson’s Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship where students and community members gather to lift projects off the ground.
COURTESY OF EZRA MINARD
It wasn’t until the trip to Athens that my friendship with the band sprouted. Its sound leans into warm keyboards, layered guitars and nostalgia filled with a yearning to return to something, perhaps a memory half blurred but no less beautiful for it. Like most great bands, Fool’s Errand has a unique being to it. It resembles something like an affection for human life and friendship.
dinner in ZZ and Simone’s “Green Room” and a wonderful carrot cake, both per the well-informed direction of Downs. Then we settled into Cope’s home for a brief sleep.
At 9 a.m. on Saturday, Cope led the band, full of eggs and coffee consumed on his wrap-around porch on that cool dry morning, into the beautiful Tweed Recording Audio Production School on East Washington Street in downtown Athens, where his friend and audio wizard Roan O’Reilly welcomed us through the glass doors and explained that he was a recent graduate of Tweed’s 20- week audio program. Deeply immersed in the town’s musical community as an audio producer and a musician himself, he also leads educational sessions for Tweed as well as Nuçi’s Space.
Beyond Tweed’s bright lobby, there’s a painting of T-Model Ford, a legendary blues artist from Mississippi, looking down a dark hallway to the left with a glint in his
O’Reilly, working together to get the part to the best version of itself.
Kim—the pianist who also has a prominent hold online with mixing and music composition under the name jaykay.mp3— especially had an ear for this kind of thing. He tracked the timing and the rhythms and the notes and all the other things that he and O’Reilly and the rest of the band communicated about in a language unfamiliar to me. The process felt slow and made me appreciate the intricacies of music recording and editing.
Onstage Semans’ ’70s soft rock aesthetic and magnetic presence anchor Fool’s Errand’s performances. Six bandmates joined her on the trip and in the studio: Enzo Guardado on guitar (’27), Jacob Kim on keys (’26), Peter Diugu on bass (’27), Jayson Rivera on guitar (’27), with Paige Pakenas (’25) and Henry Erickson (’26) on drums. Erickson balances Pakenas’ punk-ier style with a more classic rock groove, but with no less excitement.
I first met lead vocalist and recent Davidson graduate Semans during Davidson College’s Summer Arts Residency last summer. I was practicing creative writing at the time, and she was experimenting with and working on her music and songwriting. I was captivated by her vision for her band.
Except for Semans, I didn’t really know the rest of the band until that Friday in May, when the band members and their instruments piled into a van and got on the highway after classes. They were charged to finally record music they had been working on for months, but a distinct undercurrent of tension also occupied the van. None of them had recorded music before, let alone at this scale. This was new territory. So going in blind and buzzing with energy of both excitement and fear for the unknown, we shared music, conversation and our collective dread and/or resignation about approaching finals.
We touched down in Athens around dusk, when the canopy of trees in Boulevard lost their monopoly on the encroaching shadows and darkness. We shared a late
eye toward the studios. Down that hallway is Studio B through a heavy, orange, noisecanceling door lined (on the inside) with console tape marking the mic channels used by previous musicians. The studio’s orange walls are covered in black acoustic panels and the lighting hangs from the ceiling like a film set.
After setting up, the band jumped into recording. Cope and I hung back in the control room, where Guardado waved to us with a big smile on his face on the other side of the window separating the studio from the massive mixing console. If we had been on a movie set, O’Reilly would have been the director. He sat before the console’s knobs and dials like an astronaut in the cockpit of a rocket ship, suavely gliding from switch to switch in a chair that swiveled around the console and danced around the room. Lights flickered across the equipment.
O’Reilly wasn’t quick to dish out praise, but when Semans sang the first lyric of their cover of Carol King’s “It’s Too Late,” O’Reilly nodded and said, “Wow, she can sing.” His words weren’t intended for us, nor did they convey anything other than a natural consequence of his genuine surprise. I had sunk into the couch, mesmerized by the guitars and the piano, as if standing to leave would wake me from a pleasant dream. I wanted to remain where the music was.
After recording each song raw with the whole band, the bandmates shifted into the meticulous work of overdubbing—stepping into the studio one at a time to fine- tune their parts. During one of these moments, the other bandmates would stand behind
Athens itself added another layer of mythology to the weekend. On the other side of the block from Tweed, Athens staple Wuxtry Records celebrated 50 years of buying and selling records with a party and show at the beating heart of Athens music, the 40 Watt Club. The Asymptomatics, a local college band that included a dozen or more band members, were joined by R.E.M. co- founder and lead guitarist Peter Buck on stage. Jamming out with rock royalty and an energetic young band after watching Fool’s Errand record in the same town collapsed the distance between Davidson and Athens, between Fool’s Errand, The Asymtomatics and R.E.M. The day was spent in a musical laboratory, and the night followed up with a performance. Here was a young band sweating on stage next to Peter Buck, strumming nonchalantly beside them. On the drive to Athens, I had imagined the legends archived within Athens’ music history. After Tweed and at the 40 Watt, I realized that the legend was still alive, breathing violently like the guitars and the drums. We returned to the studio the next morning, squeezing every ounce out of our Athens time before returning to Davidson on Sunday night, just a week before finals. Before departure, O’Reilly pulled the console tape off the soundboard and stuck it to the studio’s orange door, but not before everyone signed it. Doing so left a permanent piece of Fool’s Errand behind in the studio to join a collage of similar artifacts left by other groups. Just like the band left a mark on the orange door, the studio left a mark on them.
Driving past the white Davidson College sign, which welcomes students past main street and into the small campus’ nucleus, we considered how much time it felt like had passed since we had left campus only 36 hours earlier. We had done incredibly less school work than we would have on campus, if any. Semans said, “That was the most productive weekend of my life.”
Reflecting on the experience and his connection to Fool’s Errand, Cope couldn’t help but feel a connection to the work that Downs did with R.E.M. 45 years earlier as a young man in the same town. No, Fool’s Errand is not R.E.M. and Niko Cope is not Bertis Downs. Yet standing at the intersection of these two eras occupied by these two men, I also can’t help but to trace a throughline from Davidson to Athens, from a genre-defining American band to an upand- comer; that throughline being braided together by the youthful and scrappy drive of people who want to make music magic happen. f
bulletin board & classifieds
BULLETIN BOARD: Listings from nonprofits, community resources and free opportunities. Print deadline is THURSDAY at 5 p.m.
Classifieds
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. 706-612-4926 FOR RENT (Cottage) 1BR cottage 2 blocks from campus. Full kitchen, W/D and water included. Avail. Aug 1. $1500 month. tinroofsrusted@ gmail.com
REAL ESTATE (Commercial) Space For Rent. Glass frontage, Approx. 1750 Sq. Ft. 2812 Atlanta Hwy across from McDonalds. $2500. Call or email Dale at 706-224-8933 or ddun265@aol.com for info.
REAL ESTATE (Room for Rent) Room for rent w/private BA. Located in Watkinsville. $800/mon all inclusive. Graduate student preferred. Call 706-286-0138 for more information.
NOTICES (Missed Connections) You are the nicest hostess and myself a regular. You said it’s not working. Myself said am a nuisance. Am concerned about you all the time. This is unfair.
SERVICES (Financial) Bookkeeping for Athens nonprofits, small businesses & makers. QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor, now booking 2026. Locally kept. Text Sam 706386-0281. www.beeskneesbook keeping.com
SERVICES (Health) JAMES HILTON HYPNOSIS 678-895-4278, www. hiltonhypnosis.org
SERVICES (Health) HEALTH AND WELLNESS COACHING: Integrating herbalism, mindfulness and movement for a whole body approach. 706-343-3576, connect@cora rosewellness.com, www.corarose wellness.com
SERVICES (Home & Garden)
Scratching your head with all this poison ivy? We can help! WomanRun 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 lowmaintenance, native gardens that support pollinators and biodiversity. Find me @pablofromseed, email pkozatch@gmail.com or call 631903-4365.
Arts
ATHENS CREATIVE DIRECTORY
(Athens, GA) The ACD is a platform to connect creatives with patrons. www.athenscreatives.directory
CALL FOR ART (Various Locations) Visit www.flagpole.com/bulletin board for ongoing open art calls.
or call 706-549-0301.
CALL FOR ART (ACCGov) Professional artists are invited to submit qualifications to create a sculpture for Memorial Park pond. Art will be placed in or around the lower pond, one large sculpture or a series of smaller sculptures. Deadline to apply is Friday, July 24. tatiana. veneruso@accgov.com
CALL FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS
(AthFest Educates) Applications for the 2026-2027 grant cycle are now available. Applicants planning to use music and/or arts as a teaching and learning mechanism for core education are encouraged to apply. Deadline Aug. 26 and grantees announced in September. www. athfesteducates.org/grants/applyfor-a-grant
CALL FOR MURAL LOCATION
(Double Helix) Students from the Double Helix Steam School are offering to paint a free mural for a local business/organization. kquinn@doublehelixschool.com
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 SUBMISSIONS (The Lightroom) The Athens FIlm Fes-
tival is seeking submissions from the community for the second annual Pitchfest. All formats and experience levels of film, docuseries, podcast, branded content or creative projects are welcome. Deadline Aug. 3, participants notified Aug. 11 and final competition held Aug. 29. One selected winner will win support and opportunity to bring their vision to the screen. www.athensfilm.com/pitchfest
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) Monthly afternoon life drawing sessions, every fourth Tuesday. Models scheduled represent the full spectrum of age, color, race and genders. Artists 18 & up only. Registration and prepayment required. $20. 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
SEEKING ZINE ART & IDEAS
(Suburban Vermin) Accepting submissions for art, craft ideas, poetry and more for free local publication.
Message @suburban.vermin.zine on Instagram.
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
SPONGEBOB THE MUSICAL (Athens Creative Theatre) Seeking individuals for this comedy musical based on the classic cartoon. Auditions will include cold readings, a short prepared vocal selection and a movement section. Auditions held Aug. 26–28 at the Morton Theatre. act@accgov.com
Classes
A COURSE IN MIRACLES (580 Tallassee Rd.) Heal your psychology and your life using simple instruction of high vibrational thought. Sundays, 10–11:30 a.m. 770-2372354, 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, HIKES & PADDLES (Watson Mill State Park, Comer) The park offers a variety of events including firebuilding classes, various educational hikes including “Bridge History,” “Tree ID,” “Historic Mills” and more. Parking fee/ pass required for all events. www. gastateparks.org/WatsonMillBridge
CLASSES & PROGRAMS (Winterville Cultural Center, Winterville) Flow Yoga & Pilates (Monday), Yoga in the Gallery (Wednesdays), Chair Yoga & Creative Cafe (Thurs-
days) and more. www.winterville center.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 (The Studio) TIMB Athens & Bachata Conexión host a 9-week workshop series for salsa and bachata dancers of all levels. Through Aug. 9, 4:30 p.m. Registration required. www.timbathens. com/events.
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 FALL PROGRAM REGISTRATION (Athens, GA) The Leisure Services Department offers a diverse selection of classes and activities highlighting the arts, environmental science, recreation, sports and holiday events for both adults and children. Registration opens Aug. 1 for residents and Aug. 3 for nonresidents. www.accgov.com/myrec FREE CLASSES (The Athens Free School) Learning network for community centered around compassion, autonomy and playfulness. Visit @athensfreeschool on Instagram.
Help Out
ATHENS SKATEPARK PROJECT (Athens Skate Park) Seeking volunteers and input. Third Sundays. www.athensskateparkproject.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. 706-8500387 or support@grailbras.com
COUCH CRASHERS (ACC Animal Services Department) A short-term foster initiative to provide shelter dogs with the chance to experience the comfort of a home environment over weekends and holiday weekends for one to three days. All needed items provided. Opportunities throughout the year. www. accgov.com/couchcrashers
DIAPER DONATIONS (Athens Area Diaper Bank) Diaper donations needed for local infants. All sizes
and open packs/boxes are accepted. www.athensareadiaperbank.com
FIRE PIT RAFFLE (Friends of the Madison County Library) Madison County Library hosts a raffle for an outdoor gas fire pit to benefit various programs. $1 per ticket, unlimited entries. The winning ticket will be drawn in November after the Madison County Harvest Festival. www.athenslibrary.org/madison
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.silverlace inc.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. www. accgov.com/11669/pet-microchips
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 support 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
PET SUPPLY DRIVE (Lyndon House Arts Center) Seeking toys, towels, treats and all types of cat/dog food. In conjunction with the Community Pet Portrait Exhibit benefiting ACC Animal Services. Donations accepted during business hours through July. www.accgov.com/ lyndonhouse
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. 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. moms adoptingmoms@gmail.com
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 DONATIONS (Hands of Hope) Local homeless ministry accepting donations of clothing for their free distribution program and fundraising yard sale with proceeds benefiting the program. 706-2075172
SEEKING DONATIONS (RIP Book Club) Local book club seeking donations of any genre of old books to stock Little Libraries around town. Email ripbookclubathens@ gmail.com for updated drop off location or to arrange pick up.
SEEKING DONATIONS & VOLUNTEERS (Animal Services Adoption Center) Animal service sessions run Monday through Friday; training session required. Seeking dona-
tions of gently used bath towels and rags. Donations can be dropped off at the door after hours. www. accgov.com/animalservices
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Books for Keeps) Seeking literacy mentors for local elementary school students. Training provided. No experience needed. bit.ly/BFKLitMentors, story tellers@booksforkeeps.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
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Meals on Wheels) Currently recruiting volunteers to deliver meals, engage in safety checks and more. eschley@ accaging.org
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (PAX Exchange Students) Seeking volunteer families to host global exchange students. www.pax.org, 800-555-6211
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Shoal Creek Sanctuary) Volunteers needed for variety of events including invasive plant removal, plant adoptions and more. First Sundays, 1–3:30 p.m. www.shoalcreek sanctuary.org/volunteer
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (St. Mary’s Home Health & Hospice) Seeking volunteers to provide companionship or to help with simple tasks for those in hospice care. Training provided. 706-389-2273
TEACHER SUPPLIES (Teacher Reuse Store) Educators can access free creative supplies at the store. Please bring credentials. www.acc gov.com/trs
VOLUNTEER NETWORK (Community Works, Watkinsville) A nonprofit organization that connects volunteers of all ages to events, resources and training opportunities. CWorksOC@gmail.com
Kidstuff
CLASSES & PROGRAMS (ACC Leisure Services Department) Various ongoing weekly and monthly events including Jumping Gym, 123 Toddler & Me!, Fantastic Friday, Storytime and more. www.accgov. com/myrec
CLASSES & PROGRAMS (Bogart Library) Various ongoing weekly events including LEGO Mania (Wednesdays), Storytime with Miss Harli (Mondays), Sensory Open Play (Tuesdays) and more. www. athenslibrary.org/bogart
CLASSES & PROGRAMS (Oconee Library) Various ongoing weekly events including Kids Yoga and Open Play (Tuesdays), Story Time and Cocoa Club (Wednesdays), and more. www.athenslibrary.org/ oconee
GRAND SLAM SUMMER PROGRAM (Lay Park) Evenings include games, giveaways, guest speakers, life enrichment activities, music, refreshments, sports and more. For ages 11–17. Fridays through July 24, 6–9 p.m. www.accgov.com/ grandslam
LEARN TO SWIM (ACC Leisure Services Department) Registration open for variety of lessons for ages over 3 years old including Swim School, Parent/Tot Swim School and Adult Swim Lessons. $33 per session. Additionally, a free Kinderswim program is offered for 5-year-old chil-
dren. Registration required for all events. www.accgov.com/aquatics
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 (OCAF, Watkinsville) Registration now open for a variety of summer camp opportunities including improv, puppet making, mixed media art and more. Ages 7–14. www.ocaf.com/kids
SUMMER CAMP (Nowhere Archery) Traditional archery and outdoor education day/sleep away camps in the Beloved Land. Learn camping skills, canoeing, woodcraft and more. Registration now open. Scholarships available. www. nowherearchery.com/summer-camp
Word on the Street
CALL FOR VENDORS (Historic Athens Welcome Center) Applications now open for Market Days featuring fresh foods, baked goods and specialty items. Every second Saturday. $25 per market or $80 for the full four-market series. www.athens welcomecenter.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 and more. www. multiplechoices.us/youre-invited
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.mindfulbreath sangha.org
PEACEFUL PROTEST (Indivisible GA District 10) “Every Monday” weekly protest on the corner of the corner of Alps and Baxter. Beginning Aug. 3, 12:30–1:30 p.m. www.indivisible ga10.org
SEVENTH GENERATION (No. 3 Railroad Street, Arnoldsville) Seventh Generation Native American Church hosts various gatherings on Sundays, 11 a.m. 706-340-7134
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
WEAVER D’S FIRST FRIDAYS (VFW Post 2872) Pop-up from Weaver D’s serving plates for $20 donations in benefit of the VFW. 11 a.m.–6 p.m. www.facebook.com/ vfwpost2872
Missing Something?
MORE LISTINGS (Online) Find the Bulletin Board at www.flagpole. com/bulletinboard for ongoing open art calls, support group information and other resources that are available on a continuous basis. f
good growing Chalk It Up
FRENCH WINDOW TREATMENT COOLS HOME
By Erin France editorial@flagpole.com
If you’re looking for a helpful hack to help keep your house cooler in the summer, try painting your windows with chalk.
I got the idea from this article in The Guardian: “Why the French are painting their windows with chalk to beat the heat.” I like trying out inexpensive weather hacks from other cultures, so I bought a pound of ground-up chalk online for $16. I made a thick slurry with two parts chalk to one part water and painted all the windows in my house in two hours.
My house is 3 degrees cooler now with chalk painted on the windows. Indoor temperatures generally stand at 77 and 76 degrees in the evening, and hover at 79 degrees in the hottest part of the day. When the air conditioning is off—usually 5 a.m. to noon—the house heats up slower.
Why does this work? Chalk is made of calcium carbonate, a chemical known to be highly reflective and radiation resistant. Researchers use calcium carbonate as an additive to create and study “super cool” paints that could help mitigate urban heat islands, and are even testing it as a protective coating for future spacecrafts.
While I do have indoor shutters and curtains on my windows, pre- chalk the sun’s rays still came in through the window panes. It made shutters and curtains warm to the touch. That heat then moved to the cooler parts of the house. Now, that heat can’t come indoors and is stopped at the window.
apartment, it’s cheap enough to be worth a try. My house is an old oddball. Built in 1900, it’s got no south- facing windows and a ceiling fan in nearly every room. My windows are single-paned, so I can paint the inside or outside with little thought to an air barrier because there is none. Your mileage may differ with proper double-paned windows. You’ll definitely want to stick with painting the outside pane to avoid, at best, convection-based heat and, at worst, damage to your windows.
What’s clean up like? The chalk comes off very easily once dry. My dogs, who paw at the doors when they want to be on the other side, leave little paw prints in the french doors. So far, it hasn’t made much of a dent in the effectiveness of the chalk paint. I can easily touch it up in a few minutes, if needed. If you have children, or cats, who rub on windows, this might not be the
What about aluminum foil? I can’t discount the viral trend of sticking aluminum foil on the outside of your windows—I just don’t like it. I spend a lot of time outside, and I don’t want to see the reflective glare. With the chalk, the light is diffused, but still present. It feels more like a shabby stained glass window than a tinned can. Influencers say aluminum foil stuck to the outside of your windows can reduce indoor temperatures by 10 degrees.
Some experts caution folks to keep the foil on the outside of the window. Double-paned windows create an air barrier between inside and outside temperatures. Sticking the foil to the inside pane can heat up the air barrier. At best, the heat seeps into your house later on and at worst, the heated air can crack the outside window pane. Some apartment leases and home owner associations ban the use of foil on windows.
Would this work for me? I’m not sure, but if you’re trying to cool your house or
best option for you. To clean up at the end of summer, all I’ll need is a hose and a wet towel to wipe off the remaining chalk. The chalk does slightly flake off and leave a little residue under each painted window or door after the two- week mark. It’s easy to sweep or vacuum up, but this might not be a good solution for tidier folks.
What happens to the chalk in the rain? It washes off easily. If you’ve got some protective eaves or gutters, you’ll likely be fine. After the latest round of thunderstorms passes, I’ll reapply where necessary—one window is fine, another could use some touch-ups and the third lost 50 percent of its chalk covering.
Other solutions: There’s a plethora of other hot- weather house hacks online. I refuse to test the yoghurt-painted windows because of the aforementioned dogs and also, that sounds like a gross mess. Longterm, I’m more inclined to invest in hurricane shutters (useful for heat deflection or wind storms) or outdoor shades. f
Painting windows with a slurry of chalk and water reduced indoor temperatures by 3 degrees.
Edited by Margie E. Burke
5
6 7 1 5 1 2 9 4 8 4 6 2 2 7 9 6 1 2
each column must contain the numbers 1 to
and each set of 3 by 3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 to 9.
