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F L A GP OL E .C OM · S E P T E MB E R 2, 2026
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Born in an Athens living room, indie rock band hallpass is returning to perform at the Georgia Theatre with The Ocho on Saturday, Sept. 5. For more info, see “Calendar Pick: The Ocho & hallpass” online only at flagpole.com.
This Modern World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Street Scribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Day Shelter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Pub Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Athens Crush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Curb Your Appetite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Victoria Dugger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Threats & Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Trvy & The Enemy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Live Music Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Event Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Art Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Calendar Picks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Adopt Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Local Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Grub Growing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
NEWS: City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Eastside Library Groundbreaking NEWS: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
PSC Candidates ARTS & CULTURE: Flag Football . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
UGA Football Preview MUSIC: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Stephan Eutsler’s Album
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PUBLISHER & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Alicia Nickles PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner 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 McClain Baxley, Chris Dowd, Erin France, Jake Hall, Gordon Lamb, Nicole Clark McGowan, Ed Tant 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 COVER ART by Victoria Dugger (see story on p. 12) STREET ADDRESS: 220 Prince Ave., Athens, GA 30601 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603 EDITORIAL: 706-549-9523 · ADVERTISING: 706-549-0301 CLASSIFIED ADS: class@flagpole.com ADVERTISING: ads@flagpole.com CALENDAR: calendar@flagpole.com EDITORIAL: editorial@flagpole.com
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VOLUME 40 ISSUE NUMBER 35
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S E P T E MB E R 2, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM
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news
city dope
Eastside Library Groundbreaking PLUS, TALKS BY JENNIFER SCOTT AND JOSH MCLAURIN, AND MORE LOCAL NEWS
By Blake Aued and Lily Thomas news@flagpole.com see the immense value that this new space brings to East Athens for generations to come.” Friends of the Library has pledged $75,000 to the new teen department, according to the group’s president, Emily Clary. She expressed the importance of donations and volunteers to help accomplish this goal. Clary also advertised their upcoming book sale fundraiser from Sept. 23–26 at the ACC Library on Baxter Street.
ment. The seventh five-year tax will pay for additions to Timothy Road Elementary School—the largest in the district—and possibly Burks Elementary, both of which are overcrowded. Revenue from the tax will pay to “maintain facilities that are up to date, that facilitate learning,” Clarke County School Superintendent Jennifer Scott said at the Heard Park community center in East Athens on Aug. 25. It will also provide
MCMILLAN PAZDAN SMITH ARCHITECTURE
The Athens community gathered at Hilsman Middle School on Aug. 22 to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new library on the Eastside, expected to open by the end of 2027, according to Athens Regional Library System community engagement and outreach coordinator Amy Miller, who said this will be the 12th branch in the regional library system. District 8 County Commissioner Carol Myers, whose district includes the new library, said the project was originally submitted as a SPLOST 2011 project but finally made its way onto the SPLOST 2020 list. “So when you are spending money on that sales tax, know that your penny is going towards this library,” Myers said. “And it’s also important to remember with this last program that 60% of that money comes from people who are not residents in Clarke County.” The new library— located on county-owned property off Barnett Shoals Road near the Lakewood development—will have a path connecting it to the newest section of the Greenway. “If any of you are thinking or worried about safety, I do want you to know there’s a TSPLOST 2026 program that will help with Barnett Shoals,” Myers said. She said it will include crosswalks with stop signs and button-activated lights and protected bike lanes which will support Athenians’ ability to walk or bike to this new library. Myers expressed excitement for this new third space “on a personal level and for our community as a whole.” ACC Library Board of Trustees member Charlene Brickman said the library will include a children’s section, a teen department, public meeting spaces, study rooms and a computer lab. These spaces will host story times, special events, book clubs, arts and crafts, laser tag, computer software, a makerspace with engravers and 3D printers, sewing machines, power tools, a silhouette cutter and free Wi-Fi, in addition to a wide collection of physical books. “Today is a true celebration of your perseverance, your passion and your unwavering belief in the importance of community and the power of public libraries. Libraries across Georgia thrive from a vital partnership between state and local governments, and East Athens is a shining example of what that synergy can achieve. We are incredibly grateful to our state legislators for providing $4.5 million in state capital outlay funding to advance this branch,” said State Librarian and Vice Chancellor for Libraries of the Georgia Public Library Service and Athens resident Angela Stanley. “When we invest in library facilities, we are investing directly in young readers, strong families, and bright futures, one book at a time… Libraries remain the beating heart of our communities, and I cannot wait to
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Valdon Daniel, a representative from the ACC Library Foundation Board, talked about tutoring algebra for 40 years in the community and at the Westside Library, despite living on and serving kids from the Eastside. He said that he and his wife took an ACC bus to see how long it would take a child to get to the ACC Library, stating that it took 2 hours. “We have denied our Eastside kids an opportunity for education,” Daniel said. “That [SPLOST] penny is priceless,” he added. Daniel showed pieces of cloth and said that all Clarke County community members are individual pieces, but then presented a quilt, stating that together they make up the masterpiece that is Eastside Library. Meeting attendees were “excited” and “thrilled” for this new educational space and all it can do for the community. Clarke County Superintendent Jennifer Scott told Flagpole she is eager for the new development, calling it, “an opportunity for our students and our families to truly engage with literacy in a space that’s beyond our school walls, and for them it really supports my vision for what it means for us to have a culture of literacy within our county… making sure that access is there on both sides of town, and that there’s equitable access because there’s so much that the library can give.” The library can be a “game changer” for students on the Eastside, she said. [Lily Thomas]
Superintendent Talks AI, ESPLOST In November Clarke County residents will be asked to renew ESPLOST, a 1% sales tax for school construction and equip-
F L A GP OL E .C OM · S E P T E MB E R 2, 2026
funding for the “rejuvenation” of the long- vacant West Broad School, she said. The historic school—built in the 1930s for African American students during the Jim Crow era and expanded in the 1950s and ’60s—has been a political football since the now-shuttered alternative school Rutland Academy left for a new building 20 years ago. Former superintendent Phil Lanoue proposed district offices there, which met with community opposition. His successor Demond Means, who controver-
sially kicked a neighborhood farmers market and community garden off the grounds, wanted to turn it into an early learning center. That proposal was later championed by Superintendent Xernona Thomas, but it proved unworkable, and the early learning center went to the old Gaines School on the Eastside. Scott has proposed using two of the three buildings on the West Broad campus for an Athens Community Career Academy construction pathway, which will require significant investment to bolster the structure to hold heavy equipment. Overall CCSD enrollment does not currently justify the construction of the long-planned “School C” and Maxine Easom Elementary, Scott told Flagpole. She also said she would not broach the topic of changing attendance zones to address overcrowding unless for some reason the school board rejected expansion projects. Scott held a series of town hall meetings over the past week highlighting the accomplishments during her first 90 days as the permanent school superintendent and the path ahead for the Clarke County School District, and took questions from parents and other community members. Topics discussed included: TECHNOLOGY: “AI is the hot topic right now,” Scott said. “There are pluses and minuses to it.” She recalled her experience as a teacher when CCSD switched from textbooks and chalkboards to laptops and smartboards. Teachers were told to incorporate that technology into lessons and had to figure out how, she said. Scott said the district has provided a handbook to teachers stressing that AI should be used to enhance, but not replace, instruction. She also said that students are going to have to learn to use and not misuse AI to succeed in today’s society. “Technology is not going away,” she said. “It’s going to continue to evolve.” CCSD’S REPUTATION: “We all know people like a good salacious story better than they like to celebrate,” Scott said when asked about the school district’s critics. She said the district’s communications department
uses social media to spread the word about successes, and that she speaks to groups like Rotary clubs, churches and realtors. She also records a weekly radio spot and is starting a podcast. As an example, Scott cited a program that gives high schools a $1,000 investment portfolio alongside financial education, which made national news. The program started last year with a $400,000 gift from an anonymous donor, and is continuing this year thanks to donations from the community.
speakers, making motions and establishing the atmosphere of the chamber. Utilizing the bully pulpit will allow Democrats to further shape public opinion and advance political agendas. As McLaurin said, “If you don’t talk about [issues] on TV with the public, oftentimes only the people who are directly affected end up knowing about the extent of the problem.” He also emphasized targeting voters who no longer align with the Republican party, stating, “If we get our message correct, then we will convey to the public that Democrats VOCATIONAL VS. COLLEGE: One woman said are ready to lead, that we’re not whatever she was concerned that CCSD is pushing Fox News tells them, in their bubble, that workforce education over college. Scott we are.” said they’re not mutually exclusive—career On issues he is focused on if elected, academy students can still go on to pursue McLaurin listed expanding Medicaid, coverhigher education. Some want to start making federal subsidies for health insurance by ing money immediately after graduation, taxing insurance companies and raising the while others want additional education to cigarette excise tax, stabilizing rural hospiearn a higher salary later. Eighth graders tals, building more housing to lower costs take an assessment to identify their career and property taxes, and addressing corpointerests so they can plan accordingly. rate ownership of housing. He continually “We can raise the graduation rate, but emphasized the importance of Democrats if they don’t have a plan after graduation, being specific about goals and actionable we’re still failing them,” Scott said. [Blake policy solutions while campaigning instead Aued] of simply listing big-ticket issues. McLaurin took credit for passing the first-ever statewide regulations on car booting in Georgia through bipartisan cooperation to increase consumer protection. Attendees asked questions about supCandidate for lieutenant governor Josh port of public sector collective bargaining, McLaurin predicted that Democrats would his Republican opponent Greg Dolezal, how retake power in Georgia this November for to stay politically engaged as young adults, the first time in 20 years. “We’re gonna win and the right to repair laws. this year,” McLaurin told more than 100 While McLaurin has publicly supported Young Democrats of the University of Georstate government employees’ right to orgagia and Athens-Clarke County on Aug. 26, nize and unionize, Lance Bottoms has not. citing polls and enthusiasm. He said he is open to discussing the topic McLaurin said this traction is allowing further with her but also emphasized his progressives to hone in on policy goals that role as an independently elected official may soon be within reach. “It’s like watching with his own stances and policy goals. a plant grow out of On Dolezal, a desolate desert,” McLaurin It’s like watching a plant grow out his AI-pointed he said. “We actually produced out of a desolate desert. care about getting islamophobic videos. this right and start“The level of culture ing to talk to each other about what we can war and nonsense from Greg is emblematic actually physically do next year and beyond, of how off the rails all Republicans have to bring about a new Georgia.” gone,” he said. In terms of positive signs for the election On staying engaged with politics, McLauso far, McLaurin said that over 2 million bal- rin advised attendees, “Go meet real people lots were pulled in the May 19 primary, and in public, in person, like you’re doing right 54% of them were Democratic—the first now, because that does many things to time since 1998 that a majority of voters did cure the ill effects of social media. It gives not vote in the GOP primary. That was also you a diversity of perspectives… There’s the last time Georgia elected a Democratic lots of incentives that are changed when governor, Roy Barnes. you meet people in person, and that espeMcLaurin said there are “a number of cially goes for groups like this, where you public facing polls that have Keisha Lance organize together around shared purposes Bottoms, and myself, it turns out, at least and values. It’s rebuilding politics from the even with our opposition, if not actually ground up, reconstructing it in the way that ahead,” citing a State Navigate poll that had it’s supposed to look. And so, even if it feels Lance Bottoms 7 points ahead and McLauthankless, even if you don’t see an immerin 4 points ahead. “Things are not really diate reaction… you are building politics, gonna get better before November,” McLauyou’re building coalition and consensus in rin said, listing Iran, affordability, tariffs, the only way that it’s ever worked.” agriculture and food safety as key issues. On right-to-repair laws, McLaurin If Democrats win, it will be the first time expressed support for allowing farmers to in two decades that any statewide office has fix their own equipment and combating been flipped, and Lance Bottoms would be corporate power burdens on farmers and the the first black female governor in the history agriculture industry. of the United States. McLaurin criticized On getting out the youth vote, McLau“the good ol’ boy system” currently in place rin told Flagpole, “There is a trust gap with and emphasized the increased diversity and young people about whether participating cross-party collaboration flipping the state in the system does anything meaningful, would bring. Benefits of the governorship and for that reason, you’ve got to research include the ability to veto bills and line-item candidates, decide for yourself if people vetoes in the budget, while perks of the are really willing to deliver… And I think if lieutenant governorship as president of the people plug in, they might be pleasantly surSenate include setting the agenda, calling prised.” [LT] f
news
street scribe
Wall Street Bombing
ANARCHISTS BLEW UP NEW YORK 80 YEARS BEFORE 9/11
By Ed Tant news@flagpole.com It was just another September workday in New York City when terror came to town. A mad and malevolent act of political mayhem left a gory tableau of bleeding bodies and screaming survivors on the streets of the Wall Street financial district. The bells of nearby Trinity Church were tolling the noon hour when a hundred pounds of dynamite exploded, bringing death and devastation to New York. It was Sept. 16, 1920. A terrorist attack on that day was a grim precursor to the violence that was visited on New York more than 80 years later during the carnage of Sept. 11, 2001.
children in Oklahoma City in 1995. In 1920 this nation was still traumatized by the carnage of World War I, which had ended less than two years before the Wall Street bombing. As the war ended, America was again shocked by labor strife, race riots, lynchings and a string of bombings carried out by anarchists in cities across the United States. One of those bombings targeted the Washington, D.C. home of U.S. Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. In the White House, President Woodrow Wilson, who had said that “the world must be made safe for democracy,” was overseeing a nation where democracy was imperiled.
Dem LG Candidate Optimistic of Win
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The aftermath of the 1920 Wall Street Bombing.
When the smoke cleared on Wall Street in 1920, more than three dozen people lay dead or dying from the deadly destruction wrought by the powerful dynamite bomb. Hundreds more were injured by the blast. Cars were overturned and in flames after the bombing, and heavy cast-iron weights planted inside what was aptly called “the infernal device” left fist-size dents in the stone exterior of the J.P. Morgan bank— scars that are visible to this day, more than a century later. The deadly bomb was brought to the Wall Street nexus of capitalism inside a horse-drawn wagon, a common sight on New York streets in 1920. The terrorist bombing may have been meant to kill financial tycoons like Morgan, but instead it only succeeded in murdering clerks, secretaries, message-runners and other low- echelon Wall Street workers who were on their way to lunch. The hapless horse that pulled the wagon was also blown to bits in the blast. Notes found inside a mailbox near the scene said, “Remember, we will not tolerate any longer. Free the political prisoners, or it will be sure death for all of you.” The words of warning were signed “American Anarchist Fighters.” The killers who planted the Wall Street bomb were never caught, but their modus operandi would be repeated decades later by terrorists with truck bombs, both overseas and in the United States when right-wing terrorist Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb that killed or injured hundreds of men, women and
Wilson, a Democrat, was disabled from a stroke but still in office in early 1920, when the attorney general began an infamous campaign of political repression that became known as the Palmer Raids. The raids were part of an ongoing Red Scare that was much more severe than the political witch hunts orchestrated by GOP Sen. Joe McCarthy three decades later. America, “the land of the free,” did indeed have political prisoners in its jails, including saintly socialist Eugene Debs, who was locked up in the Atlanta federal pen for his opposition to World War I. Later in 1920, Debs would run for president from his jail cell, receiving nearly a million votes with his slogan “Vote for Convict Number 9653.” Palmer fanned the flames of fear during his Red Scare, saying, “Short-haired women and long-haired men are making trouble.” His campaign against political dissidents resulted in the jailings of thousands of innocent American citizens and newly arrived immigrants. The Red Scare was one of the most shameful chapters in American history but the repression was cheered on by such newspapers as The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Atlanta Constitution. Here in Athens, the Athens Banner newspaper endorsed Palmer for president in 1920, but his campaign—and his Red Scare—fizzled. Today there are no historic markers at the site of the Wall Street bombing, and philosopher George Santayana’s admonition still applies: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” f
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feature
Data Centers
PSC CANDIDATES TALK REGULATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND MORE
By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com
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ast year, Democrats Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson pulled off stunning upsets in a Georgia Public Service Commission special election, defeating Republican incumbents by 25 points. Hubbard is now on the ballot again for a full six-year term, opposed by Fitz Johnson, the Republican he defeated last year. Hubbard is joined by publicist and party activist Sheila Edwards, who faces Republican engineer Josh Tolbert and Libertarian Thomas Blooming after GOP incumbent Tricia Pridemore resigned to run for Congress. If Edwards wins, it would give Democrats control over the utility-regulating agency for the first time since 2022. Both Edwards and Hubbard were in Athens for a fundraiser last week and agreed to sit down with Flagpole to discuss data centers, among other issues.
Flagpole: Just today the OpenAI deal came through [for a 3.2 gigawatt data center in Effingham County]. What’s in it? Peter Hubbard: So, the OpenAI contract, which I have read through, is the same contract that was filed originally. I put my foot in the door before the review period slammed shut and bought two weeks’ worth of additional time, and what that bought was an additional concession from Georgia Power Co. They upped the ante. They made a promise that in the next rate case in 2028, it would put $8.50 of downward pressure on rates. Now they’re promising $15. We would not have gotten that but for having two Democrats on the commission. But still, it’s being powered with fossil fuel energy, and that promise for $15 on a monthly average bill is only as good as the regulators who will enforce that promise.
or zoning change or anything, and they used it for their own internal operations. They didn’t have to come to the PSC and ask for permission to do that. They just did it on their own. I don’t know exactly what could have been done to prevent that. And this is a different data center than a large language model data center or an OpenAI-type thing. This was to run their customer service operations and just basic business operations. It was a smaller one put on an old DuPont factory site, so there were some concerns about PFAS contamination [also known as “forever chemicals”]. FP: It’s a primarily African American neighborhood. They’ve had a lot of environmental justice issues in that area over the years. So you can imagine, especially after [finding PFAS in their well water], they were very concerned about that. PH: The challenge was, the data center has a closed-loop water cooling system, so whatever’s in the water will get concentrated. So if there’s PFAS in the water, then you’ll get a concentration of that. And whether or not it’s disposed of properly, I don’t know.
FP: We had both of the candidates for governor up here in Athens a couple weeks ago, and there were a lot of questions for them about data centers. Rick Jackson stated that it should be up to each individual community whether they want to allow them, and Keisha Lance Bottoms wants a general “pause.” Should regulations be a statewide decision or local? Sheila Edwards: Keisha had mentioned at one of her events that she thinks there should be a year moratorium to study these things, because you have 159 counties in Georgia. Each one of those counties have their thoughts and ideas relative to a data center being in their communities, and I think it’s going to be important to allow for time for information to Sheila Edwards (left) and Peter Hubbard be gathered. We have to look at what’s going on around the country and see what best practices are out there, and then we have to come back and put that SE: Well, the problem is that we’ve been dealing with together to determine how to move forward. I don’t know environmental racism all of our lives, and they put these if it’s possible, but I think you can have a referendum statethings in marginalized communities, communities where wide on data centers and how to make sure that they’re people can’t fight back and push back. But I think there paying their own way, that they’re not using up all of our should be some standard level of operating in our commuutilities or contaminating the water, that they’re creating nities. You can have rules and regulations in place relative some type of recycling program so that water goes back into to data centers. They just come, and they’re just freewheeltheir business and gets cleaned up and reused. But again, ing in our community and with no responsibility to the we have to be able to listen to all the communities, not to people that live there. some. For the most part, people believe the data centers are bad in their communities, and they need some regulation. FP: Let’s talk about fuel mix. I understand that Georgia They need some things in place so they’re not showing up Power is reopening some of its old coal and natural gas power next door to people’s homes, their churches, their schools. plants. PH: They were going to retire in 2029. Now they’ve been FP: We had a situation in Athens where Georgia Power extended until 2038 or 2040 as a result of data centers. and Atlanta Gas Light built their own data center here. It took everybody by surprise because they were able to totally bypass FP: What would you do, if you were able to get a majority on our local government. Is there anything that the PSC can do to the PSC, to get more renewables involved? keep that from happening? PH: I’ve been a longtime observer, an expert witness PH: I looked into that earlier. Because that was Atlanta intervener in the long-term integrated resource plan. What Gas Light’s own property, they didn’t need to seek a permit I would do is, we’d have an accurate representation of the
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F L A GP OL E .C OM · S E P T E MB E R 2, 2026
value, the pros and cons that each energy resource brings to the grid. Because right now the thumb is on the scale for fossil fuels. Solar has hurdles to overcome. A specific example is in Georgia Power’s forecasting. They give 0% capacity accreditation to solar in the wintertime. So solar can never fulfill basic demands on the grid, according to Georgia Power, and yet we have this example of Texas that now. reaches almost 50% penetration of solar on their grid, so there is just a disconnect. And what I can do to help accelerate the clean energy transition is give the real value back to renewables, take away the thumb on the scale for the fossil fuel resources that Georgia Power finds most lucrative, and then put in place those mandates and compel the power company to do this. There’s more to it than that because it’s not just in the planning; it’s also in the implementation of the procurements for these energy resources. To give a very specific example of where they’re out looking for capacity right now, between gas and batteries, batteries have 20% accreditation for the value of each megawatt they bring. Gas is 100% accreditation, and when you put your thumb on the scale like that, you’re going to get gas and not batteries. And that’s what Georgia Power is still doing to this day. And I don’t have the votes to change it yet. SE: I agree with Peter that we have to open the aperture up and look at all the possibilities. One of the things that I’ve been talking about is our failure to open up the solar program, which could be beneficial to more Georgians. We look at what’s going on in Gary, Indiana. They haven’t had power for two weeks. Nobody’s talking about that because BLAKE AUED
news
it’s a poor, minority kind of place. And you look at what happens in South Georgia with storms and the need for them to recover quicker. Just imagine if they had a quality solar program in place, so they wouldn’t have to rely on trucks to get them back up to some level of decency in their lives until everything can be restored. FP: I’m sure the situation here isn’t nearly that bad, but we do have places in Athens where it seems like the power goes out every time there’s a cloud in the sky. PH: I have a specific plan to help improve reliability. Right now, you’ll hear commercials with Georgia Power saying, “We invested in the grid, so we’re incredibly reliable.” When you pull the statistics, we are in the bottom quartile in terms of reliability. What I intend to do, when I have the votes, is to put in place a program where we look at the last five years of reliability metrics, and that’s your baseline, and then give them a carrot and a stick—a carrot to improve, a stick if they fall below that line. That’s been done in other jurisdictions with other investor-owned utilities and worked well. f
news
feature
Day Shelter Closing
NORTH AVENUE FACILITY COULD SHUT DOWN IN OCTOBER
By Chris Dowd news@flagpole.com
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dvantage Behavioral Health Systems, the nonprofit that operates the Homeless Day Service Center located at 240 North Ave., will soon begin winding down operations there in preparation for a final closing date of Oct. 16. Some services, including laundry and showers, will end on Sept. 25. Other services, including access to mail, will continue until Oct. 16, at which point the center may close its doors for good, unless another organization can be found to take over. The Homeless Day Service Center has operated at this location for over a decade, providing much-needed services like laundry, showers and an address to receive mail for thousands of people experiencing homelessness in Athens.
tage Behavioral Health Systems on Tuesday to craft a transition plan to ensure continuity of services, perhaps at the same location. The Homeless Day Service Center has been plagued by a number of issues during its 10-year run, including a brutal machete attack on an employee in 2024. Just three weeks ago, an Athens-Clarke County police officer shot someone close to the center who was holding a knife. While this last incident may have sealed the center’s fate, Mills said that there were many other factors that played into the decision. “It’s been a perfect storm of a bunch of different things. We’re facing a lot of legal situations, [and] the liability was continuing to grow and grow,” he said.
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THE 2026-27 FLAGPOLE GUIDE TO ATHENS Hundreds use these services every month. The center is also a place where Advantage case workers and street outreach teams make contact with clients to help them receive mental health and substance abuse treatment, as well as access to housing when available. When the center closes, Advantage will no longer provide basic-needs services like laundry, showers and mail for people experiencing homelessness. According to a spokesperson, Advantage Behavioral Health’s other services will continue, including behavioral health treatment, case management and homelessness prevention. “The services we provide—homeless prevention services, rapid re-housing, case management, street outreach—none of that is ending. It’s basically showers, laundry and mail services [that are ending],” said Evan Mills, vice president of development and community relations. Mills said the decision to end basic-needs services was a difficult one made after a sharp internal debate. Ultimately, Advantage Behavioral Health’s board of directors decided that the organization should renew its focus on its core mission, which does not include homeless services beyond case management and rapid rehousing programs. “We’re not a homeless services agency. We are a behavioral health provider,” Mills said. “One of the things we’re strategically trying to do is to empower our community and find collaborative mechanisms so that it’s not one single organization trying to be everything to everybody.” Tochuku Ikedionwu, the chief clinical officer at Advantage Behavioral Health, stressed that Advantage is looking to partner with other nonprofits to assist them in continuing these services: “We know there are other providers here in Athens-Clarke County who provide basic-needs services. We would like to support them to be able to do those things in a stronger way.” Mayor Kelly Girtz said that he is meeting with Advan-
Advantage Behavioral Health Systems does not receive any funding to operate the basic services of the center, according to Mills, and most who use the center are not Advantage clients in a strict sense. This makes reporting to the state government and meeting state audit requirements at the center awkward. “We are a behavioral health treatment provider, and we have to fall within the constraints of the state of Georgia,” Mills said. “The HDSC [Homeless Day Service Center] was a bit of an outlier or a strange little animal in that we weren’t necessarily funded for it, but being held to audit standards and things like that, it posed a bit of an issue in our reporting. What we want to do is extend and develop partnerships with other providers [to continue basic-needs services] who aren’t held to these same types of statewide standards and audit requirements.” This leaves dozens or even hundreds of people in Athens searching for another option to meet their basic life needs. Outside the Homeless Day Service Center last Friday, Zack, one person who is experiencing homelessness, said he has lived in Athens since 2012 and has been homeless since 2023. “I just came here to do laundry and check my mail, and I found out their last day is going to be September 25,” he said. Zach said that he’ll probably end up making use of the laundry services provided by the Sparrow’s Nest, if it can accommodate all of the new demand, although he would prefer to keep coming to the North Avenue center. He expressed some trepidation about how the closure of the center will affect him and others in the same situation. “It’s a whole lot of services that aren’t going to be available just in time for the weather getting worse,” he said. “It’s going to be an interesting fall and winter.” Advantage Behavioral Health Systems has written an open letter to the community about the closure. f
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news
comment
news
pub notes
Books for Keeps
Stay Cool
By Nicole Clark McGowan news@flagpole.com
By Pete McCommons pete@flagpole.com
B
COURTESY OF BOOKS FOR KEEPS
ooks for Keeps is an Athens-based with a word, I helped without turning it nonprofit that works to expand into a lengthy lesson. We stopped to laugh, children’s access to books and create make predictions and talk about the charjoyful experiences with reading. My involve- acters. Once I stopped approaching every ment with its Storytellers Literacy Mentor difficult word as something that needed Program began with a simple question: Are to be fixed, our reading time became more there any school mentoring opportunities relaxed and enjoyable. near me? Over time, I noticed changes. One stuThat question led me to the Books for dent began opening up and talking more Keeps website. Within minutes, I remember about what he was reading. His willingness thinking, “Of course Athens has something to discuss the story showed me that he like this.” Soon afterward, I was sitting was thinking about and understanding the at a mentor-training table at H.B. Stroud text. My other mentee began taking more Elementary School, preparing to meet with chances when decoding unfamiliar words students for as little as instead of immediately 30 minutes each week. guessing. With nearly three These were not decades of experience dramatic, movie-scene in education, I arrived transformations. They believing I already were quieter signs of understood how to growing confidence: help children become attempting a word, stronger readers. What sharing an idea, choosI learned, however, was ing another book and that being a reading looking forward to our mentor is not the same next visit. That is what as being a classroom prospective mentors teacher—and that is should expect. You part of what makes the are not being asked to program so valuable. replace a teacher, deliver In May Books for Keeps’ Storytellers Storytellers pairs a curriculum or arrive program received a $20,000 grant from first- and second-grade as a reading expert. You the Georgia Literacy Foundation and free are being asked to show students with volunbooks written by former UGA football teers for two 30-minute up consistently, open star Malcolm Mitchell. reading sessions each a book and give a child week. Books for Keeps your attention. provides the books, training and onsite Literacy instruction matters enormously, coordination. Volunteers provide somebut children also need opportunities to thing equally important: their consistent practice reading with caring adults in a presence and undivided attention. comfortable, low-pressure setting. They During orientation, I learned that stuneed someone who listens when they read, dents paired with Storytellers mentors had notices their progress and helps make a 337% increase in matched students on- books feel like something to enjoy, rather level and above on the iReady assessment, than another assignment. compared to 125% in non-matched stuOne thing I have learned over the past dents. It was my experience with my own year is that the Athens community shows mentees that helped me understand why up for its students. Books for Keeps began the program works. as a grassroots, volunteer-led effort in I drove about an hour and a half to 2009, and Storytellers continues to expand. Athens one morning each week to meet More volunteers are needed. with two students for 30 minutes apiece. Mentoring does not replace the specialMany volunteers choose a single 30-minute ized work of classroom teachers or reading session. I usually arrived around 7:40 a.m., interventionists. It does, however, give and within minutes, I was signed in, wearchildren more of something that can be difing my visitor badge and ready to begin. ficult to provide during a busy school day: Students selected a book from the Books sustained, one-on-one attention centered for Keeps shelves and found a place to read around a book. I initially thought, “I can with their mentors. There was no elaborate do this.” By the end of orientation, that setup. We had books, a table, two chairs and thought had become, “I want to do this. time together. When can I start?” At first, I made the mistake of trying to After spending a school year with my “play teacher.” After nearly three decades mentees, I remain grateful that my search in education, correcting and instructing led me to Books for Keeps. I am a boots- come naturally to me. But I quickly realized on-the-ground kind of person. Storytellers that my mentees did not need another gave me a practical way to support literacy formal lesson. Their classroom teachers while building meaningful relationships. were already doing the essential work of For people who care about children, litplanning, teaching, assessing and providing eracy or the future of our community, but targeted instruction. My role was different. are unsure how to help, becoming a reading I needed to be present, encouraging mentor is a meaningful place to begin. and interested in the experience we were Applications are open on the Books for sharing. We took turns reading quality Keeps website, or email storytellers@books children’s books. When a student struggled forkeeps.org. f
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F L A GP OL E .C OM · S E P T E MB E R 2, 2026
THE STUDENTS WE HAVE WITH US ALWAYS
Did I spot a student trend? Three guys crossing the street, all clad in black shorts—not khaki! Maybe just a coincidence. No research since then. I guess I’ve got to spot more than three before I can be an influencer. But I’m sure there’s a new trend in women’s jogging attire: black tank tops or less and black running shorts: a matched pair. Black? Is this a continuation of the quiet revolution among medical staff, who in the last four or five years have transitioned from white to black? Is the black a reflection of our national mood? Or maybe a comment on our failure to win a national championship in the last four years? Ever since I entered UGA wearing clothes from our family general store, I have marveled at how the word gets around about what’s in and what’s not. I knew immediately that my shirt said “rube,” but it took a lot of figuring to identify “cool,” and that’s still my look, outdated though it is.
DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, etc., and UGA experienced a major growth spurt. We used to worry about being taken over by Atlanta. At one point there was talk of building an outer perimeter around Atlanta that would have brought traffic to our doorstep. As it has turned out, we’ve got Atlanta anyway, because of the unintended consequences of the Hope Scholarship, the popularity of the Georgia Bulldogs, and our reputation as a cool little college town, all of which bring in the cool developers to build more cool luxury apartments and townhouses for students, retirees, football fans, young professionals, old professionals and doctors. Percolating beneath all this growth are the music and other arts that nurture the soul of Athens like the golden goose, ever in danger of extinction by the rush to profit from “Cool Town.” Where does all this lead? We’ll begin to find out in the new year when our new LEE SHEARER
WHAT I LEARNED BY BECOMING A LITERACY MENTOR
Are khakis no longer cool?
Trend or not, I think it’s great to see so many students out walking or jogging along Milledge Avenue and other streets. They’re mostly women. The men seem to get their exercise in their front yards playing that table game, but I’m always surprised to see so many women out walking in spite of the weather. We’re still adjusting to having them back in town, and of course they’re adjusting to being back. And we only see each other out. We don’t see them in class, in the library, at home, and they only see us at places like Ciné, where I heard a kid say something about all the old folks in their L.L. Bean stuff. (A trend spotter!) Truth to tell, I don’t notice much increase in traffic from the students being back. Traffic was incredible all summer. Where do all those people come from? All those townhouses covering our outer areas as thickly as data centers, I suppose. It stands to reason, with downtown blanketed in student apartments (and thousands more on the way), that students don’t have anywhere they’ve got to drive, other than charging their Dodges up and down Atlanta Highway to fine-tune their acceleration. Way back, native Athenians used to bemoan the changes to their little hometown in the 1960s, when Advancing Athens brought in such new industries as Westclox,
mayor, elected by cool developer cash, takes office. There’s been so much development under the old regime that we may not notice any difference, but Atlanta always sees opportunities for more. In fact, where will we be anyway, not only with our new mayor but with our blue dot town ever in the crosshairs of antagonistic state and national governments, including our congressmen and “our” local Republican legislators, who are constantly on the lookout for new ways to smother our local democracy, aided by insiders within our local government. And in spite of its heavy payroll of upwardly mobile administrators, the University of Georgia continues to educate our students, especially those who want to learn, who want to become teachers, artists, nurses, doctors, lawyers, business people and such. That’s the real reason all of us are here, and we’re glad to share our town with them, else, where would we be? So, our heritage is to welcome and enjoy the students. Even though most of them are only passing through, they lend us an aura of eternal youth, which we may not understand, as they may not understand us. But we can learn from them, if only that it may be time to lay aside the L.L. Bean khakis. After all, townies have been wearing black forever. f
news
feature
Crush the Competition ATHENS’ NEW FOOTBALL TEAM GETS A NAME AND MASCOT
By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com
F
ollow them, don’t follow them, features nodding to Athens and Georgia, Athens’ new indoor football team’s according to the team, such as an outline of got its new name and logo. Georgia in the middle of the logo’s A, and The team—which will start playing cracks in the letter that resemble musical this spring at the Classic Center’s Akins notes and the UGA Arch. Ford Arena—will be known as the Crush, Other options for the team name inspired by “Orange Crush” off of R.E.M.’s included the Panic (after another famed 1988 album Green. Athens band, Widespread Panic), and the “We wanted a name that was powerful, Bullfrogs and Hedgehogs, both playing off memorable and uniquely Athens,” team the Georgia Bulldogs. president and CEO Mike The Crush also Sammond said in a news announced that it’s hired In Athens, orange is Rob Keefe as its head release. “The Crush represents the energy, associated with our coach and director of foottoughness and excitement ball operations. Keefe led biggest college football we want to bring to the the Bay Area Panthers to arena every night. It gives rivals, and that’s one color the 2023 Indoor Football us tremendous opporLeague championship. we would never, ever wear. tunities to build a fun, IFL teams play on creative brand around 50-yard fields, with an football while connecting with the personentertaining style that team officials have ality and spirit of Athens.” compared to the Savannah Bananas, an Going with orange as the team color, independent baseball team featuring dancthough, was a trestle too far. “Obviously, we ing players and quirky rules. Teams are know how meaningful R.E.M. and ‘Orange eight to a side. There’s no punting in the Crush’ are to Athens,” Sammond continued. IFL and no out-of-bounds space, “We loved the idea of creating a subtle meaning players often leap connection to that incredible part into the stands to make of the city’s history while giving receptions. And fans can the name an entirely keep any balls they catch. new identity through The season starts in late football.” March and runs through July, with the playoffs in August. Teams play a 16-game schedule with eight home games and three bye weeks. In its 19th season, the IFL is the oldest continuously operating indoor football league. Last season it had 14 teams: the Fishers Freight near Indianapolis, IN; the Green Bay Blizzard in Ashwaubenon, WI; the Iowa David Pollack, a team co-owner and Barnstormers in Des Moines; the Jacksonformer star linebacker for the Bulldogs, ville Sharks; the Orlando Pirates; the Quad agreed. “With a team owned by a bunch of Cities Steamrollers in Moline, IL; the Tulsa passionate Georgia fans and [alumni], there Oilers; the Arizona Rattlers in Glendale, was one color that was never going to make near Phoenix; the Northern Arizona Wranthe cut,” Pollack said. “In Athens, orange is glers in Prescott Valley; the New Mexico associated with our biggest college football Chupacabras in Albuquerque; the San Antorivals [such as Florida, Auburn and Tennesnio Gunslingers; the San Diego Strike Force; see], and that’s one color we would never, the Tucson Sugar Skulls; and the Vegas ever wear.” Knight Hawks. In addition to the Crush, Other members of the team’s ownership next season the league is planning to add group include former All-Pro NFL runthe ATX Draft in Austin, TX; the Arkansas ning back Jerome Bettis, who now lives in Diamonds in Hot Springs; and an unnamed Atlanta, and Brian Jordan, a two-sport star team in Savannah. who played safety for the Falcons and outAthens’ other pro sports team, the Rock field for the Braves. Lobsters, play minor league hockey at Akins The Crush mascot will be a dinosaur, Ford Arena, and named themselves after a which Sammond said would appeal to kids hit song by another legendary Athens band, and families. The design has other subtle the B-52s. f
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S E P T E MB E R 2, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM
9
flag football
A New Dawg Day
DESPITE TURNOVER, GEORGIA IS HIGHLY RANKED AGAIN
By McClain Baxley news@flagpole.com
I
losing 13-10 in Death Valley. The Bulldogs will hit the road on Sept. 19 for a noon kickoff in Fayetteville, AR as they take on the Razorbacks. It’ll be the first SEC game for new Arkansas head coach Ryan Silverfield, who was hired from Memphis in November. Georgia has won the last three meetings with Arkansas, winning the last two by a combined score of 74-10. The SEC home opener for Smart and Co. comes on Sept. 26 against Oklahoma. It’s just the second time the two historic programs have met on the gridiron, with the first meeting coming in the 2017 Rose Bowl, where Sony Michel scored in overtime to advance to the national championship. This year’s edition should again be a Top 25 showdown. For homecoming this year, Georgia welcomes Vanderbilt on Oct. 3. One of the early storylines here could be surrounding Vanderbilt freshman quarterback Jared Curtis. The Nashville native was committed to the Bulldogs for seven months before flipping to the Commodores.
t’s the 11th season of the Kirby Smart Era in Athens, because of the players on the team. And having guys he and the Bulldogs intend to make another run for a played high school with and played against all his life, just national championship. the general Georgia consensus of being a Georgia player, Georgia went 12-2 last season, won their third SEC he’s been around it. So he’s worked really hard.” Championship in the last four seasons and reached the From the high school ranks, Georgia signed the No. 9 College Football Playoff for the fourth time. Still, it wasn’t 2026 recruiting class with 32 signees. Five-star defensive enough for a team that has championship aspirations every lineman Valdin Sone was the highlight, but keeping several year. of the top Georgia high school prospects in-state was key “The consistency and performance is probably what I’m for the class. most proud of over the last 10 to 11 years, including this season,” Smart said at SEC Media Days back in July. “Consistency and performance is what Georgia has been built on. Can we repeatedly do and be successful regardless of who comes in and out of your program?” After seeing their season end in the Sugar Bowl for a second straight year back in January, a handful of players entered the NCAA transfer portal, most notably cornerback Daniel Harris and running back Roderick Robinson. Harris played in 26 games in his three years in Athens, totaling 30 tackles. Robinson dealt with injuries during his Georgia career and never returned to his 2023 form, when he rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns. As has been the case for the last decade, Georgia sent its fair share of players to the NFL Draft, with eight Bulldogs being selected: offensive tackle Monroe Freeling by the Carolina Panthers, defensive tackle Christen Miller by the New Orleans Saints, wide receiver Zachariah Branch by the Atlanta Falcons, linebacker CJ Allen by the Indianapolis Colts, tight end Oscar Delp by the Saints, cornerback Daylen Everette by the Pittsburgh Steelers, wide receiver Colbie Young by the Cincinnati Bengals and offensive guard Micah Morris by the Philadelphia Eagles. Smart and his coaching staff, which remains mostly intact from last year, filled in the holes through the 2026 recruiting class and through the Georgia celebrated another SEC championship last year but fell short of a national title. transfer portal. Former North Oconee defensive back Khalil Barnes transferred in from Clemson in January, returning closer to home. In three seasons at As for returners, Georgia had 11 players featured on the Following the Vanderbilt game will be the most anticiClemson, Barnes had 139 tackles, seven interceptions and Preseason All-SEC Team. Offensive tackle Earnest Greene pated regular season game for Georgia—an Oct. 10 game 6.5 tackles for loss. III, center Drew Bobo, defensive back Ellis Robinson IV in Tuscaloosa, AL against a team that has mostly had its The Bulldogs also brought in Georgia Tech wide receiver and safety KJ Bolden earned first team honors. Running way against Georgia this century. Under Smart, Georgia is Isiah Canion to help round out the receiver room. The back Nate Frazier, tight end Laswon Luckie, guard Don2-7 against Alabama. In a big year for Crimson Tide coach Warner Robins native racked up 39 receptions for 563 yards trell Glover, defensive lineman Elijah Griffin and inside Kalen DeBoer, this mid-October game will mean a lot for and four touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets in two seasons. linebacker Raylen Wilson were voted to the second team. the SEC Championship picture, the College Football Playoff “He’s come in and blended really well,” Smart said of Starting quarterback and fifth-year senior Gunner Stockton picture and the national title odds for the Bulldogs. Canion on Aug. 25. “I think he was comfortable in the room and defensive lineman Gabe Harris wound up on the third Georgia hosts Auburn the following week before the team. rivalry game with Florida on Halloween at 3:30 p.m. in “Gunner’s been fine, he’s been good,” Smart said of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It’s the first time the Rabun County quarterback. “He’s in a much better place two teams haven’t played in Jacksonville since 1995. this year than he was last year, in my opinion, just from The back half of the schedule features a trip to a new- experience.” look Ole Miss squad, a Senior Day game against Missouri DATE / OPPONENT / TIME / TV Last season, in his first year as the true starter for his in Athens, a potential trap game in Columbia versus South home state Bulldogs, Stockton threw for 2,894 yards, Carolina and the regular season finale date with Georgia Sept. 5 / vs. Tennessee State / 3 p.m. / SEC Network+ 24 touchdowns and just five interceptions. The 6-foot-1 Tech in Sanford. Sept. 12 / vs. Western Kentucky / 12:45 p.m. / SEC Network quarterback also rushed for 462 yards and 10 touchdowns Most of the early projections have the Bulldogs as a Sept. 19 / at Arkansas / noon / ABC on 129 carries. Behind Stockton is a quarterback battle favorite to win the SEC for back-to-back years, with AlaSept. 26 / vs. Oklahoma / TBA / TBA between two younger players in Ryan Montgomery and bama and Texas the other main contenders. Georgia is Oct. 3 / vs. Vanderbilt* / TBA / TBA Ryan Puglisi. littered with veterans who have come up short of expecOct. 10 / at Alabama / TBA / TBA Georgia, ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press poll to tations for a couple years now after winning back-to-back Oct. 17 / vs. Auburn / TBA / TBA begin the 2026 season, hosts a couple of free wins to open national championships in 2021 and 2022. Oct. 31 / vs. Florida** / 3:30 p.m. / ABC the season. Tennessee State visits Sanford Stadium to begin “Our guys took a week-by-week section of being uncomNov. 7 / at Ole Miss / TBA / TBA the year at 3 p.m. on Sept. 5. The Tigers play in the lower mon, believing in the success of others is greater than Nov. 14 / vs. Missouri / TBA / TBA Football Championship Subdivision and are coming off a the success of yourself in a day and age when that’s not Nov. 21 / at South Carolina / TBA / TBA 2-10 season. normal,” Smart said in July. “That is uncommon to be more Nov. 28 / vs. Georgia Tech / TBA / TBA The competition increases a bit the following week with proud and have a little bit of mudita, we call it, [a Sanskrit * homecoming Western Kentucky coming to town. One of the more potent word meaning] that we enjoy the success of others more ** in Atlanta offenses among smaller-conference Group of Five teams, than the success of ourselves, and that’s what our team and the Hilltoppers went 9-4 in 2025 and played LSU close, program is built on.” f
UGA Football Schedule
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F L A GP OL E .C OM · S E P T E MB E R 2, 2026
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arts & culture
feature
Victoria Dugger’s ‘Runner Up’ Solo Exhibition EXAMINING DISABILITY, BLACKNESS AND FEMININITY THROUGH SOUTHERN GOTHIC
By Libba Beaucham arts@flagpole.com
A
new exhibition featuring sculptures and pieces by Athens artist Victoria Dugger is now on display at the Dodd Galleries. Dugger is the recipient of the 2026 Margie E. West Alumni Prize, which awards a graduate of UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art with a solo exhibition each year. The tongue-in-cheek title of Dugger’s exhibition is “Runner Up” and features vibrant sculptures inspired by Southern Gothic that reflect Dugger’s personal experiences as a Black disabled woman. “I think in life and in the competition of life, as a Black disabled woman, that intersectionality of my identity, we often come in second place, we are runner-ups… having won a prize and being recognized for my contribution to the alumni of the Dodd, I thought it would be a fun duality to kind of play on that,” said Dugger. Many of the sculptures have creature forms that are glittering and bright, yet uncanny and strange, which reflect Dugger’s take on Southern Gothic. “I think it’s definitely filtered through my own lens—this relationship to the landscape, the relationship to the outdoors, Blackness in the South, femininity in the South, and these kinds of contorted relationships and how they’re so much more complex,” said Dugger. The incorporation of fabrics, accessories, jewels, decorative items, hair pieces and more lends to the exaggerated appearances and whimsy. “There’s this excessiveness that I think kind of tips into monstrosity,” said Dugger. “I think that’s really interesting, this overabundance, almost this kind of greed and lust… oftentimes marginalized people are told to not accept a lot or be OK with having little. I think with my works, I want a lot, I’m asking for a lot, I’m presenting a lot materially.” Appendages are prominent throughout the works, as are anatomic hearts, mouths and eyes. “There’s a lot of medical imagery that toes the line with this duality of food and consuming, what it is to be consumed, what it is to be desired… this kind of contorted desire through the lens of disability and these kind of impossible bodies… I think that’s something that I hadn’t necessarily considered before these fantastical bodies, and I think a disabled body doesn’t have to be viewed as negative,” said Dugger. Kids have also connected to the sculptures and colorful works. “I’m very grateful that adults and children alike really enjoy [the work]… adults can get something out of it
that children would never pick up on, but then also children really love it as well, and I think that’s really beautiful,” said Dugger. “The work is meant to be playful. It’s meant to be beautiful, and it’s meant to be gross at the same time.” Originally from Columbus, Dugger completed her MFA at the Lamar Dodd School of Art in 2022 and has since lived in Athens. Her works have been exhibited in multiple galleries in New York and Atlanta, among others, and featured in publications including The New York Times, Vogue, New American Paintings and Artforum. Receiving the Margie E. West Alumni Prize was a particularly special recognition to Dugger. “I’m just so excited and very honored to be a Margie E. West Alumni Prize recipient… I actually didn’t know I was being nominated at the time— it kind of just came out of nowhere.” Rachel Waldrop, director and curator of the Dodd Galleries and Athenaeum, shared what stood out in Dugger’s work as a West Prize nominee: “She’s been a nominee before, and I think she’s well due to be receiving this award, especially the fact that her practice has continued to be rooted in Athens. We haven’t given the award to an artist who has continued to be invested in the Athens arts economy… She is established. She’s working with the gallery. She’s being recognized nationally at this point, having major exhibitions, and she’s right here in our backyard.”
OCONEE CULTURAL ARTS FOUNDATION
Commenting on Dugger’s work, Waldrop added, “What’s amazing about it is that it’s so approachable from so many different angles… how it’s going to resonate with our student body, how it’s gonna resonate with the public… but the work is beautiful. I mean, it’s tactile. There’s many entry points—talking about bodily autonomy, just formally looking at it, looking at the material and the process of her practice… and it’s just fun… it’s beautiful and it’s irreverent and it’s joyful, but it’s also deep at the same time.” “Runner Up” will be on view through Nov. 20 in the Margie E. West Gallery. The Dodd Galleries are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m., and admission is free. f
24TH ANNUAL
PERSPECTIVES
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GEORGIA POTTERY INVITATIONAL Dedicated to Alice Woodruff
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AUGUST 22 - SEPTEMBER 6 TUES-SUN 10-4PM, FRI TIL 8PM
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706.208.9588 www.painandwonder.com
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PREVIEW RECEPTION ($25) AUGUST 21, 6-9PM
F L A GP OL E .C OM · S E P T E MB E R 2, 2026
John Roberts
More: ocaf.com/perspectives 34 School Street, Watkinsville
music
threats & promises
Obscurity Breaks New Ground PLUS, MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP
By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com COMING IN HEAVY: The proggy-psych sounds of Stephan Eutsler’s new album Meditations of the Infinite Mind traverse a fairly wide field of related sounds. It takes nearly a full minute for the album to get going with opening track “Deadman,” including an intro that very specifically recalls Pink Floyd for a few seconds. But this is just Eutsler warming up. He gets into heavy post-acid rock territory with “The Rougaro,” which is easily as strong as anything, say, by early Rush or Jethro Tull. The album was mixed and mastered by engineer Chris Byron, who certainly did fine work on standout tracks like multi-sectional headtrip “Brothers,” gentle arpeggio meditation “Embrace II” and shape-shifting early-1970s rocker “25 Fools.” This is a guitar album for
of Germany’s Scorez, is solid. Find these on major streaming services, and for more information, please see linktr.ee/ tingzzzmusicofficial. LIVE FOREVER: I don’t think anyone in Athens has done more live records than Killick Hinds. The man is extremely comfortable working with single takes, no overdubs and no edits. His new collaborative album with Jeff Reilly is no different. Recorded in a single five-and-a-half hour session at The Glow studio, the pair crafted 12 tracks of eminently listenable improvisation. It’s titled The Sloppiest Lobbyist and features Hinds playing H’arpeggione (a hybrid guitar and cello), symbiote, bells, Pheenix and voice while Reilly handles drums, percussion and voice. This music gets sweatier and thicker as the album progresses, which is how we go from the relative ease of “Offering Bowling” to the frenetic and somewhat argumentative “Hallowed Kickback And Rol(od)ex.” Find this at killick.bandcamp.com. CHANGE YR BATTERIES:
Obscurity
those who want a guide, not a hero. It’s available on CD, and planned for vinyl, through stephaneutsler.com, and will likely be in local stores soon if not already. If you’re the streaming type, then head over to stephaneutsler.bandcamp.com. WILD WORLD: Miracle House, one of the many brainchildren of Marcel Sletten, released the nine-minute “Kathmandu II” in the middle of last month. There is no introduction and, as such, the listener feels like he just arrived in the middle of something. There are certain musical predecessors to this hypnotic, undulating tune—namely Mike Oldfield and Terry Riley. More than anything else, though, this reminds me of Godfrey Reggio’s Qatsi trilogy of films. I don’t actually mean because Phillip Glass composed the music for those; I mean the actual construction of the track. There are, to be sure, hidden seconds of surprise, but overall there’s a sense within it of trying to make order out of chaos or, at least, present an ordered view of chaos, which I realize are very different things. It’s less of a calm within a storm than a calm over a storm. Find it at primordialvoid. bandcamp.com. DO ALL THINGS: There’s a new collaborative track out between Athens’ Joshua Nathaniel and White Plains (about 40 miles south of here) rapper/vocalist Tingzzz (formerly 7DE). This is the first single under Tingzzz’s new name, and it’s titled “Need Sum Ting.” It’s a slow burner of a track that’s, essentially, appealing to human needs. Now, that should tickle your toes long enough to wait until Sept. 8 when a new-new track, “Yolk,” is released. It’s a song about living not only by faith but in faith. Tingzzz makes it clear this is a faith-based project and, indeed, takes his name from concepts in Philippians 4:13. Musically speaking this is another slower-type track, but the production, courtesy
Persistent Little Beeps has been kicking around the scene for a good while and releases its album State Of Play this week on Sept. 4. This is an unabashed guitar- centric record, and it’s geared for freeway listening or backyard jamming. To wit, the band positively channels Sniff ’n’ the Tears on the title track and then jumps up a step into the full-bodied “Lost My Sparrow.” The influences here are deceptive because they’re equally classic ’70s rock and roll but also classic ’90s alt-rock interpretations of the ’70s. This easily explains the Smashing Pumpkins-ish “It Runs Along” as well as Urge Overkill-ish “Glimmer Of Hope.” The group slows down in the middle of things with a three-song respite from heaviness, but these tracks, especially the xylophone(?)-based “Dragonfly,” are worth your time. The band celebrates the record the same night as its release—again, Friday, Sept. 4—at Athentic Brewing Co. where it’ll share the bill with Boulevard Saints. Find the new album on all major streaming platforms. BACK HOME AGAIN: It used to be that you couldn’t throw a rock in any direction in Athens without hitting a flyer for a Stewart and Winfield show. The former Athens duo is now Savannah-and Athens-based, but is returning to town to play at Live Wire Friday, Sept. 4. The pair will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of its debut album ’Bout Time. Advance tickets are $15, and door tickets are $20. In all, the duo has seven albums under its belt so be prepared to hear a lot more than just the first record. For tickets, please see bit.ly/LiveWireAthensSept4, and for all other information, please see facebook.com/stewartandwinfield. FACE THE STRANGE CHANGES:The often harrowing and always noisy Obscurity has broken new ground for itself with recent single “Everything All At Once.” Gone are the glitchy digital sequences, and similarly jettisoned are the regular screamed vocals. Instead, this dreamy squeezebox-sounding melody is lithe and nearly lighter than air. That is, except for the sneaky semi-drones and beats poking around. This is the first, really, breather it has taken as a band. Up until now, you could count on getting yelled at. Now, you have to count on something else at obscurityy.bandcamp.com. f
S E P T E MB E R 2, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM
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feature
Trvy & The Enemy
SAVANNAH MOYER
music
HANDCRAFTED STORYTELLING IN THE DIGITAL AGE
By Jake Hall music@flagpole.com
In
a town that more recently seems to float on one-off projects, student band demos and cover bands, it is always refreshing to hear a polished and realized sound. Achieving this often underappreciated quality is more difficult than just renting out the most expensive studio in town. A realized sound requires a certain focus and intention through every stage of the creative process. Trvy & The Enemy’s latest project aura: spirals, self-released in stages, was realized with full attention to detail. For the psychedelic hip-hop four-piece hailing from Athens, there was a reason for this. Not only was this an album release (and the release of a pretty solid album at that, too), but for frontman Trevor Wiggins this was also an experiment in music releases and storytelling in the digital age. The initial release of aura: spirals was on the alternative platform EVEN, a streaming service that allows artists to directly release their work to fans for prices they set. This setup allows for the release of more than just music, but also photos, lyrics and videos— all of which Trvy & The Enemy included. Wiggins explained that he “wanted to find a place where I could tell the whole story at one time. I didn’t want to fragment the
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story, so finding that EVEN would let me design the presentation and give people a pay-what-you-want platform was big for me. I got to show it the way I wanted it to be seen.” The story that Wiggins wanted to tell in this album isn’t just a personal one; it is also one fitting the times. The “path of genAI” and fears of “losing that handmade feel” drove the album, along with Wiggins’ personal feelings about “this idea of time not being linear. The spirals that we go through. The loops and the experiences.” This timeless sensation is one that the album very much provides, which is why the release works so well. This all comes from that attention that Trvy & The Enemy gave the concept. Since the original release was a single audio file, the medley aspect comes through even if listening to the songs divided traditionally. Part of the nonlinear vibe comes from the production, which is astounding. Producer Rio Crane (who also plays drums on the record) creates an atmospheric and at times haunting aura. A highlight of this
F L A GP OL E .C OM · S E P T E MB E R 2, 2026
superb level of production is Jenna Rye’s backup vocals on the track “ain’t it rich.” Ghostly and perhaps angelic, she provides a counterbalance with Wiggins’ steady, punchy vocals. What Wiggins sings about makes this “one of the most personal songs I’ve ever written” as he broaches “medication, therapy, life and growth.” Now despite Trvy & The Enemy going for a timeless sensation, that doesn’t mean the album drags on. The album runs for just over 37 minutes. Though the group sticks to the atmosphere and rarely breaks out of a certain bandwidth, the sound isn’t tiring, nor overbearing. The album just simply
works for what it is, with the multimedia aspect being a thoughtful addition to what is just a good album. Part of that multimedia release is the album cover, which is included as a file in the digital package on EVEN. If this album seems to hit you where you need it, then go ahead and print out the album cover and plaster it all over your bedroom. It was handpainted by Savannah Moyer and captures that timeless quality, even if it is in a more “Jean Giraud, anime, sci-fi” sort of way, as Wiggins put it. When asked what he wanted listeners to take away from the album, Wiggins responded, “I want someone who needs this album to hear it… These moments can feel dark and deep but… this story keeps on going as long as we have the hope.” The album is available on all streaming platforms as individual tracks, and updates can be found at instagram.com/trvyandthe enemy. f
WHO: Trvy & The Enemy, Added Color, blue. WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 3, 9:30 p.m. WHERE: Nowhere Bar HOW MUCH: $15
music
feature
Meditations of the Infinite Mind A PROG-ROCK JOURNEY WITH STEPHAN EUTSLER
By Sam Lipkin editorial@flagpole.com
W
hile guitarist Stephan Eutsler has the chops to put out an impressive instrumental album for fellow musicians, his new solo album, Meditations of the Infinite Mind, is a tasteful practice in balancing knowledge and feeling. It’s an organic journey built from a strong foundation of music theory that realizes itself through stream of consciousness, leaning heavily on improvisational songwriting. Athenians may know Eutsler as a member of Larry’s Homework, a manager at Nuçi’s Space or even as their guitar teacher, but Meditations of the Infinite Mind is a vehicle for Eutsler’s “pure voice” as an individual. It’s the product of writing pieces over the years and strengthening skills like drumming to create a truly solo album, although Eutsler did have the help of Nuçi’s Space’s Amplify studio engineer Chris Byron in mixing and mastering the project. A lot of the logistics of the album developed as organically as its songs. Eutsler says he went into the process with a mental checklist of things he liked that none of his bands had ever wanted to integrate, like adding synth or some specific guitar techniques. But it was his vision for the live performance of the album that strongly influenced his decision to proceed fully solo, rather than put together a backing band. When explaining the visual experience he wanted to create and how the music would weave in and out of that element, he says it’s not that other musicians weren’t into the idea, but it was going to take a lot of direction and work on top of learning the music. “I had started digging around for an artist to do an original piece to go with the album to make it a video album, and that’s still going to happen someday. But what I realized, you know, is that you don’t have to do everything at once,” says Eutsler. The Meditations of the Infinite Mind live show features an edited video using clips from a 1982 Russian version of Treasure Planet, leaving curated pieces of dialogue that accent the music. Eutsler was inspired by his son, who has an interest in avant- garde animated films that never made it mainstream. At the ready with a projector and screen, Eutsler hasn’t hit any bumps yet with pulling off his elaborate show—the first time he even attempted it was during Athens Business Rocks earlier this spring inside of The Grill downtown, hanging trash bags behind him as a makeshift screen. The toughest part is playing. “Once you hit
‘play,’ it’s like you’re going,” says Eutsler. One of the consistent driving motivations of this project for Eutsler was to have an outlet to be himself, but his songwriting also had a thoughtful emphasis on his audience’s parallel experience. He says that he could have shredded on the guitar for an hour, but that was never going to hold people’s attention. “The phrasing of the music was very, very intentional. I literally meditated, and I stared at a tree outside of my bedroom window when I was recording the guitar
tracks to try to get in the headspace of taking people on a journey with the music instead of just melting their face with 64th notes at 200 [beats per minute],” says Eutsler. On the same note of meditation, the album is tuned to 432 hertz, which is considered to be a relaxing or healing frequency. From a purely logistical standpoint, Eutsler says that it just happens to sound good and be easier to sing along to, but if there’s a chance that it does make people feel better, then that’s important. “I really did want to make a meditative guitar record,” says Eutsler, “a record that people could put on when they feel good or when they want to hear something that rocks a little bit.” The instrumental album did begin with lyrics, which is how some of the guitar melodies were developed. Eutsler wanted the guitar to sing to fill the vocal void, but a version does exist with lyrics. He says that the
instrumental album is just the beginning, but it was important to him to create an album that represented the part of his mind that freely opens while playing guitar. The emphasis on improv gives the album a very organic flow, and one that is open to interpretation without the framing of lyrics. One song with a very specific meaning to Eutsler is “All the Pieces,” which he had set aside for a close friend to play on. The friend died last year before being able to record something, but Eutsler was able to borrow one of his guitars to play the solo on the song. “I just tried to channel him. We’d shared the stage so many times in the studio together, and I kind of had a finger on the way he played a little bit. That song was very special to me, and that was one that came kind of last. I really want him to play on it,” says Eutsler. It ended up being recorded almost completely improvised, and using the two guitars created an unintended but unique effect. Eutsler’s friend’s guitar was tuned down to D, so he left it that way without changing anything. But Eutsler’s guitar was tuned to that 432 hertz sweet spot. To hear for yourself, Meditations of the Infinite Mind is available on Bandcamp at stephaneutsler. bandcamp.com. Fans of physical releases will have to hold tight for now, but CDs and vinyls are coming in the future. For the full visual live show, Eutsler will be playing with Annie Leeth and The While at Flicker Theatre and Bar on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Then on Sept. 9, Eutsler will be featured on the podcast Hops Metal Show, on YouTube at youtube.com/@hopsmetalshow3413. “From a musical standpoint, I don’t want to necessarily always have everything under the microscope of other people because I believe in myself and I believe in what I’m doing. I believe in advocating for myself in terms of what I want out of life and how I want to feel and how I want to make other people feel. Maybe it hits the mark sometimes, maybe it doesn’t, but, you know, just feeling like everything’s at 432 hertz, right?” Eutsler says. f
WHO: The While, Annie Leeth, Stephan Eutsler WHEN: Tuesday, Sept. 8, 8 p.m. WHERE: Flicker Theatre and Bar HOW MUCH: $10
The flagpole office will be closed on Monday, Sept. 7th for Labor Day.
Early deadlines for the Sept. 9th issue: Display advertising - 2PM on Wednesday, Sept. 2nd, Classifieds - 11AM on Thrusday, Sept. 3rd
S E P T E MB E R 2, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM
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MUSIC 26 | 27
Monday, October 20
FEATURED PERFORMANCES
GEORGIA BRASS QUINTET MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 at 7:30 p.m. $15 - Adults $3 UGA students Ramsey Concert Hall plus $3 transaction fee
music.uga.edu 706-542-4400
The Georgia Brass Quintet is presenting an All-American program of classical- and jazzinspired compositions comprised of original works and transcriptions.
WIND ENSEMBLE
PAUL HINDEMITH
with
MAGGIE SNYDER
The Swan Turner
viola
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 at 7:30 p.m. $15 - Adults $3 UGA students Hodgson Concert Hall plus $3 transaction fee
music.uga.edu 706-542-4400
This concerto for viola is sometimes referred to as the Concerto from Old Folk Songs. The piece follows a wandering medieval minstrel performing and embellishing these folk tunes.
PIANO EXTRAVAGANZA with Five Pianos
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 at 7:30 p.m. $20 - Adults $3 UGA students Hodgson Concert Hall plus $3 transaction fee
IC - WATER G A TRU -M
GIC - WATER A TR - MMonday, October 20 U IC
SKC
FREE PERFORMANCES
KS C
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SU M
M US
music.uga.edu 706-542-4400
Hear pianistic fireworks featuring our piano area faculty and students. With five pianos on stage as well as multiple performers sharing the same piano, you are in for a treat!
GUEST ARTIST
OLIVER JIA, piano TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 at 7:30 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall Described as an artist with “incomparable color and beauty of sound” (Jan Popis, Chopin Gazeta: 2005)
FACULTY RECITAL
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M ALS - GA MES SEPTEMBER 12 M 10 AM - 2 PM SANDY CREEK PARK: 400 BOB HOLMAN RD $2 PER PERSON PARK ENTRY
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F L A GP OL E .C OM · S E P T E MB E R 2, 2026
SHUTTLES AVAILABLE: INFO ON WEBSITE
GEORGIA WIND QUINTET MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 at 7:30 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall Works by Claude Arrieu, Ferenc Farkas, Paul Hindemith, and Theodor Blumer. All Hugh Hodgson School of Music events take place at the UGA Performing Arts Center, 230 River Road in Athens unless indicated.
live music calendar Tuesday 1
40 Watt Club 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (show). $24 (adv.), $27. www.40watt.com BEN QUAD Post-emo band from Oklahoma City, OK whose members originally bonded over bands like Microwave and Modern Baseball. MACSEAL Indie-rock band from Long Island that mixes hooky emo with math rock smarts. AREN’T WE AMPHIBIANS Self- described “ballroom emo” from San Diego, CA. Athentic Brewing Co. 6:30–8:30 p.m. www.athenticbrewing. com SONGWRITERS ANONYMOUS Featuring several songwriters in the round. Daily Groceries Co-op Tuesday Tunes. 6–7:30 p.m. www. instagram.com/dailycoop RYAN BERESCH Soft, sweet folk ballads. Dead Beat Club 8 p.m. & 9 p.m. FREE! www.deadbeat athens.com KENOSHA KID The brainchild of guitarist Dan Nettles performs two sets of adventurous new music each week from his ever-expanding catalog that exists “somewhere in the Schrödinger’s nexus of jazz, post-rock and improvised music.” Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. $5–10 suggested donation benefiting Athens Area Homeless Shelter. www.flickertheatreandbar. com VIRGO-X 90S DANCE PARTY DJ Seffro and DJ Charlieflower spin Chemical Brothers, Blur, Digable Planets, Crystal Method, Beastie Boys, De La Soul and much more. Hendershot’s 5–7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens. com PIANO BAR HAPPY HOUR Enjoy drink specials and live piano music. Ramsey Hall 7:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu FACULTY ARTIST SERIES Jay Ivey (baritone) and Andrew Voelker (piano) traverse a diverse musical landscape of quests, journeys and wayfaring.
Wednesday 2 Creature Comforts Brewery Athens Farmers Market. 5–8 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmersmarket. net HOWDY, FELLOW TRAVELER! A farmer and his best friends singing folk songs about love lost and gained, carrots plucked and un- plucked and how birds can make you cry. (6 p.m.) Dead Beat Club 8 p.m. $15. www.deadbeatathens.com LYDIA LOVELESS Americana/ bootgaze singer-songwriter whose music makes room for contemporary pop influences and roots music without betraying their fearless personal lyrical stance. JAY GONZALEZ DUO Jay Gonzalez (Drive-by Truckers) and Matt Lane (The Lanes) playing various types of pop songs loudly with various types of keyboards and drums. Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreand bar.com
DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Featuring a large assortment of pop, rock, indie and more. Georgia Theatre 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $37.10. www.georgiatheatre.com EIHWAR French folktronica band that makes music for Viking dance floors. FRAYLE Gothic doom/post-metal band from Cleveland, OH. Hendershot’s Classic City Vintage Guitars Presents. 7 p.m. FREE! www.hendershots athens.com HENDERSHOT’S OPEN MIC NIGHT Discover new Athens musical talent.
Thursday 3 40 Watt Club Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10 (w/ student ID), $15 (adv.), $20. www.40watt.com FOOZER Weezer and Foo Fighters tribute band playing the entirety of Pinkerton to celebrate the album’s 30th anniversary. MY GOD IS THE SUN Playing a set of Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures songs. Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. (doors), 9 p.m. (show). $10. www.flickertheatreandbar.com STRANGE TEMPLES Experimental gloom-psych. SERF LORDS Post-apocalyptic surf punk embedded in 8-bit DOS hellscapes. FLEET MACHINE Athens-based indie synth-pop. Georgia Theatre Rooftop 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $12 (adv.), $15. www.georgiatheatre. com MARY MARGARET COZART Former Athenian who crafts beautiful indie rock songs. Album release show! THE UNBELIEVING DOG Power pop alt-country songs from Iain Cooke and friends. Album release show! THE FALLING SPIKES Loud, dumb rock and roll. The Globe 7:30–10 p.m. www.facebook.com/ globe.athens MARY & THE HOT HOTTY-HOTS Hot jazz and swing band offering music from the 1910s, ’20s and ’30s. Hendershot’s 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10 (adv.), $12. www.hendershots athens.com MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME The project of Nashville, TN-based musician Billy Campbell. DUCKING Columbus, OH-based slowcore/psych band. CHAIRS Enigmatic local recording project that pulls from shoegaze and post-punk influences. REED WINCKLER Atlanta-based acoustic singer-songwriter embracing earnest, droll lyrics and DIY style. Nowhere Bar 7 p.m. (doors), 9:30 p.m. (show). www.instagram.com/nowherebar athensga TRVY & THE ENEMY Live hip-hop band that fearlessly breaks barriers in the realm of modern rap music, blending elements of trap with psychedelic rock.
ADDED COLOR Three-piece alternative rock band from New York inspired by the juxtaposition between Brazil’s social injustice and musical richness that brothers Daniel and Kiko Freiberg grew up experiencing. BLUE. Heartfelt alt-punk from Macon. The Roadhouse 9 p.m. $5. www.instagram.com/road houseathens DJ PHILTHROTTLE Spinning tunes including his lost classic mashup, OdeJay. Winterville Cultural Center 5–7 p.m. www.wintervillecenter.com OLD TIME JAM In memory of Art Rosenbaum, there will be an art exhibition on view, music, beverages and a creatives’ cafe. The World Famous 9 p.m. $10 suggested donation. www. facebook.com/theworldfamous athens OK, CUDDLE Brooklyn-based queer emo-punk and math rock.
Friday 4 Athentic Brewing Co. 8 p.m. $5. www.athenticbrewing.com PERSISTENT LITTLE BEEPS Local alt-rock band playing rhythmic, often driving songs about existential dread and grizzly bears. Album release show! BOULEVARD SAINTS Punk- hearted, garage-stained Athens band. Ciné 8 p.m. (doors), 9 p.m. (show). $10. www.athenscine.com PNKYDWN Locally-sourced funk punk from Athens. THE SPEAX Local rock music trio. STRICT#9 Grunge-tined punk band. Dead Beat Club 8 p.m. $5. www.deadbeatathens.com SAFETY TRAINING High-energy rock band from the Gulf Coast blending gritty riffs, punchy rhythms and anthemic hooks. THE CAROLYN Atlanta-based trio writing melodic punk songs about growing older, getting stuck, moving on and occasionally learning something from it. MODERN GHOSTS Georgia-based punk/rock band singing about adulthood, marriage, kids, finances and the weight of everyday life. MTM Riffy, punchy, melodic emo rock band formed in 2013. Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. $10. www.flickertheatreandbar. com RYNE MEADOW Local indie folk singer-songwriter with vulnerable and socially insightful lyrics. IAN ANDREW WHITE Session musician and Jack & Jealous co- founder exploring loss, redemption and belonging in his solo songs. MICHAEL CARNES A blend of pop-punk and indie folk held up by meditative lyrics. Georgia Theatre 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $24.58. www.georgiatheatre.com BARNHOUSE Five-piece Southern rock jam band that thrives on improvisation and groove-heavy live performances. JACOOZY Five-piece jam band from Boone, NC blending rock, indie, blues and funk.
Georgia Theatre Rooftop 9 p.m. (doors), 9:30 p.m. (show). FREE! www.georgiatheatre.com INTENSION Alternative rock inspired by bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Deftones and Tool. GREYWATER Elements of shoegaze, grunge and metal siphoned into a single alt-rock act. MENORAH Four-piece alternative grunge band from San Antonio, TX. Hendershot’s 8 p.m. $10. www.hendershotsathens. com ANDY BROWNE An English-raised songwriter and performer who currently plays with Harry Joiner (Mercyland). FIVE EIGHT Legendary Athens band known for its boisterous, thoughtful rock and roll. Live Wire Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $15 (adv. or w/ student ID), $20. www. livewireathens.com STEWART & WINFIELD Savannah-and Athens-based Americana and lowcountry rock band. BRADLEY COLE SMITH Musician formerly of Doublewide who has been a fixture in the Atlanta music scene since the early 1990s. Marigold Auditorium for Arts and Culture 8 p.m. $20. www.wintervillecenter. com BICHOS VIVOS Local band playing forró, an accordion, zabumba and triangle-driven genre of party music from Brazil. Ramsey Hall 7:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu UGA CHORAL PROJECT Roster of singers built alongside an intensive rehearsal schedule, usually spanning no more than two weeks. Southern Drawl Bar & Grille 5–10 p.m. www.southerndrawlbarand grille.com KARAOKE Every Friday night.
Saturday 5 Athentic Brewing Co. 2000s Night. 7–11 p.m. www.athentic brewing.com DJESS Spinning tunes for a 2000s dance party. Bishop Park Athens Farmers Market. 8 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmers market.net BENNY ST. PEIXE Atlanta-based bass player layering and looping jazz. (9 a.m.) Boutier Winery 3–5 p.m. www.boutierwinery.com RAIL TOWN Dynamic husband- and-wife duo performing ’70s soft rock, Americana, country, pop and current tunes. Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. $10. www.flickertheatreandbar. com HIGH RISE FIRE Post-emo band from Atlanta. ESTIMATED PRINCIPLES Alternative rock from Augusta. VINDICTIVE MIND Alternative metal known for its heavy groove riffs. Georgia Theatre 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $26.44. www.georgiatheatre.com THE OCHO A multi-genre band that focuses on classic rock, alternative, funk and country.
HALLPASS Indie and alternative rock group with a refreshing, feel- good and raw rock sound. Hendershot’s Dizzy Rat Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10 (adv.), $12. www.hendershots athens.com K9 New musical project. THE WRAPS Rock-and-roll band based in Athens with a sleek, sparky sound that some might call vintage. JOE RANDOM Atlanta-based band influenced by ’90s shoegaze, post- hardcore and alternative rock. No. 3 Railroad Street 7 p.m. $10 suggested donation. www.3railroad.org FOLIE À TROIS Playing French chansons, jazzy songs in French and English, and originals by Lavon, accompanied on guitars, accordion, and double bass. Nowhere Bar 7 p.m. (doors), 9:30 p.m. (show). $15. www.instagram.com/nowhere barathensga MOLLY’S LIPS Nirvana tribute band featuring members of The Agenda!, Donkey Punch and Shehehe. MANDOWN Athens thrash punk.
Sunday 6 Boutier Winery Wine Down. 3–5 p.m. www.boutier winery.com DENNY MARTIN Country acoustic guitarist. The Globe 4–7 p.m. www.facebook.com/globe. athens TRADITIONAL IRISH SESSION Easy listening traditional Irish music. Terrapin Beer Co. 3–6 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com JIM COOK High-energy solo blues, classic rock and roots music. Every first Sunday.
Monday 7 Flicker Theatre & Bar 6 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (show). www. flickertheatreandbar.com FIRST MONDAYS OPEN MIC Hosted by Josey, followed by a musicians social. Normaltown Brewing Co. 6:30 p.m. (sign-ups), 7–9 p.m. (show). FREE! www.normaltown brewingco.com MONDAY FUNDAY FUNK JAM Will Shine hosts this open jam with a house band made up of rotating local musicians.
Tuesday 8 Daily Groceries Co-op Tuesday Tunes. 6–7:30 p.m. www. instagram.com/dailycoop LIZ FARRELL Folk, jazz, and indie pop influences manifesting in heartfelt vocals and intentional throughlines of ukulele and piano. Dead Beat Club 8 p.m. & 9 p.m. FREE! www.deadbeat athens.com KENOSHA KID The brainchild of guitarist Dan Nettles performs two sets of adventurous new music each week from his ever-expanding catalog that exists “somewhere in
the Schrödinger’s nexus of jazz, post-rock and improvised music.” Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. $10. www.flickertheatreandbar. com THE WHILE Dynamic garage psych for the eclectic listener. ANNIE LEETH Local producer and violinist loops drums, synths and strings. STEPHAN EUTSLER An Athens guitarist playing in support of his instrumental record Meditations of the Infinite Mind. Hendershot’s 5–7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com PIANO BAR HAPPY HOUR Enjoy drink specials and live piano music.
Wednesday 9 Athentic Brewing Co. 7–10 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com KARAOKE WITH DJ GREGORY Second and fourth Wednesdays. Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreand bar.com DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Featuring a large assortment of pop, rock, indie and more. Georgia Theatre 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). SOLD OUT! www.georgiatheatre.com DJ BIG RED Internet personality on a college DJ tour. Hendershot’s 7 p.m. (sign-ups). FREE! www.hendershotsathens.com BEATS, RHYMES AND LIFE OPEN MIC Emcees, poets, rappers and freestylers of all styles are invited to perform with the backing band playing the tempo of their choice. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $3 (w/ UGA ID), $20. music.uga.edu UGA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Performing an evening of masterworks including Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 and Wagner’s overture from the opera Rienzi.
Down the Line 9/10 Great Dane, Little Gracie, Ten High (40 Watt Club) 9/10 Angélique Kidjo (Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall) 9/10 Mary & The Hot Hotty-Hots (The Globe) 9/10 Noise Mountain, Crucial Fix, Divine Feed (Dead Beat Club) 9/11 Karaoke (Southern Drawl Bar & Grille) 9/11 Guardians of the Jukebox (Paloma Park) 9/11 Rumours ATL (Georgia Theatre) 9/11 Parking Garage, Milk in the Microwave, Giant Deniro, Rare Birds (Flicker Theatre & Bar) 9/11 Bloodkin, Scott Low (40 Watt Club) 9/12 Rock Down South (Georgia Theatre) 9/12 Beat Up, BADKILL, Dames (Flicker Theatre & Bar) 9/13 Traditional Irish Session (The Globe) 9/13 Klezmer Local 42, Priestess Choir (Hendershot’s) 9/14 Monday Funday Funk Jam (Normaltown Brewing Co.) 9/14 Faculty Chamber Series: Georgia Brass Quintet (Ramsey Hall) f
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event calendar
CLASSES: Internet 101: Privacy and Security (ACC Library) Learn how to protect your data, recognize security risks and get tips on how to manage your personal information. Registration required. 10 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org 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 GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici at The Falls) Test your trivia knowledge with host Miles Bunch. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/ baddogathens GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Paloma Park) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/baddogathens GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Winghouse Grill Hull) Test your general trivia knowledge. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Akademia Brewing Co.) Test your general trivia knowledge with host 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: Bogart Bookies (Bogart Library) Pick up a copy of Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea, and discuss it with the group. 2 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary. org/bogart
SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. info@athenspetanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org
Wednesday 2 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 EVENTS: Garden Nights (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Embrace your inner child with an after hours tour of the children’s garden plus beverages, lawn games and more. Ages 18 & up. 6:30 p.m. $10 (members), $25 (non-members). botgarden.uga.edu FILM: Fly Fishing Film Tour (Athentic Brewing Co.) Join the Oconee River Chapter of Trout Unlimited for its 20th anniversary film tour featuring shorts about fly fishing, giveaways and more. 6 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (films). $12 (adv.), $15. www. flyfilmtour.com FILM: Curio Cinema (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Screening of the 1943 comedy film The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek. 7 p.m. FREE! www. flickertheatreandbar.com GAMES: Shadowfist Power Lunch (Tyche’s Games) Drop in and play Shadowfist. All skill levels. 11:30 a.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (South Main Brewing) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu nottrivia GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Hotel Indigo) Test your general trivia knowledge with host Ian. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/ classiccitytriviaco
art around town ATHENAEUM (287 W. Broad St.) “Erin Johnson: The Measure is Something Else” is the first survey exhibition of work by the artist and filmmaker, exploring ecology, science, nationalism and queer worldmaking through film and installation. Through Mar. 20, 2027. • “Megan Ledbetter: The Field (2022–2026)” features photographs of a historic municipal cemetery in Red Bank, TN that was in operation from 1890–1912. Through Nov. 21. ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY LIBRARY (2025 Baxter St.) In the Bogue Gallery, “Earth: Living on and with Our Only Home Planet” features music album covers curated by Ilkka Kauppinen and Olli-Pekka Moisio that are inspired by the earth’s natural environment and span the 1940s to present. Through Sept. 13. ATHICA (675 Pulaski St.) “Ground Zero Athens” features never-before-seen photographs by Barbara McKenzie documenting the early Athens music scene. Through Sept. 27. DODD GALLERIES (270 River Rd.) In the West Gallery, “Runner Up” features multimedia works by Victoria Dugger, recipient of the 2026 Margie E. West Alumni Prize, which examines Black girlhood, disability and the Southern Gothic. Through Nov. 20. • In the Lupin Foundation Gallery, “Cornucopia: Ties That Bind” is a curated collection of works by renowned artists of color. Through Nov. 20. • In the Plaza Gallery, “True Conceal” is an exhibition of new work by collaborators Katie Hargrave and Meredith Lynn from their Bad Outdoorsman series. Through Nov. 20. • In the Mills Family Gallery, “Through Service We Grow” is a new body of work by Dodd photography faculty Blake Jacobsen. Through Nov. 20. • In the Bridge Gallery, “I hope
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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
Comedy) Bring a loose funny bone to some hilarious, home-grown townie improv. 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (short-form), 8 p.m. (long- form). $5. www.flyingsquidcomedy. com EVENTS: Old Time Jam (Winterville Cultural Center) In memory of Art Rosenbaum, there will be an art exhibition on view, music, beverages and a creatives’ cafe. 5–7 p.m. www.wintervillecenter.com
GAMES: Bad Dog BINGO (Amici at The Falls) Play BINGO with host TJ Wayt. Thursdays, 6 p.m. www. instagram.com/baddogathens GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Terrapin Beer Co.) Test your general trivia knowledge. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu nottrivia GAMES: Happy Hour Trivia (The Rook and Pawn) Test your trivia knowledge with host Nikolai. Thurs-
Ceramic artist Janina Myronova will give a Visiting Artist Lecture on Tuesday, Sept. 8. p.m. www.instagram.com/baddog athens GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Locos Grill and Pub Eastside) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/ shihtzunottrivia LECTURES & LIT: Word of Mouth (The Globe) Athens’ longest-running spoken word open mic, with this month’s featured reader Jade Rivers. 6 p.m. (sign-ups), 7 p.m. (poetry). FREE! www.facebook.com/ athenswordofmouth
Thursday 3 COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Flying Squid
EVENTS: Ladies Night Out (Boutier Winery) Enjoy a night of line dancing with wine and a buffet. First Thursdays, 6–9 p.m. $20. www. boutierwinery.com EVENTS: ORAS Fall Kick-Off (Odum School of Ecology) Join Oconee Rivers Audubon Society for a fall celebration featuring a guest speaker, complimentary food and a silent auction. 6:30 p.m. FREE! www.oconeeriversaudubon.org EVENTS: Countdown to Kick-Off (Athentic Brewing Co.) An evening that benefits Red & Black with raffles, a panel of special guests including Mark Schlab from ESPN and Jake Rowe from ON3, and more. 7 p.m. $25. www.athentic brewing.com
this finds you well” explores methods of communicating and working together. Through Nov. 20. FLICKER THEATRE & BAR (263 W. Washington St.) David Wilson will have works on view for the month of September. FOYER (135 Park Ave.) “New Faith” features plexiglass and ceramic sculptures by Ethan Snow inspired by medieval art that explore artificial intelligence, technology and devotion. Open by appointment through Oct. 11. GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) “Edmonia Lewis: Said in Stone” features sculptures by the 19th-century Black and Indigenous artist Edmonia Lewis. Through Jan. 3, 2027. HENDERSHOT’S (237 Prince Ave.) Vintage artworks are on display through September. HISTORIC ATHENS WELCOME CENTER (280 E. Dougherty St.) An “American Dance History” pop-up exhibit will be on display through Sept. 19. LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (211 Hoyt St.). “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 self- taught 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. Through Sept. 26. MADISON-MORGAN CULTURAL CENTER (434 South Main Street, Madison) In celebration of the center’s 50th anniversary, the exhibition “ex-
days, 6:30 p.m. www.therookand pawn.com 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: Teen Dungeons & Dragons (Bogart Library) Join a volunteer-run gaming session open to all skill levels. Grades 6–12. 6 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/ bogart MEETINGS: KnitLits Knitting Group (Bogart Library) Knitters of all levels are invited to have fun, share craft ideas and knit to their hearts’ con-
tent. Thursdays, 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. info@athenspetanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org
Friday 4 CLASSES: Learn How to Play Bridge (Athens Community Council on Aging) All skill levels are invited to learn this classic card game. Registration required. 10 a.m. FREE! www.accaging.org COMEDY: Summer Comedy Jam (40 Watt Club) Night of stand-up comedy from local and regional performers. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $24 (adv.), $27. www.40watt.com COMEDY: Krakin Jokes (Flying Squid Comedy) A showcase of local and regional comedians plus limited open mic spots for the lucky audience members brave enough to take the stage. 8 p.m. $10. www. flyingsquidcomedy.com EVENTS: Wine Tasting (Tonique Bottle Co.) Drop in to try four different styles of chillable red wine. 5–7 p.m. $10. www.shoptonique.com GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Oak House Distillery) Test your general trivia knowledge. Fridays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Friday Night Initiative (Tyche’s Games) Learn how to play a new roleplaying game. New players welcome. 7 p.m. FREE! www. tychesgames.com
Saturday 5 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
perience and intersection” features works by John Cleaveland and the late Richard Olsen. Through October. OCAF (34 School St. Watkinsville) “Perspectives: Georgia Pottery Invitational” features more than 50 potters and nearly 5,000 functional pieces available for sale. A solo exhibition in the Members Gallery traces the career of founding artist Rebecca Wood. Through Sept. 6. THE OLD PAL (1320 Prince Ave.) “Normal Townies” features posters in the style of the Polish school of posters and Soviet-era propaganda art by Lydia Kinsey designed for locally-owned businesses. Through late September. UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) “Beyond the ’96 Games: Atlanta’s Olympic Legacy” features an original torch from the opening relay and other authentic memorabilia. Through October. • “Seeking Intrinsic Essence, Whatever Direction: The Photography of Nancy Ellison” features portraits and behind-the-scenes photographs of Hollywood celebrities from the 1970s-1990s. Artist talk Sept. 10, 6 p.m. Through Dec. 23. UGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (230 River Rd.) In the Lobby Gallery is “Antiques” by Margaret Morrison featuring large canvas works depicting scenes from her visits to Italian antique markets. Through Jan. 2027. WINTERVILLE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER (371 N. Church St., Winterville) In the Narrow Gallery, “This and That” features collages and wall works by Jack Burk. Through Sept. 15. • In Gallery 1, “Art: Through the Decades” features works by the late artist and folklorist Art Rosenbaum. A live music event Old Time Jam will be held on Sept. 3, 5–7 p.m. Through Sept. 15. • In Gallery 2, “Layers” is a juried Members exhibit with works in a variety of mediums. Through Sept. 15. • In the Music Room Gallery, “The Art of Sedition” is on view through Sept. 15. • In honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary, “Rebellious Art, Treasonous Artists” is on view in Room 103. Through December.
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 GAMES: Learn to Play Shadowrun RPG (Tyche’s Games) Join others to learn about the science fantasy tabletop role-playing game. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com OUTDOORS: Bird Walk (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Join the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society for a guided bird walk. 8 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.oconeerivers audubon.org/upcoming-event SPORTS: UGA vs. Tennessee State (Sanford Stadium) Cheer on the Georgia Bulldogs football team as they face the Tennessee State Tigers. 3 p.m. www.georgiadogs. com
Sunday 6 CLASSES: Sewcial Sewing Club (Oconee County Library) An afternoon of simple sewing techniques with all materials provided. Ages 13 & up. 2:30 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee COMEDY: Comedy Showcase (The Globe) Athens Comedy hosts themed and general showcases of local and regional comedians. Sundays, 9 p.m. www.athenscomedy.com EVENTS: Arbor Day Forestry Education and Cultural Festival (Virginia Walker Park) Celebrate Arbor Day with tree plantings, performances, vendors and more. 11 a.m.–2 p.m. FREE! www.rice- georgia.org EVENTS: Rock ’N’ Roll QPR & Musician’s Mixer (Nuçi’s Space) Learn QPR suicide prevention training followed by a meet and mingle with pizza and tours of the studio. 1 p.m. (training), 3:30 p.m. (mixer). FREE! tinyurl.com/rock–n-roll-qpr EVENTS: Making Friends Speed Dating (Athentic Brewing Co.) Speed friending and games followed by time to mingle. RSVP required. 3:30–7 p.m. www.athentic brewing.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/bad dogathens PERFORMANCE: Afternoon Tea: A Drag Brunch (Athentic Brewing Co.) A high tea themed afternoon of drag entertainment. 12 p.m. $10 (show only). www.athenticbrewing. com 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
Monday 7 EVENTS: Oconee County Contra Dance (Social Dance Preserve) Community dance night on first and third Mondays. 7 p.m. (beginner lesson), 8–10 p.m. (dance). $10. www.oconeecountycontra.com GAMES: Chess and Community (ACC Library) Drop in for open chess play to learn the game, challenge skills and engage with other enthusiasts. Mondays, 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org
GAMES: Magic the Gathering (The Rook and Pawn) Meet up to play in Commander format. Every other Monday, 6 p.m. FREE! www. therookandpawn.com 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 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
Tuesday 8 ART: Visiting Artist Lecture (Lamar Dodd School of Art) Ceramic artist Janina Myronova will discuss her work and technique. 5:30 p.m. FREE! art.uga.edu CLASSES: Finding Employment Online (ACC Library) This class will show you where to go online to find jobs and how to spruce up your resume. 10 a.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org 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 GAMES: Rock ’n Roll Trivia (Athentic Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host The Music Man. Second Tuesdays, 6 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing.com GAMES: Bad Dog BINGO (The Globe) Drop in to play and win prizes. 6:30–8:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/baddogathens GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici at The Falls) Test your trivia knowledge with host Miles Bunch. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/ baddogathens GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Paloma Park) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/baddogathens GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Winghouse Grill Hull) Test your general trivia knowledge. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Akademia Brewing Co.) Test your general trivia knowledge with host 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: 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 KIDSTUFF: Toddler Tuesday: Squish and Squash (Georgia Museum of Art) Enjoy art and storytime in the galleries, then complete an art activity. Ages 18 months to 3 years. RSVP by email. 10 a.m. FREE! gmoa-tours@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT: Curiosity, Storytelling and the Human Side of Science (UGA Special Collections Library) Emmy Award-winning science communicator and podcast
host Alie Ward will discuss asking unexpected questions, finding a good story and following your curiosity. 3 p.m. FREE! calendar. uga.edu MEETINGS: Memoir Writing Group (Bogart Library) During this monthly group, hear memoirs from others and learn tips on how to write your own. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/bogart 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
Wednesday 9 ART: Curator Talk (Georgia Museum of Art) Shawnya Harris will give a gallery talk about the exhibition “Edmonia Lews: Said in Stone.” 2 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum. org CLASSES: French Class (Oconee County Library) Join instructor Emma Auer to learn the basics of the French language. Ages 18 & up. 6 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary. org/oconee 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 EVENTS: African Perspectives Live (40 Watt Club) This live taping will feature UGA professor Akinloye Ojo in conversation with award-winning musician and advocate Angelique Kidjo. 7 p.m. FREE! willson.uga.edu FILM: History Film Series (221 Leconte Hall) Screening of the 1982 French film The Return of Martin Guerre. 4:30pm. FREE! history.uga.edu FILM: Blood Everywhere (Flicker Theatre & Bar) A tough-as-nails cop embarks on a violent odyssey through the mean streets of Montreal in Shadows in an Empty Room. 7 p.m. FREE! www.instagram.com/ bloodeverywhere.athens GAMES: Bingo (Oconee County Library) Play Bingo to win prizes and books. FREE! 2 p.m. www. athenslibrary.org/oconee 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/baddog athens GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Locos Grill and Pub Eastside) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/ shihtzunottrivia PERFORMANCE: AEW: Rebel Heart Dynamite (Akins Ford Arena) All Elite Wrestling hosts a televised evening packed with action in the ring. 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (show). $35.75–680.50. www. classiccenter.com f
arts & culture
calendar picks
MUSIC | THU, SEPT. 3
Double Album Release Show
Georgia Theatre Rooftop • 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show) • $12 (adv.), $15
Atlanta-based musician Mary Margaret Cozart and local band The Unbelieving Dog are both celebrating the release of their debut albums this September. The Unbelieving Dog’s self-titled record, out Sept. 3, has been in the works for the past three years. This marks frequent musical collaborator Iain Cooke’s first full-length project as a lead songwriter. An extremely personal work, the record’s content is informed by the loss of Cooke’s brother to suicide in 2021. In his words, it “refracts the universal and the personal into intense observations on grief” via the sounds of 1970s power
Mary Margaret Cozart. Credit: Jae Shin Cross
pop and early 2000s alt country. Cozart’s debut, Beginner’s Luck, was recorded with help from several Athens musicians, including Cooke, Toni Hunlen, Boone Hoode and Ben Hackett. The self-produced album deals with Cozart’s transience throughout her early 20s, with relocations around her home state, to Europe, then back to Atlanta defining her experiences and relationships. Subverting its title, Beginner’s Luck is the culmination of over a decade of songwriting experience, guitar studies, collaborations and live performances. The record comes out on Sept. 4, and Cozart will celebrate again with a second release show in Atlanta. [Mary Beth Bryan] MUSIC | FRI, SEPT. 4
Stewart & Winfield
Live Wire Athens • 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show) • $15 (adv. or w/ student ID), $20
Savannah-and Athens-based alternative country act Stewart & Winfield is playing a special show to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its debut record, ...’Bout Time. Over the course of their career, the two have released seven independent albums and solidified themselves as figures of the “Y’allternative” sound. Every year, Stewart & Winfield play a fall show ahead of a UGA football game, and this time around they’re ringing in the UGA vs. Tennessee State matchup with their first ever Live Wire appearance. Opening the show is
Bradley Cole Smith, who has been part of the Atlanta music scene since the early ’90s. Previously a member of the band Doublewide, Smith released his first solo record, Beggars and Bankers, in 2001. Songs that he’s written have been featured across several films and television shows, and he’s shared stages with artists like Sheryl Crow, Blues Traveler and Dwight Yoakam. [MB] MUSIC | FRI, SEPT. 4
Andy Browne, Five Eight Hendershot’s • 8 p.m. • $10
Singer-songwriter Andy Browne was born in England, but settled into Atlanta’s music scene in the 1980s with his punk band The Nightporters. During his time with The Nightporters, he even played shows with legendary bands like The Clash and R.E.M. The Replacements, Drivin N Cryin and RuPaul are among the other acts he’s shared stages with. After the band broke up, he spent time living in Los Angeles and Philadelphia before returning to Atlanta in 2016. Several years after his return, he helped form alternative rock band Lynx Deluxe, and not long after he began playing solo acoustic shows. In a genre turn he says was inspired by David Bowie, Browne’s solo work is gentler and more confessional. It shows the other side of his influences, from Southern folk and country to jazz and blues. Browne now plays with Harry Joiner of Athens postpunk band Meryland, and the two will be opening this show for seminal local rock band Five Eight. At the show, there will also be a special CD release of Browne’s single “The Dummy in Me,” which is a reflection on his personal and professional growth over the years. [MB] MUSIC | FRI, SEPT. 4
Persistent Little Beeps Athentic Brewing Co. • 8 p.m. • $5
State of Play is the new record from local alt rockers Persistent Little Beeps. The band was formed in 2021 by Mark Lawrence and his longtime collaborator Jason Eshelman when the two started putting together demos of songs written by Lawrence. These would go on to become the basis for State of Play. Over the course of a year, Lawrence finished the album with drummer Taylor Sproull, bassist Andy Pope and guitarist Ben Spraker, recording it locally at Chase Park Transduction with audio engineer Jason NeSmith. According to Lawrence, the guitar-forward rock album deals with themes of “disconnection and bewilderment at current happenings, the inability to hide from these, and the amazement that life hasn’t killed us yet.” For the live lineup, Lawrence and Spraker are joined by Steven Chambliss, Tim Payne and Jonathon Musser. Garage rock band Boulevard Saints will open the album release show. [MB] f
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bulletin board & classifieds BULLETIN BOARD: Listings from nonprofits, community resources and free opportunities. Print deadline is THURSDAY at 5 p.m. for the following Wednesday issue. Email calendar@flagpole.com. CLASSIFIEDS: Rates are $10/individual * $14/real estate * $16/business. Deadline to place ads is FRIDAY at 10 a.m. for the following Wednesday issue. Email class@flagpole.com or call 706-549-0301.
Classifieds HELP WANTED (Flexible) Now Hiring! Drift Wellness Studio is seeking a licensed massage therapist. If interested, please contact us hello@driftwellnessstudio.com for more information. HELP WANTED (Part-time) Daily Groceries Co-Op is now accepting applications for cashiers, deli, stockers, shift leader. Applications available in store from 8 a.m.–8 p.m. 1190 Prince Ave. 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 NOTICES (Missed Connection) 4/18/26 Entered CFA on Alps Road. The nicest blonde hair hostess was in a t-shirt as if on display and angry. My self embarrassed. Are you alright? NOTICES (Lost & Found) Lost cat ‘Beef’ last seen in the Arches on the Lake neighborhood. $100 reward. Please call 404-623-6539 with any information. NOTICES (Hairdresser Wanted) Rent private salon in normal town. Work in the privacy you deserve in a spacious elegant salon. Contact jujujr0000@gmail.com for more information. SERVICES (Consultant) Affordable
business and general consulting in Athens, GA. Free initial consultation. Email DrJPThornton@Incandescent.US or call 205-289-8747. 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! Woman- Run Gardening Services: We offer garden maintenance, invasive plant removal, personalized edible and native gardens for your school, home or business! 706-395-5321 SERVICES (Home & Garden) Hi! I’m Pablo, an expert gardener offering personalized care for your landscape. I specialize in low- maintenance, native gardens that support pollinators and biodiversity. Find me @pablofromseed, email pkozatch@gmail.com or call 631- 903-4365.
Arts CALL FOR ART (Various Locations) Visit www.flagpole.com/bulletin board for ongoing open art calls. CALL FOR ART (ATHICA) Open call for the 2026 National Juried Exhibition. All artists are invited to submit
up to five contemporary works in any media by Sept. 14. $500 cash awards. www.athica.org CALL FOR MURALISTS (ACCGov) ACCGov invites professional artists to submit qualifications for interior mural for new Eastside Athens Library. Deadline Sept. 18. www. accgov.com/11628/Call-for-Public-Art-Eastside-Athens-Libr CALL FOR PERFORMERS (Jam in the Streets) Local bands, independent artists and DJs in the Athens or greater Atlanta area and surrounding cities are encouraged to apply. Jam For Cam is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Deadline Oct. 31. www. instagram.com/jamforcam CALL FOR PERFORMERS (Porchfest) Seeking musicians and performers for the 2026 Historic Athens Porchfest. One hour slot pairing in one of the following areas: Boulevard, Buena Vista Heights, Cobbham, Newtown, Normaltown, Pulaski Heights and Reese-Hancock. Also seeking sponsors, hosts and volunteers. Event held Oct. 18. bit.ly/porchperform26 CALL FOR PHOTOS (Athens, GA) Submit water or nature-themed photos taken in Athens-Clarke County to be considered in the Stormwater Management Program’s annual calendar. www.instagram. com/accstormwater CALL FOR STORYTELLERS (Rabbit Box) Rabbit Box seeks story ideas
ADOPT ME!
Visit www.accgov.com/257/Available-Pets to view all the cats and dogs available at the shelter
Ninja (61168934)
Ninja may have the black coat to match, but he’s a whole lot sweeter than his name might lead you to believe. His favorite things are going for car rides and walks and chasing his tail.
Cici (61544074)
Cici is one of the shelter’s resident snugglebugs. This gorgeous twoyear-old girl is looking for a new home where she can share her love, so consider adopting or fostering her today!
Max (61307590)
Meet Max! This gentle giant loves long walks, cold floors and freeze-dried beef liver treats. He’s admittedly a little bit confused by cats, but he’s excellent with kids and other dogs.
These pets and many others are available for adoption or foster at:
Athens-Clarke County Animal Services 125 Buddy Christian Way · 706-613-3540 Call for appointment
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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 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. SEEKING PERFORMANCE SUBMISSIONS (The Cottage Sexual Assault Center & Children’s Advocacy Center) Seeking original written works for new theatrical production “Our Bodies, Our Voices, Our Choices.” Open to all ages and backgrounds who identify as women. Monologues, short scenes, poetry, spoken word, songs, musical sketches, personal essays, testimonials and more. Deadline Sept. 15. www.thecottagega.org/ SEEKING ZINE ART & IDEAS (Suburban Vermin) Accepting sub-
missions for art, craft ideas, poetry and more for free local publication. Message @suburban.vermin.zine on Instagram.
Auditions MERIDIAN WOMEN’S CHORUS OPEN CALL (Holy Cross Lutheran Church) New members invited to join the fall rehearsal season. Schedule vocal assessment to determine voice part. No audition necessary. www.meridianwomens chorus.org 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 Symphony) The Athens Symphony is holding auditions for qualified musicians. www.athenssymphony. org/openings
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. 770-237- 2354, 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 (ACCA) Various weekly and monthly events including Center for Active Living Happy Hour (various locations, every first Thursday), Normaltown Poker with Pals (Mondays), Mat Pilates (Mondays) and more. Registration may be required. www. accaging.org CLASSES, PROGRAMS & TOURS (State Botanical Garden of Georgia)
Various ongoing weekly events including Guided Plant Walk (Tuesdays–Fridays), Porcelain and Decorative Arts Tour (Tuesdays & Sundays), Free Sketch (Fridays) and more. botgarden.uga.edu CLASSES, PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS (OCAF, Watkinsville) Registration now open for extended session pottery classes, art instruction and more. www.ocaf.com/ courses CUBAN MUSIC & MOVEMENT (The Studio Athens) TIMBAthens offers Cuban-style salsa classes on Sundays. 3 p.m. for Level 1 Foundations and 4 p.m. for Level 2 & 3 Partner Work and Rueda de Casino. Through Dec. 13 with exception of Oct. 18. Drop-in $10 for first four classes only. Class passes available. www.timbathens.com CUBAN SALSA LESSONS (El Carretonero) SALSAthens offers multiple classes for different skill levels. Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. (advanced) and 7:30 p.m. (beginner/intermediate). $10 drop in. www.SALS AthensDancing@gmail.com DRAWING OTHER HUMANS (UGA Community Art School) An introduction to figure drawing for adult students of all levels. Materials provided. Mondays, 6–8:30 p.m. Sept. 14–Nov.16. $450. Proceeds from the UGA Community Art School support the studio art program at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. art. uga.edu/programs/community- programs 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 now open. 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 community input. Third Sundays. www.athensskatepark project.org
BRAS FOR A CAUSE (Grail Bra Specialists) Seeking donations of gently-used bras for distribution to local shelters, recovery centers and communities in need. 706-850- 0387 or support@grailbras.com 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.athensareadiaper bank.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 HALLOWEEN COSTUME DROP- OFF (Bogart Library, Bogart) Accepting gently used costumes and accessories for all ages and sizes. Donors will receive tokens to redeem for new costumes. Donations open Sept. 1 through Oct. 1. www.athenslibrary.org/bogart 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 NOMINATIONS FOR PLACES IN PERIL (Historic Athens) Eligible sites must be 50 years or older, look largely as they did originally, face a current threat to their existence or integrity and have active grassroots support for preserving the structure. Nominees may include historic homes, buildings, structures, cultural landscapes and cemeteries. Submissions close Sept. 30. bit.ly/athensplaces. 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 (Town & Gown) The Nominating Committee is now accepting nominations (including self-nominations) for President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary for the 2027 calendar year. Descriptions of these roles can be found in the bylaws. www. townandgownplayers.org/governance 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 (Athens, GA) Local homeless ministry Hands of Hope accepting donations of clothing for their free distribution program and fundraising yard sale with
proceeds benefiting the program. 706-207-5172 SEEKING DONATIONS (Athens, GA) Local book club RIP Books seeking donations of any genre of 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 donations of gently used bath towels and rags. Donations can be dropped off at the door after hours. www. accgov.com/animalservices SEEKING VARIOUS VOLUNTEERS (AthHalf 5K & Half Marathon) AthFest Educates volunteer signup now open. 2026 half marathon and 5K events held Oct. 10 &11. Available roles include runner check-in, course monitoring, expo registration and post-race hospitality. athhalf volunteers@athfesteducates.org SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Various Locations) Visit www.flagpole. com/bulletinboard for ongoing opportunities with nonprofits and community organizations. 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 (Athens, GA) 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 FARMPLAY (Foxfire Woods & Farm) Monthly nature-based, creativity-filled playgroup for kids ages 11–15. Registration required. $5 suggested donation. www.foxfire woodsandfarm.com
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 CALL FOR VENDORS (Athens, GA) Seeking local artists, food vendors and business for indoor shopping event. Sept. 19 at the Georgia Square Mall. Vendor proceeds help support Hope for the Holidays, an annual community outreach program that provides assistance, gifts and holiday support to families in need. Call 706-202-7825 to reserve a space. CALL FOR VENDORS (Marigold Collective, Winterville) Applications now open for Winterville
Wonderland Christmas Market. Crafts, food, music and more. $50 registration fee required. Acceptance announced Oct. 1, and event held Dec. 12. www.marigold collectivewinterville.com/connect/ vend-with-us CALL FOR VENDORS (OCAF, Watkinsville) Applications now open for the OCAF Annual Holiday Market. Artists and makers are encouraged to apply. The deadline for submission is Oct. 15 and the juried event is held Nov. 20–22. www.ocaf.com/ holiday-market CITY TOURS (Historic Athens Welcome Center) A variety of guided tours available including a daily shuttle tour, walking tour of the downtown area and local music tour. Schedule in advance. www. athenswelcomecenter.com 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. 12:30–1:30 p.m. www.indivisiblega10.org SEEKING POLL WORKERS (ACCGov) The Elections Department is seeking residents to serve as poll workers. Advanced voting Oct. 13–30 and Nov. 3 general election. $15.60 per hour. www. accgov.com/10102/Poll-Worker- Information SEEKING SEASONAL EMPLOYEES (Athens, GA) AthFest now hiring for two part-time, seasonal positions: Event Coordinator and Musical Talent Booking Agent. Deadline Oct. 15, but applications are subject to closing sooner. More info and submission details at www.athfest.com/ job-opportunities SEVENTH GENERATION (No. 3 Railroad Street, Arnoldsville) Seventh Generation Native American Church hosts various gatherings on Sundays, 11 a.m. 706-340-7134 SUNDAY CELEBRATION & DRUM CIRCLE (Unity Athens Spiritual Center) Sunday Celebration every Sunday 12:30 p.m. Monthly drum circle before service every 3rd Sunday. FORGIVENESS: A Path to Peace on Sept. 13, 2 p.m. Visit unityathens.com for more information. 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/ athensvfwpost2872
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good growing
Chili Heads Rejoice LOCAL GARDENER BREEDS NEW HOT PEPPER
By Erin France editorial@flagpole.com If you’re a hot pepper fan and an Athens area resident, you’ll want to be on the look out for the newest addition to Athens’ fine, fresh produce lineup: the Georgia Jeanette. Lawson Moore, an avid gardener and park supervisor for the county, spent the last decade breeding the Georgia Jeanette. Now, he wants to share the citrusy, spicy bounty around Athens. “At this stage of the game, I need people to discover them,” Moore said. The seed of the idea came during a vacation in 2016, he said. While on an Aruba snorkeling trip, Moore asked his Airbnb host about what plants the island people grew. Aruba itself doesn’t grow much commercially—tourism, banking and shipping are the main economic drivers. Farmers do grow non-native aloe in the country’s desert environment, but many of those operations closed as development increased. Moore’s host told him about the island’s famous Madam Jeanette pepper. Madam Jeanettes are found throughout the Caribbean and Suriname (a country at the top of South America), and are used in sauces and sambals or sliced right onto dishes like burgers and pizzas. Restaurants across Aruba advertise their Madam Jeanette-featured dishes. Moore asked his host for a few seeds. “She brings me one pepper, just one,” he said. Back in Athens, Moore carefully planted the seeds, hoping to capture some of that Caribbean flavor from his own garden. But the seeds refused to germinate. “They did nothing,” he said. By mid-May, Moore was sure his experiment was a bust, and he threw the duds into the used potting soil pile. A few weeks later, he noticed three little pepper plants sticking out of the forlorn soil and saved them. That first generation grew poorly, Moore said. “They didn’t want to grow here at all,” he said. Growing conditions in Georgia are much different. These seeds were used to the steady heat and 12 hours of daylight found close to the equator. And Aruba, despite being next to the ocean, is known for its dry conditions, a far cry from the humidity of Northeast Georgia. Finally, near the year’s first frost, the pepper plants flowered, fruited and produced a handful of peppers. “I grabbed the first three peppers,” he said. During the next decade, Moore selected from his homegrown Jeanettes—renaming them Georgia Jeanettes—for vigor, early production and self-supporting plants. “The early plants are what I’m going for,” he said. “I repeated that cycle for 10 years.”
The fruits have changed some in the last decade. Many plant breeders, both backyard hobbyist and professional, will tell you that plant traits can be tricky. Picking for one trait can inextricably change another. Roses are one well known example. Rose breeders chose for durability, disease resistance and size, but that’s reduced many varieties’ floral perfume. If you compare today’s rose breeds against heirloom varieties, you will find dozens of glorious aromas in the heirloom category and possibly a handful in the larger, easier-to-grow breeds. Breeding for compatibility with the Northeast Georgia climate has decreased the heat in the peppers, Moore said. “They’ve gotten longer,” he said. “They’re not as hot as they used to be.” LAWSON MOORE
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food & drink
I found the Georgia Jeanette a tasty, pineapple-flavored affair. They are spicy hot, but closer to a jalapeño than a habanero. This is exactly the kind of pepper I love—something that brings heat and flavor to the table. Moore said he’s not interested in mass distribution, and doesn’t want to sell the seeds. He wants the plant to stay local, and hopes that it becomes a part of the culinary tradition of the Athens area. Moore has made lacto-fermented hot sauce with them, as well as dried them. He said a sprinkle of dried Georgia Jeanettes in a white bean chili is especially delicious. “The Georgia Jeanette is truly an Athens pepper,” he said. If you’d like to learn more about home- style veggie breeding, check out Plant Breeding for the Home Gardener by Joseph Tychonievich. If you’re interested in trying a Georgia Jeanette yourself, Diamond Hill is supplying them to CSA customers and has some for sale at the Athens Farmers Market. f
SUDOKU
Edited by Margie E. Burke
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1 Copyright 2026 by The Puzzle Syndicate
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Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3 by 3 boxes must contain Week 8/31/261-to 9/6/26 theofnumbers 9.
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ACROSS 1 Yarn mop 5 Tools with teeth 9 Farm machine 13 God with a hammer 14 Mayberry kid 15 Flared-bottom dress 16 Ireland, poetically 17 Awareness 19 Goes on the offense 21 Passed, as laws 22 Hardly seaworthy 23 Gridiron move 25 MySQL, e.g. 27 Crafty 30 Set off, as explosives 33 Toyota pickup 35 Turn over ___ leaf 36 1965 march site 38 Alda or Hale 39 Baby's headwear 41 Choir member's volume 43 Snake's sound 44 Flute's kin 46 Illinois college town
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Copyright 2026 by The Puzzle Syndicate
47 Marketing tactic 51 Behaves badly 54 Longtime Dodgers manager Tommy 56 Saints logo 58 Hit for the Kinks 59 Engine sounds 60 Take a chance on 61 Genesis garden 62 Grand Ole ___ 63 Adjusts, as a clock 64 Danson and others DOWN 1 Quite a bargain 2 Wedding color 3 Artery trunk 4 Reason for a tow 5 Puppet maker? 6 Religion defector 7 Hairpiece 8 Iroquois tribe 9 Finish second 10 Clothing fuzz 11 Way back when 12 Garden intruder 15 Flowering shrub 18 Place for a quill
20 Blue hue 24 Neptunium discoverer 26 Flavor detector 27 "Star Wars" pilot Han 28 "Hahaha," in a text 29 American, to a Brit 30 Light pats 31 Grandson of Eve 32 Addition column 34 Coupe's kin 37 High-principled one 40 Proofer's finds 42 Comes down with 45 Works a wedding, maybe 46 High-interest lending 48 Eat away 49 Ran in park 50 Indian flatbreads 51 Bushy do 52 Horse's beat 53 Eye drop? 55 Inquires 57 Deception
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