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NOVEMBER 4, 2026 · VOL. 40 · NO. 44 · FREE
The Love.Craft Band Debut Album and Documentary Spread Joy p. 11
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F L A GP OL E .C OM · NO V E MB E R 4, 2026
contents
this week’s issue
“The Cocktail Series” features photography by Christina Howells on view at The Old Pal, and a meet-the-artist event will be held Nov. 4 from 5–8 p.m. Find this week’s “Art Around Town” online at flagpole.com.
Curb Your Appetite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 NEWS: City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
This Modern World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Micah’s Creek
Threats & Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Love.Craft Band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
NEWS: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Live Music Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Urban Camping Laws
Calendar Picks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Julien Baker’s Residency
Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
ARTS & CULTURE: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
‘Making Place’ Exhibition
Adopt Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Local Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 UGA ATHLETICS
PUBLISHER & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Alicia Nickles PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner ADVERTISING SALES Rachel Watkins 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 Anna Haas, Gordon Lamb 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
Chris Cole
COVER PHOTOGRAPH of the Love.Craft Band by Alec Stanley (see story on p. 11) STREET ADDRESS: 220 Prince Ave., Athens, GA 30601 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603 EDITORIAL: 706-549-9523 · ADVERTISING: 706-549-0301 CLASSIFIED ADS: class@flagpole.com ADVERTISING: ads@flagpole.com CALENDAR: calendar@flagpole.com EDITORIAL: editorial@flagpole.com
ARTS & CULTURE: arts@flagpole.com LETTERS: letters@flagpole.com MUSIC: music@flagpole.com NEWS: news@flagpole.com
Flagpole, Inc. publishes Flagpole Magazine weekly and distributes 8,600 copies free at over 275 locations around Athens, Georgia. Subscriptions cost $140 a year, $75 for six months. © 2026 Flagpole, Inc. All rights reserved.
VOLUME 40 ISSUE NUMBER 44
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online exclusive Head coach Kirby Smart was smiling hard multiple times in the second half, as he knew he’d once again dominated the team he’s hated since childhood. With Saturday’s 27-8 win against Florida, Smart is now 9-2 against the Gators as head coach of his alma mater. See “Georgia Beats Florida at the World’s Largest Indoor Cocktail Party” at flagpole.com.
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Event Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 MUSIC: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
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F L A GP OL E .C OM · NO V E MB E R 4, 2026
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news
city dope
Solar-Powered Houses
PANELS INSTALLED AT MICAH’S CREEK AND MORE LOCAL NEWS
By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com The Micah’s Creek community of affordable small homes in East Athens will be powered by the sun. Athens Area Habitat for Humanity held a ceremonial “solar barn-raising” at the construction site on Saturday, Oct. 24, based on Amish and Mennonite traditions in Virginia. About 200 attendees passed solar
a small part of it,” Mayor Kelly Girtz said at the ceremony, with mayor-elect Dexter Fisher in attendance. The Rotary Club of Athens and Classic City Rotary joined forces to raise $23,200 for the solar panels under a program spearheaded by a group of Habit volunteers called the Bright Homes Energy Initiative.
BLAKE AUED
Volunteers pass along solar panels during a “solar barn-raising” at the Athens Area Habitat for Humanity project Micah’s Creek.
panels hand-over-hand to construction workers who installed them on a house’s rooftop. The panels and batteries will lower power bills for residents and keep the electricity flowing even during power outages. “People don’t tend to think of nonprofits building affordable homes as innovators in the housing sector, but we’re out to show what can be done, even on a limited budget,” said Spencer Frye, executive director of Athens Area Habitat. “One thing that makes our work different from public- private partnerships is that we can take the long view and truly partner with the homeowners, so we’re thinking in terms of affordability of ownership, not just what folks are paying up front.” The development consists of 42 single- family homes, 15 two-bedroom bungalows and 11 tiny homes, about a mile from downtown Athens, adjacent to the Firefly Trail. They will sell for less than $200,000, financed by zero-interest loans. Fourteen are currently under construction, according to Frye. The 15 small bungalows will be leased by Lydia’s Place, a nonprofit that supports college students who’ve aged out of the foster care system and have no parental support. Athens-Clarke County has contributed several million dollars to the development through its affordable housing trust fund, clean energy SPLOST program and the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act. “This is the kind of thing I know community advocates will continue to push for in the future, and I’m blessed to be just
Laura Iyer, president of Classic City Rotary and director of the Southern Sustainability Institute, said that the project was hampered when funds disappeared under the Trump administration. “We said, ‘It’s a good idea, we’re going to do it anyway,’” she said, noting the high cost of utility bills. Rotary Club of Athens President Erin Barger related the project to her work leading the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. “When housing is unattainable, families don’t have money for basic necessities like food,” she said.
TSPLOST largely replaced the county’s general fund contribution to Athens Transit, not fares, which only generated about $1.2 million a year. Reinstating fares would likely raise less than $1 million in revenue when accounting for the cost of replacing fareboxes, because UGA students, staff and faculty would continue to ride for free. Currently, UGA subsidizes Athens Transit by submitting a joint application for federal funding, allowing the two systems to combine their ridership numbers. While ridership dipped during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it did for transit systems nationwide, Athens Transit set a ridership record in 2025, topping 2 million boardings for the first time ever.
Historic Athens Grant
and the communities behind them, as well as help create a strong foundation for their preservation.”
Three 7 Brews The downtown Starbucks was supposed to reopen after plumbing problems forced it to close in 2024, but never did. Now a different coffee chain, 7 Brew, is set to take its place on College Square, according to the Athens-Clarke County Planning Department. Since College Square is closed to vehicles, presumably this 7 Brew location will not snarl traffic like the one on Atlanta Highway at Timothy Road. Another 7 Brew is replacing the Whataburger on U.S. Highway 29, joining fellow chain drive-throughs Elliano’s Coffee, Dunkin and Starbucks—a plethora of options for getting your caffeine fix while polluting the air. Plans have also been filed for a four- story apartment building at 1095 W. Broad St., across from the Publix development at the Milledge Avenue intersection. It will
The preservation group Historic Athens received a $75,000 grant to document the history of Black schools in Athens. The project will examine four periods of education in the local African American community: rural schoolhouses, the early 20th century schools built by Booker T. Washington and philanthropist Julian Rosenwald, segregation-era public schools and public schools during desegregation. Examples include the West Broad School, Reese Street School (now a Masonic temple), North Athens School on Barber Street, Judia Jackson Harris Elementary and the Billups Grove schoolhouse. Several of those sites are listed among Historic Athens’ Places in Peril. “The physical places built and sustained by local African American communities and The Billups Grove School educators are an important part of Athens history, but have retail space and parking on the ground their significance has not always been fully floor, three floors of rental housing and a documented, preserved and recognized,” rooftop deck. This development is being Historic Athens Executive Director Tommy built by right and will not require ACC ComValentine said in a news release. “This grant mission approval. f will help us document these historic places
Farewell, Fare-Free Transit? A new state law could force Athens- Clarke County to resume charging to ride the bus. House Bill 328, passed and signed into law last spring, prohibits using transportation sales tax revenue to subsidize free or reduced transit fare. It was co-sponsored by state Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Athens). Athens Transit will launch a study next month to figure out a new fare structure. “The TL;DR, jargon-free version is, our buses are fare free, funded by TSPLOST 2023 and most recently TSPLOST 2026. There is a law that prohibits [using] TSPLOST funding to make buses fare-free, so that means that… we potentially get forced to put the fareboxes back, which cost money to operate,” said Lauren Blais, chair of the transportation advisory committee Athens in Motion.
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news
feature
Urban Camping
ATHENS STRUGGLES TO KEEP PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS
By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com
E
JAKE ZERKEL
arlier this semester, a University of only then, when it’s reasonable and approGeorgia student reported to police priate, take enforcement action,” Daniel that a homeless man may have sexusaid. ally assaulted her while she was passed out Fleenor said his office will not seek to drunk outside City Hall. While police confine people with no money for violating the cluded there was no evidence that a sexual urban camping ordinance. “That wouldn’t assault occured, it was fuel for an ongoing solve anything,” he said. argument over what to do about it. The Athens Downtown Development Athens-Clarke County officials have tried Authority, though, is urging the mayor and to tackle the problem from multiple angles commission to revise some ACC ordinances in recent years: investing millions of dollars like shoplifting, disorderly conduct and in subsidized affordable housing, creating public urination so that they authorize a since-shuttered “tent city” at a vacant arrests. “There is evidence that released school, authorizing a new inpatient mental perpetrators are quickly reoffending within health facility and transitional housing for Advantage Behavioral Health, and reorganizing the Athens Homeless Coalition to foster collaboration among agencies. Most recently, the ACC Commission passed an “urban camping” ordinance that outlaws sleeping, storing personal belongings or otherwise blocking the public right-of-way in commercial areas like downtown. The ordinance takes effect in January. At the same time, the commission also directed $1 million from the county’s housing trust fund toward a new emergency shelter, and stationed one of the ACC Police Department’s four behavioral health response teams downtown. Those teams pair an officer with a social worker, and aim to de-escalate situations and to direct people to resources rather than resort to arrests. “The reality is that the nature of the homeless crisis is really complex,” Belongings are stored on a bench outside City Hall. Mayor Kelly Girtz told Flagpole. “We’re going to have to continue to work on it. hours of their release. The ADDA Board supThere’s not going to be one grand gesture.” ports the return of cash bail for violations to the Athens-Clarke County Code,” chair Jason Leonard wrote to the mayor and commission and ACC Manager Bob Cowell. There is no law specifically targeting the “It is not the intent of the ADDA to homeless, according to local law enforcecriminalize marginalized persons, but as ment officials. “They are cited just like we have discovered in other communities anyone else, cited for violating the law,” in Georgia, particularly Savannah… small ACC Solicitor Will Fleenor, who prosecutes periods of incarceration can allow for social misdemeanors, said at a recent town hall service providers to form contacts with permeeting at Hilsman Middle School orgasons needing assistance.” nized by commissioners Carol Myers, Patrick Davenport and Tiffany Taylor. But one that is commonly applied is criminal trespass. If someone comes into The U.S. Department of Housing and a business and is bothering customers, the Urban Development requires communities owner can have police bar them from the that receive HUD funding to go out and property. That can lead to an arrest if the count every unhoused individual they can person comes back, especially if they’ve find on one day in late January, whether been barred from multiple places. “It in a shelter or other type of temporary becomes very difficult to even get around housing, or living outdoors or in cars. The town without walking through the parknumbers for Athens are steadily declining, ing lot of a gas station where you’ve been according to the Point-in-Time (PIT) count: banned,” Fleenor said. They spiked during the COVID-19 panACCPD Deputy Chief Harrison Daniel demic, hitting 703 in 2023, then falling to clarified that no one will be arrested as a result of the urban camping ordinance—the 495 in 2024, 407 in 2025 and 342 this year. However, “it’s a pretty serious underlaw only allows for citations, unless another count,” according to Michael Bien, executive infraction is being committed at the same director of the Athens Homeless Coalition, time, such as public intoxication. “Our an umbrella group that coordinates various model typically has been to educate, warn, nonprofit service providers. It’s usually one give people an opportunity to comply, and
of the coldest days of the year, and people living in the woods can be hard to find. The coalition’s Athens Coordinated Entry (ACE) dashboard is “more robust,” Bien said. ACE is a shared data entry system that allows agencies to track the status and needs of clients. As of last week, it indicated that there were 818 people experiencing homelessness in the system—including 272 children—and that number usually hovers around 900, Bien said. Almost half were living outdoors, in a car or in a vacant building; most of the rest were doubled up with another household or couch-surfing, in a shelter or in a psychiatric facility. Not all of them are considered homeless by HUD standards, which do not count those who are staying with family or friends. Advocates for the homeless warn against stereotyping them. “No, they are not all drug addicts. No, they are not all crazy or have mental health issues,” said Evan Mills, vice president of community outreach for Advantage. “They are people just like us.”
Criminalizing Homelessness
How Bad Is the Problem?
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F L A GP OL E .C OM · NO V E MB E R 4, 2026
The common denominator is often a lack of family support, said Andrew Wilkin, executive director of the shelter Bigger Vision. “When they did fall, they fell hard,” he said. “They fell all the way through the cracks.” But downtown property and business owners say that some are accosting people and driving away customers. Drew Dekle, who owns the Washington Street building that houses Clocked and Flicker, said that several people squat on a bench outside the building—sleeping there and even using it as a restroom—and except for one incident when he was threatened, police would do nothing about it. According to Dekle, one man even refused his offer to pay for a motel room, telling Dekle that he was in special forces and could not leave the bench until the president ordered him to. Brian Brodrick is the mayor of Watkinsville, but attends church and works at the public relations firm Jackson Spalding in downtown Athens. “I never regretted our investment in downtown Athens until last year. The situation there has just gotten out of control,” he told the mayor and commission at their Oct. 6 meeting, just before they approved the urban camping ordinance. “Homelessness is a humanitarian concern that requires compassion, dignity and practical solutions,” Athens Area Chamber
of Commerce President David Bradley said at the same meeting. “At the same time, it’s an increasing public safety and economic issue for our community. Every person deserves the opportunity to live in a safe community, and to access services that help them achieve stability, treatment, employment and housing. It’s equally imperative that citizens, employers, employees, visitors, students and businesses are able to enjoy public spaces in commercial districts that are welcoming, safe and secure.”
Why Is It Happening? High housing costs are one reason. “I can tell you from the work I do with teenagers, families are really transient right now, chasing cheap rents,” said Girtz, a longtime educator who consults for charter schools in his spare time. Plus, “the broader environment is not good,” Girtz said, pointing to Athens’ stubbornly high poverty rate and Georgia’s low ranking in areas like nutrition and medical debt. “Rock bottom, the main reasons for homelessness are the economy and the lack of affordable housing,” said Michael Moss, community engagement coordinator for the homeless coalition. “There’s nowhere for them to go.” One theory Bien rejects is that large numbers of people are drawn to Athens by the services provided here. According to PIT and ACE surveys, the majority of homeless people in Athens have been here at least five years, and became homeless while living in Athens. “The data doesn’t support that a majority of people come here to Athens for the services,” Bien said, although, “I’m sure there are people from somewhere who have no support, no resources, who’d be inclined to come to Athens to access those services. A lot of people come for medical assistance.” Sheriff John Q. Williams said he has personally seen homeless individuals being dropped off in Athens. “People come here from as far away as California,” he said at the Eastside town hall meeting. Service providers generally disagree, though. “Not by the busload,” said Moss. “I haven’t witnessed anything like that,” Bien said.
What Are the Solutions? For service providers, it’s not the urban camping ordinance, which they say will only shift the problem to other places. “We recognize and empathize with the concerns of downtown businesses, residents, employers and visitors,” Mills told the mayor and commission last month. “But at the same time, simply moving someone from one public space to another does not resolve the circumstances that brought that person into homelessness.” Since many homeless individuals do find themselves in jail—at a cost to taxpayers of $65-$120 per day—Williams said he started an “inreach” program to help inmates when they are released. This program provides clothing, medication and ID cards, and connects inmates with outside services like addiction recovery. ACCPD officers carry cards with a list of resources, Daniel said. In addition, Advantage is opening a downtown office
JAKE ZERKEL
Sitting on a sidewalk will be illegal in Athens under most circumstances come January.
to beef up outreach to both the homeless population and local businesses, according to Mills. But the biggest need is housing. Athens shelters are generally full, and there is a lack of other types of housing as well, like supportive or transitional housing to ease people out of homelessness and towards self sufficiency. Bigger Vision’s 36 beds can fill up in 10 minutes on any given night, Wilkin said. The Salvation Army shelter on Hawthorne Avenue has more restrictive rules, like requiring sobriety. The Athens Area Homeless Shelter only allows women and families. Ideally, there would be a shelter bed or motel room ready for an unhoused individual whenever they came into contact with law enforcement, Mills said. “Really, we’re dancing around the biggest gap, which is housing—subsidized supportive housing with wraparound services,” Bien said. He supports a “housing first” model, where a person’s housing situation is stabilized, then they are assigned a case manager to help overcome whatever issues led them to become homeless in the first place. However, funding at the federal level has dried up during the Trump administration. Almost 20 years ago, UGA provided funding for a “one-stop shop” on North Avenue in exchange for acquiring the Navy Supply Corps School—now the Health Sciences Campus—in Normaltown when Congress decided to move the base to Rhode Island. That facility, which includes a clinic and temporary housing, has helped hundreds of people get back on their feet, according to Bien, but simply is not enough space. In addition, Advantage recently closed its day shelter located at that site. The day shelter provided showers, mail pickup and a place to be during the day when traditional shelters are closed. Sparrow’s Nest, on Prince Avenue, provides similar services, but it may lack the capacity to fully fill the gap. Other cities could provide models for dealing with the crisis. Bien cited a Greenville, SC plan for a “housing surge” informed by the lived experience of homeless individuals to provide housing first for 80 people, then addressing root causes. Denver has been lauded nationally for its multi-pronged approach to the COVID-era surge in homelessness. Its most recent PIT count found 518 homeless individuals, just 174 more than Athens’, despite having a population more than five times the size. The ADDA has discussed successes in Salt
Lake City, where enforcing anti-camping laws led to a 20% decline in homelessness.
NO PARKING, NO PROBLEM! LEAVE THE CAR BEHIND. Service to and from most apartment complexes.
What Can I Do Personally? Daniel urged anyone who witnesses lawbreaking or feels in danger to call police. That said, courts have been clear that asking for money is generally protected by the First Amendment. However, there are exceptions. A longstanding ACC ordinance bans “aggressive panhandling,” like following people or threatening them. Stepping into a roadway while panhandling at intersections is also illegal. It’s a mistake to assume panhandlers are homeless, though. Jamie Scott, the executive director at Sparrow’s Nest, said he once saw a client panhandling outside a grocery store, then hop into his car and drive away. Wilkin said a man staying at Bigger Vision once told him that panhandlers can make $60 an hour during rush hours. Moss also said that he’s approached panhandlers downtown who’ve told him they’re not actually homeless. Panhandlers favor downtown, big-box stores and major intersections because of the traffic, Moss said. “The fact is, they’re going to go where the revenue is,” he said. Opinions differed among last week’s town hall panelists on whether people should reach into their pockets when strangers seek a spare dime. Moss urged audience members to treat them like neighbors and give a few dollars or buy them a sandwich. “They are members of your community,” he said. Wilkin, though, noted that organizations like Sparrow’s Nest and Our Daily Bread provide meals, and that donating to them makes the money go further. Mills said that panhandling is a right, but so is choosing to ignore a panhandler. “Do what you want to do,” he said. “There is no right answer,” Bien added. “Please be kind to everyone. Please be compassionate to everyone.” Amy Paul, a homeless Athenian who co- edits the local Street News newspaper, spoke about the indignities and fears of living without shelter: finding places to sleep and shower; dealing with cold, heat and bugs; storing and protecting personal belongings; refilling prescriptions; taking care of pets or surrendering them to the pound. “It is very debasing,” she said. “You cannot imagine how empty it is to not belong anywhere.” f
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NO V E MB E R 4, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM
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Bookmark it! Events and Exhibits at UGA Special Collections Libraries
Author Talk: Jon Boorstin
6 PM, Tuesday, Nov. 10 Join the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame for a talk with Jon Boorstin, author of The American: The Hidden History of Daniel J. Boorstin and His Twentieth Century .
“Athens, GA: Inside/Out” Free Film Screening 4:30 PM, Thursday, Nov. 12 In celebration of the 40th anniversary restoration. Limited seating available in SCL auditorium
UGA Press Book Sale
9 AM - 3 PM, Mon-Wed, Nov. 16-18, Outside Main Library (inside if raining). All books 70% off
Georgia Music Collections Tour 6:45 PM, Thurs. Nov. 19, Akins Ford Arena (gate 1) Curator-led tour of music memorabilia
GALLERIES FREE TO THE PUBLIC HOURS: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8AM-5PM Tuesday, Thursday 8AM-7PM
MORE INFO LIBS.UGA.EDU/SCL 8
F L A GP OL E .C OM · NO V E MB E R 4, 2026
music
threats & promises
Skinny Norm’s Self Portrait PLUS, MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP
By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com WON’T YOU BURY ME IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE A&P?: Now with 13 titles under its belt since 2012, a mix between singles and larger capacity releases, A.P. and the Retrogrades squeaked out a new song a couple of weeks ago named “Who Taught You.” It opens in a dissipating cloud of smoke with a smooth and understated groove and melody characterized by synths and, to my ears, a marimba. Soon, it opens up fully into a traditional pop melody anchored in an easy 4/4 step. The whole song repeats these steps until it clocks out after about five minutes. There’s basically zero available information about these folks, so find the song, and the rest of their catalog, at apandtheretrogrades.bandcamp.com. ZIG ZAG WANDERER: Sometimes a record will get buried on my desk and, when unearthed, I feel bad, like I ignored it or something. Such is the case with Self Portrait by Skinny Norm. These five songs were recorded in 2022–2023 and “fixed and edited in 2026.” This collection leans heavily on the concept of electro-psych and can, at first blush, seem
Skinny Norm
silly. But there’s a depth of concept here that either I’m inventing out of whole cloth or actually exists. Let your ears decide. It gets kind of muscular and driven by the second song, “Tennis Freak,” and the near-Happy Mondays title track. The funky “Anybody” is tempered by its synth sections and kept down-to-earth while the bass-driven “Retro Babe” is as gothy-darkwave as you care to enjoy and, easily, as nicely delivered as anything locally comparable. Closing song “Long Sustain” is a straight-up rocker that comes in at under a minute. Dig it at skinnynorm.bandcamp.com. THIS IS THE WAY: It is to my own regret that I let this one slip
through my fingers. But I need to mention that the album Endless Care by Athens’ dark-tinged slowcore band Eternal is a highlight among many solid local releases this season. Now, when I say “slowcore,” I mean like Seam and Codeine and not like Low, although the distinction may be meaningless by this point in history because who cares, right? The point is that this weaves itself through murky, syrupy waters and, as a listener, all I want to do is jump in. It starts aggressively, relatively speaking, with “Walking Around
Myself,” and it’s from this early point the compositional structure of these songs is established. There’s a whole lot of bass with guitars adding, essentially, nuance and punctuation, but there are multiple moments of nicely delivered, sweeping melodies, too, such as in “Open Hand.” If Athens still had a 24-hour coffee shop, this would be playing on its stereo. As it stands, though, it should be on yours. Cassette tapes are available courtesy of Portland, OR label Pleasure Tapes, and to hear this immediately, head over to eternal bandeternal.bandcamp.com. ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON BARBER: The accuracy with which Womannheim Steamroller, the all-woman tribute to Christmas-season monolith Mannheim Steamroller, has booked its upcoming shows is just stunning. The dates and locations are identical to last year. Specifically, the group will play Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5–6 at Dead Beat Club with Saturday’s set at 9 p.m. and Sunday’s at 8 p.m. Insanity Claus opens each night an hour earlier. On Saturday, Dec. 19 the group will perform at its barn in the Boulevard neighborhood between Wynburn and Beulah. The night will feature a dance party afterward and a to- be-announced opener. For all other information, please see womann heimsteamroller.my.canva.site. JAMBOREE: Word is there’s a full- length album coming this month from Turtle Grenade (the writing, recording and performing project of composer Denise Gorrio), but there’s an EP out now composed of songs which, according to the release notes, were “deemed not quite worthy enough for the album.” These stand by themselves just fine, though, and seem to float through the universe hoping someone will catch them. Opening song “Fruit / fire” is lyrically deft while resting atop a plunky melody. The semi-regretful/semi-hopeful “Boat” is so precious it feels like eavesdropping when listening. I’m not sure why, but “Crocodile” is a bit too twee even though it doesn’t really deviate from the rest of the record. Closer “Graveyards” is just so sad but, ironically, has the most upbeat arrangement of the whole thing. The full-length is definitely something to which one can look forward but, for now, dig in over at turtlegrenade.bandcamp.com, and for all other information, please see instagram.com/turtlegrenade. CLIMBING THE LADDER: OK, so these dudes in an Atlanta band
named Built for Saga told me they used to be based in Athens but, honestly, might as well have been based on Mars for as familiar as I am with them. In any case, they’ve got a debut album in the can and being manufactured as we speak. The first advance single, “Monsters,” is out now, and the next single, “Diagnosis,” is slated for release this Friday, Nov. 6. “Monsters” is a theatrically dramatic tune, complete with carnival barker vocals at the beginning, and lives solidly within the parameters of what you’ve come to expect from alt-rock. Believe it or not, the thing that really stands out here are the vocals at the very end, because they’re done ensemble-like, and I don’t really hear too much of that these days. The band is also vocally committed to its DIY method of handling all creative aspects, and that should be applauded. Find this, and the new one this week, on Spotify. f
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music
MUSIC 26 | 27
feature
Julien Baker’s Athens Residency KEEPING TICKETS IN THE HANDS OF THE FANS
FEATURED PERFORMANCES
By Anna Haas music@flagpole.com
ANNUAL HOLIDAY CONCERT THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 and FRIDAY. NOVEMBER 20 at 7:30 p.m.
$25 - Adults Hodgson Concert Hall $10 UGA students This Athens tradition is the best way to start plus $3 transaction fee
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the holiday season! Before tuning into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, join us for a cornucopia of seasonal joy through music presented by a wide variety of our student and faculty ensembles.
FREE PERFORMANCES LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC ENSEMBLE “BRAZILIAN LANDSCAPES”
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4 at 7:30 p.m. RAMSEY CONCERT HALL
SOUTHERN WIND QUINTET
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 at 3:30 p.m. RAMSEY CONCERT HALL
NEW WORKS RECITAL
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 at 3:30 p.m. DANCZ CENTER FOR NEW MUSIC SCHOOL OF MUSIC, 250 RIVER ROAD
SOUL MUSIC ENSEMBLE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 at 7:30 p.m. EDGE RECITAL HALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC, 250 RIVER ROAD
GUEST ARTIST | “REFUGE: WORKS BY DEBUSSY, POULENC, AND BARBER”
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9 at 4:30 p.m. EDGE RECITAL HALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC, 250 RIVER ROAD
WIND ENSEMBLE CHAMBER WINDS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 at 7:30 p.m. RAMSEY CONCERT HALL
All Hugh Hodgson School of Music events take place at the Charles and Lynne Knapp Performing Arts Center, 230 River Road in Athens unless indicated.
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F L A GP OL E .C OM · NO V E MB E R 4, 2026
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he modern concertgoer may have never needed to buy a ticket in person or drop by will call. Buying tickets online and downloading a QR code is all you need most days, but that access comes with a cost. According to a 2026 paper out of Vanderbilt University, the ticket broker industry adds $4.5 billion to the price of live event tickets each year. Plus, where fans can buy tickets digitally, so can resellers. Music lovers are losing out on concert tickets to bots that can move faster, buy more and just as quickly relist those tickets with a significant upcharge. An industry report estimated that in 2023, 25–30% of concert tickets were resold on secondary platforms. Some artists work to circumvent the price gouging by using fan presales to get tickets into the hands of listeners. Julien Baker has gone a step further with her 2026 fall tour. Similar to her boygenius bandmate, Phoebe Bridgers, who played an entire tour of pop-up shows earlier this year as a way to prioritize fans, Baker announced her tour with a surprise show in Nashville on Sept. 9. The next day, she dropped the tour dates giving fans just two days’ notice that tickets would be sold in person at the venues’ box offices. Baker’s tour stops are Julien Baker small capacity venues— in Athens she’ll play at the 40 Watt Club, which has a cap of 460 for general admission. Running the box office had the potential to burden equally small staffs. However, Velena Vego, the 40 Watt Club’s principal talent buyer, said that Baker’s team specifically reached out to inquire about the cost to efficiently run the in-person sale. Her team then paid for the labor of the ticket sellers and security staff. “I thought that was kind, because we would have done it anyway and just eaten the [cost],” Vego said. “It’s a class act to do something like that.” Baker’s tour strings together three-night residencies at six different venues, and she’ll be in Athens Nov. 5–7. Touring can be grueling for artists as they travel across states and countries to perform without much time to rest or explore. Whether the residencies are long like Harry Styles’ 30- day stint at Madison Square Garden or brief like Baker’s, it gives musicians a reprieve. “Anytime an artist can stay in town and do this, we love it,” Vego said. “They can keep their equipment on stage, see our city, eat at our restaurants and just hang out and be a townie for a minute.” The option of three show-nights also reassured Julien Baker fan and UGA alum, Lauren Klosterman, that she would be able to get tickets. Klosterman had attended Baker’s sold-out show with TORRES last
year at the Georgia Theatre, which is a larger venue, and she wasn’t used to buying tickets in person. “I’m not really used to hearing about artists doing residencies, so I thought that was really cool,” Klosterman said. “I love how she gave you the chance because if you had other commitments, you could still go.” The sale started at 10 a.m., and Vego says fans started lining up around 7 a.m. At its peak, the line stretched several blocks back toward the Georgia Theatre. Klosterman and her sister drove a little over an hour to Athens and arrived around 9:15 a.m. to queue for tickets. “It was really nice being there with other fans because I was able to feel more connected to people that actually listen to her music,” Klosterman said. ALYSSE GAFKJEN
University of Georgia
When Klosterman and her sister purchased their tickets around 10:30 a.m., they were met with the happy surprise of a free CD featuring three unreleased Julien Baker songs. According to setlist.fm, Baker has played these songs at all of her residency shows so far. Both Vego and the venue’s owner, Barry Buck, also came in the morning for the sale. “Myself and Barry were like, we love doing this,” Vego said. “We wish we could do this more often because it was just fun seeing everybody and the excitement of it.” The 40 Watt Club already has a system in place to keep scalpers at bay. It sells tickets on Eventbrite, and they are will-call only, so the attendee’s name must match the ticket. In-person sales also help locals get tickets, though. After seeing how easy the box office sale went for Baker, Vego has already ticketed another show the same way. She said that Athenians have struggled to get tickets in the past for the annual Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy shows, so she suggested Baker’s ticket strategy to them. The 40 Watt Club announced the sale day-of to further keep tickets in the hands of locals. “I think we will probably suggest this for some of the bigger shows [now that] we realized how smooth it could go and how lines were fast,” Vego said. f
feature
ALEC STANLEY
music
The Love.Craft Band DEBUT ALBUM AND DOCUMENTARY SPREAD JOY
By Sam Lipkin editorial@flagpole.com
O
ne of the most powerful aspects of The Love.Craft Band is the pure joy and sense of fun that resonates from its members and their medley of original songs, but what makes it a success that sticks with the audience long after is the idea that if you open yourself to trying, learn the hard lessons and push through the discomfort, then you can do anything. The Love.Craft Band formed out of the local nonprofit Love.Craft, founded by former special education teacher Susan Fontaine with the mission to integrate adults with disabilities more deeply into their communities though workforce training, job placements and arts education. Members Adnan Curry, Jacob Argus, Jamie Huntington and Keelan Bell met during weekly music classes, and their enthusiasm led to the creation of the band under the guidance of Steven LedBetter and Aslyn Nash. “I started Love.Craft to be a space for job skills, but then it quickly took on a life of its own. As you spend time with these people, you start understanding the complexities of their interests and their abilities. Music was something that always stood out because it was like, ‘We want to play this song in the studio while we’re working,’ and then we were next door to Steven and Alec [Stanley’s] music production studio. [Crew members] would hear and see the musicians coming back and forth, going to the recording studio. So it was really them seeing that that was a pathway,” says Fontaine. The Love.Craft Band’s trajectory has followed a fairly traditional path from starting as a cover band to writing original material, taking its songs on the road for a tour, coming home to record and releasing an album. Through a partnership with filmmaker Cartter Fontaine and Chispa House, the band’s journey of touring and recording was captured in a five-part doc-
umentary series, SO GOOD: THE LOVE. CRAFT BAND. The band celebrated the release of its album, We Are The LCB, and the documentary with an event last month, and now Listen Out Loud Media is bringing the series into classrooms and communities around the country. “It has just been an incredible and inspiring experience for someone like me, who comes from a place in music where often perfection in performance is prioritized,” says Nash. “Working with them has just been so good in the sense of bringing me back to what it’s all about, which is the experience and the magic of music.” LedBetter shares a similar experience, saying, “I think the biggest thing for me is just getting back to the earnestness and the raw emotional power of music, because at the end of the day, I feel like that’s where everybody in the group really thrives is just this very honest human expression. When you’re a musician for a long time, you can kind of lose touch with that.” Touring was a unanimous highlight for the rest of the band, who also had to learn a lot of lessons like how to conduct yourself professionally at a venue, the hard work of moving gear and making personal sacrifices on the road. But the pros outweighed the struggles. “I’m from one of the tour cities. I’m from New Orleans. Going back home to Louisiana, I haven’t been home for 14 years. That was really kind of a moment for me, and showing my band where I grew up,” says Argus. For Huntington, the very first stop on tour in Baton Rouge, LA was a meaningful moment since it was the band’s first time performing outside of Athens. He was focused on bringing their best to the stage, saying, “My favorite thing about touring is watching the band grow and get better, and
put into practice everything that we go over prior.” “My favorite memory was Chicago, when we was performing at House of Blues, and I was so emotional because there’s a rapper that I knew from Chicago named Juice World, rest in peace. When I was in the green room with them, I was crying like tears of joy. I went on that stage, and I was like, ‘Man, this stage is so big, like a giant 3D movie.’ We’re all doing our thing and rocking out, and then at the end, I got more emotional. I got to hug somebody because it was the best day of my life doing that. I couldn’t be here without my boys; they have my back since day one,” says Bell. Being there for each other and being kind in tough moments has made the band an important support system, in addition to a therapeutic outlet for its members. Curry had an open heart surgery just after
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finishing his song “Tupelo,” inspired by his musical hero Elvis Presley, and just before the band’s national tour. The crew called him up while he was recovering and sang Curry his favorite song, “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys. “In 2017, I went to a Backstreet Boys concert in Las Vegas. I met Brian [Littrell]. Oh my God, I met Brian from the Backstreet Boys, and I gave him a big hug,” says Curry, who felt very loved and motivated by his bandmates remembering how much the legendary boy band means to him. “Any time we’re up on stage playing I look to the left or right of somebody, whether it’s Keelan or Jacob or Adnan, and I just smile because it just makes me so proud… I’m just so proud of everyone,” says Huntington. For the full story, go online at flagpole. com. f
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live music calendar Tuesday 3
Wednesday 4 40 Watt Club 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $25 (adv.), $28. www.40watt.com HARBOUR Indie-rock five-piece that was formed in 2014 and has since gone from packing rooms in their native Cincinnati to selling out venues across the United States. SOUTHCOURT Self-described “festivalcore” indie-rock outfit based in Nashville, TN. Creature Comforts Brewery Athens Farmers Market. 5–8 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmersmarket.net TRIO METRO This piano, sax and drums trio plays jazz standards and an array of more contemporary covers with a jazz twist. (6 p.m.) Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreand bar.com DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Featuring pop, rock, indie and more. Georgia Theatre 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (show). $22.51. www.georgiatheatre.com VAULTBOY Alt-pop singer-songwriter from Jacksonville, FL whose name pays homage to his love of video games. 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.
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music from the 1910s, ’20s and ’30s. Hendershot’s Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $15 (adv.), $20. www.hendershotsathens.com CLOWNVIS PRESLEY Legendary live show incorporating music, comedy, magic and more, all held together by powerful vocals and charming wit. Don’t expect an Elvis impersonator!
FABULOUS BIRD The longtime lo-fi indie-rock project of Athens songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Peter Alvanos, also known as the drummer for Elf Power. ANNIE LEETH Local producer and violinist loops drums, synths and strings. Flicker Theatre & Bar Shadebeast Presents. 8:30 p.m. $12. www.flickertheatreandbar.com FRISSON Athens post-metal.
Hugh Hodgson School of Music Edge Hall. 7:30 p.m. FREE! music. uga.edu SOUL MUSIC ENSEMBLE Ensemble founded by Jordan Askew to arrange and perform music from R&B, funk, rap, jazz and even local composers. OCAF OCAF Music Series. 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (show). $15 (mem-
BILL SITZMANN
Athentic Brewing Co. 6–9 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com OPEN MIC NIGHT First Tuesdays hosted by Katie Collins. Daily Groceries Co-op Tuesday Tunes. 6–7:30 p.m. www. instagram.com/dailycoop ROB DERRICK Member of Bugs Eat Books lack of fame plays a solo set of weird and wild indie pop originals. Dead Beat Club 8 p.m. $10 (adv), $12. www.deadbeat athens.com DEAD THINGS Metalcore band from LA with a penchant for writing dramatic tunes with a flair of horror. BEAU ANDERSON Atlanta-based maker of loud noises. TINY BANSHEE Atlanta band whose sound is a chaotic blend of dance punk, stoner rock and a sprinkles of nu metal. Hendershot’s 5–7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com PIANO BAR HAPPY HOUR Enjoy drink specials and live piano music. Hugh Hodgson School of Music Edge Hall. 7:30 p.m. FREE! music. uga.edu UGA HORN CHOIR An ensemble of both horn majors and non- majors attending the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Ramsey Hall 7:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu FACULTY ARTIST SERIES Featuring double bassist Milton Masciadri. WUOG Live in the Lobby. 8 p.m. FREE! www. wuog.org NIGHTOUT Dusky monastic plur; asks you to dance.
Hugh Hodgson School of Music Edge Hall. 6 p.m. FREE! music.uga. edu UGA TUBA/EUPHONIUM ENSEMBLE Graduate and undergraduate low brass students play serious original compositions, transcriptions of orchestral literature and lighter arrangements. Edge Hall. 7:30 p.m. FREE! music. uga.edu UGA SAXOPHONE STUDIO Directed by Dr. Brandon Quarles and committed to fostering musical, personal and collaborative excellence in each student. Ramsey Hall 7:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC ENSEMBLE Performance group that explores the diverse musical styles of Latin America, focusing on both traditional and contemporary forms.
Thursday 5 40 Watt Club 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $41. www.40watt.com JULIEN BAKER Singer-songwriter known for her intensely confessional lyrics and moody soundscapes, famous also for her work in supergroup boygenius. THE OPHELIAS Art/indie/baroque rock band from Cincinnati, OH. The Classic Center 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (show). $35.75–$151.75. www.classic center.com JOSH TURNER Award-winning country singer-songwriter. BELLE FRANTZ Country rising star with a traditional style. Dead Beat Club Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $15. www. deadbeatathens.com TYLER RAMSEY Fingerstyle guitarist and captivating voice in modern indie folk based outside of Asheville, NC who gained recognition as a key member of Band of Horses. LEVI LOWREY Singer-songwriter from Dacula who has headlined his own shows and shared stages with legendary acts like Mumford and Sons, Blackberry Smoke, Kid Rock, Alabama and more. Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. $15 (adv.), $20. www.flicker theatreandbar.com JOHN R. MILLER West Virginia- raised, Nashville-based alt-county/ Americana musician whose work is also rooted in unconventional rock music and the punk he grew up around. LOU HAZEL Indie-folk musician who grew up along the Allegheny River and writes songs that are spare, vivid and weathered with warmth. Georgia Theatre 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $16– 20.44. www.georgiatheatre.com THE GRINGOS Five-piece from Athens playing covers and originals with gravelly, powerful vocals. THE SUITES Southern vintage pop band. The Globe 7:30–10 p.m. www.facebook.com/ globe.athens MARY & THE HOT HOTTY-HOTS Hot jazz and swing band offering
F L A GP OL E .C OM · NO V E MB E R 4, 2026
The Faint will play at the 40 Watt Club on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Nowhere Bar 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/nowhere barathensga JEREMY SHORT “Appalachian Space Funk” musician from Eastern Kentucky. Ramsey Hall 7:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu BRASS HONORS RECITAL UGA brass ensemble performs.
Friday 6 40 Watt Club 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $41. www.40watt.com JULIEN BAKER Singer-songwriter known for her intensely confessional lyrics and moody soundscapes, famous also for her work in supergroup boygenius. THE OPHELIAS Art/indie/baroque rock band from Cincinnati, OH. Boutier Winery 7:30 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10. www.boutierwinery.com CHRIS HAMPTON BAND Local band performing a variety of country, western and rock dance music. Ciné 8 p.m. $10. www.athenscine.com LIGHTRS Synth pop band. INTER SPECULORUM Atlanta based darkwave post-punk duo formed 2024. VOODOO DAWN Atlanta deathrock duo featuring Scott and Heather Scare. Dancz Center for New Music 3:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu NEW WORKS RECITAL Student performances of new compositions. Dead Beat Club 8 p.m. $10. www.deadbeatathens.com THE SHUT-UPS Indie-pop outfit that describes itself as a “bottom 40” band, hit-worthy, but (for some unfathomable reason) hitless.
FLYING TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN Post-rock and metal band from Asheville, NC. COFFIN TORTURE Westminster, SC heavy metal. Georgia Theatre 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $20.44. www.georgiatheatre.com SWEET TEA PEDIGREE Soulful band from Athens that performs originals and covers blending blues, rock, soul and Americana. THE MIDKNIGHTERS High- energy rock band founded by Sean MacPherson and Ryan Dater and built on raw sound, tight chemistry and a powerful live presence. TEN HIGH Five-piece Athens rock band combining classic songs you’ve heard for years with a new style of sound. Hendershot’s 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10 (adv.), $12. www.hendershots athens.com THE RISHIS Psych-folk featuring members of The Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power and The Apples in Stereo. KARMA KAT Local band with sounds of rock, pop and funky jazz. They’ll rock your whiskers off! KIMAYA DIGGS Western Massachusetts singer-songwriter, poet and producer whose recent album, Green, was written after a period of profound loss, chronic illness and rebuilding her voice following surgery. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $3 (w/ UGA ID), $15. pac. uga.edu UGA OPERA THEATRE This piano-led evening showcases a dynamic mix of UGA Opera Theatre’s brightest rising talents and seasoned voices, combining raw vocal power with intense dramatic realism.
bers), $20 (non-members). www. ocaf.com ONE TON TOMATO Playing Latin jazz and afro-Cuban music. Ramsey Hall 3:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu UGA SOUTHERN WIND QUINTET Graduate chamber music ensemble that represents some of the finest instrumental musicianship on campus. Southern Drawl Bar & Grille 5–10 p.m. www.southerndrawlbarand grille.com KARAOKE Every Friday night. Terrapin Beer Co. 2–5 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com WADE NEWBURY Easy listening tunes and classics on guitar.
Saturday 7 40 Watt Club 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $41. www.40watt.com JULIEN BAKER Singer-songwriter known for her intensely confessional lyrics and moody soundscapes. THE OPHELIAS Art/indie/baroque rock band from Cincinnati, OH. ACC Library Live at the Library. 3 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org UGA SOUTHERN WIND QUARTET UGA School of Music’s graduate chamber music ensemble. ATHICA Sonic Space. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10 suggested donation. www.athica.org IHLYATT Audiovisual artist creating atmospheric and textural work based around ambient music and VHS technology. SUN GONG Meditative drones and ambient compositions inspired by the mystical and the mundane.
Bishop Park Athens Farmers Market. 8 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmers market.net ACOUSTIC JAM Bring an instrument and join in. (9 a.m.) Ciné 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $12. www.athenscine.com PERSISTENT LITTLE BEEPS Local alt-rock band playing rhythmic, often driving songs about existential dread and grizzly bears. TRYCOH Brawny rock and roll capable of veering into regions of desolation. FLEET MACHINE Indie synth-pop. Flicker Theatre & Bar Tribal Party Collective Presents. 7 p.m. $5. www.flickertheatreandbar. com TRIBAL NIGHT 08: AMETHYST Connection between the collective and dancers featuring DJs Bodylab, Houseplant3000, Iryss, Pisgah, Somontano and Tail Stripes. Georgia Theatre 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $35.03. www.georgiatheatre.com ASHLEY COOKE Magnetic country storyteller who scored her first No. 1 radio hit in 2023 with “your place” and is currently touring her recently released self-titled record. RSVP for Location Attaboy House Show. 6 p.m. www. instagram.com/attaboytapes ROWAN NEWBY Poetic and humorous Americana music inspired by ’60s and ’70s songwriting. WEAVER The project of Atlanta musician Bradley Gaines Weaver, whose self-titled album is a deeply psychedelic collection that recalls the finest moments of Cut Worms, the Woodsist catalog or even ’70s McCartney. JACOB MORRIS Mellow NC-based folk multi-instrumentalist who has played with Vic Chesnutt, Ham1 and Madeline Adams. SAVANA CAMERON Pastoral folk songwriter of Marie Marie.
Sunday 8 ACC Library Live at the Library. 3 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org SHANE PARISH Master guitarist and fearless explorer of rhythm and timbre, known for releasing music on Bill Orcutt’s Palilalia Records and John Zorn’s Tzadik Records. Bishop Community Center 6:45 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (show). $12. www.facebook.com/Bishop- Community-Center THE SURFACE OF THE DEEP Singer-songwriter playing acoustic- guitar-led aggressive folk music. Boutier Winery Wine Down. 3–5 p.m. www.boutier winery.com ROCKING DOC Playing modern soft rock. The Classic Center 3 p.m. FREE! www.classiccenter.com ATHENS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Fall concert showcasing timeless classics and innovative contemporary pieces. The Globe 4–7 p.m. www.facebook.com/globe. athens TRADITIONAL IRISH SESSION Easy listening traditional Irish music.
Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $3 (w/ UGA ID), $15. pac. uga.edu UGA OPERA THEATRE This piano- led evening showcases a dynamic mix of UGA Opera Theatre’s brightest rising talents and seasoned voices, combining raw vocal power with intense dramatic realism. Oak House Distillery 4–6:30 p.m. www.oakhousedistillery. com TRACY & JEFF Jazz, blues and new and old classics from the voice of Tracy Brown and the guitar and harmonica of Jeff Lustig. Terrapin Beer Co. 3–5 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com JIM COOK High-energy solo blues, classic rock and roots music.
her hopping between places of respite in some overarching pursuit of home. MCKENDRICK BEARDEN Athens- based alternative-rock artist whose music depicts the negatives and positives we all experience in life. DIPPER GRANDE Alt-cosmic music from Athens. Ramsey Hall 7:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu CHAMBER WINDS University of Georgia Wind Ensemble performs. WUOG Live in the Lobby. 8 p.m. FREE! www. wuog.org RACECAR 44 A post-rock band with heavy shoegaze and noise rock influences, established in January 2024 through the powers of friendship, cinema and pedals.
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Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. (doors). $10. www.flickertheatreandbar.com BLOOMING No info available. SHANE PARISH Master guitarist and fearless explorer of rhythm and timbre. Hugh Hodgson School of Music Edge Hall. 4:30 p.m. FREE! music. uga.edu GUEST ARTIST RECITAL Soprano Alexandra Schoeny and pianist Rachel AuBuchon perform a program called “Refuge: Works by Debussy, Poulenc, Barber, and Griffin Candey.” Edge Hall. 6 p.m. FREE! music.uga. edu UGA HORN STUDIO First year recital from this creative community of horn players where each student is encouraged to find their own niche. 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.
40 Watt Club Aubrey Entertainment Presents. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $20 (adv.), $25. www.40watt.com PETER HOLSAPPLE Musician known for forming jangle pop band The dB’s alongside Chris Stamey in 1978. DON DIXON Musician and producer who was a key figure in the jangle pop movement of the early 1980s, working with bands like R.E.M. and The Smithereens. MURRAY ATTAWAY Singer-songwriter best known for his work as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the legendary Guadalcanal Diary. Athentic Brewing Co. 7–10 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com KARAOKE WITH DJ GREGORY Second and fourth Wednesdays. Creature Comforts Brewery Athens Farmers Market. 5–8 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmersmarket.net 38 STRINGS Multi-generational acoustic folk music with 38 strings between them. (6 p.m.) 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 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (show). $26.44. www.georgiatheatre.com BEAUTY SCHOOL DROPOUT Los Angeles-based “renegade pop” and alternative rock band. NO LOVE FOR THE MIDDLE CHILD Producer, songwriter, artist and classically-trained multi-instrumentalist based out of Los Angeles. 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. FREE! music.uga.edu UGA CHINESE MUSIC ENSEMBLE Ensemble performing folk, classical and contemporary music of China on instruments such as the erhu, guzheng, pipa and yangqin. Hugh Hodgson School of Music Edge Hall. 7:30 p.m. FREE! music. uga.edu STUDIO RECITAL Conducted by Jack Eaddy. UGA Tate Student Center A Spotlight on the Arts event. 10 a.m. FREE! arts.uga.edu UGA REDCOAT BAND A pop-up event featuring some of the band’s famous pep tunes. f
Tuesday 10 40 Watt Club 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $30 (adv.), $35. www.40watt.com THE FAINT New wave revivalists who helped popularize the Saddle Creek label and Omaha, NE music scene. COMA THERAPY Muscular, dark post-punk influenced by goth and no wave. Daily Groceries Co-op Tuesday Tunes. 6–7:30 p.m. www. instagram.com/dailycoop LITTLE MAE Trio blending indie, pop and shoegaze, drawing from influences such as Samia, Mercury and Alice Phoebe Lou. Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. $18. www.flickertheatreandbar. com DOGWOOD TALES Five-piece alt- country from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, influenced by the eclectic DIY scene in Harrisonburg. THE UNBELIEVING DOG Power pop alt-country songs from Iain Cooke and friends. Hendershot’s 5–7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com PIANO BAR HAPPY HOUR Enjoy drink specials and live piano music. Nowhere Bar 7 p.m. (doors), 9:30 p.m. (show). $10. www.instagram.com/nowhere barathensga CLAIRE OZMUN Musician from New York whose debut record, Always Living Somewhere, follows
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event calendar
ART: Tour at Two (Georgia Museum of Art) These drop-in public tours feature highlights of the permanent collection. 2 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum.org ART: Meet the Artist (The Old Pal) Photographs by Christina Howells are on view. 5–8 p.m. FREE! www. instagram.com/theoldpal EVENTS: The Athens Farmers Market (Creature Comforts Brewery) Markets offer fresh produce, flowers, eggs, meats, prepared foods, arts and crafts. Live music at 6 p.m. AFM double SNAP dollars spent. Wednesdays, 5–8 p.m. www. athensfarmersmarket.net FILM: History Film Series (221 Leconte Hall) Screening of the 1976 classic political drama All the President’s Men. 5 p.m. FREE! history.uga.edu FILM: Attaboy Tapes Presents (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Screening of the 2025 film Fugs Film!. 7 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreandbar. com FILM: Survivor Watch Party (Athentic Brewing Co.) Chaotic Good Podcast hosts a weekly watch party for season 51. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.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 trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Hotel Indigo) Test your general trivia knowledge with host Ian. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/ classiccitytriviaco GAMES: Trivia Night (Hotel Indigo) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.indigo athens.com 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 Street) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/ baddogathens GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Dos Palmas) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Locos Grill and Pub Eastside) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/ shihtzunottrivia KIDSTUFF: Kids “Face Jug” Mug Workshop (The Cotton Press) Learn the history and character of face jugs, and then create a pottery piece. Ages 5 & up. 5 p.m. $40. www.artfulhands.org
Thursday 5 ART: Adult “Face Jug” Mug Workshop (The Cotton Press) Learn the history and character of face jugs, and then create a pottery piece. 5 p.m. $65. www.artfulhands.org
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ART: Who Is Responsible for Remembering? (Georgia Museum of Art) Kirsten Buick leads a discussion around three pieces of art that exemplify unspeakable and unspoken times in history. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum.org COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Flying Squid Comedy) Bring a loose funny bone to some home-grown townie improv. 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (short-form), 8 p.m. (long-form). $5. www.flyingsquidcomedy.com COMEDY: Clownvis Presley (Hendershot’s) Live show incorporating music, comedy, magic and more. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $15 (adv.), $20. www.hendershots athens.com COMEDY: Marigold Comedy Club (Marigold Auditorium for Arts and Culture) Comedian Phillip Broughton and musical duo Toast 2 Toast host a night of laughs. 7:30 p.m. $10. www.wintervillecenter.com EVENTS: Open House (The Cottage) Meet the team, tour the space and learn more about the services the nonprofit provides. 4–7 p.m. FREE! www.thecottagega.org 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 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. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. www.therookand pawn.com GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Terrapin Beer Co.) Test your general trivia knowledge. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzu nottrivia GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Butt Hutt) Test your general trivia knowledge. Thursdays, 7 p.m. www. instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Athens’ Hardest Trivia Night (Nighthawks Lounge) Test your trivia knowledge with host Phil. 7 p.m. www.nighthawkslounge.com KIDSTUFF: 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 LECTURES & LIT: After the End Book Club (ACC Library) Discuss post-apocalyptic fiction with this month’s selection The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison. 7 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org MEETINGS: KnitLits Knitting Group (Bogart Library) Knitters of all levels are invited to have fun, share craft ideas and knit to their hearts’ content. Thursdays, 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart MEETINGS: Unearthing the Threat (Athentic Brewing Co.) Join archaeologists and historic preservation professionals for a public panel discussion on proposed changes to the National Historic Preservation Act and learn about the opportunity for community activism. 6 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing.com MEETINGS: Oconee Rivers Audubon Monthly Meeting (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Guest speakers present on topics ranging from
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conservation to paleontology. First Thursdays, 7 p.m. FREE! www. oconeeriversaudubon.org PERFORMANCE: The Fun Follies (Madison Morgan Cultural Center) In celebration of MMCC’s 50th Anniversary, community members will take the stage in a variety show. 7 p.m. $25. www.mmcc-arts.org SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@athenspetanque. org, www.athenspetanque.org
Friday 6 ART: Fall Dodd Market (Lamar Dodd School of Art) Browse UGA student artwork for sale at this annual market. A Spotlight on the Arts event. 12–6 p.m. www.doddmarket.com ART: Edmonia Lewis Panel Discussion (Georgia Museum of Art) There will be two panel discussion in conjunction with the Edmonia Lewis exhibition about the methodologies used to reconstruct the life and legacy of this artist. 1 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. FREE! www.georgia museum.org ART: Gallery Talk (The Cotton Press) Pat Shields will discuss pottery on display in the “Making Place” exhibition, including a special viewing of pottery by David Drake. Registration required. 2 p.m. FREE! www.artfulhands.org ART: Open Studios (Lamar Dodd School of Art) Chat with artists and tour the art studios of the main art building and nearby ceramics building. 5:30–7:30 p.m. FREE! art. uga.edu COMEDY: Improv Athens (UGA Miller Learning Center) UGA’s improv troupe performs a show. Room 248. Fridays, 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.instagram.com/improv athens 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 GAMES: Euchre Club (Athentic Brewing Co.) Join others to play Euchre. Fridays, 2–4:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing.com GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Oak House Distillery) Test your general trivia knowledge. Fridays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia KIDSTUFF: Homeschool Art Explorers (OCAF) Enjoy a scavenger hunt, artist talk, art activities and more. Ages 5 & up. Registration required. 10 a.m–2 p.m. FREE! (members), $10 (non-members). www.ocaf.com KIDSTUFF: Pinecone Bird Feeders (Bogart Library) Join library staff to make your own pinecone bird feeders. 4 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/bogart LECTURES & LIT: Hands ON History Symposium (Various Locations) The two-day symposium focuses on preservation in action through real-world examples and shared experiences. Nov. 6, 12–9:30 p.m. Nov. 7, 8:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. www.artfulhands. org/handsonhistory PERFORMANCE: Evening of Opera Scenes (Hugh Hodgson Concert
Hall) UGA Opera Theatre presents a piano-led showcase of new talent and seasoned voices. Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8, 3 p.m. $15. pac.uga. edu SPORTS: Athens Rock Lobsters vs. Fayetteville Marksmen (Akins Ford Arena) Cheer on the home team in this hockey match. 7:05 p.m. $31–52.75. www.classic center.com THEATER: The Spongebob Musical (Morton Theatre) Based on the hit animated television show, this play is a musical comedy about life under the sea. Nov. 6–7, 7 p.m. Nov. 7 & 8, 1 p.m. $15. www.mortontheatre.com THEATER: Guys & Dolls (UGA Fine Arts Building) UGA Theatre presents the production about gamblers, showgirls and missionaries in Prohibition-era New York. Nov. 6–7 & 12–13, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 & 15, 2 p.m. $20, $7 (w/ UGA ID). www. ugatheatre.com THEATER: Spike & Chester (Marigold Auditorium for Arts and Culture) In this local original play, an unlikely friendship shifts the perception of platonic love. Nov. 6–7, 8 p.m. Nov. 8, 3 p.m. $20. www. wintervillecenter.com
Saturday 7 ART: Family Craft Night: Family T-Shirts (Lay Park Community Center) Bring the family to craft matching T-shirts. 10 a.m. $15 (ACC resident), $22.50 (non-resident). www.accgov.com/myrec ART: Print It Your F*cking Self (Tiger’s Eye Gallery) Learn about linocut printing with local artist and tattooist David Hale then create your own piece from a provided design. Proceeds benefit The Cottage. 2 p.m. $100. www.tigerseyegallery. com EVENTS: The Athens Farmers Market (Bishop Park) Markets offer locally grown groceries and handmade goods with live music and children’s activities. AFM doubles SNAP dollars spent. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–12 p.m. www.athensfarmers market.net EVENTS: Marigold Farmers Market (Pittard Park) Vendors offer organic produce, prepared foods, agricultural products and artisanal goods with live music, kids activities and more. Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. www.marigoldcollectivewinterville.com EVENTS: Ride SOFAR (Sweet Olive Farm) Third annual bicycle ride raising funds and awareness for Sweet Olive Farm Animal Rescue. 9 a.m.–3 p.m. $35–65. www.sweet olivefarm.org EVENTS: Fall Festival (The Taylor- Grady House) Enjoy local vendors, live entertainment, textile exhibits, period demonstrations, a book signing and seasonal refreshments. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. www.taylorgrady. com EVENTS: Vintage Market Pop-Up (100 Newton Bridge Road) Browse art, jewelry, clothing, records and more from local and regional vendors. Nov. 7–8, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. www.instagram.com/classiccity reclaim EVENTS: Pet Photos with Santa (Athens Area Humane Society) Bring up to two pets for photos
with Santa. Registration required. Nov. 7, 12–2 p.m. Nov. 8, 12–4 p.m. Nov. 20, 4–6 p.m. $30. www. athenshumanesociety.com EVENTS: Fall Artisan Market (Oak House Distillery) Browse local vendors and artisans with live music and prizes. 2–6 p.m. www. oakhousedistillery.com EVENTS: Fall Frolic (Strange Duck Brewing) Enjoy an afternoon of live music, food and mini golf. 4–7 p.m. $30 (adv.), $35 (adults), $15 (kids). www.strangeduckbrewing. com FILM: Movies By Moonlight (Sandy Creek Park) Screening of the family comedy film Harry and the Hendersons with free popcorn. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.accgov.com GAMES: Learn to Play Shadowrun RPG (Tyche’s Games) Join others to learn about the science fantasy tabletop role-playing game. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com GAMES: Scrabble Club (ACC Library) Family-friendly gathering to play and win prizes. 2–3:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org KIDSTUFF: Family Day: The Science of Art (Georgia Museum of Art) Play gallery games, enjoy interactive storytime and create your own take-home project. 10 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum. org LECTURES & LIT: Hands ON History Symposium (Various Locations) The two-day symposium focuses on preservation in action through real-world examples and shared experiences. Nov. 6, 12–9:30 p.m. Nov. 7, 8:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. www.artfulhands. org/handsonhistory LECTURES & LIT: Author Talk & Book Signing (Beth-Salem Presbyterian Church) Author Michael L. Thurmond will discuss his novel James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia: A Founder’s Journey from Slave Trader to Abolitionist. 3 p.m. FREE! www.lexingtonga.org LECTURES & LIT: Poetry Reading (Tiger’s Eye Gallery) Artist David Hale will read from his book The Lord Knows When You Are Trying and sign copies, with art on display and for sale. 5–8 p.m. FREE! www. tigerseyegallery.com OUTDOORS: KACCB Litter League Cleanup (VFW Post 2872) Volunteers will meet to pick up trash around Bishop Park. 9 a.m. FREE! www.accgov.com/kaccb OUTDOORS: Naturalist’s Walk (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Join a group walk to enjoy the beauty of the season. Registration required. 10 a.m. FREE! www.accgovga. myrec.com OUTDOORS: Silent Hike (Sandy Creek Park) Reconnect with nature on this guided silent hike. Registration required. 3 p.m. FREE! www. accgovga.myrec.com PERFORMANCE: Athens Showgirl Cabaret Drag For All (Hendershots) Enjoy a fabulous night of open drag fun for all ages. 8–11 p.m. $5. www.athensshowgirl cabaret.com SPORTS: UGA Women’s Hockey vs. Alabama (Akins Ford Arena) Cheer on the home team in this hockey match. 2 p.m. FREE! www. classiccenter.com SPORTS: Athens Rock Lobsters vs. Birmingham Bulls (Akins Ford Arena) Cheer on the home team in
this hockey match. 7:05 p.m. $31– 52.75. www.classiccenter.com THEATER: The Spongebob Musical (Morton Theatre) Based on the hit animated television show, this play is a musical comedy about life under the sea. Nov. 6–7, 7 p.m. Nov. 7 & 8, 1 p.m. $15. www.mortontheatre.com THEATER: Guys & Dolls (UGA Fine Arts Building) UGA Theatre presents the production about gamblers, showgirls and missionaries in Prohibition-era New York. Nov. 6–7 & 12–13, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 & 15, 2 p.m. $20, $7 (w/ UGA ID). www. ugatheatre.com THEATER: Spike & Chester (Marigold Auditorium for Arts and Culture) In this local original play, an unlikely friendship shifts the perception of platonic love. Nov. 6–7, 8 p.m. Nov. 8, 3 p.m. $20. www. wintervillecenter.com
Sunday 8 CLASSES: Paint and Sip (Boutier Winery) Follow a step-by-step guide to create your own painting. Supplies provided. Reservation required. 2 p.m. $40. www.boutier winery.com 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: Vintage Market Pop-Up (100 Newton Bridge Road) Browse art, jewelry, clothing, records and more from local and regional vendors. Nov. 7–8, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. www.instagram.com/classiccity reclaim EVENTS: Pet Photos with Santa (Athens Area Humane Society) Bring up to two pets for photos with Santa. Registration required. Nov. 7, 12–2 p.m. Nov. 8, 12–4 p.m. Nov. 20, 4–6 p.m. $30. www. athenshumanesociety.com EVENTS: 1800s Athens (Historic Athens Welcome Center) This living history event features blacksmithing, spinning and weaving, folk music and more. There will be a West African dance lesson at 3:30 p.m. RSVP encouraged. 2–5 p.m. FREE! www.athenswelcomecenter. com EVENTS: Fall Artisan Market (Oak House Distillery) Browse local vendors and artisans with live music and prizes. 2–6 p.m. www. oakhousedistillery.com GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (The Globe) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Sundays, 4 p.m. & 6 p.m. www.instagram.com/baddogathens GAMES: General Knowledge Trivia (Normaltown Brewing Co.) Test your general trivia knowledge. Sundays, 4–6 p.m. www.normaltown brewingco.com MEETINGS: Georgia Native Plant Society (ACC Cooperative Extension) This month’s presentation features Dr. Kris Irwin of the Broad River Watershed Association and a discussion on shoal lily conservation efforts. 2 p.m. FREE! gnps.org MEETINGS: Philosophy Cafe (Athentic Brewing Co.) Join members of the UGA Philosophy Department for discussions on various philosophical topics. 6:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing.com
OUTDOORS: Fall Foliage Paddle (Sandy Creek Park) Bring your own boat or use one of the provided single or tandem kayaks for a peaceful afternoon on the water. Ages 13 & up. 1 p.m. www.accgov.com/ sandycreekpark PERFORMANCE: Evening of Opera Scenes (Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall) UGA Opera Theatre presents a piano-led showcase of new talent and seasoned voices. Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8, 3 p.m. $15. pac.uga. edu SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@athenspetanque. org, www.athenspetanque.org SPORTS: UGA Women’s Hockey vs. Alabama (Akins Ford Arena) Cheer on the home team in this hockey match. 4 p.m. FREE! www. classiccenter.com THEATER: The Spongebob Musical (Morton Theatre) Based on the hit animated television show, this play is a musical comedy about life under the sea. Nov. 6–7, 7 p.m. Nov. 7 & 8, 1 p.m. $15. www.mortontheatre.com THEATER: Guys & Dolls (UGA Fine Arts Building) UGA Theatre presents the production about gamblers, showgirls and missionaries in Prohibition-era New York. Nov. 6–7 & 12–13, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 & 15, 2 p.m. $20, $7 (w/ UGA ID). www. ugatheatre.com THEATER: Spike & Chester (Marigold Auditorium for Arts and Culture) In this local original play, an unlikely friendship shifts the perception of platonic love. Nov. 6–7, 8 p.m. Nov. 8, 3 p.m. $20. www. wintervillecenter.com
Monday 9 ART: Artist Talk (Georgia Museum of Art) Irish designer and maker Joseph Walsh will discuss his works. A Spotlight on the Arts event. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.georgia museum.org GAMES: Chess and Community (ACC Library) Drop in for open chess play to learn the game, challenge skills and engage with other enthusiasts. Mondays, 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Fully Loaded Pizza Kitchen (Normaltown)) Test your general trivia knowledge. Mondays, 7 p.m. www. instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Dooley’s Bar and Grill) Test your general trivia knowledge with host Garrett. Mondays, 7 p.m. www.instagram. com/classiccitytriviaco GAMES: General Trivia (Athentic Brewing Co.) Test your general trivia knowledge. Mondays, 7 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com GAMES: Lord of the Rings Trivia (Athentic Brewing Co.) Test your Lord of the Rings trivia knowledge. 7–9 p.m. www.athenticbrewing. com GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Brett’s Backyard) Test your general trivia knowledge. Mondays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunot trivia GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Grindhouse Killer Burgers) Test your general trivia knowledge with host Benjamin. Mondays, 7:30 p.m. www.instagram.com/classiccity triviaco MEETINGS: Writers of Oconee (Oconee County Library) Writing challenges and discussions in a group setting. Second Mondays, 6:30 p.m. FREE! www.instagram. com/writersofoconee
Tuesday 10 ART: Art History Faculty Lecture (Lamar Dodd School of Art) Associate Professor Nell Andrew will present “The Puppet in the Avant-Garde Imagination.” A Spotlight on the Arts event. 5:30 p.m. FREE! arts. uga.edu/spotlight-on-the-arts CLASSES: Dinner for Five: Chili & Cornbread (Howard Park & Community Center) Learn how to prepare a meal on a budget. 5:30 p.m. $10 (ACC resident), $15 (non- resident). www.accgov.com/myrec CLASSES: Rain Barrel Workshop (3500 Mitchell Bridge Rd.) Learn simple techniques to manage rainwater in your yard and build your own rain barrel to take home. Supplies provided. Registration required. 6 p.m. FREE! www.acc gov.com GAMES: Lunch & Learn (Tyche’s Games) Bring your lunch and learn new games. 11:30 a.m. FREE! www. tychesgames.com GAMES: Rock ’n Roll Trivia (Athentic Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host The Music Man. Second Tuesdays, 6 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing.com GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (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: 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 KIDSTUFF: Toddler Tuesday: Art in Nature (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: Author Talk (UGA Special Collections Library) Author Jon Boorstin will discuss his book The American: The Hidden History of Daniel J. Boorstin and His Twentieth Century. 6 p.m. FREE! libs.uga.edu SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@athenspetanque. org, www.athenspetanque.org THEATER: Mystic Pizza (The Classic Center) Based on the 1988 romcom, this musical features three working-class girls navigating love, life and their job at the local pizza joint. Nov. 10–11, 7:30 p.m. $34–94. www.classiccenter.com
Wednesday 11 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 FILM: Blood Everywhere (Flicker Theatre & Bar) A superstitious village is plagued by a maniac murdering their children and everyone seems to be a suspect in Don’t Torture A Duckling. 7 p.m. FREE! www. instagram.com/bloodeverywhere. athens FILM: Survivor Watch Party (Athentic Brewing Co.) Chaotic Good Podcast hosts a weekly watch party for season 51. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.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: 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: Trivia Night (Hotel Indigo) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. www.indigo athens.com 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 Street) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/ baddogathens GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Dos Palmas) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. www.instagram.com/shihtzunottrivia GAMES: Shih Tzu Not Trivia (Locos Grill and Pub Eastside) Test your general trivia knowledge. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.instagram.com/ shihtzunottrivia KIDSTUFF: Teen Art Club (OCAF) Club leaders will provide ideas or teens can work on their own project. Ages 13–18. Registration required. Second Wednesdays, 4–6 p.m. $5. www.ocaf.com KIDSTUFF: Skulls & Pelts (Oconee County Library) Join Hard Labor Creek naturalist Auggie Smith to learn about animal skulls and skins. 4 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary. org/oconee LECTURES & LIT: Talking About Books (ACC Library) Discuss The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa with the group. 10:30 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org THEATER: Mystic Pizza (The Classic Center) Based on the 1988 romcom, this musical features three working-class girls navigating love, life and their job at the local pizza joint. Nov. 10–11, 7:30 p.m. $34–94. www.classiccenter.com
Down the Line 11/12 Open House (Athens Academy) 11/12 Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) 11/12 Graphic Novel Book Club (Oconee County Library) 11/12 Closing Reception (The Cotton Press) f
arts & culture
calendar picks
MUSIC | THU, NOV. 5
Jeremy Short Nowhere Bar • 8 p.m
Eastern Kentucky native Jeremy Short calls his music “Appalachian Space Funk,” and he’s right on the money about that. “It’s a cosmic gumbo of sorts, everything I love in a musical blender,” he says. Working inside and outside such broad genres as Southern rock, pop, jazz/blues, soul/R&B and bluegrass, he knows how difficult it can be to distinguish oneself among such seemingly established standards. He told Flagpole, “It’s incredibly hard! Everyone I love has their own instantly recognizable vibe, and I’m just trying to achieve that within my work. I feel like it’s a constant evolution, and I’ll never fit solidly inside one genre, but maybe that’s one of the things that helps me stand out.” His latest single, the slow-burning “Until We’re Done,” is a collaboration with blues rocker Jared James Nichols, and it smokes in just the smoothest way. Dig it. [Gordon Lamb] THEATER | NOV. 6–8
The Spongebob Musical Morton Theatre • Times Vary • $15
Based on the beloved Nickelodeon TV show created by Stephen Hillenburg, The SpongeBob Musical follows the titular character and his friends as they try to save their home from impending destruction. The production first premiered at a theater in Chicago in 2016, then on Broadway the following year. The score features original songs by legendary artists, including Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, John Legend, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Cyndi Lauper, T.I. and more, as well as David Bowie’s song “No Control.” Athens Creative Theatre’s production of The SpongeBob Musical Kimaya Diggs will be performed at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6–7 and at 1 p.m. on Nov. 7–8. Tickets are free for children under 17 and students with IDs. Groups of five or more can receive discounted $10 tickets by contacting the Morton Theatre Box Office. [MB] THEATER | NOV. 6–8
Spike & Chester
Marigold Auditorium • Times Vary • $15
Written by local director, producer and playwright Jesse A. Lowe, Spike & Chester is an exploration of male friendship and intimacy set against the backdrop of rural Colorado’s cowboy culture. It’s inspired by the Looney Tunes pairing of the rough bulldog and high-strung terrier, represented in its two central characters, Wade and Lucas. Wade, played by Tony Lopez, is a member of a prominent ranching family while Lucas, played by Christopher Steele, is a teacher
from Atlanta who is running from his own problems. The two form an unlikely friendship that subverts the traditional expectations of their town. It brings a modern twist to the Western genre, combining humor and drama to explore its themes. Performances of Spike & Chester will take place at 8 p.m. on Nov. 6–7 and at 3 p.m. on Nov. 8. [MB] THEATER | NOV. 6–8, 12–13, 15
Guys & Dolls
UGA Fine Arts Theatre • Times Vary • $7 (w/ UGA ID), $20
UGA Theatre is bringing Prohibition-era New York to the stage with a cast of characters that includes gamblers, showgirls and missionaries for its production of the 1950 musical Guys & Dolls: A Musical Fable of Broadway. Principal among these characters is Nathan Detroit, who is scrambling to find a venue for his illegal floating craps game. He turns to a legendary gambler for help, making a fateful wager that puts both his money and his heart on the line. UGA’s production of Guys & Dolls, which promises to bring a new energy to the play’s classic songs, is directed by George M. Contini and co-directed by Dottie McDaniel, with musical direction by Rachel Townes. Audience members who arrive early will have the chance to be randomly selected to join Big Julie’s Speakeasy, a secret cabaret hidden in the Fine Arts Building, for an exclusive pop-up experience. There will be performances at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, 7, 12 and 13 and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 8 and 15. [Mary Beth Bryan] MUSIC | FRI, NOV. 6
Kimaya Diggs
Hendershot’s • 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show) • $10 (adv.), $12
Singer-songwriter, poet and producer Kimaya Diggs was raised in Western Massachusetts surrounded by soul, funk, classical music and theater. Her upbringing as a Black and Desi artist in a predominantly white area is one of the primary forces behind her new record, Green, which explores themes of belonging, resilience and openness to life. Written after a period of loss and struggles with her health, the album questions what makes somewhere feel like home, especially when that home may offer simultaneous feelings of connectedness and of displacement. Diggs often interprets these ideas through imagery of natural landscapes while sonically she combines indie pop, soul, R&B, folk, rock and spoken word. On the heels of supporting dates with Mavis Staples, Emily King, Trombone Shorty and Tank and the Bangas, Diggs is embarking on a headlining tour of Green across the Southeast, with a tour of the West Coast to follow in January. Local bands The Rishis and Karma Kat will join her in Athens. [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 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 REAL ESTATE (Wanting to Rent) Seeking small art studio to rent. Downtown/Normaltown/Boulevard preferred. Open to shared spaces. Please send details to bcor1200@ gmail.com. SERVICES (Home & Garden) Fall is here! 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 BEGINNING FIGURE DRAWING (OCAF) All-day workshop Jan. 16, 2027 for artists of all levels to learn nude figure drawing. Experienced
UGA instructor and female professional art model teach small class. Registration is $99 with additional $15 model fee. www.drawathens.org BIPOC ARTIST/CURATOR PROJECT OPEN CALL (Lyndon House Arts Center) Seeking BIPOC individuals to develop an art exhibition for LHAC. www.accgov.com/9799/ ArtistCurator CALL FOR ART (Amici at The Falls) Seeking artists to share artwork in monthly exhibitions. careywelsh20 @gmail.com CALL FOR ART (Donderos’) Seeking new artists to exhibit works. contact@donderoskitchen.com CALL FOR ART (Oconee County Library) Seeking local artists to share their artwork in monthly exhibitions. watkinsville@athens library.org CALL FOR ART (Winterville Library) Apply to be a featured local artist in the Front Room Gallery. The library accepts all 2D mediums. swatson @athenslibrary.org CALL FOR ARTISTS (MAGallery) Now accepting artist applications. MAGallery is a nonprofit cooperative gallery. Gallery Artists work one day a month and participate on a committee. www.themadisonartists guild.org/call-for-artists CALL FOR ARTISTS (Online) JOKER JOKERtv is accepting proposals from artists and curators living in Athens. Artists worldwide can
submit ideas. www.jokerjokertv. com/submit CALL FOR ARTISTS (ATHICA) Seeking artist submissions for the SOMA exhibition. $10 for up to three submissions. Deadline Nov. 20. Show runs Dec. 12 through Jan. 10, 2027. www.instagram.com/ath_ica CALL FOR ARTISTS (ATHICA) Seeking submissions for the 6x6 Challenge fundraiser. Artists should create artwork from a 6x6” canvas for donation in exchange for free attendance to event and chance to win prizes. Submission is free. Drop off deadline is Dec. 2. Fundraising event held Dec. 6, 6–9 p.m. www. instagram.com/ath_ica CALL FOR ARTISTS (Winterville Marigold Festival) Submit artwork to be featured on the 2027 Marigold Festival posters, T-shirts and more. Deadline Jan. 1. www.marigoldfestival.com CALL FOR STORYTELLERS (Rabbit Box) Rabbit Box seeks story ideas for upcoming shows. www.rabbit box.org/tell CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS (Athens Homeless Coalition) Seeking submissions for street newspaper. Poetry, short stories, visual art, song lyrics. enagementcoordinator @athenshc.org COMMUNITY TOURS (Georgia Museum of Art) A variety of tours open to the public including “Student Perspectives” which runs
ADOPT ME!
Visit www.accgov.com/257/Available-Pets to view all the cats and dogs available at the shelter
Ruby (56412259)
Ruby was really shy when she first came to the shelter, but now she loves pets, sitting for treats and even giving hugs. This girl is looking for someone she can trust to share her love with.
Fiona (61925333)
Meet Fiona! This sweetheart could spend all day cuddling in a friend’s lap. She came to the shelter with her nails painted red, so we know she’s missing having girls’ time and spa days.
Pretty Lizzie (61177268)
Pretty Lizzie is a super active pup! She’s looking for a new home to share with someone as energetic as she is. If that sounds like you, consider adopting or fostering her today.
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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Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays throughout the month. www.georgia museum.org LIFE DRAWING (Winterville Cultural Center, Winterville) 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 ZINE ART & IDEAS (Suburban Vermin) Accepting submissions for art, craft ideas, poetry and more for free local publication. Message @suburban.vermin.zine on Instagram.
Auditions ATHENS CRUSH DANCE TEAM (Dancefx Dance Studio) The new Indoor Football League franchise has announced auditions for the team’s inaugural Athens Crush Dance Team. Performances at eight games March–July 2027. Auditions held Nov. 14, 1–4 p.m. $35 with pre-registration, $50 for same-day registration. www.athenscrush.com/ dance-team OPEN AUDITIONS (Athens Master Chorale) Seeking new members in all voice parts including high sopranos, tenors and basses. Scheduled auditions held at St. Gregory the
Great Church. athmcdirector@ gmail.com OPEN AUDITIONS (Athens Symphony) The Athens Symphony is holding auditions for qualified musicians. www.athenssymphony. org/openings
Classes A COURSE 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 (ACC Library) Various ongoing weekly events including ESL Conversation Circle (Wednesdays) and more. www.athenslibrary.org 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 (Athens Land Trust) Various virtual and in-person classes with topics that include Affordable Housing Info and Homebuyer Education Course. www.athenslandtrust.org/classes- events CLASSES & PROGRAMS (Bogart Library) Various ongoing weekly events including ESL (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and more. www. athenslibrary.org/bogart CLASSES & PROGRAMS (Canopy Studio) Canopy offers a variety of trapeze and aerial arts classes for children and adults. Scholarships and financial aid are available. outreach@canopystudio.org,
www.canopystudio.org/outreach/ scholarships CLASSES & PROGRAMS (DanceFx Dance Studio) DanceFx offers a variety of dance classes for all skill levels. Work for class, scholarships and other financial aid programs are available. www.dancefx.org/ athens-tuition CLASSES & PROGRAMS (Oconee Library) Various ongoing weekly events including Drop-In Painting (2nd & 4th Tuesdays), Writers of Oconee (2nd & 4th Mondays), Bingo (2nd Wednesdays), Open Chess Play (Saturdays), Mixed Media Meetup (Mondays) and more. www.athenslibrary.org/ oconee CLASSES & PROGRAMS (Winterville Cultural Center, Winterville) Flow Yoga & Pilates (Monday), Yoga in the Gallery (Wednesdays), Chair Yoga & Creative Cafe (Thursdays) and more. www.winterville center.com CLASSES, PROGRAMS & TOURS (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Various ongoing weekly events including Guided Plant Walk (Tuesdays–Fridays), Porcelain and Decorative Arts Tour (Tuesdays & 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. 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 DANCE CLASSES (East Athens Educational Dance Center) The center offers classes in ballet, hip hop, jazz, modern and more for all ages and skills. www.accgov.com/myrec FREE SCHOOL CLASSES (Various Locations) Learning network for community centered around
compassion, autonomy and playfulness. Visit @athensfreeschool on Instagram. IMPROV CLASSES (Grady College) Free improv classes every Wednesday in Room 509. 5:30 p.m. More information @ImprovAthens OPEN ICE SKATING (Akins Ford Arena) Athens GA Figure Skating Club offers open ice skating for all skill levels every Monday through Thursday, 4–5 p.m. $10 students, $15 general admission. RSVP required. Athensgafigureskating@ gmail.com
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 COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS TREE NEEDED (ACCGov) The Landscape Management Division is seeking a privately-owned cedar tree for donation as a public Christmas tree display in front of City Hall. Interested donors call 706-613-3561. COUCH CRASHERS (ACC Animal Services Department) A short-term foster initiative to provide shelter dogs with the chance to experience the comfort of a home environment over weekends and holiday weekends for one to three days. All needed items provided. Opportunities throughout the year. www. accgov.com/couchcrashers DIAPER DONATIONS (Athens Area Diaper Bank) Diaper donations needed for local infants. All sizes and open packs/boxes are accepted. www.athensareadiaperbank.com FIRE PIT RAFFLE (Friends of the Madison County Library) Madison County Library hosts a raffle for an outdoor gas fire pit to benefit various programs. $1 per ticket, unlimited entries. The winning ticket will be drawn in November after the Madison County Harvest Festival. www.athenslibrary.org/madison MEDICAL EQUIPMENT (Friends of Disabled Adults and Children) Free home medical equipment provided to those in need. Athens locations for pickup at Northeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging and Multiple Choices. Donations also accepted. www.fodac.org MEDICAL EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE (Silver Lace) Open registration for consideration for free mobility and daily living medical items. Donations also accepted. www.silverlace inc.org, info@silverlace.org MICROCHIP SCANNING STATIONS (Multiple Locations) Connect lost pets with their owners. Available 24 hours. Located at ACC Animals Services, Memorial Park Dog Park and Southeast Clarke Park. Instructions provided at each location. www. accgov.com/11669/pet-microchips 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 SEEKING BOARD MEMBERS (Bigger Vision of Athens) The nonprofit homeless shelter Bigger Vision of Athens, Inc. is seeking new members for its board of directors. the biggervisionshelter@gmail.com, www.bvoa.org/boardmember
SEEKING BOARD MEMBERS (Books For Keeps) Seeking new members for its board of directors. Preferred experience includes marketing and financial management. www.instagram.com/bfk_athens, www.booksforkeeps.org SEEKING BOARD MEMBERS (Moms Adopting Moms) Local nonprofit seeks board members, including a chair and treasurer, to support foster children and families through mentorship and reunification. momsadoptingmoms@ gmail.com SEEKING 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. www.accgov.com/animal services SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (Various Locations) Visit www.flagpole. com/bulletinboard for ongoing opportunities with nonprofits and community organizations. SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (The Center at ACCA) Seeking volunteers for the Give Thanks 8K & Kids Fun Run. Event held Thanksgiving, Nov. 26. www.accaging.org SEEKING VOLUNTEERS (The Taylor-Grady House) Seeking volunteers for the annual heritage programming showcase Fall Festival. Opportunities include stage and music assistance, load-in and load-out, vendor support and more. Two hour shifts. Event held Nov. 7. www.taylorgrady.com TEACHER SUPPLIES (Teacher Reuse Store) Educators can access free creative supplies at the store. Please bring credentials. www.acc gov.com/trs VOLUNTEER NETWORK (Community Works, Watkinsville) A nonprofit organization that connects volunteers of all ages to events, resources and training opportunities. CWorksOC@gmail.com
Kidstuff CLASSES & PROGRAMS (ACC Library) Various ongoing weekly events including various storytimes, LEGO Club, Tween/Teen Club Creative, Teen Writing Club and more. www.athenslibrary.org CLASSES & PROGRAMS (Bogart Library) Various ongoing weekly events including LEGO Mania, Storytime with Miss Harli, Sensory Open Play and more. www.athens library.org/bogart CLASSES & PROGRAMS (Oconee Library) Various ongoing weekly events including Children’s Lego Builder’s Challenge, Children’s Crafternoon, Story Time and more. www.athenslibrary.org/oconee CLASSES & PROGRAMS (Athens, GA) Various ongoing weekly and monthly events including Little
Makers, Jumping Gym, Babies and Beasties, 123 Toddler & Me!, Fantastic Friday, Inventors Club, Tiny Trek, Storytime and more. www.acc gov.com/myrec
Word on the Street BOOK SALE (Front Porch Bookstore) $10 bag sale every Saturday benefiting the Winterville Friends of the Library. Cash, check or Venmo only. www.cityofwinterville.com/ front-porch-bookstore CALL FOR VENDORS (Asian Lunar Festival) Now accepting applications for local artists, performers, food vendors, community organizations and more for the second annual Athens Asian Lunar Festival. Event held Feb. 13. www.instagram. com/taste_asia_st 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 FRIDAY EVENTS (Multiplechoices Center for Independent Living) The organization hosts ongoing Friday gatherings. Tech discussions, support groups and more. www. multiplechoices.us/youre-invited MEDICAL ASSISTANCE (Nuçi’s Space) Direct connections to mental healthcare like counseling and psychiatry, medical care for physical concerns and more. www. nuci.org, 706-227-1515 MINDFUL BREATH SANGHA MEETING (Healing Lodge) In the Zen tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Sundays, 1–2:30 p.m. Newcomers welcome. FREE! www.mindfulbreath sangha.org OPEN CALL 2027 MLK DAY OF SERVICE PROJECT SITES (Athens) The Athens MLK Day of Service Steering Committee is looking for project sites. Local organizations that would like to be considered must apply by Nov. 8. www.accgov. com/mlkday PEACEFUL PROTEST (Athens, GA) Indivisible GA District 10 has an “Every Monday” weekly protest on the corner of the corner of Alps and Baxter. 12:30–1:30 p.m. www. indivisiblega10.org 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. Monthly drum circle before service every 3rd Sunday of the month. Go to www.unityathens.com for our weekly classes. 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
Missing Something? MORE LISTINGS (Online) Find the Bulletin Board at www.flagpole. com/bulletinboard for ongoing open art calls, support group information and other resources that are available on a continuous basis.f
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arts & culture
feature
‘Making Place’
ARTFUL HANDS EXHIBITION FEATURES POTTERY BY DAVID DRAKE AND MORE
By Libba Beaucham arts@flagpole.com
Depalmas Fall2026 AMAG_FULL PAGE BLEED.indd 1
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ugly,” and notes that traditional face jugs were often made with grotesque features as a way to ward off evil. Morris will also lead an adult face jug class on Nov. 5 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. “We’re really trying to pull in more traditional crafts, these endangered crafts that used to be handed down through generations,” said Morris. The Hands on History Symposium will take place Nov. 6–7 featuring keynote speaker Karen A. Phillips of the Harlem Abyssinian Development Corporation. BOYCE CLARK
A
new exhibition by Artful Hands titled “Making Place” is now on view through Nov. 12 at the Athens Cotton Press. It features pottery by enslaved 19th-century potter David Drake, hand-forged ironworks by Patrick G. Blount and wood-fired pottery from private collections. The exhibition takes place in conjunction with artist talks, workshops, kids classes and the Hands On History Symposium being held Nov. 6–7. Artful Hands is a new Athens-based organization established by Lee Epting and committee members to offer educational programming about traditional arts to the Athens community. The forming of the organization was inspired by the longheld Henry D. Green Symposium that ended in 2024. “Georgia Museum of Art decided that they could no longer hold the symposium,” said (706) 369-0085, BARNETT SHOALS RD. | (706) 552-1237, TIMOTHY RD. Artful Hands committee member Cindy Farley, adding, “Lee Epting rallied a committee; Artful Hands was formed. We want to carry the spirit of Henry Green forward in a way that feels hands-on and connected to the work happening today.” The “Making Place” exhibition will have six works by David Drake, also known as Dave the Potter, on loan from the Washington Historical Museum. Drake was an enslaved potter in South Carolina whose surviving works were often signed, which is When you are struggling to meetmarker the demands ofartist. a a rare personal of an enslaved controlling and jealous partner it is hardmember to plan Artful Hands committee Erinfor Morris that manyavailable Southern pottery the future. Project Safe hasnotes advocates to help traditions are derived from the artistry of you sort through what options are available to you, enslaved craftspeople, adding, “We want to and how you can staygive safe while you explore voice to all traditional artistsoptions. and their roots.” Other pieces on display come from All services are free and confidential. the private collections of Pat Shields and If you y are in crisis due to domestic If Janice Hall, owners of Georgia Mudcat Potviolence,Phil Graduate wants tery in Danielsville, as well as pieces from violence, Hughes Athens Honda wants the collection of David and Linda Chesnut. you to tofind findhelp. help. you Ironworks by Patrick G. Blount will also be If your partner objects when you use the phone, Linea de crisis, las 24 Blount horas dia on view. is a del certified blacksmith When you family are struggling meet the demands of a who played a key role in saving a historic limits your everyday contact with andtofriends, and jealous partner it is hard to plan for blacksmith shop in Washington, GA. On and you restrict yourself tocontrolling avoid angry, aggressive the future. Project Safe has advocates available to helpNov. 6 from 2–4 p.m., Shields will lead a confrontations, you need to back and take are available to you, youstep sort through what options free gallery talk and Washington Historical how once you canyou stay safe you explore options. another look. How can youand cope arewhile involved Museum director Stephanie Macchia will services are free and confidential. with a controlling partner?AllCall Project Safe for help. speak about the David Drake pieces on view. A kids’ face jug class will be held on Nov. Our hotline is confidential,706-543-3331 and counseling is free. 4 from 5–6:30 p.m, led by Morris, who fell Get your life back. Get help.Hotline, 24 hours/day in love with creating art when she herself Linea de crisis, las 24 horas del dia was a kid. “I have always been drawn to 3D [art], anything I could get my hands on… so the moment I could get a vessel up on a wheel, I was putting a face on it,” said Linea de crisis, las 24 horas del dia Morris. She encourages creativity, saying, “If you can’t make it beautiful, make it
F L A GP OL E .C OM · NO V E MB E R 4, 2026
“Karen’s work shows how preservation can make a difference in people’s everyday lives,” says Farely. “She’s a landscape architect and community development leader who helped found the Abyssinian Development Corporation in Harlem. Her work connected the care of historic buildings with affordable housing, services and opportunities for the community.” Presentations on historic preservation will be held throughout the day of Nov. 7. Farley encourages students to attend and to take advantage of the free student passes saying, “Students are welcome whether they’re interested in history, art, architecture and design, or just curious about how places and objects are made and preserved. They’ll hear from people doing the work and see how many different paths can lead into this field.” Farley hopes that the “Making Place” exhibition and its associated events will leave attendees “inspired to look more closely at the decorative arts and historic places around them, and maybe even learn a craft or help preserve something in their own community.” A closing reception for the “Making Place” exhibition will take place on Nov. 12 from 6–8 p.m. For details on all the associated Artful Hands events, and to register or purchase tickets, visit artfulhands.org. f
SUDOKU
Edited by Margie E. Burke
Difficulty: Easy
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CORD SIBILSKY VOTED ATHENS FAVORITE REALTOR 2015-2026
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FIVE STARS ON ZILLOW WITH OVER 900 HOMES SOLD
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Copyright 2026 by The Puzzle Syndicate
HOW TO SOLVE:
Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 311/2/26 by 3 boxes must contain Week - 11/8/26 the numbers 1 to 9.
The Weekly Crossword 1
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by Margie E. Burke 9
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14 17
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33
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55
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23 to Sudoku: 24 Solution
8 267 276 1 9 3 4 228 5 29 30 1 4 2 8 5 6 731 9 3 35 36 37 5 3 9 7 2 4 1 8 6 40 41 7 2 4 9 6 1 342 5 8 46 2 7 9 6 8 451 3 4 5 49 3 509 5 2 7 8 6 1 451 4 1 7 6 8 9 5 3 253 52 2 5 8 4 3 7 58 9 6 59 1 57 9 6 3 5 1 2 61 8 4 7 60 25
32 38 43 47
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ACROSS 1 Greet the dawn 6 Scratches up 10 Ship of Greek myth 14 Some people can't take them 15 Chills and fever 16 Sea swallow 17 Collection additions 19 Neighbor of Thailand 20 Persian Gulf nation 21 Hollywood's Portman 23 Spud's buds 24 Renowned 25 One of two evils 28 Welcomes in 29 Booze (abbr.) 30 Towels off 32 Spots to build on 35 ___ mortals 37 Per ___ (yearly) 39 Window part 40 Makes level 42 Lukewarm 44 Nashville sch. 45 Proverbs follower, for short 47 Original Mouseketeer ___ Tracey
39 44 48
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Copyright 2026 by The Puzzle Syndicate
49 Release 51 Michener work 52 Nassau's country 53 Speaking like Daffy 57 Viking war god 58 Two-sided 60 "___ Misbehavin'" 61 Ukraine city 62 One of the Pointer Sisters 63 Dog collar danglers 64 Brain scans 65 Bowling lane button DOWN 1 "Moby Dick" captain 2 Costa ___ 3 Short distance 4 Cubic meters 5 Attempted 6 Water conduits 7 Give it ___ (try) 8 Not quite winners 9 Kind of oil 10 Lost island of myth 11 Home business?
12 Often-pulled muscle 13 Beginning 18 Spoken letter "s" 22 Gets even with? 25 Weak, as an excuse 26 Mountain stat. 27 Crying shrilly 28 Pool contents? 31 Trait shapers 33 Abstract being 34 Blackball 36 Charms 38 Like some collisions 41 Con game 43 Part of Canis Major 46 On the hook, legally 48 Forcible seizure 49 German sub 50 Olympian Comaneci 51 Czechs or Poles 54 Fertility goddess 55 ___ the Great (boy detective) 56 Small fly 59 Pot-bellied pet
Puzzle answers are available at www.flagpole.com/puzzles
NO V E MB E R 4, 2026 · F L A GP OL E .C OM
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ARTS
FRANKLIN FINE AND PERFORMING
SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTS 2026
FALL DODD MARKET & OPEN STUDIOS NOVEMBER 6 - Dodd market begins at Noon | Open Studios 5:30 - 7:30p.m. Lamar Dodd School of Art - Room S151 | 270 River Road, Athens, GA The Dodd Market provides valuable selling experience to art students and engages the UGA and Athens community with student artists. Explore the vibrant art studios of UGA faculty and MFA students in the School of Art Main Building and nearby Ceramics Building. Scan QR code | art.uga.edu
UGA OPERA THEATRE AN EVENING OF OPERA SCENES
NOVEMBER 6 at 7:30 p.m. | NOVEMBER 8 at 3 p.m Hodgson Concert Hall | Charles and Lynn Knapp Performing Arts Center | 230 River Road
Experience opera at its most intimate. Stripped of massive sets, opera reveals its core: stories of the human condition. This evening showcases a dynamic mix of our brightest rising talents and seasoned voices, combining raw vocal power with dramatic realism. Scan QR code | music.uga.edu | 706-542-4400
FALL MUSICAL “GUYS & DOLLS”
NOV. 6-7, 12-13 at 7:30 p.m. | NOV. 8 & 15 at 2 p.m. UGA Fine Arts Theatre | 255 Baldwin St, Athens GA
Guys and Dolls is a dazzling celebration of Broadway at its most iconic — a bold, joyful musical spectacle filled with high-stakes gamblers, glamorous nightlife, and unforgettable romance. $20 - Adults | $7 - UGA Students Scan QR code | ugatheatre.com | 706-542-4400
STUDENT CHOREOGRAPHY CONCERT “THROUGHLINE” NOVEMBER 11-13 at 7:30 p.m.
UGA Dance Theatre | 263 W. Green Street, Athens GA Featuring original works choreographed and produced by students, with faculty and staff providing guidance and mentorship, highlighting a variety of music genres and styles of dance. $15 - Adults | $7 - UGA Students | $7 - Seniors Scan QR code | dance.uga.edu | 706-542-4400
Embrace the arts. ENRICH YOUR WORLD.