Atlanta Intown - April 2023

Sally

As we were putting this issue of Atlanta Intown together, I was doing some of the editing and proofreading while waiting to see various doctors and have a CT scan to check for a recurrence of cancer.

It’s been two years this month since I was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), a rare cancer that caused a tumor in my salivary gland and required an eight-hour surgery at Emory University Midtown Hospital followed by six weeks of proton therapy.

I’m happy (thrilled! ecstatic!) to say that the CT scan showed that I remain cancer-free, but that relief is always tempered by the knowledge that ACC has a high and fatal recurrence rate. Going forward, there will be more attention paid to my chest, since ACC has a propensity for metastasis to the lungs. When my salivary gland was removed, my surgeon discovered that cancer had invaded the facial nerve so that was cut out too. A nerve graft has been mostly unsuccessful, so that means the left side of my face droops, especially around my mouth.

I don’t think I’m a vain person, but I’m ready for plastic surgery. Not the full Joan Rivers – not yet, anyway – but just something to fix the droop. It’s a daily reminder of cancer and I don’t want to keep explaining to those curious enough to ask that it was cancer and not a stroke, which is what folks presume. The surgery is covered by insurance, which also makes me incredibly happy.

During the initial surgery, I had a brow lift to help keep my forehead from sagging into my eye. The Emory team did a fantastic job with that, so I’m meeting with one of their plastic surgeons in April to discuss options. Basically, I’m just looking to get a little symmetry back to my mouth and regain some confidence about my appearance and speaking in public.

I ventured out on a cold, rainy night back in February to read a poem at the Decatur Library. It was my first live appearance at a literary event in three years to celebrate the publication of “Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology,” which includes one of my poems.

I was self-conscious the entire evening, especially when I took the stage to a full house, and I was acutely aware of “the droop” and how it also affected my speaking voice. I’d been on the fence about more plastic surgery but decided then and there that I was going under the knife.

In the meantime, I’m mostly keeping calm and carrying on. I’m doing some traveling this summer, I’m finishing a new poetry collection due out by year’s end, and still fervently hoping that Sade puts a new album out this year. I’m mainly doing things that make me happy because the world is running low on happiness these days.

While randomly looking for something to binge on TV, I came across the old Laura Linney series “The Big C.” I love her and didn’t have Showtime when it originally aired, so I took the plunge. Her character’s response to a fatal cancer diagnosis was hilarious and moving. But there was one line that stuck with me: “Can we concentrate on the positive here? Be happy! There are so many other things not to be happy about.”

With the current political zeal to persecute transgender people, drag queens, and rewrite history, it makes me wonder why those pushing that agenda are so unhappy. Because working overtime to strip people of their human and civil rights comes from a place of hate. Let folks live their lives.

Life is short. Find some happy.

(Photo

Creative Reuse: Scraplanta is part thrift, part art supply store

By Isadora Pennington

Just a few steps down from the TJ Maxx at the Briarcliff Village shopping center in Tucker is a small, relatively unassuming storefront that holds immeasurable treasures. This is Scraplanta, a creative reuse store that is part thrift, part art supply shop.

This shop has a little bit of everything: knitting needles, beads, ribbon, fabric, paper, partially empty tubes of acrylic paint, cardboard boxes, toilet paper tubes, picture frames, and oddly enough, a lot of trophies.

Jonelle Dawkins is the executive director of Scraplanta, and she has brought her passion for sustainable retail to the forefront of operations at this burgeoning store.

“I’ve always loved the environment,” said Dawkins as we sat together in her office. At only 25 years old, Dawkins carries an air of confidence and leadership of a woman far

beyond her years. She attended the University of Georgia, graduating in 2019, during which she studied ethical fashion in Ghana and obtained a Sustainability Certificate. She went on to attend graduate school at North Carolina A&T where she discovered creative reuse centers in Greensboro, NC.

“During my time at UGA I got a certificate in sustainability, so I wanted to use that to market myself as a fashion designer who cares about the environment,’ she said.

“When I found out about creative reuse centers, I thought it was perfect because it was the intersection of art and sustainability.”

Dawkins said that since they began accepting donations last May, Scraplanta has collected around 30,000 pounds of materials. It’s an astonishing number, and it highlights the need that this community has for a sustainable creative reuse store where craft and art supplies can find new life.

An estimated 40-50 people walk through the doors of Scraplanta every day. Dawkins said some regulars return every day to peruse the shelves and bins that are nearly overflowing with materials. It appears Scraplanta is not only a valuable resource for artists who need art supplies for their projects, but also for crafty folks who enjoy the act of looking.

Dawkins said some days the store is packed to the brim with shoppers, and it seems that many find peace and relaxation from browsing. “They will come and just look for like an hour and leave in a better mood than when they came in,” she said.

It’s not unusual to see a mix of shoppers at Scraplanta since it appeals to small children and their families, seniors, college students, art educators, crafters, and professional artists alike. According to Dawkins, part of Scraplanta’s success is the lower price point.

She wants it to be accessible not only to shop there but also reasonable to donate leftovers back to Scraplanta when there are things that go unused.

“I want people to be able to immerse themselves in art without spending so much money and be okay with being bad at first,” Dawkins said, “Sometimes when we start a new hobby and spend $300 on a new sewing machine, $200 at a class, $60 on materials if we aren’t great at the end of the first class it can feel like a waste.”

Those who shop at Scraplanta spend a fraction of what they would at traditional stores to get all the materials needed to try something new.

Scraplanta’s by-the-bag pricing for small items makes it easy to grab just what you need for any given project. Avid crafters and artists will relate to the frustration of having to buy packs containing large quantities of

Scraplanta executive director Jonelle Dawkins. (Photos by Isadora Pennington)

Some of the donated materials now for sale at Scraplanta.

Luxury is defined by a level of service.

an item when they only need a few. This pricing system allows for greater flexibility and selection.

For creative reuse centers like Scraplanta, sourcing new materials and donations is not the problem. In fact, most are overflowing with donations, which is something that Dawkins saw play out time and again when she toured eight similar centers across the southeast from Richmond, VA to San Antonio, TX. She spoke with their directors, starting a group chat that has resulted in a sort of network of creative reuse stores where they can share their tips, tricks, and struggles.

Beyond the logistics of sorting through an ever-evolving selection of donations is the mental block that sometimes accompanies endless organization. “I can’t sort and process everything in one day, one week, or one year. I just can’t. When I come at it with a mindset that it’s going to get sorted eventually, I can tackle it one box, one bag at a time.”

She has three employees and relies on the help of a team of dedicated volunteers to help manage the flow of items in the store. The crew works hard organizing and reorganizing all the shelves at Scraplanta. “It’s basically just constant reorganizing,” Dawkins said.

While patrons are allowed to bring in donations during regular business hours, larger donations require an appointment to ensure enough staff members and volunteers are on hand to sort the materials dropped off. Many of the volunteers are professional organizers who feel so strongly about the mission of Scraplanta that they are willing to spend their days off hunkered down sorting boxes and bags full of beads, ribbon, paper, fabric, and more.

The idea for Scraplanta was born from a newspaper article that founder Susan Reu read about a similar reuse center and

visiting the Scrap Exchange in Durham, NC. Meanwhile, Scraplanta board chair Melissa Wood had scoped out the storefront at Briarcliff Village before the pandemic, but when the world came to a halt so, too did the plans for the shop.

Dawkins met with Reu and was brought onto the team back in November 2021. In that time, Dawkins established the business’ non-profit status, secured the physical space – which had sat empty for 25 years following the closure of an H&R Block – and opened their doors to retail a year later.

Last September, Dawkins coordinated with arts collective The Bakery to put on a fundraiser for Scraplanta. The Revival Art Show featured works made from recycled and reimagined items, and all profits were used to open their physical space. Considering the impressive foot traffic, the community’s response, and the online buzz, it’s clear Scraplanta is answering an essential need.

Dawkins hopes Scraplanta can expand to more locations across the city to better serve artists in those communities. So far, her model has proven to be a success. In addition to retail, Scraplanta also offers classes on making bags, cardboard sculptures, appliques, and skills such as beading.

At the moment, Dawkins said the shop is hoping someone will donate tables, chairs, and shelves to help in the neverending sorting and organization. She also wants artists to spread the word. “The only way we grow is through more people knowing about us.”

Scraplanta is located at 2130 Henderson Mill Road and is open varying hours Thursday through Sunday. Visit scraplanta. org for more information and to register for classes.

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Tara Thieleke, an art teacher at Rockdale County High School, searches the bins for supplies at Scraplanta.

Farmers on the frontline of climate change

ABOVE THE WATER LINE

In Their Own Words

The farm losses that resulted from Elliott’s brutal winds and frigid cold — due in part to climate change and a warming Arctic region — are described in heartwrenching detail by several of Georgia’s small farmers:

for a couple hours to be able to fix the pipes and well pump… With the frequent rain after the stress of the freeze we are seeing higher than usual loss from the combination of stress and parasites… The very heavy rains… have not been good for the grasses and soil health either.

Sally Bethea

On most spring mornings I walk around my garden in the city to survey and appreciate the survivors of the weather rollercoaster we’ve been riding in recent months: the days of unrelenting, hard freeze over the holidays, record rainfall in January, and all-time highs of more than 80 degrees in February. I admire the new leaves emerging from branches on azaleas, the

In all my 30 years of farming, I've never seen winter weather hit in the low digits consistently like this for days on end... We experienced wind chills of -15 degrees with 40 mph wind gusts. Despite our best efforts to cover and protect crops outside and inside high tunnels, the wind gusts blew off covers essentially

Weekly produce baskets delivered to urban front doors by the online farmer’s market Fresh Harvest (freshharvest.com) were filled with stored crops and root vegetables after the winter storm. Owner Zac Harrison says that in his ten years of operation, no other weather event has

frequent extreme weather events and patterns, including floods, droughts, high heat, and rising pest and disease pressures. A disaster relief program called The Farmer Fund, managed for the past five years by Georgia Organics (georgiaorganics.org), has been a life-saver — offering assistance through farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture, and local restaurant sales. The oldest statewide nonprofit providing direct support to local and organic farmers, GO champions farmer prosperity, food justice, and climate-smart practices. Post-Elliott, sixty farms located primarily in Georgia’s Piedmont region applied to The Farmer Fund for a total of $470,000 in disaster relief. Every farm received aid, on average about 70 percent of what they requested, thanks to fundraising efforts by GO, Food Well Alliance, The Common Market, Community Farmers Market, The Conservation Fund, Wholesome Wave Georgia, and generous donors.

Relief funds are critical to help farmers weather extreme events, but growers must also learn how to adapt to global heating by embracing conservation practices that sequester carbon in the soil — such as minimal tillage, mulching, composting, rotating livestock, and cover crops — while also reducing their reliance on fossil fuels.

Climate-Smart Farming

bright-green holly fern fronds, and resilient oakleaf hydrangea, hellebore, and spiderwort.

There are also heartbreaks. The leaves on the creeping fig that steadily climbed the brick columns on my front porch during the pandemic years are now gray and brittle: no hint of new growth. The cast iron plants I thought were indestructible look like they’ve had a Cruella de Vil hairstyle makeover. My once lush fatsia plants have survived, barely, but no longer hide the ugly concrete wall in my backyard. All my potted plants left carelessly outside while wrapping presents and cooking holiday meals are dead.

Of course, my gardening losses do not even begin to compare to the devastation that hit Georgia farmers in late December, especially the small to mid-sized farms dedicated to sustainable, organic, and regenerative practices. Many of these operations lack the critical infrastructure needed to protect against freeze-related natural disasters. Winter Storm Elliott — the Arctic “bomb cyclone” that brought blizzards, high winds, snowfall and record cold temperatures across much of the country — destroyed winter crops and fruit trees, damaged expensive infrastructure, and killed livestock.

freezing the crops underneath.

80 percent of our crops froze and died during the Arctic Storm, even with fleece covers and mulch. We spent hundreds of dollars in purchasing more fleece covers, hoops and weights in preparation for this storm… The wind tore many of them off the first night… the 6-degree temps were too cold, even with covers.

The freeze put stress on our sheep and cattle. We had two days where the well was broken and we had to wait for it to get above freezing

impacted so many of his growers at the same time for so long. Despite the irreversible damage and adversity, his two dozen farm partners are working overtime to raise spring crops and minimize their losses.

The Farmer Fund

Small farmers find themselves on the frontlines of climate change. They are particularly vulnerable to increasingly

In 2022, Drawdown Georgia (drawdownga.org) — a statewide nonprofit that has identified twenty high-impact solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade — initiated a new grant program to advance climate solutions and prioritize equity. GO received one of the five inaugural grants, which will provide $200,000 for the organization’s ClimateSmart Farmer Program.

For the next two years, GO will help prepare Black farmers in South Georgia to become more climate-solution literate. They will be equipped with tools to learn how to adapt to extreme weather events and build resilience while maintaining productivity. In addition to focusing on sustainable agricultural practices, GO will provide technical assistance to create small-scale rooftop solar systems to power the farms; this will include advice on options to access capital funds to shift to less-expensive, renewable energy sources.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are already experiencing the early stages of the climate crisis. Not just on farms and in kitchens, but also in our backyards, uncertain water supplies, expanding flood zones, wildfires, and stifling heat waves. Humans must adapt, but we have to work together.

WB and Lynn Brown, owners of Brown’s Place Farm, were just one of Georgia’s organic farmers affected by

Fulton Commission files federal complaint against Wellstar

Pitts said Fulton’s complaint was being filed with the DOJ because the department “has more teeth” and “a serious, strong enforcement division.” He asked the resolution be approved unanimously. It passed 5-1.

Commissioner Bridget Thorne, who represents Johns Creek and parts of Roswell, Alpharetta, and Sandy Springs, voted against the resolution. Before the vote, she defended Wellstar in a lengthy prepared statement. She said Wellstar invested $350 million in capital investments at AMC after purchasing the hospital six years ago and sustained operating losses more than three times their annual investment and capital improvements compared to historical averages.

The Fulton County Commission voted March 15 to approve a resolution requesting the U.S. Department of Justice investigate Wellstar Health Care for

“health care redlining” after closing two Atlanta hospitals used primarily by Black and lower-income residents.

Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said closing Atlanta Medical Center in Old Fourth Ward and Atlanta Medical

SAGE Fest

Center South in East Point hurts majorityBlack communities and leaves those living south of Interstate 20 without access to an emergency room and other medical services.

“Wellstar created a health care desert in central and south Fulton County,” Pitts said.

“It is a classic example of health care redlining,” he said, referencing discriminatory housing and real estate practices.

Two months after closing the two AMC hospitals, Wellstar announced it wanted to partner with Augusta University Hospital System, the state’s only public medical school. The potential partnership could include building a new hospital in Columbia County, which is 71.3% white.

“WellStar purchased AMC in 2016. Did we think they were redlining then when they jumped in to try to help?” Thorne asked.

Thorne also said that AMC treated the same patients as “our good friend Grady down the road” but did it without the $50-$60 million that Fulton County gives the charity hospital. She said Wellstar sought help from local governments, including Fulton, but was turned away.

Commissioner Khadijah AbdurRahman, who represents Southwest Atlanta, did not hide her anger with Thorne’s comments.

“I will not sit here and listen to your white privilege,” Abdur-Rahman said. “Your white privilege does not cross over I-20 south. So I say to you, I am offended.”

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Wellstar, based in Marietta, responded to the accusations of discrimination as “shameful and false.” The system said it was forced to close the AMC hospitals after not receiving financial help from local elected officials.

“These difficult circumstances and ongoing community discussions should not give license to some politicians to attack an entire healthcare system — home to 24,000 team members and caregivers — to score cheap political points,” Wellstar said in a written statement.

The Fulton County resolution comes days after state lawmakers and the NAACP filed two federal complaints over Wellstar’s decision last year to close Atlanta Medical Center and Atlanta Medical Center South and other medical facilities. One complaint alleges Wellstar violated the Civil Rights Act. The other asks the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the nonprofit health care system’s tax-exempt status.

“We have been healthcare redlined, and whether what the chairman has done, whether it helps us or not, it has to be said,” she said.

Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr., whose district includes South Fulton, said Thorne’s comments “sounded like a paid advertisement.”

“I guess your check is in the mail,” he said.

He also denied Wellstar’s claims that the healthcare system approached Fulton County asking for financial help due to ongoing losses of millions of dollars a year.

“They never approached us. They never talked to us. They never asked us for any money. That is an absolute falsehood,” Arrington said.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has said he is working with regional medical facilities in a search to bring a new health care system to reopen Atlanta Medical Center.

By Dyana Bagby

The former Atlanta Medical Center in Old Fourth Ward (Photo by Dyana Bagby)

MJQ Concourse moving to Underground Atlanta

By Sammie Purcell

MJQ Concourse, currently located on Ponce de Leon Avenue, is planning a move to the former spot of Dante’s Down the Hatch restaurant at Underground Atlanta in early 2024.

The club is moving due to a giant new mixed-used development in the works from Portman Holdings along a stretch of the storied Ponce corridor.

“The history of the city is getting wiped away so it only makes sense that we escape deeper down into Atlanta’s history for safety,” said MJQ co-owner Ryan Purcell, “We are thrilled that after being open for 25 years we will be taking over

such a notable space that has not seen life for 25 years.”

The MJQ team will work to preserve the pirate ship structure that sits in the former Dante’s space. Dante’s was founded in the 1970s by Dante Stephensen and served as the centerpiece for Underground for nearly 30 years. Dante’s permanently closed its Underground location in 1999. Stephenson passed away in 2020.

MJQ opened in the basement of the Ponce de Leon Hotel in 1994 before moving to its current spot at 736 Ponce. The opening of the new location in 2024 will commemorate the club’s 25th year in business.

Intown News RoundUp

The Atlanta City Council has requested a financial audit of the More MARTA program funded by voter-approved sales tax collection. City council members have raised questions about transparency from MARTA on spending and how it prioritizes projects.

Ground was broken in March for new segments of the Atlanta BeltLine Southside Trail. Known as Segments 4 and 5, the new paved trail will connect the Glenwood Park and Grant Park neighborhoods, from Glenwood Avenue to Boulevard.

After defeat in the Georgia Senate, the organizers behind the Buckhead City movement said they were suspending their bid for cityhood until at least 2026 in hopes of a more favorable political climate.

The Atlanta Jazz Festival returns Memorial Day weekend, May 27-29, with headliners Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Stanley Clarke (pictured), and Ledisi. The lineup also includes Samara Joy, Tony Hightower, Brenda Nicole Moorer, David Sanchez and more. See the lineup at atljazzfest.com.

Autopsy shows Cop City activist was seated with hands raised when shot

By Collin Kelley and Dyana Bagby

A second, independent autopsy of Cop City activist Manuel Terán, who was shot and killed by state law enforcement on Jan. 18 during a clearing of protesters, shows their hands were raised when they were killed, according to lawyers for the family.

Findings from the autopsy report were revealed at a press conference in Decatur on Monday morning by attorneys representing Terán’s family.

Terán was one of the activists camped on the site of the future Atlanta public safety training facility – nicknamed Cop City by opponents – off Key Road in South DeKalb County.

The independent autopsy was conducted by forensic pathologist Kris Sperry on Jan. 31 at the ConnorWestbury Funeral home in Griffin, Ga.

The report concludes that Terán was shot 14 times while probably seated in a cross-legged position. The report says that one bullet struck Terán in the head,

while others entered their torso, shoulder, legs, and hands. The wounds to Terán’s hands indicated they were holding them up in a possible protective gesture, but there was no evidence of gunshot residue on Terán’s hands.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said Terán was shot after they fired on a Georgia State Patrol officer, who was wounded in the incident. The GBI said in a March 10 statement it is not releasing information now “to “preserve the integrity of the investigation and to ensure the facts of the incident are not tainted.”

Sperry’s independent autopsy report states, “It is impossible to tell if [Terán] had been holding a firearm, or not holding a firearm, either before [they were] shot or while [they were] being shot multiple times.”

Activists believe that friendly fire from other officers caused the state trooper’s injuries, and point to radio chatter heard in the Atlanta Police Department released body camera footage of an officer stating “you f-cked your own guy up.”

County Jail charged with domestic terrorism, but no details about their alleged crimes have been released.

Activists claim APD and other law enforcement randomly arrested people at the South River Forest site who were peacefully gathered rather than seeking out those who had changed into black clothing, set fire to construction equipment, and lobbed Molotov cocktails and firecrackers to keep the police at bay.

“Imagine the police killed your child. And now then imagine they won’t tell you anything. That is what we are going through,” Manuel Terán’s mother Belkis Terán said. “I am heartbroken.”

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Terán’s family has filed suit for the release of more information under the Georgia Open Records Act, according to attorneys Brian Spears and Jeff Filipovits. The attorney said the GBI hasn’t released the government’s autopsy report, met with Terán’s family, and has blocked the City of Atlanta from releasing more officer-worn body camera footage.

Flilipovits said the actions of state law enforcement at the Cop City site should be “ringing alarm bells” for everyone concerned about the militarization of police.

He said that more than 20 activists arrested March 5 remain in the DeKalb

The GBI said in its statement that an autopsy on Terán was conducted by the DeKalb Medical Examiner’s Office and it “still supports our initial assessment.”

“The GBI cannot & will not attempt to sway public opinion in this case but will continue to be led by the facts & truth,” the statement said. “We understand the extreme emotion that this has caused Teran’s family and will continue to investigate as comprehensively as possible.”

Faith leaders gathered on the steps of City Hall after the March 5 arrests calling for the City of Atlanta to abandon its plans for the training facility.

Manuel Terán’s mother Belkis Terán speaks to the media on March 10.

That time I didn’t go to Norway

My wife Kristen loves these Nordic Noir books and TV shows. Sometimes she muses about living in a rustic cabin somewhere near the Arctic Circle. I’ll catch a glimpse of what she is watching and see a burly, bearded man pouring a cup of tea for some crestfallen fellow who apparently hasn’t slept for weeks. It’s cold. It’s dark. It’s sad. They have tea. I’m not sure I get it.

MAY I BE EXCUSED

Last year when she suggested we plan a trip to Norway for February when the best deals could be had on flights and accommodations, I immediately ran through the cons in my mind: (1) It will be bitter cold. (2) The food will be weird. (3) It’s expensive already and double if we both go. (4) There is no guarantee we’d see the Northern Lights. So I creatively replied, “maybe this would be a good trip to do with your sisters?” She ran with that offer, so quickly in fact that now I question whether it was ever my idea to begin with.

The patient folks at Zappos will confirm it took Kristen nine attempts to find just the right boots to withstand the elements. But wouldn’t you know it, their trip coincided with a fake Spring of sorts and for the most part the weather was relatively mild. Good for them. I received notifications every time they added photos to their album, and I didn’t want to call them out or anything, but the scenery in some of those pictures looked fake.

Tim Sullivan

Anyway, I was laser-focused on handling the household morning routine. Typically, I walk the dogs and then sneak off for a workout. Kristen wakes the kids, makes lunches, makes the beds, folds the laundry, empties the dishwasher, and often drives the kids to school (which seems like a lot of stuff now that I type it all out). Even with my mother-in-law preparing dinners and giving the kids rides, the challenges of household management without Kristen here were all too real.

While Kristen was snowshoeing up a picturesque mountain, it was over 80 degrees here and our air conditioner failed. Even with the windows open and fans on, it was like a fake June. The A/C technician diagnosed a leak in the refrigerant line that

runs inside the walls. So while Kristen was playfully feeding reindeer, I vacuumed up sheet rock dust over three levels of the house until they found the leak. Anybody got a good drywall repairman? And did you guys know that reindeer are real?

Kristen asked me to get that little knocking sound in her car checked out while she was away. Our mechanic said the front axle whatchamacallit needed replacing and he would be metaphorically punching a few more holes in my drywall. Somehow while Kristen was enjoying a feast on the top of the planet at a Michelin-rated restaurant, I was the one spending more money this week. Good times.

The sisters visited adorable little towns and took polar bear dips in

From L-R it is Maggie Riehman, Nicole Letiecq, Kara Riehman, Mary Pinto, Betsy Buckley and Kristen Sullivan.

the Norwegian sea and through all these adventures, they raved about the hotel breakfast. The breakfast offerings alone, it seems, would have made the trip worthwhile. On my side of the planet, we were out of Cheez-Its and Larabars and I was heading to Publix for the third time that week.

Seeing the Northern lights is a oncein-a-lifetime experience but for Kristen and her sisters, it was four nights in a row kind of experience. They were told they got lucky and I’m going to have to agree. The highlight of my week was the morning walk when the dogs saved me a minute with synchronized pooping. I guess the moral of the story is either I should fully appreciate all that Kristen does around here OR I should never, ever, let her take another trip without me.

Mass-timber home coming to Virginia-Highland

By Kathy Dean

Virginia-Highland is the site of an upcoming home-building project that includes innovative green technology. Construction of the single-family residence will feature mass timber, a material manufactured from thick, compressed layers of engineered wood.

The new home at 777 Brookridge Drive, across from Orme Park, is designed in the West Coast Classical style with cedar and redwood posts and beams. Its columns, as well as floor, wall, and ceilings, will be made from mass timber, a progressive and under-utilized material as robust as steel and concrete with the warmth and attractiveness of wood.

Despite mass timber’s growing

popularity, there are few homes in the Atlanta area that have used it, and this is the first that has come to the open market here.

The architectural plan for 777 Brookridge covers 7,272 square feet with

six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, media room, gym, office, guest house, and two-car garage.

The home, designed by architect Tate Lauderdale, is being developed by Tom Crane and Longo Custom Builders is the contractor. The home is being marketed by Wes Vawter with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty.

modeling a dress by Alix (Madame Grès) for Vogue. Courtesy of the Horst P. Horst Estate and @TheArtDesignProjectGallery.

Atlanta Dogwood Festival returns to Piedmont Park for 87th year

By Isadora Pennington

From April 14-16, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival will transform Piedmont Park into a fine art showcase featuring the works of 280 artists, live music performances, kids’ village, VIP experiences, and a 5K qualifying event for the Peachtree Road Race.

Executive Director Brian Hill spared a few minutes to share his excitement about the 2023 festival as well as the challenges that they are facing in a post-Covid world.

“This is a shared multigenerational experience,” Hill said. The Atlanta Dogwood Festival is the third oldest fine art festival in Atlanta, and Hill recalled how many people began attending the festival as children with their grandparents and are now parents or grandparents themselves. Beyond offering an incredible selection of art to purchase, the event is a beloved tradition for families across the region, he said.

Hill has been working with the Atlanta Dogwood Festival since 2008 when he “jumped in with both feet” at the height of the recession. That year there was an additional challenge due to a historic drought which necessitated that the festival be moved from the shaded park to a parking lot at Lenox Square.

Ironically enough, all three days of the festival brought torrential rain. Hill said

the year away from Piedmont Park gave organizers time to reimagine the way the festival operated. “It was sort of like a new beginning,” he stated.

Another element that sets the festival apart is the high school art exhibition. It has been a feature of the festival for many years and highlights budding artists from more than 70 metro Atlanta schools.

“Many of the students who have participated in that exhibition have gone on to become professional artists,” Hill remarked. “The quality of the high school

art seems to be getting better and better. They aren’t doing it for commercial reasons, they are doing it as self-expression. It always amazes me.”

The Atlanta High School Art Exhibition asks students to compete in much the same way as the professional artists. Of 600-some entries, there are only around 180 that are chosen for the exhibit. “It’s a real awakening for these young artists,” said Hill. “For them to get out there and be able to display their art the way that professional artists do, you see their pride.” Winning student

artists receive over $40,000 of supplies, scholarships, and prizes from the Atlanta Dogwood Festival each year.

In recent years, and particularly during the pandemic, free art festivals have struggled to contend with rising costs and evolving logistical concerns. One significant change this year is that there will not be two stages, and instead, one performance space will transform from the International Stage to the Coca-Cola stage later in the evening. In brighter news, 2023 marks the return of midway rides such as the Whirligig and Ferris Wheel.

As for Hill’s favorite part of the festival, it’s the performances. “It’s really energetic,” said Hill. “When everybody is in a great mood it’s a really great place to be.”

This year’s lineup includes Burlesque, Irish, Flamenco, Chinese, Indian, Cuban, Bulgarian, Polynesian, Mexican, and Turkish dance. Live music performances slated for the festival include Jessie Albright, Rae and the Ragdolls, and the Deja Bluegrass Band, among others.

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival is, as always, free and open to the public. Find out more at dogwood.org.

For even more festivals and events, be sure to visit HowDoYouAtlanta.com.

Photos courtesy Atlanta Dogwood Festival

High Museum has stellar lineup of art for 2023

museum presentation of the late Ukrainian American artist. Voronovksy’s work unites his memories of his homeland with a more modern, neon aesthetic. You’ll see sculptures made from objects such as coolers and pizza boxes that he found on the local beaches of his adopted home of Miami.

By Isadora Pennington

The High Museum of Art in Midtown has set the stage for some incredible programming and opportunities for art lovers in the city.

From new exhibits to installations and special events, there is something for everyone at the High. Let’s get into it.

There’s still time to catch Monir Farmanfarmaian: A Mirror Garden, which

is currently on view through April 9. The world-renowned artist’s geometric mirror sculptures evoke Persian architectural motifs and patterns in postwar abstraction.

Another current exhibition is Joseph Stella: Visionary Nature. Commonly known for his dynamic Futurist-inspired paintings of New York as well as depictions of the natural world, more than 100 of Stella’s paintings and works on paper are on display at the High through May 21.

Evelyn Hofer: Eyes on the City is on now through Aug. 13. showcasing the German American photographer’s five decade career. More than 100 vintage prints in black and white as well as color are included in this artist’s first major showcase in the United States for over 50 years.

Also just opened is George Voronovsky: Memoryscapes, which marks the first major

Coming this summer is Ancient Nubia: Art of the 25th Dynasty from the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which will open June 2 and run through Sept. 3. Featuring more than 200 masterworks drawn from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which is the largest and most comprehensive collection of ancient Nubian art and material outside of Africa, the exhibit will feature pottery, amulets, jewelry, funerary figurines, and more.

On June 23 a new exhibition, Samurai: Armor from the Collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller, will feature more than 150 helmets, swords, and other objects in one of the most important collections of samurai armor outside of Japan.

And opening Sept. 1, In the City of Light: Paris, 1850-1920” will present an illustrated guide to the architecture, people, and culture of Paris during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century. Works by Théophile Steinlen, HenriGabriel Ibels, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Honoré Daumier, and Édouard Vuillard among others offer an insight into Parisian life.

STREET • ATLANTA REPRESENTED BUYER

“George Voronovsky: Memoryscapes”

“Ancient Nubia”

Atlanta Intown

The outstanding Druid Hills Home & Garden Tour returns this year as part of the neighborhood’s Spring Celebration. Pictured is Deepdene Park, one of the many area parks, trails, gardens and other greenspaces that will be offering guided tours and other fun programming in Druid Hills at the end of the month.

Historic Druid Hills Home & Garden Tour

Fernbank Forest. The Fernbank Museum has agreed to open up Fernbank Forest, one of the last remaining stands of old growth forests in Atlanta, with 300-year old specimen hardwoods, to the tour going public. You will also be able to access the award-winning rooftop garden at Springdale Park Elementary (803 Briarcliff Rd).

We have a trio of cozy homes in my neck of the woods along Harvard Rd. A quaint Tudor at 1360 Harvard perched high on a hill overlooking the neighborhood, with a warm and inviting patio and pergola in the back which makes you feel aloft in the canopy of the hardwoods overhead. A recently renovated brick craftsman with covered front porch and rare jerkinhead dormer is just a few houses down the street at 1378 Harvard, and a gorgeous clinker brick Tudor with turret and crenelated porte-cochere which I and my neighbors affectionately refer to as the “Castle House.”

Down the street at 1491 Emory Rd., we have a rare private five acre wooded garden with a creek running through it, walking trails, and a magnificent koi pond and waterfall. Just a short walk away, you will find the Peavine Trail where you can take a guided tour with members of the South Fork Conservancy and the Friends of Peavine Trail. Bring your kids on Saturday and enjoy an opportunity to learn about hummingbirds and plant native flowers in the South Fork Conservancy’s Rain Garden,

By Kit Eisterhold Chair, Druid Hills Tour of Homes & Gardens

Spring is in the air and the Druid Hills Tour of Homes & Gardens is right around the corner! This year we are partnering with

virtually every environmentally oriented non-profit in Druid Hills (we are calling ourselves the “Canopy Coalition”) to put on a fantastic “Spring Celebration”.

The Olmsted Linear Park Alliance, South Fork Conservancy, Fernbank Forest, Trees Atlanta, The Georgia Native Plant Society, and The Georgia Audubon Society are all taking part and will be hosting various events throughout the neighborhood to highlight the gorgeous natural gardens and greenspaces here

in Druid Hills.

In keeping with the “Spring Celebration”

we are having a decidedly Garden themed Tour this year. We are featuring homes like 1755 Ridgewood, a beautiful craftsman cottage with clinker brick and Tudor accents, set in a bucolic one-acre wooded garden with a creek running through it, directly adjacent to Vickers Park and Peavine Creek. We also have a rare true native plant garden down the street at 1721 Dyson Dr.

Before you go to the next house on the tour, take some time to stroll through

where they will be hosting music and plantings of natives and pollinator friendly plants. At 883 Oakdale, we have a magnificent Walter T. Downing estate home on a grand nearly twoacre estate lot, with a spectacular garden in the back, that is not to be missed.

It’s going to be a great tour. We hope you will join us!

This home at 8830 Oakdale is on this year’s Druid Hills Home and Garden Tour.

The art-filled living room at 1355 Harvard is a must see.

The garden at 356 Vickers will be in bloom for the tour.

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Peavine Creek to get a major reveal

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By Julie Ralston

You may not have noticed Peavine Creek flowing right through Emory Village next to Panera Bread, going under the bridge and onward next to Dave’s Cosmic Subs and eventually meeting up with the South Fork of Peachtree Creek. This water feature in our midst is of great value and something that needs to finally have its day in the sun.

Thanks to the efforts of Kit Eisterhold of Druid Hills Civic Association and neighborhood entrepreneur, the Emory Village Alliance, South Fork Conservancy and most importantly, a grant from Coca Cola –the beautiful creek will finally be revealed in all its glory.

A concert to be held on the lawn in Emory Village as part of the Historic Druid Hills Spring Celebration, which includes the Druid Hills Tour of Homes and many other great events, will be called the “Clean up the Creek Concert,” with Coca Cola serving as the premier sponsor. Canyonland Band will

be headlining.

The design (shown above) and commissioned by South Fork Conservancy is intended to clean up invasives including kudzu on the creek banks, provide steps down to the creek, and a rain garden to help manage erosion.

No longer will kids (and big kids) have to scramble down the steep banks of the creek to participate in South Fork Conservancy’s annual duck race during the fall Open Streets event in the Village. Also, creek clean-ups will be much more accessible for volunteers.

“This funding by Coca Cola and other organizations in our neighborhood will open up a new window to our abundant, natural resources in Druid Hills and Emory Village,” said Eisterhold.

For more information about how you can become involved in the Peavine Creek transformation, contact Kit Eisterhold at (404) 210-9155 or Kimberly Estep at (770) 467-7493.

Coca-Cola “Clean Up the Creek” concert in Emory Village

On April 22nd, which is Earth Day, Emory Village Alliance and the South Fork Conservancy will welcome guests for an incredible evening of music featuring Canyonland in Emory Village. Guests will spread out their pickets on blankets or low chairs on the lawn at North Decatur and Oxford Roads to enjoy this free live concert.

Spaghetti Junction will get things started. Spaghetti Junction is a versatile musical group that prides itself on its ability to perform a wide range of songs by various artists, spanning different genres and eras. With a diverse set list that includes everything from Elvis, to Rush, to Cake, to the Eurythmics, Spaghetti Junction caters to eclectic tastes and open minds.

Canyonland will hit the stage next. Canyonland is Michelle Malone, Doug Kees, Nelson Nolen, Mark Jones and Mike Rizzi playing the greatest 70’s country rock songs of Laurel Canyon.

If you like Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, CSN, Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne and all things Laurel Canyon, you’ll love Canyonland’s versions of these classic singer songwriter tunes. Expect 3 and 4 part harmonies, mandolin, upright bass, acoustic and electric guitar, drums and all your favorite California country songs of the 70’s.

Canyonland

A Storied History: Emory Village’s vibrant music scene

By Sarah Banick Emory Village Alliance

Athens is well-known for turning out popular music acts like REM and the B-52s, but many people today don’t know that Emory Village once had its own vibrant music scene.

A number of nationally known Atlanta acts played, and even got their start, at a local bar and restaurant in the Village owned by the Landau family back in the late ‘80s. It was called the Dugout. Opened at the site of the old Doodah’s Records and Tapes (where a young Peter Buck worked before forming REM with his bandmates in Athens), the Dugout would host an incredible set of young up-andcoming talents in its day.

They include Michelle Malone, who has since gone on to tour Europe and the Americas, sharing the stage with such legends as Gregg Allman, Chuck Leavell, Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, Kristian Bush, and the Indigo Girls since her early days at the Dugout.

The Indigo Girls, best known for their hits “Galileo” and “Closer to Fine,” actually played weekly gigs at the Dugout in their early days, when Emily Saliers and Amy Ray were students just across the street at Emory University.

The Black Crowes (then known as Mr. Crowe’s Garden), of “Hard to Handle,” “She Talks to Angels” and “Twice as Hard” fame, were a regular presence there. Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ played the Dugout too, with lead singer Kevin Kinney sometimes dropping in to play on his own, long before they went on to become famous for such hits as “Fly Me Courageous” and “Honeysuckle Blue.”

Internationally known rhythm and blues guitarist Tinsley Ellis also played the Dugout with his old band, the Heartfixers, which featured Chicago Bob Nelson on vocals and harmonica. In its day, the Dugout was a phenomenal venue that punched above its weight in the level of talent it brought to the place.

Of course, that was a long time ago, and the Dugout is long gone. In its place stands a Chase Bank, a Chipotle, and a Buffalo Wild Wings.

But that is not the end of the story. The Village is still home to RailroadEarth, a recording studio and art venue run by

Neil Fried. The Indigo Girls recorded there with folk singer Gerald McGugh, as did classical musician Andrew Bird. Internationally known electronic music composer and performer Pauline Oliveros worked on several projects with Neil at the studio.

Michelle Malone recorded there back in 2000, with her then little-known lead guitarist, John Mayer. He’d win his first of seven Grammys just a few years later for “Your Body is a Wonderland,” going on to

sell nearly 20 million albums worldwide as of today.

And music in the Village is still alive today.

The Emory Village Alliance will be bringing Michelle Malone and Canyonlands back to the Village for the Coca-Cola Clean Up the Creek Concert, live on the lawn, the evening of Earth Day, April 22nd.

We hope if you are reading this that you will join us for a magical evening of music and good times; and all of it for a good cause. The Concert is intended to raise awareness of the natural environment here in Druid Hills, and to benefit the Peavine Creek Rain Garden the South Fork Conservancy is building in the Village just a stone’s throw from the show.

It will also help bring a little taste of the surprisingly rich musical tradition of Emory Village back home for all to enjoy for an evening.

We hope to see you there....

Indigo Girls

RailroadEarth Studio

Explore Druid Hills’ green side

By Mary Leight

The 2023 Druid Hills Tour of Homes and Gardens is not just about homes and gardens this year. It includes three natural areas in the neighborhood. Visit the trail along Peavine Creek, the beauty of Fernbank Forest and the old growth trees in Deepdene.

The Peavine trail hugs the banks of Peavine Creek. Starting at the trailhead across from 1454 Emory Road, walk down the steps to the creek. Follow the half mile trail, taking time to look at the cascading creek waters. You might even catch sight of a Blue Heron fishing for dinner on the rocks.

Further down the trail you’ll come to a rain garden. Built by the South Fork Conservancy to slow the flow of water off the hillside, this area is home to favorite southern ephemeral plants including mayapples and trout lilies. The Friends of Peavine Creek have also planted native azaleas, serviceberry trees, and native dogwoods. Pay attention to the baby American Chestnut trees protected by cages. Wouldn’t it be a beautiful sight to have full grown American Chestnuts in our neighborhood!

During this year’s Tour weekend, kids will have a special opportunity to plant native violets and cardinal flowers on the rain garden hillside. Children are invited, with a parent or guardian, to Peavine Trail for a special interactive event - all

about hummingbirds! On our “Help a Hummingbird” Planting & Peavine Creek Trail Walk, children will learn fun facts about these tiny birds and even get to plant a sample of what hummingbirds like to eat around Peavine Trail Rain Garden. This event includes an easy hike along the creek (a little less than a mile round trip) and will last about 50 minutes. Plan to join us Saturday, April 29 at 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm or 1 pm. Spots are limited so reserve yours today!

Docents for the Olmsted Linear Park Alliance will take visitors on meandering journeys through the Deepdene old-growth forest. Visitors will learn about the lush tree canopy, bird habitat restoration efforts and the stream restoration efforts. Deepdene is home to many amphibians including the red salamander and two-line salamander. April is a wonderful time to see native plants show off their vibrant blooms and unique characteristics. A Georgia Audubon Master Birder will lead the guided Bird Walks through Deepdene to learn more about Georgia’s resident and migrating birds and the forest restoration efforts to enhance bird habitat. The History & Nature Walks will focus on the history of the park, and the restoration efforts to preserve its tree canopy and native plants.Tour Dates & Times: Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30: 10:00 AM Bird Walks and History and Nature Walks at 2:00 PM. Space is limited so secure your spot today

Deepdene Park

Home

Fresh Food & More: A guide to local farmers markets

By Sammie Purcell

Spring is here, and a host of local farmers markets have reopened. If you are looking for fresh produce, artisan

foods, and handmade goods, check out our handy guide for where to go in your neighborhood.

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Freedom Farmers’ Market

Just steps away from the Freedom Park Trail at the Carter Center is where you’ll find this farmers market. Freedom is open year-round on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Here you’ll find fresh produce, farmfresh eggs, handmade baked goods, and more. Info: freedomfarmersmkt.com.

East Atlanta Village Farmers Market

This farmers market opens in East Atlanta on March 30 and runs every Thursday until Nov. 16 from 4-8 p.m. This market is one of the city’s oldest, providing seasonal and local produce since 2006. Info: cfmatl.org/ eav.

Morningside Farmers’ Market

Located at Morningside Presbyterian Church, this family-friendly market runs

on Saturdays year-round from 8-11:30 a.m. Support local businesses from farmers to artisans to chefs. Info: morningsidemarket. com.

Grant Park Farmers Market

Grant Park Farmers Market is open yearround on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Head over to the Beacon Atlanta at 1040 Grant Street to try locally grown vegetables, meats, breads, and artisanal foods. Info: cfmatl.org/grantpark.

Peachtree Road Farmers Market

The Peachtree Road Farmers Market opened on March 4 and will run until Dec. 16. The market is open on Saturdays, rain or shine, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Located at the Cathedral of St. Philip, here you’ll find local, sustainable, and ethically sourced goods. Info: peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com.

c. 404.625.4134 o. 404.874.0300 carmenpope@atlantafinehomes.com

| sir.com

Grant Park Farmers Market

(Photo by Jenna Shea Photojournalism)

Decatur Famers Market

Decatur Farmers Market

The Decatur Farmers Market opens March 29 and will run every Wednesday, from 4-7 p.m. until Nov. 15. The market is located at 308 Clairmont Avenue at First Baptist Church Decatur. Info: cfmatl.org/ Decatur.

Brookhaven Farmers Market

Located at 1375 Fernwood Circle NE, the Brookhaven Farmers Market opens April 1 and will run every Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon through November. The market offers healthy, locally produced choices to visitors. Info: brookhavenfarmersmarket. com.

Sandy Springs Farmers Market

The Sandy Springs Farmers Market is expected to open on April 8 and run every Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. until Nov. 18. The market is located at 1 Galambos Way and features a unique

selection of vendors with fresh produce and artisan foods. Info: citysprings.com/ farmersmarket.

Dunwoody Farmers Market

The Dunwoody Farmers Market is currently open and will remain that way every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon until Dec. 16, according to a spokesperson. The market is located in Brook Run Park across from the playground. Info: facebook.com/ dunwoodyfarmersmarket.

Oakhurst Farmers Market

The Oakhurst Farmers Market is open year-round through Dec. 19 every Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market is located at Sceptre Brewing Arts at 630 East Lake Drive in Decatur and offers fresh produce, meats, and delicious baked goods. Info: cfmatl.org/oakhurst.

Local restaurants embrace sustainability

WOMEN + WINE

Katie Rice & Sarah Pierre

April is a special month for those in the food and wine industry. It’s Earth Month, a time to reflect on our impact on the world and to take action to make positive changes. It’s the nudge we all need to revisit our priorities and recognize our role in protecting the planet and its resources while also creating sustainable solutions that will remain.

Sustainability is more than just planting trees and reducing waste. Sustainability is the key to a healthy and vibrant future. It’s essential that we develop sustainable practices with food and wine that support ecological, human, and economic health. This means taking proactive steps to ensure that our actions do not negatively impact the environment or society. This is easier said than done, however, but with extreme desire and purpose, chefs, wine buyers, and restaurateurs can really change the practices of an industry as a whole.

We must strive to use resources responsibly, reduce waste, and create policies that promote equitable access to resources for all people. By investing in sustainability now, we can create more prosperous futures for generations to come.

Sustainability is also about promoting environmental awareness and taking action to reduce our carbon footprint. We can start by looking at our daily habits and finding ways to make them more sustainable. For example, buying organic and biodynamic wine instead of conventional wine helps support sustainable farming practices while also protecting the environment. Packaging is a huge problem in the food and beverage industry. Minimizing excessive packaging and opting for eco-friendly packaging will make a massive difference (e.g., glass bottles vs organic boxed wine or Styrofoam to-go containers vs biodegradable boxes and no plastic utensils).

Atlanta is a city that is working hard to become a leader in sustainability. Restaurants in are doing their part by sourcing ingredients from local farmers and focusing on ecofriendly practices helping to create a more sustainable food system that benefits everyone involved. Their efforts will reduce the environmental impact of their operations and support our local economy. With this commitment, we can all work together to create a healthier environment and prioritize

farmer prosperity.

As restaurants strive to reduce their environmental footprint, it is important to recognize their efforts in order to encourage more sustainable practices. By recognizing these restaurants, other businesses can be inspired to follow suit and help create a culture of sustainability within the restaurant industry.

Slow Food Atlanta recently awarded local businesses with a Snail of Approval award, which is given to food and beverage establishments that are pursuing and practicing Slow Food values in their business. This goes far beyond making good food – it’s about making commitments to the environment, local communities, employees, and purveyors, as well as Slow Food’s core values of anti-racism and antioppression. Each Slow Food local chapter honors businesses with the Snail of Approval based on evaluations focusing on sourcing, environmental impact, cultural connection, community involvement, staff support, business values.

A few restaurants we would like to mention that recently received the Snail of Approval award who not only prioritize supporting Georgia’s organic agriculture, but they also have a wine list that shares the same values.

Little Bear, Summerhill; Chef Jarret Seiber is one of the most creative chefs in Atlanta and with one look at his menu, you’ll immediately know you’re in the right place. As each dish arrives at your table, it is apparent that Chef Jarret and his team are using local ingredients to create unique and delicious dishes that emphasize the thoughtful work of farmers who raised, milled, or grew them. Little Bear’s wine list is equally as thoughtful, offering exclusively natural/minimal intervention wines. Their wine list is small, yet mighty. Little Bear even had a riff on everyone’s favorite Espresso Martini, a refreshing Espresso Tonic using Atlanta’s very own Portrait Coffee, proving that local isn’t just food, but also coffee.

Talat Market, Summerhill: Co-owner Chefs Parnass Savang and Rod Lassiter have created one of Atlanta’s best restaurants using Thai techniques and featuring local Georgia ingredients. We can’t say enough good things

about this establishment. From their musthave “surprise” Daiquiri of the Day, to the wine list that pairs exceptionally well with their dishes full of heightened flavors, to the Crispy Rice Salad that you won’t want to share, Talat Market never disappoints. Add this casual, laid back restaurant into your monthly rotation of places to visit. You’ll thank us later.

Miller Union, West Midtown: Miller Union, one of the most exemplary examples of sustainability, is proving that all it takes is making a conscious decision to support local farmers, reduce food waste, and prioritize ethical animal husbandry. On any given weekend, you might spot co-owner and Chef Steven Satterfield at one of Atlanta’s community farmers markets. There is something so special about seeing a chef in their element, selecting the best ingredients to create a delicious meal. Shopping for the freshest and most flavorful ingredients is a unique opportunity to get closer to the source. With each bite, when dining at Miller Union, you can enjoy knowing that you are supporting the south’s sustainable agriculture. It then goes without saying that Miller Union will have a wine list that is worthy of being framed. Neal McCarthy, co-owner and wine expert, selects only the best for the list at Miller Union - even the By The Glass selections are knockouts. Be sure to give yourself an extra 10 minutes to peruse through his collection. Whether you’re looking for something special for date night or just want to try something new, the hidden gems on his wine list will definitely surprise you.

We would be remiss not to mention the other business that received the Snail of Approval award. All of these businesses are changing the way we eat and drink in Atlanta. Shoutouts to Capella Cheese, Condor Chocolates, The Deer and The Dove/B-Side, Evergreen Butcher & Baker, Fresh Harvest, JenChan’s, Little Tart Bakeshop, The Spotted Trotter, and Xocolatl.

We all have a role to play in creating a more sustainable future and Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to show our commitment to protecting the planet. Let’s take this chance to reflect on how we can make small changes that will help create a healthier and greener world for everyone.

Chefs Parnass Savang and Rod Lassiter of Talat Market.

A fundraiser for the nonsectarian Zimmerman-Horowitz Independent Living Program, supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF JERRY HOROWITZ, PHILANTHROPIST

AND VISIONARY

GET OUT OF TOWN

A Weekend in Birmingham

Exploring The Magic City’s museums, parks, and breweries

By Collin Kelley

Just a little over two hours due west from Atlanta, the city of Birmingham, AL makes for the perfect weekend getaway spot. The former industrial hub was nicknamed The Magic City for the abundance of limestone, coal, and iron ore, but these days its become a favorite destination thanks to its museums, outdoor spaces, and breweries.

Get your motor –and history – running

Opened in 1995, the Barber Motorsports Park & Museum (barbermuseum.org) has the largest collection of motorcycles in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Founded by famed Porsche race car driver George Barber, the museum boasts more than 1,400 motorcycles in its collection (from Harley and Honda to Indian and Cagiva) with more than 600 usually on rotating display. If you’re a race car fan, you’ll also find some sweet rides to gawk at too. If you really want to get your motor running, you can also take a day-long course that ends with driving a Porsche at the park’s 16-turn professional racetrack.

Need more speed? The Southern Museum of Flight (southernmuseumofflight.org) has 90 civilian, military, and experimental aircraft on exhibition, along with artifacts, engines, memorabilia, models, and more. Exhibits include the Korean War Jets, Tuskegee Airmen, and Vietnam War Helicopters. The museum is also the home of the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame.

For something a bit statelier, the Birmingham Museum of Art (artsbma.org) has a permanent collection of more than 25,000 objects covering a range of cultures, including American, European, African, Native American, Pre-Columbian, and one of the best Asian art collections in the

Southeast. Currently on show through July is contemporary artist Rico Gatson’s lobby installation “Wall to Wall” and through May is Majari Sharman’s rumination on Hindu deities, “Expanding Darshan.”

Another must-see is the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (bcri.org) featuring archives, galleries, and temporary exhibits. You can take a self-guided tour of the permanent exhibit, which includes a journey from the 50s and 60s Civil Rights Movement to contemporary human rights issues.

Music lovers will appreciate the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (jazzhall.com), with exhibitions of instruments, paintings, and memorabilia. It’s located inside the historic Carver Theatre, which just underwent a $4 million restoration to host jazz concerts and other programming.

Outdoor adventures

Vulcan Park (visitvulcan.com) is home to Birmingham’s iconic 56-foot-tall iron

statue of the Roman god of fire, which sits atop Red Mountain overlooking downtown. The view alone is worth the trek. The giant statue of Vulcan, the largest cast iron statue in the world, was designed by Italian sculptor Giuseppe Moretti in 1903 using local iron as the city’s entry into the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. It was moved to its permanent home in the park in 1936. The park surrounding it is perfect for a picnic or to watch the 4th of July fireworks. There’s also a small museum that hosts exhibits and other events.

Beyond the Vulcan sculpture, the 1,500acre Red Mountain Park (redmountainpark. org) has 14 miles of trails for biking and hiking, an off-leash dog park, historic iron mines, zip lines, and much more.

Railroad Park (railroadpark.org) is a downtown greenspace known for hosting city events and gatherings. Located near the convergence of the city’s two railroad lines, the park is full of paths, flowers, and a lake.

Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve (ruffnermountain.org), located on former iron ore mines, is named after noted geologist William Henry Ruffner, who surveyed the area in 1883 and discovered the iron deposits. Today, there are 12 miles of hiking trails and the Treetop Visitor’s Center and Education Pavilion to learn about the flora and fauna of the preserve.

Drink up!

Birmingham has become well-known for its local breweries with more than a dozen operating around the city. Be sure to include one – or more – in your weekend itinerary.

Located in a historic building in downtown, Avondale Brewing Company (avondalebrewing.com) offers tours and pours in its taproom. Be sure to taste Miss Fancy’s Tripel, a strong Belgian golden ale; the Spring Street Saison, a Belgian-style farmhouse ale; or the tangerine-infused Brunch Punch Shandy.

Good People Brewing Company (goodpeoplebrewing.com) invites visitors to bring their own food to the taproom as they sample its seasonal brews like the Peanut Butter Chocolate Coffee Milk Stout, Pina Colada Lager, Hitchhiker IPA, and more.

Trimtab Brewing (trimtabbrewing.com) regularly offers live music in its taproom and tours of the facility, which concocts expressive IPAs, experimental stouts, and fruited sours. While the season menu changes regularly, be sure to try a “core” brew like the 205 Pale Ale or Trimtab Lager. Back Forty Beer Company (backfortybeer.com) offers a variety of American and European craft beer styles, with more than 50 different beers introduced annually and as many as 25 different options on tap at any given time. This brewery is also known for its kitchen, which serves up cheeseburgers, pizza, and salads.

Barber Motorsports Park & Museum

Avondale Brewing

Vulcan Park

Weekend Mountain Fun

Sassafras Artisan Festival

Clayton, GA will host the annual juried art show, which will feature exhibitions, demonstrations, workshops, and food trucks at the Rabun County Civic Center April 29-30.

Blue Ridge Trout Festival

Cast a line on April 29 for the annual festival, which will include activities along the Toccoa River in Blue Ridge, including educational events, food, beer, live music, kid’s activities, and a trout fishing competition. Find out more at blueridgetroutfest.com.

Spring Bierfest

The North Georgia Mountains are perfect for a weekend getaway, especially in the spring when so many festivals and events are happening across the region. We rounded up a guide to some events not to miss.

Rhododendron Festival

Hiawassee, GA is hosting this annual flower festival over five weekends starting April 13-

16 at the Hamilton Rhododendron Gardens. Not only will you be able to see acres of blooming flowers, but the greenhouses will be open for plant sales. There’s also music, art, and the Hiwassee Highlands Wine Festival on May 13. Get all the details at georgiamountainfairgrounds.com.

Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival

Traditional and contemporary Appalachian

storytelling, musical performances, children’s events and workshops are on tap April 15-16 in Young Harris, GA. Visit gamountainstoryfest.org for details and tickets.

Bear on the Square Mountain Festival

The 25th annual festival featuring bluegrass music, an artist’s market, storytelling and more is set for April 15-16 in Dahlonega, GA. See all the details at bearonthesquare. org.

Beer lovers will want to put May 6 on their calendar for the annual Spring Bierfest in Helen, GA. Details were still being worked out at press time, so visit helenchamber.com for more information.

Dahlonega Art & Wine Festival

Local art, wine, and jazz music converge on the mountain town May 20-21. Visit chestateeartists.org for more details.

Blairsville Arts, Crafts & Music Festival

Three days – May 26-28 – of fun on the Blairsville town square. See the lineup and more details at visitdowntownblairsville.com.

1780 - LAKE JAMES | 3259 Donahue Drive Rachel Alosky Stark | 828.329.3552

By Collin Kelley

Bear on the Square

Blue Ridge Trout Festival

A visit to Jimmy Carter’s boyhood home

Former President Jimmy Carter’s decision to spend his remaining time at home and receive hospice care instead of treatment for metastatic skin cancer has triggered an outpouring of stories and reflections on his well-lived life.

TRAVELS WITH CHARLIE

Many of those stories revolve around his boyhood home and farm in the community of Archery, a few miles from the more wellknown town of Plains where Carter and his wife Rosalynn have lived since their White House days.

Carter has said that many of the exemplary values and lessons that helped guide him through adulthood and politics were learned on the farm and in his boyhood home.

Jimmy Carter's daddy, Earl Carter, moved his family to the three-bedroom home and farm in 1928, when Jimmy was four years old. The house was the Carters’ home until 1949 when Earl sold the house and the surrounding farmland. Jimmy had left home in 1941 to attend college.

In 1994, the National Park Service purchased the house and 17 acres from the then-owner to eventually make it part of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. A multiyear restoration was started to return the house and surrounding farm to their appearance before electricity was installed in 1938.

In November 2000, the house and surrounding farm opened to the public as the Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm. Today, visitors can tour the old house and take self-guided tours around the farm to see its restored barns, work and storage sheds, chicken coop, water mill, and other structures that were part of a working farm in southwest Georgia during the 1930s.

Adding authenticity to the historic farm,

Continued on page 42

This and the next page: Charles Seabrook captured these images of Jimmy Carter’s boyhood home and farm in Archery, located a few miles from Plains, GA. The National Park Service maintains the home, farm, and even the gardens where Carter grew up starting in 1928 when Carter was four years old.

Charles Seabrook

Continued from page 40

park service workers and volunteers still maintain honeybees, goats, chickens, mules, and farm cats there. Seasonal crops also are still grown, including sugarcane, cotton, corn, tomatoes and, of course, peanuts.

One of the farm’s restored buildings is the old commissary, or store, opened by Earl Carter to sell supplies, groceries, and other items –including gasoline – to local folk. The old store still has a cash register from the 1930s sitting on its counter. Shelves are still stocked with the wares and goods that typical households of that period would have needed for everyday life. The old gas pump still stands outside.

In particular, one of the farm’s restored structures centers around Jimmy Carter’s stories of his growing up. It is the tenant cabin where African-American workers Jack and Rachel Clark lived on the farm. According to the National Park Service: “Young Jimmy spent time working on the farm beside Jack and Rachel. Their days began at 4:00 a.m., hoeing weeds, stacking peanuts, picking cotton, and caring for the Carter’s farm animals. Although farm life was hard work, Jimmy and Rachel would find time to go fishing in the nearby creek. On the walk to the creek, Rachel would tell Jimmy stories about life’s lessons and would share with him her words of wisdom. These words stayed with him all of his life.”

Galloway students confidently embrace challenges while developing the knowledge, skills, and cultural competence to thrive as enlightened contributors in their chosen pathways.

SUMMER CAMP 2023

Stephen Sondheim, 2008, by Robert Weingarten

Spanning 2.68 acres, completely private and enclosed, this property is truly in a class of its own. Designed by Philip Shutze, one of Atlanta's most beloved architects of the 20th century, and recently remastered by Stan Dixon, this home is an architecture masterpiece reminiscent of the Italian villas that set the tone for Atlanta's most beautiful residential neighborhood, nestled between Blackland and Tuxedo Road. $6,695,000