Inside
Buckhead Reporter
Wrecking ball
BBQ, art & music Check out festivals popping up OUT & ABOUT 10-11
Never forget
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Holocaust survivors share stories COMMUNITY 16-17
APRIL 17 — APRIL 30, 2015 • VOL. 9 — NO. 8
Let’s try a sip
COMMENTARY 5
Bonnets, bow ties back in fashion for Duck Pond’s Garden Party BY JULIE BOOKMAN
ISADORA PENNINGTON
Left, Meredith Hopkins and her son, Knox, buy juice from vendor Dolores Svensson at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market on April 11. The market, located at the Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road, continues Saturdays through Dec. 19. See additional photos on page 2.
As the month of May beckons, neighbors in and around Peachtree Heights East are preparing for their signature event: The Ladies of the Lake’s Garden Party. The women are sprucing up their hats, or perhaps shopping for a new spring bonnet. The men are getting gentle nudges to hunt down – and blow the dust off of – their bow ties. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Garden Party – a cocktail party with catered food, open bar, live music and silent auction – set on the edge of Duck Pond Lake, the gem of Duck Pond Park. Unlike most parks within city limits, this tranquil 7.5-acre site is neither owned nor maintained by the city of Atlanta. The widow of neighborhood developer E. Rivers deeded the 1909 park directly to the Buckhead neighborhood, so its upkeep and property taxes fall to the neighbors. Today there are 325 single-family homes in Peachtree Heights East, with about as many townhouses and condos near enough so that those residents also take advantage of this retreat with dogwoods, wild azaleas and a weeping willow. Budding now, the maples and oaks will soon form a bright, lime-green canopy that’s almost like a gigantic umbrella over the grounds. The Garden Party raises funds each year to help maintain the park and pond. The Ladies of the Lake coordinate such assistance with the Peachtree Heights East Neighborhood Association. The park, including SEE TIME, PAGE 3
Competition reveals Sarah Smith team’s creativity BY JOE EARLE
joeearle@reporternewspapers.net
Jackson Langley grew up surrounded by the creativity competitions known as Odyssey of the Mind. His older sister competed in OM for nine years and took part in international competitions. His older brother tried it for a while before deciding to concentrate on sports. Jackson’s mom coached teams. Jackson, who’s now 11, says he used to watch as older sister Caroline, who’s seven years older and now in college, and her middle-school or high-school teammates prepare for and take part in OM competitions year after year. “I used to go everywhere with Caroline,” Jackson remembers. “I remember when I was like 5 years old, just watching them do it. It was fun.” So when Jackson was old enough, he and a group of his buddies at Sarah Smith Elementary School started their own OM team. “It’s super fun,” Jackson said. Most of the members of the team have stuck together
through three years of competition. It’s paid off. Last month, Jackson’s team placed second in the OM state competition. Next month, they’ll join more than 800 teams from around the world competing in the 36th annual OM world tournament. The competition will be held at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. Odyssey of the Mind calls itself an international education program “that provides creative problem-solving opportunities” for students from kindergarten through college. Teams of students work together to solve problems posed by OM and then compete to see which team provides the most imaginative solutions. Teams from across the U.S. and from 25 other countries take part, OM says on its website. The Sarah Smith team started preparing for the 2015 competition about the time school started last SEE ODYSSEY, PAGE 4
SPECIAL
Clockwise from top, Jackson Langley, Davis Maxey, Sam Stovin, Jackson Tilgner, Davis Lantier and Andrew Ellis, members of the Sarah Smith Odyssey of the Mind team.