Dunwoody Idol auditions scheduled for March 18

DUNWOODY, Ga. — For the seventh year in a row, the Dunwoody Preservation Trust will host the hugely popular Dunwoody Idol singing competition as part of the annual Lemonade Days Festival.

Dunwoody Idol is a showcase for middle and high school-aged singers, and acceptance in the show is by audition only, said Hope Follmer, director of community events for Dunwoody Preservation Trust.

Auditions will be held from 2-4 p.m. March 18 at the Dunwoody Nature Center during the Battle of the Bands Concert in the Park. Ten singing finalists will be chosen for the competition, Follmer said.

Contestants auditioning for Dunwoody Idol must be between 8 and 19 years old and can pre-register by emailing mark@dunwoodymusic.com. The audition is free.

Dunwoody Idol finalists will compete during the Lemonade Days Festival on Saturday, April 22, and a panel of judges will select the 2023 Dunwoody Idol winner and runner-up.

A crowd favorite will also be chosen by audience vote.

The Dunwoody Idol frontrunner will win a full-service session of professional recording time to produce one finished track, a featured appearance at a young artist’s musical review at a local venue in the fall, a spot in the Dunwoody Homeowners July 4th parade and will sing the national anthem at the end of the parade.

“The Dunwoody Idol winner will also be invited to return as a featured performer at the 2024 Lemonade Days Festival,” Follmer said. “The Dunwoody Idol runner-up will also perform at a fall musical review.”

For more information about the upcoming Dunwoody Idol Auditions and the Battle of the Bands event, visit dunwoodynature.org/event/ battle/.

For more information about the Dunwoody Preservation Trust Lemonade Days, which will be held between Wednesday, April 19 and Sunday, April 23, visit dunwoodypreservationtrust. org/lemonade-days/.

But throughout her years working at animal shelters and rescue programs in the community, Rutland’s husband Tracy said his wife’s greatest gift was her ability to engage with people and help them find the right dog.

“So many people in dog rescue are more focused on getting the dogs treated and healthy and everything else, but they don't necessarily know how to do the people part of it,” Tracy Rutland said. And she was really good at that.”

Rosemary would often continue checking in with families for years after they adopted a dog, he said, sometimes getting them to adopt another animal years later.

In some cases, like with Johnson, those check-ins turned into a lifelong friendship.

“Our first encounter was at one of the local county animal shelters, and I was looking at dogs to rescue,” Johnson said. “She could obviously tell what I was doing and she goes, ‘take that one’ and that’s just kind of how she was, she always put herself out there to engage and get to know people.”

In time, Rutland even became one of Johnson’s best volunteers at Ruff Dog Rescue.

“Having a pet rescue, a lot of volunteers come and go throughout the years,” she said. “But there was a period of time that Rosemary was what I would consider the heart and soul of the rescue.”

Rosemary and Tracy Rutland got involved in the north Georgia dog rescue community when they moved back to Dunwoody from overseas in 2001. Over the years, the couple did everything from pulling dogs out of kill shelters to running adoption events in the community.

Eventually, Rosemary became known as the “dog lady” in their area of Dunwoody, Tracy Rutland said.

In recent years, she focused her work on the Georgia Jack Russell Terrier Rescue and the BarkVille Dog Rescue in Jasper. She also was heavily involved in efforts to improve the conditions of rural dogs in winter, visiting rural communities and talking to dog owners about bringing their pets inside when the weather gets cold.

Another longtime friend, Jody Joyce, said she was inspired to get involved with the rescue community after meeting Rutland at an adoption event back in 2012.

“She taught me so much, about not just about rescuing dogs, but rehabbing and rehoming,” Joyce said. “She really was one of the kindest and most generous and amazing women I've ever come across in my entire life.”

Joyce, who now serves as the adult dog coordinator for Ruff Dog Rescue, said it was easy to see Rutland’s impact on the community by the sheer number of people who came to visit her in hospice.

On some days, as many as 68 people visited her, Joyce said.

“The Earth needs more Rosemarys,” she said. “It would definitely be a better place if we had more people like Rosemary.”

A celebration of life ceremony for Rutland has been scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 26. It will be held at Buckhead Church, 3336 Peachtree Road NE in Atlanta, with a greeting and gathering from 1:45 p.m.-2:30 p.m. and a celebration of life from 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, Rutland has asked for donations to go to her favorite nonprofits, the Georgia Jack Russell Rescue & Adoption, and the BarkVille Dog Rescue.