December 2010 Atlanta INtown

Volume 16 • Number 12• ©2010

We’ll light the way!

Home tours 40

Christmas at

Callanwolde 9

news You Can eat 34 DECEMBER 2010

Rudolph flies into Center for puppetry arts 24 Best of the Holidays Winners Revealed 4 tree alternatives 32 Elf on the Shelf Contest 13

Best Place to Work off Holiday Dinner (2 years in a row!)

See page 16 for Holiday Specials

ATLANTA INToWN PAPeR 154 KRoG STReeT, SUITe 135 ATLANTA, GA 30307

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID Atlanta, GA Permit No. 1235

INtown | December 2010

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www.AtlantaINtownPaper.com CONTACT US ATLANTA INTOWN MEDIA, LLC

Hyperlocal news print | online | social media www.AtlantaINtownPaper.com Twitter: @ATLINtownPaper Wendy G. Binns PUBLISHER (404) 586-0027 wendy@atlantaintownpaper.com Collin Kelley EDITOR (404) 586-0102 collin@atlantaintownpaper.com Elizabeth P. Holmes PRODUCTION/GRAPHIC DESIGN (404) 586-0002 x312 elizabeth@atlantaintownpaper.com

Table of Contents: IN the Neighborhood 4 Best of the Holidays ........................... 4-8 Christmas at Callanwolde ......................9 Letter from the Editor .............................9 Intown Datebook ..................................10 Elf on the Shelf .....................................13 Running to Reunions ...........................14 Holiday Family Traditions .....................15 Pets ................................................ 18-19 Scene & Heard .....................................20 INtown Runaround ...............................22 Health Briefs .........................................22

INtown’s The Studio 24 ontributors ROCKGo Green 31 ADVERTISING INFO (404) 586-0002 x 302

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Janet Porter REAL ESTATE ADVERTISING (404) 501-0090 janet@atlantaintownpaper.com

David Burleson (404) 918-0285 david@atlantaintownpaper.com Linda Howell (404) 586-0002 x320 linda@atlantaintownpaper.com

Anthony J. Lombardo (404) 586-0002 x316 anthony@atlantaintownpaper.com

Rudolph at Center for Puppetry Arts ...24 Holidays In the City ..............................24 Patrick Dennis ......................................27 Atlanta PlanIt ........................................28

Southface SWEET Center ....................31 Laura Turner Seydel .............................31 Christmas Tree Alternatives .................32 Eco-Briefs .............................................33

happyNews You Can Eat 34 holidays CLASSIFIEDS 404-586-0002 x302 classifieds@atlantaintownpaper.com INTERN Gregory Wallace Brandon Stephens

CONTRIBUTORS Kate Atwood, Ann Boutwell, Tina Chadwick, C. Cleo Creech, Patrick Dennis, Diana Hilmer, David McMullin, Jesse Morado, Laura Turner Seydel, Shandra Hill Smith, Tim Sullivan, Jane Tapp, Thom Volarath DISTRIBUTION (404) 586-0027

SUBSCRIPTIONS Send a $15 check to Subscriptions, Atlanta INtown, 154 Krog Street, Suite 135, Atlanta, GA 30307 or read our free e-Edition online at www.

AtlantaINtownPaper.com.

SUBMISSIONS Queries about freelance articles can be made to Collin Kelley, collin@atlantaintownpaper.com Atlanta INtown, 154 Krog Street, Suite 135, Atlanta, GA 30307.

Cupcake Craze Continues ...................34 Quick Bites ...........................................36 Cacao Atlanta .......................................37

IN Business

38

Downtown Development......................38 Business & Retail Briefs .......................38 Buckhead Business Association .........39 Business Advice ...................................39

Real Estate 40 Holiday Home Tours ............................40 Real Estate Briefs .................................41 Weatherize for Tax Credits ...................42

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM INtown IN YourYOU Home 43 Who We Are and Why AND ALL THE BUSINESS For 15 years, Atlanta INtown’s mission has been to publish local Holiday Greenery .................................43 PAGES news thatSEE helps fosterON a sense THESE of Before & After .......................................44 community. Live, work and play – we cover everything that makes our city home.

AS A LOCAL BUSINESS, INTOWN MATTERS TO US. “Atlanta INtown has treated our business and

us with great respect and has gone out of their way to be good to us. They are the only paper I know that does everything possible to support their advertisers and the neighborhoods like East Atlanta that are so important to intown living. Even when times are tough and we don't advertise as much as we used to the staff at Atlanta INtown has consistently mentioned us in articles or listed us in their "Best of" contests and still invite us to their promotional get-togethers. I think Atlanta INtown is great at promoting Atlanta's intown lifestyle.”

- Michael Knight and Shawn Ergle Traders Neighborhood Store

www.tradersatlanta.com

ENJOY & SUPPORT LOCAL THIS SEASON wendy@AtlantaINtownPaper.com 404-586-0002

Gardening ............................................45

Renovation ...............................45 ENJOY & SUPPORT LOCAL THISCoach SEASON Winter Gardening .................................46

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December 2010 | IN

IN the Neighborhood FEATURES, NEWS & EVENTS

BEST OF THE HOLIDAYS 2010

The votes are in and we’re ready to reveal Atlanta INtown’s third annual Best of the Holidays.

Hundreds voted during the first week of November after readers nominated their favorites and decided who should be on the final ballot. That means the shops, restaurants, concerts and events were truly selected by you, our readers.

If you didn’t see your favorite holiday shopping, dining or event destination, visit www.AtlantaINtownPaper.com and share your ideas with other readers.

BEST PLACE FOR LAST MINUTE GIFTS

BEST SHOP FOR UNIQUE ORNAMENTS & DECOR

artwork and even baked goods.

Runners-up: Ten Thousand Villages and Mingei World Arts.

485 Flat Shoals Ave. #B (404) 522-3006, traders-atlanta.com Accessories, furniture, candles, bar and bath items make this a hip place for last-minute gifts. If you can’t make up your mind, gift cards are available.

Runners-up: Oakland Cemetery Gift Shop, Heliotrope and Ten Thousand Villages.

153 Ponce de Leon Place (404) 377-0755, decaturgallery.com This co-op gallery features artisans both emerging and established offering up everything from mixed media and mosaics to textiles and paintings.The market operates on Saturday evenings in front of the gallery with vendors offering jewelry,

BEST ECO-FRIENDLY SHOPPING

Traders

Decatur Gallery & Market

Patagonia

34 E. Andrews Dr. (404) 266-8182, patagonia.com Whether you’re looking for eco-friendly sports clothing for men, women and children or the latest gear for skiing, hiking or yoga, this Buckhead store has it all. Runners-up: Re-Inspiration and ecoEMPORIUM.

BEST CHILDREN’S GIFTS & TOYS Richard’s Variety Store

Peggy Hibbert Top Agent, Dekalb Board of Realtors® FOUNDING PARTNER

404.444.0192

peggy@atlantafinehomes.com

Recent Sales:

Decatur. $379,000 2470 Vivian Circle

Irresistable price for virtually new, impeccably maintained residence with all modern amenities including kitchen open to great room and dining, plus private upstairs master suite with his/hers closets, on a gated cul-de-sac, convenient to downtown Decatur, Emory University and CDC. 5BR/3.5BA

2195 East Lake Road 1375 Harvard Road

AtlantaFineHomes.com

$599,000 $499,000

404.237.5000

© MMX Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

House of Pucon, Alfredo Helsby used with permission. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated.

INtown | December 2010

2347 Peachtree Rd., (404) 237-1412 931 Monroe Dr., #113, (404) 8799877, richardsvarietystore.com Stepping inside Richard’s stores in Buckhead or Midtown is reminiscent of the old five-and-dime stores where you’ll find Hula-Hoops, board games, stuffed animals, Hot Wheels cars, Mr. Potato Head and other classic toys.

Runners-up: The Toy Store at Ansley Mall and BlaBla.

Runners-up: Doguroo and Inman Park Pet Works

BEST PET BOARDING Piedmont Bark

501 Amsterdam Ave. (404) 873-5400, piedmontbark.com Short, long-term and daycare services are available for dogs at this Midtown business, where there’s plenty of time for play, interaction with humans and walks three times a day.

Runners-up: Wag-a-Lot and Animal House.

BEST GIFTS FOR THE COOK

The Cooks’s Warehouse

Brookhaven, Decatur and Ansley Mall, cookswarehouse.com For the chef in your life, Cook’s Warehouse has all the tools of the trade. High-end appliances, cookware, cutlery and classes on how to become a gourmet cook. Runners-up: IKEA and the Viking Store.

BEST HOLIDAY FOOD SHOPPING

Alon’s Bakery & Market

BEST PLACE TO SHOP FOR YOUR PET Highland Pet Supply

1186 N. Highland Ave., #G (404) 892-5900, highlandpet.com Toys, beds and food for cats and dogs are available at this popular Virginia Highland shop.

1394 N. Highland Ave., (404) 872-6000; 4505 Ashford Dunwoody Rd., (678) 397-1781, alons.com Delicious sandwiches, prepared foods, gift baskets and sinfully good sweets have made Alon’s an Intown favorite for years. Runners-up: Greene’s Fine Foods and Highland Bakery.

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best of the holidays 2010

BEST WINES & CHAMPAGNE

Place to Amsterdam Walk soon, so keep an eye on their website.

Runners-up: Last Call Boot Camp and Operation Boot Camp.

Green’s

737 Ponce de Leon Ave., (404) 872-1109 2614 Buford Hwy., (404) 321-6232, greensbeverages.com The two Atlanta locations are one-stop shops for beer, wine, liquor and even fine cognac and single malts.

Runners-up: Candler Park Market, Hall’s of Fine Wine and Tower.

BEST RESTAURANT FOR FAMILY OR VISITORS Agave

BEST HOLIDAY CONCERT OR SHOW Atlanta Symphony 1280 Peachtree St., Woodruff Arts Center. (404) 733-4900, atlantasymphony.org The lauded symphony hosts a month of concert events, including the signature Christmas With the ASO, which has been an Atlanta tradition for more than 50 years.

242 Boulevard, (404) 588-0006, agaverestaurant.com For a taste of the Southwest, head to this Cabbagetown favorite, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. We still recommend the Cayenne Fried Chicken and a margarita.

Runners-up: Uncle Julio’s, Osteria 832 and The Colannade.

BEST FOOD SHOPPING FOR THE HEALTH CONSCIOUS DeKalb Farmers’ Market

3000 E. Ponce De Leon Ave., Decatur (404) 377-6400, dekalbfamersmarket.com A haven for organically grown food, the DeKalb Farmers’ Market supports small farms that are environmentally responsible and sustainable. Get your meats, seafood, dairy and fresh coffee here without compromising your principles.

Runners-up: Sevananda and Whole Foods.

Runners-up: A Christmas Carol at the Alliance and Madeline’s Christmas and The Santaland Diaries both at Horizon Theatre.

BEST HOLIDAY LIGHTS & DECORATIONS Centennial Olympic Park www.centennialpark.com In November, the downtown park transforms into a winter wonderland with its annual Holiday in Lights. Thousands of lights twinkle across the 21 acres and the ice skating rink is also open for the holidays!

Runners-up: Grant Park and Atlantic Station.

Please turn to page 8

BEST PLACE TO WORK OFF HOLIDAY DINNER Urban Body Fitness

742 Ponce de Leon Place, (404) 885-1499, urbanbodyfitness.com This local gym has a full complement of trainers, classes, chiropractic care and much more to keep you healthy. The gym is slated to move from Ponce de Leon

BANKING THAT FOCUSES ON YOU means you don’t have to focus on banking Contact your local banker Buckhead Office 79 W Paces Ferry Rd 404-365-4661

MEMBER FDIC

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FirstCitizensonline.com

town

December 2010 | IN

INtown | December 2010 AT101102 InTown Dec Spread.indd 1

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11/16/10 3:13:14 PM

HAPPINESS IS...

an Atlantic Station Holiday.

250,000 LIGHTS, MAGICAL SNOWFALLS, SANTA CLAUS, TRAIN RIDES AND ATLANTA’S BEST HOLIDAY SHOPPING! CIRQUE DU SOLEIL “OVO”

NOW THROUGH JANUARY 2 UNDER THE BLUE AND YELLOW GRAND CHAPITEAU Tickets are available at 1-800-450-1480 or online at www.cirquedusoleil.com/ovo

“IT’S SNOWING IN THE STATION”

NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 31 WEEKNIGHTS 7:30PM, FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS HOURLY 6PM- 9PM, SUNDAYS 6PM Gather around Atlantic Station’s grand Holiday tree and experience the magic of a realistic snowfall.

(Snow is weather permitting and will be cancelled if it is raining.)

NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 19 SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS, NOON- 8PM Tickets are $3 per person at the Ticket Depot near Copeland’s. (The train is weather permitting and will not run if it is raining.)

“THE HOLIDAY SHOPS”

NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 31 DAILY 10AM-10PM, SUNDAYS NOON- 7PM Open-air shops featuring artisans displaying handcrafted items, fine art and much more!

Saturday & Sunday December 4-5, Noon-6pm

Bring $50 in same day Atlantic Station receipts to the Gift Wrap Center next to Atlantic Grill and receive a Free $5 Publix, Dillard’s or H&M Gift Card, while supplies last.

One Gift Card per person per day.

“Find out First” what’s happening in Atlantic Station.

NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 19 FRIDAYS- SUNDAYS, NOON- 5PM Santa will reside in Dillard’s on the 3rd level, and will make special appearances in Central Park. “Pups with Santa” Pet Photo Nights in Central Park, December 3-5 & 10-12, 6pm- 9pm with Doguroo.

FREE GIFT WRAP

NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 19 SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS, NOON-6PM Free Gift Wrap is available for Atlantic Station purchases in the Gift Wrap Center located next to Atlantic Grill.

Compliments of Midtown Bridge.

11ALIVE CAN-A-THON

THE STEEL MILL EXPRESS

FREE $5 GIFT CARD

VISITS AND PHOTOS WITH SANTA

$3.00 OFF SANTA PHOTOS AT DILLARD’S

Now through December 19 Receive $3.00 Off on Family Value Pack A & B with this coupon. Limit one per person.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 4PM-7:30PM Be a Hero for Hunger – Bring a Canned Food Donation!

Bring a canned food donation to feed Georgia’s hungry families during 11Alive’s 28th Anniversary Can-A-Thon.

Kick off begins at 4pm in Central Park.

Log on to www.11Alive.com/Life/Community to find out how you can help!

CAROL OF THE BONES

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2PM A gathering of trombonists brought together to bring holiday cheer through music. Sing-a-long to carols around the Holiday tree in Central Park.

$1.00 OFF STEEL MILL EXPRESS

Now through December 19

Present this coupon at the Ticket Depot next to Copeland’s to receive $1.00 Off your ticket on the Steel Mill Express train ride, Saturdays & Sundays noon-8pm. One coupon per person.

Featuring Dillard’s, H&M, Regal Cinemas, Publix, DSW, Old Navy and 50+ shops and restaurants.

I-75/I-85 @ 17th Street • 2 Hours of Free Parking • atlanticstation.com

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town

December 2010 | IN

404-352-2010 Office www.DorseyAlston.com

Continued from page 5 BeST oF THe HoLIDAyS 2010

BEST PLACE TO SEE SANTA Phipps Plaza 3500 Peachtree Rd. (404) 262-7802, santaatphipps.com once again, Santa’s visit to Phipps Plaza in Buckhead sold out in a matter of days.

1107 rosedAle. roAd

Offered at $625,000 4BR/2BA

1922 edinburgh terrAce Offered at $400,000 . 2BR/2BA

Completely renovated bungalow on a quiet street *UHDW ORFDWLRQ QH[W WR (PRU\ 8QLYHUVLW\ 6HSDUDWH GHQ RIÀFH JAson cook/Jeff MccrAry 404-431-1384/404-786-8475

Anne Jefferson 404-388-8288

Check the Web site for cancellations if you want a visit and photo with St. Nick.

Runners-up: Lenox Square and Atlantic Station.

Q: don’t See YouR FaVoRite in tHiS YeaR’S BeST oF THe HoLIDAyS 2010?

A: tell us your favorite – comment at

www.atlantaintownpaper.com

1320 twelve oAks circle .

853 AdAir Avenue

Offered at $935,000 4BR/4.5BA

Offered at $839,000 . 4BR/3BA

JAne kiMbrell 404-403-0410

ceciliA virgin/denise wAgner 404-579-7496/404-545-7770

%XFNKHDG FODVVLF Z IXOO ÀQLVKHG EDVHPHQW 0RUULV %UDQGRQ Charm of a traditional bungalow w/ quality renovations Information believed to be accurate but not warranted. Equal Housing Opportunity.

8 INtown | December 2010

{Best of the Holiday nominations were taken this Fall and readers voted last month }

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Holiday tradition returns after seven year absence with art, food, music, and Santa Claus

By Collin Kelley Editor For nearly 30 years, Christmas at Callanwolde was a staple of the holiday season in Atlanta, with the mansion festooned in lights and greenery. In 2003, the event was put on hiatus, but no one knew the break would turn into such a long one.

After a seven-year absence, Christmas at Callanwolde returns Dec. 1 - 12 with a Roaring 20s theme. Atlanta’s top interior and floral designers will decorate the Gothic-Tudor mansion for the season to reflect the era when the Candler family lived in the historic home.

“Visitors have constantly asked us when Christmas at Callanwolde was coming back,” said publicity director Susan Summers. “There’s been a great demand for it to return. The event was always a great fundraiser for us to help our art programs, and we hope new generations will make it a tradition again.”

Visitors will be able to browse through items for sale at the Callanwolde Artists Studio Market, as well as enjoy holiday music and live entertainment throughout the day, including Callanwolde’s Aeolian Organ.

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Also on tap is Breakfast with Santa on Saturdays Dec. 4, 11 and 18 at 9 a.m. and the Teddy Bear Tea on Sundays, Dec. 5, 12 and 19 at 3 p.m. Both are by advance reservation only.

There will also be the Battle of the Ice on Saturday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. featuring the city’s top ice wranglers competing to create the best sculptures in the Callanwolde amphitheater.

The Cook’s Warehouse will offer presentations by experts on wine and holiday entertaining tips. Scheduled to appear are Don Hackett on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. (champagne and sparkling wines); Nancy Lutz on Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. (holiday tables and buffets); Hackett again on Dec. 7 at noon (red wines); and Virginia Willis on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. (holiday entertaining).

The Artist and Studio Market, which will be ongoing through out the festival in the conservatory, will feature paintings, drawings, photography, prints, jewelry, pottery, textiles, ornaments and gifts for sale from Callanwolde students and teachers.

There will also be Cabaret Nights on Dec. 1 and Dec. 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. with performances by Gwen Hughes, Marsha DuPree, Maria Howell and Madoca.

A Premiere Party with live entertainment by Lindsay Appel and creative gourmet delights by Affairs to Remember will officially kick-off the event on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 7 pm. Tickets are $75 and must be purchased in advance.

Hours for Christmas at Callanwolde are weekdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be extended hours on Wednesdays from 4 to 9 p.m.

Free parking and free shuttle bus service available one-half mile north at the Emory University Briarcliff Campus, 1256 Briarcliff Road. buses will run continuously throughout the hours of the event and will accommodate 25 passengers.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and groups of 20-plus, $14 for children ages 4 to 12. Children 3 and under get in for free.

Purchase tickets online at www.christmasatcallanwolde.org .

Letter from the Editor Collin Kelley, Editor I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it’s December and we’re knee deep in the holiday hoopla. When you’re editing a monthly, time seems to compress because we’re always working a couple months ahead, but it’s still shocking how fast this year has come and gone.

The December issue of Atlanta INtown is chockfull of holiday goodies, including our annual “Best of ” starting on Page 4, a passel of Holiday Home Tours on Page 40 and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at Center for Puppetry Arts on Page 24.

I had the wonderful opportunity to get a backstage look at Rudolph and a tour of the puppet workshop at the Center. The stop-animation tale of Rudolph has been a

favorite since I was a kid, so getting up close and personal with these exact replicas made me feel like a giddy 5-year-old again. You don’t want to miss this show!

As we move into 2011, we’re excited about the future of INtown. Our online presence continues to grow and our print edition continues to disappear quickly from our many drop-off points. We hear from our readers and advertisers that INtown continues to be their trusted source for arts, culture, real estate and positive stories happening in the community. We will never waver from that commitment.

Happy Holidays!

collin@atlantaintownpaper.com

town

December 2010 | IN

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The 19th annual decatur Holiday Marketplace & Café will take place Friday, Dec. 3, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., at DEC Clairemont Elementary School in conjunction with the Decatur Tour of Homes.

Enjoy Decatur’s holiday spirit as the school transforms into a market where more than 95 local and national artists exhibit their wares. Shop for handmade gifts, paintings, glass art, photography, jewelry, pottery, and much more. Stop by the café for homemade soups and desserts, as well as music performed live by local musicians and carolers. The school is located at 155 Erie Ave. in Decatur. Admission is free but proceeds from sales benefit Clairemont Elementary School educational programs. decaturHolidayMarketplace.com

12

SWEA Atlanta’s traditional Swedish Christmas Market will take place on Sunday, Dec. 12, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Market will be at the Trolley Barn DEC in historic Inman Park. Vendors will be selling baked goods, holiday flower arrangements, traditional and modern handicrafts, and homemade foods.

There will also be a Swedish Cafe with traditional drinks and foods as well as kids’ activities hosted by the Swedish School of Atlanta. The Trolley Barn is one block from the Inman Park/Reynoldstown MARTA station, so taking MARTA is recommended.

For more information, contact: sweaatlanta@gmail.com.

4-5

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School’s first Jingle Bell Jubilee is coming to town.

Designer trees, wreaths, crafts and fine gifts, as well as edible gingerbread houses DEC will be available on campus, 805 Mt. Vernon Hwy. in Sandy Springs. Jubilee workers will transform Holy Innocents’ two gymnasiums into a festive wonderland of lights and decorations on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Guests will be treated to a Holiday Boutique and Sweet Shop, children’s activities in Candyland, live holiday performances from HIES students, a large decorated tree exhibit with Gingerbread Village, and, of course, a visit from Santa Claus. Admission to the Jingle Bell Jubilee is $5. Tickets will be available at the door and online. All proceeds benefit Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School and HIES charities. www.hies.org.

4-5

The 15th annual telephone Factory art Show & Sale is gearing up for an art lover’s DEC weekend on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 6 p.m..

Established in 1996 by resident artists who sought to promote and sell their work in a lively and interactive setting, The Telephone Factory Art Show & Sale provides guests a unique opportunity to visit artists in their studio/home/galleries. The setting offers patrons a sense of artists’ inspiration, community and passion. Last year’s event attracted an estimated 3,000 patrons. This event is open to the public. Admission and valet parking are free. For more information, www.thetelephoneFactoryartShow.com.

11

Sketchworks Company Holiday party is back on Saturday, DEC Dec. 11. A $20 ticket includes a one-act Sketchworks show, live music from The Dirt Poets, tasty nibbling, a beverage, and a silent auction where all winning bids are tax deductible. The party starts at 7:30 p.m. and show at 9 p.m.

Sketchworks Theatre is located at 3041 N. Decatur Road. sketchworkscomedy.com

11 DEC The second annual atlanta Santa Speedo Run through Virginia Highland will pit runners against the elements as they don their finest and most festive Speedos to raise money for Camp Twin Lakes. This year’s race will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec.11, at Manuel’s Tavern, 602 N Highland Ave. All race participants are asked to raise a minimum $150 in support of Camp Twin Lakes. Wearing a Speedo (or similar attire) is required and runners are encouraged to accessorize with holiday themed flair such as Santa hats, beards, stockings and other festive accents. atlantaSantaSpeedoRun.org.

10 INtown | December 2010

11

15

In its 20th year, the Pace Academy Dec.15 production of DEC Light one Candle is a unique retelling of Hanukkah and Christmas stories performed by Pace Lower School students. Light One Candle tells the story of the Macabees and the tradition of Hanukkah and chronicles the birth of Christ and the Christmas story. First grade students are the actors, and the remaining 300 Lower School students are musicians or members of the chorus. The final scene features seniors joining on stage the character they once played as Pace first graders. In addition, all former actors from past years will be invited to the program and to the stage to stand with their original characters. paceacademy.org.

ALL

Janke Studios will hold its Winter glass Festival Saturday, Dec. 11, noon DEC to 6 p.m. Glassblowing, exhibits, demos, music, market and more. 659 Auburn Ave. in Studioplex. www.jankestudios.com

to MaRKet, to MaRKet ...

MONTH Inspired by century-old

Christkindlmarkets of Europe and the successful holiday markets in New York and Chicago, the atlanta Holiday Shops at atlantic Station is back this year now through Dec. 31. The shops – featuring unique merchandise from designers, boutiques, cultural institutions and artisans – are open seven days a week and operate the same hours as Atlantic Stations retail shops. For more information, visit www.affps.com.

Pagan meets St. Patrick and the Celtic world meets Appalachia at the atlanta Celtic DEC Christmas Concert, produced by the W.B. Yeats Foundation at Emory University. Featured in this year’s performance is Moya Brennan, known as the “Queen of Celtic Song,” and an ensemble of traditional musicians from Ireland. Also joining the Celtic Christmas family are Grammy Award-winning banjo player Alison Brown, string player and percussionist Joe Craven, and balladeer John Doyle. In its eighteenth season, the Atlanta Celtic Christmas Concert is one of the most popular events of the Holiday Season in Atlanta. The concert takes place Dec. 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 19 at 2:30 p.m. at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Emory University. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for discount category members and groups of 10 or more, and $10 for students and children. For more information and tickets, call the Arts at Emory Box office at (404) 229-5050. arts.emory.edu.

18

For more events and activities, visit us at atlantaintownpaper.com.

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December 2010 | IN

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By now, most Atlantans know about Elf on the Shelf, which was started right here in Georgia. It’s a tradition in a box with a vintageinspired elf doll and storybook in a special package. Naming the elf, which is written in the book on a special page that dates the occasion, is the start of the fun. Once named, the elf ’s job is to report back to Santa on the behavior of the child owner during December.

We would love to hear your Elf ’s name. It’s always a little embarrassing so, I’ll start. Our child (really my husband) named ours, Pizzazz.

Visit www.AtlantaINtownPaper.com, our Facebook page or on Twitter at @ATLINtownPaper and tell us your elf ’s name!

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town 13

December 2010 | IN

Running to Reunions

Family Tradition

Looking forward to looking back with far-flung friends Intowners share their holiday rituals and celebrations

By Chris Schroder Having organized two of my high school class reunions this past decade, I’ve been intrigued how some folks find it more comfortable to avoid the past. I nearly stalked some former classmates to urge them to attend, but after they didn’t respond to my series of emails, phone calls, handwritten notes, I finally let them continue in peace.

I suppose those folks would not have enjoyed my 2010. Not only did I attend an all-classes college fraternity reunion in April, a couple of weeks later I retraced my move right after college to a Mississippi River town for a reunion of my first job.

Dozens of reporters – including every one from my era – who worked for the Delta Democrat-Times gathered to re-tell stories of covering the civil rights struggles as part of that city’s cultural festival.

In October, an elementary school classmate organized a reunion. Classmates flew in from all over to reminisce how a group of nuns shepherded us through childhood at a Buckhead Catholic school.

After decades of not seeing each other, we vowed to get together again soon.

I attended family reunions, roommate reunions – and a few unions. One, my son’s wedding, was foretold in a column in this very newspaper. Readers in 2002 smiled yet were no doubt skeptical when Thomas wrote in Atlanta INtown about a girl he had just met in his sophomore year of high school. “She’s a keeper,” he announced in the paper. Through years of attending different colleges and working in

14 INtown | December 2010

different cities, they persevered. At Thomas and Amanda’s wedding in June, everyone entering the reception signed a framed copy of that prescient 2002 INtown column.

A few weeks ago, Wendy Binns, INtown’s owner, asked if I’d write a few words for this issue – another reunion of sorts – as I used to write a monthly column here in the 1990s. A few months after I started the newspaper in 1994 I hired Ward Binns to be its editor and first employee.

Little did I know he was also a salesman.

A few years into his tenure I introduced to the staff a bright young college graduate who was starting as a salesperson. Ward ended up selling her: she said yes when he proposed a couple of years later. They just celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.

I met my lovely wife Jan while working together at the paper. A few weeks ago, I attended another wedding of a couple that met while working at my PR firm.

Seventeen years after its founding, this paper thrives with Wendy’s guidance through tough economic times in a newspaper industry that has been battered by technological and demographic shifts.

Wendy says she may host a reunion of this newspaper’s employees soon. I’ll be there, of course and I hope it happens – next year!

Read Chris Schroder’s columns published between 1994-2001 at his blog, Ink By The Barrel, at wwwchrisschroder.com. Schroder is president of Schroder PR, a full service communications firm. You can reach him at chris@schroderpr.com.

By Tina Chadwick As far back as recorded history takes us, there have been celebrations around winter.

There were mid-winter festivals for the season and fertility festivals and celebrations honoring all types of deities, planets and religions. No matter what the cause for these events, they all carried specific traditions relating to behavior, food, dress and gift giving. Serious commercialization of the holiday (arguably) got rolling with the publication of minister Clement Clarke Moore’s poem, “The Night Before Christmas.” The holiday was then defined to include children’s wishes of sweets and gifts that sparked, over decades, the slow overshadowing of the original intent of the season’s celebrations. Then, during the Industrial Age, when money started to clearly divide and therefore, shape life vastly differently for working class vs. the rich,

The Lynch Family

Charles Dickens gave us the first notable pause to reevaluate what the season means when he published, A Christmas Carol. Now, as we enter this holiday season, more and more of us seem to be searching for bigger meaning and richer experiences than can be gift-wrapped. While there is nothing wrong with a little swapping of presents, finding balance between a wish list and family time is more the goal.

So, in the spirit of the season, here is how some Intown families build holiday traditions that would make Dickens proud.

The Lynch Family/Morningside Tom Lynch: “The first Saturday in December we go up to the mountains to do the Dahlonega Christmas Parade, and get the glass blower there to make an ornament for our tree that reflects our past year. Just us three, just the holidays, and thinking about what good fortune we’ve had that year.”

The Burns Family/Clarkston David Burns: “We love the holidays, and we love getting deep into celebrating them.

We spoil each other appropriately. We have mimosas when we first wake up, we give each other presents, and we just love every second of watching the other open their gifts. To me, it’s what we manage to make it through the year for. To give, and receive and celebrate. It is, after all, why we live. If not for that, then for what?”

The Kellams Family/Atlanta Ragan Kellams: “Every year we buy a rocking horse ornament for the tree and write the year on it. We’ve been doing that since 1982 and we still have them all.”

Continued on the next page

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The Albert Family/Morningside BA Albert: “We used to put the top down on my old Chevy, no matter how cold, pile in with friends and dogs and a flask of brandy (not for the driver of course) and go get the Christmas tree and stick it out the back seat.

My friend would wear the wreath on top of his head like a halo.”

The Swaney Family/Atlanta Katie Swaney: “Church on Christmas Eve and then we come home and drink eggnog, watch a cheesy Christmas movie and open one gift from under the tree. In the middle of the night, Santa sneaks in our rooms and leaves one of those plastic candy canes full of M&Ms in our bed while we’re sleeping.

We always have the same meal Christmas

morning ­– egg casserole, cinnamon rolls and eggnog.”

The Mansfield Family/Buckhead Wendy Mansfield: “We have a gingerbread house-building contest. The boys against the girls. My husband and son against me and our daughter. It is hilarious. And we do Elf on The Shelf. His name is Shankadoodle.”

The Driver Family/Winona Park: Stefanay Driver: “We buy a special ornament every year to remind us how long we’ve been together and how lucky we are to have each other. We also get our tree the day after Thanksgiving and we mix cocktails and decorate it while we watch football. It’s my favorite day of the year.”

Charity in the City Kate Atwood

Holiday List As our charitable acts continue into the month of December, so does my goal to help you connect to a cause. In the spirit of making lists around the holidays, I’ve created a list of 10 community-based organizations that are great places to support.

While there are many worthy causes beyond this list, these suggestions all offer services that are particularly relevant in 2010, and all carry a unique capacity for citizens to get involved.

Furthermore, I have selected them for their commitment to create local impact in our community, and their viability to be successful in carrying out their mission.

10. Operation Homefront Georgia: Our military families are adapting to a new normal – one centered on sustaining a lifestyle of active duty for more than nine years. Especially around this time of year, the support of our soldiers and their loved ones is needed. www.operationhomefront. net/georgia 9: One Love Generation: A unique grassroots program that empowers Atlanta’s youth to inspire positive social change through art, service and awareness. www.onelovegeneration.org 8. Partnership Against Domestic Violence: One in four women experience domestic violence in their lifetime. PADV works to end the crime of intimate partner violence and empower its survivors.

Everyone deserves love and peace around the holidays and all year. www.padv.org 7. Safe Haven 4 Pets: For all the animal lovers out there, this is the pick for you. www.safehavenforpets.org 6. VOX Communication: I think we can all agree it has been a tough year for our teens. VOX is dedicated to giving teens the skills and resources to raise their voices about issues that matter. I also appreciate the community it creates for youth to w w w. A t l a n t a I N t o w n P a p e r. c o m

build critical life skills such as compassion, empathy and self-efficacy. www.voxrox.org 5. Kate’s Club: Come on, it had to make the list. One in 20 children are navigating the holidays with grief apart of their life, coping with the loss of mom or dad during this time of year is particularly challenging.

Kate’s Club offers special programming for these families over the holidays at no charge. www.katesclub.org 4. Trees Atlanta: Trees are such a symbol of celebration around the holidays; let’s continue to plant more so our traditions can continue. www.treesatlanta.org 3. CURE Childhood Cancer: For advocates and activists this is a great organization to support as it sets out to end pediatric cancers through research and education. www.curechildhoodcancer.org 2. Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency: This past spring, the Samaritan House of Atlanta merged with the Atlanta Enterprise Center to form this new entity that carries the mission to break the cycle of homelessness by enabling people to transform their lives through sustainable employment and income. During these tough times, our neighbors need our support more than ever and ACSS is providing the tools for individuals to build themselves back up in life and in spirit. www.atlantacss.org 1. _____________: The blank is for you to fill in your favorite cause. My number one cause for you to support this holiday season is the one most important to your own life. I just encourage you to do something to help others.

Even if you are in the midst of a tough time in life, and giving is the last thing you would think to do, I am encouraging you to do so. It will bring amazing joy to someone else this holiday season, while bringing joy into your life as well.

For more information about Kate Atwood and her nonprofit, visit www.katesclub.org.

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December 2010 | IN

Best of the Holidays Pick

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A Look Back Ann Boutwell Dec. 4, 1981: MARTA – Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit – initially opened four stations on its new North-South Line: Garnett, Five Points, Civic Center and North Avenue. At the time the Peachtree Center Station was bypassed until the project was completed. At the time, only the northbound track was used for north and south bound service.

Dec. 7, 1938: At New York’s Waldorf Astoria, the New York Southern Society celebrated its 53rd anniversary at the annual Dixie Dinner Dance gala. The evening feature was awarding the Medal of Distinction to Atlanta’s Margaret Mitchell for her Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel Gone With the Wind. The award was for outstanding achievement of perpetuating Southern traditions, customs, and history. Harold Latham, Macmillan editor and a personal friend, accepted the award on Mitchell’s behalf.

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Dec. 12, 1966: The United States Supreme Court refused to review a Wisconsin Supreme Court’s ruling that the state’s antitrust law could not be used to transfer the National League Braves from Milwaukee to Atlanta.

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Dec. 15, 1941: The Fulton County Medical Society dedicated its impressive Academy of Medicine at 875 West Peachtree St. Ralph Didschuneit constructed the building, designed by Kennon Perry and the firm of Hentz, Adler, and Schutze. The designated Atlanta Landmark site, now owned by the Georgia Tech Foundation, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 1980.

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atlantajcc.org 16 INtown | December 2010

Dec. 25, 1930: The Fox Theatre celebrated a very low-key first anniversary. During the past 12 months the management and operation of the house changed from the West Coast Theaters to Lowe’s Inc. The anniversary film featured Princess and the Plumber, was based on Alice Duer Miller’s story published in the Saturday Evening Post magazine. The film directed

by Alexander Korda starred Maureen O’Sullivan, Charles Farrell and J. B. Warner.

Dec. 26, 1965: Georgia Science and Technology Commission counted 375 computers installations in its recent statewide survey of computers counted in Georgia. Seventy-nine percent were being operated by businesses, 14.5 percent for scientific research and 6.5 percent for education and instruction.

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Dec. 19, 1895: The Craigie House, created for the 1895 Cotton States and International Exhibit held for 100 days in Piedmont Park, is turned over to Atlanta by the state of Massachusetts.

The house would eventually become home t the Atlanta Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Craigie House served as its headquarters from December 1895 until 1909, when the organization sold it for $400 and opened a new chapter building also named Craigie House on Piedmont Avenue in 1911. For 74 years it served the Atlanta Chapter until 1985 when it suffered tree-fall damage and was eventually sold in 2001 to Inman Park Properties. The Georgia Trust has place the 1911 Craigie House on its 2011 list of Places in Peril in Georgia.

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Pet Briefs holiday photos and refreshments. Human companions are encouraged to bring their cameras and snap pictures of their pets with Santa while furry friends enjoy treats and toys in the hotel’s living room-style lobby.

Santa Paws is free and open to the public from 2 to 4 p.m. The Palomar Atlanta is located at 866 West Peachtree St. hotelpalomar-atlanta.com

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The Indigo Girls, Francine Reed, Kingsized, Kodac Harrison and other area musicians have donated holiday tracks to The Holiday Twelve’s compilation, All Creatures Great and Small, which will aid the Atlanta Humane Society. Community Arts Live Inc. is a new non-profit started by intown resident Boyd Baker to produce the album.

The album will be available for purchase or download from Nov. 26 to Dec. 27. For more information visit TheHolidayTwelve.com.

On Saturday, Dec. 11, and Sunday, Dec. 12, Santa Paws is bringing holiday cheer to Hotel Palomar Atlanta, inviting pet patrons and local four-legged friends to stop by for

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new location in Buckhead at 2815 Peachtree Road. Atlanta resident Paige Dohoney is the owner and she’s committed to the local community and to providing the outstanding service and quality products for her customers and their four-legged friends. Dohoney avidly supports animal rescue organizations and will host in-store events to help benefit the local pet community, including pet adoption days, yappy hours and pet wellness seminars. Woof Gang specializes in healthy, natural pet foods and treats, fresh-baked, gourmet dog treats, socially-conscious pet products.

The store offers a variety of fun, fuzzy, floatable and tough toys, as well as fashionable accessories, collars and leads, and a wide range of grooming products. WoofGangBakery.com Buckhead Pet Sitters is celebrating its 15th anniversary in the pet care business this holiday season and has expanded into concierge and home management services.

The bonded and insured company serves inside I-285. For more information about services, visit www.buckheadpetsitters.net, email buckheadpets@msn.com or call (404) 231-0567.

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Pet Pick Pets With Santa Has your pet bee naughty or nice? Let Santa be the judge of that! Bring your pet to sit in Santa’s lap this holiday season and have his or her picture taken for the family Christmas card.

In December, Santa will head to Atlantic Station’s Central Park to pose with you and/or your furry friend by the famous Atlantic Station Christmas Tree! He will be there Dec. 3, 4 and 5 as well as Dec. 10, 11, and 12.

No reservations are needed for this special sitting!

Proceeds from Pets With Santa will benefit the Society pets in need at Atlanta Humane Society this holiday season.

The sitting fee is a minimum $10 donation to AHS. Along with 10 percent of online photo sales (digital downloads, prints, holiday cards, ornaments, etc.) For more information visit: www.atlantahumane.org ~Info and photo Courtesy Atlanta Humane Society Gabriel is a very cute 2-year-old Dachshund mix who weighs 13 pounds with a Cairn or Scottie coat. He was surrendered by his former owner when they discovered that he had heartworms. Luckily, Gabriel has now received the treatment he needs and has recovered beautifully. Gabriel gets along well with other dogs and is affectionate, but not overly needy. He’s playful, but knows when it’s time to settle down. He enjoys taking

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Af ter town 19

December 2010 | IN

Scene and Heard Wendy Binns, Publisher In celebration of Veteran’s Day, students at Christ the King School organized a service project to honor our country’s injured veterans. The students and their teachers collected travel size toiletries, which they made into 200 “goody bags” with a patriotic message for veterans at the Atlanta VA Hospital, area nursing homes and the USO. Over a dozen military personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force visited the students. Pictured are Colonel James Glenn (students L-R) Riley Bowerman, Joe Eckstein, Alex Ribic, Mary Elizabeth Westenberger, Andrew Carpinella, Matthew Braun. www.cathedralofchristtheking.org First Montessori School of Atlanta and Habersham Gardens welcomed the fall planting season with an art exhibit. Students, ages 6-14, displayed more than 100 pieces of art and paper pinwheels throughout the garden center. At left, First Montessori School of Atlanta’s Director of MarketingDaisy Watson and Head of School Jerri King www.firstmontessori.org, www.habershamgardens.com

Laura Wallace and her grandson Michael Wallace in the pumpkin patch at the “Party in the Pasture,” raising funds for the Buckhead Heritage Society www.buckheadheritage.com.

Photo by Ross Henderson

A Place to Celebrate The Defoor Centre

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The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta raised more than $770,000 in just four days last week during the first phone fundraising campaign of the 2011 Community Campaign. www.

JewishAtlanta.org

Rock Spring Kids Day Out Preschool in Morningside held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its new playground.

Pictured are Dan Bridges, President of the Board of the Preschool, Baylee Henderson and Hannah Doherty. Rock Spring Kids Day Out Preschool offers half-day preschool program for children from toddler through kindergarten. www.kdopreschool.org

Student-athletes and coaches from Oglethorpe University, Clayton State University, Emory University, Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State University, Morehouse College participated in the event to give The First Tee of Atlanta participants the opportunity to learn from collegiate players and coaches. www.thefirstteeatlanta.org

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The authentic Wells Fargo stagecoach visited Dunbar Elementary School. Fourthgrader Rondell Monroe (center) was on the first ride with representatives of five groups that received a total of $60,000 that day from the bank. The American Red Cross was chosen by the most customers and received $25,000; Grady Memorial Hospital was second and received $15,000; the Atlanta Community Food Bank was third and received $10,000; and the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta and CredAbility each received $5,000. www.wellsfargo.com

Accessorize •Choose Paint Colors •Revive the Pieces you Own •Prepare your Home for Sale, Parties, Holidays, Etc. •Arrange Furniture for a Balanced Room •Start Fresh & Reinvent your Home •Provide a Finishing Touch to any Room.

20 INtown | December 2010

Cliff & Deven Trowers are the first couple to receive the wedding of their dreams from Wish Upon a Wedding Atlanta. The thirty-year old Cliff suffers from renal failure and is currently receiving dialysis three times a week. Cliff has been on Emory University Hospital’s waiting list for a new kidney since the summer of 2008, and his new wife Deven, has been by his side since they met in September 2007. www. wishuponawedding.org

The AR “Gus” Barksdale Boys & Girls Club and The Atlanta Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce (AMBCC) launched their partnership in November. The Ecopreneur Council of the AMBCC will assist the Boys and Girls Club to make the facility green and to provide education to the parents and the youth on how to be more sustainable. www.ambcc.org Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School has raised more than $33,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s (JDRF) Walk to Cure Diabetes, making it the top-grossing school in the nation to help find a cure for diabetes and its complications. Holy Innocents’ 70-member walking team – made up of faculty, staff, and students – is the top-grossing school in the nation for Walk to Cure Diabetes.

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December 2010 | IN

Health & Wellness Briefs

INtown Runaround Tim Sullivan

The City of Atlanta and the National League of Cities (NLC) have launched a free prescription discount card program in partnership with CVS Caremark to help Atlanta residents with the cost of prescription medications. The program will allow residents to save an average of up to 20 percent off of their prescriptions, and can be used by those who do not have insurance or by those who have prescriptions not covered by insurance. The card also can be used on some pet medications and is accepted at 9 out of 10 pharmacies throughout metro Atlanta. For more info on getting a card, visit www.caremark.com/nlc.

Ann Mertens, director of clinical research at the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorder Service of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and a professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, has been awarded the Mark R. Hudgens Chair for Clinical Research in Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders. Mertens is a world-renowned pediatric cancer and blood disorders researcher. Since 2007, she expanded the Aflac Cancer Center’s clinical research office from 22 employees to 35 employees. She has increased grant income by 43 percent while advancing her own research and mentoring other faculty members.

Atlanta Medical Center has been named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s Partnership for Health and Accountability Quality Honor Roll. Atlanta Medical Center is one of only 15 hospitals in Georgia to be placed in the Chairman’s Level, the highest on the list. “I commend the Atlanta Medical Center patient care teams for their hard work in attaining this honor,” said William T. Moore, Chief Executive Officer of Atlanta Medical Center. “It is their dedication that drives the exceptional care available at our hospital.”

Runners and walkers are encouraged to join Team Decatur and participate in four community runs from January to November. The goal is to keep the city fit and active! For more details visit www.beactivedecatur.com

Brian Lynch

Ultimately Eastside The Atlanta Ultimate Flying Disc Club at large may debate these findings, but this scribe is declaring East Atlanta the Mecca of the sport. Atop that Mecca sits Emory Researcher and UFDC ambassador Brian Lynch.

Is it Ultimate Frisbee, Ultimate, or something else?

Most just call it Ultimate. Frisbee is a trademarked term by Wham-O. In the 80s, the sport moved from Wham-O discs to Discraft. They fly better.

Can you briefly explain the sport?

It’s often called Frisbee football by people who played some version of it in middle school gym class – Ray Kodell! That was my gym teacher. He called it Flick Ball, and we played with a ball because we were too spastic to throw a disc. We thought he invented it. Anyway, you were saying?

Each team has seven players. Running with the disc is not allowed. A goal is scored by catching the disc in the end zone. The defense tries to knock the disc down, or force a throw that hits the ground. They then become the offense.

Better workout – game of Ultimate or three mile run?

Definitely Ultimate. In a competitive game, you are constantly sprinting and making hard cuts.

What is the furthest you’ve traveled to play a game?

I have gone to Seattle to play in a huge tournament called Potlatch. Over 100 teams participate from across the country.

Potlatch, huh? Interesting. The megawatt movie producer Joel Silver is often credited with inventing the game in the late 60’s.

Does he live in East Atlanta?

I have not seen Joel at The Earl as of yet, but I am hoping to bump into him. I have some ideas for Die Hard 5: The Die Hardest.

Maybe he is bummed out that the Heaping Bowl & Brew closed. How difficult is it for someone to pick up the skills needed to play?

It’s really easy. Ninety-five percent of the sport is running, and anyone can do that.

The throws come later. Veteran players are really helpful in teaching the game, and having new people come out is always encouraged. Most leagues are co-ed. Check out www.afdc.com for more info.

What pro athletes would make the best Ultimate players?

This is often debated, with the common consensus being a football wide receiver.

True or False: Facial hair and Miller High Life are acceptable on the sidelines of the Ultimate field.

The sport attracts unique personalities that love to have fun. Nothing’s better than playing hard against someone, then sharing a beer and good conversation on the sideline post-game.

Tim Sullivan heads up the Cabbagetown Running Club and is a Buckhead business owner. Look for his column every month and visit his blog at www.timmydaddy.com.

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town 23

December 2010 | IN

The Studio ARTS & CULTURE

Classic television show comes to life at Center for Puppetry Arts

By Collin Kelley Editor Since it premiered on television in 1964, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer has been a beloved holiday classic. Now, families can enjoy the story in a whole new way: live on stage at the Center for Puppetry Arts.

In the works for nearly a year, Rudolph is adapted and directed by the Center’s Artistic Director, Jon Ludwig, the production faithfully embraces the original and includes all of the beloved characters such as Hermey, the elf who is an aspiring dentist, Yukon Cornelius, and the Abominable Snow Monster. The Center worked with Character Arts LLC, which owns the rights to the special, to debut the first licensed stage production of Rudolph.

“The story of Rudolph has endured because it talks of self-acceptance, which everyone is looking for,” Ludwig said. “It’s a classic tale of self-discovery and a true

‘growing-up’ story.”

The Puppet Building Shop become a veritable Santa’s Workshop as the team designed and built the 60 puppets that appear on stage.

The 1964 special used small, articulated puppets in stop-motion animation. To adapt the show for the stage, the puppet makers watched the show hundreds of times, using frame-captures to build larger versions that are incredibly faithful to the original.

Anyone who loves the TV special will instantly recognize not only the characters, but the setting as well. The live version will use projections and animations to help propel the action along with a nod toward the TV show.

Children and adults will surely get the warm fuzzies as they see the puppets, which were designed by resident puppet designer/ builder Jason von Hinezmeyer, who worked for six months with a small team crafting the Rudolph characters “I think I watched the TV show more than 200 times, much of it frame by frame,” Hinezmeyer said. “Making the puppets to scale was one of the biggest challenges. This is the biggest show I’ve ever worked on.”

The faithful stage set glides on tracks to easily change scenes, while four separate

Rudolph puppets are used to show him growing up to be Santa’s famous sleigh leader. Also impressive is the 7-foot-tall Abominable Snow Monster, which is part puppet and part suit with an interior camera and mechanisms.

Most surprisingly, six puppeteers control the stage action and provide the voices for the characters. Watching the puppeteers and designers at work, it’s obvious they are excited by bringing Rudolph to life.

Director Ludwing summed it up like this: “It’s been a blast working on this show.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is on stage now and continues through Jan. 2 with

afternoon and evening performances. Tickets for patrons 2 and older are $16 and include admission to the performance, Create-APuppet Workshop (or Create-A-Puppet To-Go Kit), and all museum exhibits.

From parades and parties to pigs and peach drops, there’s plenty to do

By Gregory Wallace

Proceeds from the parade will help fund programs and equipment to serve the patients and families at Children’s.

The Parade begins at Peachtree Street near Baker Street in downtown Atlanta. The route follows Peachtree Street, turns right onto Marietta Street and finishes along Centennial Olympic Park Drive. The event is free and open to the public. For those seeking front-row access, reserved bleacher seats are available for $12. The Children’s Christmas Parade will also air live on WSB-TV Channel 2 (ABC), beginning with a 10 a.m. pre-show. choa.org/parade.

If you’re looking for holiday fun and merriment this month, we’ve got you covered with this guide to some of the big events happening in December. For more holiday events, see the Atlanta PlanIt calendar on Page 28 of this issue.

The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta and Jewcy.com will celebrate the season with a Chanukah party at Shout, 1197 Peachtree St. in Midtown, on Thursday, Dec. 2, from 7 to 11 p.m. The party will be held on Shout’s rooftop and include food, drinks and dancing. Advanced tickets are $10 for members, $15 for non-members or available at the door for $5 more. Drink ticket included in price. atlantajcc.org.

24 INtown | December 2010

Join Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Santa Claus and more than 300,000 spectators along the streets of Downtown for the largest Christmas parade in the Southeast. Now in its 30th year, the Children’s Christmas Parade will kick off the holiday season Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Join the cast of The Holiday Ice Spectacular as they create a glittering world of holiday cheer Dec. 16-24 as they take to the ice-covered stage at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Henry, a charming, yet mischievous elf has decided (against orders) to let the audience experience the wonder of the North Pole. Tickets range in price from $25 to $89.

For more information, visit holidayicespectacular.com.

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December 2010 | IN

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Holiday Fever Patrick Dennis

I am an artist and I’ve been thinking ...

Celebrating its thirteenth anniversary season, Atlanta’s only outdoor ice skating rink at Centennial Olympic Park is an annual holiday tradition. Visitors enjoy covered observation seating, theatrical lighting on the real ice and holiday music. The ice rink is open daily through Jan. 30, including the holidays. Admission is $7 per person for 90 minutes of skate time and skate rental is an additional $2. College student and group discounts are available.

The 21-acre park will also be fully decorated throughout the season. centennialpark.com.

Starting on Dec. 2, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will ring in the holidays with its 2010 Coca Cola Holiday Concert Series. Performances will include Handel’s Messiah and a series of concerts featuring gospel, kids’ music, pop music. The month culminates with the Christmas with the ASO show – featuring holiday classics – and an ASO New Year’s Eve. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling (404) 733-5000. atlantasymphony.org.

A holiday tradition in Atlanta since 1953, the Pink Pig ride is back at the Macy’s at Lenox Square to delight children of all ages. Hop aboard the miniature train and take a ride through a pink wonderland through Jan. 2. The cost is $3 per person. www.macys.com or lenoxsquare.com.

Once again, the Chick-fil-A Bowl Parade will serve as the official kickoff for game day. The parade steps off at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Ralph McGill Boulevard and ends at the Georgia World Congress Center leading all fans into the halls of the Chickfil-A Bowl FanFest Made Possible by Coca-Cola Zero. Come join in the fun of this bowl tradition featuring colorful themed floats, classic cars, cheerleaders, mascots, award-winning marching bands, dynamic dance groups and much, much more! The parade takes place on Friday, Dec. 31, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and is free and open to the public. chick-fil-abowl.com.

Underground Atlanta is the place to be on New Year’s Eve, as thousands gather in the Fountain Plaza for the famous Peach Drop.

The event will begin at noon with a variety of entertainment for children and will continue into the evening with live musical performances and a fireworks show at midnight. Those attending are encouraged to take MARTA to the Five Points station. peachdrop.com.

Looking for an exciting way to welcome the New Year? The annual Downtown Countdown New Year’s Eve returns to the Hyatt Regency Atlanta this year, bringing with it a premium open bar, dinner buffet and late-night breakfast menu and multiple rooms of entertainment. There will be performances by Soul Asylum and Coolio, plus disc jockeys, comedians, karaoke and much more. Tickets are currently on sale for $109 for the regular party and $175 for VIP access to private areas and an upscale dinner and bar menu.

Ticketholders will be offered discounted hotel rooms at the Hyatt Regency while supplies last. DowntownCountdown.net.

This block party along Peachtree in Midtown features local artists, musicians, and a midnight fireworks spectacular. Tickets are available at local Midtown merchants. midtownatlanta.org. w w w. A t l a n t a I N t o w n P a p e r. c o m

here at home and without a lot of snow Somehow I completely forget that or airline tickets. The gallery is located on the holidays are coming every year. I Bennett Street. get a little disoriented and find myself “Santa’s left something in your stocking, in utter astonishment that it’s already Atlanta. And it’s not another crushed beer November. This could possibly be a can from the Clermont Lounge.” This is the personality disorder, but since I don’t have intro for the Alliance Theater’s staging of access to regularly scheduled visits with a Miracle on 1280 Peachtree Street by The psychoanalyst to investigate this, I prefer Second City comedy troupe. Nothing beats to classify this as one of my “charming making inappropriate and rude remarks idiosyncrasies” as my daughters patiently about fruitcake like these guys. I can only refer to my ability to disassociate myself imagine their sugar plum visions of elves at from time and space. In plain language, I the Chik fil-A Dwarf House. This show runs get busy. through Dec. 12 so that you still have time When it starts getting cold outside my usual sunny disposition disappears in direct correlation to the change in temperature. I know this because I am very sensitive to climate changes and usually develop a fever and prefer to sulk rather than paint it out in my studio.

Usually I cover my bases by proposing a trip to New York with the kids to see the Atlantic Station Holiday Market lights, snow and things we can’t afford. Since one of my to redeem your guilty conscience with good daughters now has two adorable children, it’s hard to whisk everybody off to New York deeds just before Christmas.

Finally, if you just prefer to give your for an impromptu holiday vacation. Now soul over to the bartender and careen wildly we meet in Atlanta to look for fun and good though the season without a plan, brain or cheer and possibly some seriously spiked sense of pride you can claim Bieber Fever. eggnog. Although I have no agenda, here is Yes, “the Bieb” is coming to Atlanta for a my game plan so far: holiday show on Dec. 23 at the Phillips Park Tavern may not be Tavern on the Arena. He is in the second phase of his “My Green, but it does have an ice skating rink World” tour and Atlanta is the last show of until the end of the year so I can sit at the the year, which, if you ask me, sounds like bar and drink ($1 beer if it’s raining) while an ominous message for the holidays and my girls are skating in tiny circles under a tent trying not to let me catch them pushing quite possibly the future. Perhaps I should consider using the money I’ve saved on the each other into presumably eligible young jettisoned New York trip to visit the couch men with good jobs while feigning a lack of about this but I’m not counting on getting coordination. any answers until it warms up and my own We will brave the snow machines and crowds at Atlantic Station to see the gigantic fever breaks. lighted tree and the Holiday Shops. I know this because one of the Shop’s merchants Patrick Dennis is an artist, gallery owner has told me that my daughters have already and President of the Atlanta Foundation for reserved several items that will require my Public Spaces. He lives in Atlanta. Email him signature. I dearly love to watch adults at Patrick@affps.com squeeze into the little train cars that ride around Atlantic Station. It’s like a Shriner’s parade without the hats. I’ll smile and wave as I put a video of their crazy selves on & Studios is pleased to announce YouTube.

Kool Happenings in December!

The Christopher Le Brun exhibit at The Sycamore Place Gallery Artists are displaying Thomas Dean Fine Art will run through affordable wares Dec.4-5 from 12-5pm.

Kodac Harrison features "Something Blue" from 7-10pm.

Dec. 31. “Grand,” “melancholy” and “highly Wednesday nights w/ Lance begin @9pm. romantic” are terms used to characterize Art classes continue - HOLIDAY ART CAMPS: his works and if that doesn’t sound like the Dec.21-23; Dec.28-30 & Jan.5-7th. holidays I don’t know what does. Le Brun’s ARTIST STUDIO SPACE AVAILABLE! works have been displayed all over the We host birthday parties and special events! world, so how spoiled we are to enjoy them

Call 404 377 7747 or e:sycsyl@yahoo.com

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December 2010 | IN

A guide for arts and cultural entertainment for the entire family.

Visual Arts & Museums Laura Poitras: O’ Say Can You See? This exhibit at Atlanta Contemporary Art Center features footage shot by Laura Poitras of grief-stricken citizens after the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers along with imagery of Ground Zero and audio from a Yankees game weeks later. Closes Dec. 12. $3 to $5. www.thecontemporary.org 2nd of November: This exhibit at Solomon Projects showcases work by Athens-based conceptual artist Kathryn Refi, who researched events that took place on the day of her birth in 1975 to create her pieces. Closes Dec. 23. Admission is free. www.solomonprojects.com Against All Odds: This twopart exhibition at The Breman Jewish Museum explores the lives of resistance fighters during the Holocaust.

Closes Jan. 3. $3 to $10. www. thebreman.org

can from the Clermont Lounge. It’s The Second City’s all-new installment of holiday-themed sketch comedy at the Alliance Theatre. Closes Dec. 12. $30 to $40. www.alliancetheatre.org The Hallelujah Girls: Hilarity abounds in this sidesplitting, joyful comedy at OnStage Atlanta when the feisty females of Eden Falls, Georgia, decide to shake up their lives after the loss of a dear friend. Closes Dec. 18. $10 to $17. www.onstageatlanta.com A Krampus Christmas: This delightfully naughty World Premiere at 7 Stages delves into the legend of Krampus, Germany’s dark counterpart of Saint Nick, with fearful fun and frosty carols for the bad kid in everyone. Dec. 16 -18. $20 to $25. www.7stages.org

War in Our Backyards: Discovering Atlanta: This exhibit at the Atlanta History Center challenges visitors to consider their personal connections to the Civil War, literally fought in the city’s backyards.

Open daily. $11 to $16.50. www.atlantahistorycenter.com

Performing Arts Holiday Lights: This annual holiday concert by the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus at The Cathedral of St. Philip combines classic holiday music with lighter fare. Also featured this year are the Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde. Dec. 10 - 11. $15 to $40. www.agmchorus.org Christmas With Atlanta Sacred Chorale: Share the wonder, the joy and the promise of Christmas with your whole family at this evening of musical memory-making with the Atlanta Sacred Chorle at the Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church. Dec. 11. $15 to $25. www.atlantasacredchorale.org Heavenly Light: Just Voices presents this annual Christmas concert at Holy Trinity Parish featuring anthems, hymns and carols.

To celebrate the a capella group’s 100th anniversary, alumni will join the choir for this performance. Dec. 11. $5 to $10. www.justvoices.org The Second City: Miracle on 1280 Peachtree Street: Santa’s left something in Atlanta’s stocking, and it’s not another crushed beer

28 INtown | December 2010

A Christmas Story: Georgia Shakespeare presents the classic story of Ralphie, who must endure bunny pajamas, double-dog dares, and those six dreaded words, “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid,” to get the one thing he wants for Christmas. Dec. 7 - 24. $12 to $50. www.gashakespeare.org

A Very Merry Holiday Pops: This refreshingly original variety show presented by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra features a dancing St. Nick and new versions of beloved favorites and gleeful choruses to make the season merry. Dec. 17 - 18. $20 to $59. www.atlantasymphony.org An Atlanta Christmas: Join the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company at the Academy Theatre as they paint a vivid portrait of the season with poignant and funny Southern stories told in the time-honored style of old-time radio. Dec. 11 -19. Suggested donation: $10. www.artc.org Baroque Candlelight Christmas: This annual candlelight concert

by New Trinity Baroque at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church features exciting vocal and instrumental music by great Baroque composers such as Vivaldi, Pergolesi, Bach, Couperin and more.

Dec. 19. $9 to $39. www.newtrinitybaroque.org A Christmas Carol: Full of music, laughter, love and family, this heartwarming and intimate rendition of the classic story at the New American Shakespeare Tavern is designed to put you in the holiday spirit!

Closes Dec. 23. $12 to $32. www.shakespearetavern. com

Making America’s Music: Rhythm, Roots and Rhyme: This international traveling exhibition at Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta celebrates the joy and diversity of American music and the people who make it. Closes Jan. 9. $12.50. Children (under 2): Free! www.childrensmuseumatlanta.org Assignment: CDC - Photographs by David Snyder: On assignment for the CDC Foundation, photojournalist David Snyder traveled around the world to report on CDC programs in action. This exhibit at the Global Health Odyssey Museum features more than 75 photos along with his notes from the field. Open weekdays. Free!

Closes Jan. 14. www.cdc.gov/museum

for the entire family and follows 7-year-old Buddy on his Christmas adventures. Dec. 15 - 23. $25 to $30. www.theatricaloutfit.org

Rent: This Tony Awardand Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical presented

by Fabrefaction Theatre Company tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to make it in New York City’s Lower East Side. Dec. 3 - 22. $15 to $30. www. fabrefaction.org Every Christmas Story Ever Told: From Ebenezer Scrooge to a certain adorable claymation reindeer, no sacred cow is safe from skewering in this hysterical roller coaster yuletide treat at Actor’s Express. Closes Dec. 23. $15 to $40. www.actors-express. com A Christmas Memory: Theatrical Outfit’s widely cherished theatre version of Truman Capote’s beloved short story is fun holiday fare

Black Nativity: This gospel telling of the Christmas story by Langston Hughes presented by True Colors Theatre Company is a soul-stirring musical celebration that brings the real meaning of faith and love to life and is a testament to the power of gospel music. Closes Dec. 30. $18 to $45. www.truecolorstheatre.org The Christmas Music of Mannheim Steamroller: Join Mannheim Steamroller as they celebrate the 25th anniversary of their annual Christmas tour with this concert at The Fabulous Fox Theatre. Dec. 28. $32 to $63. www.foxtheatre.org The Santaland Diaries: This outrageous holiday comedy written by NPR comic genius David Sedaris and presented by the Horizon Theatre recounts the true-life tale of an out-ofwork writer who must take a job as a Macy’s Department Store elf. Closes Jan. 2. $25 to $35. www.horizontheatre. com The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: In this show presented by Synchronicity Theatre, the unruly, unpopular Herdman kids check out church one Sunday when they hear something about snacks and end up staying for the Christmas pageant, teaching everyone the true meaning of the holiday season in the process. Dec. 11 to Jan. 2. $15 to $18. www. synchrotheatre.com w w w. A t l a n t a I N t o w n P a p e r. c o m

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December 2010 | IN

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.“I love to play with color,” she told me. The asymmetrical cardigan picked up the purple in her shirtdress. Ites International of Lithonia crocheted this cozy hat. Slippers were chosen for their glorious pop of yellow.

More than a collector of accessories, this young lady rocks them aboard her bike.

“A person who is genuinely thrifty is a person who can make an awesome outfit out of nothing.” Dad’s shirt, cropped trousers and a jacket from time out of mind are memorably remixed.

Our Writers, Bloggers & Contributors Rock.

Sincere thanks & Happy Holidays to all! www.AtlantaINtownPaper.com 30 INtown | December 2010

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Go Green A GUIDE TO AN ECO-FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE

How SWEET It Is

New eco-friendly Southface training center opens Downtown facility to become an Earthcraft light commercial certification building on its way to LEED gold certification.

Southface is a nonprofit organization The building will use less energy than a that for more than three decades has traditional renovation of commercial space promoted energy, water, and resourceand about 75 percent of the construction efficient homes, workplaces and waste from the project was recycled. “The communities throughout the Southeast. In purpose of the SWEET Center,” said Creech, October, Southface built on that mission “is to help thousands with the unveiling of homeowners and of the Southeast “Achieving this goal will business owners Weatherization and become phoenixes Energy Efficiency improve the quality of in their own lives by Training (SWEET) saving money and Center. life of Atlanta’s citizens protecting the planet Located near by doing so.” the intersection of by enhancing the quality At the same Piedmont and North time, Creech said it avenue, the SWEET of our environment,” said would be a mistake Center’s purpose is Reed, “while at the same to think of the to provide practical, Center as a single hands-on learning time supporting building. Through opportunities in upits mobile classroom, to-date weatherization job creation and long the Center “has techniques including already trained over blower door testing, term growth.”

700 weatherization duct sealing, installing professionals,” several insulation, caulking and of which were on hand for the unveiling. more.

Mayor Kasim Reed said the SWEET Funded by both private contributions Center was another building block in his and federal grants, the Center is a administrations goal to make Atlanta one of collaboration between Southface and the the top 10 sustainable cities in the nation.

Georgia Environmental Finance Authority “Achieving this goal will improve (GEFA) and has already trained more the quality of life of Atlanta’s citizens by than 700 weatherization professionals in enhancing the quality of our environment,” home retrofitting and energy-efficiency techniques, benefiting more than 3,500 low- said Reed, “while at the same time supporting job creation and long term income households to date. growth.”

Southface co-founder and executive Reed said Southface’s green jobs director Dennis Creech likened the opening training program comes at a time when the of the Center to Atlanta’s symbol, the city is rolling out its first residential energy phoenix. Like that legendary bird, Creech efficient program. The Sustainable Home said, the SWEET Center was reborn from the remains of an abandoned diaper laundry Initiative in the New Economy (SHINE)

By Gregory Wallace

w w w. A t l a n t a I N t o w n P a p e r. c o m

allows residents to receive up to a $2,000 rebate towards qualifying weatherization improvements. Creech reiterated the compelling financial incentive for energy efficient renovation SHINE provides.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bob Adams, who is the supervisor for the national weatherization program, highlighted several impressive statistics of the program. Through a $5 billion grant from the American Reinvestment and

Recovery Act, Adams said the program is currently weatherizing about 1,500 homes a day, with more than 220,000 homes across the country already weatherized. More than 4,000 homes in Georgia have been weatherized. The program has created over 14,300 jobs.

For more information on the SWEET Center and Southface, visit www.southface.org

Green Insider Laura Turner Seydel

Go Green This Holiday Season ‘Tis the season for festive holiday fun, but as you’re throwing your parties, decorating your house and exchanging holiday gifts, it’s important to be mindful of the waste you’re creating during these over indulgent times.

Did you know that between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Americans throw away on average a million extra tons of garbage each week? Do your part to minimize your impact on the planet and keep our landfills free of extra refuse by reducing, reusing and recycling as much as possible.

A majority of our waste throughout December comes from gift-wrap, but did you know that after it’s all added up, on average we dispose of 8,000 tons of wrapping paper, 38,000 miles of ribbon and almost 2 billion greeting cards?

Kick off your eco-holiday by prepping your home with a herbie curbie-sized recycling bin to recycle gift wrap, bottles, cans, corrugated cardboard and other holiday items that can be recycled (for a list of approved items, visit www.atlantaga.gov).

You can also cut back on wrapping waste by getting creative and making gift wrap and packaging part of the gift. Wrap a small gift in a colorful silk scarf, use a vintage cigar box to hold a hard to wrap gift or find a cool reusable shopping bag as an alternative to a disposable gift bag. You can also use recycled options like wrapping gifts in a map from a summer road trip, pages from a magazine, the comic section of the newspaper or an old holiday sweater for a truly festive look.

Another big landfill culprit is food waste, as each holiday 28 billion pounds of edible food are thrown away (that’s 100

pounds per person!). Combat this statistic by donating your leftover holiday meals to a soup kitchen or adding a compost bin (you can get one here in town from Farmer D www.farmerd.com) to your backyard. By adding your food residuals, coffee grounds and holiday flowers, not only will you be minimizing your impact upon our landfills but creating nutrient rich compost, which you can later use in your flower or edible garden.

Recycling efforts shouldn’t end after you’ve decked the halls, trimmed the tree and taken down the LED Holiday strand lights. In Atlanta there are many options to recycle your Christmas tree, garland and wreaths. At Earth 911 (www.earth911.org) you can search for these drop off locations, as well as spots to recycle holiday cards and cardboard gift boxes.

This year, create traditions that incorporate these eco-friendly practices so that each year you and your family can do your part to keep the planet healthy and happy!

For more eco-living tips, visit www.lauraseydel.com.

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December 2010 | IN

Greener Holidays with Artful Trees whitespace gallery tree show, Friday, Dec. 3, 7-10pm

By Tina Chadwick

you look at the holiday from a different angle. People and families, are just trying to ‘hold it down’ [spending] and it’s important to show children that there are other ways to celebrate the holidays than just buying things.”

Bridges reminds the artists represented by her gallery well in advance of the early December show so they have time to concept and then create the dazzling, oneof-a-kind trees.

While retail stores now call fake Christmas trees “permanent trees” or more cleverly “evergreen,” a lot of holiday tree shoppers do find themselves struggling with how to have a greener holiday.

Most people head to the tree lot or find a seller in the parking lot of a local shopping center, then decorate it with plastic bobbles, shiny garland and fragile glass ornaments that drop off the tree. Now, there’s another alternative – “Forever Green” trees. Susan Bridges of whitespace gallery offers this option as a way to “tree-up” without entering the consumer spending frenzy of the season – no matter which side of the tree debate you fall.

In its 3rd year, whitespace gallery puts on a seasonal show where you can enjoy many holiday trees all concocted from non bio- Ten thousand villages degradable materials and/or found objects.

From the tree itself – and the definition of “tree” is given a wide birth here – to the decorations, artists display works from the heart and mind instead of the store.

This tree holds over 500 keys. There is a Asked what was her inspiration for box underneath and only one of the keys starting the show, Bridges says thoughtfully, opens it. Visitors will be able to select a “There are so many people who are more key and try their luck at opening the box.

BRPOS-qtrIA:Layout 1 6/23/10 9:17 AM Page 1 conscience of the consumption and this lets

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While most of us diligently recycle the boxes, paper and packaging, this type activity “integrates recycling into the process front and center versus an afterthought to the holidays,” Bridges says This year’s tree show is Dec. 3 from 7 to 10 p.m. at whitespace gallery, 814 Edgewood Ave. www.whitespace814.com

ten thou

one re Share yours (Far left) Old car tail lights were used to decorate this tree.

(Left) Plastic rings that once held cans or bottles together, now makes a beautiful tree.

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Eco-Briefs Atlanta City Hall hosted Local Food Day in October featuring a farmer’s market and “Lunch and Learn” for city employees. The event highlighted the city’s effort to bring local food within 10 minutes of 75 percent of Atlanta’s residents by 2020. The event was in conjunction with Mayor Kasim Reed’s announcement that his goal was to make Atlanta one of the top 10 sustainable cities in America. For more information, visit www.atlantaga.gov.

“Eco-evangelist” and interior designer Jillian Pritchard Cooke has opened her first store in Atlanta called BEE. The store specializes in upholstered and wood furniture, bedding, accessories and rugs identified as pure, responsible and sustainable. BEE is located at 26 East Andrews Drive. For more information, visit www.bee-atlanta.com The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that Atlanta is one of 23 communities around the U.S. selected for the Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Pilot Program. EPA is promoting a planning approach to address community brownfield challenges, which are former industrial sites with contaminated ground that must be cleaned up before redevelopment can take place. The pilot program hopes to further community-based partnership efforts within underserved or economically disadvantaged neighborhoods by confronting local environmental and public health challenges related to brownfields while creating a planning framework to advance economic

development and job creation. For more information, visit www.atlantada.com EarthShare of Georgia (ESGA) announces several new employee-giving campaigns kicking off in the Fall of 2010. New ESGA campaigns starting this fall include Sustainable Atlanta, a non-profit dedicated to sustainable practices for those who live, work and play in Atlanta. Other new EarthShare of Georgia campaigns include the law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, thanks to Angie Hunter of ESGA member group, Southface and Silverman Construction Program Management, thanks to Abi Paine of ESGA member group, Park Pride. For more information, call (404) 873-3173 or visit www.earthsharega.org.

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Nissan North America announces that it is entering into an agreement with Clean Cities-Atlanta (CC-A) to advance zero-emission mobility by promoting the development of electric vehicles and an electric-charging network. Atlanta is one of the first cities in the Southeast to launch the Nissan LEAF Electric Vehicle.

The announcement was part of the city’s Sustainability Week in October, a series of events to raise awareness throughout Atlanta about issues such as energy and water conservation, the creation of green jobs, locally produced food and fuel efficiency.

For more information, visit www.nissanusa.com or www.atlantaga.gov.

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• Leave the oven door closed. The more you open it to check on cooking food, the more

• Run full loads. Dishwashers use the same amount of energy for all loads, so take advantage of the energy used in each one.

• Use the air-dry setting or open your dishwasher after the wash cycle is finished.

Air drying dishes saves more energy than the heat-dry setting.

• Don’t pre-rinse; scrape dishes clean instead to save up to 20 gallons of water.

HOLIDAY CHEER

AN

Oven:

Dishwasher:

FOOD TASTINGS

2010 VIRGINIA-HIGHLAND

ar cu be

b

• Keep electric and gas burners clean. Clean burners reflect heat better and use energy more efficiently.

• Turn off electric burners two to three minutes before cooking is done and let residual heat take care of the rest.

• Use a pot or pan that fits the burner. The correct size pot or pan will distribute heat more efficiently, and less heat will be lost into the air.

PERIOD ARCHITECTURE

e

Stovetop

heat you let escape, and the harder your oven has to work to stay heated.

• If you’re cooking a dish that has a long cook time, such as a turkey, put the dish in as the oven is heating up. Then turn the oven off early and allow residual heat to finish the job.

VIR

There will be plenty of cooking in the kitchen over the holiday season. Here’s a few tips to help save money and the environment.

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December 2010 | IN

News You Can Eat EATING OUT | EATING IN | FOOD NEWS | WINE

Hello,Cupcake!

Neighborhood bakeries keep up with demand

By Diana Peyrefitte Hilmer The word “cupcake” just doesn’t seem to aptly define the latest culinary creations that have been taking over the baking world. You’ve seen and – more than likely – devoured these edible pieces of art. Your childhood birthday cupcakes these are not.

These gourmet cupcakes are hits at parties, weddings, corporate meetings, real estate caravans and just about any gathering that needs a sweet treat. The cupcake craze is definitely in full swing.

The last year, despite our country’s flailing economy, has seen a quick rise in the gourmet cupcake shops around Atlanta. Many local bakeries carry a variety of cupcakes for their customers, but the little shops that specialize in cupcakes seem to be thriving.

“Sales continue to increase,” says Jamie Fahey, owner of the quaint Atlanta Cupcake Factory at 624 North Highland Ave. “The community building that our bakery provides has been one of the most welcome surprises in opening our shop. My whole philosophy is caring for people, and baking goes so deep into the human experience; it’s part of our core.”

Having opened up more than three years ago, Fahey admits to having no idea the cupcake boom would be so big. She was somewhat catapulted into the cupcake business, seemingly overnight, with corporate gifting being the start of her business. Now, aside from the booked special orders for weddings and parties, she attributes the continued success of her little bakery from her loyal customers.

“These little neighborhood bakeries are extremely important to people,” she adds. “It’s almost magical what we are baking in here.”

Some of the flavors you’ll find at Atlanta Cupcake Factory include “Vanilla Apricot Sugar Cookie,” “Sweet Potato/ Bourbon” and, my personal favorite, “Salted Caramel.”

The cupcake craze has also moved online, with the Atlanta-based Cupcake Crusade. “Our challenge is to deconstruct every popular dessert and reconstruct them into an absolutely delicious, dare I say perfect, cupcake,” says Krystle Rodriquez, owner and baker of Cupcake Crusade.

Rodriquez’s creations will soon be featured at the Hodepodge Coffee House and Gallery, which will open early in the new year in East Atlanta. Some of her signature creations include “Pineapple Upside Down” and “Banana Pudding” in delectable, cupcake form.

So what makes something that has been around for so long, all of a sudden become so irresistible to people of all ages? Is it just the perfect combination of moist, flavorful cake with the luscious frosting in every bite we take? Or is it something more?

Could it be that in the minutes is takes us to consume one of these delicacies, we are transported back to a time

that cupcakes meant birthday parties, fun and games, no responsibility, and no dieting? Whatever it is, one thing is for sure: cupcakes aren’t going anywhere.

Even reality shows have been blindsided by the cupcake obsession: Food Network has Cupcake Wars; DC Cupcakes can be seen on TLC, and Cupcake Girls is on the W Network.

Being a self-proclaimed cupcake aficionado, I have tasted cupcakes all around Atlanta in search of the perfect cupcake.

Here are some of my favorites.

For those who adore a beautiful mountain of frosting (I’m a 60:40 frosting-to-cake ratio girl myself), Gigi’s Cupcakes (with locations in Buckhead and Sandy Springs) will not disappoint. Try their ‘”Candied Sweet Potato” and “Wedding Cake” and you will be saying “I do” over and over again.

Want an artsy cupcake that looks as chic as the bakery it comes from? Try Chocolate Pink in Midtown. The “Dulce de Leche” is sinfully sweet.

Venturing into Decatur for the day?

Carolyn’s Cupcakes (“Moon Pie” takes me away) and Piece of Cake (three locations, Buckhead, Decatur and Roswell) bake traditional-looking, yet hallelujah-inducing cupcakes (their “White Chocolate” is divine).

In Buckhead, you have a myriad of delicious choices: CamiCakes (don’t you dare leave the building without “The Elvis”); The Little Cake Bakery (try the “Marie Antoinette”… tres maqnifique); and Lenox Cupcakes in Phipps Plaza (“Chocolate Whisper”…need I say more?).

The hardest task upon entering one of these shops is what flavor to choose. Why not choose two? Or three? You are an adult now, and the rule of “only one cupcake allowed” doesn’t have to apply.

So go ahead, indulge. They’re not just for kids anymore.

Diana’s Cupcake Guide:

34 INtown | December 2010

Atlanta Cupcake Factory: 624 N Highland Ave., 30306; theatlantacupcakefactory.com or (678) 358-9195 Buttersweet Bakery: 625 N. Central Ave., Hapeville, 30354; buttersweetbakery.com or (404) 767-9884 Cami Cakes: 2221 Peachtree Rd. Suite B, 30309; camicakes.com or (404) 748-4288 Carolyn’s Cupcakes: 2745 LaVista Road, Decatur, 30033; carolynscupcakes.com or (404) 343-1964 Chocolate Pink Café: 905 Juniper St., Unit 108, 30309; chocolatepinkcafe.com or (404) 745-9292

The Cupcake Crusade(soon to be at Hodgepodge Coffeehouse and Gallery): thecupcakecrusade.com or (678) 379-9927 Gigi’s Cupcakes: 3655 Roswell Road, Suite 218, 30342; gigiscupcakesusa.com or (404) 846-4400 Lenox Cupcakes @ Phipps Plaza: 3500 Peachtree Road, 30326; lenoxcupcakes.com or (404) 949-0409 Little Cake Bakery: 3792 Roswell Road, 30342; littlecakebakery.com or (404) 841-8856 Piece of Cake: 307-A E. College Ave, Decatur, 30030; pieceofcakeinc.com or (404) 378-8585 Sweet Pockets: 4338 Paces Ferry Road, 30339; sweet-pockets.com or (770) 431-6611. w w w. A t l a n t a I N t o w n P a p e r. c o m

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December 2010 | IN

Quick Bites

rtificat e C es! ft i G

News & Happenings The Virginia Highland location of Everybody’s Pizza is closing this month after 20 years, but fans of the restaurant can still get their pizza fix at the Emory Village location. The staff and management encourage patrons to visit the Emory Village location, which has been a staple in the village for nearly 40 years, at 1593 N. Decatur Road. There’s plenty of free parking behind the restaurant. Delivery will not be affected, and those who want to place an order can still call (404) 377-7766. For more information visit www.EverybodysPizza.com Yogurberry at Terminus in Buckhead is now using local products from community farmers, including fresh milk, granola, honey, yogurt and fruit. www.yogurberryatl.com The 2011 High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction will be held March 23-26 at Atlantic Station.

The theme will be “The Ultimate Collection: A Sumptuous Blend of Wine, Art, Food and Friends.” The Wine Auction is the largest charity wine auction in the U.S. benefiting the arts, in addition to ranking sixth largest overall, and the largest fundraising event for the High Museum. www.atlanta-wineauction.org Chef Shaun Doty and entrepreneur Erik Maier have opened the second location of YEAH! Burger in Virginia Highland at 1017 N. Highland Ave. The duo opened the original location in June at White Provision in West Midtown. Yeah! Burger re-imagines the classic American burger using natural and organic ingredients, and was recently named one of Bon Appétit’s Top 10 favorite burger spots in the United States. www.yeahburger.com

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After more than a decade, Phil Palmer has sold Radial Café to Frank Bragg, formerly with Metrotainment Cafes and with 20 years in the restaurant business. Bragg said he plans to continue Radial’s environmental mission as well as maintain the popular menu while adding new twists and items. www.radial.us Tickets are now on sale for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival showcase May 19-22, 2011.

The event will feature more than 200 activities over four days, including tasting tents, seminars, chef demonstrations, theme dinners and special events featuring whole animal roasts, regional craft beer tastings, a variety of Southern barbecue, and fine wines and cocktails from some of the country’s top talents. www.atlfoodandwinefestival.com Harry & David Orchard is now open in Lenox Square offering its signature pears, chocolate, pastries and more. The 100-year old company once sold its famous pears by mail order, then on the Internet and is now branching out with retail locations. www.harryanddavid.com Dante’s Down the Hatch recently celebrated its 40th anniversary in Atlanta. Originally located at Underground Atlanta, Dante Stephenson’s fondue-style restaurant continues to thrive in Buckhead with its unusual 18th century sailing ship theme, quirky antiques and unusual religious artifacts. www.dantesdownthehatch.com Atlanta-based party people, Amy Croushorn, Patti Corcoran and Jennifer Higgins celebrated the first birthday of their Internet-based party supply company, Make It Mine Parties, The trio gave away 1,000 cupcakes at Colony Square to mark the event. The partners also just launched their newest e-commerce venture HelloCupcakeStore.com selling cupcake supplies for every occasion. www.MakeItMineParties.com Tantra Restaurant & Lounge is now open at 2285 Peachtree Road serving a “sensual and

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exotic” fusion menu crafted by executive chef Terry Dwyer, with flavors inspired by the Silk Road, which extends through Asia, the Mediterranean, southern Europe and into Spain. www.tantraatlanta.com H. Harper Station is now open in the old train station at 904 Memorial Drive, which was formerly The Depot restaurant. Lush Life Group, which includes Chef Duane Nutter, Mixologist Jerry Slater and Chef Reggie Washington, has crafted a menu featuring nontraditional southern fare with international influences presented in a modern approach. www.hharperstation.com Pour Wine Market and Tasting Room is now open at Village Place Brookhaven. The shop sells quality wines, mostly priced in the $12 to $25 range. Owners Jonathan McCall and Parke Lammerts said their concept, which will also sell craft and local beers, was inspired by New York’s Chelsea Wine Vault. www.PourWineMarket.com Woodfire Grill chef and owner, as well as Top Chef alum, Kevin Gillespie has teamed up with best-selling, award-winning cookbook author David Joachim in a two-book deal. With recipes conceptualized at Woodfire Grill the first book will arrive in Fall 2012.

Abrigo, a new Mexican, Southwestern and Latin fusion restaurant, is now open at 818 Juniper St. www.facebook.com/abrigoatlanta

Restaurant RIP Evos and 5th Street Café in Midtown; Matty Cakes and Fox & Hound Pub in Buckhead; Shaun’s in Inman Park (closing Dec. 18).

The Art of Chocolate Artesian specialties at Inman Park’s Cacao

By Thom Volarath Tucked away in a small alley in Inman Park is a chocolate laboratory that will change your definition of chocolate. Cacao Atlanta specializes in small batches of artesian chocolates.

Make no mistake, this is serious chocolate.

Kristen Hard, the owner of Cacao, and her passionate staff love chocolate and it shows. The boutique is beautiful with chocolate artfully displayed everywhere.

Selections range from chocolate dipped marshmallows to small intense pieces of dark chocolate infused with flavors like basil, lavender, and bourbon.

Handmade caramels, truffles, hot chocolate and my favorite, The Chocolate Salami (a concoction of dark chocolate with amaretto butter biscotti), round out the rest of the collection.

Cacao stands apart, not only in the product selection, but also the ingredients as well. Kristen travels to the Caribbean several times a year to purchase organic cacao beans from independent farmers. It’s important to her to not only personally source her own ingredients, but also to maintain fair, working relationships with her vendors as well.

Historically, chocolates have always been considered precious. Ancient tribes and various civilizations took great lengths to make chocolate a treat that was meant to be savored and enjoyed.

And with the care and love that Kristen and her team has put into their products, Cacao has definitely brought back the joy of savoring chocolates.

Cacao Atlanta is located at 312C North Highland Ave. For more information visit. www.cacaoatlanta.com w w w. A t l a n t a I N t o w n P a p e r. c o m

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December 2010 | IN

IN Business RETAIL | MONEY & FINANCE | DEVELOPMENT

Downtown Developments

Annual meeting centers on hopes of filling empty spaces

Business & Retail Briefs Georgia Blinds & Interiors is opening a new showroom in the Springs Landing shopping center at the corner of Johnson Ferry Road and Sandy Springs Circle. The 1,141-sq-ft showroom will feature new Hunter Douglas Gallery displays. GBI’s Home for the Holidays Savings Event runs through Dec. 15 with rebates from $25 to $200 on Hunter Douglas blinds and shades. For more information, call (770) 993-3349 or visit gablinds.com.

Geek Squad’s Ask An Agent provides a convenient way for customers who bought their computers at Best Buy to receive technology support. Best Buy customers automatically receive six months of the service at no additional cost. Customers who purchased their computers elsewhere can receive the same service for $19.99 for a six-month period. For more information, visit geeksquad.com or your local Best Buy store.

CAP’s A.J. Robinson

By Ann Boutwell Central Atlanta Progress, in partnership with Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), hosted the eighth annual Downtown Development Day last month at AmericasMart.

Experts from Cousins Properties, Forest City Enterprises, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Atlanta Development Authority and other companies offered their knowledge and insight into what’s happening in Downtown.

One of the most talked about sessions during the day was “Land of Opportunity: Underutilized Parcels in Downtown Atlanta” where city planners, financial experts and other experts discussed filling open spaces.

Surprisingly, there is more than 400 acres of property ripe for development in the Downtown core, including the old railroad yard known as The Gulch near Philips Arena.

Other parts of Downtown ready for revival include Auburn Avenue, the FairliePoplar district and the “railroad district” in Castleberry Hill, where the remnants of offices and storage for Atlanta’s busy rail traffic are ready for development.

Attendees went on a walking tour of Downtown to see some of the parcels, as well as get an idea of where the newly announced Atlanta Streetcar will bisect the city as it runs from Centennial Olympic Park to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center on Auburn Avenue thanks to funding from the federal government.

Less than a week after Downtown Development Day, the Cox Enterprises announced that it was donating an underutilized space to the city – the old Atlanta Journal-Constitution headquarters and printing facility on Marietta Street.

Mayor Kasim Reed said the building would be used for city offices and more after the sale of City Hall East earlier this year. “It is an ideal location for consolidated office space for the City of Atlanta and public safety training academies, and it will help save the City money by reducing our current expenditures on building leases,” Reed said.

Uses for the buildings will include consolidated office space, Fire and police officers’ training, multi-use auditorium for public gatherings, gallery space for public art exhibitions, warehouse and parking space.

Purchasing Power, a voluntary benefit company, has moved its headquarters from Virginia Highlands to Pershing Point Plaza,1375 Peachtree St. The company has doubled its workforce in the past three years and increased revenue by 42 percent from 2008 to 2009.

Purchasing Power employs more than 125 employees at two locations in Midtown and will consolidate all of its employees back into a single location within the next eight months. For more information, visit PurchasingPower.com.

Movies Worth Seeing in Virginia Highlands celebrated its 25th Anniversary in November.

Anne and Jerry Rubenstein opened the store in November of 1985 and is now one of only a handful of video/DVD rental stores left in the city. Movies Worth Seeing is noted for it’s big selection of indie and foreign films. moviesworthseeing.com Relaxation Designs is offering a new product called Smushion, a lightweight, crescentshaped cushion that can be used in any room of the house to create a supportive, yet comfortable resting place for feet, back, knees, elbows, neck or head. The Smushion was created by Atlanta resident Eric Elan and serves as a coffee table ottoman, lap desk, lumbar support, knee support and arm rest. The Smushion retails for $24.99. For more information visit: www.smushion.com.

Costco has opened a new warehouse store in Brookhaven at 500 Brookhaven Ave., on the northwest corner of Peachtree Road Northeast and Hermance Drive, adjacent to Oglethorpe University. For more information, www.costco.com.

The flagship store of The Cook’s Warehouse recently celebrated its one-year anniversary in Ansley Mall. Since opening its first store in 1995, the business has grown from two employees in one store to 53 associates in three locations and a rapidly growing online business. For more information, visit cookswarehouse.com.

On Oct. 16 the American Institute of Architects stopped by Lenbrook, a luxury continuing care and retirement community in Buckhead, as part of a tour following Lenbrook’s recent Award of Merit by AIA. The team toured model apartments and recent renovations that expanded the community. For more information, visit aia.org or lenbrook-atlanta.com.

The Buckhead shopping centers Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza have announced the arrival of more than 15 new stores, many of which are unique to the market. New stores scheduled to open in the coming months include Herve Leger, Joe’s Jeans, Arhaus Furniture, Forever21, and Pampolina. For more information, visit www.simon.com.

Atlanta-based InComm, a marketer, distributor and technology innovator of stored-value gift and prepaid products, continues its global expansion by opening its doors in Australia and New Zealand. With more than 225,000 retail doors around the globe, the company generated nearly $10 billion in retail sales of prepaid products in 2009 and provides products to more than one billion customers every week. incomm.com.

Atlanta’s new Commerce Club held its grand opening last month to celebrate its merger with One Ninety One Club, as well as the recent $7 million construction project on the new club quarters, located on the 49th floor of One Ninety One Peachtree Tower on Saturday.

For more information, visit thecommerceclub.org.

Rik Ducar, a contemporary men’s evening wear store specializing in special occasion clothing for the discerning male, has opened a second location in Los Angeles. Originating in Atlanta, Rik Ducar showcases some of the top brands in classic and modern menswear.

For more information, visit rikducar.com.

38 INtown | December 2010

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Buckhead Business Association New Member News Mark Callaway from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney joined BBA and attended the Quarterly Luncheon at 103 West. We look forward to welcoming him to a BBA Breakfast!

Saint Anne’s Terrace is a new BBA member, with Bob Carr as their representative.

The American Cancer Society expanded its membership, adding Tiffany Dollar to their roster. Tiffany works with the Relay for Life events.

Allison Farmer joined BBA after Heather Wright invited her to a couple of breakfasts. Allison has a PR/Marketing company called Blue Water Branding.

Isoke Harris is opening the Kumon Math & Reading Center Of Atlanta at Peachtree Battle, and she joined BBA to get the word out about her new venture.

Welcome to new member Lauren Hawkins, who is with Turner Construction Company.

We are also thrilled to welcome Gina Woodham, who hosts a weekly television show called “It’s a Lifestyle.”

– Jenn Thomas, Executive Director Buckhead Business Association jthomas@buckheadbusiness.org www.buckheadbusiness.org

DOING BUSINESS IN BUCKHEAD? If you live in Buckhead, work in Buckhead, or just love Buckhead, the BBA Thursday morning breakfasts should be part of your weekly calendar, every Thursday.

www.buckheadbusiness.org BBA Thursday Breakfast Series: 7:30am - 9:00 am, City Club of Buckhead (Atlanta Financial Center)

Members: $10.00 Non-Members: $20.00

Business Advice Lloyd Fritzmeier

Give your employees the greatest gift this season During the holiday season, many of us focus on what gift we should give our employees…the people who help us succeed. What do they want? What’s really going to make them happy?

When most employers think about what’ll gratify their employees, they focus on the physical stuff: money, awards, the traditional holiday ham, a party, or a couple big meals for the team. All of these are fine and have their place, especially the money in these tight times. However, they really aren’t the real gift that makes people happy: Recognition.

Survey after survey shows that money ranks down at three or four on what’s most important to people. Sure, it’s valuable for our financial wellbeing, but it’s less important than recognition or feeling important or having the support and tools to succeed.

People want a sense they’re making a difference; that someone thinks they’re important, that someone thinks they matter.

They spend at least a third of their life at work, so they should feel good about their role… and typically they measure that by how their boss views them. So, how do you give recognition? w w w. A t l a n t a I N t o w n P a p e r. c o m

During the year on a daily basis, you’ve hopefully been giving them feedback on what they’re doing well immediately after they’ve done it and linking it to your expectations for their performance.

For example, “Mary you did a great job of defusing a difficult situation with that customer by just listening and empathizing with how upset he was. I’m not sure I could have been that patient.

Thanks.”

While this type of recognition is great during the year, around the holidays it’s a good time to sit down and tell each of your people how much you value their strengths, their contributions, and the difference they make for you and the business. Let them know they matter and they’re important. Let them know how much you appreciate them and how they’ve helped you. It’ll be the greatest gift you can give them!

Lloyd Fritzmeier is a leadership coach and strategic advisor with The Starfish Partnership. Contact him at (404) 551-2964 or lfritz@sfritz.com.

Serving the Atlanta Intown Community for more than 20 years COMMITMENT If you’re looking for a mortgage professional who will provide you with personalized service, a variety of loan options and quick answers to all of your questions or concerns, call me today. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Choose

Doug Quarterman SR. MORTGAGE BANKER

Synovus Mortgage Corp.

334 East Paces Ferry Road Atlanta, GA 30305

Wishing You a Warm and Wonderful Holiday Season!

404.846.4168 404.846.0542 fax dougquarterman@synovusmortgage.com

Serving the Atlanta Intown Community for more than 20 years

Synovus Mortgage - We Are Solid. town 39

December 2010 | IN

Real Estate

CITY LIVING | NEIGHBORHOODS | DEVELOPMENT

By Collin Kelley Editor

Four Intown neighbors will mark the season with annual holiday home tours that will not only offer a glimpse inside beautifully decorated interiors, but also a chance to taste food from local restaurants and shop for last minute gifts.

Three of them are happening the same weekend, so mark your calendar and make a day – or two – of checking out these beutiful homes.

Decatur’s 28th annual Holiday Candlelight Tour of Homes is Friday

and Saturday, Dec. 3-4, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. both days. This year’s tour features nine older homes in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Decatur, which celebrates its centennial this year.

Also featured: the Clairemont Holiday Marketplace and Café at Clairemont Elementary as a Point of Interest.

The Tour of Homes will benefit two local nonprofits: The Mary Miller Decatur Youth Fund provides scholarships to low income youth for summer camp programs, and supplements the Animal Crackers afterschool program. The Decatur Preservation Alliance connects the Decatur community through the preservation of historic structures and greenspaces.

Tickets for the Tour of Homes are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Advance tickets are available at The Seventeen Steps, The Seen Gallery, Bicycle South and Intown Ace Hardware. decaturtourofhomes.com.

40 INtown | December 2010

The Grant Park Candlelight Tour of Homes is celebrating its 30th The 16th annual Virginia Highland Tour of Homes, presented

by the Virginia Highland Civic Association is Saturday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Dec.12, from noon to 5 p.m.

This years’s tour features seven distinctive homes in the neighborhood.

Over the past five years the tour has raised over $100,000. Last year’s proceeds helped begin the creation of Highland Park with newly purchased land. It will feature a bio-friendly open design, green spaces and a rain garden. Funds raised this year will also go towards this project, annual grants to local schools and other projects.

Funds in the past have helped create the Cunard playground at John Howell Park, renovate Orme Park, and plant trees with TreesAtlanta.

This year’s tour includes a historic bungalow remodeled recently to include stunning bathrooms and kitchens and a new garage with an in-law suite added over it. Also included is an architect’s own home which is award winning and has been published in magazine’s five times, a historic church and a modern condo in the St. Charles – a classical revival building with magnificent architectural elements built in 1922.

New this year will be a “ask the experts” seminar held on both days. Stop by to meet an expert landscape designer, general contractor, and interior designer and get some great answers to puzzling design dilemmas in your own home or garden.

Food tasting from local restaurants will be held in each of the seven homes on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 the weekend of the tour. Tickets may be purchased online at vahihometour.org.

anniversary this year featuring homes built in the Victorian, Craftsman, Italianate and various other styles from the turn of the 20th century. Also on the tour, and home to the Winter Wonderland Children’s Celebration, is St. Paul United Methodist Church.

As you tour the beautifully decorated homes, you’ll also encounter the sounds of the holidays thanks to carolers that roam the neighborhood on an old-fashioned hayride.

The tour provides funds to three of Grant Park’s community-enriching, nonprofits: St. Paul United Methodist Church, the Grant Park Cooperative Preschool and the Grant Park Parent Network (GPPN).

The tour begins in the sanctuary of St. Paul United Methodist Church, which also hosts the annual Winter Wonderland Children’s Celebration. The free event, which includes photos with Santa, will be Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. and is sponsored by GPPN. The tour itself will be Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 11 – 12, from 6 to 10 p.m.

Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 the weekend of the tour and can be purchased by calling (404) 688-7501 or online at

stpaulgrantpark.org.

Trolleys are returning to Avondale Estates for the 18th Annual Christmas Tour of Homes on

Sunday, Dec. 12 from 3 to 8 p.m. Take the trolley to the Avondale Community Club, where you can purchase or pick up tickets while visiting the festive Holiday Market.

The homes featured this year include a bungalow built in the 1930s, two renovated 50s ranch-styled homes, and an additional ranch that was recently transformed into a Cotswold cottage. Two of Avondale’s newest homes will also be featured including a twostory Tudor and a Craftsman Bungalow.

Several community groups will have their members at the homes to welcome visitors and answer questions.

Other points of interest on the tour include one of the newest additions to the Avondale community, The Museum School, a charter school that opened in the fall.

Another is the Avondale Baptist Church with the sanctuary filled with its’ member nativities from around the world. Tour participants can park and pick up one of the Tour Trolleys in the parking area between the church and the school At the Holiday Market, shoppers can find a variety of works by local artists including jewelry, pottery, purses, bottle stoppers, soaps, lotions, leather items, jams and jellies, baked goods, pecans, grits bits, and cured meats. The holiday café will serve delicious soup and desserts.

Tickets for the tour may be purchased for $12 in advance at Avondale Antiques, Avondale City Hall, Finders Keepers Furniture, REAL Salon and Seventeen Steps or for $15 on the day of the tour at the Avondale Community Club.

For more information, visit avondaletourofhomes.com. w w w. A t l a n t a I N t o w n P a p e r. c o m

Real Estate Briefs One hundred new rental townhomes are coming to the Edgewood community in southeast Atlanta. Columbia Townhomes at Edgewood will be one of Georgia’s first major projects funded by federal stimulus dollars through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). The NSP awarded $2.7 million to the project to help redevelop communities that have suffered from foreclosures and abandonment. The multi-family development on Hardee Street will replace dilapidated housing sites with new, high-quality, LEED Silver Certified homes.

Gallery Residences, the 27-story Buckhead condominium, has passed the 70 percent sold mark. Coldwell Banker Previews handles sales and marketing for the community. Homes start in the $290s and FHA financing is available. www.GalleryBuckhead.com Christie’s Great Estates, the world’s leading luxury real estate network, presented the Large-Market Affiliate-of-the-Year Award Second runner-up this week to Harry Norman, Realtors. The real estate firm – a member of the Christie’s Great Estates network of more than 130 international

affiliates – was honored at the network’s 2010 Global Annual Conference for Owners and Senior Management in Toronto. www. harrynorman.com Conrad Lyles Realtors has created a new web site focused exclusively on Buckhead.

The new site includes neighborhood profiles and monthly market reports, interactive mapping featuring local schools, recreation, places of worship, restaurants, shopping and more. There are also Google Street View maps and useful articles on home-buying and selling. www. conradlyles.com.

Luxe List Home has announced that 12 luxury apartment communities in Atlanta have been selected for inclusion in the 2010 Luxe List. The communities include The GoodWynn at Town, Gables Midtown, 05 Buckhead, Westchester at Peachtree Valley, Gables Sheridan, The Residences at Vinings Mountain, Gables Century Center, Gables 820 West, Tremont, Berkeley Heights, The Manor at Buckhead and Pencil Factory Flats & Shops. www.luxelisthome.com One River Place has enjoyed banner sales since May, when its homes were re-released

by ST Residential resulting in the sale of 38 homes for $11 million in sales. www.oneriverplaceatlanta.com

Marketing Directors created the successful “Pick Your Price” marketing campaign allowing buyers to make the developer an offer on their terms.

The Atlanta City Council and Atlanta Development Authority has signed a letter of intent to sell City Hall East on Ponce de Leon Avenue to Jamestown Properties.

Built in the 1920s, the building served as a warehouse facility as well as a retail store for Sears and Roebuck for decades. The city of Atlanta purchased the building in the early 1990s and opened government offices there including police, fire-rescue and parks, recreation and cultural affairs offices. The agreement calls for the purchaser to pay $27 million for the property, with $15.5 million to be paid to the city at closing. Jamestown Properties plans to invest $150 million to develop the building into about 20 percent small and mid-box retail space, with 40 percent residential and 40 percent office/ commercial space.

Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty has opened its new and expanded offices at the Piazza at Paces in Buckhead. The offices are decorated with images of French Impressionist masterpieces from Sotheby’s and has a terrace overlooking the Buckhead and city skylines. Cutting the official grand opening ribbon are Atlanta Fine Homes Senior VP Nancy See, President David Boehmig, CEO Jenny Pruitt and Philip White, COO of Sotheby’s International Realty.

The Marketing Directors has announced a sellout of all 130 condominiums at The Reynolds at 565 Peachtree St. After an innovative marketing campaign, The Marketing Directors closed out the remaining 59 homes that were for sale. The

Commercial Real Estate 200 Peachtree, located in the former Davison’s/Macy’s department store space in Downtown, is now open for business offering a 35,000-square foot conference center, exhibit gallery and special event facility. The conference center features on-site AV technicians, five meeting rooms, flexible air walls and a large, covered loading dock.

Meeting spaces for up to 1,000 people can be customized for group or breakout sessions. In partnership with 180 Peachtree Retail LLC, a group of 25 investors, developer Robert Patterson acquired the space in 2009 and completed $35 million in renovations of the 1920s-era building. Between the conference center with its exposed brick walls, open ceilings and contemporary Italian pendant chandeliers and the Grand Atrium featuring the restored teardrop-crystal chandeliers from the original Macy’s flagship store in New York, the 200 Peachtree Conference Center offers the right space for all the activities a conference entails from exhibits and breakout sessions to gala celebrations. www.200Peachtree.com Fifth Third Bank mortgage has hired Jason Hultgren as area sales Manager and Dodge Sumlin as mortgage loan officer. Hultgren and Sumlin will specialize in the Intown and Buckhead market focusing on mortgage banking and lending for private banking and Buckhead-based clients.

Atlanta. $1,900,000 850 Ralph McGill Blvd

Buckhead. $2,800,000 220 North Chambord

Buckhead. $589,000 3707 Peachtree Road #8

Buckhead. $199,000 42 Saint Claire

Buckhead. $8,200,000 4327 East Conway

Canton. $1,500,000 202 Gold Leaf Lane

Decatur. $575,000 604 Clairemont Ave.

Decatur. $769,000 357 Glenn Circle

3BR/3BA FMLS: 4062720 Tina Hunsicker 404.931.3944

5BR/5.5BA FMLS:4126121

Village Park Place at Brookhaven and Village Place at Brookhaven has leased 85 percent of its retail space, sold 25 of 41 condos and six of 12 office/condos sold or under contract. New retail coming the developments include wine store and event space Pour; baby furniture and nursery design studio Egg’s Nest; and Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub. Highlands Group has nearly doubled its space at The Biltmore in Midtown, taking 9,000 square feet.

The North American Electric Reliability Corp. will move its headquarters from Princeton, N.J. to the Atlanta Financial Center in Buckhead next spring.

Do you have real estate news? Send to collin@atlantaintownpaper.com. w w w. A t l a n t a I N t o w n P a p e r. c o m

6BR/6.5BA FMLS: 4131135 Debra Johnston 404.312.1959

4BR/4.5BA FMLS: 4130994 3BR/2BA FMLS:4126913 Adrian Schmidt 404.229.6777 Sydna Worthington 404.502.4660

Kay Quigley 404.933.6637

5BR/5.5BA FMLS:4098229 Robin Ives 770.870.4009

Decatur. $379,000 2470 Vivian Circle

Loring Heights. $765,000 Midtown. $1,220,000 1488 Pine Street 861 Mentelle Drive

5BR/3.5BA FMLS:4142897

4BR/3BA FMLS:4130231

4BR/3BA FMLS:4122477 Frank Wynne 404.310.5742

4BR/5BA FMLS:4024345

4BR/3BA FMLS:4115678 Frank Wynne 404.310.5742

North Atlanta. $1,974,000 885 Crabapple Hill 7BR/7.5BA FMLS:4080941

Peggy Hibbert 404.444.0192 Debra Johnston 404.312.1959 Debra Johnston 404.312.1959 Jay Bailey 678.557.6971

AtlantaFineHomes.com

404.835.9580

© MMX Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Farm of Jas de Bouffan, Paul Cezanne used with permission. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated.

town 41

December 2010 | IN

On the Market Weatherize Your Home

to Reap IRS Rewards

By Shandra Hill Smith

GARDEN HILLS A Real Surprise Inside!!

Sophisticated Elegance!

3Bdrms / 3 Baths, New Kitchen!

Screen Porch, Office & Garage Bob Dimm (404) 266-1281 Re/Max Greater Atlanta (404) 609-9898 $439,000

For homeowners looking to take advantage of federal tax credits for energyefficiency improvements this coming new year, there’s still time to tackle some qualifying projects. You have until Dec. 31 to complete projects for your existing primary residence.

The benefit? File with the IRS by April 15, 2011 to qualify for tax credits of 30 percent of the cost, up to a total credit of $1,500. However, with some of the products, such as roofing and storm doors, this doesn’t include costs for installation of materials or labor.

Below, you’ll find a list of projects you could realistically take on before year’s end.

Install: •Storm windows and doors •Heating and cooling systems •ENERGY STAR qualified metal and reflective asphalt shingles •Water heaters (though these may have to be ordered as some stores don’t carry a large stock) •Biomass stoves, which burn biomass fuel to heat a home or water (may also have to be ordered)

VININGS Stunning contemporary on +/-.9 acre cul-de-sac lot. Bright, spacious with major renovations, custom designed interior, two fireplaces, three-car garage and more!

Snow Benedict (678) 640-3221 Dorsey Alston, Realtors® (404) 352-2010 $585,000

All items on the list, says David Chatman of the Edgewood Lowe’s location in Atlanta, can help to beef up energy efficiency, while slashing your heating and cooling costs.

“The overall benefit is that you’re going

to be more comfortable in your home,” adds Chatman, a department manager in millworks at the store located at 1280 Caroline Street in the Edgewood Shopping Center. “Nowadays, with the economy the way it is, everybody’s going to do what they can to save. When you weatherize your home properly, you can save on utility bills, at least $200 a year – depending on how thorough you are with projects and the square footage of your home.”

Small things such as changing out thermostats, Chatman says, can make a big difference. “We carry ones that qualify for the tax credit. They’re programmable. You can preset it so it comes on at a certain time in the morning when you get up. When you get ready to leave it will turn itself down.”

Adding or replacing insulation can make for another cost-effective job.

“As insulation gets older, it starts to settle. If it’s a newer home, sometimes builders use a minimal amount – just what you need to pass inspection. You can layer what they have to increase the energy efficiency in your home. Use a yardstick to measure the insulation that’s there. If it’s less than 19 inches in thickness you may want to look at increasing it.”

Packaging for most products that qualify indicates which may apply for a tax credit.

However, if you’re not certain, Chatman says Lowe’s associates can confirm by reaching out to the manufacturer of the product.

Just be sure to hold on to your receipts and the Manufacturer Certification Statement. After all, in a recession, every little bit counts.

Lowe’s carries shingles (above) that qualify for the federal tax credit. You may include the costs of materials only, not installation costs, when you file. A GE 50-Gallon GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater (below) is another purchase that qualifies for the tax credit.

For more information, visit www.energystar.gov or www.lowes.com.

Reach local with a trusted local brand.

GARDEN HILLS Here’s a Deal!

4Bd/4Ba + Den & Sunroom!

Fenced Yard, 2 CGarage!

Needs some Freshening Up! Bob Dimm (404) 266-1281 Re/Max Greater Atlanta (404) 609-9898 $599,000

42 INtown | December 2010

For advertising,

404-586-0002 ext 302 w w w. A t l a n t a I N t o w n P a p e r. c o m

IN Your Home

HOME IMPROVEMENT | RENOVATION TIPS| HOME DECOR | BEFORE & AFTERS

Go Live this Christmas!

Decorating with boxwood, berries, orchids and more

By Jane Tapp Habersham Gardens Through the years, artificial holiday decorations have come a long way in their lifelike appearances ,and it’s easy to understand why many opt for the convenience of faux trees and feather wreaths. However, there’s a trade-off – the absence of natural textures and sweet fragrances of live holiday greenery. Here are some tips from the pros at Habersham Gardens Intown Garden Center on how to incorporate live greenery into your holiday décor.

One of our biggest sellers every year is Boxwood roping. We sell it by the foot and customers use it to wrap stair banisters, cascade along their mantles or snake through their holiday table settings. The look is traditional classic without being stuffy and even as it begins to dry, still looks good so its shelf-life gets you through the holidays. You can also buy the linear footage

and craft it into small wreaths just a bit larger than your dinner plates to serve as a simple and elegant faux charger.

Berried branches are another big seller every year. You can easily weave or tuck them into garland or place a big bunch of them in a tall, clear cylindrical vase for big impact with little hassle.

Orchids are popular for decorating year-round but we especially love them at

Make Your Renovation A Renewal.

On budget. On time. Guaranteed.

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the holidays. For such a delicate appearance, they are amazingly non-fussy and require little care. Easily place them in a festive container, top the base off with dried moss and sprinkle with some colorful glass shards or glitter – instant festivity or holiday gift.

We offer many wreaths with one of the most popular being magnolia. The leaves are waxy green on one side and leathery brown on the other offering a classic southern

appeal with rustic flair. Our magnolia wreaths usually sell out fast.

If you’re missing the fragrance of the holidays, place sprigs of Fraser fir on windowsills and surfaces throughout your home… by the kitchen sink, in the powder room, even the nightstands in the bedroom.

For more information about Habersham Gardens, visit www.habershamgardens.com.

FrontPorch would like to wish their clients

Happy Holidays!

We also Thank You for your business in 2010 and look forward to working with you in 2011 and beyond.

404.378.6962

RenewalDesignBuild.com 124 S. Columbia Dr., Decatur 30030

Atlanta Business Chronicle Top Five Residential Remodeler RDB_INtown_TGR_print.indd w w w.

A t l a n t a I N t o w n P1 a p e r. c o m

8/27/10 9:32:41 AM

404-357-2225 • www.YourFrontPorch.com town 43

December 2010 | IN

Create Your Dream Home Before & After AWARD WINNING

MASTER BATH! 2010

GREATER ATLANTA HOME BUILDER ASSOCIATION

OBIE GOLD Award:

BATHROOM RENOVATION

BEFORE

Steiner Construction tackled this project for and Intown bungalow.

The customer wanted an update to their family room, incorporating a staircase leading to a bonus room. Creating arches gave this room added definition and warmth and adding a bookcase balanced this look. A new mantle and paint finished this room which is pleasing to the eye, while keeping decorating costs to a minimum. For more about Steiner Construction, visit steinerconstructionatlanta.com.

AFTER

CALL TODAY FOR YOUR FREE CONSULTATION

Terry Kitts, Licensed GC Dawn Landau, Designer

www.environsresidential.com

Warm

in winter.

Thanks, Empire!

Cool

in summer.

Comfort

year-round.

Get performance improvement where it really counts – in your wallet.

Atlanta INtown Exclusive!

Fall Furnace

More than half of our project costs were covered by Georgia Power rebates, SHINE rebates, and tax credits.

Tune-up

— KIM P. • ATLANTA

We service and sell

It pays to make energy efficient home improvements. Tax credits expire at the end of 2010, so call Renewal today!

Get $1,500 in federal energy tax credits when you purchase a high-efficiency system. Hurry, expires 12/31/2010!

Subject to IRS regulations. Consult a tax professional for advice on tax preparation.

404.378.6962 • RenewalSystemSolutions.com 124 S. Columbia Dr. • Decatur • 30030 empirehvac-atlintown-nov2010-final.indd 1 44 INtown | December 2010

10/4/10 3:21:46 PM

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w w w. A t l a n t a I N t o10/8/10 w n P a2:38:36 p e r. PM com

Renovation Coach Jesse Morado

David McMullin

Licensed & Insured:

What Does It Mean to Homeowners In last month’s column, I told the story of Joanne, who was taken in by a contractor with no license or insurance. Here’s more information you should know before hiring a contractor to work on your home.

What do you think when you see “Licensed & Insured” on the side of a contractors truck? Is he or she telling everyone they hold a license to drive and are insured in the event he or she hits you or you hit him or her? Maybe he or she is referring to a fishing license or a health insurance plan. The perception is that if “Licensed and Insured” is noted on the contractor’s website, marketing materials, or vehicles that the contractor is reputable and that you are protected. Is this really true? So what does it really mean and what is it you should be looking for to protect your home and family.

The license you want to insure your contractor holds is a state contractor’s license. In Georgia if the contractor is a specialty contractor he or she may be exempt from having to hold a state contractors license. If the contractor is a remodeler, builder, mechanical (plumbing and heating & air), or electrician they must be licensed.

It is illegal to do business in Georgia as a contractor without a contractor’s license.

Many contractors market their having a business licenses as being “Licensed.” The fast food restaurant down the street has a business license, but that doesn’t mean they can remodel your home. Make sure you really get the facts on “Licensed” before you right that check.

The “Insured” part of the sign is critical to the protection of you and your home.

Many contractors will invest in a General Liability policy, which protects you if a board goes through a window or a hammer goes through the windshield of your car but the limits of that policy are important as well.

If your contractors policy has a limit of $300,000 for each occurrence and a general aggregate of $500,000 and your home is valued at $850,000 you may want to reevaluate your contractor.

The insurance policy that many contractors fail to hold is Workers Compensation. In Georgia if a contractor has less than three employees on payroll he or she is not required to carry Workers Compensation. If a worker is injured on your property and the contractor or his or her contractors do not possess workers compensation insurance, your homeowner policy and assets may be at risk. Do not w w w. A t l a n t a I N t o w n P a p e r. c o m

Gardening

hire someone without confirming this. If you must do business with a company who cannot produce a workers compensation certificate, contact your insurance agent and discuss the options available to protect you.

Remember these two important rules: 1. Verify with your local building

department or the state that your contractor is required to possess a contractor’s license for the type of project you wish to achieve. A business license and contractor’s license are not the same.

2. Secure an insurance certificate directly from the contractor’s insurance carrier and that both General Liability and Workers Compensation are in place.

Remember – a red flag should always go up when you are choosing to hire the lowest priced contractor. The lowest priced contractor in most cases is able to give you the lowest price because he or she is not paying for something required or is leaving something out of the bid which you will be charged for later.

Happy Holidays and New Year!

Jesse Morado is CEO of Renovation Coach, Inc. a consulting firm providing preconstruction guidance and risk management for homeowners and business coaching of best practices for contractors. You may reach him at www.renovationcoach.com.

AS A LOCAL BUSINESS, INTOWN MATTERS TO US. ENJOY & SUPPORT LOCAL THIS SEASON

Celebrating Life’s Abundances One of the garden’s greatest pleasures is the opportunity it brings to the gardener to live seasonally. That is, to mark the days not in weekends and workdays, football or basketball, but to be still in rhythm with the natural world and its processes. It’s too easy, as city dwellers, to forget that the earth moves through space – the tides are moved by the moon – the sap rises with the approaching spring.

Old celebrations, the ones we still take time for – Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, even Groundhog Day – remain rooted deep in a natural place and an agrarian system. Even though the pumpkin comes from a can, the spring chicks are made of marshmallows and the tree in the corner is a PVC composite.

The gardener knows something more of these old traditions. The gardener knows that pumpkins should be planted in a warm soil a little late in the spring, that spring chicks come with the last frosts and that the tree in the corner should come only from high Carolina slopes in the misty Appalachians… where groundhogs only emerge when winter is done.

Our old winter celebration – the one that the pagans developed and strengthened so deeply that the Christians had to make it their own – was, in the beginning, all about the mystical, natural world and the hope of a returning spring.

The pagans marked the moment of transition from diminishing light to the sun’s return with feasts and fires and festoons of symbolic greenery. They chose the evergreens – symbols of eternity in the natural world. They celebrated growing families, with the red berries of holly representing the sacrifice of mothers and the white berries of mistletoe representing the father’s contribution to the creation

of children. They cut a small cedar or fir, spruce or pine and brought it into their home and hung its branches with offerings and trinkets… little celebrations of the life for which they were thankful.

For this Christmas season, like those old pagans, I will be ritualizing and symbolizing the abundance of my own life, the richness of my family and the heritage of living seasonally by decorating my home and farm with the abundance of my garden.

The log cabin at the farm gets a rustic wreath made of ancient cedar and a few twigs of sumac and broomsedge. At home, the wreath on the door is boxwood, holly and magnolia. Country and town.

On the mantle in my front parlor, I’ll keep branches of Japanese persimmon and vases of late roses and some Mexican prayer candles. Abundance, surprise, diversity.

In the dining room, the tall fir will sweep the bead-board and the old glass ornaments we’ve collected over a lifetime will emerge from their storage boxes and we’ll greet them, one by one, like old friends. Nostalgia.

In the cold evening, we’ll gather with friends, build a bright fire and coddle warm drinks and laugh and talk about the year past and the ones to come. We’ll watch the deepening shadows and glowing sweetness settle across our children’s faces and we’ll share that old hope that our pagan ancestors clung to - and for a moment, we’ll be like the evergreens – eternal.

David McMullin, an acclaimed garden designer, has owned New Moon Gardens design firm for 20 years. His gardens have been featured on tours, in magazines and on television. For more information on his design services, contact David at newmoongardens@ gmail.com or (404) 593-0996.

“Since our beginning in 2001, Environs Residential Design & Construction has been advertising with Atlanta Intown Newspaper. Often, we arrive at consultation appointments to find our future clients holding a photo ad of ours and wondering if we can do the same for their home. Before Environs, we had other Atlanta businesses that advertised with the original “30306”, INtown’s predecessor and Atlanta’s first neighborhood-oriented publication. We love our Atlanta neighborhoods and know that our friends, neighbors and fellow business owners read the ads in the Atlanta Intown Newspaper and use those companies first when they can.

Intowners stick together. We know, we are one of them.”

-Dawn and Terry Kitts

Owners, Environs Residential Design & Construction www.environsresidential.com

www.AtlantaINtownPaper.com

wendy@AtlantaINtownPaper.com 404-586-0002

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December 2010 | IN

Prep Your Winter Garden Bedding down for dropping temperatures Although temperatures have started to drop, we are still having unseasonably warm weather in Atlanta. But make no mistake, cold weather is coming and there’s plenty to do in the garden to prepare. Here are some tips from on what, when and how to bed down for the winter.

Mulch: Mulch is one of the single most important things you can do to protect your garden, especially if you’ve done any new fall plantings or have plants that are borderline hardy in our growing zone. A fresh layer of mulch is also a fabulous and fast way to spruce

up the landscape during the gray days of winter after all the leaves have dropped and been raked.

Water: A common mistake gardeners make is thinking they shouldn’t water during the colder winter months and dehydration is one of the most common causes of plant death.

Mulch also comes in handy here as it buffers root systems from the wind’s drying effects, freezing temperatures and helps hold moisture in the soil.

Bulbs: now is the time to get those

gorgeous spring blooming bulbs planted. We love to plant bulbs in annual beds – there’s nothing so striking as a stand of tulips or jonquils poking up through a bed of pansies come early spring.

Pruning: Certain trees and shrubs should be pruned during the winter For example, February is a good time to prune your crape myrtles back, usually by a third, depending on their age.

– Jane Tapp, Habersham Gardens

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December 2010 | IN

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