JUNE 2019 - Atlanta Senior Life

Senior Life Atlanta

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Living the RV Life

What an Elder Law Attorney Can Do for You page 12

Funky, Fearless,

page 14

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page 8

Phone Safety App Reviews

Footloose and Fancy Free The Seed and Feed Marching Abominable Struts to their Own Beat page 4

Contents June 2019

COVER STORY

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Funky, Fearless, Footloose and Fancy Free

6

PROFILE A Local Historian Uses New Tech to Make Ancient Connections

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TRAVEL Driving Toward Adventure

11

PETS Pet Pick: Ginger

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LEGAL PLANNING Certified Elder Law Attorneys Offer Specialized Services for Seniors

14

TECHNOLOGY Valuable Free Phone Safety Apps

16

GARDENING Enjoy Summer…

Without Pesky Ants

17

PERSONAL SAFETY The One-Ring Robocall

18

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE Learning to Enjoy the View from the Passenger’s Seat

20

THE ARTS European Masterworks

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HEALTH & FITNESS Pickleball Brings Together Players of All Ages

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OUT & ABOUT ON THE COVER

Left to right, Seed and Feed Marching Abominable members Brad Hood, May Kay Kreisle and Judy Hall at the Inman Park Festival Parade.

Photo by Alan Sandercock

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20 Atlanta Senior Life focuses on the interests, accomplishments and lifestyles of the active senior population in metro Atlanta. It aims to inspire readers to embrace a more rewarding life by informing them of opportunities to expand their horizons, express their talents and engage in their community.

CONTACT US Editorial Kathy Dean Contributing Editor kathydean@atlantaseniorlife.com Joe Earle Editor-at-Large JoeEarle@reporternewspapers.net Contributors Sarah Brodd, Judi Kanne, Collin Kelley, Donna Williams Lewis, Steve Rose, Gene Rubel Advertising For information call (404) 917-2200 Sales Executives: Jeff Kremer, Janet Porter, Jim Speakman

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© 2019 All rights reserved. Publisher reserves the right to refuse editorial or advertising for any reason. Publisher assumes no responsibility for information contained in advertising. Any opinions expressed in print or online do not necessarily represent the views of Atlanta Senior Life or Springs Publishing, LLC.

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COVER STORY

Funky, Fearless,

Footloose and Fancy Free

The Seed and Feed Marching Abominable Struts to their Own Beat

By Donna Williams Lewis They’re funky. They’re fearless.

And they’ve just turned 45 years old.

They are Atlanta’s own Seed & Feed Marching Abominable, a zany community band of about 200 volunteer musicians, dancers and other assorted fun-lovers ranging in age from 13 to 90.

Founded by Kelly Morris, of the ‘70s-era Kelly’s Seed & Feed Theatre, the band marked its anniversary with its 45th appearance in the annual Inman Park Festival Parade.

Inman Park resident Laurie Hawkins, 58, has been part of this scene for 24 years as one of the band’s “Despicables” — the dancers, banner-wavers and other assorted party animals.

“It’s the most beautiful day for our 45th anniversary in our beautifully diverse neighborhood,” Hawkins said at the April 27 parade. “We have everybody

in our band, no exclusions, no discrimination.”

The corporate interior designer said her fellow band members keep her coming back. “It’s really hard to have friends when you’re old, and this is pure joy. It’s our tribe,” Hawkins said. “We raised our child in this band.”

Members’ children under the age of 18 are known as the band’s “Incorrigibles.”

Marching Abominable alumni from around the country returned to Atlanta to commemorate the anniversary. Some joined the parade, and uniforms were not a problem. The band doesn’t wear them. Instead, they’re given a suggested costume theme based on each event or they can wear their tie-dye Seed & Feed T-shirts.

They dressed as superheroes for last year’s Dragon Con parade in Downtown Atlanta. For the Inman Park parade, their theme was sapphire, the gemstone for 45th anniversaries.

“Despicable” Angela Carrington has been part of the Marching Abominable for 23 years.

The band dazzled the crowd with deep blue clothing of every kind, accessorized with a crazy blur of sequins, feathers, wigs, hats, beads, fishnet stockings and butterfly wings. A couple of members marched with vinyl ’45s strapped to the sides of their heads.

They fit right into what’s billed as Atlanta’s “quirkiest” parade with other parade favorites such as the Inman Park Precision Attaché Drill Team and the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons.

The band is led by several alternating conductors, each called “Broom.” That’s a name dating back to the Marching Abominable’s first public appearance, led by “a highstepping guy with a broom, who swept aside the crowd,” according to the group’s history.

The musicians have a repertoire ranging from Big Band standards such as Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing”

“The Mouth,” aka Donna Weber, manager of The Seed & Feed Marching Abominable, gets a band photo shoot organized at the Inman Park Festival Parade.

(All photos by Donna Williams Lewis)

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to more current tunes such as “Raise Your Glass” by Pink. And, of course, there’s lots of John Philip Sousa in their mix.

Trombone player Henry Slack, of Decatur, has been an Abominable since the band’s start.

“We play Sousa the way other people play softball,” he said, “with the best of intentions.”

No experience necessary

Though they wow crowds with their big brassy sound, it’s easy to join the Seed & Feed Marching Abominable. There are no auditions and no marching experience is necessary. The musicians range from beginners to professionals, said the group’s manager, “The Mouth,” aka Donna Weber.

“We’ve had jugglers and unicyclists and we have a violinist in the band who marches and carries an amp on her back,” said Weber, a 32-year-old bass drummer who works in the legal industry. “We are definitely a place where if someone wants to join, we want to be a home for them and find a thing for them to do.”

Upcoming gigs Here’s a spring/summer sampler of the band’s upcoming events. Times shown are the anticipated Marching Abominable performance times.

Saturday, June 15 — Wrecking Bar Brewpub’s 8th Anniversary Celebration.

2-3 p.m. 292 Moreland Ave. N.E., Atlanta 30307. Info: wreckingbarbrewpub.com.

Thursday, July 4 — Old Timers 4th of July Parade, 10-11 a.m., Downtown Blue Ridge, Ga. on East Main and West Main streets. Info: bestofblueridge.biz/oldtimers-parade.

Saturday, Aug. 31 — Dragon Con Parade. 10 a.m. Peachtree Street in Downtown Atlanta. Info: facebook.com/groups/ dragonconparade.

From left, “Abominables” Dale Mann of Candler Park and Hank Spiker of Decatur get ready to march at the Inman Park Festival Parade.

Weber is joined on the band’s five-member council by “Scribbles,” the secretary (Liz Weiler); “Bookie,” the booking manager (Patricia Pichardo); “Rostermeister,” the membership coordinator (Karen Parker); and “Scrooge,” the treasurer (Jane Monahan).

The nonprofit band plays for free for community and nonprofitrelated events. Their paid private and corporate gigs cover their general operating costs.

Putting on the ‘Blitz’

Hank Spiker, 68, of Decatur, joined the Marching Abominable during the days of its Seed & Feed Theatre performances. He played trumpet with the band for about 13 years and returns for its anniversaries.

“That group really became my family,” he said. “Once you’re a band member, you’re always a band member.”

The band still holds true to its street theater roots of Spiker’s day, including its “blitz” — popping up of out of nowhere and taking people by surprise. Most recently, the band blitzed the El Bandido Mex Mex Grill in Little Five Points during the restaurant’s Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Spiker loves those moments when people begin to think they

From left, “Despicables” Avis Fox and her daughter Ronda Fox are among several families with three generations of members in the Marching Abominable band.

hear a band and then suddenly they’re shocked that their ears aren’t deceiving them. “Just the surprise and the joy of that [the blitz],” he said. “Every performance is like that. It’s just a joy.”

‘I showed her!’

A tiny slip of a person decked out in blue butterflies, huge yellow peace symbol earrings and a belly dance skirt over a blue leotard, Angela Carrington, 71, swayed her way down the parade route.

The Inman Park afterschool art teacher is living out a dream from her youth as one of the Despicables for about the past 23 years. “I played clarinet in high school and college. I wanted to dance, but my mother was all about music,” she said. “So, I showed her!”

As a Despicable, “We wrangle people out of the way,” watch for potholes, “and we dance when we can,” Carrington said.

Another Despicable, former New York City dance teacher Ricki Abrams, is the band’s oldest member. “She just turned 90 and we got to play at her birthday party, which was so much fun,” Weber said.

Ronda Fox, 59, both a Despicable and a Broom, said the Marching Abominable is a great educational resource for the

city. “It’s [a place] for developing musicians as well as a place where top-notch musicians can come to have fun,” she said.

The Brookhaven retiree’s family is one of several with three generations involved in the band.

Her mother Avis Fox, 86, of Stone Mountain, is a Despicable who used to tap dance at band gigs with her late husband and still does an event or two each year. Ronda’s daughter Amalia Fox, 12, is a lifelong Incorrigible.

The band takes in new members any time and all the time, Weber said. “Whatever you want to put into it,” she said, “we’re happy to help you harness that energy.”

Join the Marching Abominable!

The band’s regular season is from Labor Day to Memorial Day, but performances are scheduled throughout the year. There’s no mandate to attend each event.

Band practices are weekly on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at the Little Five Points Arts and Community Center, 1083 Austin Ave. N.E., Atlanta 30307. Visitors are welcome.

Info at seedandfeed.org.

JUNE 2019 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

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PROFILE

A local historian uses new tech to make ancient connections

By Joe Earle John Beach clicked a few keys and one of several computer screens on the desk in the library of his Paces Ferry home displayed a map covered with scribbled words highlighted in magenta.

The scrawl covered the screen like graffiti on a city wall. The brightly colored words marked locations where nearly two centuries ago surveyors had spotted significant trees when laying out land lots in Buckhead.

Beach’s computer laid the locations of the trees over a modern map of the area.

As the 64-year-old Beach sees it, this combination of old and new maps can be the start of something. He’s president of the Buckhead Heritage Society.

When the mapping is done and

published, local students, members of garden clubs or other neighborhood volunteers can use the resulting new map to track down any of the “land lot” trees that have survived the decades of development and bad weather since that original map was drawn.

Why go to all this trouble

John Beach in the study of his Buckhead home.

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Soon the Creeks were moved out and new settlers moved in.

Over the generations since, he said, Buckhead has repeated the pattern: new people move in and displace residents who had been there before. “That’s a continuous process that has happened,” he said. The trick is to recognize it and learn from it, to figure out how to mix old and new and keep both side by side.

“Buckhead means something different to different people,” he said. “It wasn’t all built at the same time … so we get a broad array of house styles, which makes it interesting to me in trying to figure out how to preserve it, or parts of it. We do not want to see Buckhead becoming Anywhere USA, with a lot of 8,000-squarefoot mansions. ” That may mean keeping tabs on old things, such as the oldest trees in the forest. They’ve survived a lot, after all. Once found, they may be able to help new residents figure out what to hold on to.

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for a few trees? “These trees are part of the history of Buckhead,” Beach said. Besides, they have something to say about the Buckhead environment, and about what was there before.

Part of the appeal of studying history, after all, is making connections between the present and the past. It lets us see just how we got from there to here. Beach thinks history as something that helps create a sense of place. “It makes me feel more connected to an area to understand what’s happened in the past,” he said.

Beach is about as connected to Buckhead as anyone can get.

His family has been in Atlanta for generations and his resume sketches a portrait of an oldfashioned Buckhead Boy: he grew up near the Bobby Jones Golf Course; went to both Lovett and Westminster; and lives in a house he says once was owned by noted Atlanta historian Franklin Garrett.

Beach’s computer-screen-topped desk sits in a study that once was Garrett’s, the writer known for producing a definitive, multivolume study of Atlanta’s history.

Beach even owns the web address “BuckheadBoys.com,” although he said it now only whisks visitors to the website for his construction company, Paces Construction, which started in 2002 (he was in computers before that) and specializes in renovating older homes.

Beach said he’s interested in combining his lifelong interest in history with his background in using computers. “I’s hard to explain,” he said. “I like the [intersection] of old and new,” he said. “I like using technology to track and visualize history…

What personally excites me is finding new ways to use historical scholarship to make better decisions moving forward. In my mind, coming from a computer background, it’s about collecting the information and making it actionable.”

Things may change, he said, but there’s often a pattern beneath the changes. “Think about Buckhead right now,” he said. “198 years ago, this was the Creek nation. The United States signed a treaty with the Creek nation transferring this land to the U.S. government and then to Georgia.”

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TRAVEL

By Judi Kanne Gary and Kathy Livengood have learned to love life on the road.

“We just do whatever we can when we want to,” said Livengood, a retired Lockheed engineer who shares a Marietta address with his wife, Kathy, even though the couple spends much of their time traveling from campsite to campsite and living in their travel trailer, which they’ve nicknamed “Bertha.”

Like many seniors, the Livengoods have fallen for the allure of recreational vehicles, a class of traveling homes that includes several types of campers and which fans often call simply “RVs.” Freedom and affection for national and state parks has a lot to do with driving the overall appeal of the homes-on-the-road.

According to RVs Move America (2017) data, Georgia benefits from the RV industry with a total direct economic output of more than $402.4 million. Of the 407 RV related businesses and 49 dealerships, the state receives over $90 million in tax revenue.

Georgia’s State Parks have

Driving Toward Adventure

Older adults and retirees enjoy the RV lifestyle seen the growth, as well. Fortyone parks offer more than 2,000 campsites, many accommodating RVs. When it comes to “RVing,” Atlantans Skip and Jane Loman are “full-timers.” That means their camper is their only home.

They recently spent a year traveling across the U.S. “Right now, we’re homeless,” Loman joked recently, explaining that their RV was in the shop.

“We can’t stay in it when it’s being serviced,” he said.

“Fortunately, my wife, Jane, has cousins with a place near Lake Allatoona. They don’t use it year around — so we have a good place to stay.”

But for the Lomans, the RV lifestyle is worth a few adjustments and inconveniences.

It’s something they both wanted to try, and they planned ahead.

They talked to a lot of people, asked a lot of questions and researched how other full-timers managed before taking their plunge.

“We understood from the beginning that there would be trade-offs,” Loman said. “Part of this lifestyle is something we had to figure out beforehand.”

Managing medications, for instance, can be an issue for some older travelers.

In the Loman’s case, their Georgia doctors gave them the medication prescriptions they would need for a full year, and the Lomans said that seeing their same physicians annually is important.

They’ve learned other lessons

on the road, too. During their first year of traveling, Loman said, they were in a hurry to “see and do everything.” Now they build in time to enjoy a sunset or just do nothing.

“One of the reasons we’re doing this now,” he said, “is it might be too difficult as we get older.”

“Jane believes that the fulltime lifestyle has taught us that we don’t need all of the things we had collected in our home over the last 30 years,” said Loman.

“When we move around the country, we collect memories and photos of our adventures rather than acquiring more stuff.”

They agreed, “It’s a freeing feeling to not worry about stuff anymore.”

The Livengoods also have had to learn how to deal with the challenges offered by spending time on the road. They share chores.

“Kathy takes care of the inside, and I do everything on the outside,” said Livengood. He says he’s been teaching his wife how to handle some of the outside problems that may come up — just in case.

Don Carter State Park, Lake Lanier, Georgia Courtesy of Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division, Department of Natural Resources.

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Jackson Hyde, a salesman at Three Way Campers, reviews sales figures with his wife, Jessica Porter Parker, who is also a great granddaughter of the dealership’s original owner.

“I keep a one-inch, three-ring binder which has a checklist for everything we need to know and do,” he said. “But I save the major repairs for the professionals.”

Livengood has been camping since childhood, said he especially enjoyed camping when his former employer, Lockheed, offered a piece of property on Lake Lanier for employee use.

During the course of his career as an aeronautical engineer, the Lockheed land was sold — but that love of camping has remained a priority.

Kathy Livengood said she

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TRAVEL Continued from page 9

had no trouble adjusting to the camping lifestyle. It reminds her of her childhood. “My mother was from the back hills of North Carolina,” she said, and when visiting her grandmother who had no electricity and who cooked on a wood stove.

Then again, camping today really isn’t anything like that, she admitted.

Georgia’s state parks, for instance, offer about 1,600 campsites for RVs; about 800 are “pull though sites, while the rest require some careful backing in.

Most have electricity and water hookups.

Camping is big business

Camping World is the “largest U.S. recreational vehicle dealer,” according to Reuters and other RV articles. A Forbes’ 2017 article related to Camping World’s business states that there are “no headwinds in sight” — meaning nothing appears to disrupt the RV industry’s recent strong growth.

That same article said that ‘boomers’ have helped with industry growth; along with many millennials (who were born between 1980 and 2000).

Both groups “like experiences over more material goods.”

What’s more, they seem to enjoy nature along with their ‘disposable’ income. Advantages of doing business with a national company include more service centers and plenty of easy-to-use camping gear for sale. However, smaller, family-owned and operated companies can offer personal attention.

For example, Three Way Campers in Marietta, Ga., was begun in 1952 by Ralph Porter. Ralph’s son, Charles, came on board in 1958 and today, grandchildren and great grandchildren take pride in running the company.

Salesman and RV enthusiast Jackson Hyde is married to Charles’ granddaughter and Jessica Porter Parker, a great granddaughter, handles their media relations.

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Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, Georgia (Courtesy of Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division, Department of Natural Resources.)

“We’re all family here,” said Parker.

“We get to know our customers,” said Jeff Porter, grandson of Ralph who shares ownership with his brother David. Porter believes it’s the word of mouth that “keeps smaller RV companies going.”

“We see customers as our family, too” said Porter.

Is there a downside to RV-ing?

“Because RVing has become so popular, you have to remember

to get your reservations in very early for places like the Balloon Festival in New Mexico and famous parks like Yellowstone and Glacier,” said full-timer Loman. “But also understand there are going to be mechanical problems that cannot be predicted.

“If you take your house right now and put it on four wheels and travel across the country and back with country roads and detours, you’re going to have to make repairs.” RV people get

Types of RVs Class A Motorhome Resembles a bus in design and can be run with either diesel or regular gasoline (depending on the engine).

Often used by full timers with a small car in tow. Slide outs allow for extra room, once parked.

Class B Motorhome Built using a conventional van. However, the roof has also been raised to allow adults to stand up once inside.

Class C Motorhome This is built on a minimal truck platform. The bedroom is generally above the cab area.

Fifth-Wheel Trailer Once the sides are opened, the fifth wheel can often be the size of a one-bedroom apartment. Designed for towing, they require a large pickup truck for

JUNE 2019 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

used to that. And it’s not always at the most convenient time,” he said.

RV enthusiasts also suggest reading or taking a course on keeping your RV in good shape.

There’s plenty of valuable information online.

“It’s pretty clear to me,” said one RV owner, “that if you’re still confused about which end of a screwdriver to hold, then you need to learn — or expect to pay others to fix everything for you — and that becomes expensive.”

movement. The name “fifth wheel” comes from the hitch (placed in the truck) called a fifth-wheel coupling.

Truck Campers Smaller than a Class C Motorhome, as truck campers are built on the back of a pickup truck. More often than not, truck campers are used for backwoods types of travel.

Tow-Type Trailers (Everything from popup campers to teardrop and hybrid trailers.) The largest in this arena would be the popular “Travel Trailer,” which runs about 19 to 34 feet in length. It can come with slide outs and can be pulled by anything from a heavy-duty SUV to a pickup truck.

(The towing apparatus for this class of trailer is a ball hitch, similar to what is used to tow a boat.)

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PETS

Pet Pick Ginger is a 13-yearold grey lady — and everything you’re looking for in a dog.

She’s beautiful, sweet, loyal, easy-going and so much more.

She was surrendered to the Atlanta Humane Society when her previous owner was no longer able to care for her, and now Ginger is looking for the perfect place to spend her golden years. This sweet girl is housebroken, knows basic commands, is gentle with children, loves other dogs, and has excellent manners… what more could you ask for?

Ginger’s only request is that she would rather live in a house without cats, but other than that, all she needs is a comfy bed and a lot of love. She’s spayed, microchipped and up-to-date on vaccinations.

Could you be the family Ginger has been waiting for? She’s ready to meet you at the Atlanta Humane Society’s Mansell location, 1565 Mansell Road in Alpharetta. For more information about Ginger, please email adoptions@atlantahumane.org.

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5/2/19 9:51 AM

LEGAL

Certified Elder Law Attorneys Offer Specialized Services for Seniors A 2009 Pew Research study to look for qualified professionals. suggests to its readers, “Getting old Estate planning with the right isn’t nearly as bad as people think financial advisors is important, as it will be — nor is it quite as good.” is selecting the right attorney to The question on help with life’s final many minds is: How plans. does one make aging The Leonard better? brothers, Dave and “Aging is a fact Joe, learned that — how we handle it when their father is up to us,” writes faced making Lewis Walker, end-of-life plans. a financial lifeHe had done well planning strategist at following multiple Capital Insight Group cancer treatments in Norcross, Ga. but was then told Judith L. Kanne, Aging brings “there’s nothing challenges, but it also RN, BSN, BA more to do,” from brings changes in his oncologist. is a registered nurse and the way people live Dave and Joe freelance writer who lives their lives. And those said the physician in Atlanta. changes can present recommended new legal and palliative and financial challenges. Many older hospice care. The family knew adults find, perhaps for the first what was coming. times in their lives, they need help At the time, one son was in from experts to navigate their new Mississippi and the other in legal and financial situations.

Scotland. Their sister, a full-time veterinarian, lived in Virginia. It was hard for them to know where Elder care is a specialty to start. Both sons were grown There are things we can do with adult children as they faced to make aging smoother for helping their father’s with end-ofourselves and our families, life plans from afar. especially in the area of legal Their mother had died several preparedness. A good first step is months earlier, and their dad had

been her full-time caretaker. Now what?

Dave, the older brother, said, “While we didn’t really expect any legal problems, we didn’t really know what to expect.” He said he thought it would be good to have a lawyer help them through probate.

“I had read a book on being the executor after dad told me I had been appointed,” he said. “I saw enough potential stuff that led me to think I would need some legal help.”

They had been unable to find a copy of their father’s will in his home. When they went in for their free consultation, the elder care attorney located a copy of the will on file at another lawyer’s office.

“That brought peace of mind. It was especially helpful to our dad,” Dave said. That was when he knew that they were taking the right first step.

“Understanding probate was an entirely different kind of education,” he said. He and his brother Joe went to the lawyer’s office a couple of times to update themselves and ask specific questions, along with their sister who drove to their father’s home.

“It was like having an accountant for taxes versus doing it yourself,” Dave said.

CELA: a special kind of attorney

T AK E C A RE OF T HO SE Y OU L OV E

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A certified elder law attorney (CELA) has received specific training in elder-law issues.

The title “certified specialist” is an important qualification.

If an attorney says he or she is a certified specialist but he or she has not been appropriately certified, the attorney may be liable for false and misleading advertising.

According to Danielle C. Humphrey, a CELA with Hurley Elder Care, there are only 12 CELAs in the State of Georgia — and Hurley Elder Care has two of them.

In fact, there are fewer than 400 CELAs in the U.S., according to the CELA website. Attorney Miles Hurley, owner and CELA at Hurley Elder Care, values social workers

and/or nurses as part of their evaluation team.

“As a nurse, I am able to assess my client’s physical and mental abilities,” said Dawn Houston, RN, who has been with Hurley Elder Care since 2007. “I also make recommendations as to the type and amount of care a senior may need.”

Finding help

Elder law attorney Kelley Napier, with Brannon Napier Elder Law, LLC, explained that this type of help is required when dealing with incapacity, too.

“Where we live and how we are cared for at the ends of our lives is of the utmost importance,” said Napier. “Adults want to make sure that their appointed agents have all the needed powers to care for them when the time comes.”

Napier recently worked with a healthy wife — a spry 76-yearold — she said. However, the client’s husband was struggling with Parkinson’s disease. He was several inches taller than his wife, and he outweighed her.

Unfortunately, the husband’s disease had progressed to the point that he could not walk nor assist in his own self-preservation in an emergency. After a series of falls at home, their care team encouraged a move for the husband. Napier said she was able to help the wife understand the legal and financial consequences of the various options.

“I explained the selfpreservation regulations for moving into a facility that is licensed as either a personal care home or assisted living community,” said Napier.

She also helped them understand which expenses were covered by Medicare and which were not, and she offered positive support so the wife could remain at home.

To live independently, older adults need to function physically, cognitively (that is, to think clearly) and financially (to manage their money, pay bills on time, etc.). The

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for being a diminished version of our younger selves. We must change the ways we think and behave.”

One way to change our way of thinking is to plan for the expected — and unexpected.

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best time to make plans for any future help is when everything is functioning well.

In her recent book, “Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing as We Age,” psychologist Mary Pipher writes, “To be happy at this junction, [people] cannot just settle

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■ Many online resources are available for selecting a lawyer in your geographic area and in the area of expertise you need.

■ The State Bar of Georgia does not refer individual lawyers, but some local bars do offer a referral service. Check the telephone directory in your area to see if there is one.

■ Go to your local public library and ask for the MartindaleHubbell Law Directory or view the directory online at martindale.com. It lists most lawyers and their area of practice within your community, the state of Georgia and the United States.

■ Ask other lawyers.

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13

TECHNOLOGY

Valuable Free Phone Safety Apps A recent review of AARP’s use it in an emergency.

Bulletin revealed two full-page Getting emergency help when ads for safety devices you need it is one of that enable a user to the best reasons to alert authorities of any carry a cellphone. But unsafe conditions. One in any life-threatening headline tells users to emergency, you should “just press the button always call 9-1-1. to speak to our highly With just about every trained agents 24/7.” cellphone, you can The second headline make an emergency touts: “A Help button phone call without should go where you having to enter a code go.” to unlock the device.

Gene Rubel The same issue But in nonthe Digital Device of the bulletin also emergency cases Doctor, cures digital contains ads directed where you feel unsafe anxiety for seniors and or uncomfortable, at older adults for home/home-office users. there a number of free smartphones that A graduate of Harinclude similar help apps that you should vard Business School, features. While consider. They can be “Doctor Gene” spent these devices may be extremely valuable if more than 30 years in you use ride-sharing appropriate for some international business. services or need to individuals, most of He can be reached at us get along using our know someone is safe generubel@gmail.com. using one. regular smartphone and expect to be able to

First, some caveats:

■ No app is 100 percent foolproof. Nor, for that matter, can most apps cover every conceivable situation you or loved one might encounter.

■ No app is a substitute for professional first responders.

■ Cellphones work through cellular towers, and the technology can’t always pinpoint the exact location of your cellphone and, presumably, you.

With those points in mind, here are our thoughts on three apps from the online publication Techlicious. Our goal is to provide perspective to help you make a good decision.

bSafe

bSafe has features that can silently alert friends and family — the app calls them “guardians” — or step up your response to a

dangerous situation. One of the alerts reminds me of something that those of us of a certain age will remember if we went to college out of town. On getting back to school, some of us would go to a pay phone (remember them?) and place a person-toperson call — collect, of course — to ourselves. bSafe takes that a few steps further. You and a family member or friend, who must also have the app, can enter a designated time when you’re supposed to arrive somewhere. At the appointed time, the app sends you a message. If you don’t respond within a specified time, the app sends a notification to the family member or friend, who can take appropriate action.

If you need an “escape call” to help get out of an uncomfortable meeting or appointment, the app can take care of that, too.

For emergency needs, the app

Image by Jérôme Choain from Pixabay

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can work as a deterrent with its siren-like alarm, designed to make an attacker think twice. You can enable and disable it with one touch. The voice-activated SOS feature launches several operations at once, including sending an alert to your guardians and providing live-streaming audio and video (if you have the phone out). It will also record the audio and video and send a file to your guardian.

The app works on Android and Apple phones, anywhere your phone works. Just make sure you and your guardians have it, too. All features are free, but you will use some data when using maps, and bSafe contacts guardians through phone calls and texts when using the alarm. The costs depend on your cellular plan.

Kitespring

Kitestring is a passive-active app. It works passively in the background to make sure you’re active. If you go inactive, it notifies designated people. A benefit for some people is that it doesn’t need an app. It works through texting (SMS), which is a familiar communication platform for many older adults — even if they prefer email or phone calls.

The website touts the fact that you don’t need a smartphone to use the service; you can even use it with a flip phone. And therein lies a possible pitfall. In our experience, most people who have flip phones are not tech savvy, and texting by using the numeric keypad is cumbersome. If you find Kitestring to be a good solution for your needs, you or your family members will likely want to make sure you have a smartphone and know how to send and receive text messages. Once you navigate that, it will be faster and easier to use.

The “free” part of the app, or service, is limited to three trips, or usages, per month and you can designate only one contact to receive notifications. Upgrading to unlimited trips and contacts will cost $3 per month, which can be valuable for seniors who get out and about often and have several family members and friends who look out for them.

Once you have your trip set up, Kitestring sends you a checkin message at the time you’re

scheduled to arrive. If you don’t answer in five minutes, the app notifies your contact(s). You can set up a check-in word or duress code in case someone else has control of your phone.

While you don’t need an app, you do need internet access to use their website to let your contact(s) know where you’re supposed to be and when.

The website’s home page, kitestring.io, is spare with info, but you can find extensive information by clicking on FAQ at the bottom of the page. They say that they tested it on seniors — you have to like that.

Life360 Family Locator

Life360 Family Locator sets up a daily check-in to make sure someone is following their daily routine. This can be ideal for children who want to check on elderly parents or anyone who lives alone. It can also help parents make sure their children have arrived somewhere safely.

If you’re a “sandwich” family caught between concerns for your children and parents, it has a lot of options. As with Kitestring, the free service is limited, but you can step up to other levels of service.

At last reports, they were $2.99 per month, or $24.99 per year, and $7.99 per month, or $69.95 per year.

Our complaint is that you can’t find the pricing easily — if at all — on the website, and you probably should go all the way down to the footer on the homepage to see the Product Tour and Life360 Premium links. They offer a 7-day free trial. The app works on the Apple and Android platforms.

‘Free’ value?

You might think “valuable free” apps are an oxymoron if you’ve ever read one. But in the case of these free safety apps, the words go together. They bring up a few basic truths: ■ Safety is paramount.

■ Free apps appeal to our frugal side and give us a chance to try them without the necessity to opt out.

■ You get more features and capabilities when you pay for apps. Value is in the eye of the beholder.

Your DDD Resource The Digital Device Doctor is available to help you sort through the features and benefits of these apps and answer any questions you might have about setting them up and using them. He’s also available to help with any and all questions or problems with your computers, cellphones, tablets and networks. Call Gene Rubel, the Digital Device Doctor, at 404-307-8857 or email him at generubel@gmail.com to set up an appointment.

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15

GARDENING

Enjoy Summer…without Pesky Ants Summer is in full swing. summers, we tend to see a lot of Along with the warm ants because they’re temperatures and looking for a water sunny days come source…and that is critters in your yard most likely your home. and garden.

At the Extension How to get ant-free office, we are often If you have a lawn asked about the with pesky ants or ant nuisance insects in mounds, here are some people’s landscapes ways to get rid of them and vegetable gardens. so your feet will be Some of the most Sarah E. Brodd safe from ant bites and common questions your outdoor meals is an Agriculture and are about ants. These will be uninterrupted.

Natural Resource Agent for insects invade your UGA Extension in DeKalb When trying to outdoor meals, and County. She enjoys educatcombat ants, first try their mounds are hard ing the community about to find the trail. Ants horticulture and working to dodge…especially usually have a trail with her great group of when walking with DeKalb Master Gardeners. from their home to bare feet across the where they’re going. lawn.

Gel baits work great I grew up in Texas, and I don’t for sugar ants. (Also known as miss the fire ants and needing to house ants, this small species always look down to make sure I of ants often nests in the walls don’t step on a mound. or beneath the floor of a house.)

When we experience hot, dry

Image by Marc Miraille from Pixabay

The gel baits can be used indoors and outdoors. If the ants persist after a couple of weeks, try a perimeter spray.

Treating fire ants is a bit more involved. First, you need

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to spread fire ant bait granules by their mounds. If there aren’t many mounds, you can sprinkle the granules around the mounds, not on top. The best time to spread the bait is in the afternoon.

After applying the granular baits, you’ll need to drench the area thoroughly with water. If the ants are still a problem after 14 days, treat the mounds with fire ant killer dust.

Get the ants under control now so you can enjoy your summer outdoors without these nuisance insects.

Contact your local UGA Cooperative Extension office for more information, as well as specific brands of baits, gels, granules and dusts to use for ant control.

To find your local Extension office, go to http://extension.uga. edu or call: ■ Cherokee County — 770-721-7803 ■ Cobb County — 770-528-4070 ■ DeKalb County Extension — 404-298-4080 ■ Fulton County / Atlanta History Center — 404-814-4099 ■ Fulton County / North Office — 404-613-7670 ■ Gwinnett County — 678-377-4010

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PERSONAL SAFETY

The One-Ring Robocall Speaking for myself, and premium rate — also known I dare say many as really-expensive others, robocalls are — phone numbers. about as welcome The scammers get as your drunk uncle a kickback from armed with a set of the call volume, banned lawn darts according to Tim at the Fourth of July Prugar, Vice President picnic. You just know of the fraud-detection nothing good will company Next Caller, follow. in an interview with Robocalls have New York Times. been around long The robocall STAY SAFE enough, since man monitoring and Steve Rose is a retired first figured out how blocking service Sandy Springs Police Captain, veteran Fulton to scam others and YouMail estimates County police officer and not have to do it face 4.9 billion robocalls freelance writer. He is the to face. Some folks were made in the U.S. author the book “Why overseas have come in April 2019. The FCC Do My Mystic Journeys up with another scam Always Lead to the Waffle reported a surge in designed to rid you of House?” and the column robocalls in Arizona “View from a Cop.” your money. and New York In early May, during the first few the Federal Communication days in May. Most came from Commission issued a warning “222” country codes belonging about a new form of robocall, to Mauritania, Africa. “232” designed to call you with only one ring. The strategy is to entice a return call from the curious recipient, who assumes he or she missed a call — perhaps one that could be important.

In some cases, the intended victim receives several onering calls, further enticing a return call. The victim, who calls back, is either met by a live person or recording, all done in an effort to keep them on the line, racking up expensive toll charges, much like a 900 number.

You remember 900 numbers, don’t you? The late-night commercials depicting beautiful women who have nothing to do on a Friday night except lie around and talk to you? By the way, if you believe that scenario, you need to ride your unicorn over to the reality store.

Fast forward to the phone bill and sticker shock from the toll charges, depending on the carrier, the rate and the time spent on the line. It makes for a bad day.

The term for this type of scam is known as “International Shared Revenue” fraud. The fraudster’s goal is to drive phone numbers — like yours — to

originates from Sierra Leone.

Prugar went on to say that perhaps one percent of robocalls lead to someone calling back — but if an operation can cheaply make 100 million calls, it would yield 1 million hits.

What should you do? A good defense is to develop a habit of NOT returning calls to unknown numbers and definitely NOT return a one-ring call. Put your learning hat on and familiarize yourself with area codes originating from outside the U.S. Most of us probably know the term “butt-dial.” If you get one, don’t assume it’s from family or friends. Look at the number and if you don’t know it, don’t call it!

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JUNE 2019 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

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Let me clear about this right from the start: I love to drive.

Ever since I was a boy and my grandmother sat me down in the driver’s seat of her big, black, Joe Earle is editor-at-large be-finned 1950s Chevrolet — a car she called “Mr. Big” — and taught me to use a three-on-the- and has lived in metro Atlanta for over column shifter, I have felt that I belonged behind 30 years. He can be the wheel of a car. Any car. It didn’t have to be reached at joeearle@ fancy or expensive or even new. No matter what reporternewspapers.net kind of car it was, from a clunker to my dad’s shiny sedan, I just wanted to drive.

I got my learner’s permit at age 13 and never looked back, except to check my mirrors. I drove car pools to junior high and escorted dates in high school in a clunky white Falcon station wagon with rusted-out floorboards.

In a second-hand Opel station wagon I bought in college, I racked up miles on cross-country trips. I loved racing down flat farm roads, cruising the byways connecting country towns, tackling the curves on mountain roads.

I owned my first car (that hand-me-down Falcon) when I was 16 or 17. In the years since I have proudly owned cars made all over the world, from Japan to Italy to the U.S. to Korea.

All that has changed. Because of an injury to my driving foot nearly three years ago, I’ve become a passenger, not a driver.

I miss it. Like others forced to give up driving as they’ve aged, I miss the freedom that comes with operating your own car. I miss being able to go where I want when I want. I miss the opportunity to be impulsive.

There is something I don’t miss: commuting to work on metro Atlanta interstates.

If driving down a mountain makes you feel more alive, driving I-285 during the peak of commuting feels something akin to dying.

Slowly. During the endless hours I spent stuck in traffic watching the taillights of other cars also stuck in traffic, I thought at times that I could feel my life actually getting shorter. When you’re moving at an average speed of, say, 1 mph, something inside of you dies.

Now that I’m old enough to collect Social Security, I’ve come to realize that driving a car isn’t the necessary part of daily life I once thought it was. I stay home more, it’s true, but I can get around well enough depending only on the kindness of family members and friends and the ubiquity of Uber.

In some ways I feel freer than I did when I was driving all the time.

Control of the car may be in someone else’s hands, but that means she or he has to deal with the annoyances that come with driving: how to get where you’re going, whether there’s enough gas in the tank to make it to the next cheap-gas station … the usual things.

I do occasionally feel like I’m wasting some of the lessons I’ve learned during my decades of driving. And some of those lessons were learned in hard ways.

Once, when I was about 15, my two teen cousins and I decided to take that old Falcon up a steep mountain road near a family vacation home in North Carolina. Heading up the gravel road, we scraped bottom on a large, exposed rock. We must have clipped a brake line

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because when we finally arrived at the top of the mountain, we discovered the brake pedal went to the floor and the car didn’t stop.

We suddenly faced negotiating four miles of one-lane gravel road down the side of the mountain without brakes in order to get back to civilization.

My older cousin, who was maybe 16 or 17, announced that as the most senior of us, he’d take control of the wheel as we rolled off down the mountain road. My younger cousin and I hung out of the car doors and dragged our feet to slow the car’s descent while my older cousin steered and pulled the emergency brake every time the car seemed to be moving too fast.

Halfway down the mountain, we rounded a curve at full speed and met our parents coming up the road in my uncle’s new sedan. They were looking for us because we hadn’t returned for lunch, which was very unusual behavior for teenaged boys.

They stopped their car and parked in the middle of the singlelane road, blocking our path. They expected us to stop, too, and park nose-to-nose so they could yell at us and otherwise express their displeasure at our general recklessness. They didn’t know we had no brakes and couldn’t stop. We thought we were racing into a head-on collision.

Luckily, inspiration struck my cousin. Instead of trying to slow down and stop, he jerked the wheel in order to run the car off the road and up a roadside bank. As we rolled up the hillside and roared past our shocked parents, we could hear them screaming at us. We could only smile ruefully at them, shrug and scream back, “We have no brakes.”

When our parents caught up with us at the bottom of the mountain and heard our explanations, we went from idiots to heroes. The car went to the shop.

What lesson did I learn from that? I don’t really know. Maybe to let your parents know when you’ll be late for lunch. Or maybe, just to check the brakes more often.

Things like that don’t happen to me anymore, of course. My days of wild country driving are gone, replaced by hours spent stopping and going and stopping again in city traffic jams. And even negotiating those slow-moving herds of cars is some other driver’s problem.

When I’m in a car now, I concern myself with the view from the passenger’s seat.

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19

THE ARTS

European Masterworks

Another showstopper exhibition is on view at the High Museum

By Collin Kelley And now for something completely different.

After the rapturous reception and sold-out run of “Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors,” the High Museum of Art has mounted a new

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exhibition that is equally showstopping in its sheer star power.

“European Masterworks: The Phillips Collection” is a greatest hits collection on loan from the Washington, D.C. museum created in 1921 by art collector and critic Duncan Phillips and his wife, the artist and collector Marjorie Acker Phillips. The Phillips were instrumental in introducing modern art to America and their eye for colorful, intense art by artists who have, over the last century, become icons was second to none. Duncan Phillips didn’t let his own taste get in the way of recognizing a masterwork, often adding pieces to the collection after initially dismissing the artist as inconsequential.

Duncan Phillips embraced Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Expressionist, and Cubist artists, and his passion and outright joy at the art he added to the collection is palpable. Be sure to pause and read the quotes and labels and you, too, will feel the “joy-giving and lifeenhancing” power of art.

Upon entering the gallery, there is literally a jaw-dropper at every turn: Cezanne, Daumier, Degas, Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Seurat, Klee, Miro, Kandinsky, Modigliani, Roualt, Matisse, Bonnard, Picasso, Gris, Braque and Rodin.

The works are given plenty of room to breathe in the space, making even the smaller work pop off the walls. Larger pieces – like Degas’ “Dancers at the Barre” and Roualt’s “Verlaine” and Matisse’s “Studio, Quai Saint-Michel” – are given their own walls to better admire the detail and depth of each work.

But it’s those aforementioned smaller works that are likely to leave the most lasting impression: Cezanne’s intense gaze from his “SelfPortrait,” Van Gogh’s lush “Entrance to the Public Gardens at Arles” and Klee’s brand of hieroglyphics in “Painted Sheet with Picture.”

Unlike the 20 or 30 seconds given to each patron to experience the Kusama mirror rooms, this exhibition allows time to meditate and reflect on each individual work. You’re likely to find yourself lingering and returning to some of these paintings and Duncan Phillips would surely appreciate that desire.

European Masterworks: The Phillips Collection is on show through July 14. For tickets and information, visit high.org.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

Pickleball Brings Together Players of All Ages Recent MJCCA tournament draws families from across Georgia

Trevor Nugent & Beau Nugent - Beginners

Pickleball has been called “one of the fastest growing sports in America” by ESPN – 1400 AM. ESPN states, “Playing pickleball is a great way to stay active and healthy because it’s so fun. It’s the perfect game to play as a family; it is one of the few sports where kids, parents and grandparents can all play together!”

Players swing paddles that look like they came from an oversized Ping-Pong game. They hit a hollow plastic ball that’s full of holes. The ball bounces back and forth over a net similar to one on a tennis court.

Pickleball was invented near Seattle in 1965 by vacationing families who wanted to play badminton but couldn’t find the shuttlecock. They combined paddles, a Wiffle ball and a badminton net to make a game that kids and adults alike could play.

The MJCCA Doubles Pickleball Tournament recap

The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta’s (MJCCA) Active Mature Adults department recently hosted a state-wide Doubles Pickleball Tournament, featuring three

Keland Scher & Basti Grau - Intermediate

brackets of pickleball: beginner, intermediate and advanced.

Seventy-two players (36 pairs), ranging in age from 10 to 86, came from across the state to participate.

Out of the eight pairs that competed in the advanced bracket, the winning pair was Bobby Russell, from Dunwoody, and Kevin Lenze, from Peachtree City. Out of the 24 pairs that competed in the intermediate bracket, the winning pair was Basti Grau and Keland Scher, both from Druid Hills. And out of the four pairs that competed in the beginner bracket, the winning pair was father and son Beau and Trevor Nugent, both from Kennesaw.

Players came to the MJCCA’s pickleball tournament from all over the state, including Alpharetta, Roswell, Snellville, Suwanee, Norcross, Lilburn, Duluth, Decatur and Woodstock.

“This event was such a terrific tournament. One player even came from Birmingham to play pickleball at the MJCCA,” said Nora Floersheim, Volunteer Coordinator of the MJCCA’s pickleball program. “The teams that participated in the tournament included a father-son, father-daughter,

Kevin Lenze & Bobby Russell - Advanced winners

grandfather-grandson and a husband-wife team. It truly was a family affair.”

MJCCA pickleball history

“We have had pickleball at the MJCCA since 2010,” said Ed Feldstein, MJCCA’s Active Mature Adults committee co-chair. “The late Sid Cojac brought the game to the JCC after he experienced it in Charlotte, where he had lived. It took us a while to gain momentum for pickleball at the MJCCA. I remember going up to the fitness center and begging people to give the sport a try.

Once people started playing, they were hooked.”

The MJCCA now has more than 200 people on the pickleball mailing list with 50-60 people playing pickleball on a regular basis six days a week. Nora Floersheim has been giving pickleball lessons to beginners on Mondays. This year the MJCCA has added a series of clinics to help beginners learn the game and allow immediate players to improve their skills.

“Our dedicated group of players is always seeking new members, so please come and try pickleball with us,” said Feldstein. “Many of the people that have recently learned how

to play have then become part of the pickleball program at the MJCCA.” Floersheim added that pickleball is a sport for all ages. “We have had players ranging in age from 10-101,” she said. “Pickleball is an intergenerational sport. At one point we had a grandfather, son and grandson all playing together.

Pickleball is inter-gender, extremely supportive, friendly and social.”

The next MJCCA pickleball tournament will be held in spring 2020. For more info about MJCCA pickleball, contact Earl Finley at 678-812-4070, earl. finley@atlantajcc.org or visit atlantajcc.org/pickleball.

Find a Place to Play As pickleball rises in popularity, more and more recreation centers, local parks and organizations are adding it to their activity lists. Visit georgiapickleball. com and click on “Places to Play” to find pickleball courts in the area.

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►Out & about The Arts Rat Pack Tribute Show Sunday, June 16, 7-8:30 p.m. Take a step back in time and hear performers representing some of the most iconic singers of the 20th century. Peachtree Corners resident Pat Sallarulo, considered one of the best tribute artists in the business, appears as Frank Sinatra.

Talented actor, singer, dancer David Williams is Sammy Davis, Jr. And Mark Phillips brings back the look and sound of Dean Martin as he performs his hits. MadLife Stage & Studios, 8722 Main Street, Woodstock 30188. Details at visitwoodstockga.com.

A Page from the Book Festival of the MJCCA: Jennifer Weiner Monday, June 17, 7:30 p.m. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes “Mrs. Everything,” an exploration of two sisters’ lives from the 1950s to the present as they struggle to find their places, and be true to themselves, in a rapidly evolving world. A general admission ticket, with one hardcover copy of the book, is $32. Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Rd., Dunwoody 30338. This is the 2019-20 Patron Kick-off Event: sign up to support the 2019 Book Festival of the MJCCA as a patron and receive complimentary tickets and book copy; contact Amy Royals at amy.royals@atlantajcc.org to register or for more information. Purchase tickets and learn more at the MJCCA Box Office, 678-812-4002 or atlantajcc.org/bookfestival.

Big Chicken Chorus Presents “Celebrating the Gentlemen” Saturday, June 22, 3 p.m.

Barber shop quartets from throughout the Dixie District will celebrate Gentlemen’s Agreement, iconic winners of the 1971 International Barbershop Harmony Society Gold Medal.

They’ll also honor the sole surviving member of the group, Drayton Justus. The show will feature many of Gentlemen’s Agreement’s classic renditions performed by the Big Chicken Chorus, the Atlanta Vocal Project, the Stone Mountain Chorus and Chicken Little. Featured quartets performing will be Interstate Rivals, Category 4 and Quadraphonics. Tickets are $20-$50. Byers Theatre, City Springs, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs 30328. Contact the City Springs box office at 770-206-2022 or visit citysprings.com for tickets and info.

Comedy Luau II Wednesday, July 3. 8-11 p.m. These live comedy shows, borne from the talent presented at our popular open mic comedy nights, are a fantastic way to see a full lineup of talented and hilarious comedians without breaking the bank. This event is not recommended for minors. Tickets are $10. Earl & Rachel Smith Strand Theatre, 117 N. Park Square, Marietta 30060. Go to earlsmithstrand.org or call 770293-0080 for tickets and information.

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JUNE 2019 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

Learn Something Veterans’ Roundtable Wednesday, June 12, 1 p.m. Meet with experts on veterans’ resources.

Discuss your needs and get real help filing VA claims, medical care, housing, and job resources.

Newly discharged or senior retirees welcome. The Veterans’ Roundtable meets the second Wednesday of every month. Gwinnett County Public Library, Buford Branch, 2100 Buford Highway, Buford 30518. For more information, please email cwalker@ging.org.

Bees and Butterflies and Craft Friday, June 21, 9-10 a.m. Explore the gardens and honey bee apiary with a Sandy Springs naturalist. Binoculars will be provided to watch the nesting Lost Corner bluebirds, and to see how many butterflies we can find. There’s even a butterfly craft to make and take home.

This family-friendly program is free. The group will meet on the Lost Corner Cottage porch, Lost Corner Preserve, 7300 Brandon Mill Road, Sandy Springs 30328. Registration is requested through registration. sandyspringsga.gov.

We Shall Overcome: African American Stories from Civil War to Civil Rights Saturday, July 6, 6:30-7:30 p.m. “We Shall Overcome” became the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, but the origin of the song dates back to antebellum days and a spiritual sung by enslaved people. This tour explores the lives and accomplishments of African Americans who fought to overcome the effects of slavery and discrimination to help shape the history of Atlanta. A few of the notable African Americans buried at Oakland include Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Atlanta’s first African American mayor; Bishop Wesley John Gaines, minister and founder of Morris Brown College and Carrie Steele Logan, who established the first orphanage for African American children in Atlanta.Tour prices are $6 for seniors and students, $12 for adults and free for Historic Oakland Foundation members. Historic Oakland Cemetery, 248 Oakland Ave., Atlanta 30312. Get more info at oaklandcemetery.com.

Festivals & Special Events Butterflies at Chattahoochee Nature Center ■ Butterfly Encounter runs June 3-July 31. Get up close and personal with hundreds of native butterflies surrounded by colorful nectar plants. Included with general admission and free to CNC members.

■ Butterfly Encounter Photography Workshop on Sunday, June 23, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Join Atlanta-based nature photographer Eric Bowles for a workshop to help you make better photographs of butterflies and other garden subjects. For ages 16 and up. Cost is $40 for the general public, $30 for CNC members. Must register by June 16.

■ Meditate with the Butterflies on Sunday, June 30, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Experience butterflies in a new way. This quiet time is set aside before Chattahoochee Nature Center opens so you can experience the butterflies in a new way. For ages 16 and up. Admission is $30 for the general public, $15 for CNC members. Must register by June 24.

Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell 30075.

Register and find more events at chattnaturecenter.org.

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Decatur Beach Party Friday, June 21, 5-11 p.m. Decatur celebrates summer by making its own beach with tons of sand at the square.

There’s also live music, dancing and a food court with funnel cakes and fruity drinks. Admission is free.

Decatur, GA 30030. Find out more at facebook.com/ DecBeachParty/.

Stand Up for the Hooch Sunday, June 23, 7 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. High Country Outfitters is proud to bring the “Stand Up for the Hooch” race for the 8th consecutive year.

All ages and ability levels are welcome to paddle the Chattahoochee River. First time paddlers are encouraged to participate, and experts will enjoy the chance to experience one of the biggest races in the Southeast. The entry fee for the 2-mile and 6-mile races is $45; the kid’s race is free. Racing starts at Morgan Falls Overlook Park, 200 Morgan Falls Road, Sandy Springs 30350. For more information and to register, visit highcountryoutfitters.com.

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■ Kennesaw’s Salute to America — Wednesday, July 3, 5:30-10 p.m.

Info: kennesawjuly3.com.

■ Duluth Celebrates America — Wednesday, July 3, 6-11 p.m. Food trucks, music and fireworks. Info: duluthga.net.

■ Dunwoody’s 4th of July Parade — Thursday, July 4, 9 a.m. Parade with marching bands, floats and celebrities. Info: dunwoodyga.org.

■ Marietta’s Fourth in the Park — Thursday, July 4, 10 a.m. Parade, music and more at the Square. Info: mariettacalendar.com.

■ Roswell’s Barbecue & Bluegrass and Fireworks Extravaganza — Thursday, July 4. Barbecue, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Extravaganza begins at 5:30 p.m.; fireworks at dark. Info: roswellgov.com.

■ Lilburn’s Sparkle in the Park — Thursday, July 4, 5:30-10 p.m. Food, entertainment and fireworks. Info: cityoflilburn.com ■ Alpharetta’s 4th of July Celebration at Wills Park —July 4, 6-10 p.m.

Entertainment and fireworks. Info: awesomealpharetta.com.

■ Sandy Springs’ Stars and Stripes Celebration — Thursday, July 4.

Music starts 7 p.m.; fireworks begin 9:45 p.m. Info: visitsandysprings.org.

Financial Information Network still available for Roswell Library patrons and community The Roswell Library, located on Norcross Street in Roswell, is currently closed for renovations. However, the library’s Financial Information Network is being housed at the East Roswell Library, 2301 Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and students can use the network to search for financial aid. Get more info through the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System website, afpls.org.

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Independence Day Here are some of the many Independence Day celebrations held throughout the north Atlanta metro area.

■ Stone Mountain Park’s Fantastic Fourth Celebration — July 1-7, 10:30 a.m-8 p.m. Laser show and fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Info: stonemountainpark.com.

■ Norcross’s Red, White & Boom — Wednesday, July 3, 5-10 p.m.

Pre-fourth of July block party and fireworks. Info: facebook.com/ events/572087913146274/

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