Atlanta Senior Life - June 2021

Senior Life Atlanta

On the road again for the Peachtree Road Race

A New Celebration Juneteenth comes to Stone Mountain

Photographer Rick Diamond captured Atlanta’s music scene page 13

page 6

JUNE 2021 • Vol. 6 No. 6 • AtlantaSeniorLIFE.com

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From the Crates

PEOPLE

HEAD FOR THE HILLS

Ghost towns mark a faded past page 10

Contents JUNE 2021

COVER STORY

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Juneteenth comes to Stone Mountain

6 PEOPLE Bill Thorn has been part of the Peachtree Road Race since the beginning brings metro 8 H.areaJohnson its radio blues and jazz

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HEAD FOR THE HILLS Georgia’s ghost towns map a faded past

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THE CRATES 13 FROM Photographer Rick Diamond captures images showing the best of Atlanta’s music scene

14 TRAVEL All aboard! Trains offer a different way to see the countryside

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16 GARDENING Environmentally friendly ways to create gardens free from mosquitoes

& ENTERTAINMENT 18 ARTS The Atlanta Opera offers a big tent

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The Illuminarium will create new worlds on the BeltLine

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.

21 BOOKS A six-pack of summer

CONTACT US

reading

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PERSONAL SAFETY Watch for a new wave of con artists trying to get into your wallot

On the cover Stone Mountain Mayor Pro Tem Chakira

Johnson, resident Elaine Vaughn and City Councillor Jasmine Little, left to right, gather beneath the mountain to celebrate their community’s first Juneteenth celebration, which marks the end of slavery in the United States.

Photo by Phil Mosier

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Editorial Joe Earle Editor-at-Large joe@springspublishing.com

Published By Springs Publishing

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Keith Pepper keith@springspublishing.com (404) 917-2200 ext 1001 Publisher Steve Levene Founder & Publisher Emeritus Amy Arno Director of Sales Development amy@springspublishing.com (404) 917-2200, ext. 1002 Rico Figliolini Creative Director rico@springspublishing.com Deborah Davis Office Manager deborah@springspublishing.com (404) 917-2200, ext. 1003

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COVER STORY

A New Celebration Juneteenth comes to Stone Mountain

By Donna Williams Lewis Elaine Vaughn’s earliest memories of Ku Klux Klan marches through Stone Mountain Village take her back to the age of 6.

“We were kids and they never, never bothered us,” Vaughn said of the Klan marches and rallies that continued into the 1980s in Stone Mountain. “The only thing my mom would say when she found out the Klan was coming, usually around Labor Day, … was go to bed, come inside, keep quiet.

We did that, had no problems.”

Today, in the shadow of the mountain on whose top the Ku Klux Klan was rebirthed in 1915 and whose face bears the world’s largest memorial to the Confederacy, Vaughn is helping to carve a new legacy. She’s on the planning committee for the city of Stone Mountain’s first-ever Juneteenth Festival.

Officially recognized in most

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states and a paid county holiday in DeKalb County, Juneteenth is an annual observance that celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S. Its name is a blend of the date it commemorates — June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally heard that the Civil War had ended, more than two years after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had made them free.

Vaughn is a lifelong, third-generation resident of Shermantown, a historic Black neighborhood in the village of Stone Mountain. The first church there, Bethsaida Baptist, was organized in 1868, and the neighborhood’s name refers to Union General William T. Sherman.

“I’m just excited. I am so glad they asked me to be on the committee,” said Vaughn, 67.

“The reason I’m glad they’re

JUNE 2021 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

having this is so the generation that’s coming now can at least get a glimpse of what it felt like when our ancestors were freed … and even the adults, I hope it will give them something to think about.

It’s time out for separation,” she said.

‘An important day for all Americans’

Stone Mountain’s celebration is one of many Juneteenth events planned across metro Atlanta, as

promotion of the holiday grows around the nation.

Juneteenth is an official paid holiday for state employees in Texas and several other states, but not in Georgia. Last year, DeKalb County commissioners voted unanimously to make Juneteenth an annual paid county holiday, effective this year.

DeKalb Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, who sponsored the legislation, said her action was inspired by “everything that was happening in this country — the killings, the hatred, the meanspiritedness. It’s like some people would want to go back to the days of slavery.”

She hopes to see Juneteenth become a federal holiday to recognize the contributions of enslaved people to the development of the U.S. and to remind everyone to appreciate their freedom.

“We’ve seen how close that freedom is to being taken back,”

“The reason I’m glad they’re having this is so the generation that’s coming now can at least get a glimpse of what it felt like when our ancestors were freed … and even the adults, I hope it will give them something to think about.

It’s time out for separation.”

“I think Juneteenth is being embraced because ... the country’s true Independence Day is when the last slaves were freed. So it’s not just an important day for the Black community, it should be an important day for all Americans.”

Elaine Vaughn

Mayor Pro Tem

Chakira Johnson

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City Councilmember Jasmine Little co-led the charge for Stone Mountain’s 2020 recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday.

Johnson said. “We came very close to losing democracy, and that makes you think.”

Stone Mountain Mayor Pro Tem Chakira Johnson and City Councilmember Jasmine Little led the charge for Stone Mountain’s 2020 recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday in the city and both serve on the planning committee for the inaugural festival.

“I think Juneteenth is being embraced because, in my opinion, and it’s very true, the country’s true Independence Day is when the last slaves were freed,” Chakira Johnson said. “So it’s not just an important day for the Black community, it should be an important day for all Americans.

It should be considered a very patriotic day.”

Longtime Stone Mountain Mayor Pat Wheeler said she’s “excited that they’re able to do it.”

“It’s really gotten a lot of people in town involved, especially in the Shermantown area,” she said. “I think it’s going to be good for the community because it’s going to bring people in who’ve probably never even been here before.”

Getting past the KKK

The observance reflects continuing signs of change in the little city of 6,300 people, now about 78 percent Black, according

to a U.S. Census estimate.

In 2019, a road that was named for a family that once owned Stone Mountain and had historical ties to the Ku Klux Klan was renamed from Venable Street to Eva Mamie Lane. The new name honors the legacies of Shermantown pillars Eva Jewell Greene and her daughter Mamie Ella Lane.

Chakira Johnson hopes the Juneteenth celebration helps paint a new picture of her town, which has no control or management ties to Stone Mountain Park.

“We struggle with showing that we are no longer that city that housed the KKK and allowed them to march down the streets of our city,” she said. “We have become a diverse and inclusive community, so to be able to host something like the Juneteenth Festival … is one way to show who we truly are as a community now.

We are not that negative past.

We are a growing and thriving community … and we welcome everybody.”

Mereda Davis Johnson, the DeKalb commissioner, shared her thoughts on that.

“Like the song goes, ‘everything must change,’” she said. “The Ku Klux Klan is the history of Stone Mountain. Juneteenth is the future.”

Juneteenth Festival at Stone Mountain Village Saturday, June 19, from 6-9 p.m.

Plans include a festival on Main Street featuring local dignitaries, live music, choirs, vendors, African drummers and dancers, a cultural exhibit and fireworks. For more information, send an email to juneteenth@stonemountaincity.org. Find the event on Facebook at https://fb.me/e/4uGsJne82.

Members of Tony Maddox’s family are third-generation residents of Shermantown, a historic Black neighborhood in the village of Stone Mountain. “The Ku Klux Klan used to march in front of my house on their way to meetings [at the mountain] back in the day, and we never paid them no mind,” he said.

TONY MADDOX Stone Mountain resident Photos by Phil Mosier

Other Juneteenth events in metro Atlanta Atlanta History Center. The center’s virtual Juneteenth activities will be supplemented by a monthlong campaign honoring Black innovation, creativity and activism. Events include: ■ Author Talk on June 7 with Annette Gordon-Reed about her new book, “On Juneteenth.” www.atlantahistorycenter.com ■ A panel discussion on June 21 about C.T. Vivian’s posthumously published memoir “It’s In the Action,” with co-author Steve Fiffer, Al Vivian, and Ambassador Andrew Young. www. atlantahistorycenter.com Juneteenth Atlanta Parade & Music Festival. This ninth annual event will be held June 18-20 at Centennial Olympic Park, from 1-10 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Event includes a Black History Parade, a live performance by Arrested Development, a cultural arts amphitheater, two music stages, an artist’s market, vendors, food trucks and family activities. Produced by Juneteenth Atlanta, a nonprofit organization.

Free admission. Info: juneteenthatl.com.

The United Ebony Society of Gwinnett County. This organization, which works to build a stronger community that embraces diversity, will hold a Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rhodes Jordan Park, 100 East Crogan St., Lawrenceville, Ga. 30046. The “family fun-filled event” includes performances, music, historical presentations, vendors and food trucks. Free admission. unitedebonysociety.org.

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PEOPLE

On the road again for the Peachtree Road Race

By Mark Woolsey Bill Thorn is part of an exclusive club with no dues but plenty of cachet. He’s one of 110 runners who finished the first Peachtree Road Race in 1970.

Both the race and Atlanta have seen huge changes over the past half century. But Thorn, 90, is still plugging. He’s run — or more recently walked — them all, and he plans to take art in this year’s 52nd edition of the city’s signature road race.

For the inaugural Peachtree, the field was measured in the dozens, the course differently configured, runners shared the streets with traffic and in what now sounds like heresy, there were no T-shirts for finishers.

Thorn’s 2021 race day will also be vastly altered. He’ll walk virtually in his Tyrone, Ga., hometown and use a specialized walker. Family members will closely shadow him to watch for

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At top, Bill Thorn celebrates at the finish line for the 50th Peachtree Road Race. Below, Randy Stroud competes in an Atlanta Track Club event.

(Photos courtesy Atlanta Track Club.)

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any problems.

As to why he’s hanging in, he says, “I don’t know. If you can figure it out please tell me,” before adding, “I know that when I quit anything fully, you know you’re on your way out and heading downhill after that.”

Thorn won’t be braving heartbreak or any other hill this year. But other seniors will tackle the grueling stretch near Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. They’ll

celebrate life, friends and family and Independence Day, bolster their aerobic health and in in some cases, build on consecutive years of participation.

The 2021 Atlanta JournalConstitution Peachtree Road Race is number 49 for Cobb County resident Randy Stroud, who is 66.

“I like competition and even at my age still like to run Atlanta Track Club races. I have a [Peachtree] streak going and I want to keep

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“...when you’re

running downhill on Peachtree, heading for Peachtree Battle, you can look ahead of you and see thousands running and you turn real quick and see thousands behind you, you get a lump in your throat.”

Phillip Ozell Runner, 71 years old

that,” he said.

A runner since high school, Stroud says he’s battled through scorched, sticky weather, a lightning storm and knee surgery over the decades.

And he celebrates an event that brings together a diverse crowd, “everyone from the common, every day walker/ runner to world class athletes and everyone in between.”

Phillip Ozell, 71, tells a similar story. He’s run more than 40 times, accompanied by wife Terry.

Even being hit by a car in 1996 and landing in the hospital for a week with broken limbs didn’t deter him.

Ozell said “I told my doctors

that the one thing you have to do is make sure I can run the Peachtree in 1997. “ Atlanta Track Club Executive Director Rich Kenah said that almost 20 percent of this year’s participants are aged 60 or older.

Some have laced their running shoes up for decades on end while others took up pavementpounding after retirement or the departure of grown children.

Addressing COVID- leery seniors, Kenah feels a good protection plan is in place including two days of racing, smaller starting waves, face coverings and “giving (participants a sense of comfort and safety that everyone reaching the starting line has been vaccinated or screened

for COVID.” The revised message: “This year we want to be known as the world’s safest (not largest) 10K.” Ozell said the pandemic isn’t weighing on him, in part because he and his wife have both gone through a bout with the ailment.

He attributes their relatively mild three days of COVID to a high fitness level.

He said of his return this year, “a little is [for] bragging rights.

But, also, “when you’re running downhill on Peachtree, heading for Peachtree Battle, you can look ahead of you and see thousands running and you turn real quick and see thousands behind you, you get a lump in your throat.”

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PEOPLE

Atlanta Jazzman

‘Jazz is a language just like any other. It has nuances,’ H. Johnson said.

‘If you understand the nuances, you understand the language.’

Longtime Atlanta radio personality H. Johnson’s Saturday night jazz radio show is as smooth as newly churned butter and as comfortable as an old pair of slippers.

For five hours on Saturdays, the Neptune, New Jersey, native keeps jazz music coming on his show, “Jazz Classics with H. Johnson,” on WABE. He plays recordings of performers such as Count Basie, Dinah Washington, Erroll Garner, The Modern Jazz Quartet, and many others. He intersperses the music with a smooth patter that drops knowledge about the artists he’s showcasing — not a few of whom he’s interviewed himself — while including

occasional humorous asides.

His passion for music comes through loud and clear. That makes sense, given that he grew up immersed in music of all forms. Brought to Atlanta by his stepfather and mother, who later divorced, Johnson got into radio while he was in high school. He emceed as well, at one point sharing the stage with Billie Holliday.

After stints with an alphabet soup of other local broadcasters, he landed at WABE in 1978 and has been there ever since, playing jazz and adding a Friday night blues show called “Blues Classics with H. Johnson” in 2013.

ASL contributor Mark

Woolsey caught up with Johnson at his home in Mableton as he was prepping his latest on-air foray.

Q. How did you get interested in music?

A. It began in elementary school.

We had a music class for kids. We didn’t learn how to read music, but we learned how to experience it.

That, plus listening to radio as a kid.

Also, my mother and grandmother were into music. My

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grandmother was into gospel and my mother was into jazz and classical. She was a dancer.

There was a lot of music in the house constantly.

Q. Can you talk about your move into radio?

A. It was through WAOK. They were playing music, and, on the weekend, they’d have two kids from each high school come in and do a show — a girl and a boy. There was a kid from the high school I went to. His family was moving to Ohio and they asked him to find a replacement.

He suggested me. I wasn’t that interested at first, but he talked me into it.

(Later) they asked me to come over to WABE on a temporary basis because they had to replace a guy who was doing jazz at night. I’ve been stuck there ever since (laughs).

Over 40 years now and I’m still looking for that replacement.

Q. You were exposed to a great many different kinds of music.

Why did you gravitate to jazz?

A. It’s the feeling I get out of it. I was exposed to it in such a way that I could not only hear the music, I could feel it. Jazz is a language just like any other. It has nuances. If you understand the nuances, you understand the language. When you listen to jazz, you have to think and a lot of people who don’t want to think don’t listen to jazz.

Q. How do you rate the popularity of jazz, given that older people who are fans are passing away and younger folks don’t seem to be catching on?

A. It’s a little bit of both.

Not only are younger people not catching on, they’re not being exposed to it. You go to Europe and the kids are exposed to classical music so they know it when they hear it and appreciate it. You do have exposure here but it’s not like on the European continent.

Consequently, you don’t have as many people enjoying jazz or blues here as you do in Europe.

Q. What do you regard as your role in the jazz universe? Popularizing the music, entertaining with it, preserving it?

A. All of the above. If I was on the radio right now and they offered me a job, if it wasn’t playing jazz or blues, you couldn’t talk me into doing anything else. I don’t care what you offered in salary. I love the art form.

Q. How do you pick out the music for your shows?

A. I do it like a jazz musician, at least I used to. With the COVID thing I’m having to record from home. It’s hard to explain how I do it because I don’t do it the same way every time. I’m being hypothetical here: let’s say I’m on the air and everything is cool, and the show is running smoothly, and the news comes in that someone very famous has passed away.

I’m going to go to the library and get some of [an artist’s music] out and integrate him with what I am doing. I try to make it comfortable and logical, that’s how I do the program.

Q. Why do you go by the moniker H. Johnson?

A. Because it’s shorter and I don’t like the sound of my own name, Herman. I’m not going to change my name out of respect for my mother but there are too many Hermans in history.

When I read my history books, I didn’t like Herman Goering.

(A prominent leader in Nazi-era Germany).

Q. You are in your early 80s and a lot of folks are retired by your stage of life. Do you intend to keep going?

A. If I can. I am developing some of the normal health issues that people my age have.

If I get to the point where I can’t handle it, I’ll politely bow out. Or if I get to the point where what I’m doing is not in vogue anymore, I’ll leave then.

I’ll hang in there as long as they let me.

JUNE 2021 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

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"I'm going to visit!”

HEAD FOR THE HILLS

Faded places

Ghost towns haunt Georgia’s backroads

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1 Georgia’s diverse countryside is dotted with numerous sites of old villages and towns that no longer exist — ghost towns. They have names such as Auraria, Estelle, Scull Shoals, Ebenezer, Powelton, Munnerlyn, Griswoldville, Bethany, Mountain View, Godfrey, Apalachee, Sunbury and on and on.

They brim with history. The dead town of Wrightsboro, founded in McDuffie County in 1768, was the southernmost Quaker settlement in the United States. In Greene County,

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For “Travels with Charlie,” he visits and photographs communities throughout the state.

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the abandoned town of Scull Shoals was home to Georgia’s first paper mill.

Many of the deserted burgs still retain old structures such as churches, general stores, schools, houses, factory ruins, and infrastructure like roads and bridges — all in various states of dilapidation. Their old cemeteries may harbor graves dating back to the 2 1700s.

Reasons for their demise and final abandonment are many and varied. Some perished when their sprawling textile mills closed.

Some slid into ruin when railroads

bypassed them or their cotton-based economy succumbed to the boll weevil.

The dead town of Auraria in Lumpkin County, which became the nation’s first gold rush boom town when gold was discovered in Georgia in 1828, came to an inglorious end after thousands of gold seekers departed for more promising riches in California.

I find myself captivated by these places — intrigued by how they got there, what they were like in their heyday and what led to their downfall. My most recent deadtown visit was to Wrightsboro, near the McDuffie County seat of Thomson.

Wrightsboro might have been just another forgotten ghost town except for the uniqueness of its founders and early residents — Quakers. In 1768, Joseph Mattock and Jonathan Sell, Quakers, obtained a grant of 40,000 acres from Georgia’s royal governor, Sir James Wright, the town’s namesake.

By 1775, more than 60 families had settled in the town and 200 in the township — all Quakers, who built homes, gristmills, a meeting house, and other structures.

But Wrightsboro did not survive, perhaps because of its isolation. By 1920, it was a ghost town. Today, all that remains are a circa 1810 Methodist Church, a circa 1918 general store and a cemetery with Revolutionary War-era graves.

Another recent visit was to the ruins of Scull Shoals along the Oconee River, deep in the Oconee Continued on page 12

1 - Wrightsboro Methodist Church, c. 1810, McDuffie County 2 - Hawes General Store, c. 1918, Wrightsboro, McDuffie County

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National Forest in Greene County.

Scull Shoals began as a frontier village around 1792.

Early on, Dr. Lindsay Durham developed medicines from his extensive herb garden there and opened a sprawling sanatorium.

In later years, the village became a town. In addition to Georgia’s first

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paper mill, it contained homes, stores, gristmills, sawmills — and later a four-story brick textile mill that became the economic mainstay.

At the mill’s height, 500 workers tended its 4,000 spindles. But a series of devastating floods in the 1880s ravaged the mills; by the 1920s, the town was abandoned.

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Today, as I travel through Georgia’s many economically distressed towns, I wonder about their future — and which of them will be tomorrow’s ghost towns.

3 - Ruins of old mill, Scull Shoals, Greene County 4 - Old bridge, Scull Shoals, Greene County 5 - Powelton Methodist Church, c. 1830, Powelton, Greene County 6 - Apalachee School, Apalachee, Morgan County 7 - R.V. Hopper’s Grocery, Munnerlyn, Burke County 8 - Woody’s General Store, one of the last remaining buildings in the former town of Auraria in Lumpkin County

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FROM THE CRATES

Photographer Rick Diamond captured the scene In 1971, Rod Stewart released an album called “Every Picture Tells a Story.” Fifty years later, as I prepare these “From the Crates” articles, I try to give you my picture of what segments of the entertainment world were like back in the 70s and 80s.

from the crates Kelly McCoy is a veteran Atlanta broadcaster who writes about the days popular music only came on vinyl records, which often were stored in crates.

I met the star of this article, photographer Rick Diamond, about 45 years ago. We probably met backstage after a concert, or at a record label event such as a new album release party, a small private party with a star, or a major “throw down” with all of the rock-and-roll glamour and showbusiness one could stand, for sure. There were tons of backstage after-show parties with the artists.

Any radio station or record label that was hosting an event always needed a photographer.

I can honestly say that Rick Diamond is the best of the best. He is not only known for his quality of work over the years, but for being a wonderful, amiable guy to be around. If anyone ever wanted to be a “name dropper” of the rock stars he’s been around or hung out with, Rick Diamond would shatter us all with the list of famous people he’s photographed.

Rick started his career in 1970, while in the 10th grade.

He photographed The Allman Brothers for a small newspaper and remembers he was paid $50.

He got his start with a couple of nice, 35-millimeter cameras that his father had won in a poker game while in the Army.

Fast forward a few years into the 70s, and Rick moved to Atlanta.

Rick credits Atlanta concert promoter pioneer Alex Cooley for his successful break into the industry. With Cooley’s Electric Ballroom, The Great Southeast Music Hall, and other hot and happening venues for live music in those days, Rick was working seven nights a week!

Rick guesses he photographed about 10,000 concerts in his career. His number one rule: all access, or no photos. He always delivered. We’ve all seen those shots of musicians who sweat on themselves, the equipment, stage and fans as the players give their all on a song. Rick was one of the guys who got those shots.

join the band the Eagles following the final concert. They met them in an ambulance, which was a

Top, Rick Diamond, Above, Willie Nelson and Diamond (Photos courtesy of Diamond)

I’ve seen Rick at work numerous times over the years.

He’s a good, cool guy, always a pro. His personality and laidback demeanor helped his career immensely. Major record labels began using you when “big names” get used to having you around.

Rick still has the bond with major artists from those days that still exists today. Most photographers never have this experience.

In the late 70’s after a threenight stint in the Omni, Rick and a record label exec were invited to

clever way to sneak away from a venue. The ambulance took them to one of the smaller airports in the area – Rick isn’t sure which one – and once there, they boarded the Eagles private plane and were “kidnapped” for a few days.

The first stop was in Birmingham, Ala. Bandleaders Don Henley and Glenn Frey were relaxed and cool with Rick being on the flight and were comfortable with him taking candid photos, Rick remembers. They wound up in Cincinnati, Ohio. After that

show, Rick was “allowed” to leave.

An interesting side note about this show: Rick remembers that the Eagles manager, Irving Azoff, would walk around a venue before a show to check it out. In Cincinnati, he noticed groups of people pressed against the doors before showtime because they wanted to rush in to get the best seats at the general admission show. Azoff sensed danger and announced that the Cincinnati show would be the Eagles’ final concert with general admission tickets. Not too much later, the Who played a sold-out, general admission show in Cincinnati and, while the band was doing a soundcheck, fans who had assembled early mistakenly thought the concert had started early and hundreds began to press their way in through the doors.

Eleven people died of asphyxiation after being trampled. Scores of others had serious injuries.

Some other notable names Rick was close to in those days include Jon Bon Jovi, Michael Bolton, Mohammed Ali, Jacob Dylan of the Wallflowers, and more names I can “drop” on his behalf.

With his industry connections, Rick was the photographer for the Grammy Awards for more than 20 years. He’s a well-known figure in Nashville after spending years photographing country artists.

He’s photographed major sports figures, presidents and former presidents, actors, comedians, news anchors and other legends.

I had the privilege of looking through a few thousand of his photos, and I can’t count the number of times I said, “Oh wow!”

If you’d like to view a few, you can do so on the Rick Diamond Photography Facebook Page.

Rick retired in 2019. He lives in metro Atlanta. COVID-19 slowed his travel, like it did for the rest of us, but he’s anticipating laid-back road trips to see the country. Of course, he’ll take photographs. He may be retired, but he still lifts the camera when he wants to.

Every picture does tell a story.

What amazing stories Rick’s photos tell.

JUNE 2021 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

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Most Georgians stayed close to home during 2020 because of COVID-19. But as lockouts loosen and virus vaccinations increase, some are seeking new ways to get out and about again. There are many road trips that make for fun weekend getaways from Atlanta by car. But another, often overlooked, way to travel is to ride the rails.

“I love traveling by train,” said Jeff Morrison, an Atlanta resident and author of Atlanta Underground: History from Below. “It’s more relaxing than going by plane and it’s a great way to see the country.”

Amtrak from New York to New Orleans

The Crescent is the only Amtrak line that provides service to Atlanta. It travels nearly 1,400 miles from New York to New Orleans and along the way, according to Amtrak, the quasi-public corporation that operates many of the country’s passenger trains, “gives travelers a unique window to the beauty and heritage of the American South.”

Kimberly Woods, public relations manager for Amtrak, said that since last October, the Crescent had been operating three days a week. “Due to COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting decrease in travel demand, most Amtrak longdistance routes began operating tri-weekly,” she said.

The Crescent was to resume its daily schedule on June 7. And it’s worth remembering that Amtrak offers a 10% discount to riders 65 years old and older on most trains.

Morrison has traveled on Amtrak’s Crescent and shared what he knows. “The train leaves Atlanta early in the day, and you arrive in New Orleans in the evening,” he said. “It’s the same for the ride home: you leave New Orleans in the morning and get to Atlanta in the evening.”

Riders should keep in mind that they’ll be traveling for two days, he said. Morrison said riders get a good glimpse of the towns along the way as they travel through them.

The Amtrak Crescent schedule lists the stations on Atlanta-New Orleans route. They include Anniston, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa in Alabama; Meridian and Hattiesburg in Mississippi and Slidell in Louisiana, before reaching the Big Easy’s Union Passenger The Crescent

Photo courtesy of Amtrak

Terminal.

“You can also go north to Washington, D.C.,” Morrison said.

“In that case, the train leaves Atlanta in the evening and travels through the night to arrive in D.C. in the mid-morning.” The return trip follows the same schedule, leaving D.C. in the evening and arriving in Atlanta early in the day, he said. And again, it’s two days of travel.

“You don’t get any scenery, since it’s dark,” Morrison continued. “You can ride coach or get a roomette and sleep through the journey.” He suggested that travelers consider leaving Atlanta on Friday night, spend the night sleeping in a roomette on the train and arrive Saturday morning ready to tour the sights in Washington. It may even be worthwhile to stay in a hotel Saturday night and enjoy Sunday in D.C. before heading home that night, he said.

Again, there are lots of options for stopovers along the way.

Amtrak stations include Gainesville and Toccoa in Georgia; Greenville and Spartanburg in South Carolina; Charlotte and Greensboro in North Carolina; and Lynchburg, Charlottesville and Alexandria in Virginia.

From Washington, D.C., the Crescent runs to New York’s Penn Station. Stations on the way include Baltimore in Maryland; Wilmington in Delaware; Philadelphia in Pennsylvania; and Trenton and Newark in New Jersey.

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Future plans for Amtrak

“For a town [such as Atlanta] that is known as the center of train lines, it’s odd that there’s only one [passenger] train line that travels through it,” Morrison said. “And there’s no direct way to get to Chicago — or Chattanooga or Florida. You have to connect through Washington, D.C.” In the 1970s, U.S. train lines were consolidated into the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, the entity also known as Amtrak, he said. While it operates as a nonprofit, Amtrak receives state and federal subsidies; its service covers 500 destinations in 46 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.

Woods stressed that Amtrak is working on plans to expand, which could mean more rail connections with Atlanta. “We recently announced our vision to grow service and connect new city pairs across America to rise to the urgent challenges of our time by providing new and improved train service for 20 million more riders,” she said.

“This vision includes increasing rail options with service from Atlanta to Charlotte, Nashville and even Savannah,” Woods said, adding that it’s too early to determine specific stops and other details of the routes. “If Congress provides sufficient funding to Amtrak, we will work with state and local partners, as well as with the [the federal Department of Transportation], to improve existing and to build new corridors.”

children (ages 2-12) to deluxe seats at $49.99 per person, which include a drink ticket and snack seating at tables and chairs.

Another popular SAM Shortline trip is The Presidential Flyer. The route includes a layover in Plains, Ga., and a visit to President Jimmy Carter’s boyhood farm. Prices run from Coach, $39.99 for adults and $29.99 for children, to $119.99 per person for the Chairman’s Class, which includes business class seating, lunch, snacks and drinks.

Go to the company’s website for information on other events and trips.

The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway travels a round-trip of 26 miles along the Toccoa River and through the Chattahoochee National Forest. It stops at Blue Ridge and McCaysville, Ga., and Copper Hill, Tenn. The railway has a variety of trips planned through 2021.

Tennessee Valley trains

Morrison made sure to mention the Tennessee Valley Railroad in Chattanooga. “They have some weekend trains that go a few miles in Chattanooga,” he said. “A few times a year, they offer rides on a

steam engine train to Summerville, Ga.” The Tennessee Valley Railroad has a list of rides planned for 2021, including the Chickamauga Turn, a six-hour ride that takes passengers to the historic Civil War town of Chickamauga, Ga., where they can tour and shop during the 90-minute layover. There are several ticket options, from Coach with a boxed lunch for $55 per seat to Pullman Compartment for $190, which includes two tickets, snacks, beverages and a dining car luncheon.

The Summerville Steam Special is a nine-hour trip on a steam locomotive train from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Summerville, Ga. and back. Costs range from $70 per person for coach with no meal to $115-$130 (depending on season) for Pullman Compartment Rider, which includes breakfast and lunch in the dining car.

Other Tennessee Valley Railroad trips include the Hiwassee Loop and Missionary Ridge Local.

A little further east, The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad starts in Bryson City, N.C., and winds

through western North Carolina to various destinations.

Their Steam of the Smokies offers two excursions, Tuckasegee River and Nantahala Gorge, aboard a train pulled by a #1702 locomotive that dates to 1942.

Prices range from open air gondola and coach seats for $65 per adult and $40 per child (2-12 years old) to adults-only First Class for $113 per seat. Upcharges of $2 to $4 are common in October.

Other Great Smoky Mountain Railroad trips include diesel excursions and the Carolina Shine Moon Shine Experience.

ALL ABOARD!

For more information on travel on various nearby train lines, check their web pages: ■ Amtrak: www.amtrak.com ■ Blue Ridge Scenic Railway: brscenic.com ■ Great Smoky Mountain Railroad: gsmr.com ■ The SAM Shortline: samshortline.com ■ Tennessee Valley Railroad: tvrail.com

Local train rides

While the Amtrak Crescent offers the only multi-state passenger train service, there are some other places scattered around Georgia that offer a chance to try at more localized passenger train rides.

“In middle Georgia, there’s the SAM Shortline,” Morrison said.

“And there’s the Blue Ridge train.

You have to drive to it, but it’s scenic and goes through woods.”

The SAM Shortline Railroad runs 1949 vintage train cars from Cordele to Archery, Ga., and offers events and ride packages on select weekends. For example, the Sumter Explorer is a full-day trip that runs from Georgia Veterans State Park in Cordele to Plains, Ga. and back. It includes layovers at Plains and Americus and at the Rural Telephone Museum in Leslie, Ga. The cost ranges from coach seats at $39.99 for adults, $36.99 seniors (62+) and $29.99 for

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JUNE 2021 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

15

GARDENING

Creating ecologically mosquito-free gardens in June June is here and Mother Nature is turning up the heat. With plenty of rain in May, there should be plenty of green in the garden. May showers create a major growth

THE ENVIRONMENTAL GARDENER Greg Levine, co-executive director of Trees Atlanta, describes himself as happiest when his hands are in the dirt. spurt in healthy established plants. This also creates more habitat for huge growth of other living things, including mosquitoes.

To enjoy your garden during warm months, managing

Spigelia marilandica

mosquitos is important.

Spraying mosquitoes kills more than the intended targets, including pollinators and beneficial insects that eat damaging pests. Instead, there are other ways to reduce the mosquito population without spraying chemicals.

■ Be diligent to eliminate standing water, make sure pipes and gutters drain, and use mosquito dunks for standing water in tanks and birdbaths.

Dunks contain BTI (a bacteria) that kill the mosquito larvae with little or no collateral damage to other living things. Replenish dunks monthly.

A famous entomologist once suggested to me that my neighbors could create a system of buckets with rainwater, a bit of wheat straw, and the dunks.

Mosquito larvae that form in the buckets with the dunks are neutered from reproducing future generations. The theory is, if you can keep the system going throughout summer, you’ll significantly reduce the mosquito population while not harming other living things.

■ Bluebird and bat houses can also help. Bats eat between 6,000 and 8,000 insects a night.

Most plants don’t eat mosquitoes, but if you’re really looking for a challenge, try to grow some pitcher plants.

Sarracenia species are extremely cool plants, and they really do

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JUNE 2021 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

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Sourwood

Indian Pink- Spigelia marilandica

eat bugs. Kids and adults alike love them, but they need special growing conditions to live.

Pitcher plants need full sun, constant moisture from regular watering (best to use collected rainwater), and a specific sand and peat mixture to grow in. This sounds a bit more difficult than it is. Once you get your bog set up, easy maintenance becomes a

to two of my homes, sadly dying after 23 years after I planted it in really dry shade.

As long as I am talking favorites, I’ll add to this month’s list of plants my favorite native shrub that blooms in May and June. Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) puts on a show for about nine months, some might say even longer.

Their flower Hydrangea quercifolia “panicles,” loose, branching clusters of flowers, go from white to pink and dry very nicely on the plant or in a vase to extend the show.

They don’t like heavy clay and are not habit and pays dividends in the tolerant of wet, poorly drained pleasure it brings. soil. They can take light shade ■ Replace your English ivy. and morning-to-early afternoon Thickets of ivy become mosquito sun. There are many excellent habitats. cultivars, including many soReplace ivy with other Junecalled dwarfs, but as I was taught blooming plants, such as shade

by Michael Dirr, the famous loving Indian pink (Spigelia horticulturist, plants don’t read marilandica). On a good day, books and dwarf cultivars like it is my favorite perennial.

‘Pee Wee’ can still grow to 6 feet Hummingbirds love its red tall. A couple of favorite oakleafs tubular flowers with a yellow star include ‘Ruby Slippers,’ with its gracing the top. Indian pink is sturdy blooms fading to a dark pretty tough and long-lived, and pink, and the double-flowering it can grow in shady areas and in ‘Snowflake’. almost full sun, if the soil stays Dirr also said that the moist. sourwood (Oxydendrum In the fourth grade, I saved arboretum) is the south’s secondan Indian pink plant from a new most beautiful flowering tree. It subdivision and its imminent has white flowering panicles or death. It lived under pine shade racemes that are favorites of bees, for 18 years. It moved with me a beautiful winter silhouette, and

striking red to orange fall color.

Like the number one flowering native tree, dogwood (Cornus florida), they are a challenge to grow. They need moist, welldrained soil with plenty of

organic matter, similar to what native azaleas need.

Once you implement your mosquito plan, there is plenty to love about gardening in June.

JUNE 2021 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

17

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A night at the opera beneath the big top

Atlanta Opera patrons Carla and Randall Bailey do a bit of tailgating before a recent performance.

Text and photos

by Isadora Pennington Once the COVID-19 pandemic started requiring performing

arts groups to shut down performances last year, the general and artistic director of the Atlanta Opera, Tomer Zvulun, began to think outside the box,

Tomer Zvulun, the Atlanta Opera’s general and artistic director, waits outside the tent before the show begins.

and then — well, just outside.

“At the start of the pandemic, many things were unknown and the information was constantly changing. But one thing remained

true throughout — outdoors was safer than indoors,” explained Greg Euston, a representative for the Atlanta Opera.

The idea of open-air shows

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led Zvulun to a different notion: opera beneath a tent.

Last fall, the opera performed its first shows in the “Big Tent Series” in an open-sided tent pitched at Oglethorpe University.

In April and May, the opera took up temporary residence in a massive striped circus tent in a parking lot of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center.

The open-sided tent covered a full stage and socially distanced seating. Surrounded by tech tents, trailers and table settings, the tent allowed the opera troupe to present scaled-down versions of “The Threepenny Opera” by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, and a trimmed version of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” renamed “The Threepenny Carmen.”

“When the sides are rolled up,” Euston said, “the tent serves as a pavilion — a roof without walls — that lets fresh air wash through at all times.”

In order to appropriately and adequately respond to the risks posed by the pandemic, Zvulun established a Health & Safety Advisory Task Force of epidemiologists, public health specialists, and doctors led by Dr. Carlos del Rio, a professor of medicine at Emory University, to advise him on continuing operations safely.

Those precautions included mandatory health checks, face masks for guests, cast, and crew, spacing between seats and groups in line, a covered but otherwise fully open setting for optimum air flow, and even booths on the stage in which performers can sing. One such booth is designed

like a telephone booth, cleverly incorporating it into the setting for the play.

The stage itself appears to be permanent, but a closer look reveals a complex assembly custom-built to sit flat on the pavement. It provides a long walkway that juts out into the audience, large screens behind the main performance space and

a backstage area.

From a separate tent, a pareddown orchestra performed. Each musician was surrounded by plexiglass dividers and could play their instruments without sharing air with one another, all while watching the conductor.

In addition to acquiring and outfitting the massive tent and surrounding tents and trailers,

Zvulun also quickly enlisted 18 professionals based locally or otherwise connected to Georgia through the Atlanta Opera Company Players or the Glynn Studio Players. These ensembles feature established singers as well as ones just starting their careers and the work meant they could have paying work and access to healthcare during the pandemic.

JUNE 2021 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

19

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

New Worlds

Illuminarium will create ‘cinematic immersion’ on the BeltLine this summer

By Collin Kelley Want to get up close with elephants, lions and giraffes on an African safari? How about taking a walk on the moon? Or maybe sip a cocktail inside a Rousseau painting? All of that will possible this July when Illuminarium Experiences opens on the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail.

Using the most advanced projection, sound, and

augmented reality technology for a “cinematic immersion” into different worlds, the 30,000 square foot attraction will be located inside Poncey-Highland’s Common Ground development, also home to New Realm Brewing and TWO urban licks, and just a short walk to Ponce City Market.

CEO Alan Greenberg – the former publisher of Esquire magazine and founder of Avenues: The World School, among other global endeavors – feels like he’s got a tiger by the tail with what will soon be an international entertainment company. More Illiuminariums are coming to Las Vegas, Miami, and Asia soon, but Greenberg said Atlanta was the perfect place to launch and be the company’s world headquarters.

“We originally planned to open in New York City, but I love the vibe of Atlanta, so we decided to open ‘off-Broadway,’” Greenberg said. “We looked around the Georgia Aquarium for a space, but nothing was big enough. When we saw this space at Common Ground, we knew it was the

20

perfect place to start.”

That “perfect place” contains 30,000 square feet of space and soaring 22-foot ceilings. The main “spectacle” – as Greenberg calls it – will be projected inside an 8,000 square foot room where visitors are completely surrounded by a massive 360×360 canvas projecting images so clear you might be inclined to step back as a lion jumps from its rocky perch. As a herd of elephants approaches, you’ll feel them coming thanks to haptics in the floor. When you’re strolling across the surface of the moon, be sure to look down: your feet will be leaving tracks and kicking up clouds of dust.

Sounds and even scents will also take visitors deeper into the experience.

Greenberg said he was inspired by the Atelier des Lumières in Paris and Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Room” installations, and even the original immersive experience, Atlanta’s own Cyclorama.

When Illuminarium opens this summer, the premiere spectacle will be “Wild: A Safari Experience” created by partner Radical Media during three trips to Africa.

The films were shot in 8K, so the resolution is startling in its clarity. Take a selfie for Instagram and it will look like you’re on a grassy savanna in Kenya as a murmuration of bats swoops and dives among the acacia trees. Kids are sure to be thrilled and awed by the experience, and Greenberg said there will be special field trip opportunities for kindergartners through high schoolers.

Early next year, “Spacewalk” will zoom guests out into our solar system and beyond to see the comets of the Kuiper belt, the celestial wonder of stellar Nebula,

JUNE 2021 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

and for a stroll across the red surface of Mars. Greenberg said a new spectacle will be introduced around every six months.

At night, a smaller theater will be transformed into what Greenberg calls “the coolest bar in Atlanta” with the same capabilities to transport visitors anywhere. At Illuminarium After Dark, you’ll be able to sip a glass of wine and dine on a small plate on a Tokyo street or deep inside a lush forest or amid undulating jellyfish. There will also be an outdoor patio overlooking the BeltLine serving up food and drinks while you wait your turn or to wind down after the experience.

An ever-changing retail shop will feature the usual key chains, magnets, and mugs, but also artisan goods made by crafters from around the world, including Africa for the premiere of “Wild.”

Illuminarium has also partnered with global conservation organization, WildArk, to work collaboratively with local partners and communities to protect prioritized wildlife, biodiversity and ecosystems around the world.

Greenberg said the company will donate a portion of all ticket and merchandising revenue annually to WildArk. With $60 million in investment capital, Greenberg has assembled

a team of global partners. Along with Radical Media producing content, his partners include Legends, which operates more than 150 venues and attractions around the world including The View from The Shard in London and the One World Trade Center observatory; award-winning architecture and design firm Rockwell Group; and Panasonic, which is developing new technology for Illuminarium to test in its “lab space” also located on the BeltLine.

Leading a tour of the stillunder-construction space in mid-April, Greenberg predicted Illuminarium will be “one of Atlanta’s greatest attractions” and draw families from around the southeast to see it. He said parking for the attraction in the densely packed Poncey-Highland area would be handled with shuttles, off-site parking, and plans to utilize a 2,000 square foot parking deck at New City’s Fourth Ward project (future home of Mailchimp) across the BeltLine.

“There needs to be more to do in Atlanta, and we’re going to bring people the world and beyond,” Greenberg said.

Tickets, which will range in price from $30 to $40, will be available in early May at illuminarium.com.

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BOOKS

A six-pack of summer reads

Looking for some summer reading that’s entertaining, intriguing and informative?

These six titles could fill the bill.

By Michele Ross

FICTION The Fiancee

Kate White (Harper, paper, $16.99) Struggling Manhattan actress Summer, husband Gabe, and Gabe’s son hope that their annual family vacation at the country estate of Gabe’s parents will be a relaxing break for them all. But when Gabe’s brother shows up with a new woman, Hannah, Summer is on edge. She recognizes Hannah from a showcase they did together, but Hannah denies knowing Summer. Other strange things happen, but after a murder, Summer risks her family ties to find the truth. White, a former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, knows her way around this crowd, with realistic characters and fresh dialogue.

NON-FICTION Finding the Mother Tree. Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest.

Suzanne Simard (Knopf, $28.95)

Anyone who enjoys a walk in the woods, or even a summer drive looking at lush expanses of tree, will enjoy this fascinating description of what’s really going on in forests. The author, a scientist and professor of forest ecology, posits that trees “are a interdependent circle of life; that forests are social cooperative creatures connected through underground networks.” The best part is that you don’t have to be a scientist to enjoy this accessible, loving ode (complete with photos) to trees, and all of nature.

The Social Graces

The Newcomer

It’s 1876, and in the highest reaches of Manhattan society, none is higher than Caroline Astor. But Alva Vanderbilt, who thought her marriage to William Vanderbilt would mean that she too would be accepted, has a lot to learn. “The Social Graces” traces the lives of these women, and society, through several decades. The author of several historical novels, Rosen has done her research and it shows.

You know it’s summer when a new Mary Kay Andrews novel appears, and this is another of her trademark combination of realism, romance, wit and insight. Letty Carnahan is on the run with her young niece Maya, after the murder of Letty’s sister. They take refuge in a Florida motel, the Murmuring Surf. However, the Surf is the winter home of some retirees and snowbirds who are not pleased with their presence. Oh, and did I mention there’s a handsome cop in the picture?

Other People’s Words. Wisdom for an inspired and productive life

Florence Stories

Renee Rosen (Berkley, paper, $17)

Seth M. Siegel (St. Martin’s, hardcover, $19.99)

This lively, fun little book of quotes may help improve your life—or just make you more interesting at parties (when we can start safely going to them).

If you’re despairing about the state of the world, you may enjoy Albert Einstein’s take on stupidity: “The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.” Tired of being home with the TV? Here’s what Groucho Marx said: “I find television very educational. Every time someone turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”

And if you’ve just about to go on that family vacation, remember what Mary Karr said: “A dysfunctional family is any family with more than one person in it.”

Mary Kay Andrews (St. Martin’s, hardcover, $28.99)

Edited by Ella Carr (Knopf. Hardcover. $18.)

This Everyman Pocket Classic is as lovely as the city it celebrates—sleek, diverse and beautiful.

Collected here are comments on the city from famous writers, from Dante Alighieri in “The Divine Comedy” to George Eliot, E.M. Forster, Somerset Maugham and all the way to Salman Rushdie. Mark Twain, typically dry, shares an account of getting lost in the city, and after being stopped by soldiers, concluded, “My experiences of Florence were chiefly unpleasant. I will change the subject.” This volume—and who doesn’t love an Everyman Pocket Classic, complete with bookmark?— will evoke memories of a trip there, or whet your appetite for future travel.

JUNE 2021 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

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Rough Draft is a new, morning email from the editors of Atlanta Senior Life.

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JUNE 2021 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

PERSONAL SAFETY

To avoid scams, take time to think the situation through Well, May is in the books and we survived another pollen-apalooza where, as divided as this country seems at times, we are all unified in Georgia by our green cars, itchy eyes, congestion, and headaches.

It does, however, signal the end of the winter cold and the arrival of the Gods of Humidity who, in my case, bestow on me the ability to sweat enough for three showers minimum every day. I can make the short walk to the mailbox and return looking like I just crossed the Sahara.

STAY SAFE Steve Rose is a retired Sandy Springs Police Captain, veteran Fulton County police officer and freelance writer. He is the author the book “Why Do My Mystic Journeys Always Lead to the Waffle House?” and the column “View from a Cop.”

In the spirit of Mr. Blackwell’s list of best dressed, AARP came out with a list of the hottest frauds right now. Some have been discussed before and some are new.

How about Zoom phishing?

If you use Zoom often enough, this one may sneak up on you.

You receive an email stating your account is suspended or that you missed an important meeting. To correct it, a link is provided.

The link, of course, is the trick. It’s intended to download malicious software to search for personal information. Needless to say: don’t click the link.

Zoom’s real website is www. zoom.us. You can always verify if you suspect fraudulent activity.

I use Zoom rarely, mostly because I look worse every time I see myself on video. If the light is just right, I look amazingly like Boris Karloff. Not easy to pull off.

Another new way scammers have found to rip people off during the pandemic involves copying vaccine cards posted

online. Here is a hint: don’t post your vaccine card on your social media. Your information is on the card. Scammers surfing Facebook and Instagram will see your information. Just tell your family and friends that you got the shot, if that seems necessary.

A more familiar hack is the online shopping fraud. The site looks legit, complete with the company logo and an offer of great prices and limited deals, but before you go all in, check the site with the Better Business Bureau’s online directory at www.bbb.org.

Then there are the online romance scams. Apparently, scammers are branching out from dating sites in their quest for victims. Now they’re showing up in online prayer groups, book clubs, and game sites such as Words with Friends.

According to one recent article, con artists can lure victims into sites such as Google Hangouts or Facebook Messenger, where they eventually hit up their new friends for money. Lonely soldier overseas, or the doctor in another country who used his own funds to help heal the sick and now has no money to get back to the states, and to you, of course. Sometimes, these online communications last months, meaning the scammer can hone his skills.

Medicare fraud showed a significant increase with the onset of the virus. Pandemicrelated services including Medicare cards with chips and vaccine upgrades for relatives that are promised, but require verification of the intended victim’s Medicare number.

Regardless how they approach you, by phone, email or in person, hang up, delete, and shut the door. COVID-19 vaccines are free. Never give your Medicare number out and remember Medicare will not contact you soliciting services for a fee.

Venmo, PayPal, Zell, and other cash-transfer services also are popular — meaning subject

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to fraud. One such con is the “accidental transfer,” in which the scammers sends hundreds of dollars to your account from a stolen credit card, then notify you the transfer was “accidental” and should be refunded. Seeing this as an honest mistake, you send the funds. Eventually, the money from the stolen credit card is removed from your account and you are out the money that you sent. If you see “Accidental Transfer” on your e-mail, get your guard up.

As always, hackers want to scam you using Social Security.

One such attempt involves contacting the intended victim, informing them their Social Security number was used in a crime and the victim is subject to arrest. For instance, they may say your number was used to rent a car that was used to transport drugs and the DEA is on the way to your home to arrest you unless you send money to take care of the rental fee or “legal” matters.

The phone number used is often “spoofed” to appear to be from Washington, D.C. or New York.

The goal is to hit you with this information, demand a quick response to keep you from giving the situation time so that you can think things out. Remember that if this message, any message, is that important, they will call back.

Text messaging cons are similar to the email scams.

We expect them to appear occasionally on email, but not as a text message. It is the same goal. A link is left for you to click on. Don’t click on it. Time is always in your favor. Take time to think.

One more thing, don’t cut corners on the installing and maintaining of your security software. So, in the words of the great comedian George Carlin, “May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.”

We call it home.

MARGY MANCHESTER

Resident since 2006 “I’ve been involved with the community since 1960 and I was on the very first board here at Saint Anne’s Terrace. It’s a beautiful part of town and the best part about living here is the wonderful family atmosphere in which everyone gets along.”

Join us for an In-Person Tour Monday – Friday, 9:00am -1:00pm Or call us to schedule a Virtual Tour at your convenience

• Serving Buckhead community for over 30 years • Minutes from OK Café • Quiet residential neighborhood • Apartments tailored to personal needs

CALL US TO SCHEDULE YOUR VISIT 3100 Northside Parkway, NW Atlanta 30327 www.saintannesterrace.org • 404-238-9200

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55 OR OLDER, UNEMPLOYED AND LOOKING FOR WORK?

WE CAN HELP! For more than 50 years, AARP Foundation Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) has provided people over age 55 with opportunities to fill entry-level and mid-level positions with employers in their communities.

HOW IT WORKS SCSEP trainees are placed in a variety of community service activities at nonprofit and public facilities like day care and senior centers, schools and hospitals.

This on-the-job training experience can be a bridge to find employment opportunities outside of the program.

Participants work an average of 20 hours a week and are paid the highest federal, state or local minimum wage.

WHO’S ELIGIBLE? You must be age 55 or older, unemployed and financially qualified. Please contact your local office to learn more about the financial qualifications.

AARP Foundation SCSEP program (CFDA 17.235) is funded with $77,808,096 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Labor. This funding provides 90% of the support for SCSEP, with the AARP Foundation matching 10% ($8.774,913 million). AARP Foundation operates in 21 states and Puerto Rico.

INTERESTED? Contact your local SCSEP

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JUNE 2021 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com

OTHER BENEFITS We provide participants with training and support services that are important for funding future employment. The services include Individual Employment Plan (IEP) development, specialized training to prepare for placements, wages and fringe benefits, annual physicals and assistance in securing future employment.

WHAT KINDS OF JOBS ARE AVAILABLE? You could be placed in a wide variety of community service positions at both nonprofit and public facilities including day care and senior centers, governmental agencies, schools, hospitals and libraries. These training assignments help build the skills and experience needed to obtain future employment. Additional training through lectures, seminars, one-on-one instruction, training programs and community colleges may also be provided

L earn more at aarpfoundation.org

AARP Foundation Senior Community Services Employment Program 1718 Peachtree St., NW, Suite 991 South Atlanta, Georgia 30309 (404) 892-4446 office (404) 892-4464 fax 4319 Covington Highway, Suite 204 Decatur, Georgia 30035 (678) 919-8283 office (678) 949-5126 fax

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