Douglasville Impact - Spring 2022

MAYOR’S GREETING

Welcome to our Douglasville Impact Newsletter. For this issue, we are focusing on showing our great city some love and attention. There are so many different things to love in our city from our amazing downtown restaurants and businesses to our wonderful city parks! We also provide great amenities like our Conference Center, West Pines Golf Club, and so much more! We are truly blessed here in the City of Douglasville to have a little something for everyone.

We’re excited to celebrate the City’s 147th Birthday in February! Make sure to follow our social media pages and our website at www.douglasvillega.gov to find out how you can share your love for our wonderful city.

Finally, looking to the future, we will have even more to love. Construction has started on our Town Green Amphitheater and I can’t wait to bring amazing concerts, festivals, events, and so much more to Douglasville. Right now is a great time to be in our city. There are so many wonderful things that are happening and that will be coming up in the future including new initiatives for our Public Safety Department so that our city residents feel comfortable as they live, work, and play in Douglasville. I, for one, am so glad that you all are along with us for this amazing ride!

God Bless you and your families!

1920s-30s

Crowd standing outside of Douglasville Banking Company (which is currently Douglasville Convention & Visitors Bureau). During this time, Price Avenue ended at Broad Street.

1894

The Class of 1894 from Douglasville College where the Armory currently is located.

1939/1940

Hoke Bearden’s store which is currently the Precedence Building. Later Hoke Bearden moved his store up the street to the Hutcheson building, where Gumbeaux’s is located today.

Mayor Rochelle Robinson City of Douglasville

1956

Clock tower: This photo, taken in the Campbellton and Broad intersection, shows the second floor of the third building heading west along that block. The floor was lost to fire and never replaced. You can also see the clock tower of the Douglas County Courthouse built in 1896 and lost to fire in 1956. Currently the clock tower is located in front of the Douglasville Conference Center.

2022

Veterans

A heartfelt thank you to Lisa Cooper for supplying us with detailed facts and photos for this column. You can find extensive history on Lisa Cooper’s “Every Now and Then” Facebook Page as well as her books “Douglasville” (2014) and “Every Now and Then - The Amazing Stories of Douglas County, Vol. 1” (2016) available at the Douglas County Museum of History and Art, The Farmer’s Table, and on Amazon.

1940s

1976

Parks and Wayne Brown sitting along Campbellton Street.

Residents enjoying activities at Hunter Park.

O’Neal Plaza from Church Street and Price Avenue intersection.

Memorial Highway.

Love Local Arts

Since 1986, the Cultural Arts Council Douglasville/ Douglas County (CAC) has been the primary arts producer and promoter in Douglas County. Their 1901 house, on the Historic Register, provides a cordial atmosphere for nine art exhibits each year, promoting local and regional student and working artists. Arts in Education is the primary focus of the CAC, producing two week-long Arts Camps annually, teaching art and music classes at their site, and providing artists to the Douglas County School System for in-school programs, such as “Family ARTSventures”. The “Pop Up Arts Shop”

serves as an incubator for upcoming local artists to sell their works of art. The CAC also serves as a welcome center providing tourists information about the area. The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Cheers to the Arts, Arts Camps, Camp Scholarships, and two major community-wide festivals (Chili Cook Off and Taste of Douglasville) are all programs implemented throughout the year by the CAC.

Celebrating over 35 years of service, the Cultural Arts Council presents a sophisticated and diverse mix of all kinds of programs: monthly exhibits, free outdoor concerts on O’Neal Plaza and House concerts at the Arts Council, arts education in schools, hands-on workshops and classes for children and adults, gallery talks, book signings and readings!

Artists were invited to submit designs based upon the theme “Love Where You Live” in Douglasville l Douglas County. Inspired by the new public art project which seeks to celebrate the bond between the community and local businesses, fiberglass hand-painted hearts will roam the Douglasville l Douglas County community, all with creative designs from artists. These colorful, original sculptures were designed as an artistic focal point reflecting the community’s values, history, and bond. In addition, these sculptures will be a tourism driver and a selfie destination spot in high This public art project features 14 fiberglass heart sculptures, displayed throughout the community, and painted by local artists. Hunt for Hearts at the following locations: Hunter Park, Jessie Davis Park, Fire Station #10, O’Neal Plaza, Connally, Jordan & Associates, Anchor Heating & Air, Dog River Library, Douglas Library, Wellstar Pediatric Emergency Department, Douglas County Courthouse, Stallings Insurance Agency, Boundary Waters Aquatic Center, Fowler Field and the Cultural Arts Center.

“Love Where You Live” is a bold, inventive way for business owners to help the CAC continue to support and promote public art within the community of Douglasville and Douglas County. This project offers an opportunity to be a part of an exciting campaign that champions the arts, energizes the community, and makes a statement throughout the region. It is a chance to help create a world of unfettered opportunity where the best and the brightest can make their marks, impact their local communities and contribute to a more competitive Douglas County. This project is funded by grant monies requested by the Douglasville Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) through the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the CAC’s Public Art Fund.

The purpose of public art is not only to enrich the community and improve our quality of life through its ability to enrich an environment but also to ignite the imagination, encourage thought and to prompt discourse. Public art benefits the community through placemaking, bringing people together, and can be used as a tool in economic development. Public art can also strengthen personal connections to one’s community.

downtown spotlight

Gabe’s Downtown is a classic Louisiana Bistro with a casual atmosphere. It was born November 14th, 2006 by two Louisiana natives, Gabe and Tami Toups. Their mission is to provide guests with complete satisfaction. They achieve this with their staff being knowledgeable and educated about all their products, serving the best food in West Georgia using the freshest ingredients with progressive preparation, and providing quality service in a professional atmosphere.

Gabe’s Downtown offers a full service bar serving specialty martinis, draft and bottled beer, and a competitive wine list. The menu is extensive for this fifteen table bistro offering a wide array of seafood, steak, chicken, along with specialty soups

and salads. Their staff will take the time to guide you through our menu and drink list to create your perfect dining experience.

Gabe’s Downtown also hosts monthly wine dinners and cooking classes. They are open most holidays featuring a specialty, reservation only menu. They also cater our delicious food and impeccable service anywhere in Georgia.

Gabe and Tami strive for you to feel their passion for food through every bite. They want you to experience life as they did growing up-enjoying the company of family and good friends over a delicious meal. Gabe’s Downtown is a restaurant where every customer arrives as a guest and leaves as family.

ShopLocal.BuyLocal.SupportLocal.Everyoneisencouragedto supportourlocalDouglasvillebusinesses.

Blu Rose Art Bistro

12441VeteransMemorialHwy Douglasville,GA30134

FROM THE CITY MANAGER’S DESK

As you can see from all the articles in this newsletter, there is so much to love about Douglasville.

From our amazing small businesses to the big corporations like Google, Bang, and Microsoft (and many others), we show our appreciation for business growth. We support and value our local entities like the Cultural Arts Council, Elevate Douglas, and the numerous nonprofit organizations we have in our community. We love all the amenities and events that we can provide for you, our citizens.

Here at the City, we strive to make Douglasville a place that you can be proud of and that you love calling home. As the Mayor mentioned in her article, right now is a great time to reside in Douglasville. We have many great things on the horizon and are constantly thinking of ways to continue providing excellent service and amenities to all of you, our citizens.

We would not be able to do all these amazing things without you, so thank you for showing up to community input meetings, council meetings, and sharing your feedback.

I hope that you will consider joining us for the Douglasville Birthday Celebration on Friday, February 25th, and celebrate where Douglasville has been in the past, where we are currently, and where we are headed in the future!

Creek State Park is definitely our favorite “hidden gem” but, since the pandemic began, it’s not as hidden as it used to be. There are so many places to get information about upcoming events: the Sentinel, the Chamber of Commerce, the Cultural Arts Council, Chapel Hill News & Views, Patch.com, and the City of Douglasville’s Facebook page are our favorites. Just following those organizations and publications on social media will keep you in the know so you stay engaged with local art & cultural events.

FEBRUARY 25 • 5-8PM

Douglasville is celebrating it’s 147th Birthday! Join us on Friday, February 25th at the Douglasville Conference Center from 5:00 pm8:00 pm for a Birthday Celebration including: backstage tours of City Hall, Free samplings from Proof of the Pudding Catering, your chance to win MAJOR raffle prizes, a photo booth for all the selfies, and so much more! Afterwards, keep the party going by showing some love to our downtown restaurants for dinner!

For more information about this event and all the City has to offer, visit us at DouglasvilleGa.gov.

Let’s connect

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DOUGLASVILLE IMPACT

www.DouglasvilleGA.gov

The Douglasville City Council

ROCHELLE ROBINSON

Mayor 678-449-3000 robinsonr@douglasvillega.gov

NYCOLE MILLER

Ward 2, Post 1 678-449-3012 millern@douglasvillega.gov

DR. LASHUN BURR-DANLEY

Ward 3, Post 1 678-449-3006 danleyl@douglasvillega.gov

COACH CHRIS WATTS Ward 4 678-449-3014 wattsc@douglasvillega.gov

TERRY S. MILLER

Ward 1 678-449-3002 millert@douglasvillega.gov

MARK ADAMS

Ward 2, Post 2 678-449-3004 adamsm@douglasvillega.gov

SAM DAVIS Ward 3, Post 2 678-449-3007 daviss@douglasvillega.gov

HOWARD M. ESTES

Ward 5 678-449-3010 estesh@douglasvillega.gov