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DECEMBER 16, 2020 · VOL. 34 · NO. 50 · FREE

Tips for Celebrating Winter Holidays Safely

2

The safest way to celebrate winter holidays is to celebrate at home with the people who live with you. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others.

Travel and gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase your chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu.

Wear a Mask

Keep Your Distance

• Wear the mask over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin.

• Make sure the mask fits snugly against the sides of your face.

• Masks should NOT be worn by children under the age of 2 or anyone who has trouble breathing.

• Stay at least 6 feet away from others who do not live with you.

• Remember that some people without symptoms may be able to spread COVID-19 or flu.

• Indoors and outdoors, you are more likely to get or spread COVID-19 when you are in close contact with others for a long time.

Keep Hands & Items Clean

Attending/Hosting a Gathering

• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

• Keep hand sanitizer with you and use it when you are unable to wash your hands.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and items between use.

• Avoid touching your mask, eyes, nose, and mouth.

• Limit the number of guests and have conversations ahead of time to set expectations.

• Celebrate outdoors if possible or open windows.

• Use single-use options and disposable items such as food containers, plates, and utensils.

• Keep background music low so guests don’t need to shout.

• It’s okay to postpone or cancel your gathering.

FLAGPOLE.COM | DECEMBER 16, 2020

this week’s issue

contents

The Athens Symphony presents its traditional and beloved free Christmas Concert virtually this year. Visit athenssymphony.org/concerts/christmas to watch the performance.

City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 NEWS: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

This Modern World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Zoom Bombs

Pub Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

NEWS: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Curb Your Appetite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

A Year in Jail

Hey, Bonita! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Flag Football . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Children in your community deserve kindness and love.

Become a foster parent today.

1-877-210-KIDS fostergeorgia.com

Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 NEWS: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Trail of Tears

Art Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Threats & Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

FOOD: Grub Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

The Year in Restaurants

Record Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Art Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Adopt Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles

Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner ADVERTISING SALES Anita Aubrey, Jessica Pritchard Mangum CITY EDITOR Blake Aued ARTS & MUSIC EDITOR Jessica Smith OFFICE MANAGER AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Zaria Gholston CLASSIFIEDS Zaria Gholston AD DESIGNERS Chris McNeal, Cody Robinson CARTOONISTS Lee Gatlin, Missy Kulik, Jeremy Long, David Mack PHOTOGRAPHER Whitley Carpenter CONTRIBUTORS Bonita Applebum, Cy Brown, Hillary Brown, Gordon Lamb, Dan Perkins, Steven Scurry, John Cole Vodicka CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf, Mike Merva EDITORIAL INTERN Tyler Wilkins COVER WRAPPING PAPER ART by Jared Brown

STREET ADDRESS: 220 Prince Ave., Athens, GA 30601 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603 EDITORIAL: 706-549-9523 · ADVERTISING: 706-549-0301 · FAX: 706-548-8981 CLASSIFIED ADS: class@flagpole.com ADVERTISING: ads@flagpole.com CALENDAR: calendar@flagpole.com EDITORIAL: editorial@flagpole.com

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Flagpole, Inc. publishes Flagpole Magazine weekly and distributes 7,000 copies free at over 275 locations around Athens, Georgia. Subscriptions cost $80 a year, $45 for six months. © 2020 Flagpole, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOLUME 34 ISSUE NUMBER 50

RESPECT OTHERS WEAR A MASK

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KEEP YOUR COOL

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DECEMBER 16, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

3

news

city dope

The Pandemic Is Getting Worse PLUS, FARE-FREE BUSES, EARLY VOTING STARTS AND MORE LOCAL NEWS

By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com

temporary diversion, but our colleagues continue to work hard, rising to the occasion and providing needed care for all patients while keeping us from being overwhelmed,” St. Mary’s President and CEO Montez Carter said in a statement to Flagpole.

Carter stressed that the hospital continues to see ER patients and is awaiting vaccine distribution guidance from the Food and Drug Administration. In the meantime, he urged everyone to continue mask wearing, socially distancing, avoiding large gatherings, washing hands and staying home when sick.

“We need everyone to remain diligent and not let their guard down even as the vaccine rollout begins,” he said. “The current uptick shows that the pandemic is still with us, and it is expected to continue to be

BLAKE AUED

The director of the CDC predicted last week semester, peaked in late August and early that COVID-19 will kill 3,000 people a day September, then declined through late nationally for the next two or three months September and early October. That’s consisas Clarke County public schools shut down tent with positive tests reported by DPH. amidst a post-Thanksgiving coronavirus There was another increase the week of spike.

Thanksgiving, but the next week, the spike “We are in the timeframe now that started to taper off, Lipp said. DPH data probably for the next 60 to 90 days we’re also suggests cases are plateauing locally. going to have more deaths per day than Commissioner Russell Edwards asked we had at 9/11 or we had at Pearl Harbor,” why the data dipped up and down. “I don’t Robert Redfield said on Dec. 10, the day after the U.S. had a record 3,054 COVID-19 deaths.

The first shipments of the recently approved Pfizer vaccine were expected to arrive at hospitals Monday, but, at first, they’ll be reserved for front-line health care workers, nursing home residents and staff, and seniors with comorbidities that make them more vulnerable to the disease.

In the meantime, cases continue to spike in Clarke County, which had 577 confirmed cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks as of Dec. 12. That’s nearly triple the rate in early October, when the Clarke County School District decided to reopen schools. The virus has killed at least seven Clarke County residents in the past month.

Some surrounding counties are in even worse shape. Jackson County, where schools also shifted to remote The Rev. Raphael Warnock walks down Washington Street to a rally for his Senate campaign. learning last week, had 886 cases per 100,000.

Earlier in the week, a shortage of teachknow,” Lipp said, but she speculated that with us for months to come. Although we ers and bus drivers forced CCSD to go back students took extra precautions when they are managing patient volumes at present, to online lessons a month after in-person left campus for breaks, or perhaps students this pandemic situation is very fluid, and classes restarted for elementary- and midwho engaged in high-risk behavior develthe dynamics could change quickly with a dle-schoolers. Classes will stay virtual for oped some type of herd immunity. Since continued COVID surge. It is vital that our two weeks after winter break in anticipain-person classes have ended, the most communities keep their guard up so that tion of another spike after holiday travel. recent uptick is likely to be viral spread our hospitals don’t get overwhelmed.”

At an Athens-Clarke County throughout the community, not students in Commission work session Dec. 8, UGA particular, Lipp said. public health professor Erin Lipp laid out COVID-19 patients now occupy about A federal grant has allowed Athens the trends based on her lab’s measurement a quarter of hospital beds in the Athens Transit to provide fare-free service for most of viral loads in local wastewater. Levels region, according to state data. “At times, of the pandemic, but as that money runs started to rise in early August, when UGA patient volumes have stressed our system out, Athens-Clarke County commissioners students came back to town for the fall to the point where we have had to go on

Should Athens Transit Stay Free?

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FLAGPOLE.COM | DECEMBER 16, 2020

face a decision on how to replace it, especially now that ridership has plummeted and may not recover for years.

Before the pandemic, bus ridership had already declined 20%, from about 1.5 or 1.6 million a year to a little over 1.2 million between fiscal 2018 (the second half of 2017 and first half of 2018) and FY2019.

“UGA folks are riding less,” Athens Transit Director Butch McDuffie told commissioners at last week’s work session. He pointed to three factors: UGA running its own buses to the Health Sciences Campus and the new veterinary building on College Station Road, apartment complex shuttles and the influx of student apartments downtown.

At this point last year, between July 1 and the end of October, Athens Transit had provided 500,000 rides, roughly evenly split between UGA and non-UGA riders. For those four months this year, people have taken just 188,000 bus trips, including only 10,000 who are affiliated with UGA. (Anecdotally, many professors say that few students opted to attend classes in person that they could watch online.)

“That’s a very big issue for us, because looking at that number, their numbers are down 97% for the year, and our overall numbers are down 60% for the year,” McDuffie said. “What we’re seeing right now is, really only transit-dependent riders are using the bus these days.” People with other options, like driving, he said, are using them: “In my opinion, they’re afraid to ride the bus with other folks because they’re afraid of exposure to COVID-19.” And he added that ridership may not fully recover for another two years.

The drop in ridership and the decision to go fare-free in March have cost Athens Transit $700,000 in farebox revenue, McDuffie said. That money has been replaced temporarily by federal CARES Act funding, which is covering Athens Transit’s entire $5.9 million budget for the current fiscal year. Athens Transit also saved money by going to a holiday schedule—with 16 hourly routes rather than 24, ending at 7 p.m. instead of 10 p.m.—when UGA’s in-person classes ended last month.

In addition, ACC may be receiving less money from UGA in the future. The county and university apply jointly for federal transit funds, allowing ACC to draw down more dollars by combining ridership numbers, and those funds partially offset ACC’s cost

for student, faculty and staff rides. But if no one from UGA is riding, ACC won’t get any additional cash from UGA on top of the federal grant, and UGA might not have much incentive to help ACC apply.

Despite the financial challenges, McDuffie advocated for transit to remain fare-free, at least through mid-2022. The remaining riders depend on the bus, he said. “What happens when a single mother with two children who’s economically challenged is putting $40, $60, $80 a month into the farebox?” he asked. “If she’s not doing that, she’s putting the money back into the local economy.”

Keeping buses fare-free in the future, though, will require the commission to replace that $700,000 in lost farebox revenue with general-fund dollars from taxes.

Staying on a limited schedule could cut that figure to $300,000. “People aren’t doing the same things,” McDuffie said. “They’re not going out and traveling the way they used to. It’s not a good use of taxpayer dollars to run buses that are predominantly empty.

However, those handful of passengers who are riding per hour, I’m very sure they need those buses for a very specific reason.”

Commissioner Tim Denson, a longtime advocate for fare-free transit, said he’s not excited about the idea of reduced service, but he’d be willing to live with it if that meant keeping the bus free throughout the pandemic. With a COVID-19 vaccine not expected to be widely available until UGA’s spring semester ends, “It makes sense to run on that reduced schedule for the foreseeable future,” Commissioner Melissa Link said.

BOE Names Thomas Superintendent The Clarke County Board of Education took the “interim” tag away from Superintendent Xernona Thomas on Dec. 10, unanimously approving a contract for her to lead the school district through mid-2023.

Thomas was named acting, then interim superintendent in November 2019, when the board agreed to part ways with controversial superintendent Demond Means. She was then serving as Means’ chief of staff.

“I appreciate all of the support for the last year. It’s been either a short 12 months or a long 12 months. It’s gone by really fast,” Thomas said. “But I really appreciate all the support from the board and our collective efforts to strive to improve outcomes for our children. We’ve faced a lot of challenges this year… We’ve had Cognia, we’ve had corona[virus], we’ve had some change. But I’m looking forward to doing the work and providing some stability as long as is needed so we can continue to serve the children of Athens-Clarke County.”

Although she hasn’t been without her critics—particularly over reopening schools for in-person instruction— in contrast to Means’ rocky tenure, Thomas has provided stability, guiding CCSD through the pandemic and the process of building up board relationships and norms following their breakdown in the Means era, which resulted in an investigation by the accreditation agency Cognia.

Thomas had said she would not be a candidate to take the superintendent’s job permanently and planned to retire soon. But the board apparently was so impressed with her work that it never formally advertised for the position.

“We’ve been in a place of transition, and we’ll continue to transition,” said board president LaKeisha Gantt. “There’s still a lot of growing and learning. We’ve made a lot of strides. Oftentimes, when ‘interim’ is there, there can be an approach where there’s an interim mindset.”

Flagpole has requested a copy of the contract, but terms had not been released at press time.

Thomas is an Athens native who earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism, master’s in social work and doctorate in education from UGA. She has served as a social worker and school administrator in Clarke and Oconee counties for 28 years.

Warnock Woos Young Voters Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Raphael Warnock appealed to UGA students and other young voters at a rally in Athens Friday by promising to protect health care and address student loans.

Student-loan debt is now larger than both credit-card and auto-loan debt and is dragging down the economy by preventing college graduates from starting businesses, Warnock said during a brief speech in the 40 Watt Club parking lot. “Our young people should not have to get a mortgage before they even get a mortgage,” he said.

Warnock, the 11th of 12 children, said he was able to become the first person from his family to attend college—he received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College—not only because of the work ethic instilled by his parents, but also from federal assistance like the Pell Grant, low-interest loans and work-study programs.

Warnock also pledged to continue covering pre-existing conditions and ensure people can stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26—both provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which Republicans have long sought to repeal or strike down.

Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Melissa Link, who was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 48, introduced Warnock. “If I didn’t have decent health care, I’m not sure I’d be here talking to you today,” she said.

Warnock, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, faces Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in the Jan. 5 runoff. Loeffler was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp earlier this year.

Before the rally, Warnock paid a visit to Mayor Kelly Girtz at City Hall, then popped into local businesses on College Square and the Hot Corner.

Georgia’s other Democratic Senate candidate, Jon Ossoff, also appeared in Athens this week with Julian Castro, secretary of housing and urban development under President Obama. They toured an East Athens affordable housing development with state Rep. Spencer Frye (D-Athens), the executive director of Athens Area Habitat for Humanity, on Monday and held a rally outside The Grit. Ossoff faces Sen. David Perdue on Jan. 5.

The outcome of those two races will determine control of the Senate. “Right now, Georgia is on everybody’s mind,” Warnock said.

Early Voting is Underway Early voting in the U.S. Senate runoffs started Dec. 14 and runs through Thursday, Dec. 31 at five locations around Athens.

The only major change from the general election is that early voting downtown has been moved from the tiny Board of Elections office to the more spacious Lyndon House Arts Center (211 Hoyt St.), a move which officials hope will shorten lines. Other locations remain the same: the ACC Library (2025 Baxter St.), the Miriam Moore Community Center (410 McKinley Drive), the ACC Extension office (275 Cleveland Road) and the ACC Tennis Center at Southeast Clarke Park (4460 Lexington Road).

Hours start at 8 a.m. at the Lyndon House and 10 a.m. at the other sites. They end at 5 p.m. except for Wednesday, Dec. 16; Thursday, Dec. 17; and Wednesday, Dec. 30, when they will stay open until 7 p.m.

Secure drop boxes for absentee ballots are located at the library, the extension office, the Board of Elections (155 E. Washington St.), the Multimodal Transportation Center (775 E. Broad St.), Fire Station No. 7 (2350 Barnett Shoals Road) and Winterville City Hall (125 S. Church St.). f

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DECEMBER 16, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

5

news

feature

Racism Behind the Screen ‘ZOOMBOMBERS’ TARGET MINORITY COMMUNITIES AT UGA

By Tyler Wilkins news@flagpole.com

A

Emboldened Online The world embraced the “new normal” by shifting from in-person meetings to online video calls as the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to socially distance from one another, but these virtual meetings give bad actors a new way to infiltrate conversations and spread hurtful words and threats. This was but one of several “Zoombombings” experienced by members of the UGA and Athens communities this year.

In response to the incidents, UGA’s Enterprise Information Technology Services now requires the use of waiting rooms on all UGA-affiliated Zoom meetings since Nov. 30. The host of each meeting must now manually admit any user who attempts to join a Zoom call without an official UGA email address.

During its virtual informational meeting held for UGA’s Involvement Fair on Sept. 3, the Hispanic Student Association experienced one of the first recorded Zoombombings that specifically targeted individuals over their racial or ethnic identity. A user joined the call with the name “Jose Cuervo,” speaking and screaming over one of the organization’s executive members, said Emelynn Arroyave, the HSA’s political action chair.

After the host kicked out the user, another user joined with a profile picture of a naked man wearing a sombrero. This user started screaming obscenities and Spanish curse words before being kicked out. When the user rejoined, he accidentally turned on his camera, which revealed the culprits as two white men, Arroyave said.

The HSA went through the “chain of command” to UGA’s Office of Student Affairs and Equal Opportunity Office, Arroyave said. The organization felt dissat-

6

no longer center them and who feel intimidated by that, who then lash out to reassert their dominance and control.”

With everything occurring online nowadays, it is easier to spread hateful language and threats, as “people are bolder behind the screen,” Arroyave said. With the pointed attacks against people of color, it could discourage social justice activists from continuing their fight, Parker said.

Finding a support group and sharing the experience with others helped the HSA with its recovery process, Arroyave said.

After encountering a Zoombombing, Parker recommends taking time to heal and reflect on what happened. After her experience, Parker, a PhD student in linguistics, canceled the following day of class for one of the courses she teaches, which was met with support and understanding from her students, she said.

“It’s my hope that we have those tools in our toolkits to really quickly process and heal from incidents like this and keep moving,” Parker said. “I have found a lot of energy in these moments to keep pushing. Channel that rage into something productive.”

isfied with the university’s response to the Zoombombing, alleging in a statement that UGA tried to place the blame on the HSA for sharing its Zoom link on social media.

The statement called for the university to develop protocols to better protect its students from harassment.

“The people in the involvement fair were mostly all first-years, and this was their introduction to UGA and HSA specifically,” Arroyave said. “For Hispanic people coming to UGA, HSA is a safe space on campus that will always be there for you. They’re not going to want to attend this university if they see that this is how students of color are being treated on this campus.”

The EOO determined the culprits joined the meeting from Massachusetts, said Greg Trevor, interim senior executive director of UGA’s Marketing and Communications office. Arroyave said she learned the Here are a few tips from EITS to consider Zoombombers attended a boarding school implementing on your Zoom calls to prein Georgia before facing expulsion, and she vent unwanted guests: suspects they learned • Don’t use your perabout the meeting sonal Zoom ID to create through a connection at meetings. Instead, use a UGA. random meeting ID genIn the last few weeks, erated by Zoom for each UGA Vice President Victor meeting you create.

Wilson reached out to • Avoid sharing your the HSA to address its Zoom meeting link on concerns and hear its proa public platform like posed reforms, Arroyave social media. If you do, said. He promised the require authentication for group he’ll see what the your guests with a cusuniversity can accomplish tom meeting password, to uplift students of color the guest’s own email or on campus, she said. two-factor authentication.

“The university con• Allow only signed-in demns these outrageous users to join the meeting. acts in the strongest Zoom gives you the ability terms,” Trevor said. to allow only participants “While we have been State House of Representatives candidate Mokah Jasmine Johnson (left) held a “Stand Up to signed into Zoom with relieved that, to date, Racism” rally after a Zoombombing in October. the email address used for none of the responsible their meeting invite. parties has been linked to • Make sure that only the host of the UGA, no one in our community—whether with one user telling her to shut up and meeting can share their screen, which could student, faculty or staff—should have to calling her the N-word in less than three prevent someone from sharing unwanted deal with offensive and hateful comments minutes of an October political forum directed at them.” hosted by the Oconee Observer. In response, content.

• Turn off in-meeting file sharing, which The HSA now requires registration for all she hosted a “Stand Up to Racism” rally on could prevent an interloper from potenmeetings and sends its Zoom link out only Oct. 23. tially sharing malicious files with your 10 minutes before they start, in addition to “Racism and hate are part of politics. guests on the call. using the waiting-room function. It stopped I know some people will not accept me • Disable in-meeting chat, which will prepublicizing its Zoom link on social media, or vote for me, just because I am Black,” vent a potential Zoombomber from harassbut that’s not a foolproof method for curbJohnson said in a statement. “Some of my ing other participants. ing virtual harassment. future constituents may think of me as a • Use Zoom’s virtual waiting room In a guest lecture about violence against nigger. But I am not afraid of this. I will feature, which will allow the host to vet a women of color, Harvard University pronot allow hate to stop me from standing guest before they are permitted to enter the fessor Lorgia García Peña and three UGA up, from speaking out on issues that shape actual meeting. professors experienced a Zoombombing this community, such as protecting public • After all participants join and the call on Oct. 28. The professors had advertised education and demanding justice for Black starts, lock the meeting. the lecture only through listservs for UGA’s lives.”

If you suspect a Zoombomber in your Department of Romance Languages and Parker thinks the racist, homophobic meeting, EITS recommends putting them women’s studies classes, and the host used and xenophobic remarks stem from a place on hold, disabling their audio, video and a waiting room to admit attendees. of fear and hatred amid the reawakening of chat permissions or kicking them out from During a Zoombombing that lasted Black Lives Matter and other social movethe meeting. If malicious users continue about five minutes, the perpetrators ments in the public’s eye. “I try to feel a to join the meeting, you should end the announced UGA professor Sharina Maillo sense of empathy when I think about why meeting and create a new meeting with a Pozo’s home address, called the guests this happens and think about the emotions racial slurs and threatened their families behind people’s motivations,” Parker said. “I different Zoom ID. All members of the UGA community should report Zoombombings with meat cleavers, gave ransom threats, think there must be a lot of anger out there to the EOO, Trevor said. f shouted they were members of the Ku Klux from folks that see the world changing to

FLAGPOLE.COM | DECEMBER 16, 2020

BLAKE AUED

thens-Clarke County Commissioner Mariah Parker virtually attended a Phi Kappa Literary Society meeting on Nov. 17 to discuss anti-racism allyship with members of the University of Georgia community. But the tone of the conversation quickly changed when an anonymous user used racial and homophobic slurs, saying they believe Jewish, Black and LGBTQ people should “burn” during a Q-and-A portion of the meeting.

A second voice started repeatedly yelling a racial slur, prompting the meeting’s host to scramble to kick out the user as others attempted to join the call in a “coordinated attack,” Parker said. The host finally decided to end the call and discretely shared a new link with the audience. The university is still investigating the incident, said James Hataway, media relations manager for UGA’s Marketing and Communication office.

“We never saw the faces of the people that did it,” Parker said. “They can jump on, ruin your day and leave without any consequences, as opposed to the bravery it actually takes just to speak what you think is truth to power in a physical space. This is a new way of low-stakes terrorism.”

Klan and showed a video of a dismembered body, according to The Red & Black. García Peña and Maillo Pozo declined to provide further comment to Flagpole.

Upon investigation, the IP addresses of the perpetrators appeared to come from locations across the U.S. and the world, according to an email sent by EOO Interim Director Elizabeth Bailey to UGA President Jere Morehead and Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Dean Alan Dorsey on Nov. 16.

EOO Assistant Director Kris Bolden and UGA Police Capt. Jeff Hammock suspect the users are not affiliated with the university and that the meeting ID was obtained and shared via an online forum, according to the email.

UGA’s Next Act, a student organization in the Department of Theatre and Film Studies, experienced a targeted Zoombombing in late September. A group yelled racist, homophobic and transphobic language after Next Act’s cabaret show, according to Grady Newsource. Next Act did not respond to Flagpole’s requests for comment.

Mokah Jasmine Johnson, an Athens activist and former candidate for District 117 in the Georgia House of Representatives, also encountered a Zoombombing during her campaign, albeit unaffiliated with the university. Three users hurled racial insults and slurs at Johnson,

Protecting Your Calls

news

feature

A Year in Jail THE SYSTEM FORGOT ABOUT VANESSA BROOKINS

By John Cole Vodicka news@flagpole.com

On

JOHN COLE VODICKA

Jan. 28, 2020, I visited Vanessa Brookins at the Clarke County Jail. Brookins, 66, had been confined for nearly one year, held on two misdemeanor trespassing charges and one more serious-sounding felony charge of “terroristic threats.”

The week before my visit, the Athens Clarke-County solicitor’s office had decided not to prosecute the two pending trespassing offenses against Brookins, crimes that occurred one year earlier, on Jan. 7 and Feb. 10, 2019. In the first case, Brookins was alleged to have refused to leave the Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery on Atlanta Highway, where she was admiring the memorial sculptures; a month later, she was accused of refusing to leave a Hill Street front porch on which she’d been sleeping.

As happened with the first misdemeanor arrest, Brookins was granted a recognizance bond on the second trespassing charge, meaning she didn’t have to post money to gain her release from jail. On Feb. 14, 2019—three days after she left the jail— Brookins was arrested yet again after she entered the Wells Fargo bank on Mitchell Bridge Road, asked to withdraw a small amount of money, then threatened “with violence” several employees who refused to honor her request, according to police. The “terroristic threat” charge meant that the sextagenarian Vanessa Brookins was now an accused felon and back in jail. This time, the magistrate judge set bond at $2,500; Brookins would have to find at least $270 to regain her freedom. She couldn’t. She was homeless. So she stayed in jail, where, on Mar. 28, 2019, she marked her 65th birthday.

In mid-June, 2019, Brookins’ appointed lawyer filed a petition claiming her client was “incompetent to stand trial.” Prior to her January and February arrests, Brookins had indeed been suffering from some serious mental health issues and had stopped taking her prescribed medicines.

Her niece, Rita Willhite, told me earlier this year that she knew something was wrong with her aunt because “she stopped calling me, stopped coming by the apartment to see me and my kids. She disappeared for several months.”

In the months leading up to her arrests in 2019, a now-penniless Vanessa Brookins began living on the streets of Athens, riding the bus, sitting in cemeteries, sleeping on front porches.

And then, beginning on Jan. 7, 2019 with the first misdemeanor arrest, she landed in jail for one night. Again, on Feb. 10, after her second arrest, she slept in a jail cell. And a few days later, Feb. 14, Brookins was returned to jail after her arrest at the bank.

And there she stayed. March, April, May, June, 2019.

On July 23, Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott, responding to Brookins’ lawyer’s petition to have her client declared incompetent, ordered Brookins moved from the Clarke

County Jail to the custody of the State Department of pants,” she said. “I wash my underwear in the sink so I Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to deterdon’t smell so bad.” mine her competency and whether or not she “could be Leaving the visitation booth, I told Brookins I would restored to competency” and thus be able eventually to contact her public defender and see what might happen stand trial on the terroristic threat charge. Shortly therenext to, at the very minimum, get her out of jail until her after, Brookins was transported to the DBHDD hospital in felony case was disposed of.

Augusta.

“I want to get out of jail before my birthday,” she said. “I During July, August, September, October and November want to do some cooking.”

2019, Brookins was locked up in what we once called a I talked to the public defender’s office. It seemed they “mental hospital.” She was tested, examined and treated were unaware that Brookins had been returned to the jail with various medications as the hospital staff made its and assumed she was still in Augusta being evaluated. attempt to “restore” their patient to competency. In Within a week of my jail visit, Brookins was brought into November, having completed their treatment and assesscourt after her lawyer and the prosecution entered into ment, the hospital doctors sent Brookins back to the Clarke a consent agreement to allow her to be released on her County Jail to wait on the DBHDD competency decision. own recognizance, with the one condition that she resume Depending on what the hospital ruled, she’d either be going mental health treatment locally. Rita Willhite, Brookins’s to trial or facing civil commitniece, told Judge Lott that her ment. For now, she was back in aunt could live with her. Later that the jail and stayed there through same afternoon, February 3, 2020, November and December 2019.

Brookins, having spent 359 days in In mid-January this year, I was pretrial confinement, walked out on the Clarke County Sheriff’s of the Clarke County Jail.

Office website looking at the rosAnd then the pandemic set in. ter listing the names of everyone February. March. April. May. June. incarcerated in our jail. Scrolling July. August 2020. Criminal cases down the list of over 400 prisonare backlogged because there had ers, the name “Vanessa Brookins” been no grand jury proceedings or caught my attention—first, jury trials in Athens-Clarke County because it showed she’d been since mid-March. Anyone wanting locked up for nearly one year and, to plead not guilty and go to trial is second, she was 65 years old. I literally in legal limbo. decided to make a visit to the jail.

On Aug. 13, Vanessa Brookins I am an organizer with the was arraigned, in absentia, on Athens Area Courtwatch Project, the terroristic threat charge and an all-volunteer organization entered her not guilty plea in that attempts to shine a light on Judge Lott’s courtroom. No date what goes on in our community’s was scheduled for a trial. The pubcriminal legal system. We visit lic defender told me the assistant courtrooms, meet with defendants district attorney is insisting that and their families, and engage with Brookins either be prosecuted or Vanessa Brookins two days after she got out of jail. defense lawyers and other court admit her guilt to the now-21officers in an effort to ensure the month-old felony charge. Can it be focus is on justice and restoration, not merely punishment anything other than vindictive that our district attorney’s and condemnation. And pre-pandemic, some of us visited office continues to hound this now-66-year-old Africanpeople in the jail.

American woman, who has already been incarcerated for all Vanessa Brookins and I visited for no more than 30 but six days short of one year, and who, since her release minutes. She and I sat facing one another in two cubicles from jail in February, has willingly complied with the separated by clear plastic. We spoke using the telephone demands of her mental health treatment team, has been receivers provided in our booth. Most of the time I felt caring for her niece’s two school-aged children while they like I was talking to the top of Brookins’s head. She told “learn from home,” and who, no longer homeless, is putting me later that the prisoner’s visiting booth “is not made for the pieces of her long life back together? short people.”

I talk by phone with Vanessa Brookins regularly and, on “I couldn’t sit and get my head high enough to reach the occasion, visit her at her niece’s apartment. She’s strong in window to see you when I talked into the phone,” she said. spirit, determined to succeed, delightful to get to know. But “My phone cord wouldn’t stretch that far up.” she’s frustrated, even angry about the legal trap she’s in.

In the short time we spoke, Brookins told me what I “I don’t know why they can’t dismiss my case,” she told me already had surmised: She’d been locked up since January, recently. “It’s hard having something like this hanging over 2019, had spent months in the Augusta hospital, then was my head. If I look for work, this charge hurts my chances. If brought back to Athens and back into jail. She told me the I look for an apartment of my own, landlords won’t want to “new” medications she was taking were making her dizzy. let me rent from them. I don’t understand why the people “They make me pee all the time. I’m always peeing in my keep bothering me.” f

DECEMBER 16, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

7

news

feature

Removed From Georgia and From History ABRAHAM BALDWIN AND THE TRAIL OF TEARS

By Steven Scurry news@flagpole.com “That the United States shall, at their own expense, extinguish, for the use of Georgia… the Indian title to the country of Talassee, to the lands left out by the line drawn with the Creeks… and to the lands within the forks of Oconee and Ocmulgee rivers… and that the United States shall, in the same manner, also extinguish the Indian title to all the other lands within the State of Georgia… ” — Articles of Agreement and Cession… April 24, 1802

T

wrote “repurchase”) the lost county of Talassee—a region south of the Altamaha that the Creeks retained in the New York Treaty—in consideration to the state for ceding west of the Chattahoochee. Joined by James Jackson and John Milledge, Baldwin had better success with Jefferson’s appointees.

The Mississippi territory was conclusively lost to Georgia in this 1802 compact, giving the state its familiar shape today, but leaders took solace in what they attained: money—which both Washington and Adams viewed as ridiculous—and, most importantly, a counterweight to the federal treaties with the Cherokees and Creeks. Although it was not a treaty in the technical sense, the state used this new diplomatic weapon aggressively.

his exclusive 1802 compact between the federal government and the state was the bitter antidote to Georgia’s long illness: anxiety over its vast western territorial claims. Failing to establish counties or colonies anywhere west of the Oconee River and confronted by the legacy of President Washington’s 1790 treaty with the Creek Nation, which defined Georgia’s western boundary at the Oconee River, Georgia aimed to weaken, if not abrogate, the hated U.S.-Creek Treaty of New York.

These western claims (including today’s Alabama and Mississippi) had proven more trouble to the state than they were then worth. Georgia’s actions after the Revolution had provoked a war with the Creek nation over the Oconee valley, had caused a diplomatic crisis in Spanish-U.S. relations and had ignited a political war inside the state over attempts to sell these vast claims to private real-estate interests. Meanwhile, in 1795, the federal government had quietly gained, by treaty with Spain, recognition of its authority over the region north of the 31st parallel. South was the Spanish colony of West Florida. As the Adams administration subsequently moved forward to organize a territorial government, Georgia Athens was on the Georgia frontier in 1800. denounced the action as an intrusion on its territorial rights—there Over the next 25 years, Georgia’s legislative body made was little more that the state could do. perennial demands on successive administrations to execute its pledge to “extinguish the Indian title to all the other lands within the State of Georgia… ” Eighteenth Century tensions that had characterized Congressional legislation to organize the territory was U.S.-Georgia relations over American Indian affairs were tied to the settlement of Georgia claims. President Adams generally replaced with 19th Century collusion tied to this selected cabinet members to confer with state delegates. singular compact. The old bonds of Indian-Anglo trade Abraham Baldwin, founder and first president of the unraveled while economic, military and diplomatic options University of Georgia, was chosen as one of three commiswere curtailed. As a consequence, debt, poverty and civil sioners to negotiate on behalf of the state. His notes from war threatened Native Americans. These were conditions the first meetings in the spring of 1800 reveal widely diverripe for land cessions, which for Georgia were not occurring gent views. The Federalist stamp of the U.S. commissioners aggressively enough. is obvious from their first proposal to Georgia: Relinquish Emerging from this 25-year crisis, to the horror of state claims west of the Chattahoochee River, and the U.S. Georgia leaders, was a Cherokee nation achieving a political will withdraw federal claims to the east—the shadow of rebirth that launched a direct bid for constitutional reality.

New York here is apparent. By treaties, both the Creeks Georgia leaders characterized this threat as a late insurand Cherokees held federal land guarantees, which were at gency on their own soil, and they met it with vicious legisodds with Georgia’s claim of sovereignty over lands beyond lative assaults while covering for lawless thuggery against the Oconee River. Baldwin, knowing his state, rejected the Cherokee families. premise on which the offer was based. Negotiations were These were the contours of conflict as Andrew Jackson suspended, while Georgia leaders hoped for a Jefferson vicwas inaugurated president in March 1829. Previous admintory in the upcoming election. istrations had extended a measure of protection to check With Jefferson in power by 1801, negotiations resumed. Georgia aggressions, but Jackson was the man the state The new president weighed in with his own private offer, had been looking for. In violation of U.S. treaty obligawhich Baldwin, aware of his state’s tender sensitivities, tions, he withdrew federal troops stationed to protect the may have not even shared with his fellow commissioners.

Cherokee borders. A final solution was in view, which even Jefferson offered to purchase from the Creek nation (he the weight of constitutional law and a Supreme Court deci-

Georgia’s Claims

8

FLAGPOLE.COM | DECEMBER 16, 2020

sion would not halt. And as the state neared its long goal of a territory without Indians (Georgia today has no American Indian reservations), the more desperate it was to complete the project.

There is no reason to believe that Abraham Baldwin had “forced removal” in mind when he helped broker the 1802 compact, although there is a hint of this thinking in a 1786 letter reporting on the Creek-Georgia war that halted his University of Georgia project that summer. Relinquishing American Indian land titles in the state was the wording of the contract, but in the end, ethnic cleansing was its execution.

Removal and Slavery It was an odd transformation of culture and land—a crude formula of American Indian removal and African American bondage. And on this issue, as well, the 1802 compact was explicit. Successful lobbying by slave holders and land speculators modified the federal settlement model for the new Mississippi Territory. In contrast to the settlement of federal lands in the Ohio valley and the old Northwest, slavery would not be forbidden in the new territory. Seven consequential words, fiercely debated in Congress, conclude the fifth article that reads: “That the territory thus ceded shall form a state… in the same manner, as is provided in the ordinance of Congress… for the Government of the Western territory of the United States; which ordinance shall, in all its parts, extend to the territory contained in the present act of cession, that article only excerpted which forbids slavery.”

An institution that many Americans had hoped would be restricted to the original Southern states and would fade in time was revitalized by this contract. North and South were further divided, and the nation lurched toward a national crisis and its reckoning.

A thorough accounting of the legislative achievements of Abraham Baldwin will continue to bring to light his significant contributions to Georgia—few would achieve the confidence in which he was held by his fellow citizens.

In the context of Georgia’s tumultuous relationship with both the Creek and Cherokee nations, his role, though hidden from Native American leaders, would prove decisive. Abraham Baldwin loaded the legal weapon that Andrew Jackson fired.

In June 1825, as the controversy over Indian removal in Georgia was reaching national and international attention, a message to Andrew Jackson from a Native American elder was published in the Washington Gazette: “Whither must we go now? Must we leave the home of our fathers, and go to a strange land, beyond the great river of the West? That land is dark and desolate—we shall have no pleasure in it. Pleasant are the fields of our youth. We love the woods where our fathers led us to the chase. Their bones lie by the running stream, where we played in the days of our childhood. When we are gone, strangers will dig them up.

“Brother! The Great Spirit made us all. You have land enough. Leave us, then, the fields of our youth, and the woods where our fathers led us to the chase. Permit us to remain in peace under the shade of our own trees. Let us watch over the graves of our fathers, by the streams of our childhood… “ The removal of Native American communities from Georgia triggered a corresponding removal from historical narratives that continues in our day: the active significance of Native Americans in the creation of Georgia. These are the metaphorical bones of American-Indian history buried in the story of Georgia—from its humble beginnings in Savannah to the final gunpoint eviction at New Echota. f

pub notes

arts & culture

flag football

CHAMBERLAIN SMITH

Deep-State Dawgs

The Dawgs Hit Their Stride

THE SEC AND THE COLLEGE PLAYOFFS ARE RIGGED

TOO LATE TO SAVE THE SEASON, BUT THEY DOMINATED MISSOURI

By Pete McCommons pete@flagpole.com

By Cy Brown news@flagpole.com

This year’s SEC race was rigged. It was stolen from the UGA Dawgs by a deep-state (below the Gnat Line) conspiracy in league with operatives in Alabama. I am calling on Georgia’s attorney general to file an interstate lawsuit directly to the Supreme Court.

The College Football Playoff committee will soon be voting on the playoffs. It is our job to see that they do not steal the vote and shut out the Dawgs, as the SEC has done. UGA has every constitutional right to pursue a path guaranteeing that every legal vote is counted.

You’re probably saying, “Wait a minute.

The Dawgs lost to Florida and Alabama, and that knocked us out of contention.” Do you believe everything you read in the fake sports pages? That’s what they want you to think, because the College Football Playoff is dominated by radical leftists, and those radical leftists will do anything to keep the Dawgs out of the playoffs.

I love it when a plan comes together. If only games. The freshman Edwards also eclipsed it didn’t come together a month too late.

100 yards in cleanup duty.

On Saturday, Georgia traveled to The defense is also seeing a return to Columbia, MO for the makeup game against form following some poor outings in the the Missouri Tigers. And because of that middle of the season. The Dawgs allowed delay, the Dawgs got to square off against a 200 yards of total offense—178 passing, 22 Mizzou team on a roll. The Tigers came into rushing—and 11 first downs. Cornerback the game ranked 25th in the nation and Eric Stokes set the tone early. He nabbed established as the third-best team in the an interception on the second play from SEC East behind Florida and Georgia. scrimmage to set the offense up for an early The Dawgs put together their most comtouchdown drive. plete win of the season in the 49-14 victory.

Both of Missouri’s touchdowns came in It was the kind of dominating performance the second quarter when it tied the game at we’ve waited to see all season. This Georgia 14 apiece, but even those had a somewhat team is finally reaching its potential. The flukey nature about them. The first was set shame of it is that it came far too late to factor into the race for the SEC title or the College Football Playoff.

Georgia’s offense was explosive and balanced in the win over Missouri. The Dawgs’ attack racked up 615 total yards— 299 passing, 316 rushing. It’s the most since the Arkansas State game in Week 3 of last season, and the most against an SEC team since 2017.

Redshirt sophomore JT Daniels continued his tremendous run in the third start of his Georgia career, completing 59% of his passes for 299 yards and three Eric Stokes returns an interception against Missouri. touchdowns. He found James Cook in space on a first-quarter third down and let up by a 29-yard trick play which the defense Cook’s feet do the rest on a 38-yard strike. bit on. The second capped off a whopping In the third quarter, he found George 1-yard drive after the Tigers blocked a Pickens on a slant while isolated in man punt deep in Georgia territory late in the coverage, allowing the sophomore receiver first half. But the defense clamped down in to scamper in for a 31-yard touchdown. the second half, allowing 69 yards on five Alongside the emergence of Daniels drives. has been the reemergence of Pickens, who It was bittersweet to watch the Dawgs hauled in five catches for 126 yards and two win this way the same day Florida lost to touchdowns against the Tigers. His other LSU, bringing both teams to 8-2 on the seatouchdown came in the waning moments son. The SEC East was there for the taking of the first half on a brilliantly executed for the fourth straight year, and we just two-minute drill after Missouri tied the couldn’t do it because of that piss-poor pergame at 14-14. The Tigers jumped offside, formance against the Gators. giving Daniels a free play to heave a pass to But the regrets of this season make the endzone. Pickens showed amazing body way to the excitement for the next one. control shrugging off a pass interference to We’ve still got a rescheduled game against snag an eye-popping touchdown reception, Vanderbilt and a bowl to play, but I’m giving Georgia a 21-14 halftime lead. already thinking about the possibilities for As excellent as the Dawgs were through next year. I will always have confidence in the air, this wouldn’t be Georgia if we didn’t a Kirby Smart defense, so I expect that to throw some shine on the running game, be stellar. And with more than a year of though. As a team, the Dawgs rushed for prep in Todd Monken’s system and the top 316 total yards with four players scoring a weapons returning, this could be the best rushing touchdown—Zamir White, Kenny Georgia offense we’ve seen in many, many McIntosh, James Cook and Daijun Edwards. years. I won’t make bold predictions about White was the leading rusher with 126 our chances in the SEC or College Football yards, the third 100-yard game of his career, Playoff next year, but damn if it won’t be all of which have come in the last five fun to watch. f

Now look. I’m not an investigative reporter. I’m not even a sports reporter.

But even though I don’t know how they did it, I know they did it; otherwise, the Dawgs would have won. They rigged it. The Dawgs were barking up their tree, and they shut us down. It was done at the highest levels.

I’m trying to get at the truth here. If something happens to me, well, you’ll know I found it. That’s all I can say.

But look, it’s all about the quarterback.

Keep your eyes on the quarterback. That’s where they’re getting to us. Fromm left.

That could have been OK. He was good but not great. That could have opened things up.

But the deal was already done at that point.

Justin Fields had already left. Why? Ask the Deep State. Then we got Jamie Newman from Wake Forest—just the quarterback we needed. But, mysteriously, he “opted out.”

Never took a snap. How does the Deep State do it? But that’s still OK, because we got JT Daniels and D’Wan Mathis. But JT comes with a bum knee, and the other guy gets a brain tumor.

Swear to God—just like the Deep State gave it to him. Now he’s OK, but he’s leaving, too.

So here’s the deal: We open this season with no quarterback, so we have to go with Stetson, a guy who’s not big enough to see over the defensive line, and that’s who we put up against Florida and Alabama, and you know what happened. But it was rigged.

Daniels was sitting right there on the bench. Daniels, who could outthrow Florida and Alabama both, but is just sitting there while their linemen bat down Stetson’s passes.

Too bad Daniels’ knee hadn’t healed. Those scores could have been reversed. But here’s where the fix comes in. Daniels was ready. You heard him in the press conference after the Mississippi State game; he said it himself. He was pronounced medically ready The Deep State kept JT Daniels out of the Florida and Alabama to play after the first game. games.

Why didn’t he play? So Florida and Aabama could win and knock Why, you may ask? The answer is simple. the Dawgs out of contention once again.

The radical leftists who control the playoffs And just to make sure, they put our best are owned by Alabama. That’s why they will defensive back on a flimsy little motor do anything in their considerable power scooter at night when he was tired after a to keep the Dawgs out of the playoffs. It’s game and made sure he got hit. Don’t you a simple matter of money and recruiting see? They don’t leave anything to chance. prospects and bragging rights. They are the It’s got conspiracy written all over it. A conradical elite, and they do not want to let spiracy to collar the Dawgs.

Georgia into their club.

It’s huge, but it won’t work if we refuse Why? Simple. Because they know we’re to concede. No more rigged seasons! Let better than they are. That’s why if we can’t the Dawgs play in the playoffs with the join ‘em, we’ve got to beat ‘em. Stop the quarterback they rightfully should have Steal! been playing all along. If they don’t vote for “But they beat us,” you say? Only the Dawgs, their vote is fraudulent. Count because it was rigged. Here’s where the every legal vote! I’m calling on the athletic Deep State comes in. The radical leftist coldepartment to sic their elite strike force of lege playoffs saw how close Georgia came lawyers on the College Football Playoffs. year before last, and they swore, “Never Tie them up in court and force the decision again!” That’s when the fix went in, and into the Georgia legislature. They always do that’s where the Deep State comes in. what’s right. Stop the Steal! Go Dawgs! f

DECEMBER 16, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

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CASSIE FLORIDO

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11

grub notes

food & drink

2020 in Food News RESTAURANTS’ TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD YEAR

By Hillary Brown food@flagpole.com

WHITLEY CARPENTER

Is it a grim joke to write this column at all big rock and an extremely hard place, this year? Kinda. I have eaten in one restau- already operating with thin margins in a rant one time, since March, outside, at a high-risk business. The advent of a panplace in Chapel Hill, NC, that I was assured demic that meant being inside with others was being as cautious as possible. Do I miss sans masks was a very bad idea that meant it? Hell, yes. Take-out is not the same. That they often had to choose between staying doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy or eat take-out, open at all and staying open under circumbut I can’t write about it in the same way stances that might spread a dangerous because, in the end, it’s just food in a box disease to others. Places that relied heavily or clamshell or quart container. It’s not the on catering large events as part of their whole series of interactions and logistics and design that make restaurants interesting to dissect.

The last proper column I filed was supposed to run Mar. 18 but never did. It covered C’est la Vie, an extremely sweet and tasty real French bistro in the middle of the bitty town of Washington, GA., and Danielsville’s Pig Skins BBQ, a more humble operation but one that makes really good pork rinds fried to order. (If you take The pandemic left restaurant dining rooms everywhere shuttered. them with you, and you would because it’s primarily a take-out operation, you can hear business model were in more trouble than them still snapping like a bowl of milked-up most. Places that had outdoor seating were Rice Krispies.) in better shape. Hours and menus changed I feel lucky that I had just been to New frequently. Places closed, and then they Orleans over spring break, eating as many reopened. Sometimes they didn’t. amazing sandwiches as I could cram in my So far, although 2020 has been a truly face hole. Since then, everything has been horrible year, it hasn’t yet resulted in the discombobulated, and it feels unfair to kind of mass closings of local businesses judge restaurants when they are, for the that 2019 was full of—yet. Just as you keep most part, doing their best to survive. They hearing that you shouldn’t stop wearing have been smushed between an extremely masks and being careful because a vaccine is

on the horizon, you shouldn’t stop tipping outrageously well when you get take-out or supporting local restaurants with your dollars. You should keep ignoring DoorDash and Uber Eats and the like in favor of picking up from restaurants or using the local delivery services Cosmic and Bulldawg Food. You should vote with your dollars wherever and whenever you can and direct them to the folks who are trying to keep you and yours safe and well-fed while paying their employees decently and treating them well.

Anyway, here’s what happened this year: RIP: Steak ‘n Shake, the Danielsville location of Blazer’s, Hot Thomas BBQ (after many years), LRG Provisions in Five Points, Homewood Social, JR Crickets, Mama Jewel’s Kitchen, Gyro Wrap (there are still rumors that someone’s going to reopen it), Cinnaholic, di’lishi, La Michoacana at the Georgia Square Mall and Wings Over Athens.

PLACES THAT OPENED IN THIS GODFORSAKEN YEAR INCLUDE: Los Primos

Taqueria Express in the former Golden Chick on 441-S; Tamez Barbecue on Broad at Hancock; the Cafe on Lumpkin and the Local 706 in Five Points; a second location of the Crab Hut (formerly Kajun Seafood) and Corner’s Edge Butcher Shoppe, both on the Eastside; Joe and Sam’s (doing coffee and more in the former Watkinsville Keba); The Lark (a wine project from Krista Slater of The Expat, in the former Avid Bookshop on Prince); Molly’s Coffee Company on Macon Highway; Stacked Sandwiches and More on Baxter; Ding Tea, El Azteca, Jinya Ramen Bar and Cravings downtown; Knuckies Pizza and Hoagies in The Mark; Rashe’s Cuisine’s brick-and-mortar on Vine; Tacos los Plebes #2 on Danielsville Road in the

former Huddle House; Nedza’s, just down from Five Points, doing waffles, ice cream, donuts and more; Oglethorpe Garage near the loop on Oglethorpe; Hook and Reel Cajun Seafood and Bar in On the Border’s old site on Atlanta Highway; and Athentic Brewing in Boulevard, which has beer and has been hosting pop-ups. The Plate Sale increased the frequency of its pop-ups, doing smart versions of Southern food at Hendershots several days a week.

George’s Lowcountry Table built a brand-new space on Macon Highway and moved into it recently. Champy’s changed its name to Classic City Eats, then closed in November in advance of a move to Watkinsville, with a reopening planned for February 2021. Eddie’s Calzones downtown moved down the block into the former Zaxby’s on Clayton and became Eddie’s Calzones and Drafts, with self-service beer taps. Bubble Cafe moved into the former downtown Taco Stand out of its tiny space under Marvin’s. Independent Baking Company was sold but is continuing steady.

WNB Factory moved into the shopping center by the Eastside Walmart. Agua Linda has temporarily closed for renovations and will be serving out of La Carreta, its food truck, but isn’t yet. Word is that Uncle Ernie’s will be moving to the space the same folks own at the corner of Hawthorne and Oglethorpe, as its space and that of Max have been sold, but there’s no official confirmation on that yet.

YET TO COME, IN 2021, SHOULD THE INEVITABLE ALIEN INVASION NOT TAKE PLACE: another Amici,

in the Falls shopping center in Oconee County; an Andy’s Frozen Custard in the former KFC at Broad and Alps; Mama Ning’s Thai in Watkinsville; a third location of Wing House Grill in Normaltown in the former Ike and Jane; a second Tacuari Sabor Latino, on Oglethorpe in the former Transmetropolitan; Condor Chocolates downtown; a Flying Biscuit on Prince, by the Walgreen’s in a mixed-use building; a Farm Burger on Prince in the St. Joe development; perhaps still a restaurant in the former Go Bar on Prince; a Cheba Hut; a second Butcher and Vine in the former LRG in Five Points; and, someday, I swear, the third Cali n Tito’s, off Jefferson Road. f

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advice

hey, bonita…

2020 Wasn’t That Bad ADVICE FOR ATHENS’ LOOSE AND LOVELORN

By Bonita Applebum advice@flagpole.com There’s a format that my year-end column usually takes: summation of the year, a few comments about some national news event that we all hated, a comment about a local news event that I personally hated, general justification of negative emotions and bad moods, a reminder that your mood will change, general words of optimism, oversharing about my New Year’s Eve plans and a sincere expression of my love and appreciation for being your local advice columnist.

This year, I am a drop in a flood of columnists and pundits who feel pulled to switch it up somehow, at least to the level that life got so brutally switched up for us all.

I will say the obvious: 2020 was brutal, and humanity as a whole was walking through hell with Dante and Virgil In Inferno, the punishment in the second circle is to spend eternity bracing against galeforce winds with no

sincerely call 2020 a personal dumpster fire for me because, well, it just wasn’t one.

My day job went remote in March, and I loved it. I live alone, and I hate having people in my house, so it was perfect. I got a stationary bike and started watching Hannibal, which is bloody and queer and right up my alley. I haven’t been on a date all year because COVID-19 showed up as soon as I got my groove back, but whatever, that’s fine. My finances are in absolute shambles like those of so many blue-collar workers, but my lights are on, and I have food, so we’re all good.

I am disgusted by people who flout precautions and continue to spread COVID-19 around our community, but I’ve always disliked idiots who live in an echo chamber.

I’ve never been friends with them, and I won’t start now. I recently ran into a person who pretty much

flagpole needs your support! chance of rest or peace ever again. 2020 felt like such a monsoon whipping us in every direction, blowing our grip on work and pleasure out of our hands and making us chase down the things that used to sit quietly at our feet.

It was rough, but I don’t feel furious about it, and I’m slowly getting over a surprising amount of guilt I feel for not being as bummed as the next guy. Usually, I’m the Most Bummed Person Ever. Low-grade anger used to course through me daily, and I thought it was natural and part of my identity to hate things openly and loudly.

Mostly it just felt really good to hate a thing everyone else was excited about. Being pissed was my personality.

I still hate the things that deserve my hatred, but I have lost all motivation to stay mad. It doesn’t feel good, and others can see that bitterness lighting you up like a “keep out” sign. That might have been my “light bulb” moment, understanding that maybe I wasn’t experiencing the gentleness I desired because I wore my bitter irreverence like a comfy sweater. Basically, this spring I finally started seeing the results of years of mindset work, and therefore I can’t

changed my life a few years ago—in that painful, negative way—but all I felt was happy to see them in good health and spirits, as well as thankful to be living the life I am today. Things changed for a reason, and they changed for the better in the end. I really am happy right now and not for any tremendous reason other than that happiness is what I feel.

I got problems, but I’m good. I’m content, and that doesn’t even scare me. If COVID-19 were a person, I’d push their sorry ass into traffic, but COVID-19 is not a person, so I’m going to wash my hands, wear a mask and get tested and isolate whenever I feel even slightly under the weather. I’m currently in love with this cheap gewurztraminer at Aldi, so I’ll drink a bottle of that and practice Afrobeat dances by myself on New Year’s Eve. This is not the way I saw my 2020 going or ending at all, but this is the ending I have to work with, and, honestly, it does not suck. See you next year. f Need advice? Email advice@flagpole.com or use our anonymous online form at flagpole.com/ get-advice.

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bulletin board Deadline for getting listed in Bulletin Board is WEDNESDAY at 5 p.m. for the Slackpole double-issue that comes out Wednesday, Dec. 23. Online listings are updated daily. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

Holiday Craft Fairs and Studio Sales ARTISTS SHOPPE AND HOLIDAY MARKET (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) The Artists Shoppe presents handmade items by the gallery’s dozens of members. Through Dec. 19, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. ocaf.com BEECHWOOD HOLIDAY MARKET (Beechwood Shopping Center) The first annual event hosts a Christmas tree farm, hay rides, fire pits to roast smores, an ornament craft station, seasonal food, Santa’s post office and special pop-up vendors.

Through Dec. 20. info@beechwood athens.com, www.beechwoodathens. com/holiday-market GOOD DIRT SHOPPING APPOINTMENTS (Good Dirt Clay Studio) Though the studio and gallery are currently closed to the public, shoppers can make appointments to check out the works of owners Rob and Jessica Sutherland.

Through Dec. 23, 9:30 a.m.–7 p.m.

706-355-3161, info@gooddirt.net SOUTHERN BREWING HOLIDAY ARTIST MARKET (Southern Brewing Company) The brewery hosts last-minute shopping with handmade jewelry, pottery, leather goods, candles, paintings and more. Dec. 19, 2–7 p.m. www.sobrewco.com FLICKER HOLIDAY MARKET (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Crafts, artwork, small business promotion, vintage clothes, hot drinks, treats

and more. Dec. 20, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. flickertheatreandbar.com BENDZUNAS GLASS (Bendzunas Glass Studio and Gallery, Comer) The family-run studio will open to the public for the holiday season with a collection of vases, cups, bird feeders, ornaments and more. 12–5 p.m. or by appointment. bendzunas glass.net

Art ARTIST-IN-ATHICA RESIDENCIES (Athens Institute for Contemporary Art) Residencies provide administrative support, exhibition and performance facilities, and a small stipend.

Artists may work in any or multiple disciplines and traditions, including but not limited to visual, curatorial, musical, performing, written, experimental, cinematic, digital and theatrical arts. Residents can work independently or collaborate with others. Visit website for deadlines. www.athica.org/call-for-entries ATHENS CREATIVE DIRECTORY (Athens, GA) The ACD is a new platform to connect creatives with patrons. Visual artists, musicians, actors, writers and other creatives are encouraged to create a free listing. Users can search for artists offering commissions for holiday gifts. athenscreatives@gmail.com, athenscreatives.directory CALL FOR ART (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Artists of all skill levels can showcase their imagination in

art around town ATHENS INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART (ATHICA) (675 Pulaski St., Suite 1200) “Hindsight 20/20: A Community Catharsis” is a collaborative exhibition in which members of the community can share artifacts, meditations, artwork or other personal expressions. Bring items during the Pin-Up Event Dec. 17 from 6–9 p.m. and retrieve your items on Jan. 9, 7–9 p.m. Currently on view through Jan. 9.

CLASSIC CENTER (300 N. Thomas St.) The Classic Galleries presents “Inside/Outside,” an exploration of domestic spaces and gardens through the eyes of artists. Christina Foard, Leah Mckillop and Cameron Bliss examine their surroundings, people, pets and furniture in Gallery I, while Richard Botters, Melanie Epting, Nancy Everett, Richard Huston and Beth Richardson invite viewers into their gardens in Gallery II. FLICKER THEATRE AND BAR (263 W. Washington St.) Printmaker Amanda Jane Burk presents “The Milkening,” a series of many, many milk cartons.

Through December.

GALLERY AT HOTEL INDIGO (500 College Ave.) “Athens Facades” presents Mike Landers’ photographs of buildings at dark in downtown and Five Points between 2000–2002.

GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) “The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design” presents a survey of exceptional American chair design from the early 19th century to the present day. Through Jan. 3. • “The Seated Child: Early Children’s Chairs from Georgia Collections.” Through Jan. 3. • “Carl Holty: Romantic Modernist” includes paintings and drawings that reflect the artist’s pursuit of modern art theory. Through Jan. 17. • Sarah Cameron Sunde’s “36.5 / A Durational Performance with the Sea” combines performance, video and public art to address climate change. Through Jan. 17. • “Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz Collection” represents three generations of artists dating from the 1940s. Through Sept.

26. • “Modernism Foretold: The Nadler Collection of Late Antique Art from Egypt.” Through Sept. 26. • “Power and Piety in 17th-Century Spanish Art.” Through Nov. 28.

LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (211 Hoyt St.) Andrew Zawacki’s “Waterfall Plot” pairs 20 black-and-white photographs with short poems from his latest poetry volume. • In the Lounge Gallery, view paintings by Kendall Rogers, the recipient of the LHAC Choice Award at the “45th Juried Exhibition.” •

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any medium they choose. Along with submitted artwork, artists are asked to provide a two-minute video explaining their work, an artist statement or short biography. Selected artists will have their work presented online and in the hall gallery. Submit up to three works (only one work will be accepted). Fill out online form

by Jan. 1. Artwork will be displayed Jan. 18–Nov. 21. $20–25. info@ ocaf.com, www.ocaf.com CALL FOR GUEST ARTIST/ CURATORS (Lyndon House Arts Center) The Lyndon House Arts Foundation is seeking guest artist/ curator projects from individuals who identify as BIPOC and reside within Athens or a surrounding county to develop an art exhibition to be on display in the galleries. Selected applicants receive a $1000 stipend and additional funds to assist in other costs. lhartsfoundation@gmail.com CALL FOR INTERNS (Athens Institute for Contemporary Art: ATHICA) ATHICA is seeking interns interested in development, social media, music, poetry, photography and gallery operation. Minimum five hours a week. College credit is available in coordination with department of study. Rolling deadline. athica. org/updates/internships CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS (Lyndon House Arts Center) “The 46th Juried Exhibition” will be juried by Hallie Ringle of the Birmingham Museum of Art. Works in all media may be submitted online through Jan. 22.

Exhibition opens Mar. 11. $30/three

Currently on view at the UGA Special Collections Libraries through May, “Pylon: Tourists in Rock n’ Roll” includes costumes, photographs, original song lyrics, show posters and ephemera collected by the band while on tour. entries. accgov.com/9661/46thJuried-Exhibition GREENWAY CALL FOR PUBLIC ART (Oconee Rivers Greenway) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission invites professional artists to submit a proposal and images of a public art concept for the Oconee Rivers Greenway trail construction project.

Deadline Jan. 4 at 11:59 p.m. www. athensculturalaffairs.com OPEN STUDIOS (Lyndon House Arts Center) Studio members have access to spaces for painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, jewelry, fiber and woodworking. Tuesdays through

“Boundless” features works by Don Chambers, Derek Faust, Alex McClay, Katherine McCullough and Paula Reynaldi. • “The Art of Jeremy Ayers” celebrates the artist, lyricist, activist and beloved member of the community, who passed away in 2016. • Organized by Christina Foard, “Imagination Squared: Pathways to Resiliency” consists of over 1000 five-inch works created by students and community members. Sharing a theme of resiliency, the small works build a collective story of recovery and strength. • The “Full House Online Exhibition” is an invitational extended to all the artist members in the groups and guilds who call the LHAC home. Through Jan. 9. • Online Collections From Our Community presents Arthur Johnson’s collection of sharks.

MADISON-MORGAN CULTURAL CENTER (434 S. Main St.) “Suttles Art” features 88 original pieces ranging from paintings, oils and pastels by Bill Suttles, photography by Todd Suttles and sculpture by Pat Suttles. Through December.

STEFFEN THOMAS MUSEUM OF ART (4200 Bethany Rd., Buckhead) “Unveiled” presents rarely seen works on paper, canvas and found objects

by Steffen Thomas. Through Jan. 7.

TIF SIGFRIDS (83 E. North Ave., Comer) The gallery reopens in its new location with artwork by Adrianne Rubenstein and Jackie Gendel. Through Dec. 19.

SURGERY CENTER OF ATHENS (2142 W. Broad St., Building 100) Paintings by Susie Criswell. Through Jan. 8.

TINY ATH GALLERY (174 Cleveland Ave.) Matt 6 Barhr’s exhibition, “Iconography,” features paintings that use abstract textures and compositions combined with modern commercial iconography. Third Thursday Dec. 17, 6–9 p.m. Open by appointment through December. tinyathgallery@ gmail.com, www.tinyathgallery.com UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) “The Strategies of Suffrage: Mobilizing a Nation for Women’s Rights.” Through Dec. 18. • “Election 1980: The Elephant in the Room” explores the historic change election. Through Feb. 26. • “Pylon: Tourists in Rock ’n Roll” celebrates the local band through photos, outfits, memorabilia and more.

Through May 31.

WILLSON CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIES AND ARTS (Online) As part of UGA’s Spotlight on the Arts, the Willson Center presents “Shelter Projects,” a virtual exhibition of over 30 projects created by graduate students or community practitioners who reflect pandemic experiences through the arts. willson.uga.edu.

FLAGPOLE.COM | DECEMBER 16, 2020

Saturdays, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. $65/ month. nicholas.daglis@accgov.com SOLO-DUO-TRIO (Ciné) ATHICA is seeking artists for exhibitions at its gallery and upcoming satellite location, Ciné. Proposals are considered on a rolling basis. www.athica.org/ updates/solo-duo-trio-call

Classes DEDICATED MINDFULNESS PRACTITIONERS (Online) Weekly Zoom meditations are offered every Saturday at 8 a.m. Email for details. jaseyjones@gmail.com F3 FREE MEN’S WORKOUT GROUP (UGA Intramural Fields Parking Deck) Bring your gloves and a buddy for a socially distanced workout. Saturdays, 7 a.m. www.f3 classiccity.com MINDFULNESS PRACTICE EVENINGS (Online) Discuss and practice how to change your relationship with difficult thoughts and emotions. Email for the Zoom link.

Second Friday of the month, 6–7 p.m. FREE! mfhealy@bellsouth.net SPANISH CLASSES (Athens, GA) For adults, couples and children.

Learn from experts with years of professional experience. Contact for details. 706-372-4349, marinabilbao 75@gmail.com, marina-spain-2020. squarespace.com YAMUNA AND MORE (Elevate Athens, Online) Nia Holistic Fitness and Yamuna Body Rolling are held on an ongoing basis. $20/class.

Specialty classes range from selfcare to Yamuna foot fitness and more.www.elevateathens.com YOGA CLASSES (Revolution Therapy and Yoga) “Outdoor Yoga with Meg Brownstone,” every Sunday at 10 a.m. $5–10 suggested donation.

“Trauma Conscious Yoga with Crystal,” every Thursday at 6 p.m. $10 suggested donation. “Yoga for Well-being with Nicole Bechill,” every Saturday on Zoom at 10:30 a.m. Pre-registration required. rubbersoulcollective@gmail.com, www.revolutiontherapyandyoga.com ZOOM YOGA (Online) Rev. Elizabeth Alder offers “Off the Floor Yoga” (chair and standing) on Mondays

at 1:30 p.m. and “Easy on the Mat” yoga classes on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Ongoing classes are $5/class or $18/month. 706-612-8077, ommmever@yahoo.com

Events ART EVENTS (Georgia Museum of Art) Gallery Gumshoes (Dec. 16, all day), Livestream of Sarah Cameron Sunde’s “36.5 / A Durational Performance with the Sea” Brazil (Dec. 16 at 9 a.m.–Dec. 17 at 9 a.m.), Third Thursday (Dec. 17 from 6–9 p.m.), Morning Mindfulness via Zoom (Dec. 18 at 9:30 a.m.), Toddler Tuesday: Holiday Celebration Online (Dec. 22). www.georgiamuseum.org ATHENS FARMERS MARKET (Bishop Park) The market is open with safety precautions in place.

Wear a mask, pre-order when possible, keep your family home and use cashless payments. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–12 p.m. www.athensfarmers market.net ATHENTIC EVENTS (Athentic Brewing Co.) Doughnuts and Jazz Dec. 17 from 6–9 p.m. athentic brewing.com ATHICA EVENTS (Athens Institute for Contemporary Art) Celebrate the release of the new zine “Local Honey.” Online Jan. 3 at 7 p.m.

A musical event called “Forces of One,” organized by Joe Rowe, features solo sets by 8-Track Gorilla, Kevin Dunn and Fourth Mansions.

Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. Free timed tickets required. athica.org CHRISTMAS SONGS & STORIES WITH JOHN BERRY (The Classic Center) Grammy Award-winning country artist John Berry visits on his 24th holiday tour. Dec. 16, 7 p.m. www.classiccenter.com DECEMBER EVENTS (Southern Brewing Company) Monday Night Trivia every Monday at 6 p.m. Live music by Funky Bluester every Tuesday at 7 p.m. Sunday Trivia with Solo Entertainment is held every Sunday at 5 p.m. Live music

by Ashley Lauren Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.

Live music by Sarah Mootz Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. Holiday Artist Market Dec. 19 from 2–7 p.m. Live music by

Kidstuff ART CLASSES (Online) Treehouse Kid and Craft hosts a variety of art classes for children through Zoom.

Visit the website for a calendar of class series. www.treehousekidand craft.com FAMILY MOVIE SERIES (The Classic Center Theatre) Films include Home Alone on Dec. 18, The Greatest Showman on Jan. 29 and Big on Feb. 26. www.classiccenter.com

Word on the Street ACRONYM (Athens, GA) ACRONYM is a new website compiling COVID19 aid for Athens-based live music venues and artists. Check the website for updated listings on funding and financial opportunities, mental health guides, organizational support, community resources and more. Visit acroynym.rocks ATHENS SMALL BUSINESS HOLIDAY LIGHTS SCAVENGER HUNT (Multiple Locations) Each

participating business has created a special holiday lights display to be enjoyed through Dec. 27 from 5:30– 10:30 p.m. Scavenger hunt cards can be picked up at House Electric, Tamez BBQ, Indie South, Treehouse Kid and Craft, ReBlossom, Normal Hardware, Cali-n-Titos and Georgia Cycle Sport. geoff@houseelectric athens.com ATHENS SYMPHONY VIRTUAL CHRISTMAS CONCERT (Online) The symphony’s annual concert is available to stream on Facebook, YouTube or athenssymphony.org BRING ONE FOR THE CHIPPER CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING (Multiple Locations) Keep AthensClarke County Beautiful is organizing a recycling program to reuse Christmas trees as compost, mulch or fish habitat. Bring your undecorated tree to one of six drop-off locations and receive a free tree seedling in return. Jan. 9, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. www.keepathensbeautiful.org CORNHOLEATL WINTER LEAGUE REGISTRATION (Southern Brewing Co.) The seven-week season for four different divisions begins in January. Register by Dec. 28. info@cornholeatl.com ICE SKATING (440 Foundry Pavilion) The Classic Center offers outdoor ice skating. Skate sessions are 75 minutes. Masks required. $15/ session, $120 season pass. Through January. classiccenter.com/athens onice MLK DAY OF SERVICE (Athens, GA) The Athens MLK Jr. Day of Service steering committee is seeking project sites for the 2021 event.

Hundreds of volunteers will work on community enhancement and beautification projects like invasive species removal, litter clean-ups, painting and more. Event held Jan. 18. athensgamlkday@gmail.com, www.accgov.com/mlkday NOMINATE A STORMWATER STEWARD (Athens, GA) Nominate an organization, business, individual or community group that has gone above and beyond to reduce the impact of stormwater runoff through a specific project, practice or event.

The award is presented by the Athens-Clarke County Stormwater Management Program. Nominations due Mar. 1. stormwater@accgov. com STORMWATER CALENDAR (Department of Transportation and Public Works) Request a free stormwater calendar online in advance, then pickup in person. stormwater@ accgov.com SUNDAY MUSIC SERIES (Athens Regional Library System) The library is seeking musicians of all genres to perform through its Facebook Live series. Email your name, band’s name, contact information and a link to your music to jmitchell@ athenslibrary.org THERE IS A SEASON (Athens Clarke County Extension) There is a Season: An Intentional Approach to Sustenance by master gardeners Rita Mathew and Suzanne Keifer is a new cookbook to foster health, environmental stewardship and community connections. A portion of proceeds benefit the ACC Extension Office.

706-613-3670 VIRTUAL LEISURE SERVICES (Online) A variety of activities are offered in arts, athletics, nature and recreation. www.accgov.com/leisure WINTER RAIN BARREL SALE (Contact for Location) The ACC Stormwater Management Program hosts a sale of rain barrel kits ($25) that include a plastic 55-gallon drum and DIY RainRecycle kit from the Rain Barrel Depot. Order online and pickup on Dec. 16. accgov.com/ rainbarrel f

music

threats & promises

Blast Off with Jace Bartet PLUS, MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP

By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com Hey Everyone, This is the last edition of Threats and Promises for 2020.

Without getting too sentimental about it, I want to extend a very hearty portion of gratitude to everyone who put out new music, promoted alternative events and just tried their damnedest to keep things moving along this year. Our music scene has undergone some major and still-stinging changes this year that will alter its landscape for a good portion of the foreseeable future. The actual music being created here, though, is stupendously good, and, in terms of music alone, 2020 has been a high point. Each week I’ve been thrilled by the quantity and quality of y’all’s work, and I thank you for sharing it with me. Here’s to happy holidays for all and a bright future in 2021.

TOP JIMMY: While there are certainly myriad examples of successful public support for the arts and crafts over the past 100 years or so (National Endowment for The Arts, Works Progress Administration, et al) my current favorite lands at the intersection of guitarist Jace Bartet (Double Ferrari) and UGA’s Willson Center for Humanities and Arts. Bartet’s newly released composition for six electric guitars, “Spaceship You,” was supported by the Willson Center as part of its Jace Bartet Shelter Projects initiative.

Bartet’s piece is great, running just over nine minutes long. Bartet puts his melodic metal knowledge through all its paces but also conjures up some really nice surprises, such as channeling the layered dexterity of, say, Michael Rother (Neu!), as well. You can find this at jace.bandcamp.com and enjoy the rest of the Shelter Projects—uh, projects—at willson.uga.edu/ public-partners/shelter-projects-online-exhibition.

SEAN DUNN

Zach Haines Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. www. sobrewco.com HOLIDAY CONCERTS (Hodgson Hall) The Hugh Hodgson School of Music presents a performance, “The Spirits of Holidays Past, Present, and Yet to Come,” virtually on YouTube.

Dec. 17–18, 7 p.m. music.uga.edu HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE ONLINE (Lyndon House Arts Center) Pick up a pack of art materials and tools from LHAC before Dec. 19. On Dec. 19 at 12 p.m., three instruction videos featuring local artists will become available online. Videos include sketchbooks with David Hale, dioramas with Eli Saragoussi and fashion design puppets with Tabitha Fielteau. www.accgov.com/lyndonhouse LIGHT UP ATHENS (Downtown Athens) In lieu of the annual holiday parade, the community will host an inaugural “Light Up Athens” this season. Downtown Athens storefronts will decorate with lights and decorations, and a variety of events will be held on Fridays and Saturdays from 6–9 p.m. through December. Activities include holiday character appearances, official Santa’s mailbox for children to drop off wish lists, music and s”elfie” spots. www.accgov.com/ lightupathens LIVE JAZZ (Porterhouse Grill) Enjoy dinner and some smooth jazz.

Wednesdays, 6–9 p.m. www.porter houseathens.com MOVIES BY MOONLIGHT HOLIDAY DOUBLE FEATURE: DRIVE IN MOVIE (Sandy Creek Park) Watch Elf (6 p.m.) and Christmas Vacation (8:30 p.m.) on the large inflatable screen. Dec. 20.

Register in advance. www.accgov. com/leisure PERFORMING ARTS CENTER EVENTS (UGA Performing Arts Center) L.A. Theatre Works presents The Mountaintop virtually Dec. 16– Jan. 30. The British vocal ensemble VOCES8 perform virtually Dec. 20. pac.uga.edu STAR WATCH: THE GREAT CONJUNCTION (Sandy Creek Park and Lake Chapman) Look through a telescope to see the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Dec. 21, 5:30–7:30 p.m. $2. 706-613-3631 UNSILENT NIGHT (Little Kings Shuffle Club) Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night is a musical composition and performance in which everyone brings an audio player (phone, boombox, etc.) and hits play at the same time and parades through the streets. Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m. FREE! markmobley@gmail.com

PRAYERS FOR RAIN: Back in 2014, when they first released their album Pizza Party, the dudes in Thunderchief were a hardworking crew of rockers carving a slice of the Athens music scene. Six years later, I have no idea what most of ‘em are up to, but the album just landed online for your holiday enjoyment. Working largely via the wide circle pit of pop punk, sing-along metal and some really solid early ‘70s hard rock influences, Pizza Party is here to, well, party. Especially fist pumping are “Lone Shark,” which owes its entire main hook to Budgie’s “Breadfan” (1973), “Bad And Busted” and

“Bob 3000.” Just pour the nog and head to thunderchief rocks.bandcamp.com.

MR. POTTER’S NEIGHBORHOOD: Michael Potter (Null Zone,

Electric Nature) began working on the tracks that comprise his newest project, Serrater, back in 2017. The first edition of this music, titled unofficially Serrater 1, just came out on cassette via Atlanta’s Already Dead label. The tracks herein are unabashedly noise constructions but ebb and flow in a fairly standard compositional way. It helps to have some familiarity with both Potter in particular and noise music in general, because I can talk all the live-long day about how this meets some standard benchmarks, but it’ll still come across as the chime of death’s doorbell if you’re not prepared. That said, I found Potter’s most intriguing segments here to be when he cranks the intensity up on “Movement II” and “Movement V.” The whole record is heavily rhythmic, and patterns become quite discernible after only a couple of minutes. This was mastered by well-known noise engineer Grant T. Richardson (Pain Apparatus, Death Jenk) whose resume is as long as your arm.

Potter reports that this is the first of at least four planned releases for Serrater, and, in other news, he and some compatriots have undertaken to form a new label/project named Serrated Tapes from which they plan to publish multiple media—including audio, video and print. For more information please see alreadydeadtapes.bandcamp.com and michaelpotter.band camp.com.

SHINE ON: Clay Babies, as a general rule, typically explore

the more folksy and homespun style of songwriting.

They’ve eschewed that, though, for their latest single, which is the garage-styled rocker “My Revolutionary.” While the song itself was released as part of the group’s July EP The Justice Jar, they’re currently re-promoting it as a standalone track, the sales of which will benefit the American Civil Liberties Association. Clay Babies also pressed an exceedingly limited-edition 7-inch record of the entire EP to auction off. There are only five of them, and these proceeds will benefit the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement.

You can find the information concerning the vinyl over at claybabies.com/the-justice-jar, and you can stream and/or purchase the single at claybabies.bandcamp.com. f

record review Frank & The Hurricanes: Love Ya Love Ya (Feeding Tube and Sophomore Lounge Records) Communion with nature—that active relationship and deep appreciation for the inherent sacredness and wonder of water and land—is what seems to ground Love Ya Love Ya, a spiritual blues and psych-folk trip through physical and mental landscapes. Joined by bassist and keyboardist Jake Merck (Realistic Pillow) and drummer John Spiegel (Immaterial Possession), songwriter and storyteller Frank Hurricane is disarmingly friendly from the get-go, welcoming listeners to slow their roll through the laid-back opening track “Creekside Cooler.” The tender-hearted song “Ruth Street” temporarily roots the album in Athens before “Spivey Gap” and “Devil’s Looking Glass”—two songs that reference specific destinations along the Appalachian Trail—pick up the journey across mountains and rivers where 2019’s Life is Spiritual left off. While lyrical mentions of cocktail mixers from Walmart and a “hainted” Taco Bell may feel out of place against predominantly natural imagery, this humor and realism make Hurricane’s personality and experience all the more relatable. Closing tracks “Dreamed About You” and “All Your Love” reflect on the album’s overarching theme from the interpersonal to universal levels, but the most endearing track has got to be “Luna Belle,” a homage to a “wild puss sent straight from hell, mellowed out in her older age.” Equally psychedelic to the music is the album’s cover art by Turner Williams Jr., an illustrated collage of interlocking lyrical references. [Jessica Smith]

DECEMBER 16, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

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arts & culture

art notes

Project Ginkgo and Hindsight 20/20 PLUS, MORE LOCAL ART NEWS

By Jessica Smith arts@flagpole.com PROJECT GINKGO: Local artist Krysia Ara

recently completed four new mosaics for “Project Ginkgo,” an ongoing public art series supported by the Athens Downtown Development Authority. Beautifying the otherwise utilitarian bases of light poles, the mosaics add an unexpected element of shimmery sparkle to the downtown landscape, rewarding pedestrians who pay attention to their surroundings. Located across from Ciné, “Ginkgo Energy” was the first of the most recent batch to be fabricated in the studio after the pandemic’s onset and represents a reinvigoration through its flowing layers of textured mirror in a dozen different colors. “Night Lights,” inspired by the string of lights on Ted’s Most Best’s outdoor patio, has rainbow-colored starbursts against a meticulously cut background of over 1,000 tiny iridescent circles. Designed in response to the dogwood trees lining the sidewalk outside the Downtown Post Office, “Dogwood Blossoms” includes branches of clay flowers across a solid blue sky. An homage to David Jenkins’ mural on the exterior wall of Last Resort Grill, “Ginkgo Garden” translates the mural’s various vegetables into ceramic form.

All four designs are unified through their inclusion of ceramic ginkgo leaves, which were glazed with assistance from community members. Check out instagram.com/krysia. ara for a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the artist’s process.

HINDSIGHT 20/20: The Athens Institute for

Contemporary Art will offer a safe space to “Ginkgo Garden” by Krysia Ara process and reflect on the past year through “Hindsight 20/20: A Community Catharsis,” a collaborative project through which everyone is invited to reflection on the community message wall. “Hindsight contribute artwork, artifacts and other creative expressions 20/20” will remain on view through Jan. 9, when particrepresenting recent experiences. Currently underway, the ipants will retrieve items during a take-down event from pop-up exhibition will hold a second pin-up event during 7–9 p.m.

Third Thursday on Dec. 17 from 6–9 p.m. Guests can also In addition to the exhibition, ATHICA has two upcoming visit during gallery hours to drop off pieces or write a virtual events lined up. Intern Madison Greer will present

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FLAGPOLE.COM | DECEMBER 16, 2020

the COVID-delayed launch of a new zine called Local Honey on Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. Organized by musician Joe Rowe, a concert with 8-Track Gorilla, Kevin Dunn and Fourth Mansions will stream Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. Attendance inside the gallery is limited to 10 individuals at once, and free timed tickets are required for both in-person and online events. Visit athica. org to register.

GOING TO GEORGIA: With future party control of the Senate

largely hinging on the outcome of Georgia’s upcoming runoff election, musicians and artists across the country have mobilized to find clever ways to engage voters. North Carolina indie powerhouse Merge Records has released a new covers compilation, Going to Georgia, with 17 tracks paying tribute to the state’s musical legacy. Beyond serving as a nice cross-section of the label’s roster, the album includes several tributes to Athens groups, such as Superchunk’s cover of “When I Laugh” by The Glands, Wye Oak’s cover of “Crazy” by Pylon, TORRES’ cover of “Topaz”

by The B-52’s and The Orbiting Human Circus’ cover of “The Flowers of Jeremy Ayers’ Garden” by R.E.M. Available exclusively on Bandcamp through the Jan. 5 election day, proceeds will benefit Stacey Abrams’ voting-rights group Fair Fight Action and Atlanta-based Latinx advocacy group Mijente.

Seattle-based band Death Cab for Cutie also released a similarly minded set of recordings called The Georgia E.P. Bookended by covers of songs originally performed by TLC and Cat Power, the five-song EP is anchored by strong Athens representation: “The King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1,”

by Neutral Milk Hotel; “Fall on Me,” by R.E.M. and “Flirted With You All My Life,” by Vic Chesnutt. Unfortunately, the EP was only available for one day on Bandcamp. Net proceeds were donated to Fair Fight Action.

CALL FOR GUEST ARTISTS/CURATORS: As an initiative to promote

the visibility, contribution and professional development of Black, Indigenous and Persons of Color-identifying artists and curators, the Lyndon House Arts Foundation—an independent nonprofit that provides funding to support the innovation and diversity of the Lyndon House Arts Center’s programming—is seeking guest artists and curators to design exhibitions for the galleries. Applicants must identify as BIPOC and live in Athens or one of 10 surrounding counties.

Selected artists and curators will receive a $1,000 stipend, and additional funds will be provided to assist in youth and community outreach-education programs and other expenses associated with organizing the exhibition.

There will be three cycles for exhibitions beginning in May, with each exhibition remaining on view for approximately six to eight weeks. Visit accgov.com/9799/ArtistCurator for further details and email lhartsfoundation@gmail.com for directions on how to apply. f

THE ASHTON HOPE KEEGAN FOUNDATION in partnership with Athens Technical College present:

Hope Gala The 4th Annual

"Mask" querade Ball

January 23, 2021 6–9 PM Hotel Indigo’s Rialto Room Dinner • Drinks • Live Music • Silent Auction • Raffle

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Ed and Kim Keegan • Grant Grissom • Rich and Linda Crooks

Adult Toys Erotic Movies Designer Lingerie Intimate Gifts Lubes, Lotions & Oils CBD Products Hookahs Vapes Tobacco Pipes Pipe Accessories

Gold Sponsors: Athens Animal Hospital • Rotary Club of Athens • Resource Partners CPAs Double Oaks Golf Club • Oconee Vision Group • CTDI • Pat & Cheri Cherry James & Jessica Whitley • Publix • Borders Glass & Lawn Service, LLC

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DECEMBER 16, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

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cla cl assifi fie eds Buy It, Sell It, Rent It, Use It! Place an ad anytime, email class@flagpole.com

 Indicates images available at classifieds.flagpole.com

REAL ESTATE ROOMS FOR RENT Office space available at 220 Prince Ave. Flagpole has more space then we need in the 1907 two-story house that we rent across from The Grit and Hendershot’s!

Two spaces available on the second floor: $800/ month for large office; Facing Prince Ave., lots of windows, built-in bookcase and decorative fireplace. $350/month for small office; Perfect for space for a single person to get some work done. Both spaces include parking for the renter and a guest, all utilities (except phone) including inter net and use of shared conference room. Must have limited foot traffic. No reception available. Please email ads@flagpole.com for more information or to set up an appointment.

ROOMMATES Shared house in Watkinsville. Master w/ private bath. Bedroom w/ shared bath. On-site laundry. 15 min to UGA, 5 min to UNG. January lease. 706-201-5199.

MUSIC EQUIPMENT Nuçi’s Space needs your old instruments & music gear, especially drum equipment! All donations are tax-deductible. 706227-1515 or come by Nuçi’s Space, 396 Oconee St.

MUSIC SERVICES Instant cash is now being paid for good vinyl records & CDs in fine condition. Wuxtry Records, at corner of Clayton & College Dwntn. 706-3699428.

Flagpole ♥s our readers!

flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week!

Business Services Real Estate Music For Sale

Employment Vehicles Messages Personals

BASIC RATES* Individual $10 per week Real Estate $14 per week Business $16 per week (RTS) Run-’Til-Sold** $40 per 12 weeks Online Only*** $5 per week

SERVICES HOME & GARDEN Plumber Pro Service & Drain. Upfront Pricing. Free Estimates. $30 Flagpole Discount. Call 706-7697761. Same Day Service Available. www.plumber proservice.com.

JOBS FULL-TIME D&D HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING, INC. is accepting applications for Installer positions.

Competitive pay based on level of experience. Valid ID and background check required. Applications available at 100 Lyons Rd. Athens, GA 30605.

Resumes can be sent via email: ddheatingaircond@ bellsouth.net

PART-TIME Part-time line cook needed! Stop by Big City Bread Cafe or Little City Diner to fill out an application or email your resume to bigcitycafe@yahoo.com.

E x p e r i e n c e p re f e r re d .

Weekend availability required.

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens seeks a video technician for live streaming worship services and video editing. 3+ hrs/wk; must be available Sundays and evenings. UUFA is a welcoming congregation and an equal opportunity employer. For a complete job description, go to www. uuathensga.org/uufa/jobs

NOTICES MESSAGES Flagpole will be off for the week of Christmas! (Dec. 21–25) All classified ad placements and changes must be submitted BEFORE 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 18 to be included in Slackpole, our double-issue for Dec. 23 & 30. Be sure to place your ad soon!

706-549-0301 or class@ flagpole.com.

Need newspapers for your garden? Paper mache?

Your new puppy? Well, they’re free at the Flagpole office! Call ahead, then come grab an ar mful.

Please leave current issues on stands. 706-549-0301.

SUPPORT GROUPS AL-ANON 12 STEP (Multiple Locations) Recovery for people affected by someone else’s drinking. Visit the website for a calendar of electronic meetings held throughout the week. www.ga-al-anon. org ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (Athens, GA) If you think you have a problem with alcohol, call the AA hotline or visit the website for a schedule of meetings in Barrow, Clarke, Jackson and Oconee Counties.

706-389-4164, www.athensaa.org RECOVERY DHARMA (Recovery Dharma) This peer-led support group offers a Buddhist-inspired path to recovery from any addiction. Visit the website for info about Zoom meetings. Thursdays, 7–8 p.m.

FREE! www.athensrecoverydharma.org SEX ADDICTS ANONYMOUS (Athens, GA; Email for Location) Athens Downtown SAA offers a message of hope to anyone who suffers from compulsive sexual behavior. www. athensdowntownsaa.com

ADOPT ME!

Visit athenspets.net to view all the cats and dogs available at the shelter

*Ad enhancement prices are viewable at flagpole.com **Run-‘Til-Sold rates are for MERCHANDISE ONLY ***Available for individual rate categories only

PLACE AN AD • Call our Classifieds Dept. (706) 549-0301 • Email us at class@flagpole.com

• Deadline to place ads is 11:00 a.m. every Monday for the following Wednesday issue • All ads must be prepaid

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Chance (53810)

Chance is still hanging at the shelter, but he’d really love a warm furever home for the holidays! This guy loves playing fetch, spending time outside and going for car rides. Make an appointment to meet Chance today!

Diamond (54557)

Diamond is super sweet and makes friends easily! She’s lived with several dogs before, but it would be best if she were the only dog in her next home. Diamond’s a calm girl that just wants a little peace and some love.

Vegeta (54571)

Vegeta’s a handsome and athletic guy. He gives games of fetch and catch his all! He’s also quite obedient, but would probably do best with an experienced owner.

Vegeta is perfect for someone as spunky as he is!

These pets and many others are available for adoption at:

FLAGPOLE.COM | DECEMBER 16, 2020

Athens-Clarke County Animal Services 125 Buddy Christian Way · 706-613-3540 Call for appointment

flagpole

SUDOKU

Edited by Margie E. Burke

Difficulty: Medium

6 1

5 8 2

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4 7

3 2

5 4

3 2 6 1

2 5

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4 9

3 2 5

HOW TO SOLVE:

Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3 by 3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Week of 12/14/20 - 12/20/20

The Weekly Crossword 2

3

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6 1 33 9 4 37 8 41 2 45 3 5 52 7 26

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9

2 28 7 8 1 3 5 9 49 6 4

123 4 6 3 5 746 2 8 9

7 9 3 2 142 8 5 4 6

10

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(706) 354 – 0038

665 Barber St. Athens, GA

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5 8 9 244 8 3 296 2 234 1 7 355 938 5 398 6 6 4 2 7 4 9 1 3 7 6 4 508 1 7 3 9 54 3 2 5 1

Windflower Georgia presents a LIVE Webinar

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GUEST PANEL INCLUDES INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, PATIENT ADVOCATES, COMMUNITY LEADERS, LEGISLATIVE EXPERTS, AND MORE...

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WHEN: JANUARY 13, 2021, 3:00 PM EST PLEASE REGISTER AT WWW.WINDFLOWERGA.COM JOIN US FOR AN INFORMATIVE, ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION SURROUNDING GEORGIA’S HOPE ACT AND THE NEW MEDICAL CANNABIS INDUSTRY IN GEORGIA.

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ACROSS 1 Gumbo veggie 5 Peter I, for one 9 Word said in grace 14 University V.I.P. 15 Hick 16 Jousting weapon 17 Moral decline 19 ____ of roses 20 Some are endangered 21 Pull a ______ (cheat) 23 Judge's issuance 25 "Mite" anagram 26 Existence 29 Rocky, e.g.

33 Bank, at times 35 Put into words 36 Texter's chuckle 37 Bailiwick 38 Beautify 40 Corn Belt state 41 Drool catcher 42 College credit 43 Inspector of cartoons 45 African wildlife reserve 48 Bonnie's beau

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Solution to Sudoku:

3 5 4 7 9 6 1 2 53 8

ACTIVECLIMBING.COM

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Enjoy next week’s Slackpole 2 week issue covering events from Dec. 23rd – Jan 5th

by Margie E. Burke

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office will be closed from Dec. 21st – 25th, Dec 31 31st and Jan 1st

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Copyright 2020 by The Puzzle Syndicate

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flagpole’s

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www.windflowerga.com

Copyright 2020 by The Puzzle Syndicate

49 Like some threats 50 Speak at length 52 "The Return of the King" king 55 Writer of satire 59 Place for a cookout 60 Without a doubt 62 Balances 63 "Pardon me…"

64 Char, as a steak 65 Grassy plant 66 Capone nemesis 67 Kind of palm DOWN 1 Gambler's concern 2 Stay fresh 3 Marathon, e.g.

4 Amazon snake 5 Cornered, in a way 6 Twilight sight 7 2, on an ATM 8 Coral ridge 9 Criticized severely 10 Second of two

11 12 13 18 22 24 26 27 28 30 31 32 34 39 40 42 44 46 47 51 52 53 54 56 57 58 61

Study of insects Read a bar code Drought-ridden Funeral song Under the weather Tuscan dish Spills the beans Otherworldly Drunk Seasoned sailor Made cattle sounds Tickle pink Elite soldier Bite the dust Inactivity Set free Stage presence?

Trim Showy spring flowers Wild callas, e.g.

Makes like Carry on Delhi bread Inkling Smelting waste Novice Ship's pronoun

Puzzle answers are available at www.flagpole.com/puzzles

SALON, INC.

2440 West Broad St., Suite 2 706-548-2188 www.alaferasalon.com

DECEMBER 16, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

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Gift Certificates Urban Sanctuary Gift Certificates bring comfort and joy! For Him, For Her, Facials, Pedicures, Couples Massage, Spa Days and Spa Cash. Purchase online or at the spa.

Queen For a Day White Tea Hydrating Facial, Hot Stone Massage, Lemon Geranium Body Scrub, Peppermint Scalp Massage, Asian Foot Massage and lunch $332 (allow 4 hours)

Award Winning Massage Joy to the world!

Nirvana Stress Relief Massage, CBD Chill Out Massage, Alpine Arnica Deep Tissue Massage, Blue Eucalyptus, Hot Stones and more.

Warm Herbal Neck Pillows Wonderfully relaxing moist heat and aromatherapy. Healing herbs including Cardamom and Cinnamon. Packaged in a gift box and wrapped with a beautiful organza ribbon.