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FEBRUARY 3, 2021 · VOL. 35 · NO. 5 · FREE

Donny Knottsville The Hip-Hop Artist Retires with My Strangest Adventure p. 13

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contents

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Read about BennyHonda SuperShifter’s upcoming debut album and watch a video for the song “Terrified” at flagpole.com.

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

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

Redistricting From Hell

Street Scribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

MUSIC: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Art Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Linda Phillips RIP

Hey, Bonita! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Pub Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 MUSIC: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Art Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

So Long, Donny Knottsville

Threats & Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

ADVERTISING: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Adopt Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Curb Your Appetite

Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

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Rentals Buying Selling

FELIPE ESQUIVEL REED / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons

Property Management Investment Properties

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VOLUME 35 ISSUE NUMBER 5

RESPECT OTHERS WEAR A MASK

Association of Alternative Newsmedia

KEEP YOUR COOL

comments section Yesterday, my high school freshman said, in an offhanded way: “I hope I can go to school in person at least by my sophomore year.”

That’s just a sad commentary on our populace.

—Tony Eubanks From “COVID Numbers Improve but Remain High in Athens” at flagpole.com

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news

city dope

What Condition Athens’ Condition Is In PLUS, CHILD-CARE NEEDS, THE LATEST ON COVID AND MORE LOCAL NEWS

By Blake Aued, Jessica Luton and Rebecca McCarthy

development coordinator and the Athens Community Corps, which employs residents on beautification and environmental remediation projects. ACC also distributed $2.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds to small businesses.

Water: Last year, the county bought a quarry that, after mining ceases in 10 years, will be turned into a reservoir for future droughts. Upgrades to two water reclamation plants are also in the works, which will further refine effluent pumped into the North and Middle Oconee rivers and allow industries to use non-potable water for manufacturing.

Clean energy: $15 million in the current SPLOST is devoted to energy efficiency and clean energy production. [Blake Aued]

Housing and criminal justice reform are at portion of the tax would be devoted to portfolio not limited to criminal justice but the top of the Athens-Clarke County Mayor transit, including buses along West Broad including “upstream factors”—root causes and Commission’s to-do list for 2021, if Street and Atlanta Highway every 10–15 of crime—such as physical and behavioral Mayor Kelly Girtz’s “state of the commuminutes, Girtz said. For drivers and pedeshealth, education and jobs. The committee nity” address last week is any indication. trians, work is scheduled to start on the will be charged with reducing crime and Girtz touched on many topics during the Loop interchange on Lexington Road this recidivism while creating a more equitable wide-ranging half-hour speech, available year and on Atlanta Highway in 2023. system that respects human dignity, Girtz at youtube.com/accgov, but devoted the In addition, Girtz said that this year the said. most time to those two issues, as well as the Firefly Trail will be extended past the Loop, Far from defunding the police, Girtz said COVID-19 pandemic. and new trails will serve College Station he wants to raise the pay scale to attract More than 40,000 people commute here and Barnett Shoals roads on the Eastside, and retain officers. He also proposed a Prior to this month, disposable coffee from other counties for work, and at least the Spring Valley/Winterville area, and team of mental-health professionals “to and soda cups belonged in the blue recepsome of them do so because they can’t Commerce and Newton Bridge roads in the head off challenges before they reach the tacles headed for the landfill. Now, though, find affordable housing in Athens, Girtz north part of town. Sidewalks are under crisis point” and relieve police of the burACC is able to send them to a facility that said. A report Girtz requested from the construction on King Avenue, Magnolia den of being the first responders to issues turns them into cardboard ACC Planning Commission boxes. recommends allowing auxAfter processing at the iliary dwellings or “in-law county Recovered Materials suites,” smaller houses and Processing Facility, paper increased density in neighis sent to a Pratt Industries borhoods where the inframill in Conyers that prostructure can support it. duces recycled packaging.

“Our housing crisis hits Previously, it wasn’t worth hardest those who are on the effort to remove the thin the financial margins, but plastic film coating paper it is even felt in households cups, but that’s changed that would have been consince the pandemic and a sidered well-situated in presurge in online shopping. vious eras,” Girtz said. “We “They want the paper badly are in a time that features enough that they’re willthe lowest supply of housing ing to put up with a little relative to population in this inconvenience,” said Waste market in generations and Reduction Administrator perhaps ever.”

Joe Dunlop.

Girtz also discussed the Once the plastic film is North Athens Project, which removed, it’s burned along will replace the aging low-inwith other materials that come apartment complex can’t be reused to generate Bethel Midtown Village off power for the mill, Dunlop College Avenue north of said. The temperature is downtown with at least an high enough that most polequal number of public and lutants are burned away, he subsidized units, plus addiadded. tional market-rate units and The No. 5 plastic lids on amenities, funded in part by Charlie Mustard (right), owner of Jittery Joe’s Roasting Co., hands out free coffee to promote ACC’s new ability to recycle paper cups. cups are also recyclable, but $39 million in local sales-tax not straws. To recycle a cup, simply pop off revenue and federal tax credits, along with Street and Baxter Street in the historically like homelessness, poverty and substance the lid to make it easier to separate from investment from two private developers. underserved West Broad area. abuse. the paper cup at the RMFP, empty the cup The newly created Inclusion Office, headed “Just as we seek social and economic “It is important not to artificially paint a and throw both in the recycling bin, Dunlop

by Krystle Cobran, is working with resiconnections, these physical connections zero-sum, all-or-nothing portrait of public said. Cups should be empty but don’t need dents who were displaced by urban renewal that allow us to easily stretch our legs and safety,” he said. “Bringing a more complete to be rinsed. in the 1960s. visit friends are a tangible reminder that we set of tools to the job of a strong commuThe Recycling Division recently held a “Broadly, we will apply lessons learned are creating an Athens for all residents,” he nity benefits each of us, alongside benefitpromotional event with free coffee at the from past efforts: that neighborhoods must said. ing the police department. As we provide Jittery Joe’s Roasting Co. and is advertising be integrated, and in their design we must Girtz also called homelessness “one of much stronger preventative efforts, we can the change using grants from Coca-Cola and consider more than just the countertops, our most critical housing needs” and menalso acknowledge that the motorist rear the Foodservice Packaging Institute. In true appliances and floorboards,” he said. “We tioned that ACC would be ramping up its ended by a drunk driver, the mother who Athens fashion, the event included a person have to support residents in a way in which Housing First approach. He told Flagpole has her back door broken in by a burglar dressed in a flamingo costume who, accordlife outside the living room is also fruitful.” that the city has been trying to use federal and the person who experienced assault all ing to Dunlop, was unaffiliated with ACC Other target areas for higher-density aid to house the homeless in apartments deserve a rapid response. These efforts of and just showed up. and more walkable development include or motel rooms but has been running into law enforcement and proactive community The Recycling Division is an enterprise Georgia Square Mall, the former K-Mart issues with landlords/owners, so he wants support do not exist in opposition to each fund, meaning it’s supposed to pay for on Barnett Shoals Road and the former to cut out the middleman and buy hotel other, but in fact these multiple pursuits itself, but in recent years it’s struggled Kroger on West Broad Street, Girtz said. and/or apartment properties. strengthen one another.”

Six new tax allocation districts around the On criminal justice, Girtz noted that Other issues the mayor covered included: to do so because China stopped acceptmall and other areas could provide funding overall crime is down 6% and murders are Economic development: Girtz touted the ing American recyclables, labeling them for sidewalks, parks, child care and other near a historic low, although there’s been an ByoPlanet electrostatic cleaning technology as too contaminated with food or other non-recyclables. However, since then, the improvements. uptick in domestic violence and aggravated plant and RDWC Industries, which opened recycling stream has gotten cleaner, and Those new higher-density nodes could assaults that he attributed to the pandemic. a plant in Athens that turns used vegetable new domestic markets have opened up, be better served by Athens Transit if voters He said he will appoint a Safety and Justice oil into biodegradable plastic-substitute Dunlop said. Between Dalton companies choose to extend TSPLOST, the 1% sales Advisory Committee staffed by an employee products like straws. They employ 250 and that turn old plastic into carpet and the car tax for transportation, in 2022. While a who will report directly to Manager Blaine 200 people, respectively. The local governfactories and beer- and soda-canning plants project list is still under development, a Williams. The committee will have a broad ment also created the position of workforce

Paper Cups Are Now Recyclable

WHITLEY CARPENTER

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FLAGPOLE.COM | FEBRUARY 3, 2021

that use recycled aluminum, Georgia is the second-largest market in the U.S. behind California, he said. But new revenue, like a previously proposed small waste reduction fee, is still needed, he said. [BA]

Parents Face Child-Care Challenges A recent virtual meeting involving representatives from the ACC government, the Clarke County School District and UGA focused on outreach to children and youth in Athens, including everything from summer camps to child care to ASP programs.

Parents choosing child care in Athens have limited choices. Child care has an average monthly cost of $559 per child.

For low-income residents especially, child care is often a patchwork involving grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends and older siblings as well as staff members at facilities. Child-care facilities aren’t close to the homes of low-income residents and aren’t open when they need the care. That information was collected by Grace Bagwell Adams with the UGA College of Public Health for the Athens Wellbeing Project, a survey of residents on their health-care and social services needs.

Before COVID-19, ACC Leisure Services provided not only 36 summer camps for elementary and middle school-aged children, but also 12 different teen camps and free swimming lessons for 5-year-olds. It partnered with CCSD in using facilities and resources, including buses and tennis courts, among others. It supported the Grand Slam summer program in 2019, which brought 338 children, ages 11–14, together on Friday nights at Cedar Shoals for fun and enrichment activities. Leisure Services director Kent Kilpatrick didn’t say what’s on tap for the summer, but he did say that teenagers would like to have their own place in the community to hang out.

UGA’s Office of Service Learning has “no programs without partnerships,” said director Shannon Brooks. With a USDA grant, her office initiated the “Grow It, Know It” program, which focuses on combating food insecurity by teaching children to grow and use vegetables and fruits, as well as to compost food waste. Begun in 2014 at Clarke Middle, the program now is at all four middle schools, where Americorps VISTA volunteers help students and manage the gardens year-round. Produce is distributed throughout the community. Despite COVID-19, Brooks’ office has partnered with Leisure Services to offer outdoor programming this spring at the East Athens Community Center and Lay Park, where students are building raised beds.

Before COVID-19 disrupted the school year, all of the district’s 14 elementary schools had an After School Program. For children to participate, parents typically paid $10 to register their child, then $6 a day for the first child and $4 each for siblings. Each school program included homework help, a snack and outdoor play time, as well as an occasional movie and two field trips for children and their parents. At some schools, parents have paid extra fees for activities such as karate or ceramics on site. CCSD administrators are evaluating the ASP program to decide whether to keep it “in-house” or hire a private contractor to provide services, according to Hope McGuire, the district’s director of academic support, special projects and Title I. Participating families would pay the vendor instead of the school’s ASP program.

Even during the pandemic, the district’s 21st Century Grant is continuing to help elementary and middle school children who aren’t meeting standards. During the school year, 250 elementary students are taught at H.T. Edwards and 4th Street Elementary, while each middle school helps 45 students.

Nine of 21 schools in the district have a Pathways to Success Program in place to help students close academic gaps. There will be virtual instruction this year for high school students.

School board member Mumbi Anderson pointed out that many families may not know what opportunities are available or when they should be registering for camps and programs. She said some Leisure Services camps for younger children are only half-day, meaning that participating families would still need to find child care for the afternoon. She is also worried that there are no extracurricular activities through the summer for middle and high school students to build social and emotional skills. More conversations and collaboration are sure to follow, participants said.

[Rebecca McCarthy]

Keep Your Mask On a While Longer If you were hoping to find glowing, optimistic news about the future of the pandemic, unfortunately, we’re just not there yet. While there are potential positive developments, the evidence suggests people need to follow public health recommendations—hand washing, social distancing and mask wearing—for several more months.

St. Mary’s emergency room doctor Brandon Hicks told Flagpole that while the vaccines are encouraging, they won’t end the pandemic alone. “Mask wearing and social distancing still need to be our No. 1 priority,” he said.

While state Department of Public Health data shows that cases and hospitalizations are currently trending downward, public health experts are not sure whether this is an actual reprieve or merely temporary. The seven-day average of new cases in AthensClarke County has been dropping since mid-January, from over 100 to 69 on Jan. 30.

“Despite the apparent slowdown, case rates and hospitalizations in our service area remain high,” said St. Mary’s Chief Medical Officer Jason Smith. “We have a long way to go before we are out of the woods… We need to come together now to ensure a new surge doesn’t happen on top of the present high plateau. We urge everyone to embrace President Biden’s 100-day mask challenge and to keep maintaining social distance, avoiding gatherings, washing hands and staying home if sick except to seek medical care. We especially urge everyone to get vaccinated when your priority tier opens up.”

As of Jan. 31, there have been 11,093 confirmed cases and another 1,918 positive rapid antigen tests, for a total of 13,011 cases in Clarke County. While hospitalizations have declined, they remain high and are stressing the health-care system. As of Jan. 31, 75 ICU beds were in use, five above normal capacity. The percentage of COVID19 patients in local hospitals has decreased to 32% of all hospitalized patients.

“Doctors and nurses report to me very high levels of physical and emotional exhaustion, given the continued stress of long shifts, opening [of] extra treatment wards and [the] experience [of] supporting

dying patients,” Mayor Kelly Girtz said.

“Our critical care capacity has been tested frequently since the post-Thanksgiving surge began,” Smith said. “We consistently operate near or at capacity and often have to hold some critical care admissions in our [ER] for a few hours until beds open up on the unit. We continue to work with our medical staff to expedite transfers from critical care to step-down units when medically appropriate. To date, we have not had to expand our critical care capacity. We monitor the situation constantly and have surge plans in place should they be needed.”

Piedmont Athens Regional has converted some surgery recovery beds to critical care, CEO Michael Burnett told WXAG 1480 AM radio host Gwen O’Looney. The hospital did not respond to Flagpole’s requests for comment.

Wastewater collected twice a week by Erin Lipp at the UGA Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases often catches trends before they show up in testing. Last week her lab’s report said that the “average viral load for the week decreased from the previous week but was still higher than 70% of all samples collected to date… Viral load and transmission remain high in AthensClarke County.”

UGA’s self-reported Dawgcheck data, released each Wednesday, showed 190 cases of COVID-19 among students, faculty and staff for the week of Jan. 20–26 and a positive rate of 2.49% for surveillance testing. However, UGA’s lack of transparency inspires little confidence in the validity of the data. UGA has not yet provided any answers to repeated inquiries about the usage rate of the Dawgcheck app.

On the vaccination front, Athens continues to grapple with availability of the vaccine. While this stands to improve as federal policy changes, there are now 31 providers in Clarke County, up from 23 providers two weeks ago, whenever more shots are available.

“I am glad that Biden is willing to invoke the Defense Production Act to assist in supplying vaccines, and coming approvals for the Johnson & Johnson and A-Z vaccines will help,” Girtz said. “However, there are sheer physical realities of production and

supply-chain management that have to be handled, for both the vaccine itself as well as storage containers, glassware and related items. On top of that is the data management and electronic vaccination portal rollout that has hampered public health here in Georgia in these recent weeks of vaccination. This is another signal that public health needs more funding and staffing in ‘good times’ to ensure that we are preventing the underlying health conditions that make this virus particularly deadly to people of color and poor communities, and that we are prepared for emerging or unforeseen health crises.”

The Northeast Health District sent out emails to anyone who pre-registered for the vaccine this week. “[That] message was sent to those who have pre-registered with us,” said NE Health District Covid-19 PIO Sarah Peck. “We will be sending similar communications regularly to keep individuals on the waitlist informed of any updates related to COVID-19 vaccine availability and allow them to update their contact information or indicate they no longer require an appointment. The message also serves as confirmation that they remain on the waiting list.”

While there’s been much confusion and a lack of clear communication to the public about details of vaccination efforts, a new statewide online scheduling tool for health districts should provide some relief to overwhelmed phone banks eventually.

DPH spokesperson Nancy Nydam told Flagpole via email that they were aiming for mid-February to have that tool available statewide.

As of Jan. 29, the Northeast Health District had administered over 10,000 COVID-19 vaccines. This does not include vaccines administered by other providers, said Peck.

Additionally, according to a campus-wide email that showed the results of a UGA community survey about vaccinations, 77% of respondents wanted the vaccine from the university. To date, UGA has administered 1,500 first doses to those who qualify under CDC guidelines. That includes faculty and staff over the age of 65, who are a part of Tier 1A+. [Jessica Luton] f

FEBRUARY 3, 2021 | FLAGPOLE.COM

5

news

feature

Dollars and Districts REPUBLICANS WILL REAP THE BENEFITS OF INVESTMENT IN STATE-LEVEL RACES

By Isaiah Poritz and David Armstrong

W

Republicans controlled the redistricting process in Georgia for the first time following the 2010 Census. By carefully drawing districts that included a majority of reliably Republian voters, the party was able to maintain its hold on state government for the rest of the decade. While shifting demographics and a concerted voter registration and turnout drive allowed Democrats to come close in several state House races in 2020, they were unable to overcome the Republican-drawn maps and the GOP-allied spending campaign.

Democrats now face the prospect of having to climb that hill all over again.

Two U.S. Supreme Court decisions will add to the challenge. In 2013, the court invalidated a provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that required Georgia and other jurisdictions with a history of discrimination against Black voters to obtain approval

science at the University of Georgia who studies redistricting. “I think Republicans will be more aggressive in trying to ensure that they can hold onto the state legislature. They can’t be sure of holding onto the governorship, but they could ensure their ability to hold onto the state legislature.”

The Republican Money Machine

hile Georgia voters handed Demand turnout. National groups backing The Republicans’ ability to maintain conocrats historic wins in the recent Democratic state candidates nationtrol of state government, and thus of the presidential and U.S. Senate elections, wide raised millions of dollars but spent redistricting process, was due in large part Republicans maintained their hold on state relatively little in Georgia. Two of the to an extensive campaign-finance infragovernment and secured a once-in-a-decade biggest organizations, the Democratic structure that includes state and national prize: control over this year’s redistricting National Redistricting Committee and PACs, independent committees and process that they will likely use to benefit the Democratic Legislative Campaign so-called “dark money” organizations that GOP candidates for the next 10 years.

Committee, contributed just over $260,000 are not required to disclose their donors.

Georgia Democrats had worked for years to Democratic efforts in Georgia.

The cornerstone of that network is the to grow their ranks of voters in hopes of “There’s no question that money, when RSLC. The group, founded in 2002, gained winning control of at least one chamber of you’re talking about a legislative race, can the General Assembly and gaining leverage in redistricting plans.

Ahead of the 2020 election, Democrats expressed confidence they could generate a blue wave that would allow them to pick up enough seats to flip control of the state House.

But that effort fell far short. In the end, Democrats won just two of the 16 seats they needed in the House, with Republican legislative candidates receiving a flood of money from outside Georgia that helped propel them to victory.

The lead player in the effort to hold off the Democratic surge was the Republican State Leadership Committee, a tax-exempt political organization dedicated to electing To the victor go the spoils: Democrats drew six of 13 congressional districts to their advantage in 2002, but Republicans redrew them a decade later so 10 of 14 favored the GOP. Republicans to state offices and protecting wide attention in 2010 for its Redistricting from the U.S. Justice Department before GOP incumbents. The Washington, D.C.play an outsized role,” said Michael Li, Majority Project (REDMAP) which sought making changes to district boundaries. based group spent more than $2 million senior counsel at New York University’s to establish Republican majorities in state Elimination of the “preclearance” requireon state House and Senate races in Georgia Brennan Center for Justice. “There’s a huge legislatures for the explicit purpose of ment means newly drawn maps can’t be in 2020. As a central part of its campaign, national interest in the outcome of races redrawing maps to maintain Republican challenged until after they are approved the RSLC plowed more than $660,000 in places that nobody has heard of. It’s not strongholds. The project was highly successinto a successful bid to unseat Democratic about the place or about the state. It’s about by the state. With the 2022 midterms ful, helping Republicans gain full control approaching, elections could be held in disHouse Minority Leader Bob Trammell who controls redistricting.” over 11 state governments in 2010, allowtricts that are under review by the courts.

(D-Luthersville), campaign records show. ing them to draw GOP-friendly legislative Adding to the difficulties for Democrats, The day after the election, as votes were and congressional maps that remained for the Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that fedstill being counted, the RSLC issued a statethe next decade. The RSLC relaunched its eral judges do not have the power to stop ment congratulating Republican legislative With control over the redistricting proREDMAP initiative in 2015, pledging to politicians from drawing electoral districts candidates for holding the line against invest $125 million in the cause through for political advantage. While legislatures Democrats’ efforts to turn Georgia blue and cess secured, Republicans will soon turn their attention to redrawing the boundaries cannot engage in racial gerrymandering, 2022. protecting the state’s citizens from “liberal of the state’s legislative and congressional In 2020, the group donated almost $45 the court found that claims of maps being gerrymandering after the next Census.” voting districts, based on the results of the million to Republican efforts across 15 drawn for partisan advantage are “beyond While the RSLC played a lead role in U.S. Census. Politicians can, and often do, states. In Georgia, the RSLC contributed the reach of the federal courts” and would helping Republicans maintain their hold on use that power to craft districts that benefit have to be addressed in state systems. just over $2 million, divided between its state government, other groups also made their own party and its candidates, a tactic state PAC and independent committee, While Republicans will have significant substantial contributions to the effort. In known as gerrymandering. Both Democrats advantages in the redistricting process, according to campaign finance records. all, Republican-aligned state and national and Republicans use the practice. In addiThe money often travels a circuitous route they will also face real challenges. As the groups and state GOP leaders spent nearly tion to further marginalizing minority through interlocking committees and camstate’s demographics continue to shift in $9.5 million in support of state GOP candiparties, this use of redistricting for political paign finance organizations. Between July Democrats’ favor, Republicans will have to dates in the 2020 election. gain is also widely seen as diluting citizens’ and September 2020, for example, the RSLC work harder to draw maps that favor them Democrats, by contrast, developed a ability to hold elected officials accountable, made three contributions to its state PAC, over the years. far less robust system for financing state increasing the number of noncompetitive totaling $425,000. This included a Sept. 17 “They see the trends coming,” said legislative candidates, focusing most of races and spurring factionalization. donation of $200,000. The same day, the Charles Bullock, a professor of political their effort instead on voter registration

2002

The Reward of Redistricting

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FLAGPOLE.COM | FEBRUARY 3, 2021

2012

PAC made a $200,000 contribution to the Georgia House Republican Trust, a state PAC created to support GOP state House candidates. A day later, the trust made a $750,000 contribution to the Republican Party of Georgia.

In addition to the money from the RSLC, the trust took in more than $4.8 million before the 2020 election, receiving large donations from national Republican PACs and prominent Georgia business leaders. The trust, run by state House Majority Caucus Leader Rep. Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin), gave most of this money to the Republican Party of Georgia and made contributions to individual GOP candidates.

In all, RSLC’s state PAC contributed $709,000 to Republican candidates and groups in Georgia this cycle, up from $29,000 in 2018. RSLC’s state independent committee, which can spend on behalf of candidates but cannot contribute to them directly, spent $1.3 million in the 2020 cycle. The independent committee’s money went to digital, TV, text message and mail advertising in support of Republicans.

Many digital ad payments went to IMGE, a suburban D.C.-based communications and consulting firm whose board of directors includes former RSLC and Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie.

The RSLC made the defeat of Democratic House Minority Leader Trammell a priority, announcing in June that he was the committee’s “top target” in the nation. The RSLC’s independent committee financed a series of attack ads against Trammell, as well as a website that portrayed the threeterm representative as “the Golden Boy of Georgia Liberals.” In October alone, the independent committee spent more than $141,000 on advertising in the race.

Trammell lost in November by 3 percentage points to political newcomer David Jenkins, the only Republican gain in the state House. Jenkins received the maximum $5,600 in contributions from RSLC’s state PAC for the primary and general elections, along with donations from the campaigns of other state House and Senate Republicans. Trammell raised $524,000 prior to the election.

The push to elect Republican candidates also received support from the RSLC’s “strategic partner” and “policy arm,” the State Government Leadership Foundation (SGLF). The foundation, headed by RSLC Executive Director Austin Chambers, is classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, meaning it cannot directly collaborate with or donate to candidates.

It can, however, advertise and “educate” voters about conservative policy issues and does not need to disclose its donors.

The SGLF announced it spent hundreds of thousands on digital and text advertisements highlighting 11 Republican Georgia legislative candidates “who demonstrated strong leadership” during the COVID-19 pandemic by voting in favor of cutting their own legislative salaries by 10% and offering tax incentives to companies that manufacture personal protective equipment. All of these candidates faced strong Democratic challenges, and two of them, Reps. Deborah Silcox (R-Sandy Springs) and Brett Harrell (R-Snellville), lost their seats, marking two of the three gains for Democrats.

“We were on offense,” SGLF Communications Director Stami Williams said. “It was our job to win state legislatures and that’s where we then pass the ball to the National Republican Redistricting

Trust, and it’s their job to execute that other half with drawing maps.”

In January 2020, RSLC’s state PAC gave the maximum contributions to 20 Republican state legislative candidates in tight races, including three members of the House Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee, Reps.

Chuck Efstration (R-Dacula), Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) and committee chair Bonnie Rich (R-Suwanee). Rich, Efstration and Setzler won their races by narrow margins—Setzler by less than 300 votes. All had come within a few percentage points of losing their seats in 2018.

State GOP leadership was another major source of campaign money for Republican candidates. House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) and President pro tempore of the Senate Butch Miller (R-Gainesville) raised a combined $3 million prior to the election. They contributed more than half a million dollars to members of their caucus and Republican organizations. Advance Georgia, an independent committee created by Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, spent $1.2 million on advertising for Republican state Senate candidates before the election.

It was our job to win state legislatures, and that’s where we then pass the ball to the National Republican Redistricting Trust, and it’s their job to execute that other half with drawing maps.

“

The RSLC is classified by the IRS as a nonprofit political organization under Section 527 of the U.S. tax code. So-called 527 groups have no limits on how much they can receive in donations and no restrictions on who may contribute. They report their finances to the IRS rather than to the Federal Election Commission.

The RSLC’s largest donors include conservative interest groups, corporations and some of America’s wealthiest individuals. Sheldon Adelson, the recently deceased billionaire CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corporation and President Trump’s biggest donor, made a $2.5 million contribution to the RSLC on Sept. 16, 2020, one day before the organization disbursed $200,000 through Georgia’s Republican campaign finance network. Other large donors include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which contributed $2.4 million in 2020, and billionaire hedge fund managers Paul Singer and Kenneth Griffin, who contributed $750,000 and $500,000, respectively. Significant donors from Georgia in 2020 include Waffle House, which donated $50,000, Georgia Power Co., which donated $27,500, and the chairman of Grady Memorial Hospital, Pete Correll, who donated $25,000.

Although the RSLC must disclose its donors, it receives donations from organizations that do not have to disclose theirs, obscuring the original source of some of RSLC’s funding. One of RSLC’s dark money donors is the Concord Fund, an alternative name for the Judicial Crisis Network, which advocates the appointment of conservative judges. The fund donated $675,000 to the RSLC in 2020. The SGLF, which like the Concord Fund is not required to disclose its donors, gave $2.5 million to the RSLC in 2020.

Little Money for Democratic Candidates Democratic efforts to promote state candidates ahead of this year’s redistricting fell far short of the Republican campaign.

In early 2020, national Democratic-aligned organizations said they were substantially expanding their financial backing of candidates in state legislative races, learning from the Republican efforts to win control of state governments in 2010.

The Democratic equivalent of RSLC, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, pledged to invest $50 million into state legislative races in 2020. But IRS records show the DLCC spent little over half that amount nationally. The money spent in Georgia was far less; the DLCC gave a onetime $100,000 contribution to the Georgia Democratic Party in September, but records show it did not make any contributions to individual candidates, despite highlighting 22 of them in a press release.

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, an organization chaired by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, also outlined lofty goals of spending millions of dollars to retake state legislatures, but gave little in Georgia. The committee made two $50,000 contributions to the Georgia Democratic Party and gave $2,800 contributions to 22 state House candidates, totaling $167,000. The only candidate to whom the committee made the maximum allowable contribution of $5,600 was Democrat Kyle Rinaudo, the challenger to eight-term incumbent Ed Setzler, a House Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee member. The 24-year-old Rinaudo lost to Setzler by just 280 votes.

The DLCC and NDRC did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The Georgia WIN List, a PAC dedicated to training and electing Democratic women across the state, raised $432,000 prior to the election but spent only $271,000.

Almost all of the PAC’s funding came from hundreds of individual donors, most of whom only gave $100.

Fair Fight, a group formed by former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams, raised and spent millions of dollars for the November general election and the January Senate runoff races. The group’s primary focus, however, is on voter mobilization and registration. Fair Fight’s campaign donations were distributed among races up and down the ballot across the nation, not just Georgia legislative races.

The lack of national investment in Georgia Democratic legislative candidates was largely the result of national organizations’ sense that the state was not competitive, said Adrienne White, vice chair of candidate recruitment for the Georgia Democratic party. That will change, White said, as a result of Democratic victories in Georgia in the presidential and senate races.

“I anticipate that resources that have previously been allocated to states like Ohio or maybe Florida, they’ll start sending that here because they see that our democratic ecosystem has rewritten the game on how to win,” White said.

But that investment may come too late for Democrats who will now campaign in new districts drawn by the Republican majority. f This story comes to Flagpole through a reporting partnership with GA Today, a non-profit newsroom focused on reporting in Georgia.

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Biden’s Unique Inauguration Push Comes to Shove A LOOK BACK AT PAST PRESIDENTIAL SWEARING-IN CEREMONIES

WHEN INTEGRATION FINALLY ARRIVED AT UGA, PART 2

By Ed Tant news@flagpole.com

By Pete McCommons pete@flagpole.com

President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20 was a ceremony like no other in the history of the presidency. The specters of pandemic and political extremism dominated the planning and execution of this year’s ceremony on the same steps of the Capitol where, just two weeks before, an enraged MAGA mob had tried to stop the certification of the 2020 election results that gave Biden a clear win in both popular and electoral votes. Despite fears of COVID-19 and domestic terrorism in Washington, the inauguration went on as scheduled, and, once again, history was a tangible spirit at a quintessentially American ceremony.

home now,” as she and many in the crowd turned their backs on the passing presidential limousine.

In 2009, the inauguration of Barack Obama packed Capitol Hill and the National Mall with a crowd of some 2 million people on hand to view the swearing-in of the first African-American chief executive. I was in the press area at the Obama inauguration, so I had a prime view of history as it happened on a bitterly cold day in Washington.

The day was a civics lesson come to life as the federal government’s executive, judicial and legislative branches played their respective roles in the ceremony.

DAVE DECKER

Hamilton Holmes wanted to attend UGA so of politically ambitious law students was that he’d have a shot at getting into medical orchestrating a direct assault on Myers Hall, school at Emory. Charlayne Hunter needed where Charlayne Hunter was lodged, segreUGA’s Grady College so that she could realgated from the other students in the dorm. ize her dream of becoming a reporter. Just Our group attached ourselves to Trillin, two Georgia kids who knew where they then just out of Yale and covering the wanted to go and knew their state univerevents for Time magazine. At the end of sity was the ticket to get them there. each of those long days, we gathered in But that was in 1961, and Georgians of his room at the Holiday Inn to pump him color could not attend the University of full of our moderate views in hopes of Georgia, even though UGA leaders swore in making UGA look better in the national federal court that it was just mere coincipress. We were doing OK until the night dence that no Black students (except some of the riot outside Myers, when the angry foreigners) had ever attended the school. mob surged back and forth and the rocks So Hamilton and Charlayne’s lawyers and the tear gas flew, while the governor went to court and easily proved, thanks to delayed sending the state patrol. From his federal judges who applied the law imparfirsthand, pissed-off observations that tially, that they were entitled to attend the night, Trillin concluded that the mob would state’s “flagship” university. Their admithave stormed Myers Hall had it not been tance demanded great perseverance, and for Dean of Men William Tate, practically their attendance required great courage. the only UGA official to act honorably and The average white kid from Hahira had courageously during that period. I had seen only to graduate from high school, apply Tate break up crowds with his jolly act, but to Georgia, sit for the interview that conI had not until that night personally witfirmed their basic whiteness and come on nessed the dean’s wrath-of-God persona. up to Athens to let the good times roll.

He confronted the mob head-on and began Calvin Trillin’s book An Education in demanding ID cards—the kiss of death Georgia (reprinted by UGA Press) tells the to your educational future. He broke it story of what it was like up, but UGA used the for Charlayne Hunter riot as the excuse for Other black students (now Hunter-Gault) expelling Charlayne followed Charlayne and and Hamilton “for their and Hamilton Holmes to become the first own safety.” Dean Tate Hamilton, but never more Black students here 60 rode to Atlanta with than 10% of the enrollment. them, regaling them years ago—an anniversary marked recently with stories all the way, by several events at the university and by and he was waiting for them when the court photographic and memorabilia exhibits sent them back to school. still up at the Main Library and the Special You could say those events of 60 years Collections Library. For an even closer look ago were all in vain. Sure, Charlayne and at Charlayne’s life on campus, see Joan Hamilton got their degrees and went on to Zitzelman’s memoir in the current Athens illustrious careers—she in journalism, he in Historian, a publication of the Athens medicine. But the boys in the mob outside Historical Society, and tune in Thursday, Myers that night risked their own educaFeb. 4 at 4 p.m. for a conversation between tion needlessly if they were fighting to keep Hunter-Gault and Trillin about UGA inteBlack students from taking over UGA. gration (ugapress.org/kick-off-event-anOther Black students followed Charlayne education-in-georgia-then-and-now/). and Hamilton but have never been more In a minor key, the integration of the than 10% of the enrollment. The HOPE University of Georgia followed the same scholarship came along to help less affluent trajectory as the recent storming of the U.S. students attend Georgia colleges—a boon Capitol: the big lie, the sham court cases, to students of all colors all over Georgia. the posturing politicians, the press frenzy, But the HOPE was quickly amended to drop the attempts to nullify the law by direct the $100,000 ceiling on family income and action, the long and drawn-out rear-guard give it to all students with a “B” average. resistance.

Wealthier families now recognized the At that time, like any good Southern scholarship as an offer they could not afford moderate, I was trying to stay in the good to refuse. That change altered forever any graces of my gun-totin’ fraternity while idea that the University of Georgia would doing what I could with a group working be open to a cross-section of Georgia stuto counter the Confederate flag-waving dents. Thus has evolved the modern UGA, crowds eager to perform in front of the TV focused on “national prominence” and domcameras. We wrote and distributed leaflets inated by the better high schools from the calling on students to abide by the law. affluent Atlanta suburbs, which generally Then, when it appeared that the legislature outperform those in the rest of the state was going to shut down the university, we and crowd out other students. Black kids got the signatures of a third of the student are admitted, as are some other students body on a petition calling for the university from outside the metro areas, but 60 years to remain open in spite of integration. We after integration, the result has been sort delivered the petition to the legislative of like the outcome of the Civil War in leadership, who were also working to avoid Georgia: We won some skirmishes, but all closing the school, and that crisis passed. those Yankees around Atlanta came out on Meanwhile, back on campus, a cadre top. f

“

Despite the heavy National Guard presence, some revelers still made it out for President Biden’s inauguration.

Presidential inaugurations have in the past mixed pomp, politics, parades and protests. In 1913, supporters of voting rights for women surged through the streets of Washington in a protest that upstaged the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson the next day. In 1969, protesters against the Vietnam War filled the streets of Washington during the inauguration of President Richard Nixon.

In 2001, this writer was on the scene with pen and camera as large crowds of protesters thronged the nation’s capital during the inauguration of President George W. Bush after the hotly contested election of 2000. As the presidential limousine made its way down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the White House, the parade route was packed with angry Americans hoisting protest placards with messages like “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” and “Hail to the Thief.” Despite their anger, in 2001 and 2005 the protesters were peaceful.

By 2005, the Iraq War was raging as Bush was inaugurated for a second term in the White House. Again, thousands of antiwar protesters were gathered in Washington during the ceremony and the parade. Again, I was there to document the event. Gold Star mothers Celeste Zappala and Sue Neiderer, who lost their sons in the Iraq War, drew shouts of sympathy and solidarity from the crowd during brief speeches. Zappala shouted, “Don’t be disheartened. Don’t give up. Don’t let my son down.” Neiderer cried, “Bring the troops

8

It was cold in the capital when Obama was inaugurated. My train pulled into Union Station right on time, and, after passing through seemingly interminable security checkpoints, I picked up my press credentials. I knew in advance that hotels in the area were booked solid, so I spent the night trying to doze in the train station; then I headed to the Capitol nearby as soon as the sun rose over the building’s stately dome. Even in the early morning hours, the streets were packed with people. Soon the crowd grew into a biblical multitude, and as I stood in the media area near the Capitol steps I could see a solid carpet of people stretching for some two miles from the inauguration site all the way to the Lincoln Memorial in the far distance. Flags fluttered in the steady wind from the Potomac, the mood of the spectators was sunny despite the cold weather, and I felt both lucky and honored to be there to document the story of a moving and unforgettable day in America.

I had seen history happen before in Washington. I had seen the city clouded by tear gas during protests and illuminated with fireworks during Fourth of July celebrations there. Never had I seen history as close and palpable as it was when I stood on Capitol Hill on Jan. 20, 2009, and saw this nation’s first African-American president speak words that should be underlined today: “What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them.” f

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art notes

Steve Sweetser Unveils “Tree of Oneta” PLUS, DEFIANCE AWARDS AND ATHENS MURAL ALLEY GET STARTED

By Jessica Smith arts@flagpole.com TREE OF ONETA: A towering, 12-foot-tall kinetic sculpture Another one of Sweetser’s sculptures can be found called “Tree of Oneta” sprouted up last week at the historic outside the Madison County Library. Visit Howlin’ Art Southern Mill complex off Oneta Street. Created by local on Facebook for progress shots and to keep up with his artist Steve Sweetser, the sculpture was commissioned creations.

by Jon Williams, president and CEO of W&A Engineering, to commemorate the firm’s 20th anniversary and celebrate its recent rehabilitation of the 118-year-old building that now houses its headquarters.

A retired pipe-fitter by trade, Sweetser learned how to weld in the Army and began creating sculptural work roughly a decade ago by repurposing all sorts of discarded pots, pans, bowls, buckets and anything else with a metallic sparkle that caught his eye. His first major sculpture, an owl perched upon a large stone, was created in memory of his son and can be found on Nowhere Road.

As an Athens native, Sweetser grew up in the Boulevard neighborhood and holds fond memories of playing near the turn-of-the-century warehouses where his father once worked. Finding common ground between his practice of upcycling and W&A’s sustainable approach to urban renewal, Sweetser designed a sculpture with its unique occasion and location in mind.

Twenty leaves are used to symbolize 20 years of operation, while the five flowers represent the firm’s five core branches: civil engineering, land surveying, landscape architecture, traffic engineering and economic development. Shining above a trunk of stainless-steel pipe—which has been cleverly textured to resemble bark and knots—the blossoms were built from well-pressure tanks, silver bread baskets and brass plates.

Most astoundingly, this incredibly heavy sculpture can gracefully twirl with a strong wind or gentle push, thanks to the inclusion of a pulley at its base.

This pulley was sourced from an old industrial washing machine that Sweetser and Williams noticed “Tree of Oneta” by Steve Sweetser while walking around the property to brainstorm design ideas. The tree’s roots grow over this relic as ATHENS MURAL ALLEY: An upcoming public art initiative called if in homage to the site’s former life as Wilkins Industries, the Athens Mural Alley will soon beautify and enliven which was once one of the largest manufacturers of woman otherwise overlooked downtown space. A series of en’s jeanswear in the country.

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murals will be painted onto primed 5-by-5 panels and installed along the alleyway that connects Clayton Street to Washington Street through entrances near Max and Classic City Cycle. The panels will join Taylor Shaw’s mural, a postcard-inspired tribute to the musical legacy of Athens, which was painted last May. Seeking to establish a new art environment while providing pandemic recovery assistance to local artists, this project is a collaboration among the Athens Area Arts Council, Athens Cultural Affairs Commission, Athens Downtown Development Authority and Lyndon House Arts Center. The project reflects a nationwide trend of “alleyway activation” through which these narrow passages are revitalized into welcoming, vibrant spaces through aesthetic and functional improvements.

Artists are currently invited to submit design proposals that visually interpret the theme “Here & Now 2021” with inspiration drawing from “recovery, advocacy, activism, optimism and hope [or] a testament to the resiliency of our community.”

This opportunity is open to residents of Athens and surrounding counties, with Black, Indigenous and people of color and LGBTQ+ artists encouraged to apply. Up to six artists will be selected, and each will receive a stipend of $750. The deadline for proposals is Feb. 15, and the panel installation is scheduled for June. Visit athensarts.org to fill out the application form.

DEFIANCE AWARDS: Launched by the Morton Theatre Corporation in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, the Defiance Awards aim to amplify the voices of Black and African-American artists in Athens and surrounding counties. Ten awards of $500 each will help fund creative expressions that reflect on unique experiences and challenges faced in America today.

Determined by a panel of judges, the selected recipients are Jas Anderson, Jason Aryeh, Cassie Chantel, Broderick Flanigan, Daisean Garrett, Noraa James, Kxng Blanco, Booker T. Mattison, Robby Myles and Camilla Sims. The projects include music videos, digital and studio art pieces, short films, dance performances and biographical works.

On Mar. 2 at 4 p.m., the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, as part of its 2021 Global Georgia Initiative public events series, will present a virtual conversation on the Defiance Project Awards.

It will be moderated by Carolyn Medine, director of the Institute for African American Studies, and the participants include multiple award recipients and Thomas Brazzle, MTC programming committee chair.

Interviews and projects will go on display virtually and in person in March. f

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Should I Move Back to Athens? A Living Legacy ADVICE FOR ATHENS’ LOOSE AND LOVELORN

NUÇI’S SPACE FOUNDER LINDA PHILLIPS DIES

By Bonita Applebum advice@flagpole.com

By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

Hey Circles, There’s nothing like the solitude of lockdown to give us way too much time to contemplate in such ways.

I’ve also been getting introspective and am currently considering some pretty major paradigm shifts and lifestyle changes of my own. I also hope to be exiting off my particular road of life soon and onto greater quests (don’t worry, Athens, I’m not dumping you) that would improve my quality of life tremendously, so wish me luck. You sound like you’re in a great place for that kind of personal inventory work—you’re financially stable, not tethered to your current location in any meaningful way, and you’re invested enough in your happiness to take a chance on a cross-country move.

I know a few people who have moved back to Athens after long absences, some of them finding contentment, others falling into their old, less-than-healthy ways.

“Golden lightning in a bottle” is such a great way to describe the feeling of discovering a city like this one, especially when you compare it to a sprawling, impersonal coastal metropolis—the night swimming, the dance parties, cheap rent that’s also walking distance from your favorite bar (that’s mostly a thing of the past now, though), $2 tall cans, weird hotties of every age and gender expression, and even a tree that

owns itself. I moved here after years on the East Coast, living in boroughs with higher populations than my hometown, and I was mesmerized by this place. I’d only been here for five months when I had my first Michael Stipe sighting, and that same night I watched an adult woman take a poop in the Little Kings parking lot after trying to assault the staff. I still remember her full name, because she left her debit card at the bar. I knew right then that Athens was a charming hellhole, and that I’d found my home. “Wow,” I thought. “This must be the place.”

Athens has a way of sucking us in and laying roots in us, and it’s more than just the first-time homebuyers programs and (relatively) affordable rent.

This place is fun. Even in lockdown times, it’s wild every now and then. It’s easy for people to come here and dive head-first into the party scene and work for peanuts because this town is cheap and easygoing, and those are the people whom I’ve experienced as struggling with moving back to town. They didn’t take the time to grow up while they were away, and the beers never got any pricier while they were gone, either. There’s plenty of partying to be had for all ages and lifestyles here, and the cost of living is low enough to trick you into putting your life goals on hold. I’m certainly guilty of that.

I sense more happiness and fulfillment from people who come back to town with a plan—a job, a house, a PhD program, a new boo, something. Moving anywhere with no concrete gameplan isn’t a good idea, so take some time to consider the logistics of a move back to Athens. If you have the means, the ability and the willingness to make this change, then I fully encourage it, but be sure before you touch down. You need to have a vision of your life and your future here beyond Mahogany and Easy Rider’s first post-lockdown dance party. f Need advice? Email advice@flagpole.com or use our anonymous online form at flagpole.com/ get-advice.

T

he area around the intersection of Oconee and Williams Street, on the hill where Athens started, is something of a hidden gold mine of Athens music history. It was the location of the Stitchcraft building, an ongoing industrial concern that inadvertently wound up being a party spot due to its rental of band rehearsal studios. St. Mary’s Episcopal

as Linda put it at the time, a place that she envisioned her son might have gone to.

Linda published her memoir, A Beautiful Here: Emerging from the Overwhelming Darkness of My Son’s Suicide, in November 2016, nearly 20 years to the day after Nuçi’s death. The tenderly honest yet stark story of her life before and after her son’s death is rich in detail, both joyful and painful.

Church, where R.E.M. played its first storied gig, is there, too. And right next door to the church was The Print Shop, a space so crucial to the early development of Flagpole that without it this very paper might not exist.

Linda Phillips, founder of the Nuçi Phillips Memorial Foundation and its resource center Nuçi’s Space, died on Jan. 27 of pancreatic cancer. In the beginning, she may or may not have known about the rich history of this rather nondescript and somewhat inconvenient intersection of Athens real estate. Her mission to turn mourning her son into a lifesaving venture, however, has likely done more to preserve and promote future generations of Athens musicians than any other chapter of the Athens music history book.

Linda’s son, the talented but troubled Nuçi Phillips, died from suicide Thanksgiving Day 1996 after a years-long struggle with severe depression. The overwhelming crush of grief sank into Linda.

She knew the struggles Nuçi had experienced both as a musician and as a person.

She understood the difficulties that artists often face with essentials such as secure and well-equipped practice spaces. Further, she knew that the need for judgement-free access to affordable mental health services was paramount. She purchased the old Cartey Electric Motor Services warehouse at 396 Oconee St. in the fall of 1998. She and her husband, Pierre, donated it to the foundation, and the renovation of this empty husk of an eyesore into what we know as Nuçi’s Space began. It was to be,

Athens has lots of causes and nonprofits to cheer, yet many—for myriad reasons— often find themselves struggling to rally support or even impart their mission in relatable language. Nuçi’s Space was, and continues to be, one with a clear purpose that found support among its intended beneficiaries (i.e. musicians) nearly from the word go. From its beginning as a local phenomenon filling a known but somewhat irregularly acknowledged need among its creative population, it grew into a model facility from which other towns and scenes took inspiration. Significantly, both the foundation and Nuçi’s Space were structured such that they would live on past the life or tenure of any executive staff or, indeed, its founder. It’s a testament to Linda’s selflessness and commitment to service that her name was never elevated above Nuçi’s Space itself. While she tirelessly advocated for mental health services and support for the resource center, it was always to shine a light on its mission.

Even so, with Nuçi’s Space now having celebrated over 20 years of service and unerring dedication to its purpose, it is no indulgence to recognize that this resource so treasured and needed by our community wouldn’t even exist without its founding principal. In an interview with Flagpole in 2001 Linda said, “We wanted to do something to remember Nuçi; we wanted to do something active, so this is what we’ve done. Every day we get to celebrate Nuçi’s life… All I need is to think that maybe what we’ve done here has helped somebody a little bit.” f

MIKE WHITE · DEADLYDESIGNS.COM

Hi, Bonita! I’m in the boat of folks who, during COVID-19, are taking hard looks at themselves and where they’re living—and wondering whether they should shake things up. I’ve been living in the Bay Area and am lucky to have a job at all now, let alone one that can be done remotely, and I’ve been mulling over moving back to Athens for the past 10-plus years. Do you know anyone who has moved back to the Classic City after living elsewhere for a while, and, if you do, how their putting down of roots went? I had a lot of time alone with my thoughts in 2020 and continually wonder whether I’m just trying to recapture some golden lightning in a bottle. I have loved visiting in past years, don’t have a partner or kids to consider yet and would love an Athens insider’s outside perspective.

Going in Circles

FEBRUARY 3, 2021 | FLAGPOLE.COM

11

VOTE 2021

Full schedule and details: willson.uga.edu

flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole Go to flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole favorites.f lagpole.com flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole and VOTE for your favorite in each of the categories. Then we will let flagpoleeveryone flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole know what Athens locals like most about our great town.flagpole VOTING DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 26TH flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole flagpole

AWARDS

and the Favorites will be announced in the March 24th issue of Flagpole.

• Only one vote per person • Please vote in at least 5 categories to have your ballot counted Due to COVID, some categories are on hold for the 2021 Favorites Awards

Restaurants:

All of us at Epting invite you to kick off 2021, by supporting our Neighborhood Leaders through Family Connection Communities in Schools of Athens and suggest/ask/invite you to check out AGoodStoryFoods.com

New (opened after March 2020) Italian American Asian Sushi Mexican/Latin American International BBQ Bakery Downhome/Southern Local Coffee House Local Pizza Local Burger Fries Burrito Taco Steak Seafood Wings Vegetarian Options Sandwich Dessert Frozen Treat Breakfast Lunch Brunch Meal for a Deal (name of restaurant) Kid-friendly Local Restaurant Outdoor dining Take Out Delivery Service NEW Curbside Pickup NEW Chef Uniquely Athens Restaurant

Bars: Bartender

Speciality Drinks Margarita Bloody Mary Beer Selection Wine Selection Local Brewery Outdoor Bar Space NEW Place to Play Games Uniquely Athens Bar

Music: Recording Studio

Retail:

Smoke/Vape Shop Store to Buy a Gift for Her Store to Buy a Gift for Him Local Clothing Boutique Place to Buy Local Art and Handmade Goods Thrift /Vintage Store Place to Buy Wine Place to Buy Beer Uniquely Athens Store

Pets and Kids:

Vet Clinic Pet Groomer Pet Boarding/Sitting Service Place to Shop for Kids Kids’ Classes: Movement Kids’ Classes: Creative

Services:

Eco Friendly Services Eco Friendly Practices Hotel Photography Studio Florist Hair Salon

Stylist Alternative Health Treatment (Chiropractic, Herbal, Acupuncture, Rolfing, etc) Massage Therapist Tattoo Studio Spa Fitness Instructor Place to Get Fit Adult Classes: Movement Adult Classes: Creative Car Repair Shop Car Dealership Plumber Electrician HVAC Lawyer to Get You Out of a Jam (Criminal) Lawyer to Sort Out Your Affairs (Civil) Bank Realtor

Stuff Around Town: Place to See Local Art Non-profit/Charity 2020 Virtual Event NEW Local Business

VOTING DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 26TH and the Favorites will be announced in the March 24th issue of Flagpole.

• Only one vote per person • Please vote in at least 5 categories to haveyour ballot counted

Vote Online at

favorites.fl agpole.com 12

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music

feature

Donny Knottsville Says Farewell THE HIP-HOP ARTIST REFLECTS ON THE LOCAL SCENE’S EBB AND FLOW

By Sam Lipkin music@flagpole.com

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have some initial success, you start pulling apart. Not that we weren’t great friends. We had a lot of fun.”

Since then, he has seen the overall hip-hop scene expand and contract. There have been many people active in build-

WHITLEY CARPENTER

uzz around local hip-hop artist Donny Knottsville’s impending retirement has been building for a while— years, even. However, the Jan. 8 release of his farewell album, My Strangest Adventure, marks the end of the artist’s nearly two-decade career with bittersweet finality.

“One of my goals as long as I’ve been recording music was to make a great album that I was really proud of front to back,” says Malcolm Walters, aka Donny Knottsville. “I knew I wanted to have a final project for closure. It worked well that this one turned out to be that project I felt really good about.”

Walters’ formal announcement on Facebook (in lieu of a “goodbye show” due to COVID) was met with concern that the artist felt “too old” or had lost his passion for music. He makes clear that this is not the case but, instead, the result of shifting priorities and a desire to explore other creative outlets. Closing this artistic chapter has also come with reflection on the ebb and flow of the Athens hip-hop scene since he first moved to the city in the mid-2000s.

“Growing up in a small town in South Carolina, there wasn’t a lot going on, so we’d have to drive an hour to go see a show,” says Walters. “Athens was a place I had visited a lot. When I first moved here, there was a pretty small hip-hop scene that was starting to come together. A lot of that had to do with Montu Miller and, at that time, his crew Dreaded Mindz. There wasn’t a strong scene, but it was starting to form then from what they were fostering.”

After some time in Athens, Walters teamed up with fellow emcees Louie Larceny and Sawmill Slang and beatmaker Cubenza to form Deaf Judges.

Enjoying local success and a few Flagpole Athens Music Awards along the way, the group opened for some of their hip-hop heroes, like Ghostface Killah, at the 40 Watt Club and Georgia Theatre. At that point, Deaf Judges decided to take it to the next level and hit the road for some regional and national tours.

“That’s kind of where the upward trajectory of that group fizzled out. It hit a plateau,” says Walters. “I think any kind of group, you last a few years, and if you don’t

ing the genre, but not always a lot of cohesion in their efforts. However, Walters feels inspired and excited to see where Athens hip hop is headed after witnessing steady

growth and improvement over the years. In his opinion, the scene is stronger than ever as a result of the quality of content coming from veterans and new artists alike.

Outside of hip hop, Walters always had varied interests in music that led to his opening for bands, networking with artists and making friends from Athens’ many other music scenes. One of the foundations of both his life and his career in Athens was working at the 40 Watt Club. The job was ideal for someone interested in tapping into the music community and networking with local and national acts.

It became much more than that, though, as a place that cultivates a true, genuine family environment with a higher purpose than just the work.

“That’s been a big part of my experience in Athens, having that sense of being a part of something bigger.

That job was really the most like a family to me,” says Walters. “Maybe a little bit dysfunctional family, like you have the crazy cousin or whatever—maybe we were all the crazy cousins.”

Connection and collaboration have been meaningful aspects of Walters’ creative process through most of his music career. Working at the 40 Watt introduced him to Joel Hatstat of Cinemechanica, whose multifaceted collaboration on this and past projects brought technical expertise to Walters’ creative vision. My Strangest Adventure features all the members of Deaf Judges, past collaborator Sienna Chandler of Monsoon and some new voices like emcee Seline Haze and singer Four Eyes.

Working together in a COVID environment presents many new challenges in addition to limitations on performing and community interaction. Creating music videos for My Strangest Adventure required some innovation from Jeff Reynolds, an Atlanta director who created the montage-style “Cold Stairs” video for the album’s first single. He also directed the music video for “Quick & Nimble,” to be released Friday, Feb. 5.

“We wanted to do something that we didn’t have to film a lot in person. So we were going to do another one like ‘Cold Stairs,’ then decided we can do this shooting on a green screen and still have social distancing. I really enjoy the aspect of getting together with people and filming and going to different locations. That being a barrier right now, we found a way to do it differently,” says Walters.

The COVID impact on music in the personal and public space has been heartbreaking, but Walters chooses to feel hopeful that this time will re-energize everyone to build something new together. He looks forward to seeing what new doors open in the Athens music community he loves, even as he closes the door with Donny Knottsville on what he hopes everyone can agree is a high note. f

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bulletin board Deadline for getting listed in Bulletin Board is every THURSDAY at 5 p.m. for the print issue that comes out the following Wednesday. Online listings are updated daily. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

Art #NOTASTEREOTYPE EXHIBITION CALL FOR ARTISTS (Lyndon House Arts Center) La Ruchala A. Murphy is guest curating “#NotAStereotype,” an exhibition designed to give voice and space to Southern Black artists. Online digital submissions are accepted now through Mar. 15. Exhibition runs May 1–July 24. www.accgov.com/ lyndonhouse ART EDUCATION SPECIALIST (Athens Institute for Contemporary Art) ATHICA is seeking an art education specialist to develop learning activities and lesson plans on a contract basis for presentation on the website and use by K12 teachers and homeschoolers. $150/lesson plan. Email statement of interest, resume and relevant work samples to K12EducationCommittee@ athica.org. Deadline Feb. 7. www. athica.org 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 ATHENS MURAL ALLEY PROJECT (Athens, GA) Seeking artists to paint 5’x5’ primed panels that will be installed in a downtown alley-

way. The theme is “2021, Here and Now.” Selected artists receive a stipend of $750. Proposals due Feb. 15. didi.dunphy@accgov.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 for 6–8 weeks. Selected applicants receive a $1000 stipend and additional funds to assist in other costs.

Proposal reviews begin Feb. 15. lhartsfoundation@gmail.com CALL FOR POET LAUREATE (Athens, GA) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission presents a new program to promote poetry and literary arts. The selected poet laureate will make guest appearances throughout the community.

Deadline Mar. 2. www.athens culturalaffairs.org DIVERSITY IN THE ARTS (Online) The ACC Library and Oconee Cultural Arts Center present a multi-part series featuring conversations with local artists about their experiences in diversifying the arts, opportunities and challenges they have encountered. www.facebook. com/athensclarkelibrary OPEN STUDIOS (Lyndon House Arts Center) Studio members have access to spaces for painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, jewelry, fiber and woodworking.

art around town ATHICA INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART (ATHICA) (675 Pulaski St., Suite 1200) The 2021 Members’ Showcase shares work by 25 new and renewing gallery members including Margaret Agner, Claire Clements, Bob Clements, John English, Helen Kuykendall, Rich Panico, Mary Porter and more. Through Feb. 28.

CIRCLE GALLERY AT THE UGA COLLEGE OF ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN (285 S. Jackson St.) Atlanta artist Rachel Evans Grant presents “Natural Engagement: Where Earth Meets Sky.” Through Apr. 15.

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

GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) “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. • “Emma Amos: Color Odyssey” is a retrospective exhibition that includes over 60 works ranging from painting, printmaking and textile-based mixed-media works. Through Apr. 25.

LAMAR DODD SCHOOL OF ART (270 River Rd.) “Down & Dirty” features sculptures and videos by New York-based artists Jeanne Silverthorne and Bonnie Rychlak. Through Feb. 26. • In “Taking Care,” Jane Ritchie and Isys Hennigar consider the complex ways in which humans engage the living world. Through Feb. 26. • “the Unstitute of…” is an alternate one-person “MFAPHD” research program, faux institution and autonomous “school” hosted by Lisa Novak. Through Feb. 26. • In “Meet Me at the Double Crown” Ronika McClain presents a series of videos that use confessional storytelling to discuss the importance of coming together as a community. Through Feb. 26.

LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (211 Hoyt St.) “Window Works” is a new outdoor project that utilizes the windows at the building’s entrance. The first installation presents a triptych and diptych by Noraa James that were inspired by love, the Black body, primary colors and afrofuturism. Through March. • In the Lounge Gallery, Victoria Dugger’s solo exhibition “Mind the Body” explores the dynamic relationship between ourselves, our body

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Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. $65/month. nicholas. daglis@accgov.com SOUTHWORKS CALL FOR ART (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) The 26th annual SouthWorks National Juried Art Exhibition will be juried by Jennifer A. Smith, gallery and marketing director at The Arts Center in Greenwood, SC. Online submissions due Mar. 12. $30–40. www.ocaf.com/call-for-art

Classes ART CLASSES (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) “Drawing Basics” for ages 7 & up covers sighting and measuring, linear perspective, contours and more. Feb. 19–Mar. 19, 4–5 p.m. $75–100. Inspired by the poem “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon, the class “Where I’m From” is a two-part Zoom workshop for writing and sharing poems about origin stories. Feb. 10 & 24, 1–2:30 p.m. FREE! “Creative Drawing with Watercolor” is for ages 18 & up. Thursdays, Mar. 25– Apr. 8 or Thursdays, Apr. 15–29, 6–8 p.m. $75–100. www.ocaf.com BLACK FAMILY GENEALOGIES (Online) The Athens-Clarke County Library and Athens chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History present a virtual discussion on “Black Family Genealogies: Researching and Telling Our Stories.” Feb. 7, 2 p.m. www.athenslibrary.org

BREAD FOR LIFE (300 N. Thomas St.) This eight-week hospitality job training program covers event setup, housekeeping, kitchen prep and banquet service. Priority is given to those with criminal and/ or addiction history, victims of domestic violence and anyone receiving SNAP benefits. Begins Feb. 8. contact@breadforlife.org, www.classiccenter.com/384/Breadfor-Life DEDICATED MINDFULNESS PRACTITIONERS (Online) Weekly Zoom meditations are offered every Saturday at 8 a.m. Email for details. jaseyjones@gmail.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, marinabilbao75@gmail.com, www.marinaspain-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

and the world around us. Through Apr. 3. • On view in the lobby case, “Flywheel” is a display by MFA candidate Luka Carter. Through Apr. 10. • Collections from our Community presents “Julie Rutledge’s Grandparents’ Avon Bottles.” Through Apr. 10.

MASON-SCHARFENSTEIN MUSEUM OF ART (567 Georgia St., Demorest) Naomi Falk’s “What kind of times are these…” combines cyanotype and sculpture to contemplate relationships to place. Through Feb. 11.

OCONEE CULTURAL ARTS FOUNDATION (34 School St., Watkinsville) “Small Works Inspired By Poetry” is a small-scale, abstract and figurative exhibition inspired by the five poems contributed by Clela Reed, Carl Britton, Dana Wildsmith, Pat Adams and Rebecca Baggett. Through Feb. 26. • A Pottery Pop-up Sale features a rotating selection of handmade ceramics by regional artists. New potters go on view every two weeks. Michel Klapthor, Chris Kelly, Juana Gnecco, B. Gregg, Tripti Yoganathan, Lori Breedlove and Robin Tetterton are featured through Feb. 13.

STATE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF GEORGIA (2450 S. Milledge Ave.) The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators presents an exhibition of works by students, graduates, teachers and professional illustrators. Through Feb. 21.

TIF SIGFRIDS (83 E. North Ave., Comer) Jasmine Little’s solo exhibition “Sphinx Riddle” includes paintings and ceramics. Through Feb. 27. • Curated by Jasmine Little and Tif Sigfrids, “Via Café” is a group exhibition organized around a group of artists who studied art together at UCLA or were part of the Chinatown art scene in the early 2000’s. Through Feb. 27.

UGA MAIN LIBRARY (320 S. Jackson St.) “Georgia Trailblazers: Honoring the 60th Anniversary of Desegregation at UGA” chronicles the historic events of 1961 when Hamilton Holmes and Charlene Hunter became the first African American students admitted to the university.

UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) “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. • “Making Space: Fighting for Inclusion, Building Community at UGA” will launch a virtual version of the exhibit in March. View in person through July 2.

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 | FEBRUARY 3, 2021

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 ACC LIBRARY EVENTS (AthensClarke County Library) All classes and events are held virtually.

Gretchen Sorin discusses Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights. Feb. 4, 2 p.m. www.athens library.org/services/virtual-events AN EDUCATION IN GEORGIA: THEN AND NOW (Online) UGA alumna Charlayne Hunter-Gault will participate in a conversation with author Calvin Trillin to discuss his book An Education in Georgia: Charlayne Hunter, Hamilton Holmes, and the Integration of the University of Georgia. Feb. 4, 4 p.m. ugapress.org ART EVENTS (Georgia Museum of Art)“Virtual Discussion: Emma Amos: Color Odyssey,” Feb. 4 at 4 p.m. “Morning Mindfulness (via Zoom),” Feb. 5 and Feb.19 at 9:30 a.m. “Curator and Collector Chat: The Maniichuk-Brady Collection,” Feb. 11 at 1 p.m. “Student Week: Permanent Love,” Feb. 11–14 from 1–5 p.m. “Family Day To-Go: Color Odyssey,” Feb. 13. “Artful Conversation: Kawase Hasui,” Feb. 17, 1 p.m. “Emerging Scholars Symposium: Visualizing Identity: Exploring Dimensions of the Self through Art,” Feb. 18–20. “Yoga in the Galleries,” Feb. 18, 6 p.m.

“Coffee with the Curators: Nelda Damiano and Julia Kilgore,” Feb. 23 at 1 p.m. www.georgiamuseum. org ATHENS FIBERCRAFT GUILD (Zoom) Erika Lewis presents a program on Guatamalan textiles.

Members will then present a show and tell of items they’re working on. Feb. 9, 12:30 p.m. www.athens fiber.org ATHICA VIRTUAL EVENTS (Athens Institute for Contemporary Art) Music night with Annie Leeth, A Good Pleasure and Klypi on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Invited speaker Drék Davis speaks on “Miles to Go: Artists Contemplating Revolution & Social Justice” on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. A closing event for the annual “Members’ Showcase” will feature an artists’ roundtable on Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. Events are free but registration is required. www.athica.org BOGART LIBRARY EVENTS (Online) KnitLits Virtual Knitting Group for ages 16 & up is held Feb. 4 and Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. Bogart Bookies Adult Book Club will discuss Radium Girls by Kate Moore on Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. Pick up supplies for “Grab & Go Kit for Adults: Pointillism Notecards” Feb. 11–12 and watch an instructional video Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. www.athens library.org BOOK DISCUSSION: RAP ON TRIAL (Online) Join the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library for a virtual discussion of the book Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics and Guilt in America with co-author Andrea L. Dennis. Watch on the Special Collections Libraries Facebook page. Feb. 10, 7 p.m. patrice.green25@uga.edu BREWERY EVENTS (Southern Brewing Company) Monday Night Trivia at 6 p.m. Live music by

Funky Bluester every Tuesday at 7 p.m. Sunday Trivia with Solo Entertainment Sundays at 5 p.m.

Live wrestling and a food truck Feb. 6 from 8–10 p.m. Comedy Night Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. Love.Craft Athens percentage night Feb. 18 from 5–10 p.m. Live music by Chyann Rose Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. Hops for Hounds Feb. 25 at 5 p.m. Live music by Chris Recalled Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. www.sobrewco.com COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE (Online) The UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development hosts its sixth annual conference with a theme of “Leading in Unprecedented Times.”

Register online. Feb. 18. fanning. uga.edu CONVERSATIONS ON DIVERSITY, COMMUNITY & SUSTAINABILITY (Online) Sierra Nevada and Creature Comforts partner on a discussion with three pre-recorded videos released in advance. Feb. 3.

4 p.m. www.get curious.com DAVID FUNG (Hodgson Concert Hall) Pianist David Fung presents a solo recital entitled “Tributes” featuring pieces by Bach, Choplin and more.

The performance will also be livestreamed and available for six days online. Feb. 12, 7:30 p.m. $10–20. pac.uga.edu DINNER AND A SHOW (Hendershot’s Coffee) Live music and dinner with The Plate Sale every Friday and Saturday. The lineup includes Calvert/Fountain on Feb. 5–6, Cicada Rhythm on Feb. 12–13, Kyshona on Feb. 19–20 and Jonathan Byrd on Mar. 12–13.

Visit website to reserve your seat. www.hendershotsathens.com FROM 1770 TO 2020 (Online) Athens Chautauqua Society presents Sonny Kelly, who will speak on “From 1770 to 2020: Race, Revolt and Resistance” and share an excerpt from his one-man show “The Talk,” born of a painful conversation he had with his son upon hearing about protests following Freddie Gray’s death in Baltimore, MD in 2015. Feb. 12, 2 p.m. historycomesalive.org/event/ race-revolt-and-resistance HIROYA TSUKAMOTO (Online) The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens presents the one-ofa-kind composer, guitarist and singer-songwriter from Kyoto, Japan, who will perform a program called “Another Great Day to be Alive.” Feb. 21, 4:30 p.m. www. uuathensga.org/stay-connected LGBTQIA+ VIRTUAL ALPHABET FAMILY GATHERING (Online) This is a safe space for anyone on the LGBTQIA+/TGQNB spectrum.

Fourth Sunday of every month, 6–8 p.m. uuathensga.org/justice/ welcoming-congregation LIVE JAZZ (Porterhouse Grill) Enjoy dinner and some smooth jazz.

Wednesdays, 6–9 p.m. www.porter houseathens.com MOVIES BY MOONLIGHT: DRIVE-IN MOVIE (Sandy Creek Park) Watch Black Panther on the big screen from the safety of your car. Feb. 12, 6 p.m. Free, but advanced tickets are required. www. accgov.com/leisure PANEL DISCUSSION: LILLIAN SMITH: ANTI-RACIST ALLY (Online) Watch a screening of Lillian Smith: Breaking the Silence, a documentary about an author and social critic whose writings challenged white southerners to end segregation. Documentary is available Feb. 15–22 at lilliansmithdoc. com/private-screening-ally. Panel discussion with Patricia Bell-Scott and Matthew Teutsch is held Feb. 21, 2 p.m. Email for Zoom link. patrice.green25@uga.edu

Support Groups

Zuzka Vaclavik and Kyle Jones of The Sly Rabbit Gallery will host an outdoor Valentine’s Day Pottery Sale at The Globe on Saturday, Feb. 6 from 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

PILGRIM (Online) Pilgrim celebrates the release of Neverland with a live performance streamed from the 40 Watt Club. Feb. 12, 9 p.m. Platform TBA. PILOT CLUB 5K CHASE (Athens, GA) Participate in a virtual 12th annual Pilot Club 5K Chase. Run, walk or jog using your own 5K (3.1 miles) course anytime between Feb. 1–6. Proceeds benefit the Pilot Club of Oconee County’s many projects to raise awareness and provide support for brain health and brain related diseases and illnesses. Register online. $20. www. active.com, www.oconeepilotclub. com PILSNERS ON THE PATIO ART MARKET (Athentic Brewing) Check out vendors during an outdoor market. Mar. 6. www.athenticbrewing. com S’MORES AND STARS (Sandy Creek Park) View the moon, planets and stars using a telescope, listen to stories about constellations and enjoy some s’mores. Bring a chair or blanket. Feb. 13, 7 p.m. accgov. com/1558/Valentines-Day-Events SOUTHERN STAR STUDIO OPEN GALLERY (Southern Star Studio) SSS is a working collective ceramics studio established by Maria Dondero in 2016. The gallery contains members’ work. No more than two people or a single group inside at a time. Saturdays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Feb. 6 will be a special annual Seconds Sale with slightly flawed but still functional pieces offered at a discount. southernstarstudio athens@gmail.com SPRING ACTIVITIES (Athens, GA) A variety of activities in the arts, environmental science, recreation, sports and holiday events are planned for adults and children.

Rolling registration begins Feb. 6. www.accgov.com/leisure ST. NICHOLAS (Virtual) UGA Theatre presents a story of a cynical theater critic whose pursuit of a beautiful young dancer leads him to a vampire coven. Feb. 4–6, 8 p.m.

Donations encouraged. www.live. ugatheatre.com SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE (Online) Learn about the TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) certification program, a whole systems approach aimed at changing how materials flow through society, resulting in no waste. Feb. 18, 8 a.m. www. accgov.com THE VALENTINE’S DAY POTTERY SALE (The Globe) Zuzka Vaclavik and Kyle Jones of The Sly Rabbit Gallery present a one-day pottery sale of their ceramic works. Zuzka

turns 40! Feb. 6, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. zuzka_art@hotmail.com WINTER MARKET (Hendershot’s Coffee) The Culinary Kitchen of Athens hosts a weekly market with vendors. Saturdays through Mar. 13, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. www. theckofathens.squarespace.com/ wintermarketvendors

Kidstuff ACC LIBRARY EVENTS (AthensClarke County Library) Virtual storytimes are offered via Facebook weekdays at 10:30 a.m. www.face book.com/athenschildrens 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 BOGART LIBRARY EVENTS (Online) Virtual Storytimes are offered weekdays at 10:30 a.m. “Grab & Go Kit for Tweens: Buttons” for grades 4–5. Pick up Feb. 4-5. Tutorial video available Feb. 5 at 7 p.m.

“Virtual Science with Ms. Kay” for ages 4–7 is held Feb. 3 at 3 p.m.

Virtual Booktalks featuring picture books (Feb. 5) and chapter books (Feb. 12) are held at 2 p.m.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: K-12 GREEN LIFE ART CONTEST (ACC Recycling Division) K–12 students in Athens-Clarke County are invited to participate in the annual Green Life Awards Art, Photography and Poetry Contest.

The theme is based on a fresh start to a new year. Submissions can be paintings, drawings, sculpture, short videos (30 seconds to one minute), photography or poems about how you will live a green life in 2021. Entries are due to the ACC Recycling Division by Mar. 1 at 5 p.m. Winners will be recognized at a virtual awards ceremony on Apr. 15. www.accgov.com/greenlife FAMILY MOVIE SERIES (The Classic Center Theatre) Watch Big on Feb. 26. $15. www.classic center.com/tickets VALENTINE EVENTS (Multiple Locations) ACC Leisure Services Department presents a variety of events. Cupid’s Craft Party at Memorial Park on Feb. 10 at 10 a.m., Valentine Cards and Cookies at East Athens Community Center on Feb. 11 at 3 p.m., Love Bug Jamboree at Rocksprings Park on Feb. 11 at 10:30 a.m. I Heart You at Lay Park on Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. and Woo at the Zoo at Bear Hollow Zoo on Feb. 13. accgov.com/1558/ Valentines-Day-Events

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.athensrecovery dharma.org SEX ADDICTS ANONYMOUS (Email for Location) Athens Downtown SAA offers a message of hope to anyone who suffers from a compulsive sexual behavior. www.athensdown townsaa.com

Word on the Street CORNHOLEATL SPRING LEAGUE REGISTRATION (Southern Brewing Co.) Four different divisions are offered to accomodate all levels.

The seven-week season begins in March. Registration is open through Mar. 8. 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 Feb. 15. classiccenter.com/athens onice NOMINATE A KEEPIN’ IT CLEAN CITIZEN OF THE YEAR (Athens, GA) Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful is accepting nominations to recognize a community member as an environmental steward of litter prevention and abatement or community beautification. The award recipient will be recognized at the annual GreenFest Award Ceremony.

Deadline Mar. 1. stacee.farrell@ accgov.com 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. storm water@accgov.com STORMWATER CALENDARS (Department of Transportation and Public Works) Pick up a free 2021 calendar or have one mailed directly to your home. www.accgov. com/stormwatercalendar VIRTUAL LEISURE SERVICES (Online) A variety of activities are offered in arts, athletics, nature and recreation. www.accgov.com/ leisure f

music

threats & promises

Adam Klein Unleashes Little Tiger PLUS, MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP

By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com STICK AROUND: Longtime Athens songwriter Adam Klein has just released his new three-song EP named Little Tiger. These tracks are outtakes from his album Low Flyin’ Planes, which came out in early 2019.

The title track is a sweet and loving tribute to a cat that met his demise in Klein’s driveway. The way Klein imagines an entire personality and life for this poor creature, not to mention the positively gospel-worthy melody and arrangement, is simply stunning. Klein imbues his subject with a combination of brittleness—or at least vulnerability—and strength, creating a stark reminder that the world around us is much richer and more complex than we think. The record is bookended by the breezy, but not lightweight, “Halfway To Heaven” and the honky-tonk rave-up “Take It ( On Faith).” This is a wonderful little collection of songs, but its centerpiece is the real gem here.

Check it out at adamklein. bandcamp.com, and keep up with Klein at adamklein.com and facebook. com/adamkleinmusic.

SHOW ME THE MONEY: Multiple times over the past 12 months, streaming and download service Bandcamp has waived its fee and let 100% of your purchase dollars flow straight to the artists. No, it’s not an Athens-based business, but it’s a very popular one with Athens artists, and I link to Bandcamp constantly in this column. These days, known as “Bandcamp Fridays,” have been wonderful as both a promotional tool for individual artists and bands and a great way for them to capture 100% of their earnings. The next Bandcamp Friday is Feb. 5. If there’s any music from Athens artists you’ve been waiting to pull the trigger on, that would be a great day to do it.

JEFF SHIPMAN

YOUTH SPACE 2021 (Athens, GA) This new program invites local youth to explore various material and conceptual approaches to art and social practice, artistic production, curation, writing and printed matter, with specific focus placed on topics and issues that are relevant to young people today. Seeking applicants ages 14–20. Deadline to apply Feb. 7. Program runs Saturdays beginning Mar. 13. lisa@ socai.org, www.socai.org/ys2021

BY THE WAY, WHICH ONE’S PINK?:

OK, so here’s the deal. I was waiting until closer to the album’s release to tell you about the new Pink Stones album coming out on Normaltown Records.

But I figured now that Adam Klein the news has broken—in Rolling Stone no less (congrats, guys, by the way)—I really better get it in gear. Introducing…The Pink Stones, is a title so stark and absolute that it could only be emphasized further if it’d been subtitled “Athens, GA’s Phenomenal Pop Combo.”

It’ll also serve them well because, even though we know ‘em, there are probably a lot of folks out there who still don’t. The first single is the country-pop-psych song “Blueberry Dream”—in my defense, I did review its live version back in 2018, so at least I’ve got that going for me—and it’s a swell way to start this next chapter of The Pink Stones story. The album comes out Apr. 9, but you can pre-order it now. For more information, head to facebook.com/ thepinkstoners and thepinkstones.com.

GHOST HOUSE: Also coming out Apr. 2 is the

debut album Faltering Light from Haunted Shed. It arrived courtesy of new-ish Athens label Strolling Bones Records. The debut single is the super-strong and moving “Old Joy,” which, led by a driving bass line, pulses and flows through straight-up power pop sections mixed with deliciously well-executed psychedelia. The whole track is too long by about a minute, but it’s a killer way to meet this record, and I’m looking forward to hearing the whole thing as soon as possible. For more info, check out face book.com/hauntedshed and strollingbones records.com.

DUOPHONIC: Songwriter and musician SaVana

Cameron (Atria) has a nice new track out named “Cellophane” on which she handles vocals and keyboards, while drums, bass and guitar are taken care of by Winston Westerman. Released under the name “Marie Marie,” the song isn’t a huge step away from the music she’s made before— it’s still got a solid portion of melancholy, even through its upbeat personality—but it’s more relaxed in both performance and composition and appears to be coming from a place of emotional comfort. At any rate, I’m diggin’ it. Head to mariemarie-music. bandcamp.com to hear for yourself.

LOVE WILL SEE YOU THROUGH: Back in 2016, the late songwriter Daniel Johnston was booked to play the Athens Popfest, which would have been his second appearance at the festival. Needing a backing band for the show, Jesse Stinnard (Tunabunny, Antlered Auntlord), along with Jake Ward and Marie Uhler, of Eureka California, rehearsed together and sent Johnston a tape of themselves performing his songs so he’d be up to speed. Until now, this tape has gone nowhere, but it’s about to be released as a limited-edition cassette tape that’s fashioned after Johnston’s own homemade cassettes. You can order now and also stream the entire thing over at hhbtm. bandcamp.com. f

FEBRUARY 3, 2021 | FLAGPOLE.COM

15

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

SERVICES

JOBS

NOTICES

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

CLEANING

FULL-TIME

LOST AND FOUND

Peachy Green Clean Cooperative: Your local friendly green cleaners.

Free estimates and COVID precautions. Call us today!

706-248-4601

Now hiring experienced transcriptionists or those at 85 WPM or higher for at-home work. No experience? Work in-office to learn the necessary skills, then work where you choose. Openings for both career and part-time track.

We are proud to be a safe space employer. E-mail ath recruiting@copytalk.com for full job posting.

Lost and found pets can be advertised in Flagpole classifieds for free. Call 706-549-0301 or email class@flagpole.com to return them home.

1494 Prince Ave. $1400/mo.

Four offices, bathroom and kitchenette. Located in the heart of Normaltown across from the medical school.

706-549-7371, christopher@gojoiner.com

Advertise your service in the Flagpole Classifieds!

HOUSES FOR RENT

HOME AND GARDEN

FURNISHED COTTAGE minutes from Athens: 1892 Athens Rd. Crawford, GA 30630. SPACIOUS HOME in Boulevard neighborhood: 250 Dubose Ave. Athens, GA 30601. Full posts on Zillow/Trulia.

Plumber Pro Service & Drain. Upfront Pricing. Free Estimates. $30 Flagpole Discount. Call 706-7697761. Same Day Service Available. www.plumberpro service.com.

Flagpole weekly subscriptions delivered straight to your mailbox! Convenient for you or the perfect present for friends who moved out of town. $50 for six months or $90 for one year. Call 706549-0301.

MISC. SERVICES LEGAL CANNABIS made easy, safe and affordable! Call 888420-3848 for a private consultation. www.bepainfreeglobal.com

flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week!

Business Services Real Estate Music For Sale BASIC

Employment Vehicles Messages Personals RATES *

Individual Real Estate Business (RTS) Run-‘Til-Sold** Online Only***

WESTSIDE BOTTLE SHOP IS HIRING! Full-time and part-time positions available. Must be 21+ to apply.

Experience in stockroom, wine and beer preferred, but not required. Please apply online only: www. bottleshopathens.com/ employment-application

PART-TIME Weaver D’s is seeking an order filler and dishwasher!

Open Tues.–Sat., 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Fill out an application after 2 p.m. Restaurant experience preferred.

Find employees by advertising in the Flagpole Classifieds! Call 706-5490301 today!

MESSAGES Drive-thru COVID testing will remain available Mon–Fri. ONLY at the central testing operation in Athens-Clarke County. For the Winterville location, please visit 371 N. Church St. and enter off Winter Street. Call 706-3400996 or go to www.public healthathens.com for more information.

Need old newspapers for your garden? Well, they’re free at the Flagpole office!

Call ahead, then come grab an armful. Please leave current issues on stands. 706549-0301.

Vaccine pre-registration for non-healthcare workers! Mon–Fri., 8 a.m.–7 p.m. Sat., 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Call 706-3400996 or go to www.public healthathens.com for more information.

HEY!

Did you know you could reach more than 30,000 readers for as little as $10 a week?

BUY • SELL • RENT • HELP WANTED Call flagpole’s Classifieds Dept. at:

(706) 549-0301 or email us at:

class@flagpole.com

ADOPT ME!

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

$10 per week $14 per week $16 per week $40 per 12 weeks $5 per week

*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

Bella (54943)

Bella is a 4-year-old, dark-haired cutie ready to find a pal to spend time with. Bonus points if you have toys on deck because this girl LOVES fetch!

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

16

FLAGPOLE.COM | FEBRUARY 3, 2021

Prince (54881)

Hear ye, hear ye! Prince (Charming) is ready to meet his loyal best friend! Call the shelter and make an appointment so he can enchant you with his lovable ways.

Twix (54945)

Twix is just as sweet as her name!

She’s 34 pounds, a year old and loves to cuddle and chill with a friend. Make a visit soon so this sweetheart can be yours!

These pets and many others are available for adoption at:

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

flagpole

SUDOKU

Edited by Margie E. Burke

Difficulty: Easy

4 6 8 9 3 7 1 2 5 5 9 4 8 3 1 7 9 1 6 2 5 7 4 9 7 1 Copyright 2021 by The Puzzle Syndicate

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 2/1/21 - 2/7/21

The Weekly Crossword 1

2

3

4

5

14

15

17

18

20 23

1 2 32 8 37 3 42 9 47 4 5 7 56 6 61

6

7

8

9

6 5 4 238 3 7 150 9 8

2 927 7 8 3 8 7 6 1 4 34 35 1 3 2 9 5 9 139 8 4 6 543 4 1 2 447 6 8 3 5 9 7 6 9 513 522 4 2 5 596 8 3 562 4 7 1

10

11

12

13

16 19

Adilene Valencia

22

Solution to Sudoku: 24

5 26 3 6 7 8 2 4 1 58 9

Make the New Year bright with a clean house!

by Margie E. Burke

21

4 9 33 7 5 6 1 8 3 57 2

Residential • Office • Construction • Move In • Move Out

706-424-9810

25 28

29

30

31

54

55

aecleanathens@gmail.com

Brand New Building!

1/2 off first two months rent 1006 Virgil Langford Rd. EppsBridgeStorage.com

36 40

41 45

48

46 49

53 60 63

64

65

66

67

68

69

EVERYONE RIDES

Copyright 2021 by The Puzzle Syndicate

ACROSS 1 Happy as a ___ 53 Out, in a way 5 Coffee concoc56 Metamorphosed tion insect 10 Question starter 59 Put on a front 14 Direction at sea 61 Worsen 15 Cupid's projectile 63 Castle surround 16 Eagle's roost 64 Black cat, to (var.) some 17 Sit for a photo 65 Race official 18 Factory feature 66 Cough (up) 20 Well-kept, to a 67 Totally confused sailor 68 Comment to the 22 To the point audience 23 Studio stand 69 Sinister look 24 Wise teacher 26 Baseball deal DOWN 28 Potential lifesaver 1 Memory mishap 32 Mudbath locale 2 Halawa hello 34 Out of shape?

3 It's measured in 36 Hard to come by ohms 37 Sight starter 4 Legal-sized fish 39 Parade proudly 5 Strike with a 41 Sign of sadness whip 42 Egg on 6 Military strength 44 One more time 7 Figure of speech 46 Monet's forte 8 Subway fare 47 Vegetable 9 Woolly mama skinner 10 Marsh rodent 48 Disneyland 11 Preside over shuttles 12 Parentheses, e.g.

50 Eventually 13 Daycare denizen

19 Hard to rattle 21 Generous serving 25 Sampling specialist 27 Abandon 29 Sternum 30 Enterprise Rent__-___ 31 Drew's "E.T." role 32 Model in a bottle 33 Lodgepole, e.g.

35 "La la" lead-in 38 Steadfast 40 Not tried out 43 Mortise's partner 45 Stroll in the shallows 49 Warm-blooded sort 51 Elba of "The Dark Tower" 52 Dolphins' home 54 Put on cloud nine 55 Prevent 56 One to worship 57 Staff note 58 Years and years 60 Dried out 62 Posting at JFK

Through July 1, 2021 • • • •

Masks required Frequent sanitation Hand sanitizer on-board Live bus tracking & passenger counts on the myStop app

accgov.com/transit

Puzzle answers are available at www.flagpole.com/puzzles Flagepole-2-2021_3C_color.indd 1

1/14/21 10:47 AM

FEBRUARY 3, 2021 | FLAGPOLE.COM

17

CURB YOUR APPETITE Here are restaurants that are open and waiting for your order!

Eat on the Patio or take it To Go

PATIO OPEN!

Monday – Thursday 8am – 3pm Friday 8am – 3pm & 5:30pm – 8:30pm Saturday – Sunday 8am – 2pm

Call ahead for pick-up

Delivery available via Postmates, DoorDash, BullDawg, or Cosmic Delivery

OYSTER TUESDAY $9.95 DOZENS PATIO OPEN (weather permitting)

393 N. Finley St. · 706-353-0029 www.bigcitybreadcafe.com

DATE NIGHT THURSDAY $35

2 PRIME RIB DINNERS ADD A BOTTLE OF HOUSE RED OR WHITE WINE $10 MAKE YOUR VALENTINE’S DAY RESERVATIONS NOW!

take-out

4pm-9pm M–F • 2pm–9pm Sat 11am-3pm Sunday Brunch 3pm-9pm Sunday

delivery through bulldawg delivery and uber eats

3 locations • open 7 days till 10pm blindpigtavern.com

DINE-IN, CURBSIDE, OR DELIVERY

420 MACON HIGHWAY 706-548-3359

at all three locations - downtown -

401 e. broad st • 706-354-6966

OUTDOOR SEATING curbside pickup • delivery*

- eastside -

1965 barnett shoals • 706-369-0085

- timothy road -

(*via bulldAWg delivery - 706-850-7999)

10:30 A.M. – 10:00 P.M. 7 DAYS A WEEK

(cedar shoals location closed mondays)

706-227-9979 lumpkin st.

18

706-355-7087 cedar shoals dr.

2080 timothy rd • 706-552-1237

delivery through bulldawg foods & cosmic delivery

– depalmasitaliancafe.com –

FLAGPOLE.COM | FEBRUARY 3, 2021

- CARRYOUT - DELIVERY (BULLDAWG FOODS) - CURBSIDE PICKUP (BY REQUEST) 706-543-6592 • 11 A.M.– 8 P.M. EVERY DAY WHOLE CAKES AND BULK ITEMS WITH 48 HOURS NOTICE

- BEER AND WINE TO GO -

SCAN HERE FOR

Lunch, Dinner & Weekend Brunch

Offering Outdoor Dining and Contact free Pick-up for Lunch Tues-Fri 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Dinner Wed-Sat 5 p.m.–9 p.m.

Brunch Sat & Sun 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

OPEN FOR DINE-IN/TAKEOUT

706.354.7901 Corner of Chase and Boulevard

heirloomathens.com

15%

OFF

YOUR ONLINE ORDER USE CODE

029FLAG01 VALID ONCE PER CUSTOMER. PROMOTION EXPIRES 2/28/2021.

PIZZA SANDWICHES

CALL US FOR TAKE-OUT!

DELIVERY THROUGH BULLDAWG FOOD

SUN-THURS 11AM-8PM FRI & SAT 11AM-9PM BEER • WINE • DESSERTS

254 W. Washington St. 706.543.1523

tedsmostbest.com

hendershot’s

DINNER AND A SHOW with THE PLATE SALE OPEN WED-THUR 4:30- 8PM FRI 12- 9PM, SAT 12-8PM

Feb 5 & 6: Calvert/Fountain Feb 12 & 13: Cicada Rhythm Feb 19 & 20: Kyshona Feb 26 & 27: HEART Music Athens Jazz Ensemble

See website to reserve your seat!

hendershotsathens.com

237 prince ave. • 706.353.3050

TO- GO AND DELIVERY ONLY

Try the new Provoleta Empanada and Tasty Cupcakes!

Call us or Order online at VIVAARGENTINE.COM

Delivery through Bulldawg Food

247 PRINCE AVENUE

706-850-8284

flagpole

us Vote N ’ E ATH RSITE FAVOghty Nau re!

Sto

needs your support! flagpole is fighting to

continue bringing you the most up-to-date news, but the financial ripple effect of this pandemic is unprecedented and we can’t continue without your support.

DONATE It’s as easy as your Netflix subscription!

Just set up a recurring donation through PayPal (https://flagpole.com/home/donations https://flagpole.com/home/donations)) or mail in a check.

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YOUR SEXY HOME ENTERTAINMENT SPECIALISTS BRING THIS COUPON IN FOR

20% OFF

40% OFF ALL

IN TOUCH ANY 1 ITEM KITS BY CAL EXOTICS MUST PRESENT COUPON. CANNOT COMBINE WITH ANY OTHER OFFER. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. EXPIRES 3/31/21.

WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

FEBRUARY 3, 2021 | FLAGPOLE.COM

19

URBAN SANCTUARY MASSAGE FACIALS WAXING Voted Athens’ Favorite Day Spa • Open 7 Days

Be Kind to Your Valentine PRE-BOOK FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

Gift Certificates Buy Spa Gift Certificates online!

Chill Out CBD Facial, Nirvana Stress Relief Massage, Nu Face Facial, Alpine Arnica Deep Tissue Massage, CBD Chill Out Pedicure, Men’s Services, Espresso Mud Scrubs and more.

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)

Spa Memberships $68 massage memberships make a great gift. Unwind every month and enjoy stress relief and enhanced well-being all year! $68-$78 per month covers a monthly massage and comes with great member perks.

Couples Massage Unwind together and enjoy your massages side by side in the same room. $175-195 for both of you

810 N Chase St., Athens Georgia 30601 706.613.3947 • www.urbansanctuaryspa.com