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COLORBEARER OF ATHENS DOWN SOUTH LIVIN’

LOCALLY OWNED SINCE 1987

FEBRUARY 21, 2024 · VOL. 38 · NO. 7 · FREE

The Castellows A Little Goes A Long Way For Rising Country Trio p. 12


EXPERIENCE MUSIC AT UGA TICKETED PERFORMANCES $15; $3 with UGA student ID THURS 2/22 7:30 p.m.

HODGSON HALL

UGA Symphony Orchestra

In celebration of Austrian composer Anton Bruckner, UGASO presents Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 along with selections from Midsummer Night’s Dream by German composer Felix Mendelssohn. $15-adults, $3 - UGA student ID

CONNECTION SERIES: FREE CONCERTS, NO TICKETS NEEDED TUES 2/27 7:30 p.m.

HODGSON HALL

WED 2/28

4:30 p.m.

EDGE HALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Ladysmith Black Mambazo “Theirs is among the most distinctive and uplifting choral sounds around.”—NPR

WED 2/28

7:30 p.m.

RAMSEY HALL

THURS 2/29 7:30 p.m.

DANCZ CENTER SCHOOL OF MUSIC

FRI 3/1

7:30 p.m. HODGSON HALL

UGA Glee Clubs “Vive la compagnie”

The UGA Men’s and Women’s Glee Clubs gather together to celebrate the joys of good friends, great company, and of course, singing! Free performance.

Viola Studio presents BIPOC Composers

The UGA Viola Studio presents works by Leilehua Lanzilotti, Reena Ismail, Derrick Skye Scott Joplin, Will Marion Cook, Florence Price Quinn Mason, Jessie Montgomery...among others. Free performance.

Guitar Foundation of America’s Winner’s Tour: Lovro Peretić, guitar

Classical guitarist from Zagreb (Croatia). Last year, he won the International Concert Artist competition of the Guitar Foundation of America (USA). Free performance.

Guest Artist Nick Zoulek, saxophone

Presenting original compositions for voice, saxophonist, electronics, and chamber ensemble. Free performance.

British Brass Band Spring “Two Lips” for Brass

This spring festival of the British Brass Band includes “Shenandoah” by Steven Verhelst, “Nobody Does It Better” by Marvin Hamlisch “Quicksilver” by Peter Graham and more!

THIS MARCH, DON’T MISS... 3/14 3/19

Feb THURS 7:30 pm

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Hodgson Concert Hall

3/21 3/22

Tickets start at $25 with promo code PAC25. UGA students $10. Free parking. Scan for info and tickets Buy tickets now: pac.uga.edu or (706) 542-4400

Hodgson Singers

The Poet Sings

WOMEN’S WORKS FOR VIOLA Past, Present and Future with Maggie Snyder, viola

THE TRAGEDY OF

CARMEN

FOR TICKETS: Scan the QR code | music.uga.edu | 706-542-4400 230 River Road, Athens

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UGA Performing Arts Center, 230 River Road | School of Music Building, 250 River Road

Flagpole 2-21-E.indd 1

F L A GP OL E .C OM · F E B R U A R Y 2 1, 2024

2/19/24 11:51 AM


this week’s issue

contents

SHANNAH MONTGOMERY

Canopy Studio’s advanced students will present the aerial dance performance Circadian Flight, taking the audience from night to day and back, on Feb. 23–25. For more info, see the Event Calendar on p. 14.

This Modern World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

NEWS: City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Street Scribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

New Voting Precincts

Cobbloviate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Threats & Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

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

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

Curbing Traffic Deaths

The Castellows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Live Music Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

FOOD & DRINK: Grub Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Event Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Changing Eastside Bistro

Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Art Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

CALENDAR: Calendar Picks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Hey, Bonita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

‘Dancing Through Light’

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Adopt Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

COVER PHOTOGRAPH of The Castellows by Ben Humphrey (see story on p. 12) STREET ADDRESS: 220 Prince Ave., Athens, GA 30601 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603 EDITORIAL: 706-549-9523 · ADVERTISING: 706-549-0301 CLASSIFIED ADS: class@flagpole.com ADVERTISING: ads@flagpole.com CALENDAR: calendar@flagpole.com EDITORIAL: editorial@flagpole.com

LETTERS: letters@flagpole.com MUSIC: music@flagpole.com NEWS: news@flagpole.com ADVICE: advice@flagpole.com

Flagpole, Inc. publishes Flagpole Magazine weekly and distributes 8,500 copies free at over 275 locations around Athens, Georgia. Subscriptions cost $110 a year, $55 for six months. © 2024 Flagpole, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOLUME 38 ISSUE NUMBER 7

PLEASE VAX UP SO WE DON’T NEED TO

Association of Alternative Newsmedia

MASK UP AGAIN

Local Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 JESSICA SMITH

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner ADVERTISING SALES Fabienne Mack, Jessica Pritchard Mangum CITY EDITOR Blake Aued ARTS & MUSIC EDITOR Jessica Smith EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Sam Lipkin OFFICE MANAGER & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Jennifer Keene CLASSIFIEDS Jennifer Keene AD DESIGNERS Chris McNeal, Cody Robinson CONTRIBUTORS Bonita Applebum, Hillary Brown, James C. Cobb, Gordon Lamb, Rebecca McCarthy, Sarah McKinney, Emily Noble, Ed Tant, Harold Thompson CARTOONISTS Missy Kulik, David Mack, Klon Waldrip CIRCULATION Jennifer Bray, Charles Greenleaf, Joe Rowe EDITORIAL INTERNS Mary Beth Bryan, Xinge Lei PHOTOGRAPHERS Mason Pearson, Jake Zerkel SPECIAL AGENT Pete McCommons

Harold Rittenberry

YELP REVIEWS FROM OUR PATIENTS

online exclusive On Tuesday, Feb. 6, Mayor Kelly Girtz recognized one resident and three ACC employees for their recent achievements in the arts. Last December, longtime Athens resident and sculpture artist Harold Rittenberry received a Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities. Girtz presented Rittenberry with a ceremonial key to the city of Athens. See “Mayor Kelly Girtz Recognizes Artist Harold Rittenberry and Arts Division Staff Members” at flagpole.com.

“Cuddles and Care”, that should be the official slogan for Boulevard Animal Hospital! – Apple and Dumble

706-425-5099 i 298 Prince Ave. Across from The Bottleworks

www.downtownathensvets.com F E B R U A R Y 2 1, 2024· F L A GP OL E .C OM

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city dope

calling for solar panels to be installed on the new Clarke Middle School. Unfortunately, the contract for building the school was bid out years ago, said John Gilbreath, director of ESPLOST projects, when solar wasn’t being discussed. There isn’t money in the building’s budget to pay for solar panels, he said. By Blake Aued and Rebecca McCarthy news@flagpole.com The school board has appointed a 30-member sustainability committee to The Athens-Clarke County Elections Office determine the many possible ways of savincludes Five Points, where residents have mailed out new voter registration cards ing energy, district wide. The committee most loudly complained about “party earlier this month to more than 82,000 reg- houses” and the parking and noise probwill study what other school systems are istered voters—and voters should be sure doing—like Decatur City Schools, that’s lems they create. to check them, because many will be voting putting solar on older buildings—and will It’s possible, though, that the commisat new locations starting with the Mar. 12 then make recommendations to the board. sion could repeal the sunset clause on its presidential primaries. Changes and improvements will be coming own. As part of a compromise reached after Last year, election officials redrew voting a stalemate at the Feb. 6 voting meeting, for the next five to 10 years. precincts for the first time in at least 30 That was one of the many topics disMayor Kelly Girtz immediately assigned years. As the population grew and shifted cussed at a Feb. 13 meeting of the Commuthe commission’s Government Operations over the decades, some precincts got too nity Oversight Committee on ESPLOST. Committee to take a second look at the busy, while few people voted at others. The meeting was held in the new café at the issue. The GOC was scheduled to meet Feb. In addition, officials needed to find new Athens Career Academy, part of the school’s 19, and Girtz ordered it to bring back a recbuildings for some precincts that can hanculinary pathway. ommendation for a May vote. The county is dle the electrical demands of the state’s • Work is progressing on renovating and also facing the possibility of a lawsuit seekvoting equipment. All in all, one precinct expanding facilities at Cedar Shoals High ing to strike down the sunset clause. [BA] at the Oglethorpe Avenue fire station was School. When completed, the cafeteria eliminated, a new one at the Miriam Moore will be larger and there will be a pavilion Community Center was created, and six for outdoor eating. There will be a new Three months after the commission other precincts have new voting locations. ag science classroom, a new graphic arts voted down a new fire station near the The process was complicated because classroom and a new weight room. The intersection of Morton and Old Lexington Athens has four state House districts, two restrooms are also being redesigned in roads, SPLOST Administrator Daniel state Senate districts, 10 commission disorder to be safer. Garren and Fire Chief Nate Moss came back • The Career Academy at H.T. Edwards will tricts and nine school board districts, and to the commission to explain why they none of them match up with each other or be getting a bio-manufacturing lab and believe that site is the best the precinct lines, Director of Elections and a new faculty member to choice. Voter Registration Charlotte Sosebee said oversee it. Supported by We want to provide various local industries, Under pressure from at a Feb. 11 Board of Elections meeting. Shoals Creek Farms resThe Georgia Secretary of State’s office also lab will be finished by everybody with an the idents who opposed a rolled out new record-keeping software Aug. 1. The audio-visual equal level of fire and fire station because they without proper training, she said. Because studio in the academy is believed the sirens and of that, about 1,000 voters likely received going to be quieter once emergency services. two cards. Sosebee urged anyone with ques- trucks would ruin the rural “noise modifications” are character of their commutions to call her office or visit the secretary finished. And the Career nity, the commission voted in November of state’s My Voter Page at mvp.sos.ga.gov. Academy is going to be getting a construcSince the parties’ nominees for president to reject all three recommended sites for a tion pathway in the next few years. new Fire Station 5. The 50-year-old station are all but decided, turnout is expected to • The district’s alternative school is moving is currently located on Whit Davis Road, be low in March, giving election workers a into the Oglethorpe Avenue building that and funding for a replacement was included chance to work out any kinks with the new housed the regional Rutland Center, one in SPLOST 2020, a sales tax referendum precincts before higher-turnout local and of the state’s many psychoeducational approved four years ago. state races in May. Voters who do vote in schools closed by the U.S. Department of Eighty percent of the residents within person next month will also get a chance Justice. Also housed in that building will the current Station 5’s 2.5-mile coverage to familiarize themselves with new voting be the school district’s police department, radius are also covered by Station 7 on sites. [BA] Barnett Shoals Road. Meanwhile, 800 residents in the southeastern corner of the county do not have adequate coverage. Just a week after the Athens-Clarke Therefore, building the new Station 5 furCounty Commission passed new restricther east would improve service—especially tions on short-term rentals (STRs) like since fires now burn faster due to the use of those listed on Airbnb and VRBO, six state synthetic materials in construction, Moss legislators introduced a bill that would bar said. The fire department also provides local governments from regulating STRs emergency medical care while waiting for that already exist. an ambulance to arrive. In single-family neighborhoods, the “We want to provide everybody with an new ACC law only allows residents who live equal level of fire and emergency services,” in their homes to rent out all or a portion Garren said at the commission’s Feb. 13 of their property. After a two-year sunset work session. period, out-of-town investors—or anyone If the station is not put in an ideal who doesn’t reside on the property—can location, it could also downgrade ACC’s no longer operate STRs in areas zoned sintop ISO rating, which in turn would make gle-family, though they will continue to be homeowners’ insurance rates go up. And allowed in other zones. going from a rating of 1 to 2 would affect House Bill 1121 would outlaw such suneveryone in the county, not just one area, set provisions. If passed and signed into law Garren said. by Gov. Brian Kemp, any regulations passed The commission is expected to vote next by local regulations would only apply to month on a revised set of site selection crinew STRs, not ones currently listed. teria. [BA] The bill has been assigned to the House Government Affairs Committee. State Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Athens) is a member Last fall, the Clarke County School Board of that committee. Gaines did not respond received a petition with 800 signatures to a request for comment, but his district

news

New Voting Precincts

CHECK YOUR CARD TO FIND OUT WHERE TO VOTE, AND MORE LOCAL NEWS

Commission Revisits Fire Station

Bill Would Weaken Airbnb Regs

No Money for Clarke Middle Solar

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F L A GP OL E .C OM · F E B R U A R Y 2 1, 2024

student services, counseling services and some nonprofits. The building is in good shape and needs few upgrades, other than paint. • No one has stepped forward to buy Ellard Hall, an older house on the campus of the school district headquarters. Superintendent Robbie Hooker said the building has asbestos in it and is not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, so it needs to be remodeled before it can be used. [Rebecca McCarthy]

Odds and Ends Longtime Athens-Clarke County employee Laura Welch has taken over as interim director of the ACC Human Resources Department after Jeff Hale left Feb. 9 to pursue a job in the private sector. Welch was Human Resources’ assistant director, and also served as court administrator for five years and two stints in the auditor’s office. Cedar Shoals High School principal Antonio Derricotte has resigned effective June 30. The Local School Governance Team is undertaking a search for a replacement. Clarke Central High School has a new assistant principal, Terry Liggin. He comes to CCSD after 18 years as a teacher and department head in Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. At Burks (formerly Chase Street) Elementary, principal Tracy Neal abruptly resigned last month. Assistant principal Matthew Snow has taken over, with instructional coach Magen Watkins serving as interim assistant principal. Credit where credit’s due: Last week’s City Dope mischaracterized the origins of a 70/30 split in future property tax revenue between inner East Athens and the area around the Classic Center arena for the East Downtown Tax Allocation District. Commissioner Ovita Thornton suggested the idea at a commission meeting last September. The commission voted unanimously Feb. 6 to reserve 70% of the revenue from development around the arena for infrastructure in the historically underfunded neighborhood across the river. [BA] f


news

letters

news

street scribe

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO P.O. BOX 1027, ATHENS, GA 30603 OR EMAIL US AT LETTERS@FLAGPOLE.COM

In Praise of Libraries

Give Generously

By Ed Tant news@flagpole.com

How would you spend $499 billion? What would you do with 5.8 billion hours of time? Giving USA reported that Americans gave $499.33 billion to charitable causes in 2022, and AmeriCorps cited that Americans gave 5.8 billion hours of their time serving in 2019. These figures illustrate an unbelievable sum of talent, time and treasure shared with causes that include social services, education, religion, international affairs, arts and culture, and so much more. Americans have proven that they are generous, but they are also letting off the gas in their giving. In 2022, giving declined by 3.4% compared to 2021, and when adjusted for inflation, it was down 10.5% (Giving USA 2023). We simply don’t have room in our world to see generosity—in any form—decline. In a world growing more complicated and divided, I have never been more confiAs a resident of Oconee County and a dent that generosity is one of the greatest lights we can shine. Through my work as the user of public libraries, I’m an enthusiastic supporter of the highly trained staff and president of the Athens Area Community their mission to provide what libraries are Foundation, I have the honor of seeing dolabout: an educationally diverse and inclulars and time flow freely, intentionally and sive selection of books and videos that are backed by a true desire to affect change. accessible to all residents in our community. However, I also witness the unending In addition to the invaluable public access, challenges faced by nonprofit organizations the libraries are a welcoming community that are striving to lead their communities. hub. They provide a safe space for individCharged with joy and discomfort, exciteuals to meet with others who share their ment and sorrow, challenges and opportuinterests or life experiences. nities, nonprofits lead with courage, grit Inside of this mission is a responsibility and grind. Nonprofits are the guideposts for to ensure that books, videos, materials and living generously, and we need to embrace resources are age-apour generous spirits in content and share love wherThe libraries are a welcoming propriate and appropriately ever we can. community hub. categorized. Our As a society, the library teams carry activation of our out this important duty with professionalindividual and collective generosity is more ism that reflects their extensive training. I important now than ever before. Trusting take issue with those, driven by their own in the work of nonprofits is paramount for personal agenda, who dismiss the expertise our local communities. Aligning our values of these highly-trained professionals. with a good cause is critical. Connecting At the end of the day, parents have the and learning in spaces that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable is key. Being generous in right and the responsibility to guide what any capacity is essential for both individuals their children read or view. But no parent should be deciding for others what books and organizations alike. or videos in a public library their children How can you contribute to a generous should have access to or how and where society? they can access them. Think: Consider your connection in your But to no surprise, here comes the community and where you can show up. GOP-controlled Georgia Senate, which has Serve: Know your neighbor and proposed legislation in Senate Bill 390 that volunteer. would remove affiliation with the American Give: Be informed and donate regularly. Library Association, which threatens the Learn: Listen and advocate relentlessly. accreditation and the resources that our Lead: Learn your responsibility and libraries rely on, and would eliminate certiserve diligently as a board member or fication requirements to become a librarian. volunteer. Libraries are an essential public gateway to Think, serve, give, learn and lead. Be a light for the world. Activate your generosity knowledge and information needed to meet today, tomorrow and year-round. When the the challenges of our age. Entrusting this vital institution to individuals without the world feels dark, shine your light. Sarah McKinney proper training and expertise would be a Athens disservice to our community and a missed opportunity to leverage the full potential of our library systems. I urge readers to contact their local state On behalf of the Athens Road Runners senators, Frank Ginn or Bill Cowsert, to and the Classic City Marathon Association, oppose SB 390. we extend our sincerest gratitude to the Harold Thompson entire Athens-area community for their Watkinsville

THE DANGERS OF CENSORSHIP AND BOOK BANNING

“Marian, madame librarian… Heaven help us if the library caught on fire.” So sang Robert Preston in The Music Man, the 1962 movie about a smooth-talking grifter trying to bilk the citizens of a small Iowa town. Today, libraries and librarians face troubles as campaigns are waged across America against books that might contain controversial content.

ism and divisiveness threatens to drown the American body politic in a flood of fear, repression and regression. Past U.S. presidents knew the role of the library in stemming the tide of ignorance and intolerance. Thomas Jefferson said, “A democratic society depends upon an informed and educated citizenry.” As fascism was on the march and book burnings raged in LEE SHEARER / FILE

support of our inaugural lululemon Classic City Marathon, Athena Half Marathon and Classic City Marathon Relay. Our new races brought hundreds of visitors to Athens during Jan. 27–28, many of whom shared how impressed they were by the overwhelming support that the neighborhoods and businesses along the route showed to runners and to spectators. Athens-Clarke County’s expressed priorities include safe movement, outstanding built and natural environments, and the importance of being good neighbors, and those values were on display in the best ways throughout this event. Thank you to the community for their invaluable contributions to our new races and for their ongoing dedication to physical activity in North Georgia. Emily Noble Monica Huff

Oppose Anti-Library Bill

Runners Say Thanks

Supporters and opponents of removing LGBTQ-themed childrens books packed the Watkinsville library in July.

Near Athens in 1994, one parent complained about the profanity “God damn” uttered by a crusty character in The Red Pony, the classic novel by Nobel Prizewinning writer John Steinbeck that was included in Oconee County school libraries. The ensuing book-banning battle attracted state and national attention, but Steinbeck’s novel remained available in the county. Flash forward nearly 30 years, to 2023, and Oconee County was again the scene of challenges to libraries from selfanointed censors in high dudgeon over books in the local library that mentioned LGBTQ relationships. Those parents who would circumscribe the reading rights of all in favor of the ideology of a few are people who would prevent your children from reading a book just because they don’t want their own children to read it. They should read the wise words of playwright and diplomat Clare Boothe Luce: “Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but, unlike charity, it should end there.” Writer Ray Bradbury was correct when he said, “Without libraries, what have we? We have no past and no future.” Bradbury’s love of books and libraries was a source for perhaps his most famous novel, Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian tale of a totalitarian society that burns books, as did Hitler’s Nazi regime in Germany. As a young and struggling writer, Bradbury wrote his book on a coin-operated typewriter in a university library. American printer and patriot Benjamin Franklin spearheaded the creation of public libraries in America nearly 300 years ago, and ever since then libraries have provided information and inspiration for writers like Bradbury and for all this nation’s citizens. Libraries are under attack today as a torrent of anti-intellectualism, extrem-

Germany, Franklin Roosevelt reminded his fellow Americans that, “Libraries are great symbols of the freedom of the mind… The library is central to our free society. It is a critical element in the free exchange of information at the heart of our democracy.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower said that libraries should be places where “free and inquiring minds” can “freely seek the whole truth, unvarnished by fashion and uncompromised by expediency.” When I was a young person in the small town Jim Crow South of the 1950s and ’60s, the town library was a place for the “free and inquiring minds” of people of every age and race. Though strict segregation ruled the rest of the town, the local librarian opened her doors to citizens of any color, and books with titles like Facts of Life for Boys and Facts of Life for Girls were accessible on the library’s bookshelves. That librarian was a quiet hero like the fictional librarian in “The Obsolete Man,” a 1961 episode of “The Twilight Zone” TV series written by Rod Serling. In the episode, actor Burgess Meredith portrays a librarian who stands up to an authoritarian state in which “logic is an enemy and truth is a menace.” Support your local library and support your local librarians. The Athens-Clarke County Library on Baxter Street offers thousands of books, and it was one of the first libraries in Georgia to provide internet access for its patrons. It is the site of public meetings and book signings, and is an invaluable resource for genealogy researchers and history buffs. In these times of overflowing online misinformation, libraries and librarians are more important than ever. They prove what writer Neil Gaiman meant when he said, “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.” f

F E B R U A R Y 2 1, 2024· F L A GP OL E .C OM

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news

cobbloviate

Free Speech on Campus THE WAR IN GAZA AND THE EVOLUTION OF COLLEGE POLICIES

By James C. Cobb news@flagpole.com

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being heard. Though he had been at Yale for scarcely a year, Woodward voiced his extreme displeasure in September 1963, when then-acting president Kingman Brewster persuaded a student organization to rescind a speaking invitation to segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace. By the end of the decade, the leftist speech police had moved on to muzzling supporters of the Vietnam War. In 1972, Woodward objected vigorously when student protestors formed a physical barrier to prevent former Vietnam commander Gen. William Westmoreland from speaking at Yale. Two years later, he protested just as vehemently about students shouting down William A. Shockley, a proponent of Black inferiority. MASON PEARSON / FILE

The Ol’ Bloviator has always been a sucker for free speech dustups, and the current one is a certified humdinger—so much so that it is impossible to do justice to its nuances and complexities in the space allocated by most publications. What follows is a slightly expanded version of this piece as it ran at Time.com. Disagreements over whether universities should curb the rhetoric of students protesting Israel’s military incursion into Gaza have been striking in their ferocity, and remain heated more than two months after the PR disaster of a congressional hearing in which New York Rep. Elise Stefanik pressed the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and MIT about whether calling for a campaign of “genocide” against Jews would violate their school’s code of conduct policies against “bullying and harassment.” Caught between warring factions on campus and beyond, and hamstrung by their schools’ seemingly contradictory speech and conduct policies, the presidents offered only what appeared to be deliberately evasive, non-committal responses. Widespread dissatisfaction with those responses sparked an uproar in both the public and academic spheres over whether certain types of speech should be forbidden on America’s campuses. The ensuing furor prompted the resignation of Penn’s Liz Magill and contributed to the demise of Harvard’s Claudine Gay as well. Conflicts over the boundaries of acceptable speech on campus—or whether any such boundaries should even exist—are hardly new. Few could better attest to this or to the lessons they offer than the late C. Vann Woodward, one of America’s most distinguished historians, as well as one of its most ardent defenders of free speech. Woodward’s abiding conviction that “the results of free expression are to the general benefit in the long run, however unpleasant they may appear at the time,” should inform the thinking of administrators now weighing the intrinsic long-term rewards of guaranteeing free speech on their campuses against demands to protect students from hateful speech in the here and now. Woodward began to earn his credentials as a champion of free speech in the early 1930s, when he spoke out forcefully against police persecution of communist organizers in Atlanta. Teaching at Johns Hopkins in the early 1950s, he again weighed in to prevent the firing of his faculty colleague Owen Lattimore after Sen. Joseph McCarthy accused Lattimore of being a Soviet agent. Lattimore’s case fell into a general pattern dating back to the early days of the republic, in which people opposing the prevailing conservative majority were silenced, either through political repression, ostracism, or economic or social coercion. Yet by the time Woodward arrived at Yale in 1962, most attempts to restrict speech on campuses were coming from the opposing ideological direction, as left-leaning students and faculty rallied to prevent dissenting voices on the right from

“accounts of verbal and physical harassment” of gay and lesbian students. Matters seemed to come to a head in 1986, when undergraduate Wayne Dick posted flyers that mocked “Gay and Lesbian Awareness Days” by announcing “Beastiality Awareness Days.” University administrators quickly charged Dick with violating Yale’s policy against “harassment or intimidation of members of the university community on the basis of their sexual orientation,” and a campus executive committee placed him on two years’ probation. Dick, however, insisted that his actions fell under the protections guaranteed in the Woodward Report. Though Woodward had been retired for 10 years, he drew heavily on the enormous clout he still enjoyed on campus in order to get Dick’s probation lifted. In his mind, Dick’s actions did not constitute “harassment” because he had not advocated “violence or intimidation” at any point. “Certainly I don’t agree with his ideas,” Woodward explained, “but they all come under the protection of free speech.” If anything, Woodward became more adamant on this point as he grew older, but

Pro-Palestinian students gather on UGA’s North Campus in October.

Woodward’s outspokenness on such incidents made him a logical choice to chair a committee created by Brewster to craft what both agreed was a much-needed statement affirming Yale’s unwavering commitment to free speech. The result was a new free speech policy, released in 1975, and better known on campus as the “Woodward Report.” The document made a forceful case for freedom of speech as an immutable principle by which any university worthy of the designation should abide, stressing “the need for unfettered freedom, the right to think the unthinkable, discuss the unmentionable, and challenge the unchallengeable… We value freedom of expression precisely because it provides a forum for the new, the provocative, the disturbing, and the unorthodox.” Commentators eagerly embraced the Woodward Report as a definitive blueprint for resolving —or at least containing—one of the most perennially divisive issues confronting campus administrators. Some students and faculty were not so sure, including a dissenting member of Woodward’s committee who foresaw such an absolutist stance on free speech as giving tacit license for persecution and harassment of “small and powerless minorities” on campus. His concern seemed to be well-placed in the 1980s, when bulletin boards at Yale used by gay student organizations were routinely vandalized. By 1983, the problem had grown severe enough to spur a campuswide research project aimed at collecting

F L A GP OL E .C OM · F E B R U A R Y 2 1, 2024

the weight of opinion was already shifting against him at Yale and elsewhere. As administrators made boosting diversity on campus an increasingly urgent institutional priority, efforts to attract and retain more minority students and faculty ushered in policies aimed at safeguarding their sensibilities and making them feel at ease. With schools such as Wisconsin and Michigan leading the way at the end of the 1980s, hundreds of colleges and universities implemented speech codes and other provisions aimed at preventing the intimidation and persecution of minorities on campus. The courts would strike down speech codes at a number of public universities as violations of the First Amendment. Still, be the school public or private, wherever these attempts to limit speech survived, they did so in uneasy coexistence with policies that either explicitly or implicitly invoked the First Amendment, which strictly forbids any government abridgment of the freedom of speech. After seeing the courts repeatedly strike down or eviscerate speech codes at public universities as violations of the First Amendment, even private institutions such as Penn that are not directly subject to the amendment’s provisions opted nonetheless to “embrace its values” in their own speech policies. Harvard went a step further by stipulating that conflicts between “freedom of expression” and “other rights” must be resolved in a manner consistent with “established First Amendment standards.” With adherence to those standards in

adjudicating speech-related complaints guaranteed by official university policy, and the courts continuing to grant First Amendment protections to the most egregious forms of so-called hate speech, calling for the genocide of Jews would logically enjoy the same protections on campus. Presidents Magill and Gay were not simply splitting semantic hairs to avoid giving a direct answer to Congresswoman Stefanik’s question when they explained that only when “speech” (which was essentially protected by one set of their school’s policies) passed over into “conduct” (which another set of policies empowered them to regulate) was it punishable. Proponents of speech codes were looking to shelter minorities from the abuse of free speech protections by others. There was little apparent concern that these protections might one day be weaponized by one student minority against another. Yet that is what appears to be happening now on a number of American campuses. Both the pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli factions constitute minorities within the student bodies at these embattled institutions. Supporters of a Palestinian state have become more vocal and insistent since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, with some of their rhetoric featuring the kind of resentment and rage historically associated with religious or cultural nationalism. In turn, although the share of Americans who support Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza has declined, it still includes a sizable portion of the academic donor class. Their demands to censor critics of Israel’s military response have introduced another facet to the free speech debate. The rapidly escalating endowment arms race makes it difficult to limit donors’ involvement in university affairs, especially when gifts come not simply with specific strings but powerful emotions attached. As the recent outcry from Penn donors suggests, the Israel-Hamas war has brought a new sense of urgency to the longstanding debate over what universities “owe” their benefactors. There is another differentiating element to the war over words now engulfing our universities. The assaults on free speech that Woodward sought to repulse largely emanated from one end of the political spectrum or the other. By contrast, the impetus for today’s conflicts seems to be coming, both on and off campus, from several directions at the same time. These contemporary clashes over campus speech policies reflect the powerful and complex forces that have dramatically altered the landscape of American higher education since Woodward’s death in 1999. One consequence has been a growing inclination to challenge the primacy long accorded free speech at our universities. There is all the more reason, then, to harken back to Woodward’s position on such challenges, particularly his warning that succumbing to pressures to restrict speech on campus, regardless of the source, stood to be deeply and enduringly injurious to the intellectual health of a university. Whether today’s college administrators can tune out the anger and shouting of the current moment long enough to give his counsel the hearing it deserves remains to be seen, however. f James C. Cobb is Spalding distinguished professor of history emeritus at the University of Georgia. His most recent book is C. Vann Woodward, America’s Historian (2022).


news

feature

Driving Deaths

NEW PLAN AIMS TO CURB INJURIES AND FATALITIES ON ATHENS ROADS

By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com

T

people of color and people living in low-income areas are most at risk, according to Athens-Clarke County traffic engineer Tim Griffeth, partially because of lack of investment in certain neighborhoods and partially because they’re more likely to walk. Pedestrians make up a disproportionately high portion of overall injuries and deaths—in Athens, about a third—as most roads are designed to move cars fast rather than for people to walk or bike. BLAKE AUED

he Georgia Bulldogs football team celebrated its second straight national championship with a parade on Jan. 14 last year. After a night of drinking downtown, offensive lineman Devin Willock got into an SUV that the UGA Athletic Association had rented, driven by recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy. While racing Willock’s teammate Jalen Carter on Barnett Shoals Road, reaching a speed of 104 miles per hour, LeCroy crashed, killing herself and Willock, and seriously injuring a coworker. She had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. Who is to blame for those deaths— LeCroy? Carter? The bar that served them? UGA for allowing LeCroy to drive the rented vehicle after work hours?—is under litigation. What’s not in dispute is that they were just two among the 21 lives claimed on Athens roads last year. From 2013–2022, Athens had more than 50,000 car crashes, with 61% occurring on locally owned roads and 39% on state highways, such as Atlanta Highway (Highway 78), Milledge Avenue (15), most of Prince Avenue (15/129), Jefferson Road (129), Commerce Road (441), Highway 29, Lexington Road (78) and the Loop. Those crashes seriously injured more than 1,000 people and killed 121—a number that’s been trending upward in recent years. After ranging from six to 14 for most of the past decade, traffic deaths spiked to 23 in 2021, then fell to 11 in 2022 before spiking again to 21 last year. It’s not just a local problem. Traffic deaths nationwide were on pace to fall by 3% last year after jumping at the start of the pandemic, according to the most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, but are likely to top 40,000 for the third year in a row once final data is released. Children, the elderly,

attributed the carnage to speeding, distracted driving and drug use. For example, one man drove into a ditch and hit a tree, he said, which was classified as a traffic fatality, but in fact the driver overdosed on fentanyl. Some pedestrian deaths, Saulters speculated, could be suicides. Speeding is the No. 1 complaint the ACC Transportation and Public Works Department receives, Griffeth said. “Most people don’t like to hear the fact that the speed you consider unacceptable in your neighborhood, you have probably driven as fast in someone else’s neighborhood,” he said. Traffic engineers know tricks to get drivers to slow down, and some of those have been incorporated into a new local road safety plan the ACC Commission is expected to adopt next month. Speed tables, curb extensions, pedestrian islands,

Roundabouts like this one at Tallassee and Whitehead roads can drastically reduce deaths and injuries from car crashes.

At a recent town hall meeting hosted by Five Points commissioners John Culpepper, Mike Hamby and Allison Wright, former ACC commissioner Russell Edwards questioned county officials about the high death toll. In particular, he pointed to the stretch of West Broad Street around Alps Road, a seven-lane highway with few crosswalks where pedestrians are frequently killed crossing the street. ACC Police Chief Jerry Saulters

narrower lanes and flashing beacons at crosswalks all encourage motorists to step off the gas and are relatively cheap to install. In particular, Griffth said he’s a big fan of roundabouts, which reduce fatal crashes by 90% and injuries by 76%. “Designing safe road systems includes designing communities for easy access to core needs and services within walking and biking distance,” he told commissioners at a Feb. 13 work session. “Fewer car trips is the

top safety strategy.” Separately, the commission has already adopted a complete streets policy and a Vision Zero resolution setting a goal eliminating traffic deaths, and county officials are working with GDOT to improve state highways. The county is also reforming the process for installing traffic-calming measures so that neighborhood residents don’t have to apply or pay for them if their street meets certain criteria. In addition, ACCPD has a crash reconstruction team. “We look at every single accident; we look at what was the cause and what we can do to stop that,” Saulters said. The local road safety plan, as the name implies, focuses solely on local roads, where the ACC government faces no obstacles to making changes other than money. ACC Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety Coordinator Daniel Sizemore identified the “high-injury network,” the local roads that are most dangerous. They include: Timothy Road, Epps Bridge Road, Barnett Shoals Road, Newton Bridge Road, Athena Drive, Macon Highway, Gaines School Road, Alps Road, West Broad Street, Vinson Drive, Old West Broad Street and Tallassee Road. About 62% of wrecks on local roads happened at intersections, and in 41% the driver was distracted, Sizemore said, which are higher numbers than in other Georgia cities. Impaired driving has declined recently, he said, but that hasn’t been reflected in the number of injuries or deaths. Several commissioners asked about speeding; it’s a problem, Sizemore said, but no more so than anywhere else. The plan’s overarching goal is to cut deaths and serious injuries on local roads in half, from 74 in 2021 to 37 in 2026, with the eventual goal of eliminating them entirely by 2032. Within the next two years, the plan aims to cut crashes at intersections by 10%, collisions with cyclists and pedestrians by 10%, crashes involving distracted drivers by 10% and crashes involving impaired drivers by 30%. Some commissioners, such as Hamby, called for more ambitious goals. A separate plan covering higher-speed highways will be introduced to the mayor and commission later this year, according to Griffeth. f

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F L A GP OL E .C OM · F E B R U A R Y 2 1, 2024

HERE COMES THE SUNSHINE: There’s a new single out this week from songwriter Drew Beskin, who has been on a particular tear of solid releases for the past few years. Between his solo records and those credited with his band The Sunshine, it’s been a long time since listeners could claim disappointment from him. And with this new release it seems that disappointment is going to have to wait a while longer. The new single, “Short Straws,” is a nice and steady indie rock track but with a mid-slow tempo, and is released via Super Canoe and We Bought A Zoo Records. It’s lyrically strong, which is an aspect of Beskin’s songwriting that I don’t feel gets mentioned enough. The weather outside is likely still a little too cold for this spring-ish tune, so if you find that to be the case, just hold on to it for a few weeks. Other players on this are Tommy Trautwein, Gideon Johnston, Hunter Pinkston, Mckendrick Bearden and Spencer Thomas. As of Feb. 22, you can find this at drewbeskin.bandcamp.com, drewbeskin.com and all major streaming services. IN THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR: DC native, but now-established Athens artist, Wim Tapley released his newest full-length album, Red Door, earlier this month. From his first single in 2018, Tapley was always a promising artist and his recent success selling out the Georgia Theatre—not to mention the steady pace of releases he’s cranked out—are evidence of him fulfilling that promise. The new album is an incredibly well-produced record that showcases Tapley’s expansive songwriting style. Significantly, though, he can craft down-home, emotional whimsy like “Well Tequila” and lovelorn alt-country like “Errands,” and place them right alongside of neo-soul burners like “Talk To Me” and “Jefe.” For more information, please see wimtapley.com. LOOK ALIVE: Sebastian Marquez (ex-Dead Neighbors) first unleashed his project Slime Ring on the public a few years ago. Last month, Marquez released a new EP on Drew Kirby’s (ex-Mothers) Marching Banana label. It’s titled as a label catalog entry as 091: Explorer Series Vol. 1. While it’s nothing at all like the guitar-driven indie rock of Dead Neighbors, Slime Ring is an exploratory electronic and, seemingly, open-ended project. There are a few guests aboard this including Wieuca and, according to the record notes, Hannah Bo Lecter (Lowtown, Ladybusch), Keron (Vessel) and violinist Lily Zwaan (Scare Quotes). This is

mostly enjoyable but remains a collection of sketches instead of a fully coalesced concept. Even so, it’s going to take a lot to beat the electro drum and bass of “S.I.D.S.I. (ft. Wieuca).” This is worth it for that track alone. Check it out for yourself over at marchingbanana.bandcamp.com and slime ring.bandcamp.com. PLAN YOUR PICNIC: Drivin N Cryin frontman and songwriter Kevn Kinney cranks up his residency at The Rialto Club this week. Specifically, he’ll be playing Thursdays, Feb. 22, Mar. 28 and Apr. 25. The Rialto Club is located inside Hotel Indigo downtown. Doors open at 7 p.m. each night, and music begins at 8 p.m. Tickets for these intimate shows range from $15–75. For more information, please see facebook.com/ AubreyEntertainmentAthensGA or indigo athens.live. STAY LOUD: Some bands can’t stop themselves from releasing so much music that they wind up making their audience sick of hearing them. There’s likely no chance at all that Rosie & the Ratdogs will ever suffer such a fate. It’s already been three years since the band’s debut three-song EP. Only just this month did it finally release a

new single, “Peench.” It packs a lot into this five-minute track that introduces itself as a fairly classic sounding 1990s-ish grunge/ metal hybrid, but has a whole lot going on behind the scenes. Like an onion, it slowly reveals itself and becomes a theatrical, if not slightly psychedelic, tune before eventually ending on a note rawer than the ones with which it began. The band reported to me that it already has another single planned for March, so maybe you’ll get sick of ’em sooner than I thought. Rosie & the Ratdogs next play locally on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at the 40 Watt Club with Apostle (Atlanta), Attest and Oxystar. In the meantime, find this new rocker over at rosieand theratdogs.bandcamp.com, and keep up with the fellas over at facebook.com/rosie andtheratdogs. f


grub notes

VIA FACEBOOK

food & drink

New Steakhouse Turned Neighborhood Bistro PLUS, BREAKFAST ON THE RUN

By Hillary Brown food@flagpole.com FRANK & SONS (1040 Gaines School Road, Suite 117, 706-850-1585, @frankandsonsathensga on Instagram): It’s an awkward experience for me when a restaurant embarks on a major shift while I’m in the middle of writing about it. In case you don’t know these things, I don’t give people a heads up when I’m coming, I don’t let them know I’m there, and I pay for my own meals. I’d already been to Frank & Sons, an Eastside steakhouse started by the folks who also operate Punta Cana in the Bottleworks, when I heard the restaurant was shaking things up. Fortunately, the shift happened in the exact direction I would have recommended—toward a more casual, lower-priced, neighborhood vibe—and soon enough for me to have experienced it in both versions. VIA FACEBOOK

Frank & Sons

The space, in the Ansonborough development, has always been an awkward one, with an entrance on each side, and trying to think of it as a high-end steakhouse didn’t work. Being asked if your steak is cooked correctly doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, and the service seems

unassured and inexperienced for a steakhouse atmosphere. The soft, warm rolls served with a container of softened garlic butter are plenty good, but they need to come out at the beginning of the meal rather than the end. The wine list exists, but doesn’t seem sommelier selected. All of that is less of a problem if you’re aiming for a different audience, especially when Slater’s has the fancy steakhouse market well covered and the Chop House is doing a pretty good job hitting the mass market crowd. The new version of the restaurant has lower prices and a bigger menu, with things beyond steak. If steak is what you want, the 8-ounce churrasco is probably your best bet, served sliced and topped with a zippy chimichurri. At $20, including two sides, it’s got more flavor and is a better value than the flashier, more expensive cuts. Among the sides, the steak fries are probably the best executed, with the veggies (broccoli, asparagus) too simply prepared and the mac and cheese unremarkable. The Caesar salad is fine, but not a production. The new menu also includes tacos (I wouldn’t bother) and decent empanadas (listed as turnovers) that include cheddar, as well as beef or chicken and grilled peppers and onions. The burgers are a highlight, with the “Frank’s Burger” including a fried egg, an onion ring and bacon, as well as the usual toppings. It’s not the neatest to eat, but it’s got good flavor and seems to be made with care. Treat Frank & Sons as a neighborhood place with a long happy hour (2–7 p.m.) and it may meet your needs, but Punta Cana remains a better return on investment. Frank & Sons is open 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Sunday.

Effin’ Egg

EFFIN’ EGG (140 W. Broad St., 706-850-0658, effinegg. com): The two things you need to know about this new breakfast franchise in downtown Athens are: The eggs aren’t the best thing on the menu, and it is a surpassingly lonely experience symptomatic of our modern era. On the second matter, you might not even see a person during your patronage. Order ahead, and your food will be bagged on the counter. Order in the store, at a touchscreen, and someone will come out to hand you your food. There is no seating. Grab what you need and get the heck out. While that’s a boon for the socially anxious, it also can’t help but feel terribly sad, a stop along the way to robots running entire eateries. Sigh. How’s the food? It’s OK. The restaurant is proud of using cage-free eggs, and that’s great, but would it kill them to add a little salt? The venerated prime ingredient ends up tasting like a wad of nothing, and the promise of “craft” breakfast sandwiches is undermined by the execution. The CEO, described as “soft-scrambled eggs and chives, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and our signature chipotle Effy Sauce in a warm brioche bun,” sure sounds good. Too bad it is as bland as can be. On the other hand, the brisket totchos—tater tots topped with slow-cooked beef, sour cream, queso and an avocado crema— are much better despite (because of?) featuring no egg. The biscuits are decent. The waffles are not bad. But if you’re looking for a breakfast burrito reliant on eggs, you will hear a mopey trombone when you bite into the ones the restaurant makes. There are better breakfast options among the many eateries trying to corner this market. Effin’ Egg is open 7 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m.–4 p.m. on weekends. f

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feature

The Castellows

FAST-TRACKED TO COUNTRY SUCCESS WITH DEBUT EP

By Sam Lipkin editorial@flagpole.com

T

hree young Southern belles growing up on a farm in a small town ending up as rising stars in Nashville is what country music marketing dreams are made of, and The Castellows are the real deal. Having freshly released their debut neo-traditional country EP A Little Goes A Long Way on Feb. 9 under Warner Music Nashville/ Warner Records, the sisters are currently finding themselves a long way from home on Times Square billboards, Hulu commercials and sold-out marquees. The Castellows are made up of sisters Lily, Ellie and Powell Balkcom, who grew up in Georgetown along the Alabama border in southwest Georgia. They began singing and playing instruments at a young age, having a lot of time to devote to practicing as they were homeschooled and working on the family cattle farm. Spending their lives nurturing this musical family bond has led to what the group is best known for: perfectly angelic harmonies and on-stage chemistry. Even the band’s name is an homage to family, Castellow being the Balkcoms’ great-grandmother’s maiden name. Ellie, Powell and their brother Henry are triplets, and the three attended the University of Georgia together. Ellie worked with the football team and pursued management information systems and international business, Powell studied agriculture business with intentions of returning to the family farm, and their younger sister Lily pursued her pilot’s license at Middle Georgia State University. Taking advantage of dual enrollment courses while homeschooling, 20-year-old Ellie and Powell were able to graduate from college within two years. And 18-year-old Lily is in fact a licensed pilot. It wasn’t until November of 2022 that they played original live music together for the first time, and at the Georgia Theatre

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in downtown Athens of all places. The Balkcoms told CMT that the trio gigged around Athens doing covers “for fun,” and when asked to open at the Georgia Theatre, they wanted to have original songs to perform. Ellie had started writing songs in her second year of college, but didn’t bring her sisters in on it until this opportunity. By the night of the Georgia Theatre show, The Castellows had three new original songs. (l-r) Lily Balkcom, Ellie Balkcom and Powell Balkcom After this performance, The Castellows began posting covers on Instagram and TikTok that quickly drew family—combine to create a sound that is take a backseat and let the skillful harmoattention from country music lovers. Powell genuine and original. Ellie, Lily and Powell nies steal the show. Not this time, though. told Country Now that music had always just are superstars. Full stop.” The song immediately picks up with a torbeen a passion and never something the sisThe newly released EP A Little Goes A rent of banjo that sweeps up the listener ters considered as a career until they began Long Way was produced by Trina Shoemaker and carries them straight through to the sharing clips on social media. Their tradi(Sheryl Crow, Nanci Griffith, Queens of other end. Although the subject matter tional yet modern sound began catching the the Stone Age), with The Castellows writdoesn’t vary widely, and might be exactly ear of music industry insiders early in 2023, ing or co-writing six of the seven tracks. what you’d expect, A Little Goes A Long Way and by that spring they were already being “Hurricane,” a cover of Leon Everette’s is solid groundwork for young musicians invited to label meetings. 1981 hit, has had a surge of success on swiftly scooped up by the music industry. The Castellows joined Warner Music social media already as one of the singles The Castellows have enjoyed a strong Nashville/Warner Records and immedireleased ahead of the EP. On Spotify it has start to 2024 with the release of this ately went to work in the summer of 2023 amassed more than 1 million streams. project, a string of tours coming up, and recording its first song, “No. 7 Road,” Although it’s not a product of their songan impressive list of accolades. The band co-written with singer-songwriter Hillary writing, this track perfectly demonstrates was named a 2024 CMT “Next Women Lindsey. It’s a sentimental introduction to the sisters’ ability to conjure an element of of Country” class, 2024 CMT “Listen the group, inviting the world to the womdarkness and dusky intrigue in their music Up Artist,” Pandora “Artists To Watch,” en’s small town front porch—their “little that contrasts with their dreamy sound and Country Now “Artists To Watch,” and slice of heaven”— through delicate harsoft looks. Although sonically it stands at Nashville Lifestyles “Group You Need To monies (Lily, lead vocals) and a mid-tempo odds with the rest of the EP, it’s symbolic of Know.” Catch The Castellows performing in beat accented by acoustic guitar (Ellie) and the group’s lore—one of the first songs they Athens tomorrow evening, Thursday, Feb. banjo (Powell). performed together. 22, at the 40 Watt Club. f “Every moment spent in the presence of Overall, the band’s acoustic rootsy The Castellows is nothing short of captivatapproach to country maintains a nostalgic ing,” said Warner Music Nashville Co-Chair yet youthful energy that distinguishes it WHO: The Castellows and Co-President Cris Lacy in a press from the country pop genre. “Heartline WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m. (doors) release announcing the label signing. “Their Hill” is one of the tracks solely written by WHERE: 40 Watt Club sibling harmony, their musical prowess and Ellie, and it also features the most robust HOW MUCH: $15 (adv.), $20 their songs—that tell not only their own instrumentation. Throughout the rest of stories, but generational truths about their the project, the guitar and banjo tend to

F L A GP OL E .C OM · F E B R U A R Y 2 1, 2024

BEN HUMPHREY

music


live music calendar Tuesday 20

Ciné 8 p.m. FREE! www.athenscine.com KARAOKE WITH THE KING Show off your pipes to the world. Every first, third and fifth Tuesday. Georgia Theatre 6:30 (doors), 7:30 (show). $25. www. georgiatheatre.com 49 WINCHESTER Band from Virginia that blends Appalachian country and soul. DRAYTON FARLEY Earnest acoustic roots singer-​songwriter from Alabama. Hendershot’s No Phone Party. 7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com KENOSHA KID Instrumental adventure-​jazz group centered around the rollicking compositions of Dan Nettles and featuring Josh Allen, Seth Hendershot and various guests. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $3 (w/ UGA ID), $15. pac. uga.edu UGA WIND ENSEMBLE The program “Deconstructed and Reimagined” includes “SEER” by Erik Santos, featuring UGA Voice Faculty Gregory Broughton, and “Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble” by Ingolf Dahl, performed by Concerto Competition winner Michael Chapa. Rabbit Hole Studios 8–10:30 p.m. www.rabbitholestudios. org IMPROVS AND ORIGINS Musical experiments, originals and improvisations.

Wednesday 21 40 Watt Club 7 p.m. (doors). $25. www.40watt.com JAMES MCMURTRY Texas folk-​ rock and Americana singer backed by his band of heavy hitters, including Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess and Tim Holt. BETTYSOO Contemporary folk musician from Texas known for the emotional depth of her voice and the wittiness of her lyrics. Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreand bar.com DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Featuring a large assortment of pop, rock, indie and more. Porterhouse Grill 6–8:30 p.m. www.porterhousegrill athens.com JAZZ NIGHT Longest running jazz gig in Athens captained by drummer Mason Davis and featuring a rotating cast of familiar faces performing American songbook, bossa nova classics and crossover hits.

Thursday 22 40 Watt Club 7 p.m. (doors). $15 (adv.), $20. www.40watt.com THE CASTELLOWS Three Georgia-​born sisters who perform neo-​ traditional country music. Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. (doors). $10. www.flicker theatreandbar.com HANDHOLDER A group whose multi-​genre sound ranges from folk to rock to electronic.

HONEYPUPPY Four-​piece indie rock band self-​described as a “menace to society.” RACECAR 44 New Athens band. Debut show! Georgia Theatre 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $20. www.georgiatheatre.com TOWN MOUNTAIN Americana-​ influenced bluegrass band based in Asheville. BIG RICHARD Four-​piece supergroup that mashes up bluegrass, oldtime, classical, country and pop music. Hendershot’s 8 p.m. $10. www.hendershotsathens. com MORE DISGRUNTLED FUMES Stephanie Astalos-​Jones (White Lightnin’, Coat of Many Colors, “WandaVision”) presents a new show featuring aspiring poets. TINY JAZZ ARKESTRA Southern punk jazz featuring Darrin Cook, Jamie Derevere, Bo Hembree and Mike Jones. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $3 (w/ UGA ID), $15. pac. uga.edu HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANTON BRUCKNER Celebrate the 200th birth anniversary of the great Austrian composer known for his symphonies and sacred music. Rialto Club 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $15 (adv.), $22. bit.ly/KevnKinneyFeb22 KEVN KINNEY The Drivin N Cryin frontman performs a set of his solo material for a monthly residency. CLAY LEVERETT Local songwriter and country-​minded rocker whose songs are both tough and tender. Southern Brewing Co. 6–10 p.m. www.sobrewco.com KARAOKE NIGHT Every Thursday evening.

Friday 23 40 Watt Club 8 p.m. (doors), $12. www.40watt.com JOHNNY FALLOON Deranged local band with hard-​hitting songs and complex theatrics. 15,000 GUNS Existential post-​ punk and noise rock from Atlanta. BUICE Self-​described Atlanta freakcore, conscious prog rock and skronk. RUBBER UDDER Self-​described weirdo experimental acid punk/ noise-​grunge thing from Athens. Bolo Bolo Athens Attaboy Tapes Presents. 7 p.m. $10. www.instagram.com/bolo.bolo.ath SHAM Lush and interesting experimental folk from Asheville led by Shane Justice McCord. JAKE BROWER Whimsical bubblegum pop. JOHN KIRAN FERNANDES & ARIANNA PETERSEN DUO Duet on clarinet and cello. TERRY’S DOLMEN Project featuring Graham Ulicny of Reptar and Thick Paint. Buvez 7:30 p.m. $10. www.facebook.com/ buvezathens HOLY WOUND “Big-​ass blackened rock and roll” bordering on death metal from Atlanta. CRYPTORCHID New local blackened hardcore punk. GIGER Equal parts sludge, doom and death metal.

Ciné 8 p.m. $10. www.athenscine.com EVELIA Local alternative pop artist creating guitar-​driven, lyrically resonant music. REGGIE PEARL Indie rock singer-​ songwriter from St. Louis, MO. ANNIE COLLETTE New York City indie pop artist with guitar-​forward songs and emotional lyrics. Dancz Center for New Music 6 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu WILLSON POFFENBERGER Guest artist Poffenberger is a saxophone soloist, educator, chamber musician and improviser.

40 Watt Club 7 p.m. (doors). $18 (adv.), $20. www.40watt.com DYLAN MARLOWE Statesboro native now based in Nashville who blends traditional country and rock. Athentic Brewing Co. 4–6 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing. com CHRIS WAYNE Greenville, SC-​ based, 1950s-​influenced Americana country and blues artist. 8–11:30 p.m. $10. www.athentic brewing.com SALSA NIGHT DJs spin salsa, bachata and merengue during a monthly event presented by SAL-

Eggy will play at The Foundry on Feb. 23. Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. (doors). $12. www.flicker theatreandbar.com MERCYLAND Recently revitalized post-​punk band originally formed in 1985 and fronted by David Barbe. THE MUCKERS Atlanta-​based Irish rock band. BEAT UP Local punks resisting the darkest timeline. COWBOY KEROUAC Athens queer anarcho cowpunk. Album release show for Chaos Country! The Foundry 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $16 (adv.), $21. bit.ly/EggyInAthens EGGY Four-​piece jam band with an eclectic style mixing funk, psychedelic rock and blues. Georgia Theatre 9:30 p.m. (doors). $16 (adv.), $25. www.georgiatheatre.com 2000*S NIGHT Club 90’s presents a dance party of hits from the 2000s. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $30–60. pac.uga.edu VOCES8 Grammy Award-​nominated British vocal ensemble that performs both classical and contemporary music. Nowhere Bar 9:30 p.m. $10. www.facebook.com/ NowhereBarAthens REED BRAKE Improvisational roots rock quartet inspired by life lived in nature.

Saturday 24 @local. Coffeehouse & Study Lounge 8–11 p.m. FREE! www.localonchurch. com CLINT BUSSEY Rock and folk musician playing covers and originals.

SAthens and TIMBAthens. Different Latin dance styles will be taught at the beginning of the night. Earth Fare 2–2:50 p.m. www.earthfare.com RC OUTLAW COWBOY Country and gospel singer with over four decades of experience. Flicker Theatre & Bar Attaboy Tapes Presents. 8 p.m. (doors). $10. www.flickertheatre andbar.com SKYLAR GUDASZ Dreamy, experimental indie artist with sizzling elements of psychedelic pop. RIGGINGS Durham, NC songwriter Alex Riggs, who produces experimental folk songs with a soft edge. LIZ FARRELL Jeff Buckley-​ inspired vocals accompanied by intricate ukulele. MARY MARGARET COZART Former Athenian now based in Savannah who crafts beautiful indie rock songs. The Foundry 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. $15 (adv.), $20. bit.ly/FoundryFeb24 GRAINS OF SAND BAND Effortlessly blending Carolina Beach, Soul and Motown music, the GOS create a fresh and energetic sound that will have you feeling the warm sand between your toes again. Georgia Theatre 6 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (show). $29.50. www.georgiatheatre.com THE BROOK & THE BLUFF Energetic indie rock with folky roots. WILLIS Indie blues band based in Nashville. Hendershot’s 8 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com BICHOS VIVOS Local band playing forró, accordion and triangle-​driven country music from Brazil. No. 3 Railroad Street 6 p.m. www.3railroad.org MRJORDANMRTONKS Tommy

Jordan and William Tonks’ collaboration features rootsy guitar picking and paired vocal melodies. Nowhere Bar George’s Birthday Potty! 9:30 p.m. $10. www.facebook.com/Nowhere BarAthens THE DICTATORTOTS Longtime local chaos-​cultivators trash the night with post-​grunge grooves. The Root 9 p.m. FREE! www.scarlet-​stitch.com SCARLET STITCH Straight-​up rock and roll band from Athens.

Sunday 25 First Christian Church of Athens 4 p.m. $20 suggested donation. www. amethystbaroque.com CONCERTOS AND CANTATAS Concertos by Vivaldi, Telemann and others, as well as rare chamber selections. Tonight’s performance includes Adrin Akins (countertenor), Jody Miller (recorder), Marcy Jean Brenner (viola da gamba) and Alexandra Dunbar (harpsichord and organ). No. 3 Railroad Street 10 a.m.–3 p.m. www.3railroad.org ATHENS AREA SHAPE NOTE SINGING Sing from shape note hymnals originally published in the 1800s by Georgia composers: The Social Harp by John G. McCurry of Hart County and The Sacred Harp by B.F. White of Hamilton. Potluck lunch at 12 p.m. Puma Yu’s 7 p.m. $10. www.pumayus.com BILL NACE Experimental guitarist, visual artist and member of Body/ Head. IN A KYTHE Drone project of Lydian Brambila (Outersea, Vile Body) featuring cello loops and field recordings. WINSTON BARBE Local songwriter and audio engineer backed by Ben Hackett, Jay Gonzalez and Phelan LaVelle. Rialto Club 5:30 p.m. (doors), 6:30 p.m. & 7:45 p.m. (two sets). $15 (adv.), $20. bit.ly/SegarFeb25 SEGAR JAZZ AFFAIR WXAG radio DJ Dwain Segar curates a night of smooth jazz. MARCUS CLICK Smooth jazz saxophonist sharing songs from his album Brand New Day.

Monday 26 The World Famous 10 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www. facebook.com/theworldfamous athens STRAITJACKET STRIPPERS Sludge noise band straight from the depths of the sex shop psych ward. WARM FRAMES Orlando noise rock band.

Tuesday 27 40 Watt Club 7 p.m. (doors). $10 (adv.), $12. www.40watt.com APOSTLE Blackened and atmospheric chaotic hardcore from Atlanta. ROSIE & THE RATDOGS Sludgy, hardcore, heavy-​psych band based in Athens.

ATTEST Originally formed in 2008, the group took a long hiatus before returning with a more refined hardcore punk sound. OXYSTAR New alternative rock band from Athens. Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m. $10. www.flickertheatreandbar. com IPEK EGINLI Experimental sound artist and whose ever-​evolving creative process involves electroacoustic free improvisation on piano, voice, modular synthesizers and no-​input mixing boards. JOHN KIRAN FERNANDES Ambient and minimalist looped clarinet inspired by bird-​song and the looped reed work of Terry Riley and Ariel Kalma. Tonight’s show will include solo sets followed by an improvised duo performance. Hendershot’s No Phone Party. 7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com KENOSHA KID Instrumental adventure-​jazz group centered around the rollicking compositions of Dan Nettles and featuring Josh Allen, Seth Hendershot and various guests. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu UGA GLEE CLUBS The UGA Women’s and Men’s Glee Clubs present an evening of choral music. Rabbit Hole Studios 8–10:30 p.m. www.rabbitholestudios. org IMPROVS AND ORIGINS Musical experiments, originals and improvisations.

Wednesday 28 40 Watt Club 8 p.m. (doors), $10 (adv.), $12. www.40watt.com SECOND NATURE Athens-​based three-​piece alternative rock band whose sound is self-​described as “psychedelic beach rock.” VIOLENT VIOLET Pop-​punk outfit with members of Commüne and Bog Bod whose latest EP embarks on an ethereal analog odyssey. SEVENTH SON New Athens-​based indie band. Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreand bar.com DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Featuring a large assortment of pop, rock, indie and more. Hugh Hodgson School of Music Edge Hall. 4:30 p.m. FREE! music. uga.edu UGA VIOLA STUDIO Works by BIPOC composers including Leilehua Lanzilotti, Reena Ismail, Derrick Skye, Scott Joplin and more. Ramsey Hall 7:30 p.m. music.uga.edu LOVRO PERETIĆ Classical guitarist from Zagreb, Croatia who is currently on a 50-​concert tour through USA and Canada as the winner of the International Concert Artist competition of the Guitar Foundation of America.

Down the Line 2/29 Nick Zoulek (Hugh Hodgson School of Music) 2/29 Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall) f

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Tuesday 20

event calendar

ART: Creative Aging Art Workshop (Georgia Museum of Art) Join teaching artist Toni Carlucci to discuss art in the galleries and to make art in the studio classroom. All skill levels welcome. Ages 55 & up. Registration required. 10 a.m. FREE! gmoa-­tours@uga.edu CLASSES: ESOL (Bogart Library) Learn or polish your English skills using Mango languages online and in-­person basic conversation and vocabulary. 12:30 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart CLASSES: Help I Yarned (Bogart Library) Learn new patterns and techniques for knitting and crochet. 1–2 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary. org/bogart CLASSES: ARTWORK Workshop Series (Lyndon House Arts Center) Artists and creative professionals will learn about trademark and copyright law with Meredith Regains. Registration suggested. 5:30–7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook. com/LyndonHouseArts COMEDY: Open Toad Comedy Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Comedy performed by a mix of newcomers and local favorites from Athens and Atlanta. 9 p.m. (doors). $7. www.flickertheatreandbar.com EVENTS: Science Fiction + Advocacy (Richard B. Russell Special Collections Library) Learn about UGA’s historical zine and comics collections, then make your own zine honoring science fiction author Michael Bishop. RVSP by email. 4 p.m. FREE! jess.grant@uga.edu EVENTS: Athens Technical College Open House (Athens Technical College) Prospective students can drop in for a campus tour, sign up for orientation and meet with instructional staff. 5:30–7:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenstech.edu GAMES: Lunch and Learn New Games (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and try out some new games. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com GAMES: Mahjong Club (Winterville Cultural Center) Learn to play the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong. Tuesdays & Fridays, 1​​–4 p.m. $1. www.wintervillecenter.com GAMES: Tuesday Night Shenanigans (Southern Brewing Co.) Play board games and arcade games on site, bring your own games or even your D&D group. Tuesdays, 5–10 p.m. www.sobrewco.com GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici Athens) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Akademia Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo GAMES: Singo! (Beef O’Brady’s) Win gift certificates and prizes at this music bingo night. Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m. www.beefobradys.com/athens MEETINGS: Veterans Coffee Hour (Winterville Cultural Center) Sit down with a veteran and have coffee and conversation. Tuesdays, 9 a.m. FREE! www.wintervillecenter.com SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@petanque.org

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CLASSES: Salsa Dancing (Starland Lounge & Lanes) Join SALSAthens for Cuban salsa lessons that meet a variety of dance abilities, including beginners. Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. (advanced), 7:30 p.m. (beginner/ intermediate). $10. SALSAthens Dancing@gmail.com COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Buvez) Townie improv that invites you to bring suggestions to help create improv magic. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flying squidcomedy.com COMEDY: Hendershot’s Comedy (Hendershot’s) Enjoy a lineup featuring comics from Athens and Atlanta as well as newcomers. Hosted by Noell Appling. Third Wednesdays, 8 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com EVENTS: Wedding Wednesday Open House (Live Wire) Drop in for a venue tour and meet with wedding planners and vendors. 4–8 p.m. FREE! www.livewireathens. com EVENTS: Whiskies of North America (J’s Bottle Shop) Learn about the North American single malts by sampling. 7–9 p.m. $25. www. eventbrite.com/cc/whiskies-­of-­the-­ world-­2578279 FILM: Club Ned Anime Society (ACC Library) Join club members to watch and discuss episodes of “Carole and Tuesday,” “My Neighbor Seki” and more. 6:30–8:30 p.m. FREE! www.animefandom.org FILM: My Bloody Horrorcast (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Screening of the 1988 mystery horror film The Spider Labyrinth. 7 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreandbar.com GAMES: Shadowfist Power Lunch (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and play Shadowfist. New players welcome. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com GAMES: Classic City Trivia (The Local 706) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo GAMES: Music Bingo (Southern Brewing Co.) Win prizes at this classic hip hop music bingo night. Every other Wednesday, 7–9 p.m. FREE! www.sobrewco.com KIDSTUFF: Busy Bee Toddler Time (Bogart Library) Join Ms. Donna for rhymes, songs, puppets and a story. 10 a.m. & 11 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart KIDSTUFF: Speech Sound Development (reBlossom Mama & Baby Shop) The seminar “What to Expect at Each Age and How to Help Children Pronounce Sounds More Clearly” with a free speech screening after. 10 a.m. FREE! www.reblossomathens.com KIDSTUFF: LEGO & Builder’s Club (Bogart Library) Drop in to use LEGOs and other building materials. All ages. 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart LECTURES & LIT: Betty Jean Craige Lecture (Ciné) Author Alexander Chee will be presenting “On Productive Ambivalence” with books available for purchase. 6 p.m. FREE! www.avidbookshop.com OUTDOORS: ‘Normal’ Run (Athentic Brewing Co.) Join the Athens Road Runners for a 1–3 mile run that

F L A GP OL E .C OM · F E B R U A R Y 2 1, 2024

starts and ends at Athentic Brewing. Every other Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing.com

Thursday 22 ART: Artist Talk (Lyndon House Arts Center) Artist Katie Ford will discuss her work in the exhibition “Soft Trap.” 6 p.m. FREE! www.facebook. com/LyndonHouseArts ART: Closing Reception (tiny ATH gallery) Camille Hayes’ solo exhibition “B Sides” will be on display. 5–8 p.m. FREE! www.tinyathgallery. com CLASSES: Classic City Squares Dance Lessons (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) Beginner square dance lessons for singles, couples and children. Ages 12 & up. Thursdays, 2​​–4 p.m. $5. www.facebook.com/groups/classic citysquares CLASSES: Intro to Comedy Writing with Rich Talarico (work.shop) The TV comedy writer veteran Rich Talarico will share insights and writing techniques. 6 p.m. $75. www. flyingsquidcomedy.com CLASSES: Boots & Brews Line Dancing (Athentic Brewing Co.) Learn the line dancing basics from hosts Becky and Patty. Fourth Thursdays, 7 p.m. FREE! www. athenticbrewing.com COMEDY: Comedy in the Cellar (Onward Reserve) Athens Comedy presents headlining comedian Amber North and special guests. Thursdays, 8:30–10:30 p.m. $7–12. www.facebook.com/athens comedy EVENTS: Planet Earth Rocks and Crystals Warehouse Sale (Planet Earth Rocks and Crystals) The warehouse is open to the public to browse over 6,000 square feet of crystals and specimens. Feb. 22–23, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Feb. 24, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. www.facebook.com/ planetearthrocksandcrystals EVENTS: Orchids and Chocolates (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Participants will receive an orchid and enjoy a chocolate tasting and demonstrations about the cacao bean and orchids from the garden’s collection. 5 p.m. $50. botgarden. uga.edu EVENTS: Bowling for Bottoms (Starland Lounge & Lanes) The fundraiser will include socializing and duckpin bowling in benefit of the Athens Area Diaper Bank. 6:30–8:30 p.m. $20. www.athens areadiaperbank.com GAMES: Adult Dungeons & Dragons (Bogart Library) A gaming session for players of all skill levels. Ages 18 & up. 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart GAMES: Thursday Trivia (Johnny’s New York Style Pizza) Test your trivia knowledge with host Jon Head. 6:30 p.m. www.johnnyspizza. com GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (The Foundry) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Thursdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddog athens KIDSTUFF: Chapter Chat (Bogart Library) This month’s chat will feature The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by by Tom Angleberger with quizzes, trivia, snacks and more. Ages 8–12. 4:30​​p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

LECTURES & LIT: Writing a Way Home (101 LeConte Hall) Prize-­ winning author Jacquelyn Dowd Hall will present on “A Life in Southern and Women’s History.” 12:45 p.m. FREE! history.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT: Visiting Artist Lecture (Georgia Museum of Art) Karyn Sandlos will deliver the 2024 Aralee Strange Lecture “Learning from Loss: Pedagogies of Art, Creativity and Change.” 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum.org LECTURES & LIT: Avid Poetry Series (Avid Bookshop) Poet Michael Dumanis will be in conversation with local author Sabrina Orah Mark about his book Creature. 7 p.m. FREE! www.avidbookshop. com LECTURES & LIT: Athens Science Café (Buvez) This month Karen Wells, Paul Eubig and Dax Ovid will present on “What Professors Say, What Students Remember, and Why it Matters for Science Communication.” 7 p.m. FREE! www.athens sciencecafe.wordpress.com MEETINGS: KnitLits Knitting Group (Bogart Library) Knitters of all levels are invited to have fun, share craft ideas and knit to their hearts’ content. Thursdays, 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@petanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

Friday 23 ART: Morning Mindfulness (Georgia Museum of Art) Instructor-­led meditation, movement and mindfulness techniques in the galleries. Email to RSVP. 9:30 a.m. FREE! gmoa-­ tours@uga.edu COMEDY: Don’t Tell Comedy (ATHICA) A secret lineup of comedians not announced until they appear on stage. 7:30 p.m. $25. www.dont tellcomedy.com COMEDY: George Rigden: George-­ eous (work.shop) An evening of interactive musical comedy with UK performer George Rigden. 8 p.m. $10. www.flyingsquid.com EVENTS: Trial Gardens Plant Sale (Trial Gardens) Purchase student propagated antique dish gardens, tropicals, orchids and flowering plants. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. FREE! uga trial.hort.uga.edu EVENTS: Planet Earth Rocks and Crystals Warehouse Sale (Planet Earth Rocks and Crystals) The warehouse is open to the public to browse over 6,000 square feet of crystals and specimens. Feb. 22–23, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Feb. 24, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. www.facebook.com/ planetearthrocksandcrystals GAMES: Mahjong Club (Winterville Cultural Center) Learn to play the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong. Tuesdays & Fridays, 1​​–4 p.m. $1. www.wintervillecenter.com GAMES: Chess Club (Winterville Cultural Center) Join others for a weekly chess competition. Fridays, 6–10 p.m. FREE! www.winterville center.com GAMES: Friday Night Initiative (Online: Tyche’s Games) Learn how to play a RPG game with others on Discord. New players welcome. 7 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

KIDSTUFF: Meet & Play (Bogart Library) Drop in for facilitated open play with age-­appropriate toys. Best for ages 6 & under. Every Friday, 10:30 a.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/bogart KIDSTUFF: Fantastic Friday (Bishop Park) An instructor supervises while a parent/caregiver leads their little ones through obstacle courses. Ages 1–4 years. Register online. 10–11:30 a.m. $7.50 (ACC residents), $11.25 (non-­ACC residents). www.accgovga.myrec.com PERFORMANCE: Circadian Flight (Canopy Studio) Canopy Studio’s advanced students will perform an aerial dance that explores life between night and day featuring trapeze, fabrics and pole acts. Feb. 23, 8 p.m. Feb. 24, 4 p.m. & 8 p.m. Feb. 25, 2 p.m. $15 (adults), $10 (students/children). www.canopy studio.org PERFORMANCE: Athens Showgirl Cabaret Fabulous Fridays (Hendershots) Enjoy the 14th Anniversary Show and Loir Divine’s 60th birthday. Ages 18 & up. 9 p.m. $5. www.athensshowgirlcabaret.com

Saturday 24 ART: Open Studio Coffee Meet & Greet (Lyndon House Arts Center) Meet other artists, tour the studios and ask questions about studio membership. 11 a.m.–1 p.m. FREE! noah.lagle@accgov.com ART: Artist Talk (ATHICA) Photographer Jason Thrasher will discuss his exhibition “Kashi Washi” with gallery hours open at ACE/FRANCISCO Gallery. 7 p.m. FREE! www. acefranciscogallery.com CLASSES: Orchid Repotting Class (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) The horticulture staff will lead a repotting class for those with their own orchid and pot. Register for individual sessions. 9​​–11 a.m. $15. www.botgarden.uga.edu CLASSES: The Art of Speaking (ATHICA) The Georgia Fine Arts Academy hosts instructor Dr. Leslie Gordon as they lead a workshop on the physical and mental aspects of speaking well. 9 a.m. $80. www.tiny url.com/ArtofSpeaking-­Registration CLASSES: Learn Basic Miniature Painting (Tyche’s Games) Bring your primed miniatures and learn the basics of painting them. Supplies provided. 1 p.m. $5. www. tychesgames.com CLASSES: Dancefx Community Classes (DanceFX Athens) Explore different styles of dance at different levels with a day full of trial classes. Registration for individual classes suggested. 1:30–9:30 p.m. FREE! www.dancefx.org COMEDY: Comedy Night (Foxglove Plantbar) Performances by local comedians Yoshee, Billy Willig, Olivia Steele and Piere Escargot with host Mookie G. 8 p.m. $10. www.foxgloveplantbar.com EVENTS: Athens Run for Ahmaud Arbery (AADM Justice Center and Bookstore) An annual 2.3 mile walk/run event to honor and celebrate the life of Ahmaud Arbery and raise awareness on citizen arrest and hate crime legislation. 8​​–11 a.m. FREE! Donations suggested. www.aadmovement.org EVENTS: Planet Earth Rocks and Crystals Warehouse Sale (Planet

Earth Rocks and Crystals) The warehouse is open to the public to browse over 6,000 square feet of crystals and specimens. Feb. 22–23, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Feb. 24, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. www.facebook.com/ planetearthrocksandcrystals EVENTS: Civil Rights Bus Tour (Downtown Athens) The tour is an immersive journey through Athens-­ Clarke County civil rights history stopping at significant locations. Registration required. 10 a.m. FREE! www.accgov.com/echoes ofthepasttour EVENTS: Open Studio Coffee Meet & Greet (Lyndon House Arts Center) Those interested in learning more about membership can meet other artists, tour the studios and ask questions. 11 a.m.​​–1 p.m. FREE! www.accgov.com/7350/ Open-­Studio-­Membership EVENTS: Fairy Hair with Southern Sparkle (Sisters of the Moon) Shine up for spring with a fairy hair tinsel session. 12​​–5 p.m. FREE! www.shopsotm.com EVENTS: Small Town Saturday (Athentic Brewing Co.) Browse local vendors with live music and food for sale. 2–8 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com GAMES: Day of Board Game Demonstrations (Tyche’s Games) Try new games and watch how they’re played. 12 p.m. FREE! www. tychesgames.com GAMES: Board Games (Bogart Library) Meet new friends or make new ones while playing a variety of games. 2​​–4 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart PERFORMANCE: Circadian Flight (Canopy Studio) Canopy Studio’s advanced students will perform an aerial dance that explores life between night and day featuring trapeze, fabrics and pole acts. Feb. 23, 8 p.m. Feb. 24, 4 p.m. & 8 p.m. Feb. 25, 2 p.m. $15 (adults), $10 (students/children). www.canopy studio.org PERFORMANCE: Dancing through Light (Morton Theatre) The East Athens Educational Dance Center presents its annual production highlighting many different forms of dance. Feb. 24, 7 p.m. Feb. 25, 3 p.m. $15 (adv.), $18. www.morton theatre.com

Sunday 25 CLASSES: Yoga and Art (ATHICA) Meditate, make some marks on paper and chill out with some yoga led by Ruth Allen. 2–4 p.m. $40 suggested donation. www.athica.org CLASSES: UGA Salsa Club (UGA Memorial Hall) Learn foundational movements of salsa with no partner or experience required. 3:30 p.m. FREE! Experienced salsa dancers will learn a new style and more advanced techniques. 4 p.m. $5. www.ugasalsaclub.com/sunday-­ class CLASSES: Free Vietnamese Class (Oconee County Library) Instructor Martine Thy Nguyen will lead a class on the basics of Vietnamese. 6–7 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary. org/oconee COMEDY: Bored Teachers Comedy Tour (The Classic Center) The We Can’t Make This Stuff Up! tour features teacher comedians performing hilarious skits. 7 p.m. $35–135.


Monday 26 CLASSES: Paint & Sip (Oconee County Library) Paint a picture of a winter aurora lake landscape with sparkling grape juice and dessert. Registration required. 6:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/ oconee CLASSES: Brady Michael Master Class (DanceFX Athens) The Atlanta dancer who created the Risk Contemporary Dance Company and choreographs for Xcel Talent Agency and Admix Project will lead a class. Registration required. 8:30 p.m. $20. www.dancefx.org FILM: Bad Movie Night (Ciné) A carnival fortune teller unleashes his egomaniacal fantasies to become a woo-­woo media mogul in the impenetrable, psychedelic odyssey The Astrologer. 8 p.m. FREE! www. instagram.com/BadMovieNight FILM: Attaboy Tapes Movie Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Screening of the 1974 Australian horror comedy film The Cars That Ate Paris. 8 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreandbar. com GAMES: General Trivia with Erin (Athentic Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host Erin. Mondays, 7–9 p.m. FREE! www. athenticbrewing.com GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Dooley’s Bar and Grill) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (LumberJaxe) Test your trivia knowledge

with host TJ Wayt. Mondays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens GAMES: Team Trivia (Southern Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host Team Trivia. Mondays, 7 p.m. www.sobrewco.com KIDSTUFF: Monday Funday (Bogart Library) Join Ms. Donna for songs, fingerplays, storytelling and STEAM activities. Ages 3–7 years. Registration suggested. 10:30 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart MEETINGS: Classic City Rotary (Athentic Brewing Co.) The local chapter meets weekly. Mondays, 11:30 a.m. FREE! www.athentic brewing.com MEETINGS: Project Linus Club (Winterville Cultural Center) A crafting group with a focus on creating and contributing blanket projects for Project Linus. 2 p.m. FREE! www. wintervillecenter.com MEETINGS: Monday Coven (Sisters of the Moon) This get-­together is all about creating a safe space for a meaningful meeting experience. 6:30 p.m. FREE! www.shopsotm. com

Tuesday 27 CLASSES: ESOL (Bogart Library) Learn or polish your English skills using Mango languages online and in-­person basic conversation and vocabulary. 12:30 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart GAMES: Lunch and Learn New Games (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and try out some new games. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com GAMES: Mahjong Club (Winterville Cultural Center) Learn to play the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong. Tuesdays & Fridays, 1​​–4 p.m. $1. www.wintervillecenter.com GAMES: Tuesday Night Shenanigans (Southern Brewing Co.) Play board games and arcade games on site, bring your own games or even your D&D group. Tuesdays, 5–10 p.m. www.sobrewco.com GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici Athens) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Akademia Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo GAMES: Singo! (Beef O’Brady’s) Win gift certificates and prizes at this music bingo night. Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m. www.beefobradys.com/athens LECTURES & LIT: Mystery Book Club (Bogart Library) Join Dr. Penny Mills to discuss Robert Traver’s novel Anatomy of a Murder. 5:30–6:30 p.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/bogart MEETINGS: Veterans Coffee Hour (Winterville Cultural Center) Sit down with a veteran and have coffee and conversation. Tuesdays, 9 a.m. FREE! www.wintervillecenter.com PERFORMANCE: Rabbit Box Storytelling: Anything Goes (VFW Post 2872) This month’s storytelling theme is “Anything Goes” about one-­of-­a-­kind tales that don’t fit a theme. 7–9 p.m. $10. www. rabbitbox.org SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@petanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

Wednesday 28 ART: Tour At Two (Georgia Museum of Art) These drop-­in public tours feature highlights of the permanent

collection. 2 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum.org ART: Curator Talk (Georgia Museum of Art) Asen Kirin, Parker Curator of Russian Art, will give a gallery talk about portraiture in the Martha Thompson Dinos Gallery. 2 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum.org CLASSES: Salsa Dancing (Starland Lounge & Lanes) Join SALSAthens for Cuban salsa lessons that meet a variety of dance abilities, including beginners. Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. (advanced), 7:30 p.m. (beginner/ intermediate). $10. SALSAthens Dancing@gmail.com COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Buvez) Townie improv that invites you to bring suggestions to help create improv magic. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flying squidcomedy.com EVENTS: Wedding Wednesday Open House (Live Wire) Drop in for a venue tour and meet with wedding planners and vendors. 4–8 p.m. FREE! www.livewireathens.com FILM: The 1619 Project (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) View episodes of the Hulu series “The 1619 Project,” and discuss issues it raises around the consequences of slavery and contributions of Black Americans. 6:45 p.m. FREE! www.uuathensga. org/1619uufa FILM: Three Star Cinema (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Screening of an Andras Rajnai showcase. 7 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreandbar. com GAMES: Shadowfist Power Lunch (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and play Shadowfist. New players welcome. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com GAMES: Classic City Trivia (The Local 706) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo KIDSTUFF: Busy Bee Toddler Time (Bogart Library) Join Ms. Donna for rhymes, songs, puppets and a story. 10 a.m. & 11 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart KIDSTUFF: LEGO & Builder’s Club (Bogart Library) Drop in to use LEGOs and other building materials. All ages. 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart LECTURES & LIT: Author Talk (Ciné) Best-­selling Israeli author Noa Yedlin will discuss “Crafting Unconventional Narratives: A Journey in Literature (and Television).” 6 p.m. FREE! willson.uga.edu MEETINGS: Film Athens (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Meet and network with others in the filmmaking community (actors, directors, etc.) during happy hour. 5 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreandbar.com THEATER: Come From Away (The Classic Center) The hit musical based on a true story about 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. 7:30 p.m. $25–87.25. www.classiccenter.com

Down the Line 2/29 Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) 2/29 Classic City Squares Dance Lessons (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) 2/29 Author Talk & Book Signing (Sanford and Barbara Orkin Hall) 2/29 Teen Studio: Kei Ito (Georgia Museum of Art) 2/29 KnitLits Knitting Group (Bogart Library) 2/29 Leap into New Friendships Speed Dating (Athentic Brewing Co.) f

arts & culture

calendar picks

LECTURE | WED, FEB. 21

Curator Talk with Shawnya Harris

Georgia Museum of Art • 2 p.m. • FREE!

Artist Richard Prince began using jokes in his work in the ’80s to express the American subconscious. His most recent exhibition, “Tell Me Everything,” features the work of 20th century American comedian Milton Berle. Prince obtained Berle’s material by purchasing cabinets of index cards with his handwritten jokes on them from an auction. By enlarging and silkscreening jokes like these onto painted canvas for display, Prince creates a snapshot of the ideas, taboo subjects and cultural norms of society in a specific era. The exhibit will be on display through June 16. Its accompanying talk will be given by Shawnya Harris, the deputy director of curatorial and academic affairs and curator of the exhibition, who will discuss ideas of value, ownership and originality that emerge from a body of work like this. Skylar Gudasz [Mary Beth Bryan] ART | THU, FEB. 22

Camille Hayes

tiny ATH gallery • 5–8 p.m. • FREE!

Athens artist Camille Hayes’ newest exhibition, “B Sides,” focuses on the abstraction of musical instruments. This theme carries over from her last solo exhibition, 2014’s “Rhythm Infused,” but explores new dimensions and palettes. Deeply saturated swipes of color filled with movement and character define the works, putting the feeling of sound down on canvas to give audiences a trans-sensory experience. Hayes is also the owner of tiny ATH gallery, which is a pillar for those in the art community because of its work highlighting different artists and mediums in Athens. The exhibition opened on Feb. 15, and its final day and closing party, as well as a half birthday party for Hayes, will be taking place on Feb. 22 until 8 p.m. [MB] MUSIC | FRI, FEB. 23

Sham

Bolo Bolo • 8 p.m. • $10

Rushing, complex acoustic guitar and punctuating harmonies come together to create the sprawling cacophony of Sham’s newest release, Machine Simple. The process of making the album was highly influenced by the changing of the seasons and living spaces in lead member Shane Justice McCord’s life. As the instrumentation winds down on album opener “Day Yawns Under Fat Cloud,” he sets the tone for this, singing “I have become the librarian of my own experience.” McCord and his band are taking the album on tour now, including a show at Bolo Bolo presented by Athens’

own show promotion and tape label, Attaboy Tapes. The show will be opened by John Kiran Fernandes and Arianna Peterson on clarinet and cello, psych-pop artist Jake Brower backed by a full band, and Terry’s Dolmen, a project by Graham Ulicny of Reptar and Thick Paint. [MB] MUSIC | SAT, FEB. 24

Skylar Gudasz

Flicker Theatre & Bar • 8 p.m. (doors) • $12

Skylar Gudasz is an experimental indie and psychedelic pop artist hailing from Durham, NC. Gudasz grew up in a musical ROXANNE TURPEN

www.classiccenter.com COMEDY: Off the Clock Comedy (The Globe) Athens Comedy and Take This! Comedy present local comedians and improv. Sundays, 9–10:30 p.m. $5. www.facebook. com/athenscomedy GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Southern Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Sundays, 4 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens LECTURES & LIT: History Lecture Series (Oconee County Library) Guest Lecturer Rod Davis will be presenting on the naval battles for Guadalcanal. FREE! 2 p.m. www. athenslibrary.org/oconee LECTURES & LIT: Author Talk (ACC Library) The Athens Historical Society presents author Michael L. Thurmond in celebration of his book James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia. 3–4:30 p.m. FREE! www. avidbookshop.com LECTURES & LIT: Athens Music Now (Hendershot’s) Michelle Davis will present on all things related to music business law. 6 p.m. $5 minimum donation. www.hendershotsathens.com PERFORMANCE: Circadian Flight (Canopy Studio) Canopy Studio’s advanced students will perform an aerial dance that explores life between night and day featuring trapeze, fabrics and pole acts. Feb. 23, 8 p.m. Feb. 24, 4 p.m. & 8 p.m. Feb. 25, 2 p.m. $15 (adults), $10 (students/children). www.canopy studio.org PERFORMANCE: Dancing through Light (Morton Theatre) The East Athens Educational Dance Center presents its annual production highlighting many different forms of dance. Feb. 24, 7 p.m. Feb. 25, 3 p.m. $15 (adv.), $18. www.mortontheatre.com SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@petanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

family and began playing flute at age 5, later picking up piano and guitar and experimenting with alternate tunings to bring a unique texture to her music. She has played alongside many prolific artists, including her work with Cat Power and Sharon Van Etten in the tribute band Big Star’s Third. Pitchfork writer Brian Howe says of her music, “The fountaining run of her voice recalls Joni Mitchell, while her classic yet chameleonic songwriting suggests Leonard Cohen.” The show is presented by Attaboy Tapes and will feature opening performances by experimental folk artist Riggings, ukulele player and singer-songwriter Liz Farrell, and indie rock musician Mary Margaret Cozart. [MB] PERFORMANCE | FEB. 24–25

‘Dancing Through Light’

Morton Theatre • 3 p.m. (Sun), 7 p.m. (Sat) • $15 (adv.), $18

The annual production of “Dancing Through Light” showcases the talents of students enrolled in The East Athens Educational Dance Center’s accelerated programs. This year’s production is a special tribute to the legacy of the program’s founder, Lois Thomas Ewings, who passed away in 2023. The program’s current supervisor, Nena Gilreath, recently won the Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities for her work establishing the Ballethnic Dance Company to support professional and pre-­ professional dancers of all backgrounds. Her production of “Dancing Through Light” will feature styles ranging from ballet and tap to African and contemporary, all with the aim to inspire and uplift audiences. Public performances will be held Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. [MB] 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 AAAC QUARTERLY GRANT (Athens, GA) The Athens Area Arts Council offers $500 grants to visual and performing artists in any medium to support specific projects that enrich the culture of Athens. Rolling deadlines are Mar. 15, June 15, Sept. 15 and Dec. 15. Apply online. www. athensarts.org/support ATHENS CREATIVE DIRECTORY (Athens, GA) The ACD is a platform to connect creatives with patrons. Visual artists, musicians, actors, writers and other creatives are encouraged to create a free listing. athenscreatives@gmail.com, www. athenscreatives.directory CALL FOR ARTISTS (Spaceball Bazaar) Seeking artists to submit works for an upcoming exhibition, “In Like a Lion.” Submit up to three pictures and a brief artist statement or bio. Deadline Mar. 7. Opening reception Mar. 9. $10 entry fee. spaceball.bazaar@gmail.com, www. instagram.com/spaceball.bazaar EMERGING BLACK ARTIST SCHOLARSHIP (Athens, GA) The Athens Area Arts Council will award a $500 scholarship annually to one Black artist from a Clarke County high school who is attending, or has been accepted to, a college or university to study the arts. Deadline June 30. www.athensarts.org/ support IN CASE (Lyndon House Arts Center) A new program, “IN CASE,” will invite an artist each winter to utilize the lobby case as an art installation environment by creating a site-​

specific work that responds to the case’s specific dimensions. Area artists can submit proposals online. Proposals are reviewed following the deadlines of Apr. 20 and Sept. 20 at 11:59 p.m. www.accgov.com/ exhibits JOKERJOKERTV CALL FOR ARTISTS (Online) JOKERJOKERtv is actively accepting proposals for collaboration from visual, musical and video artists and curators living in Athens. Artists worldwide can also submit music videos, short films, skits and ideas to share with a weekly livestream audience. www. jokerjokertv.com/submit OPEN STUDIOS (Lyndon House Arts Center) Studio members have access to spaces for painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, jewelry, fiber and woodworking. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. $65/month. www. accgov.com/7350/Open-​Studio-​ Membership SEEKING ACAC MEMBERS (Athens, GA) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission is seeking three candidates to fill three-year volunteer positions. The ACAC meets the second Monday of every month at 6 p.m. Application deadline Mar. 17, 11:59 p.m. Tatiana.veneruso@ accgoc.com, www.accgov.com/aac

Auditions THE CEMETERY CLUB (Elberton Arts Center) Seeking ages 40–70. Be prepared to read excerpts from the script. Auditions held Mar. 4–5, 6–8 p.m. Performances held May

art around town AADM JUSTICE CENTER & BOOKSTORE (3700 Atlanta Hwy.) The “Global Imagination in Black Music Artists Exhibit” focuses on LP cover art of Black musicians. Through February. ACE/FRANCISCO GALLERY (675 Pulaski St., Suite 1500) Jason Thrasher’s exhibition of photographs, “Kashi Washi,” documents his return to a specific street corner in Benares, India 25 years after his first visit in 1998. Artist Talk at ATHICA on Feb. 24, 7 p.m. Open Saturdays through February, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. ATHENAEUM (287 W. Broad St.) Brooklyn-based artist Fabienne Lasserre presents “Listeners,” an immersive and responsive installation consisting of a series of sculptures made of clear vinyl spray-painted with translucent gradients of color. Through Mar. 16. ATHENS INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: ATHICA (675 Pulaski St.) The “2024 Members’ Showcase” features all types of media, including sculpture, photography, painting and more. Through Mar. 17. ATHICA@CINÉ GALLERY (234 W. Hancock Ave.) “Skitterings: New Works by Don Chambers” presents works on paper that rely on coincidence and chance while playing with mark-making, space, color and texture. Through Feb. 25. CLASSIC CENTER (300 N. Thomas St.) In Classic Gallery I, “Wild Thing” features animals, plants and people intermingling through the works of Margo Rosenbaum, Shelby Little, Carolyn Suzanne Schew and Amanda Burk. • In Classic Gallery II, “LOVE.CRAFT Athens” features works by Melanie Jackson, Hannah Jo, Norman Austin Junior and Brittany Wortham. DODD GALLERIES (270 River Rd.) “Trust Fall: 2024 Faculty Exhibition” features the work of Lamar Dodd School of Art faculty working in painting and drawing, textile design, photography, video, printmaking and book arts, interior design, scientific illustration and graphic design. Through Mar. 20. • “Star Dancers” is a mixed media wall-bound creation by Jaime Bull. FLICKER THEATRE & BAR (263 W. Washington St.) Paintings by Marisa Mustard. Through February. FOYER (135 Park Ave.) New York City-based multidisciplinary artist Amelia

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F L A GP OL E .C OM · F E B R U A R Y 2 1, 2024

10–12, 17–19 at the Elbert Theatre. 706-​213-​3109, tking@cityof elberton.net

Classes ACCA CLASSES (Athens Community Council on Aging Center for Active Learning) “Qigong for Vitality with Anna DiBella” includes gentle movements to help improve balance, coordination and the mind-​body connection. Mondays, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. $20–25/five week series. “Feel Better Yoga with Elizabeth Alder, CYT” is a slow-​ going yoga class for all abilities. Tuesdays, 2:30–3:30 p.m. $20–25/ five week series. abarefoot@acc aging.org ART CLASSES (K.A. Artist Shop) The shop offers a range of fine art classes and workshops for adults, private classes and parties, summer camps, and art clubs for youth. Topics include acrylic, aqua oil, bookmaking, calligraphy, gouache, printmaking, and watercolor. Register online. www.kaartist.com ART CLASSES (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) “Collage & Composition,” Feb. 17. “Middle Schoolers: A Day of Fun Art Activities, Pizza & Making New Friends,” Feb. 24 or Mar. 30. “Intuitive Painting,” Mar. 9. “Collage & Principles of Design,” Mar. 23. All programs held 10 a.m.–4 p.m. edriscoll60@ gmail.com ARTS SAMPLER (Winterville Cultural Center) Choose two classes per evening on two days to sample different classes. Feb. 22 & Feb. 29,

6:30–9 p.m. $75. www.winterville center.com/classes-​clubs BLACKSMITHING CLASSES (Greenhow Handmade Ironworks, Washington) A variety of classes include “Two-​Day Railroad Spike Knife and Tomahawk” (Mar. 15–16), “Basic Tong Making” (Mar. 30), “Forge a Firepoker with Decorative Handle” (Apr. 6, May 11 or June 14), “Forge Grilling Tools” (Apr. 13 or June 1), “Forge a Three Hook Rack” (Apr. 26 or May 25), “Forge Garden Tools” (Apr. 27 or June 8), “Forge a Railroad Spike Knife” (May 3 or May 24), “Forge a Tomahawk” (May 4), “Forge a Spear” (May 31) and “Forge a Bottle Opener” (June 7). Classes run 10 a.m.–5 p.m. www. greenhowhandmade.com/blacksmith-​classes CLASSES (Winterville Cultural Center) “Chair Yoga” promotes deep breathing, mindfulness and inward listening. Mondays, 9:10–10:10 a.m. $12/drop in. “Botanical Sketchbook” explores drawing techniques like shading, perspective and light. Mondays, 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m. $12/drop in. “Upcycling Workshop” guides participants on how to repurpose clothes into new creations. Mondays through Feb. 27, 6–8 p.m. $12/drop in. winterville campus@gmail.com, www. wintervillecenter.com NIA TECHNIQUE CLASSES (RxGym) Nia combines dance, martial arts and mindfulness with uplifting music to create a holistic fitness experience. Mondays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. $15–20/class. athenspt.com/rx-​gym/athens PÉTANQUE CLUB OF ATHENS (5 Alumni Dr.) Learn to play Pétanque. RSVP for a free Wednesday introduction. www.athenspetanqueclub. wixsite.com/play QPR SUICIDE PREVENTION TRAINING (Nuçi’s Space) Nuçi’s

Briggs shares a collection of oil paintings on paper that imagine interior landscapes. On view by appointment through Mar. 16. GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) “Nancy Baker Cahill: Through Lines” is a mid-career survey demonstrating the artist’s progression from drawing into digital works of art in augmented reality. Through May 19. • “Richard Prince: Tell Me Everything” includes a suite of works based on the joke archives of comedian Milton Berle. Through June 16. • “Decade of Tradition: Highlights from the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection.” Through July 3, 2024. • “Kei Ito: Staring at the Face of the Sun” uses photography to examine the intergenerational trauma of nuclear disaster and the possibilities of healing and reconciliation. Through July 14. GLASSCUBE@INDIGO (500 College Ave.) Zane Cochran presents “Aurora,” a sculptural interpretation of the aurora borealis using 3D geometric figures and lights. JUST PHO… AND MORE (1063 Baxter St.) Susan Pelham’s collages are inspired by Magic Realism, Surrealism, nursery rhymes, fables and more. Through March. LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (211 Hoyt St.) “Memory Worker: Kelly Taylor Mitchell” explores ancestral seeking through hand-sewn stitches and handmade paper. Through Mar. 12. • “Tell Me A Story: Jasmine Best” presents narrative works combining fabric, yarn and digital sewing to reflect on memories and Black female identity. Through Mar. 12. • “Soft Trap” is a site-specific installation by Katie Ford created for “In Case,” a new annual series that utilizes the lobby case as an installation space. Artist Talk Feb. 22, 6 p.m. Through Mar. 28. • Collections from our Community presents Ikla McConnell’s collection of Pyrex casseroles and dishware. Through Apr. 9. MADISON-MORGAN CULTURAL CENTER (434 S. Main St., Madison) “John Lewis Series: Painting by Benny Andrews” features 17 paintings by Andrews depicting the life of late U.S. Congressman John Lewis and the Civil Rights Movement. MASON-SCHARFENSTEIN MUSEUM OF ART (567 Georgia St., Demorest) Austin Wieland presents ceramic works investigating clay’s intersections with industry, functionality and technology. Through Feb. 22. STEFFEN THOMAS MUSEUM OF ART (4200 Bethany Rd., Buckhead) “Peace in Our Time: Steffen Thomas Meisterwerke from the Lowrance

ATHICA will host an artist talk with Jason Thrasher on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. His exhibition “Kashi Washi” is currently on view at ACE/FRANCISCO Gallery, which will host viewing hours that evening from 6–9 p.m. hosts free monthly QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention sessions for anyone interested, not just mental health professionals. Nuçi’s also offers free training for businesses and organizations. Upcoming public trainings will be held Feb. 22 at 3:30 p.m. and Mar. 28 at 9:30 a.m. qpr@nuci.org, www.nuci.org/qpr SPANISH CLASSES (Multiple Locations) Casa de Amistad offers beginning and intermediate GED and ESL classes in-​person and online. An eight-​week course to learn Spanish meets Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:30–1:30 p.m. $60. www.athensamistad.com

TRADITIONAL MARTIAL ARTS CLASSES (Live Oak Martial Arts) Traditional and modern-​style Taekwondo, self-​defense, grappling and weapons classes are offered for all ages. Classes in Jodo, the art of the Japanese staff and sword, are held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 p.m. Visit the website for a full schedule. liveoak martialarts@gmail.com, www.live oakmartialarts.com YOGA AND MORE (Revolution Therapy and Yoga) Revolution is a multipurpose mind-​body wellness studio offering yoga and therapy with an emphasis on trauma-​informed practices. Check

Collection” shares works collected by Marjorie and Richard Lowrance over the span of 60 years. Through July 23. TIF SIGFRIDS (393 N. Finley St.) Brooklyn-based artist Margaux Ogden presents “Tidal Locking,” a series of new paintings iterating upon each other. Through Feb. 24. TINY ATH GALLERY (174 Cleveland Ave.) “B Sides” features new paintings by tiny ATH gallery owner Camille Hayes. Closing reception Feb. 22, 5–8 p.m. UGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER LOBBY GALLERY (230 River Rd.) The new gallery debuts with large-scale paintings from Margaret Morrison’s “Paradigm Shift,” a series created after Morrison began questioning historical aspects of her closely held Mormon faith. Through July 26. UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) “Paving the Road to Progress: Georgia Interstate Highways” traverses the rocky path of the interstate system’s development through maps, reports, correspondence and legislation. Through Apr. 24. • “HBO at 50: The Rise of Prestige Television” highlights some of the groundbreaking programming created by and aired on HBO with items selected from the Peabody Awards Archive. Through May 2024. • “Legacy: Vince Dooley, 1932-2022” celebrates the life and career of the late UGA football head coach and athletic director through photographs and artifacts. Tours held before home games on Fridays at 3 p.m. Through spring 2024. • Developed by James W. Porter, Meigs Professor of Ecology emeritus at UGA, “Sunken Treasure: The Art and Science of Coral Reefs” explores the marine lives of coral through specimens and photographs. Family Day Apr. 13, 1 p.m. Through July 3. UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP OF ATHENS CLEMENTS GALLERY (780 Timothy Rd.) Paul Hartman presents “A Lightmonkey Show,” a collection of photographs. Through March. THE VALTON GALLERY AT STATE (625 Barber St., Suite 120) Self-taught painter Valton Murray shares works dominated by abstract botanicals, bright colors and surreal landscapes. WINTERVILLE CULTURAL CENTER (371 N. Church St., Winterville) Students attending Winterville Elementary School share their creations. Reception Feb. 22, 6–7:30 p.m. Currently on view through Mar. 22. WINTERVILLE LIBRARY (115 Marigold Ln., Winterville) Paintings by Melanie Sgrignoli. Through February.


website for upcoming classes and programs. www.revolutiontherapy andyoga.com YOGA CLASSES (Let It Be Yoga Studio, Watkinsville) Classes are offered in Hatha, Vinyasa, Kundalini, beginner, gentle and other styles. Check online calendar for weekly offerings. www.letitbeyoga.org

Help Out ADOPT AN ANIMAL (Bear Hollow Zoo) Different sponsorship levels are available to “adopt” a zoo resident. Donations are used for exhibits, food and wildlife education. 706-​613-​3580 BLING YOUR PROM (ACC Library) Seeking donations of formalwear that will be given to local teens for prom. Items can include men and women’s formalwear, jewelry and accessories, shoes, unused cosmetics and hair products, service/ store coupons and paper shopping bags. Donations accepted until Feb. 29. ehood@athenslibrary.org

Kidstuff ACCOUNTING 101: BE AUDIT YOU CAN BE (UGA Terry College of Business) Youth Programs at UGA and UGA’s J.M. Tull School of Accounting offer a two-​day workshop for ages 15–17. Feb. 24–25, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $20. www.georgia center.uga.edu/youth/spark ATHENS FOREST KINDERGARTEN (Sandy Creek Park) Now enrolling children ages 3–6. AFK is a cooperative preschool that aims to develop initiative, persistence, interdependence, and empathy. www.athensforestkindergarten.org CCCF SCHOLARSHIPS (Athens, GA) The Classic Center Cultural Foundation is now accepting applications for performing arts and visual arts scholarships. Applications are open to 9th–12th grade high school students living in Northeast Georgia. Deadline Mar. 1. www. classiccenter.com/scholarships GROUPS AT REBLOSSOM (ReBlossom) A variety of classes, playgroups and support groups are offered for parents and young children. Topics include birth and breastfeeding, prenatal and parent-​baby yoga, instrument play, maternal mental health and more. Check website for a schedule. www. reblossomathens.com LIBRARY STORYTIMES (ACC Library) Storytime for preschool aged children and their caregivers is offered every Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. www.athens library.org SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION (Athens, GA) ACC Leisure Services Department offers camps highlighting art, nature education, sports and theater. Registration begins fMar. 16 at 9 a.m. for ACC residents and Mar. 18 at 12 p.m. for non-​residents. www.accgov.com/myrec TREEHOUSE SUMMER CAMPS (Treehouse Kid & Craft) Camps are offered in a variety of themes including “Camp Swiftie,” digital art illustration and animation, “Mouse Palace,” “Craft Inc. Business,” fairy tales, “Crafty Carnival,” “Mini Museum” and more. Visit the website for details and to register. www. treehousekidandcraft.com

Support Groups ACA ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS AND DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES (Holy Cross Lutheran Church) This support group meets

weekly. Tuesdays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. annetteanelson@gmail.com 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 ATHENS COUNCIL OF THE BLIND (Athens, GA) Open to people of all ages with vision impairments, their families and friends. Topics include adaptive equipment, recreational and social opportunities, and advocacy. 706-​424-​2794, dlwahlers@ gmail.com NAMI FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (Oconee Presbyterian Church) Peer-​led support group for any adult with a loved one who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition. Second Monday of the month, 6:30–8 p.m. FREE! joannehnamihallga@gmail.com NEW PARENTS AND INFANT FEEDING SUPPORT GROUP (BYL Family Resource Center) Come as you are for community, snacks and feeding advice from professionals. Babies and children of all ages are welcome. Wednesdays, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.byyourleave.org OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS (24th Street Clubhouse) Learn to stop eating compulsively or curb other unwanted food-​related behaviors. Tuesdays, 12 p.m. Text: 678-​736-​ 3697 PARKINSON’S SUPPORT GROUP (First Baptist Church) This group is to encourage, support and share information with fellow sojourners who manage the challenges of Parkinson’s disease or other movement disorders. Second Friday of the month, 1 p.m. gpnoblet@ bellsouth.net POLYAMORY SUPPORT GROUP (Revolution Therapy and Yoga) Ongoing support group for adults practicing or considering polyamory or nonmonogamy. Begins Feb. 22, 7 p.m. $10 suggested donation. www.revolutiontherapyandyoga.com PROJECT SAFE (Family Protection Center) Project Safe hosts a support group for survivors of domestic violence. Mondays, 6:30–8 p.m. www. project-​safe.org RECREATE JOY (Sunny Days Therapeutics) Nuçi’s Space hosts a recreational therapy support group. Improve coping skills and self esteem while reducing depression and anxiety through adaptive yoga, games and leisure education. Six-​ week sessions. Wednesdays, 5–6 p.m. tinyurl.com/rnvuhesa RECOVERY DHARMA (Athens Addiction Recovery Center) This peer-​led support group offers a Buddhist-​inspired path to recovery from any addiction. Visit the website for details. Thursdays, 7 p.m. www.athensrecoverydharma.org SEX ADDICTS ANONYMOUS (Athens, GA) Athens Downtown SAA offers a message of hope to anyone who suffers from a compulsive sexual behavior. Contact for location. athensdowntownsaa@gmail.com SUPPORT GROUPS (Integrity Counseling & Personal Development) ICPD offers several support groups. “LGBTQIA+ Young Adults Group” is offered for ages 18–30. “Survivors of Suicide Loss Group” is offered the first Wednesday of every month, 7–8 p.m. “Veterans, Dependents & Caregivers Benefits Resource & Claim Assistance Group” is offered the first Saturday of every month, 9–10 a.m. SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE (Nuçi’s Space) SOS is a support group for anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide. Meets the third Wednesday

of every month, 5:30–7:30 p.m. www.nuci.org

Word on the Street ADVANCE VOTING (Athens, GA) Advance voting for the Mar. 12 Presidential Preference Primary is currently underway through Mar. 8 at 5 p.m. Check the website for a complete list of advance voting dates, times and locations. www. accgov.com/advancevoting BIKE REPAIR STATIONS (Multiple Locations) Over 15 free bike repair stations are located across Athens with tools, an air pump and a QR code for quick guides on basic bike repairs. Visit the website for participating locations. www.accgov. com/10584/Bike-​Repair-​Stations DIAMOND HILL FARM CSA (Athentic Brewing Co.) The Community Supported Agriculture program offers a variety of seasonal vegetables, fruits and/or flowers directly to consumers each week. Check website for weekly pickup locations, home delivery details and to register. $15 (flower share), $25–35 (farm box). www.diamondhillfarm athens.com MACORTS 2050 PLAN (Athens, GA) The Madison Athens-​Clarke Oconee Regional Transportation Study is currently developing a Metropolitan Transportation Plan. Take an online survey to share your experience about walking, biking, driving and riding around. Deadline Mar. 31. www.macorts.org PUBLIC COMMENT ON POLICE COMMUNICATIONS (Athens, GA) The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) is currently receiving comments regarding the Police Department’s Central Communications Division, which is responsible for 9-​1-​1. Deadline Apr. 3. cimrs2. calea.org/338 RABBIT BOX THEMES (Athens, GA) Seeking storytellers to share true short stories on stage. Upcoming themes include “Duets” on Feb. 27, “Better Late Than Never” on Mar. 26, “The Story of Your Name” on Apr. 23 and “With This Ring” on May 28. Visit website to apply. www.rabbitbox.org/tell RABBIT HOLE EVENTS (Rabbit Hole Studios) Weekly events include Open Mic (Tuesdays, 7–11 p.m.), Acoustic Song Circle (Thursdays, 7–11 p.m.) and Drumming and Song Circle (Sundays, 3–5 p.m.). Wednesday Yoga (5 p.m.) is followed by Meditation and Integration (6 p.m.). Events are free or donation based. www.rabbitholestudios.org/ calendar SEVENTH GENERATION (Multiple Locations) Seventh Generation Native American Church hosts gatherings on Sundays at 11 a.m. at Rabbit Hole Studios. Men’s Group meets Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at Healing Path Farm. www.seventhgenerationnativeamericanchurch.org SPRING ACTIVITIES (Athens, GA) ACC Leisure Services will offer a variety of arts, environmental science, recreation, sports and holiday events this spring for all ages. Now registering. www.accgov.com/myrec VHS DIGITIZATION (Athens, GA) Brad Staples (of the Athens GA Live Music crew) is seeking previously recorded concerts and events on VHS, VHSC or DVDs to digitize and archive on his YouTube channel, vhsordie (@vhsordie3030). Original recordings will be returned, and credits and dates will be included in the online video description. Digitization services are free. Contact for details and to coordinate shipping. bradley.staples88@gmail.com f

advice

hey, bonita…

Addressing Inappropriate Behavior ADVICE FOR ATHENS’ LOOSE AND LOVELORN

By Bonita Applebum advice@flagpole.com Hey Bonita, My girlfriend of almost eight months is upset with me and thinks I’m overreacting because I don’t want her talking to another guy who I think is sexually harassing her. Is this a red flag that she’s consenting more than I know? He’s a family friend around our age, and around a year ago he started asking her for nudes and if she’d ever want to hook up. She says she always said no, and not long after this we started dating. But he still asks her these things often. She says he’s joking around and this isn’t that serious. As a dude… I know this isn’t a joke, and if it is a joke, then he’s not a good guy anyway. I don’t know if this is a sign to cut ties and move on. I don’t think I want to be in the relationship if she won’t put up stronger boundaries with him. Anonymous Hey there Anon, This guy’s behavior is 100% inappropriate. Since he started this buffoonery not long before you two began dating, there’s a chance that she hasn’t told him that she’s seeing anyone, so he still thinks it’s OK to hit her up. I am going to resist assigning any malfeasance to your girlfriend because women are taught to tolerate and abide by this type of stuff from

guys, and that’s almost certainly what she’s doing. Maybe it’s never occurred to her that she’s allowed to say no, or to lay down a hard boundary with men who won’t stop barking up her tree. Then again, there are plenty of guys out there who will soldier on in this manner even after hearing that a woman either isn’t single or even interested. Men are literally taught to push on and wear women down until they get the yes that they’re looking for, which should be their first sign that she’s actually starting to get scared and is throwing them nothing more than a bone with hopes to finally be free of their pursuit. What kind of guy keeps asking for nudes after getting a no? A creep, that’s who. But your issue is the effect that his behavior is having on your relationship with your girlfriend, and I want to encourage you

to move past your feelings of jealousy and betrayal here. I want you to resist projecting feelings or intentions onto her if you haven’t asked her what her feelings and intentions are. The woman is the person who can say if they are being sexually harassed, not the person they’re dating—that’s a very charged term that I worry you’re using because you feel trespassed upon as a boyfriend. I recommend asking her directly if she feels harassed, and to do so in no uncertain terms. “Is this guy bothering you? Do you feel harassed or put-upon in any way?” And make it about your relationship, not you personally. You feel that this guy’s advances violate the conditions of the monogamous agreement that you have with your girlfriend, which of course would upset anyone going through this experience. Those feelings are totally valid, but I’m just getting major vibes of this being more about territory than actually supporting a woman being creeped on. Taking the fact that she hasn’t asserted herself in the way you want her to as a sign to “cut ties and move on” really says way more about you than it does about her. She’s doing what a lot of women would do in this situation, and sadly I don’t get the sense that you’re as concerned for your girl-

friend’s well-being as you should be. Your language speaks more to feelings of disrespect and wanting to control your girlfriend’s behavior than wanting to protect her from possible harassment. Dude, she’s not a trophy or something to lord over. She’s a woman dealing with unwanted advances in a world that tells women that any man’s attention and approval is more important than her safety or comfort. Be supportive, be kind, and build her up so she can lay down the law with this creep. You ain’t running anything, bro—you’re in a partnership with this woman, so act like a ride-or-die. Treat your girlfriend like a person. f Need advice? Email advice@flagpole.com, or use our anonymous online form at flagpole.com/get-­ advice.

F E B R U A R Y 2 1, 2024· F L A GP OL E .C OM

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classifieds Place an ad anytime, email class@flagpole.com or call 706-549-0301

BASIC RATES: Individual $10/week • Real Estate $14/week • Business $16/week • Online Only $5/week Indicates images available at classifieds.flagpole.com • Deadline to place ads is 11 a.m. every Monday for the following Wednesday issue

REAL ESTATE HOUSES FOR RENT 3bd/1ba, 1600 sqft, new HVAC, paint, large private yard, $1050/mo, in Crawford, GA. 15 minutes east of Athens. 706-247-1259 House, 3BR/2BA in Normaltown. Central heat/air. Apartment, 2BR/1BA. Furnished. Washer/dryer. Wi-Fi. No smokers, pets. Calls only! 706-372-1505 TINY LIVING (in the country), 2 campers to rent daily, weekly, monthly. Furnished, secure, private. Fire pit, grill, deck. Small farm, Athens 30 minutes. Text 706-401-0880.

HOUSES FOR SALE

HISTORIC HOME FOR SALE IN CRAWFORD GA. 5BR/3BA, original wood and features immaculately restored. 15 mins to downtown Athens. Steps away from proposed Firefly Trail. $725K. 229 N Woodlawn Drive. Contact Julie Allen, Go Fetch Realty. 706-612-0033 Cell / 205475-4515 Office

Looking for a house or a home? Condo or land? Call Daniel Peiken. REALTOR 5Market Realty. Selling in and around Athens for over 20 years. 706-296-2941 Sell or rent your property in Flagpole Classifieds.

FOR SALE MISCELLANEOUS

MUSIC SERVICES

PART-TIME

Instant cash is now being paid for good vinyl records & CDs in fine condition. Wuxtry Records at corner of Clayton & College Dwntn. 706-369-9428

Join a diverse, inclusive workplace and get paid to type! 16–40 hours, Mon–Fri. NEVER be called in for a shift you didn’t sign up for. Must type 55+ wpm. Make your own schedule and work independently with no customer interaction. Starts at $13 with automatic increases. www.ctscribes. com

JOBS FULL-TIME

Business Water Solutions offers the cleanest drinking water available through innovative bottle-less water coolers and ice machines. Call 706-248-6761 or visit www.businesswatersolutions.com to set up a consultation.

El Paso Tacos & Tequila Now Hiring for Hosts, Servers and Bartenders. We offer flexible hours and scheduling for students. No experience is required as training is provided! Stop by in person to fill out an application! 255 W. Washington St.

MUSIC

OPPORTUNITIES

INSTRUCTION Athens School of Music. Now offering in-person and online instruction in guitar, bass, drums, piano, voice, brass, woodwinds, strings, banjo, mandolin and more. From beginner to expert, all styles. Visit www.athen sschoolofmusic.com. 706543-5800

Pain and Wonder Tattoo is looking for tattoo artists who are wanting to guest spot or considering a residency. Visit www.painandwonder. com or email painand wonder@gmail.com. Need old papers for a project? We have plenty here at Flagpole! Call ahead and we’ll have a crate ready for you. 706-549-0301

ADOPT ME!

Visit www.accgov.com/257/Available-Pets to view all the cats and dogs available at the shelter

Lucille (55268038)

Someone described Lucille as the dog ‘who never meets a stranger.’ She is so sweet despite her treatable illnesses. Help Lucille get back to good health by fostering-to-adopt today!

Red (55262662)

Want a lapdog that is also a bit of an explorer? Then look no further than Red! He’s just a bundle of cuteness and is ready to go home with you today. Everyone who meets Red falls in love.

Macho (55267590)

The opposite of the definition of macho, this is one gentle dude. Macho is incredibly treat motivated, loves scritches and attention, and is always ready with a smile. Adopt him today!

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

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F L A GP OL E .C OM · F E B R U A R Y 2 1, 2024

White Tiger is now hiring for BOH positions at the Athens and Watkinsville locations! No experience necessary. Email work history or resume to catering@white tigergourmet.com.

NOTICES MISCELLANEOUS Get Flagpole delivered straight to your mailbox! Weekly delivery straight from the source. Makes a great gift! Only $55 for six months or $110 for one year. Purchase online at www.flagpole.bigcartel. com, call 706-549-0301 or email frontdesk@flagpole. com.

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SUDOKU

Edited by Margie E. Burke

LET PEIKEN HELP!

Difficulty: Easy

Selling In-Town Athens for Over 23 Years UGA Graduate / Loving Athens since 1987 Voted one of Athens Favorite Realtors by Flagpole Readers more than a few times!

Daniel Peiken Daniel@Athenshome.com 706 296 2941 • 5Market Realty 824 South Milledge Ave., Ste 200

Copyright 2024 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 Week 2/19/241- to 2/25/24 theofnumbers 9.

The Weekly Crossword

by Margie E. Burke

Solu�on to Sudoku:

Copyright 2024 by The Puzzle Syndicate

BIRTH CONTROL visit an

made easy

ATHENS AREA

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

NortheastHealthDistrict.org

F E B R U A R Y 2 1, 2024· F L A GP OL E .C OM

19


DO YOUR PART. PROTECT YOURSELF. PROTECT OTHERS.

675 College Ave. • 402 McKinley Dr • 706-546-5526


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