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contents
this week’s issue JESSICA SMITH
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE SITE PLANNING & ENGINEERING COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Houses across the Boulevard neighborhood are decorating for Halloween! Check out p. 14 for a list of homes participating in Flagpole’s Cruise Down Spooky Street.
City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 FITNESS & HEALTH: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
This Modern World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Pandemic Fitness
U.S. House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
ARTS & CULTURE: Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Spooky Street
Pub Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Georgia House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Memorabilia Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 ARTS & CULTURE: Flag Football . . . . . . . . . . . 15
*L*B*M*!
Fitness & Health Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Awkward Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
FITNESS & HEALTH: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Local Mountain Biking
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Adopt Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles
Art Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons
Threats & Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner ADVERTISING SALES Anita Aubrey, Jessica Pritchard Mangum CITY EDITOR Blake Aued
Art Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
ARTS & MUSIC EDITOR Jessica Smith
Hey, Bonita! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
OFFICE MANAGER AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Zaria Gholston
Curb Your Appetite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
CLASSIFIEDS Zaria Gholston AD DESIGNERS Chris McNeal, Cody Robinson CARTOONISTS Lee Gatlin, Missy Kulik, Jeremy Long, David Mack PHOTOGRAPHER Whitley Carpenter CONTRIBUTORS Bonita Applebum, Cy Brown, Chris Dowd, Kathryn Kyker, Jessica Luton, Gordon Lamb, Kristin Morales, Dan Perkins CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf, Christopher Linter, Mike Merva EDITORIAL INTERN Tyler Wilkins COVER PHOTOGRAPH of a spooky house on Park Avenue (see Flagpole’s Cruise Down Spooky Street map on p. 14)
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VOLUME 34 ISSUE NUMBER 42
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UGA COVID Cases Tick Back Up PLUS, EARLY VOTING, ACC’S CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE AND MORE LOCAL NEWS By Blake Aued, Jessica Luton and Tyler Wilkins news@flagpole.com Last week’s release of COVID-19 testing data from UGA shows a slight increase in positive cases compared to the previous week, with 92 positive cases reported for the week of Oct. 5–11, compared to 52 the week of Sept. 28–Oct. 4. Of the 92 positive cases, 80 were students, 10 were staff and two were faculty. In a sign that UGA’s efforts to incentivize surveillance testing on campus are working, the data also showed a 42% increase in surveillance testing, for a total of 1,944 participants at the Legion Field site last week. The previous week, 1,365 tests were administered at the surveillance site. The surveillance-testing positivity rate was 1.44%, up from 1.17%. Outside of surveillance testing, 155 COVID-19 tests were performed at the University Health Center for students reporting symptoms. Those results showed 11 positive cases, or 7%, and 144 negative. “We are really pleased to see such a significant increase in the number of individuals being tested this week,” said Garth Russo, executive director of the University Health Center and chair of UGA’s Medical Oversight Task Force, in a news release. “It can be easy, when cases have dropped as much as they have from the start of the semester, to let down your guard and become complacent. We can’t afford to let that happen.” On its coronavirus website, UGA also introduced new graphs breaking down types of testing and positive rates over time. UGA Student Affairs launched a campaign to motivate interest in the free surveillance-testing program last week. According to last week’s faculty/staff digest message, participants received a buy-oneget-one-free card for Jittery Joe’s, and participants can now enjoy free Starbucks coffee in line at Legion Field. This week, participants will receive a $5-off coupon for UGA Dining Services retail collections. Other giveaways, including specially designed masks and T-shirts, are planned in the coming weeks. The University Health Center also introduced pop-up, saliva-based testing locations across campus in conjunction with its longstanding partnership with the College of Pharmacy to deliver on-site flu vaccines. This week, pop-up locations are being offered at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. A recent White House Task Force on Coronavirus report noted that one in five Georgia college students has likely contracted the virus so far. The Clarke County cumulative numbers as of Friday, Oct. 17, were 5,517 confirmed positive cases, 238 hospitalizations and 46 deaths. ACC is showing a slight upward trend, with an average of 25 new cases per day over the past seven days, compared to 17 on Oct. 1. But that is far fewer than the peak of 144 in early September. There have been no additional weekly updates made to the data on probable cases this week so far. As of last Wednesday,
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the Georgia Department of Public Health listed 791 probable cases for Athens-Clarke County and attributed most of those cases to rapid antigen testing results, which are not included in the official DPH numbers. [Jessica Luton]
ACC Cracks Down on Crowded Bars Athens-Clarke County continues to crack down on crowding at downtown student bars, issuing six citations for violating capacity limits the weekend of Sept. 27 and four more the weekend of Oct. 4, Manager Blaine Williams told ACC commissioners at a work session last week. Overall, police have made 674 bar checks. “If you’d like to know who broke the law, I’m glad to tell you,” Williams said, listing off Silver Dollar, Cloud Bar, the Rowdy Goose, General Beauregard’s, Club Genesis, Wonder Bar, Moonshine, On the Rocks, Cloud (again), Soundtrack, Bad Moon, Saki Mama, Bourbon Street and Bar South. Those bars received either a warning or a citation. “We are pursuing this to the full extent of what we’re allowed to in the governor’s [COVID- 19 emergency] order,” Williams said during an update on ACC’s coronavirus response. Overall, most bars are in compliance, and most of the problems are outside on the sidewalk, he said. But after two citations, local officials can shut down the bar for the duration of the pandemic. An additional 28 police officers are patrolling downtown, and they’ve handed out almost 5,000 masks and 14 citations for violating the local mask ordinance. “The governor’s order is very explicit. It’s a verbal warning or a warning. You offer a mask, and if the person puts it on, that’s the end of it,” Williams said. “It’s only when folks are obstinate and refuse to put on a mask that a citation is written.” Commissioner Melissa Link wondered if ACC could hire part-time code-enforcement officers or ask UGA police to help, because ACCPD is overtaxed. “We’re putting in lots and lots of overtime basically babysitting folks who know what the rules are but refuse to follow them,” she said. In addition to the temporary closure of College Square, ACC is setting up “parklets” on West Washington Street where bar customers can congregate outside. “We want to get more people out of the bars and outside,” Williams said. Working with the Athens Community Council on Aging’s Meals on Wheels program, ACC has used federal CARES Act funds to distribute 13,000 meals to about 700 residents. Starting later this month, the Rotary Club and Georgia Grown will be distributing meat and produce baskets free to people enrolled in the Athens Eats Together program and available for purchase by others. Another food program, through ACTION Inc., has served 276 individuals. The Athens Area Diaper Bank has distributed 51,000 diapers to 1,077 families. Family Promise, formerly known as the Interfaith Hospitality Network, has
FLAGPOLE.COM | OCTOBER 21, 2020
helped 14 families that were homeless or facing eviction. In addition, the ACC-Winterville Joint Development Authority is accepting applications from small businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 20 employees for a second round of grants and loans through Oct. 27. The county has also hired Gustavo Rodriguez-Zaccaro as its first workforce development coordinator, heading up the new Athens Community Corps program, which will provide job training for 10 residents through public-works projects while they earn full-time wages and benefits. Since ACC boosted wi-fi signals at local community centers like Lay Park, more Clarke County School District students are taking advantage of the free internet access—177 in late September, up from 78 at the beginning of the month. Playgrounds and basketball courts at public parks have reopened, with signs posted about the risks, and local youth-sports leagues are now allowed to play scrimmages, though not games against out-of-town teams. Leisure Services’ after-school programming has restarted, as well. Also reopen—sort of—are the ACC and Winterville libraries. They’re offering “grab and go” service where small numbers of masked patrons will be allowed inside for brief periods of time during limited hours to pick out books. The libraries continue to offer curbside pickup for books placed on hold online. [Blake Aued]
Early Voting Draws Long Line Athens voters waited hours to vote on the first day of early voting, Oct. 12, prompting the ACC Board of Elections to open an overflow site at City Hall to help
handle the crowds. Hours have also been extended until 7 p.m. this week. Voters began to line up at about 6:20 a.m.—nearly two hours before the Board of Elections office opened at 8 a.m.—according to Charlotte Sosebee, director of elections and voter registration. One voter told Flagpole he arrived at 7:45 a.m. and waited about four hours. The Board of Elections started the day with only four ballot-marking devices because of social distancing requirements inside the tiny office. Poll workers brought out more equipment around 10 a.m., Sosebee said. The afternoon of Oct. 12, the line still wrapped around City Hall, down Washington Street and College Avenue and part of the block down Hancock Avenue. But voters at the front of the line said they had waited only about an hour-and-a-half to two hours. Several people said they had the day off (it was Columbus Day) and wanted to go ahead and cast their ballots despite the line. Georgia Public Broadcasting reported soaring turnout all over the state compared to previous elections, despite the fact that more than 1.5 million voters have requested absentee ballots. Waits as long as five hours in Cobb County and eight hours in Gwinnett were reported. In addition to the pandemic and high turnout, poll workers were still dealing with glitches in Georgia’s new voting equipment early in the week— specifically, iPad software used to check in voters. More than 600,000 Georgians voted early in person last week, in addition to more than 500,000 who’ve returned absentee ballots. Historically, early voting starts out light and gets heavier closer to Election Day. One election expert, ProPublica’s Jessica Huseman, attributed Georgia’s long lines to enthusiasm. Voters who are willing to wait a while longer to line up shouldn’t have to deal with waiting in line. ACC plans to open four additional early voting sites—at the ACC Library, Miriam Moore Community Center, ACC Extension office and the tennis center at Southeast Clarke Park— from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
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New “parklets” on West Washington Street allow bar and restaurant patrons to enjoy food and beverages outdoors in relative safety.
Monday, Oct. 26, through Friday, Oct. 30. The Board of Elections office will be open Sunday, Oct. 25, from noon–4 p.m. In addition, after initially rejecting early voting on campus, the University of Georgia will open up a voting site at Stegeman Coliseum Tuesday, Oct. 27, through Thursday, Oct. 29. The Board of Elections office, the library and the extension office also have secure drop boxes where voters can place their absentee ballots rather than return them by mail. Other drop-box locations include the Multimodal Transit Center, Fire Station No. 7 on Barnett Shoals Road and Winterville City Hall. Those boxes are monitored by video cameras, and ballots are collected every three days by teams of two to ensure they’re kept secure. [BA]
Clyde Urges Students to Get Involved With only a few weeks before the voting ends in the 2020 elections, Georgia’s 9th Congressional District candidate Andrew Clyde implored members of UGA’s College Republicans to get involved with local Athens races. Likely feeling safe in his race against Democrat Devin Pandy in the heavily right-leaning district, Clyde asked the young Republicans over a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 13, to volunteer on conservative campaigns in close elections, like the sheriff and state house races in Athens. Despite President Donald Trump trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in recent polls, Clyde said he feels optimistic that the president will receive a second term in office due to his “immense popularity,” referencing “boat armadas” in Georgia’s lakes, car parades and Trump flags flown on front lawns. “There’s a tremendous enthusiasm I see in Georgia,” Clyde said. “I just don’t see that for the other side. I’ve never seen a BidenHarris flag. When you have that enthusiasm at the top of the ticket, it will trickle down.” As the owner of Clyde Armory on Atlanta Highway, Clyde puts the Second Amendment at the forefront of his campaign, with a gun emblazoned on many of his campaign signs. When asked by a student what he would consider a “good” or “bad” policy for gun reform, Clyde avoided directly answering the question, implying that any restriction on the Second Amendment could lead to the deterioration of other constitutional amendments, most
notably the First Amendment. “We all talk about the freedom of the press, religion and speech—and that is all wonderful—but if you don’t have a Second Amendment that can protect it from an overreaching, aggressive government, you won’t have the First Amendment,” Clyde said. “We’ve got to protect that Second Amendment beyond anything, really.” After a 28-year career in the U.S. Navy, Clyde opened his gun shop after receiving a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and corporate finance at the University of Georgia. He said he decided to enter the congressional race after his battle with civil asset forfeiture. In 2013, the Internal Revenue Service incorrectly confiscated about $940,000 from the gun shop, later returning about $900,000 to Clyde. This led the gun-shop owner to advocate for civil-asset-forfeiture reform in Washington, D.C. Clyde testified before Congress, which passed the RESPECT Act in 2019, tightening IRS rules on what could lead to forfeiture, and Trump signed the act. “I decided to throw my hat in the ring,” Clyde said. “I like running my business, but I felt very strongly led that I could make a significant difference in Washington, D.C.” Besides his promise to uphold the Second Amendment, Clyde is an opponent of abortion rights. He also supports “building the wall” at the U.S.-Mexico border in the hopes it will prevent the migration of undocumented immigrants into the country. [Tyler Wilkins]
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What’s Up With the Amendments? Editor and Publisher Pete McCommons already dealt with this in his Sept. 30 “cheat sheet,” but Flagpole continues to field questions about constitutional amendments on the ballot, so it bears repeating. Amendment 1 would require the state to spend dedicated taxes and fees—for example, the tire disposal fee—on the purpose for which they were intended, rather than stick them in the general fund to spend on anything. Amendment 2 would end sovereign immunity, a legal doctrine that prevents the state from being sued. Referendum 1 would exempt nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity from property taxes on land they intend to use to build houses. All three passed the legislature unanimously or nearly so. [BA] f
OCTOBER 21, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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Blue Island, Red Sea ATHENS IS LIKELY TO HAVE TWO REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS AGAIN By Tyler Wilkins news@flagpole.com
D
evin Pandy, the Democratic candidate Democratic pockets in their districts, running to represent Georgia’s 9th appealing to longtime Republican votCongressional District, has never held or ers who probably haven’t voted for a made a bid for public office until now. After Democrat since the 1990s. “When I become serving in the U.S. Army for more than 20 Congressman Pandy, I will not only be years, Pandy says he felt a “necessity for representing those who voted for me. I will great leaders to step up,” prompting him to be representing those who did not vote enter the race, as he “could not sit back any for me as well, and I will represent them longer and watch as the things me and my just as strongly and as passionately as I do comrades fought for were not coming to fruition.” Athens-Clarke County voters reside in either the 9th or 10th Congressional District, and voters in both districts will choose who will represent them for the next two years come November. In the 9th, Pandy is running against Republican candidate Andrew Clyde, owner of Clyde Armory on Atlanta Highway, for a seat Rep. Doug Collins left to run for Senate. In the 10th, Democratic candidate Tabitha Johnson-Green is running against Rep. Jody Hice, a Republican member of the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus who has held the seat since 2015 and defeated Johnson-Green in 2018. (Johnson-Green did not respond to Flagpole’s interview requests.) The 9th District includes part of northern Athens-Clarke County and Devin Pandy runs through the Northeast Georgia mountains. The 10th District includes most everyone else,” Pandy says. “I prescribe to of Athens-Clarke and the surrounding Democratic values, but I am my own percounties and goes south to the Milledgeville son, have my own ideas, and I genuinely area. Both districts are overwhelmingly care about people. The only thing that matRepublican. In 2018, Hice won 63% of the ters to me is they are afforded the right to vote, while Johnson-Green received only life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 37%, and Collins defeated Democratic chalConsidering himself a “bipartisan lenger Josh McCall 80% to 20%. Democrat,” Pandy says he plans to reach In order to win, Pandy and Johnsonacross the party aisle, vowing to support a Green will likely need to look beyond Republican piece of legislation if it helps his
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wants a strong nation that is actually taking care of their citizens will see that my policies are set to do just that.” Both Pandy and Clyde served in the U.S. military. With a variety of different life experiences under his belt, Pandy says he believes his roles in the U.S. Army helped him build character and leadership skills. After serving in the military, Pandy has spent time in 17 countries and worked as an actor, all of which he said helped him “gain an appreciation for humanity” and learn how to empathize with others. If elected, Pandy plans to tackle climate change, cut tariffs, improve access to afford-
FLAGPOLE.COM | OCTOBER 21, 2020
able health care, help homeless veterans and implement further protections for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like Pandy, Clyde hopes to take care of veterans, and he’s also focused on protecting the Second Amendment, strengthening anti-abortion laws, lowering taxes, abolishing the Environmental Protection Agency and “building the wall” at the U.S.-Mexico border. Unlike Pandy, Clyde has said he doesn’t believe in manmade climate change, because he believes the climate changes every four seasons. It’s not surprising that one of Clyde’s key priorities is to uphold the Second Amendment, considering he’s the owner of a firearms store. As a gun owner himself, Pandy says he took an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1993, and he also supports the Second Amendment. “I believe, like every other amendment and as explicitly stated in the Second Amendment, it must be well regulated. Right now, it is not,” he says. “I don’t want anyone taking my guns. I don’t want to take anyone else’s guns. We must have regulations, just as we have with everything else. You are not authorized to operate a motor vehicle without being licensed. I do not see why we cannot also implement those things for deadly weaponry.” Another of Clyde’s major issues is the IRS. After the agency seized $940,000 from him in 2013, he worked with then-Congressman Paul Broun on a law, the Clyde-Hirsh-Sowers Act, to reform asset forfeiture. Clyde now wants to abolish the IRS and replace income taxes with a flat sales tax. Clyde also sued the Athens-Clarke County government seeking to overturn its April shelter-in-place order. A federal judge quickly dismissed the lawsuit, but ACC declared gun stores to be an “essential business” that could stay open. Advance voting is underway and will continue through Friday, Oct. 30. Voters can also request a mail-in absentee ballot at sos.ga.gov. Election Day is Nov. 3. f
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district and to oppose a Democratic piece of legislation if it hurts his district. But with the increasing level of political polarization, Pandy says it’s tough convincing voters to look beyond party affiliation and consider how his issue-agenda could benefit them. “I plead with every voter out there to disregard party affiliation and look at the policy issues and see whose policies will actually benefit you and your family,” Pandy says. “I feel confident in saying that if the comparisons are put side-by-side, take out the party affiliation, and any person who
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Dems in the House? TWO ATHENS SEATS COULD FLIP IN 2020 By Chris Dowd news@flagpole.com
W
ith the Georgia House of Representatives potentially on the verge of turning blue, Athens voters could play a pivotal role in state-level politics this year. The Republican Party currently controls 105 of the 180 seats making up the Georgia House. Although that is a significant advantage, their lead has been slipping in recent years. In 2020, it’s in danger of flipping to Democratic hands, which would have huge political implications statewide. For example, a Democratic House would give their party real power to oppose Republican gerrymandering as legislative district lines are redrawn after the 2020 census. Athens-area voters have the option to provide two of the 16 seats Democrats need to make this happen by sending Mokah Jasmine Johnson and Jonathan Wallace to the Gold Dome. Voters here could also help entrench Republican rule in Georgia for a decade by re-electing Houston Gaines their opponents, Republicans Houston Gaines and Marcus Wiedower. District 117 includes southern Clarke County west of Five Points, northern Oconee County along the Epps Bridge Road corridor and slivers of eastern Barrow and southern Jackson counties. District 119 is made up of the rest of Oconee County and southeastern Clarke County. Both were drawn to favor Republicans but have become swing districts. Democrat Spencer Frye, who represents District 118 in northern Clarke County, is unopposed.
DISTRICT 117: Johnson is a well-known activ-
ist and entrepreneur in Athens, having founded the Athens Hip-Hop Awards, the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement, the
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annual MLK Day Parade and the Athens in Harmony concert. Johnson is running on a progressive platform of ending cash bail, fully funding K-12 education under the Quality Basic Education formula, defending reproductive rights and voting rights and instituting a $15 an hour minimum wage. Her opponent, Rep. Houston Gaines, is similarly well known as an elected official and as the grandson of the late Superior Court Judge Joseph Gaines. He was also president of the UGA Student Government Association and a broadcaster for the Athens Academy Spartans for six years.
Mokah Jasmine Johnson
Gaines—whose campaign logo directly mimics that of President Donald Trump—is running on a conservative platform that often references national hot-button issues. He opposes abortion, supports “deporting violent criminal illegal aliens” and makes a point of rejecting single-payer health care, even though it’s not being considered in Georgia. He promises to “drive down the size of government,” which he refers to as “bloated.” He delivered on that promise in his first term by voting to slash state spending by over $2 billion, with almost half of that taken from K-12 education. As he makes deep cuts to the state budget, Gaines promises to keep law enforcement well funded. He strikes a very
community and government” to help the legislature more effectively address emergencies like COVID-19. Wiedower is a real estate consultant who is less vocal about his policy preferences. His complete platform includes just three points: ensuring UGA gets adequate funding, supporting local control over transportation projects and opposing tax increases. He rarely mentions controversial national issues, unlike his colleague Gaines. However, Wiedower’s voting record is almost identical to Gaines’. Like Gaines, Wiedower voted for the same state budget that slashed nearly $1 billion from K-12 education. He also collaborated with Gaines in an attempt to overturn Athens’ local bail reform policies. Wiedower voted in favor of banning most abortions in Georgia with the “heartbeat” bill. This bill would have criminalized abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Athens’ own U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones struck down the measure as unconstitutional. This will be Wallace and Wiedower’s third contest in four years. Wallace first took the seat in 2017, in a special election with an energized Democratic electorate behind Marcus Wiedower Jonathan Wallace him during Donald Trump’s first year as President. In 2018, Wiedower struck back, offenders to have their records expunged. defeating Wallace 53% to 47% with surprisHowever, he has also worked to undermine ingly high turnout for a midterm election. the spirit of Deal’s reforms in office. In 2019 he co-sponsored HB 340, which would In 2020, turnout could be even higher still, perhaps shaping up to be the highest in have undone Johnson’s bail reform vicrecent memory. This may mean the advantory in Athens, essentially requiring those tage will swing back to Wallace. arrested to pay cash bail before release. He In fact, both of these elections are voted again to restrict signature bonds in extremely close. Gaines and other Repub2020 with SB 402. licans, like state Sen. Bill Cowsert, have DISTRICT 119: Wallace is the Democratic openly expressed concerns about their parcandidate running to unseat incumbent ty’s chances in these two districts. There is Republican Marcus Wiedower. Wallace is no publicly available polling, but projections a software developer running on a probased on voter registration data seem to gressive platform of expanding Medicaid, indicate that Democrats may be gaining the continuing bail reform and replacing fundupper hand. ing recently cut from K-12 education. He Election Day is Nov. 3. Early voting has a particular focus on election security, options are available through Friday, Oct. calling for a nonpartisan Voting Rights 30. Mail-in ballots must be received at the Commission. Another major goal for Board of Elections by 7 p.m. on Election Wallace is “healing the divisions within our Day. f different tone on this issue from Johnson, who has been vocal about the need for criminal justice reform. As part of the AADM, Johnson led a successful effort to end cash bail for local ordinance violations in Athens. She plans to continue that effort in the Georgia House as part of her broader goal to reverse mass incarceration. The Republican State Leadership Committee ran an ad attacking Johnson recently for wanting to remove police officers from the schools—one of many partisan attacks made against her in this election cycle. Johnson called the attacks “malicious and slanderous” but did not deny her support for defunding the police. Gaines states on his website that he supports former Gov. Nathan Deal’s bipartisan criminal justice reforms, and he sponsored a bill making it easier for nonviolent
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Protesters Are Pro-Democracy College instructors like those at UGA have helped to awaken younger Americans to the need for true equality and change in our nation. It’s been over 150 years since the slaves were freed, and African Americans and people of color are still discriminated against. The Black Lives Matter movement and the progressives—including many college students like those at UGA—marching with them want us to live up to our vaunted ideals of equal justice for all. UGA students and others in younger generations have been on the internet for their entire lives. They have the ability to instantly make friends with people from an infinite amount of backgrounds, with different experiences and ideas than their immediate circles. They have had cameras in their pockets for most of their adult lives and can capture every single instance of injustice they find. Protesting for basic equality should not be a political movement, yet student protesters are constantly faced with ignorance at best and malice at worst. Student protesters aren’t trying to end democracy or Western civilization; quite frankly, they are fighting as hard to protect it as the generations before them. It’s baffling to assert that the hundreds of thousands of young people peacefully marching in the streets are anti-democracy. UGA students refuse to accept that trying to change the country into a more inclusive and accepting place is equivalent to seeing its end, or else Western civilization would have ended countless times by now. There is a good reason why people here are outraged. DWB (driving while black) stops happen every day in Georgia; if you don’t believe it, ask someone Black. Our reactionary governor pushed through legislation to prevent localities— many of which have majority black populations—from moving statues of Confederate leaders (pro-slavery traitors to the U.S.) from public grounds. These grounds are maintained by the tax money coming from people of all races, including Blacks. The Glynn County police and legal establishment conspire to look the other way when a former DA cop murders an unarmed black jogger. It was only months later, after a cell phone recording was finally made public, that justice was served and the three perpetrators indicted. We could go on, but you get the point. We are both glad to see UGA students and the younger generation in general standing up for what they believe and pushing for long overdue change. It’s past time for our nation to attempt to finally become the true democracy that most of us envision it being. Jack Bernard Peachtree City Anthony Bernard Athens
Libertarians Don’t Suck On behalf of liberty-minded citizens of Athens and beyond, we the undersigned
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would like to respond to the letter to the editor by Lillie Potts published Sept. 2 titled “Libertarians Suck,” in which the writer posits that Libertarians promote their anti-government ideas to covertly promote the interests of the evil capitalists who in turn cause the citizenry to suffer. The truth is quite the opposite: Libertarians feel that without government protectionism, people would be able to vote with their dollars, controlling corporations much more efficiently than the legislative process ever could. Libertarians advocate that the individual is more than capable of making the best decisions in their work and personal lives, and that people don’t need government to tell them how to live. The basic premise of our philosophy is the Golden Rule, paraphrased as, “Don’t hurt other people, and don’t take their stuff.” Libertarians represent a diverse group of individuals who typically have absconded from other political philosophies in search of more freedom. Many left the Democratic Party because they resent oppressive taxation and regulation that supports programs that do not align with their personal values. Many left the Republican Party for the exact same reasons. Even more were already independent and did not align with any party but have found a home within the Libertarian Party. Libertarians feel that both parties have fallen short of the needs of the people. To us, both the Republican and Democratic parties are just different sides of the same coin. Both parties in the duopoly embrace bigger governments that impose more government on all levels (local, state and federal). The Rs and Ds have limited individual decision-making capabilities by imposing regulation on everything we do, all toward the end goal of cornering more power for themselves. The continued failure of both the Republicans and Democrats to elect nominees whose values reflect those of the American people will push many people to look for third-party candidates, and since Libertarians support the civil liberties and other social issues embraced by the Democrats while simultaneously supporting the personal freedoms and economic liberties espoused by the Republicans, we continue to grow with every election. As Republicans and Democrats realize we are leaving their parties, they will start to take notice of our goals; when Libertarian principles are embraced by any party, we all win. Libertarians are not just anti-Democrats or anti-Republicans. We have our own ideas and our own plans. Our candidates, Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen, are promoting the Libertarian platform and specific issues that include ending qualified immunity, gaining control of our $26 trillion debt, ending no-knock raids, ending foreign wars, returning individual control of health care, ending government barriers to replacing the fossil fuel industry, opening immigration to those who seek freedom, decreasing the onerous tax burden and the misappropriation of dollars, ending civil asset forfeiture and ending the school-to-prison pipeline by decriminalizing victimless “crimes.”
FLAGPOLE.COM | OCTOBER 21, 2020
Most importantly, in regards to the original letter, we want to end the current practice of government choosing one industry or company over another, either outright or via tax benefits or shelters. Libertarians strongly believe that when markets are truly “free,” without legislative influence, the processes of economic Darwinism will allow markets to flourish with the best products and services for the most people at the lowest price. Libertarians believe that the smallest minority is the individual, and we only support ideas that promote individual freedom and liberty. We reject the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals. We also strive for “a world where peace defeats war and where all people everywhere enjoy liberty and justice.” Freedom does not belong to Libertarians alone. Freedom belongs to all of us, and the Libertarians welcome all who seek it. Ben Young Oconee County Colin McKinney Athens Bobby Goins Jackson County
On White Privilege I’m a middle-aged white woman who has used illegal drugs on an almost daily basis for the majority of my adult life, and I want to share the stories of all my interactions with cops, which have resulted in me being a person with absolutely no criminal record. I’ll start with the basics. As a younger person, I was a habitual speeder. I got an average of one or two speeding tickets per year every year for about 15 years. There were also two occasions I was involved in a car accident, although not at fault. During this time I used pot almost daily and always kept it with me. Every single time I was pulled over, I was either under the influence or in possession or both. I was never given a sobriety test. My car was never searched. I never felt that my safety or life was in danger. I was always just given a speeding ticket and allowed to pay it and go on with my life. I estimate that this happened around 20 times. In my early 20s, I was driving drunk home from a friend’s house in the middle of the night. I got lost way out in the country in Auburn, GA. This was before cell phones and GPS, and I was legitimately scared. I pulled over and flagged down the first car that passed, which happened to be a cop. I was so drunk that I was having trouble staying steady on my feet. He gave me directions and let me stagger back to my car and drive away. In my late 20s, I was driving drunk home from an office Christmas party on I-85 in Atlanta. The cop who pulled me over asked if I had been drinking. At first I reflexively denied it. But then I realized he must be able to smell it on my breath, so I admitted to one glass of wine with dinner. The truth was four or five glasses of wine, and I was extremely drunk. But he did not give me a sobriety test, and my car was not searched. I was given three legitimate tickets for super speeding, improper lane change and using the carpool lane, and the fines were over $1,000. But no DUI, and I was allowed to drive away. In my early 30s, I was in the apartment of my friend and drug dealer, a white man. I had just purchased and injected opiates. Cops came to the door in search of a wanted
person. They came inside, where pills, methamphetamine and syringes were in plain view on the table. When they saw that the person they wanted was not there, they thanked us for cooperating and left. Never pulled over without cause. Never given a sobriety test. Never searched. Never arrested. Never incarcerated. Until recently, I thought that I had been ridiculously lucky. I now understand that I was protected by my white privilege. White privilege is real. White privilege does not mean we should feel guilty for the sins of our ancestors. That makes no sense and would accomplish nothing. White privilege means that our skin color has given us an advantage that we did nothing to deserve. Once we realize that we have received this extra blessing, we might be moved to do what we can, with what we have, to level the playing field for everyone. I am publicly confessing my shameful criminal history here to make the case that white privilege is real. The system is rigged, so let’s fix it. I don’t want an unfair advantage. I want the country we are promised in the Constitution, where all citizens are treated equally under law. Nicole Landry Bogart
Wear a Mask, Kirby Sadly, the University of Georgia has become a microcosm of the failure of our nation’s leadership to wear a mask. Every Saturday, in front of an audience of millions of people, Kirby Smart continues to flagrantly refuse to appropriately wear a mask during the game, despite science proving the importance of keeping the nose and mouth areas covered to prevent the continued spread of COVID-19. This transcends any excuses as to why the face of the University of Georgia’s football team continues not to properly put a mask on and leave it on while in close proximity to others. How many more lives will be hurt for the sake of a football season driven by financial greed that will undoubtedly lead to the further spread of this disease? What is the cost of a football championship? No amount of money will absolve those who are complicit in putting those around them at higher risk by refusing to properly wear a mask. The University of Georgia and its football program must not perpetuate more careless suffering. Let’s take this season to set the tone that we stand for better. Let’s take this season to change the dialogue and set an example that, “It’s SMART to wear a mask!” K. Margaret Williams Athens
Limericks for Kemp A Bulldawg named Gov. Kemp Thought from COVID most Dawgs were exempt. ICUs proved him wrong. The plague he prolonged. Why should we withhold our contempt? Gov. Kemp has a science degree. His state boasts the great CDC. Trump censored that crew. What did Brian Kemp do? He chose Trump over poor you and me. Richard Zimdars Athens
news
pub notes
news
feature
Time Travel and Frontier Florida
Handheld History
TWO BOOKS BY LOCAL WRITERS ARE WELL WORTH READING
UGA AND ATHENS MEMORABILIA WILL BE AUCTIONED SUNDAY
By Pete McCommons pete@flagpole.com
By Pete McCommons pete@flagpole.com
No writer wants her bicycle stalled in the same Prince Avenue lane the No. 5 bus is roaring down. That’s the way I feel when it is brought to my attention that Athens has writers like Bradley Bazzle and James Chapin creating their fictions in the same town the rest of us share. What must it be like inside their heads? How do they take the same words available to all of us and massage them into such compelling narratives? Take Bazzle. I met him once—friendly, unassuming. How could he write a book of short stories like Fathers of Cambodian Time-Travel Science? How could he write that title?
Bazzle’s stories reflect sort of the underbelly of our modern world, with protagonists who worry if they are losers while trying to get by in jobs like acting and advertising and real estate—younger people trying to adjust to the hustles and cons of the lower-echelon business world, with bosses and mentors who use them and hope they won’t catch on. In the first story, “The Beard of Human Weakness,” the young real estate salesman is assigned by his boss, Mr. Hamilton, the task of unloading a deteriorating, half-built subdivision on acreage infiltrated by a toxic creek. He admires Mr. Hamilton anyway: “All that joking and talking. Mr. Hamilton just really likes other people, I guess, even ones he’s about to screw over. Me, I’d rather be alone—or with Uncle Mitch.” The kid lives with his Uncle Mitch, who is “from the future” and is trying to straighten out the present as best he can to keep some things from happening later. That kind of unsettling “out of time” element runs
through a lot of the stories, such as “The Milkman,” in which an old-fashioned milk delivery man has much better milk than the store-bought. Several of the stories play with acting as an alteration of reality, and the title story sort of has it all: advertising, acting, time-travel (maybe) and the usual young protagonist trying to fit into what our country has become and to find some semblance of love. There’s a lot of humor, too, but much of it comes from the garishness and weird juxtapositions that confront somebody trying to make sense of it all. Chapin, on the other hand, takes us to a completely different world in his novel Ride South Until Sawgrass. He conjures the territory of frontier North Florida, where settlers ride in on oxcarts and enterprising entrepreneurs steal cattle from the Seminoles and enslave Blacks. His is a hard, tough, cruel world, and his characters struggle for survival in a milieu so finely observed that you are relieved to crawl between clean sheets after you put the book down for the evening. The book is in four segments that involve the same families as they spiral through time, fighting to prevail in the harsh pine jungle. Toward the beginning of the book, a young couple is separated when Quinto goes off on a month-long cattle roundup in the swamplands around the St. John’s River. As he returns to their handbuilt cabin in a clearing, he finds Lucy waiting. “He got down from his horse and just dropped the reins. In the doorway they embraced, a little loosely, then separated and then came together again. This time they held each other for a long time. And still she did not let go the gun. She was saying something about wolves, saying it into his shirt collar, dampening it.” Chapin’s characters come alive and pull you with them into the raw, violent world he meticulously observes. Fortunately, you can get a taste of these books yourself and visit with Bazelle and Chapin Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 7–8 p.m. in a virtual Zoom event sponsored by Avid Bookshop. Go to avidbookshop.com to set it up. You can buy the books on the spot or come back later to the website. You’ll have to pour your own wine. SPEAKING OF BOOKS: I am happy to report that
Avid finally has copies of Millard Grimes’ hardback book The Last New Dealer. It’s a sprawling novel that brings a timely reminder of how Roosevelt’s policies fixed a lot of things that are now broken all over again. I reviewed it in this space on Aug. 12, but then Millard ran into delays with his publisher. It’s available from the usual other sources, too, but local writing ought to be bought locally, don’t you think? f
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on Evans has been interested in history since his school days, and over the years he built a large collection of Athens and UGA memorabilia, which for the last 20 years has been a part of the house museum at Lyndon House. Evans had planned to leave his collection to Athens-Clarke County as a perpetual exhibit but recently was offended by some managerial decisions concerning the exhibit. As a result, he is selling off his extensive collection at an online auction this Sunday, Oct. 25. The city’s loss is your gain, if you have the cash to compete.
There’s old currency, and there are lots of Pandora yearbooks from various years, medical paraphernalia from the doctors who lived in the house that became the museum, lots of football stuff, lots of college stuff—pennants, beanies, photos, magazines, books—artifacts from Lucy Cobb Institute, from the State Normal School, from chamber of commerce publications— tons of memorabilia reaching back through the decades on campus and in town. This is all history you can hold in your hand, if you can afford it (and there are a few items under $100). I think my own
Evans, a retired graphic designer, has an antiques business these days, but he says this sale is separate from that. “The liquidation of these items has been a difficult experience,” he says. “This collection was never part of my commercial antique furniture business.” The auction is handled by the Atlanta firm of Ahlers & Ogletree Auction Gallery. If you go to their website, you can see pictures of the items in the auction. Go to aandoauctions.com, click through to the search function and look for “Athens, GA” and “UGA.” Good luck. It’s a confusing website. Don’t get sticker shock when you start to look at the bids and suggested prices on these items. Just enjoy looking at them and wondering how Evans found all this stuff and assembled his collection. Preserved by somebody down through the years is an actual program from the legendary 1929 Yale-Georgia game that dedicated Sanford Stadium when Yale University was a football powerhouse slumming against an underdog team from a backwater Georgia college town, and our Bulldogs cleaned the Yale Bulldogs’ clock. There’s a ticket for that game, too.
favorite, if I had my druthers and my druthers had the money, is a metal stamping logo plate for the Hanna Batrite brand of wooden bats made right here in Athens from the 1920s–1960s and used throughout the country from the big leagues to the sandlots. The Hanna factory burned to the ground in the 1980s in the area around the Classic Center parking deck and the multimodal center. After the fire, somebody
picked up the stamping plates that put “Hanna” onto the bats that smote horsehide all over America. And Evans acquired some of them and had them in the house museum where you coulda seen them free of charge. The whole collection is a rich slice of local history. If you want a piece, get in on the virtual auction Sunday and have at it. f
OCTOBER 21, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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feature
WHITLEY CARPENTER
fitness & health
Fitness in a Pandemic SAFE WORKOUT OPTIONS, INDOORS AND OUT By Jessica Luton news@flagpole.com
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ike so many facets of our lives in recent months, the pandemic has changed how we work out. Many abandoned the idea of going to the gym when quarantine restrictions closed gyms for many months. Now, gyms, yoga studios and other fitness facilities have reopened, and many have pivoted to help facilitate safe workout conditions. As the weather gets colder, many people usually flock back to the gym in lieu of outdoor exercise options, but things are a little more complicated these days—because, 2020. So, what should you look for in a safe workout space in these pandemic times? Christina Proctor, health promotion and behavior clinical professor at the UGA College of Public Health, says there are a few basic factors to consider in looking for a safe workout space, but those criteria vary depending on location and each individual’s health and risk factors. “I think it is really important for people to keep up with the level of COVID-19 in their community when making decisions about exercising indoors,” Proctor says. “Check the [Georgia Department of Public Health] portal daily and look at test positivity. That’s the percentage of COVID-19 tests that come back positive in your area. A higher rate indicates that the virus is spreading in the community or that testing hasn’t been widespread enough. Most epidemiologists are in agreement that you want to see a test-positivity rate below 5%. Clarke County has a 7-day moving average of 4.4% right now. So if you live in an area that is below that threshold, you are much less likely to come into contact with an infected individual. But if that number starts to rise, then it might be smart for you to move your workouts outdoors.”
offers flexible sick leave to their employees,” Proctor adds. “In addition, one of the best ways people can protect themselves and others is to wear a mask when exercising in the indoor facilities. I would not attend a gym that doesn’t mandate face coverings right now.” Athens-Clarke County has an ordinance mandating wearing masks in public places, but businesses are allowed to opt out of the mandate under state law. Running is a great way to exercise safely year-round. Good ventilation is another important factor to consider in finding a safe workout facility. “I’m thinkthat everybody that goes to any gym, we ing back to my hometown gym, which was all know that we’re taking a risk. But at the poorly ventilated and half the size of the rec gym I go to, they’re really doing everything locker room we have here at UGA,” Proctor that they can to keep everyone safe.” says. “Spacing is important, but so is air Her gym limits class sizes to 8–12 circulation. So we can lower risk by keeping people, depending on the type of class. It individuals spaced out in facilities, as well also requires more than six feet of space as opening doors and windows, and making between equipment stations; temperasure fans are operating properly and air filture checks are mandatory, and masks ters stay clean.” are required for entry and while walking Most important, she says, is making sure around. Staff deep-cleans, and both staff that those safety precautions are all being and clients are cleaning constantly. practiced. The combined efforts of mask, Beyond the physical benefits, being able social distancing, sanitation and ventilation to go to a smaller gym every day—where are shown to make the most difference in you often see the same eight people, even spreading or contracting COVID-19. from a distance— helps get in a little bit of For Athens resident Lindsey Lovette, socializing outside of work. Having such a the pandemic has provided an opportunity small, consistent group there also creates to refocus on her fitness goals. Through a an atmosphere where everyone is responsicombination of at-home online workouts at ble for each other’s health, and that creates first, then going back to in-person workouts a safer workout environment, says Lovette. when gyms were allowed to reopen, Lovette has lost more than 70 pounds in 2020 so far. Going back to the gym took some time One group of people who should avoid to get comfortable with again, she says. But the gym altogether, however, is those with just as so many of us have had to adjust to pre-existing conditions that would increase wearing masks, taking extra precautions risk of complications caused by COVIDand learning to deal with any associated While there are risks associated with 19. People in this group should opt for anxiety that comes with being out and going to indoor gyms, there are a lot of outdoor exercise, if possible, or find a gym about again, she eventually learned to things gym-goers and facilithat’s following guidelines ties can do to decrease their strictly, said Proctor. Luckily, risk. The more that individthere are a bevy of outdoor uals and gyms follow guideoptions, plenty of local busilines laid out by the CDC, nesses that can help you find the lower the risk of spread, gear to prepare for changing Proctor says. weather and lots of online, “If someone does want at-home workout options to use a gym or exercise provided by local businesses. indoors, I would encourage “I’ve been running for them to find a facility that is over 21 years, and I can tell well-ventilated, has a mask you that there really is no bad mandate, has spaced-out weather for running,” says workout equipment, uses Proctor. “It is all about your tape or markers to help gear and clothing. I love runremind individuals to stay ning in the winter months, 6 feet apart, has hand sanand the running/cycling itizers and cleaning wipes industry has developed great throughout the facility, and gear to keep you warm and has daily in-person or virtual safe during the cold, dark health checks,” she says. “But Nicole Bechill teaches an online yoga class. winter months. People who it is important to remember have picked up running, hikthat four in 10 people infected with COVID- adjust and become comfortable with going ing or biking outdoors during the pandemic 19 don’t show any symptoms at all, so those back to the gym. can continue those same activities throughhealth checks will only identify individuals “You have to decide if you’re comfortable out the winter with proper gear.” with symptoms. Local businesses that sell jogging and with it. I tested it out first,” Lovette says. “You also want to go to a gym that biking gear include Fleet Feet Athens, “I have become comfortable with it. I think
What to Look For in a Gym JASON FUSCO
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FLAGPOLE.COM | OCTOBER 21, 2020
Outdoor Options
Athens Running Co., The Hub, Georgia Cycle Sports, Sunshine Cycles and Ben’s Bikes. The nonprofit BikeAthens also sells refurbished donated bikes and does repairs. Athens also has many wonderful outdoor recreation spaces. Basketball and volleyball courts at ACC parks have reopened, socially distanced sports like tennis and golf are relatively safe options, and the North Oconee River Greenway and other public trails remain open. “Walker Park, formerly Trail Creek Park, has outdoor fitness equipment, a greenway, mountain bike and walking trails, and two tracks,” says Proctor. “The UGA Intramural Fields has a fitness path and great trails for hiking and running. Individuals can spread out their yoga mat or do Pilates on an open field at any of the parks. I know there are personal trainers in Athens meeting people in outdoor fields with free weights and equipment and leading workouts. If you need the external motivation, online classes are a good option.” If the thought of leaving the house to brave the gym is too much, and you’d rather work out from the comfort of your own living room or back porch, you can still support local businesses by looking for local online class options. For example, Revolution Therapy & Yoga, formerly Rubber Soul, pivoted when gyms closed this spring and now offers a variety of onlineonly, donation-based classes. The pandemic, says yoga instructor Nicole Bechill, offered a chance to explore things like trauma-conscious yoga and focused their collective vision for the business in a direction that would help the community come to terms with the trauma we’re all experiencing right now in living through a pandemic. She currently teaches an online class from her own outdoor space at home and says the social aspect has been a positive experience. “I’m feeling good about connecting with people on the Zoom classes, and it’s nice to socialize,” Bechill says. “It’s also given me an excuse to check in with people that I haven’t seen in a while and invite them to join my online class.” Outside of online classes, Revolution also offers one in-person yoga class, limited to just three people, and has a variety of available therapy options available for anyone who’s struggling with the mental health side of wellbeing. f
Our Leaders Know Deborah will change the status quo. Leaders Trust Deborah Gonzalez to Be a District Attorney who leads with HEART End mass incarceration by supporting diversion and second-chance programs while focusing on serious crime Uplift our kids, ending the school to prison pipeline by investing in and being active in our community Finally address systemic racism and bring needed change to our criminal legal system in Athens and Oconee
Endorsed by Dekalb DA Sherry Boston, Stacey Abrams, Former Governor Roy Barnes, Reps. Bob Trammell (Minority Leader), Spencer Frye, Sam Park, Brenda Lopez-Romero. Mayor Kelly Girtz, Commissioners Patrick Davenport, Mariah Parker, Melissa Link, Allison Wright, Russell Edwards, Tim Denson, and Ovita Thornton. Commissioners-Elect Jesse Houle and Carole Myers
Provide resources and support to victims of violence and their families by leading with compassion
www.DeborahforDA.com Paid for By Deborah Gonzalez for District Attorney
This is the time for
LEADERS focused on
RESULTS.
We can move Georgia forward, together. DEMOCRAT
Paid for by Jonathan Wallace for State House
OCTOBER 21, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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flagpole
FITNESS & HEALTH DIRECTORY EXERCISE
Classic City Cycling 230 W. Clayton St. · 706-850-8033 · classiccitycycling.com A boutique indoor cycling studio located in downtown Athens featuring rhythm-based, fun, cardio workouts choreographed to the beat of the music to boost your endorphins in the ultimate workout. They will get your heart pumping, sweat pouring, and build athleticism that will inspire, empower, and support you to be the best version of yourself! Sign up today for your complimentary first ride!
Welcome to our 7th annual Flagpole Fitness & Health Directory. Below you will find businesses offering ways for you to get and stay fit, and how to be healthier in general. To be included in next year’s edition or our other special sections, contact the Flagpole Advertising Department: ads@flagpole.com or 706-549-0301.
HEALTH
AND
HEALING
5 Points Acupuncture 2027 S. Milledge Ave. · 706-549-3176 · 5pointsacupuncture.com
M3Yoga 149 Oneta St. Stes. 6E1 and 6E2 · 706-214-2232 · m3yoga.com
Ancient Medicine, Modern Times! Offering Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine to the greater Athens community to help local residents live a more active, pain free life through non-drug, non-surgical, and natural pain relieving interventions. Acupuncture effectively treats migraines, chronic pain, IBS and seasonal allergies plus much, much more! Call to schedule a consultation to see how they can help!
With two studios, M3Yoga offers in-person, livestream and on-demand classes. Owned by a nurse, they require masks and take extra precautions to keep you safe. M3 has the largest class variety in Athens, including Inferno Hot Pilates. Voted Flagpole Favorite 3 years in a row. Discounts for UGA employees, teachers, students, nurses & more. Intro: 2 Weeks for $30.
Anthony Chiropractic
Shakti Power Yoga
335 Hawthorne Lane · 706-543-5901 · anthonychiropractic.com
940 Prince Ave. · 706-850-7792 · shaktiyogaathens.com
Providing exceptional chiropractic care to Athens and surrounding communities for 40 years. Their office offers in-house digital x-ray, spinal decompression therapy, physiotherapy, structural correction and scoliosis care. They specialize in personal injury/trauma, pediatrics, pregnancy and wellness care. They offer a no-charge consultation for prospective new patients. Let Dr. Mackenzie A. Puckett and Dr. Mark Anthony help you achieve optimum health and performance!
Shakti is on a mission: to be up to something bigger than ourselves. The studio shows up with yoga that inspires an empowered and vibrant life to facilitate authentic connection and community. Their practice is invigorating, clearing, and always evolving. Discover yourself as your best teacher & a community that is doing the same. Start now in the studio or online!
Lawson Family Chiropractic, P.C.
YWCO
775 Gaines School Rd · 706-546-4488 · athenschiropractor.net
562 Research Dr. · 706-354-7880 · ywco.org
Dr. Meg Ann Lawson has over 25 years of experience in the chiropractic field and can help you with a variety of health issues. Lawson Family Chiropractic offers chiropractic care, DOT exams for CDL drivers (trucks, commercial licenses), brain training, functional medicine and nutrition counseling, massage therapy, and even animal adjustments. Call or visit their website to arrange a free consultation.
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FLAGPOLE.COM | OCTOBER 21, 2020
For 100+ years, the YWCO has helped men, women and children learn to swim, get in shape, and take control of their health. The YWCO offers children fun quality afterschool and summer day camp programs. By offering a variety of fitness and aquatics classes, swim lessons, lap swim, adult soccer and after school and camp experiences, the YWCO encourages friendships and positive physical and mental health.
RECREATIONAL FITNESS
NUTRITION Journey Juice
Active Climbing
1428 Prince Ave. Suite B · 706-850-0707 · www.journeyjuice.com
665 Barber St. · (706)354-0038 · activeclimbing.com
Journey Juice is Athens’ premium locally-owned, raw, cold-pressed juice store. They offer 10 oz and 16 oz bottles of fresh fruit and vegetable juice and three flavors of almond milk. Each bottle contains between two and three pounds of fresh produce with no water or sugar added. All of their produce is locally sourced and Certified Naturally Grown when possible and is never frozen.
ATHENS, GA
This is not a gym, it is a community! Active Climbing offers everyone a place to learn and develop their climbing skills no matter the experience level. They love what they do, and want you to love it too! Their community is a judgement free zone made up of climbers that make everyone feel welcome. They also offer birthday parties, climbing teams, and summer camps for the kids!
Smoothie King
Canopy Studio
1591 S. Lumpkin St. · 706-613-2600 · smoothieking.com
160-6 Tracy St. · 706-549-8501 · canopystudio.org
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH COVID-19 Statement: The YWCO has worked tirelessly to provide a safe environment for our members and staff including daily temperature screenings, social distancing, reducing class size, offering outdoor classes, requiring masks on, and adding additional cleaning procedures.
562 Research Drive • 706-354-7880 • www.ywco.org
160-6 Tracy St. Athens, GA 30601 www.canopystudio.org info@canopystudio.org
160-6 Tracy St. • Athens, GA • info@canopystudio.org • www.canopystudio.org
At Smoothie King, they have a Blend for Every Purpose...and a flavor for every taste. All crafted using whole fruits and veggies made just for YOU. They give you countless combinations of fruits, veggies, supplements and enhancers for endless ways to...RULE THE DAY!
Canopy is a nonprofit circus arts studio dedicated to enriching the culture of the community and the lives of individuals. During this pandemic, they operate safely and responsibly with mask usage, temperature checks, smaller classes, sociallydistanced operation, increased ventilation, and equipment disinfection after each use. Movement is important for your sanity during this tough time - check them out!
Canopy is a nonprofit
circus arts studio dedicated to enriching the culture
of our community and the lives of individuals.
During this pandemic, we continue to operate safely and responsibly with mask usage, temperature checks, smaller classes, socially-distanced operation, increased ventilation, and equipment disinfection after each use. Movement is important for your sanity during this tough time.Come check us out!!
OCTOBER 21, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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OCT. 26th–30th
NORMALTOWN’S BEST COFFEE, ESPRESSO & TEA
A TOUR OF SPIRITED HOMES AROUND BOOLEVARD
WALK-UP WINDOW
FLAGPOLE AND SIPS PRESENT A TOUR OF THE MOST CREEPY, SCARY, SPOOKY, SPOOPY, HALLOWEEN HOUSES IN THE BOOLEVARD NEIGHBORHOOD. SPECTATORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DRIVE AROUND AT THEIR LEISURE TO VIEW THE DISPLAYS AND VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITES ONLINE AT FLAGPOLE.COM.
WE ALWAYS WEAR T JUST MASKS AT SIPS,NO
ON HALLOWEEN!
HAUNTS WILL BE ON DISPLAY FROM MONDAY, 10/26–FRIDAY, 10/30 FROM 6:30–9:00 P.M.
VOTING ENDS AT MIDNIGHT ON OCT. 30. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON HALLOWEEN.
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OUSE H E T I R R FAVO U O Y R E.COM L VOTE FO O P G A AT FL
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The Foreign Country of COVID Time Is a Flat Circle MASKED, EVERYBODY IS SOCIALLY AWKWARD, ESPECIALLY NEW NEIGHBORS GEORGIA LOST TO ALABAMA—AGAIN By Kathryn Kyker news@flagpole.com
KATHRYN KYKER
We all know that masks and social distance complicate everyday interactions, but on that day it occurred to me that it’s like visiting another country. Even if it’s an English-speaking country, all the interactions are a little different: body language, greetings, how you pay for stuff. Being polite and kind helps pave over most rough patches, but with masks on, others can’t see you smile or hear your inflection of gratitude or apology. My husband and I are having a similar experience with new neighbors. While others turned their homes into retreat spaces, our spring was spent packing and moving. We downsized from our home of 29 years to move to an apartment. It’s in a new complex, so everyone living here just moved in, which under normal circumstances would make it easy to meet people. But COVID-19 pre-empted the usual exchange of handshakes and names. A few introductions have been made across a sidewalk or from a patio. The people out the most are the ones with dogs. We didn’t stand out as elders in our old neighborhood, but here we are clearly above the average age. We take walks through the neighborhood, and others cede the sidewalk to us before I even realize that we should take a turn. Many wear masks walking out-
side, and though I’ve seen lots of students wearing masks, I’ve yet to see them on the students in the rental house across the street. So far, the most effective breakthroughs in COVID awkwardness are the unplanned incidents of modern living. I haven’t ever lived in an apartment complex, so I don’t know if it’s normal to get a wrong package set on your doorstep. The first time it happened, I opened the package without checking the name. There weren’t many residents living here yet, and I was expecting a delivery. I opened the box to find items I didn’t order—classic apartment-rookie mistake. It was meant for my neighbor, whom I had never seen. It didn’t feel right to leave an opened box on her doorstep, so I donned my mask and knocked. She answered and forgave me. I introduced myself but stood back, and then, because she seemed so young, I told her to let us know if she needed anything. That was over two months ago, and I haven’t seen her since. Somehow, she’s doing fine without our help. That specific display of awkwardness could be blamed on my ignorance of apartment culture or being a mom of a certain age, but I’m blaming COVID. Soon after that, I came home to a small gathering in the parking lot. I hoped it was a party, but then I saw the police car, and an officer leaning into an SUV. I approached the edge of the group and was told that several cars were broken into. I joined the worried conversation about how and when, which morphed into frustration about apartment management and a desire for a listserv or newsletter. We agreed we wanted communication with each other and from the company. A few introductions were made, but no contact information was solicited. No one but the police officer was masked. In that impromptu gathering, we almost forgot COVID. We stood apart, but strangers do that… don’t they? It seems like we’re all strangers now. In a mask, even a friend could be unrecognized. Despite some physical distance in that parking lot, there was shared empathy for the victims of theft, a unity of discontent about mundane things like trash and mail, and an implied resolve to watch out for each other and keep each other safe—a moment of community. Those moments we once took for granted have been few and far between in these many months of COVID. Finding ways to connect through this awkwardness can be a six-foot reach, but connection and community were once our norm and one day will be again—so keep on practicing. f
Georgia lost to Alabama 44-21 Saturday night in Tuscaloosa to give the Dawgs their sixth consecutive loss to the Crimson Tide and their third since Kirby Smart was named head coach in 2015. The best I can say is, at least we didn't suffer another last-minute heartbreak. Despite the loss, Georgia still has everything to play for this season and holds its destiny in its own hands. Win out and, in all likelihood, we'll meet Alabama again for the SEC Championship Game in December. But there's also a lot we need to fix to give ourselves a shot in that hypothetical matchup. After a shaky start, Georgia settled into the game and put up a field goal and three touchdowns in the first half. On the first touchdown drive, 47 of the 57 yards came on the ground. The second touchdown came on an 82-yard pass from Stetson Bennett IV to James Cook, our longest pass play since 2013. The final touchdown of the half came via a methodical drive capped by a touchdown pass from Bennett to freshman
made to go to the air. Which brings us to our second culprit—Bennett. The junior was steady, if unspectacular, in the first half. In the second half, we were all reminded that this is a former walk-on facing the Alabama defense. Bennett completed only 45% of his passes and averaged just 6.7 yards per attempt. Most notably, he threw three interceptions. There isn't a world in which we can give up three turnovers to Alabama and still win the game. Bennett was a fun story through three games, but he's simply not good enough to take this team where it wants to go. He left a number of big plays on the field because he was unable to spot the open receiver. And, yes, he's also too short. Alabama saw that Tennessee was able to swat a few of his passes at the line of scrimmage last week, and its defensive line was coached to throw up a hand every time Bennett threw a pass. A number of potential big plays were batted down at the line of scrimmage. SKYLAR LIEN
After being seated outside at a local restaurant, I wanted a cup of salsa—but was I allowed to go in? I did, masked, and a manager came up to me immediately. He didn’t hear my request; I repeated it, and he handed me a cup, saying something I didn’t hear. I thanked him and walked away. But maybe he was telling me I needed to pay extra for that, and maybe I had just been a clueless jerk. I was already back outside and figured it was better to stay there. It’s as if we’re speaking different languages or have no language at all.
By Cy Brown news@flagpole.com
Is it time for an upgrade at quarterback?
Jermaine Burton with 23 seconds left on the clock. Alabama, however, managed a field goal in those final seconds to make it a 24-20 game at the half. The Tide were always going to put up points. After all, they have two future firstround receivers, two future first-round tackles, the best running back in the SEC and a quarterback who can throw the football a mile. Even with Georgia's vaunted defense, the Tide putting up points was never in doubt. The problems arose in the second half, when Georgia's offense could no longer keep pace. One of the biggest factors in the anemic offensive display in the second half was Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken's decision to abandon the run once Alabama scored a pair of touchdowns to take a 34-24 lead. The Dawgs averaged nearly five yards per carry, and Alabama had no answer for our stable of running backs. Yet, with ample time still on the clock to make a comeback, the decision was
There are now almost two weeks until the Dawgs travel to Kentucky after the SEC rearranged the schedule to accommodate for COVID postponements. Smart and Monken have a decision to make in that time. Bennett is probably good enough to lead us to a 9-1 record and a rematch with Alabama this season. But he isn't good enough to beat the Tide in that rematch. So do we stick with him, get to the SEC Championship Game, and then probably lose again? Or do we go a different route and try D'Wan Mathis again or JT Daniels? Both of those guys may suffer growing pains that lead to a regular-season loss, putting our spot in Atlanta in jeopardy. But both of those guys also have a ceiling far above Bennett, who seems to have hit his in his first appearance against Arkansas. If our goal is to make it back into the playoffs and win a national championship and not just to win the East again before suffering another loss in Atlanta, I know which way I'd rather go. Your move, Kirby. f
OCTOBER 21, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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cla cl assifi fie eds Buy It, Sell It, Rent It, Use It! Place an ad anytime, email class@flagpole.com
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REAL ESTATE
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Office space available at 220 Prince Ave. Flagpole has more space then we need in the 1907 two-story house that we rent across from The Grit and Hendershot’s! Two spaces available on the second floor: $800/ month for large office; Facing Prince Ave., lots of windows, built-in bookcase and decorative fireplace. $350/month for small office; Perfect for space for a single person to get some work done. Both spaces include parking for the renter and a guest, all utilities (except phone) including inter net and use of shared conference room. Must have limited foot traffic. No reception available. Please email ads@flagpole.com for more information or to set up an appointment.
Garage Sales: Furniture, tools, plants, patio furniture, holiday decor and more. Wear a mask! Fri. 10/23–Sat. 10/24, 9 a.m.–3 p . m . M i l l s t o n e C i rc l e Athens, GA 30605
Child care available for infants to preschool. Educational and fun! Day and night care available. Parents, you must see this beautiful family home childcare. 706-424-9016.
MUSIC
HOME AND GARDEN
Cheeky Peach Boutique is now hiring a full-time O p e r a t i o n s M a n a g e r. Cheeky Peach is a dynamic, high-energy fashion boutique. Email resume to logistics@shopcheekypeach.com.
EQUIPMENT
Plumber Pro Service & Drain. Upfront Pricing. Free Estimates. $30 Flagpole Discount. Call 706-7697761. Same Day Service Available. www.plumber proservice.com.
Nuçi’s Space needs your old instruments & music gear, especially drum equipment! All donations are tax-deductible. 706227-1515 or come by Nuçi’s Space, 396 Oconee St.
MUSIC SERVICES Instant cash is now being paid for good vinyl records & CDs in fine condition. Wuxtry Records, at corner of Clayton & College Dwntn. 706-3699428.
flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week! Business Services Real Estate Music For Sale
Employment Vehicles Messages Personals
BASIC RATES* Individual $10 per week Real Estate $14 per week Business $16 per week (RTS) Run-‘Til-Sold** $40 per 12 weeks Online Only*** $5 per week
Need some old newspapers for your garden? Paper mache? Well, they’re free at the Flagpole office! Call ahead, then come grab an armful. Please leave current issues on stands. 706-549-0301.
PRINTING Self publish your book! Local (Five Points) professional publishing service. Editing, design and printing services. 30+ years experience. Let’s meet at Jittery Joe’s. 706395-4874.
Full-time line cook needed. Stop by Big City Bread Cafe or Little City Diner to fill out an application or email your resume to bigcitycafe@yahoo. com. Experience preferred, weekend availability required. We’re hiring! We offer full-time employee benefits including but not limited to medical, vision, dental, and company-paid life insurance. Apply online and join a company that puts its employees first! www.accurusaero.com/ careers. Contact us at 706548-5009 ext. 211
PART-TIME Find employees by advertising in the Flagpole Classifieds! Call 706-5490301 or email class@flagpole.com today!
Need a safe, reliable and COVID-aware job? CBSG seeks excellent typists (65+ WPM). We offer a safe-space work environment as well as workfrom-home opportunities. Choose your schedule with 16 hours/week minimum. In-person training with future opportunities to work from home. Pay starts at $8.25 with $1/hour or higher raises after training. No previous transcription experience required. Apply at www.ctscribes. com. Previous employees looking for work-from-home opportunities should e-mail athrecruiting@copytalk. com. Weaver D’s is seeking an order filler and dishwasher! Open Tues.–Sat., 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Fill out an application after 2 p.m. Restaurant experience preferred.
NOTICES MESSAGES Lost and found pets can be advertised in Flagpole classifieds for free. Call 706-549-0301 or email class@flagpole.com to return them home.
ADOPT ME!
Visit athenspets.net to view all the cats and dogs available at the shelter
*Ad enhancement prices are viewable at flagpole.com **Run-‘Til-Sold rates are for MERCHANDISE ONLY ***Available for individual rate categories only
PLACE AN AD • Call our Classifieds Dept. (706) 549-0301 • Email us at class@flagpole.com
Pancho (53461)
Pancho’s a mild-mannered dog ready to find a permanent family to give all his love! This guy loves car rides, sits for treats and is always down to just chill by your side.
• Deadline to place ads is 11:00 a.m. every Monday for the following Wednesday issue • All ads must be prepaid
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FLAGPOLE.COM | OCTOBER 21, 2020
Tina (53953)
Tina’s an easygoing girl that doesn’t mind a little spontaneous activity with a pal! She likes to wander around outdoors, play fetch and learn new tricks.
Zepplin (53523)
Zepplin is a sweetheart that will take all the love, affection, toys and treats you have to offer! She is housetrained, loves head scratches and is eager to make new friends.
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
Edited by Margie E. Burke
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FIND TRAILS AT WALKER PARK, AND MORE ARE IN THE WORKS By Kristen Morales news@flagpole.com
6 8 2 5 3 9 7 4 5 3 5 6 8 9 8 7 1
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Copyright 2020 by The Puzzle Syndicate
HOW TO SOLVE:
Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3 by 3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Week of 10/19/20 - 10/25/20
The Weekly Crossword 1
2
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14
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8 25 7 31 6 34 9 37 4 2 40 1 3 45 5
3 26 9 2 5 1 6 8 7 46 4
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5 3 1 7 2 941 643 4 8
9
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13
28
29
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49
50
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Solution to Sudoku:
1 5 4 3 8 7 9 647 2
by Margie E. Burke
19
20
51
7
4 2 9 7 8 6 4 2 9 7 5 323 1 835 6 4 638 5 3 9 3 4 8 1 2 3 7 5 5 1 2 8 7 9 1 6 52
22
6 27 1 8 2 7 5 4 9 48 3
24
33 36 39 42 44
53
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Copyright 2020 by The Puzzle Syndicate
ACROSS 1 Long story 42 Whodunit 5 Went out with feature 10 Drop a line? 43 Fighting force 14 Make a pitch 44 4:1, e.g. 15 Fluid buildup 45 Poetic measure 16 "Field of Dreams" 48 Gilligan, for one setting 51 Not germane 17 Like some 53 Verne's captain vaccines 54 At hand 18 Of great impor55 Durable fabric tance 56 Lump of dirt 20 Log-in entry 57 Like venison's 22 Flexible flavor 23 Sudden 58 Animal in a outpouring roundup 24 Pesky insect 59 Film feline 25 Solution for dry eyes 27 Masquerade DOWN 31 On the double 1 Hit the mall 32 Cropped up 2 That certain 33 Slippery one something 34 Outfielder's cry 3 Prairies, e.g. 35 Dentist's advice 4 Pumpkin pie 36 Work the seasoning bleachers 5 Knock down a 37 Ill-behaved peg 38 Horse pill 6 Hold dear 39 Analyze grammar 7 Care for 40 Heeded an RSVP 8 Flightless bird
9 10 11 12 13 19 21 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 35 36 38 39 41 42 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 52
Mildew cause Having limits Scintilla Origami bird "Stop right there!" Make giddy Drop off "Ick!" Brazilian dance Beelike Haughty Worthless one Have a feeling Church leader Back street Lacking shape Discrepancy Green mineral Golf shot Overly diluted Tony, to Jeannie Cooktop Minor damage Vicinity Study hard Give a hoot Singer Tori Jedi guru Chow checker
Puzzle answers are available at www.flagpole.com/puzzles
feature
The Dirt on Off-Road Biking
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fitness & health
T
he dirt trails that ring Walker Park in East Athens amenities in mind. aren’t very old, but they already hold a good bit of “But really, any property with enough space to build history. trails or connected to the Greenway network would be a The trails were built by members of the Athens chapter win for us, even if it happened one mile at a time,” says of the Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association and repreYounger. “The Greenway network and the connectivity it sent the culmination of years of work to create an official provides is awesome for all disciplines of cycling, especially place to host the sport. While there may be “unofficial” more disadvantaged groups. The Greenway, when it’s [fully] dirt trails around Clarke County, the safest place to ride is built, is going to be great.” marked trails made for the sport. Walker Park—formerly Until the home for the next set of trails is set, though, known as Trail Creek Park until it was renamed for the late SORBA members are out maintaining the trails that already community activist Virginia Walker—provides that outlet. exist. Locals looking for a day out of the house—whether “[Walker Park] is a relatively new thing on the scene, and it’s to learn more about off-road trails or to spend some it’s awesome in that it opens up the sport to your average time volunteering to maintain them—can join SORBA for person who is able to live close enough to get their bike to weekly “trail love” events. Pre-registration is required in the park and ride it there, or who are fortunate to be able order to maintain social distancing (visit sorbaathens.org/ to load up their bike on the car and get it there. It has made events for details). our sport more accessible,” says Seth Younger, president of the Athens chapter of SORBA. Walker Park opened in 2006, but the natural-surface trails were completed about five years ago. “People love it, and they come from out of town to ride the trails because they are so unique,” Younger says. “But we’ve reached the point where [Walker Park] is done. So, what’s next?” By “done,” Younger is referring to the status of the trails—after years of hard labor by SORBA members, the park now has six marked paths for bikes. SORBA maintains the trails through a memorandum of understanding with AthensClarke County Leisure Bikers on the off-road trails SORBA built at Walker Park. Services, which maintains signs and larger infrastructure such as bridges. The partnership was the fulfillment SORBA is also building a “pump track” at Walker Park, of an unwritten promise to the Athens area off-road biking which is a small track where riders can practice skills on community that for years had nowhere official to ride. small hills and turns. Between that and the constant needs When Walker Park first opened as Trail Creek Park in for trail maintenance, Younger says, there are a lot of ways 2006, the off-road biking community saw the woods suranyone interested in off-road biking can plug in. “Because rounding the sports fields and found a solution. “We looked of COVID, we’ve not had a lot of volunteer days,” Younger at a map and said, ‘We can put trails in the spaces around adds. “So, we’ve started doing weekly events, because the edges.’ And they did,” says Younger. “And that’s the sort there’s a 10-person limit, and there’s a lot of little stuff to of thing we hope we can do again.” do.” f Alex Bond, administrator for the Nature Division of Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services, says they are looking at other county properties that could work for another natural-surface trail network. Sandy Creek Park is one such area identified as a possibility; another is the Cedar Creek Water Reclamation Facility on the Eastside. Local off-road bikers have been eyeing the Cedar Creek property for years, but it has been difficult to cut through EQUIPMENT: The biggest hurdle to the sport is the the layers of government to get something worked out. bike. Get the lightest one you can afford, says Seth Even Bond acknowledged he would also have to work with Younger, president of the Athens chapter of SORBA. the Public Utilities Department for approval. That and a helmet, and you’re good to go. “The property is very large, and we don’t know what potential could be there,” says Bond. “And, just like any of LOCATION: Ride only on trails marked for off-road these [facilities], we have to keep up with materials and bicycling. While there are other natural-surface trails operations. It’s not as simple as cutting in a trail or putting around Athens, trails that are marked are designed and maintained for bicycles. SORBA does not recomin a parking lot.” mend riding on unmarked trails. Ideally, says Younger, SORBA and the county could work out a memorandum of understanding similar to what’s MORE INFO: Visit sorbaathens.com for maps and in place at Walker Park. A landscape architecture student other resources. created a conceptual plan for the property a couple of years ago, and SORBA members could plan trails with future
Getting Into Mountain Biking
OCTOBER 21, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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WHITLEY CARPENTER
SUDOKU
Difficulty: Easy
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 ARTIST-IN-ATHICA RESIDENCIES (Athens Institute for Contemporary Art: ATHICA) Residencies provide administrative support, exhibition and performance facilities, and a small stipend. Artists may work in any or multiple disciplines and traditions, including but not limited to visual, curatorial, musical, performing, written, experimental, cinematic, digital and theatrical arts. Residents can work independently or collaborate with others. Visit website for quarterly deadlines. www.athica. org/call-for-entries ATHENS CREATIVE DIRECTORY (Athens, GA) The ACD is a new platform to connect creatives with patrons. Visual artists, musicians, actors, writers and other creatives are encouraged to create a free listing (using a desktop computer) before the new website launches. Make sure to include contact information, a description of work and an image. athenscreatives@gmail.com, athenscreatives.directory CALL FOR ART (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) The “Small Works Inspired by Poetry Exhibition” seeks works in any media that visually respond to one of five provided poems. See website for submission guidelines. Deadline Dec. 1. $20–25 fee. www.ocaf.com
CALL FOR INTERNS (Athens Institute for Contemporary Art: ATHICA) ATHICA is seeking interns interested in development, social media, music, poetry, photography and gallery operation. Minimum five hours a week. College credit is available in coordination with department of study. Rolling deadline. athica. org/updates/internships DEFIANCE AWARDS PROJECT (Morton Theatre) The Morton Theatre Corporation is accepting submissions for its new Defiance Awards Project, which will provide up to 10 cash awards of $500 to Black artists to support the creation and exhibition of short films or studio art that explore the Black Lives Matter movement and everyday experiences of Blacks in America. Deadline Oct. 31. board@morton theatre.com GREENWAY CALL FOR PUBLIC ART (Oconee Rivers Greenway) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission invites professional artists to submit a proposal and images of a public art concept for the Oconee Rivers Greenway trail construction project. A site visit is scheduled for Oct. 27 at 11 a.m. Deadline Jan. 4 at 11:59 p.m. www.athensculturalaffairs.com INDIE SOUTH HOLIDAY HOORAY (660 N. Chase St.) Indie South will host one of the largest artist markets in the region this holiday season. Multiple vendor booth options are
art around town ATHENS INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART (ATHICA) (675 Pulaski St., Suite 1200) “Masked/Unmasked: Photographs by David Noah” is an online exhibition that features dual portraits and personal statements on mask-wearing from 70 individuals. Visit athica.org through Nov. 15. • Curated by Alex Christopher Williams of Minor League, “The Unseen Forest” features photographs by Southern photographers Nydia Blas, Jaclyn Kolev Brown and Aaron Hardin. Virtual Curator and Artist Panel Discussion Oct. 21, 7 p.m. Online Musical Event Nov. 19, 7 p.m. Exhibition remains on view through Dec. 6. CINÉ (234 W. Hancock Ave.) “The New Americans” features pop art paintings by Atlanta artist Blair LeBlanc. Through October. CLASSIC CENTER (300 N. Thomas St.) The Classic Galleries presents “Inside/Outside,” an exploration of domestic spaces and gardens through the eyes of artists. Christina Foard, Leah Mckillop and Cameron Bliss examine their surroundings, people, pets and furniture in Gallery I, while Richard Botters, Melanie Epting, Nancy Everett, Richard Huston and Beth Richardson invite viewers into their gardens in Gallery II. GALLERY AT HOTEL INDIGO (500 College Ave.) “Athens Facades” presents Mike Landers’ photographs of buildings at dark in downtown and Five Points between 2000–2002. GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) “Hurricane Katrina and Its Aftermath in the Art of Rolland Golden.” Through Oct. 18. • “The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design” presents a survey of exceptional American chair design from the early 19th century to the present day. Oct. 17–Jan. 3. • “The Seated Child: Early Children’s Chairs from Georgia Collections.” Oct. 17–Jan. 3. • “Carl Holty: Romantic Modernist” includes paintings and drawings that reflect the artist’s pursuit of modern art theory. Through Jan. 17. • Sarah Cameron Sunde’s “36.5 / A Durational Performance with the Sea” combines performance, video and public art to address climate change. Through Jan. 17. • “Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz Collection” represents three generations of artists dating from the 1940s. Through Sept. 26, 2021. KEMPT (175 N. Lumpkin St.) The Milan Art Institute presents a display of 20 or so recent works by the institute’s students. Through October. LAMAR DODD SCHOOL OF ART (270 River Rd.) “Coupled” is a collaborative exhibition between MFA candidates Chaz Williams and Alex McClay. Through Nov. 6. • “NYC Invitational at the Dodd” features works by Mac Balentine, Rosie Brock, Luka Carter, Clyde Conwell, Annie Simpson and
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available for a two-day outdoor craft fair. Market is held Dec. 12–13, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. www.theindiesouth.com 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. nicholas.daglis@accgov.com PRINT LAUNCH AND SALE (Lyndon House Arts Center) A new limited-edition print by Samuel Stabler raises funds to support the LHAC. $100–120. Launches Oct. 20, 11 a.m. www.lyndonhouseartsfoundation.com SOLO-DUO-TRIO (Ciné) ATHICA is seeking artists for exhibitions at its gallery and upcoming satellite location, Ciné. Proposals are considered on a rolling basis. www.athica.org/ updates/solo-duo-trio-call
Classes DEDICATED MINDFULNESS PRACTITIONERS (Online) Weekly Zoom meditations are offered every Saturday at 8 a.m. Email for details. jaseyjones@gmail.com F3 FREE MEN’S WORKOUT GROUP (UGA Intramural Fields Parking Deck) Bring your gloves and a buddy for a socially distanced workout. Saturdays, 7 a.m. www. f3classiccity.com
FALL PROGRAM REGISTRATION (Athens, GA) ACC Leisure Services hosts a diverse selection of activities highlighting the arts, environmental science, recreation, sports and holiday events for adults and children. In-person and virtual programs are offered. Rolling registration is offered Saturdays through Nov. 28 for classes beginning two weeks later. www.accgov.com/leisure MINDFULNESS PRACTICE EVENINGS (Online) Discuss and practice how to change your relationship with difficult thoughts and emotions. Email for the Zoom link. Second Friday of the month, 6–7 p.m. FREE! mfhealy@bellsouth.net SPANISH CLASSES (Athens, GA) For adults, couples and children. Learn from experts with years of professional experience. Contact for details. 706-372-4349, marina bilbao75@gmail.com, marinaspain-2020.squarespace.com YAMUNA AND MORE (Elevate Athens, Online) Nia Holistic Fitness and Yamuna Body Rolling are held on an ongoing basis. $20/class. Specialty classes range from selfcare to Yamuna foot fitness and more.www.elevateathens.com YOGA CLASSES (Revolution Therapy and Yoga) “Outdoor Yoga with Meg Brownstone,” every Sunday at 10 a.m. $5–10 suggested donation. “Trauma Conscious Yoga with Crystal,” every Thursday at 6 p.m. $10 suggested donation. “Yoga for Well-being with Nicole Bechill,” every Saturday on Zoom at 10:30 a.m. Pre-registration required. rubbersoulcollective@gmail.com, www.revolutiontherapyandyoga.com
Robby Toles. Through Nov. 6. • “Mutter” is a video work by Philadelphiabased artist Lee Webster. Through Nov. 6. LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (211 Hoyt St.) Andrew Zawacki’s “Waterfall Plot” pairs 20 black-and-white photographs with short poems from his latest poetry volume. • In the Lounge Gallery, view paintings by Kendall Rogers, the recipient of the LHAC Choice Award at the “45th Juried Exhibition.” • “Boundless” features works by Don Chambers, Derek Faust, Alex McClay, Katherine McCullough and Paula Reynaldi. Chambers, McClay and McCullough will offer a 3Thurs Gallery Talk Oct. 15, 6 p.m. RSVP. • “The Art of Jeremy Ayers” celebrates the artist, lyricist, activist and beloved member of the community, who passed away in 2016. • Organized by Christina Foard, “Imagination Squared: Pathways to Resiliency” consists of over 1000 fiveinch works created by students and community members. Sharing a theme of resiliency, the small works build a collective story of recovery and strength. JITTERY JOE’S EASTSIDE (1860 S. Barnett Shoals Rd.) Paul Ohmer presents “Haunted Images From the Backroads Of America.” Through October. MADISON ARTISTS GUILD (125 W. Jefferson St., Madison) Bev Jones’ works in “Whispers of Tranquility” are inspired by experiences that jar her, as well as still moments, particularly when alone and immersed in the natural world. Through October. OCONEE CULTURAL ARTS FOUNDATION (34 School St., Watkinsville) “Romancing the Coast” features works by Karl Enter, John Weber, Harold Enter, Anna Desio, Celia Brooks and Alice Pruitt. Artist meet-and-greets are held Saturdays through Nov. 7. The exhibition is on view through Nov. 13. STEFFEN THOMAS MUSEUM OF ART (4200 Bethany Rd., Buckhead) “Elements: Expressions in Wood, Metal and Stone” presents three-dimensional works by Steffen Thomas in a variety of media. Through Nov. 7. Visit steffenthomas.org for virtual panel discussions and artist demos. SURGERY CENTER OF ATHENS (2142 W. Broad St., Building 100) Paintings by Susie Criswell. Through Dec. 11. TINY ATH GALLERY (174 Cleveland Ave.) “The Wild Rumpus Art Show” is a virtual exhibition with creative works interpreting this year’s Rumpus theme, “Magical.” Visit tinyathgallery.com through October. • “It’s Easier This Way” by Eli Saragoussi shares an large-scale soft sculpture funded by a Shelter Projects fellowship through the Willson Center, as well as a collection of painted woodcut characters. Available by appointment through Oct. 22. UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) “The Strategies of Suffrage: Mobilizing a Nation for Women’s Rights.” “Pylon: Tourists in Rock ’n Roll” celebrates the local band through photos, outfits, memorabilia and more. Through May 31. • “Election 1980: The Elephant in the Room” explores the historic change election. Oct. 19–Feb. 26. Visit digilab.libs.uga.edu/scl/exhibits.
FLAGPOLE.COM | OCTOBER 21, 2020
Paul Ohmer’s “Haunted Images From the Backroads of America,” a photography exhibit that includes this shot from Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, is currently on view at Jittery Joe’s on South Barnett Shoals Road. ZOOM YOGA (Online) Rev. Elizabeth Alder offers “Off the Floor Yoga” (chair and standing) on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. and “Easy on the Mat” yoga classes on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Ongoing classes are $5/class or $18/month. 706-612-8077, ommmever@yahoo.com
Events ANNUAL BIRDSEED SALE (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Order a variety of birdseed in multiple sizes and drive by the center to pick it up. Delivery is available for senior citizens and those who need it. Oct. 23, 3:30–5:30 p.m. and Oct. 24, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. www.accgov.com/ sandycreeknaturecenter THE ART OF SEATING LECTURE (Online) Diane DeMell Jacobsen presents a lecture in conjunction with the exhibition “The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American Design” at the Georgia Museum of Art. Oct. 21, 3 p.m. www.georgia museum.org ATHENS FARMERS MARKET (Bishop Park) The market is open with safety precautions in place. Wear a mask, pre-order when possible, keep your family home and use cashless payments. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–12 p.m. www.athensfarmers market.net ATHENS HAUNTED HISTORY WALKING TOURS (Downtown Athens) Join historian Jeff Clarke for a one-hour walking tour of local haunts. Advance reservations required. $15. 706-521-2556 ATHENS TO SAVANNAH RIDE (Begins at Jittery Joe’s Roaster on Barber St.) Participate on a two-day, 235-mile bike ride from Athens to Savannah, or do a virtual ride, run or walk and choose 10–235 miles. In-person ride held Oct. 23–24. Virtual held anytime before Oct. 25. $32–128. www.athenstosavannah. com BOO! ATHENS HAUNTED PUB TOUR (Downtown Athens) Hear spooky stories during a bar crawl. Stories will be told outdoors. Costumes encouraged. Oct. 30–31, 7 p.m. & 9 p.m. $125, $150/couple (includes a night at Hyatt Place). www.classiccenter.com
BREATHE (Online) UGA Theatre presents a multimedia work that focuses on social and political upheaval with an emphasis on action and “good trouble.” Actors will respond in real time using tweets, news articles and first-hand accounts. Live stream held Nov. 5–9 & 11–13, 8 p.m. www.ugatheatre.com/breathe BROWN MEDIA ARCHIVE EVENTS (Online) UGA Libraries celebrates the 25th anniversary of its special collections with events that highlight the Walter J. Brown Media Archive & Peabody Awards Collection’s contributions to media preservation, scholarship and filmmaking. Panel discussion with freelance filmmakers and footage archivists on Nov. 11, 7 p.m.facebook.com/ BrownMediaArchivesPeabody AwardsCollection THE CRY BABY LOUNGE PRESENTS (Online) Eli Saragoussi hosts bimonthly shows using YouTube Premiere. Find The Cry Baby Lounge on Facebook. thecry babylounge@gmail.com, bit.ly/ TheCryBabyLounge EERILY FAMILIAR (Canopy Studio) The Canopy Repertory Company presents a performance in the outdoor sculpture garden of the Cotton Press. Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Oct. 31–Nov. 1, 2 p.m. $6–20. www.canopystudio. org ESPAÑA EN CORTO: SPANISH SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Online) Watch award-winning Spanish short films with English subtitles. Oct. 20–21, 6 p.m. (films), 8 p.m. (Q&A). www.georgiamuseum.org FLAGPOLE’S CRUISE DOWN SPOOKY STREET (Athens, GA) Drive around the Boulevard neighborhood at your own leisure for an unusual tour of spirited homes. Houses will be decorated Oct. 26–30, 6:30–9 p.m. Vote for your favorite creepy, scary, spooky, spoopy and most traditional homes online at flagpole.com. Winners will be announced on Halloween. FLICKER DEADSTREAM (Flicker Theatre and Bar) Flicker hosts virtual shows every Thursday through November. Upcoming shows are Hotel Fiction and Garden Club (Oct. 22), Sacred Bull and Multiple Miggs (Oct. 29), T. Hardy Morris and Little Gold (Nov. 5), The Pink Stones and
Palace Doctor (Nov. 12), Kalen & Aslyn and Seth Martin (Nov. 19) and Cicada Rhythm and Earle Grey (Nov. 26). Find Flicker on YouTube. FRUITCAKES (Elbert Theatre, Elberton) Encore Productions presents its final show of the season. Fruitcakes is a Christmas story about a young runaway finding forgiveness in his heart and the town of people nuttier than fruitcakes that help him find his way. Nov. 6–7 & 13–14, 7 p.m. Nov. 8 & 15, 2 p.m. $9–11. 706-283-1049, tking@cityof elberton.net HEARTS OF GLASS (Online) Watch a documentary about Vertical Harvest, a small business that combines high-tech local food production and meaningful employment for people with disabilities. Stream the film between Oct. 23–30. Panel discussion Oct. 27, 4 p.m. showandtell. film/watch/uga HIKES (Multiple Locations) “Autumn Splendor: Lakeside Loop Trail” is planned at Sandy Creek Park for Nov. 21 at 10 a.m. “Full Moon Hike” is planned at Sandy Creek Nature Center on Nov. 30 at 5:30 p.m. www. accgov.com/leisure LIVE JAZZ (Porterhouse Grill) Enjoy dinner and some smooth jazz. Wednesdays, 6–9 p.m. www.porter houseathens.com LIVE WIRE EVENTS (Live Wire Athens) Wedding Industry Happy Hour is held every Wednesday from 5–6 p.m. Games of darts are held every Wednesday from 5–10 p.m. Fresh Garden Jam with live jamming is held every Thursday from 5–10 p.m. Love Music Live Stream offers bands streamed from the main stage every Friday 5-10 p.m. www.livewire athens.com/calendar MILES FOR MENTORSHIP (Athens, GA) The Clarke County Mentor Program presents a virtual run, walk or bike during the month of October. www.runsignup.com/Race/GA/ Virtual/MilesforMentorship NORMALTOWN POTTERY OUTDOOR SALE (465 Belvoir Heights) Shop for pottery by Juana Gnecco and Nancy Green, soaps by Farmington Herbals, local honey by 3 Kings Honey and handmade masks by Ann Sears. Masks required. Oct. 24–25, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. 762-728-0575 NOWHERE BAR LIVE (Online) Watch bands perform on stage through Facebook Live. www.nowherebarlive. com OCTOBER EVENTS (Southern Brewing Company) Monday Night Trivia every Monday at 6 p.m. Sunday Trivia with Solo Entertainment is held every Sunday at 5 p.m. www.sobrewco.com POTTERY POP UP SALE (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Every two weeks, four new regional artists will be featured. Pottery by Martha Cook, Marise Fransolino, Glenn Dair, and Tom Homann Oct. 13–24; The Chappelles, Adrina Richard, Kathy Phelps, and Cindy Angliss Oct. 27– Nov. 7; November 10 – November 21: Nancy Green, Juana Gnecco, MInsoo Yuh, and Tripti Yoganathan Nov. 10–21. www.ocaf.com SAM BURCHFIELD & CICADA RHYTHM (Classic Center) Enjoy a socially distanced show in the Classic Center’s Theatre. Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m. www.classiccenter.com/ tickets SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTS (Multiple Locations) Presented by the UGA Arts Council, the festival includes virtual exhibitions,performances and events highlighting visual, literary and performing arts. Select units will host in-person performances and exhibitions that maintain social distancing. Nov. 4–20. www.arts.uga.edu
STAIRS, CHAIRS & SQUARES (Performing and Visual Arts Complex Quad) This is a playful site-specific dance piece performed outside of the Georgia Museum of Art and inspired by the exhibition “The Art of Seating.” Oct. 24, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Nov. 8, 2:30 p.m. www.georgiamuseum.org TAZIKI’S FALL BLOCK PARTY (Outside Between Taziki’s and The Grit) Enjoy live music by White Rabbit Collective and fun fall activities. Oct. 25, 2–5 p.m. athens@ tazikiscafe.com TRUNK OR TREAT (Athens YMCA Parking Lot) Multiple Choices Center for Independent Living Disabled Veteran’s Division presents its third annual event. Oct. 22, 5–7 p.m. (multiple time slots available). Costumes encouraged. For ages 13 & under. $2/child. 706-850-4025 UNWORTHY REPUBLIC (Online) Avid Bookshop presents author Claudio Saunt (in conversation with the director of UGA’s Willson Center, Nicholas Allen) for Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory. Oct. 22, 7 p.m. www.avidbookshop.com VIRTUAL FALL SEASON (UGA Performing Arts Center) The PAC will host a variety of performances and events through October. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Front Row: National Artist Series presents a performance and Q&A with David Shifrin (Oct. 28– Nov. 2). pac.uga.edu VIRTUAL JACK-O-LANTERN JOG AND GOBLIN FUN RUN (Athens, GA) Participants can run independently from Oct. 24–31. Run in costume and email a photo to scncinc@gmail.com if interested. Proceeds benefit the Sandy Creek Nature Center Inc. Report your time at tiny.cc/JOJ5KTimes. scncinc@ gmail.com VOTING IN 2020: A DISCUSSION AND DOCUMENTARY SERIES (Online) The UGA School of Social Work presents a series about the past, present and future of voting. Oct. 21, Nov. 11 and Jan. 27. danielle.breidung@uga.edu WATER BOOK CLUB (Online) Seth M. Siegel discusses his book, Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World. Nov. 19, 7 p.m. laurel.loftin@accgov.om WILD RUMPUS HALLOWEEN PARADE & SPECTACLE (Athens, GA) This year’s activities include a virtual art show at tinyathgallery. com, an auction fundraiser, a socially-distanced “rumpus-in-place” parade and a Halloween “Holiday TV Special.” www.wildrumpus.org ZOMBIE FARMS (568 Smithonia Rd., Winterville) Zombie Farms is a haunted trail of unique horror sets with professionally trained scary actors, storytelling and more surprises. Check website for dates. $20–25. www.zombiefarms.com
Support Groups AL-ANON 12 STEP (Multiple Locations) Recovery for people affected by someone else’s drinking. Visit the website for a calendar of electronic meetings held throughout the week. www.ga-al-anon.org ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (Athens, GA) If you think you have a problem with alcohol, call the AA hotline or visit the website for a schedule of meetings in Barrow, Clarke, Jackson and Oconee Counties. 706-389-4164, www. athensaa.org RECOVERY DHARMA (Recovery Dharma) This peer-led support group offers a Buddhist-inspired
path to recovery from any addiction. Visit the website for info about Zoom meetings. Thursdays, 7–8 p.m. FREE! www.athensrecoverydharma. org SEX ADDICTS ANONYMOUS (Athens, GA) (Email for Location) Athens Downtown SAA offers a message of hope to anyone who suffers from a compulsive sexual behavior. www.athensdowntownsaa.com
Kidstuff FREE FAMILY PROGRAMS (Sandy Creek Nature Center) A Naturalist’s Walk will be held Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. “Critter Tales” is held Nov. 14 at 2:30 p.m. www.accgov.com/sandycreek naturecenter HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES (Various Locations) ACC Leisure Services will host a “Drive Thru Boo,” “Creepy Crafts,” “Mystery Ghost Hunt,” “Pumpkin Hunt,” “Virtual Scary Oozy Slimy Day,” “Kids in the Kitchen with Portia,” “Scary Movie Cinema,” “Movies by Moonlight Drive-In Movie,” “Franken-tastic,” “Four Eyes Concert,” “Monster Mash Dance Class,” “Spooky Science Camp and more. Visit website for descriptions, fees and dates. www.accgov.com/halloween
music
threats & promises
Flicker Deadstream’s Weekly Shows PLUS, MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com SAIL ON!: The inaugural edition of the
Thursday evening Flicker Deadstream a few weeks ago featuring WesdaRuler, Louie Larceny and UNTLD—with visuals by Arts & Crafts—went off without a hitch and was a total ball. The past two weeks’ episodes have featured Four Eyes, Radiator Hospital, Blunt Bangs and Jim Willingham. Upcoming shows are Hotel
than they ever did in libraries. Now, the 30-year-old image is reconfigured as a jigsaw puzzle courtesy of the band, the ALA and Athens’ own Very Good Puzzle Company. Proceeds benefit the ALA and Athens charity Books For Keeps, which distributes free books to young children. It is available exclusively via the band’s website, and I’m betting this will be a very
On the Street ABSENTEE BALLOTS (Athens, GA) Registered voters can request an absentee ballot before Oct. 30 for the Nov. 3 election through the Georgia Secretary of State’s online portal at ballotrequest.sos.ga.gov ACRONYM (Athens, GA) ACRONYM is a new website compiling COVID19 aid for Athens-based live music venues and artists. Check the website for updated listings on funding and financial opportunities, mental health guides, organizational support, community resources and more. Visit acroynym.rocks ATHHALF HALF MARATHON AND 5K (Athens, GA) This year’s race will be held in a virtual format. Proceeds benefit AthFest Educates. Register by Oct. 23. $70 (half marathon), $30 (5K). Submit times by Oct. 25. www. athhalf.com BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES (Little City Diner) W&A Engineering will match $500 in sales at Little City Diner with a donation to BreastFest Athens. Through Oct. 24. www. waengineering.com MUSICIANS (AND FRIENDS) HEALTH CLINIC (Nuçi’s Space) In-person and telephone appointments are available on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, 9 & 16. Open to anyone on a low income who is uninsured or under-insured. Call to book. 706227-1515 NATIVE PLANT SALE (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) The Connect to Protect plant sale will be held online. Schedule a plant pickup time. Through Oct. 27. botgarden. uga.edu/fall-native-plant-sale-events TRASHERCISE (Athens, GA) Complete your own Trashercise workout by walking, jogging or running along, trails, roads and neighborhoods. Bring a bag, gloves or a grabber, and pick up any trash you see. Share photos through #trasherciseathens. Report your cleanup online, and Keep AthensClarke County Beautiful will send a prize. carlos.pinto@accgov.com, www.keepathensbeautiful.org, www. accgov.com/aahcleanupreport VIRTUAL LEISURE SERVICES (Online) A variety of activities are offered in arts, athletics, nature and recreation. www.accgov.com/ leisure f
Count Zapula during his Flicker Deadstream promo video
Fiction and Garden Club (Oct. 22), Sacred Bull and Multiple Miggs (Oct. 29), T. Hardy Morris and Little Gold (Nov. 5), The Pink Stones and Palace Doctor (Nov. 12), Kalen & Aslyn and Seth Martin (Nov. 19) and Cicada Rhythm and Earle Grey (Nov. 26). The easiest way to tune in is to head to facebook.com/flickerbar.athens and click through on a specific event at that event’s start time. Or, of course, you could head to YouTube and simply subscribe to their channel. Just go to YouTube and search for “Flicker Theatre,” and you’ll find it. During the shows, and of course afterward, you will have the opportunity to tip/donate to the artists and to Flicker itself. Please consider doing what you can, even if you’re that particular type of townie who never pays for shows. Flicker’s ongoing Go Fund Me campaign can be found at gofundme.com/f/ qp585h-pay-it-forward. CAN’T GET ENOUGH: A sweet little wisp of a
record named Love is The Endgame by Razzi King slipped out at the beginning of the month. Containing a mere four tracks, it’s just a nice slice of King’s inexhaustible output. It’s functionally a tribute to the late, great Barry White but isn’t as upfront as all that. It’s just King thoughtfully and smoothly singing his versions. He switches the titles up slightly but plays faithfully with the actual tunes. Check this out over at echobassrecords.bandcamp.com. THROW THOREAU AND REARRANGE: I’ve long held
the suspicion that the posters created by the American Library Association and R.E.M. for the former’s “Read” campaign in 1990 spent more time on the walls of college dormitories and suburban bedrooms
hot item worldwide. So if you’re game (pun intended), ya better hop on it. For more information on all the above, please see remhq.com, verygoodpuzzle.com, ala.org and booksforkeeps.org. SWING SOFTLY: Back during the summer I
told y’all about Alex Nicholson’s project, Jarbins. Since that time he’s released a whole lot of songs, largely on a one-off basis. He did, however, collect four of them into a grouping named You Hit A Raw Nerve. These four encompass a short gamut of styles for Nicholson from light acoustic jazz to flamenco and then back again to his gentle, somewhat brittle folk. Not essential, but not bad at all. Check these out at jarbins.bandcamp.com, and expect a lot more from him, based on his previous output. AND SPEAKING OF WHICH: The aforementioned Nicholson (Saint Syzygy, Jarbins) is joined by his brother Tyler Nicholson (Jet Phase) and Ian Hemerlein (Kwazymoto, Saint Syzygy) in the band Rag Bags. The group recorded and released a new EP named Kudos, which was written by the brothers, performed by the trio and recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Hemerlein at his home studio. It’s not a record that’s immediately graspable, even though its individual parts are quite competent. To wit, the background vocals and production on the largely acoustic title track are really good, as is the swampy stomp of middle track “I Need This.” The record closes with the group’s version of Nicholson’s song, “When We Fade,” which first appeared on his Jarbins EP of the same name back in July. Find this on Spotify. f
OCTOBER 21, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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arts & culture
art notes
Georgia Discovered PLAN FOR PEAK LEAF SEASON WITH CHRIS GREER’S NEW BOOK By Jessica Smith arts@flagpole.com A slight chill in the air means one thing: of the most distinct destinations across the Peak leaf season is upon us. Luckily, local state. While Georgia Discovered details many photographer Chris Greer’s new book, of the region’s specialties like vineyards, Georgia Discovered: Exploring the Best of the craft breweries and barbecue, it chooses to Peach State, has done all of the heavy lifting exclude the restaurants, hotels and mainto create an ultimate bucket list of wanderlust adventures. With over 260 photographs, the comprehensive guide reflects hundreds of hours and thousands of miles of travel from the mountains of North Georgia to the shorelines of Coastal Georgia and off all the beaten paths everywhere in between. Always holding out for the perfect shot—be it a cotton-candy-colored sunset, a lushly shaded forest floor or a glittering star-filled sky above a waterfall—Greer’s photography is the perfect inspiration for planning socially-distanced excursions this season. Ever since receiving his first manual Pentax 1000 camera as a gift from his father in the early 1990s, Greer has nurtured a lifelong interest in photography that grew even deeper following the revolution of camera drones. After creating the Instagram account @UpAboveGeorgia to share all of his birds-eye aerial shots, he amassed thousands of followers and built a separate website, chrisgreerphotography. “Blairsville Rainbow” by Chris Greer com, to further archive his work. This caught the attention of Globe Pequot stream attractions that can be easily found Press, a New England-based publisher speelsewhere. Instead, the book dedicates its cializing in travel, outdoor-recreation and pages to spotlighting the geographical wonleisure titles that was looking to distribute a ders and one-of-a-kind gems—like Howard guide to Georgia. After landing the contract, Finster’s Paradise Garden and Eddie Owens Greer had only a year to research, visit, phoMartin’s Pasaquan—that can only be found tograph and write descriptions for dozens if you know where to look.
“While I really got involved with drone photography for a while, I have once again fallen in love with traditional landscape photography and all of the beautiful places it takes me,” says Greer. “It gets me out on the trails, hiking to new places and exploring hidden locations. I think that photography is a fantastic excuse to get outside and see the world, and if it wasn’t for my camera, I would have missed out on a lot of the tucked-away beauty that can be found throughout Georgia.” For those looking to submerge themselves in the saturated red and yellow hues of changing leaves this season,
Greer’s advice is fairly simple: Head to the mountains. His top five recommendations for experiencing fall foliage are the Appalachian Trail at Hogpen Gap, Brasstown Bald, Raven Cliff Falls, Blood Mountain and Cloudland Canyon. With the exception of Cloudland, which is located
in the northwest corner of the state, these higher-elevation destinations are clustered in the northeast Georgia mountains where breathtaking vistas are unparalleled. “Georgia is highly unique in that there are a variety of locations that are ecologically or historically significant and also quite beautiful,” says Greer. “If you are searching for some true winter weather, head into the mountains and explore the areas around Suches and Aska. The roads stay open even in the snow, and these are some of the highest elevations in the state which offer lots of waterfalls and crystal-clear streams.” Though winter may not host the pastel blossoms of spring or refreshing swimming holes of summer, you can still find beauty within its harshness if you reframe the quiet and monochromatic atmosphere as a restful slumber for nature’s intricate ecosystems. You can also attempt to escape the colder temperatures altogether by driving farther south to the coast, where Jekyll Island, with its eerie Driftwood Beach, and Cumberland Island, with its wild horses and historic ruins, offer remote yet close getaways. “If you want to do something a little less traditional, then spend a weekend paddling around in the Okefenokee Swamp, where there are more alligators than people—seriously, there are over 12,000 alligators! Or you can check out Providence Canyon, which is really cool and makes you feel like you are somewhere in the Southwest.” Pre-production is already underway for Greer’s next book, Naturally Georgia, which Globe Pequot will release in 2022. Focusing purely on images this time around, Greer intends to spend the next full year scouting and shooting destinations so that the book can reflect the state’s range of seasonal changes. A preview of Naturally Georgia will take the form of enlarged photographs at Greer’s first solo exhibition at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation at the end of next year. f
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advice
hey, bonita…
Don’t Rush Into Marriage ADVICE FOR ATHENS’ LOOSE AND LOVELORN By Bonita Applebum advice@flagpole.com Let me take a moment to expand a bit on last week’s question from a 31-year-old woman who wanted to put a ring on her total pigpen of a boyfriend. I realized later that I didn’t say some things that I really wanted to point out. Lots of us can relate to loving a person beyond their disgusting personal habits, and I do think the love she feels is real, and that this guy loves her, too. But I just don’t believe that love conquers all, or that it’s enough to make two people compatible roommates. Unfortunately, marriage is so much more than just bunking up with a person you love, and sharing a home is equally complicated. I must admit that I’ve never been married, and I’m a highly independent person in general, plus I’m also a neat person who has fallen hard for some wonderful slobs. I just can’t imagine asking a person who leaves loogies in the sink to share a bathroom with me, no matter how good our relationship is.
needs matter, and you should not sideline them to hit the marriage milestone. Hey Bonita, I was hoping you would have some advice for how to know about the protests going on in Athens beforehand. They are so important, and I really want to participate, but I always seem to find out about them after the fact. Thanks for everything, Jade Hi Jade, Social media is the name of the game, so you need to be following local activist organizations on all the apps. I recommend the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement, Athens For Everyone and United Campus Workers of Georgia, at UGA, to start. Create a network of activists and organizations that trust you to show up and will reach out to you when there are upcoming demonstrations.
Just mention
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OCT. 26th-31st (*not to be combined w/other offers.)
“May we Haunt Your wildest Dreams” Our thirties can be seen as a milestone age, a time when we should be racking up life achievements and such, and I got the sinking feeling that our lady felt like she needed to be married by now, pure and simple. I thought the same thing at 30, and even more so at 31 when I hadn’t locked down a fiancé. She seemed to be convincing herself that her feelings for this guy would override any negatives of getting more serious with him, and she even went so far as to attempt to invalidate her own needs around the issue. If you’re reading: Grrl, you are not crazy, and you are not getting in the way of yourself. You shared private things that show me that you are whip-smart, talented as hell and a hard worker who deserves to keep the things she’s fought for. I would bet my right eye that this dude is a wonderful boyfriend to you, but a boyfriend and a husband are more different than you’d think. I know you want to be married, but I suspect that you can’t picture yourself with this man for the rest of your life. That feeling matters, your
I also recommend that you make friends with individual activists and build affinity and trust with them. You should definitely be following AthensClarke County Commissioner Mariah Parker on social media, as she’s very much involved in local activism and politics (no surprise there). There are demonstrations and events that don’t get advertised on social media, and that’s where your network of activist friends will come in. It will take a moment to build that trust and affinity I mentioned, and it may take a while for you to be ushered into the loop. Local activists in other areas have been targeted by militias, Nazis and worse, so I would expect people to be cautious about sharing logistical information with new faces. But if you are sincere about your desire to participate and be a positive presence, that will show, and people will respond accordingly. f Email advice@flagpole.com or use our anonymous online form at flagpole.com/get-advice.
Adult Toys • Movies • Sexual Enhancers Oils • Lotions • Lubes • Mood Setters Condoms • Hookahs • CBD Products Smoke Products • Detox • Intimate Gifts Sexy Party Gifts • Aromatic Candles Designer Lingerie PLUS...
SO MUCH MORE ADULT FUN!
4100 Lexington Rd. Athens (Adjacent to Willowood Square)
706.552.1492
Join Us...
ShopStarship.com OCTOBER 21, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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CURB YOUR APPETITE
Here are restaurants that are open and waiting for your order!
COME ON IN! Order Inside - Limit 10 Customers Eat on the Patio or take it To Go Monday – Sunday 9am – 2pm
Call ahead for pick-up
Delivery available via DoorDash, BullDawg, or Cosmic Delivery 393 N. Finley St. · 706-353-0029 www.bigcitybreadcafe.com
Delivery through Cosmic Delivery
DINE-IN, CURBSIDE, OR DELIVERY at all three locations - downtown -
401 e. broad st • 706-354-6966
- eastside -
1965 barnett shoals • 706-369-0085
- timothy road -
take-out delivery through bulldawg delivery and uber eats
3 locations • open 7 days till 10pm blindpigtavern.com
OUTDOOR SEATING curbside pickup • delivery* (*via bulldAWg delivery - 706-850-7999)
10:30 A.M. – 10:00 P.M. 7 DAYS A WEEK
(cedar shoals location closed mondays)
706-227-9979 lumpkin st.
22
706-355-7087 cedar shoals dr.
2080 timothy rd • 706-552-1237
OYSTER TUESDAY $9.95 DOZENS PATIO OPEN (weather permitting) LIMITED INDOOR SEATING AVAILABLE
CURRENT LOCATION
CLOSING
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24 DETAILS ABOUT OUR
GRAND REOPENING AND 10 YEAR
ANNIVERSARY COMING SOON!
delivery through bulldawg foods & cosmic delivery
4pm-9pm M–F • 2pm–9pm Sat 11am-3pm Sunday Brunch 3pm-9pm Sunday
Mon – Fri 7:30 am– 3:00 pm Saturday 8:00 am–1:00 pm
- CARRYOUT - DELIVERY (BULLDAWG FOODS) - CURBSIDE PICKUP (BY REQUEST) -
– depalmasitaliancafe.com –
Curb-side pick-up! • Online ordering
706-548-3359
Celebrating 10 years!
706-543-6592 • 11 A.M.– 8 P.M. EVERY DAY
975 Hawthorne Ave • 706-206-9322 emskitchenathawthorne.com
- BEER AND WINE TO GO -
FLAGPOLE.COM | OCTOBER 21, 2020
WHOLE CAKES AND BULK ITEMS WITH 48 HOURS NOTICE
Specializing in Food Near and Far
Lunch, Dinner & Weekend Brunch
Offering Outdoor Dining and Contact free Pick-up for Lunch Tues-Fri 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Dinner Wed-Sat 5 p.m.–9 p.m. Brunch Sat & Sun 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
706.354.7901 Corner of Chase and Boulevard
heirloomathens.com
WAYS TO GET YOUR JUICE: Come in the store to grab a juice Call in and we’ll deliver it curbside Call or email to set up a delivery Tues and Fri Delivery Daily via Uber Eats & Cosmic Delivery M-F 7am-7pm I Sat 9am-5pm I Sun 12pm-5pm
1428 Prince Ave AMY@JOURNEYJUICE.COM
706.850.0707 JOURNEYJUICE.COM
MARKET THURSDAYS Order Fresh Produce Online at rashecuisine.square.site
Restaurant Open for Lunch • Fridays 11am – 2pm
5 8 5 Vi n e S t , S u i t e 3 • 7 0 6 - 8 5 0 - 4 1 6 4
HENDERSHOT’S & THE PLATE SALE want you to...
LIVES !
A BoArd GAme CAfé
NOW OFFERING FULL OUTDOOR SERVICE!
T-SHIRTS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER AT HENDERSHOTSATHENS.COM ALL PROFITS GO TO ATHFEST EDUCATES
Play games and enjoy your R&P food and drink favorites on our deck CONTACTLESS ORDERING ONSITE AND TAKEOUT AVAILABLE THROUGH:
HENDERSHOT’S: OPEN M–SAT 9–5 THE PLATE SALE: OPEN TU–SAT 9–5
Now featuring baked goods from Independent Baking Co.!
therookandpawn.com
237 prince ave. • 706.353.3050
PULASKI HEIGHTS
· family friendly · 800 Games · Signature Cocktails · Georgia Beers · Local foods · Patio · Parking
294 W. Washington St. (Across from the 40 Watt)
www.therookandpawn.com
Take out & delivery through bulldawg food only. follow us on facebook & instagram for
daily updates
706.583.9600 The Leathers bldg. • 675 pulaski st, ste . 100
MON-SAT 8AM– 9PM
SUN 10AM– 9PM
COUNTER SERVICE • ONLINE ORDER CURBSIDE BY REQUEST
DELIVERY VIA BULLDAWG OR DoorDash FIVE POINTS • 706-613-2600
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PIZZA SANDWICHES
CALL US FOR TAKE-OUT!
DELIVERY THROUGH BULLDAWG FOOD
SUN-THURS 11AM-8PM FRI & SAT 11AM-9PM BEER • WINE • DESSERTS
254 W. Washington St. 706.543.1523
tedsmostbest.com
OCTOBER 21, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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ALL TREATS,
NO TRICKS! MOO-HOO IS AVAILABLE NOW!