Atlanta Intown - April 2018

Pine Hills: 1316 Victor Road. Striking, Mid-Century Home Offers 4 Bedrooms, Beautiful Interiors. Home

Morningside: 1960 Windham Park. Handsome Home on a Quiet Street Features Open Floor Plan, 4 Upstairs Bedrooms. Main Level Walks out to Private Backyard & Pool, Finished Basement & 2 Car Garage 4BR/4.5BA $949,000

Morningside: 1073 Reeder Circle. Outstanding All Brick Home on a Quiet Street. Move-in Ready with Renovated Kitchen 5BR/3BA $829,900

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Sally Bethea, Kathy Dean, Joe Earle, Grace Huseth, Anna Jones, Natalie Keng, Asep Mawardi, Isadora Pennington, Clare Richie, Tim Sullivan, Megan Volpert,

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Living sustainably in uncertain times

Eleven years ago, we published our first “Green Issue” at a time when the idea of living sustainably was just gaining new public awareness. Al Gore’s Academy Award-winning documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” rang the alarm about climate change and the need to rethink the way we live and do business on Earth.

EDITOR’S LETTER

Since 2007, there has been nearly universal agreement by scientists that climate change is dramatically altering the planet, but convincing some politicians and their industry donors has thrown up roadblocks. Since the election of Donald Trump, many environmental rules and regulations have been rewritten and overturned, including a recent decision to repeal restrictions on wastewater dumping.

Until the current political climate changes, it is going to be up to cities, states, environmental organizations and the public to keep sustainability efforts alive. Here at INtown, we have been incredibly lucky to partner with local environmental groups to provide regular news and information about “living green” in Atlanta. Sally Bethea’s monthly Above the Waterline column has become an invaluable resource for those interested in sustainability, while a recent partnership with the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Resilience has also provided a look at how “The City in the Trees” is working on recycling efforts, green building and more.

Collin Kelley collin@atlantaintownpaper.com

This year’s Earth Day theme is “End Plastic Pollution,” which is something you and I can help to eliminate on a daily basis. Personally, I make full use of the recycling program at my building and I’ve recently given up plastic shopping bags. Embracing tiny changes like this can produce big dividends and help the environment in the long run.

We pledge to keep bringing you stories about living green in Atlanta every month. If you have ideas for stories or features, get in touch.

Happy Earth Day!

Sustainability Earth Day Activities,

events and volunteer opportunities around Intown

Trees Atlanta

Tour de Trees

Join Trees Atlanta for a leisurely bicycle tour of Candler Park, Olmsted Linear Park and the Lullwater Conservation Garden on Saturday, April 21 at 9:30 a.m., starting at the Candler Park Pool. The tree canopy of these parks and the surrounding neighborhoods of Druid Hills, Candler Park and Lake Claire includes a number of specimen flowering trees, grand oaks and hickories, as well as some of Atlanta’s biggest Champion Trees. This morning tour is perfect for anyone comfortable on a bike and helmets are required. The medium to easy ride will consist of many stops along a 3-mile route to talk about trees. For more information, visit TreesAtlanta.org.

By Collin Kelley

On April 22, more than 190 countries will mark the 48th annual observance of Earth Day, and Atlanta will be one of the cities hosting events to celebrate the occasion. The events are designed to bring awareness to sustainable and green efforts as well as encourage residents to get involved as the global debate over climate change rages on. For our 11th annual Green Issue, we’ve rounded up a list of the upcoming events you don’t want to miss.

EarthShare of Georgia

The nonprofit that helps raises funds for state environmental organizations is hosting two big events for Earth Day 2018 and to mark its own 25th anniversary. For more information, visit earthsharega.org.

Eco-Tinker at Chattahoochee Nature Center

Five stations will be set up for kids to explore and experiment with nature-inspired tech, including a water wall, aqua mandalas, water tension, capillary action and Cleaning the Chattahoochee. The event is running daily through May 31. For more information, visit chattnaturecenter.org.

Sweep the Hooch

Chattahoochee

Riverkeeper will conduct its 8th annual Sweep the Hooch on April 7, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This year’s cleanup will include 40 sites with more than 500 volunteers expected.

Since 2011, the event has removed 57 tons of river refuse. To register, visit Chattahoochee.org.

The Nature Conservancy’s Celebration for Conservation

• Earth Day Leadership Breakfast: This year’s breakfast will be held April 12 from 8 to 11 a.m. at The Fairmont. Business and environmental communities will spend the morning networking, learning and exploring sustainability topics related to air quality. Now in its 15th year, the breakfast will feature keynote speaker Lewis Perkins, president of Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, a nonprofit that guides manufacturers to make better products for people and planet.

• Earth Day Party: The party will be held April 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Gathering Spot. The event will bring together a diverse group of grassroots environmentalists, devoted philanthropists and business professionals whose collective goal is to integrate sustainable practices and policies. There will also be demonstrations, live and silent auctions, a photo booth, music, food and drinks.

Georgia Tech’s Earth Day Celebration

The 21st annual event is set for April 20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tech Walk. The event is free, open to the public and features more than 70 exhibitors. There will also be eco-friendly giveaways, recycling opportunities, a clothing swap, an office supply exchange, live music and more. For more information, visit earthday.gatech.edu.

The Nature Conservancy in Georgia will host the 24th annual “Moonlight Through the Pines” event on May 4 at Piedmont Park. This year’s event will feature live music, gourmet cuisine, the opportunity to learn more about conservation work from Conservancy scientists and an exclusive opportunity to meet and engage with environmental leaders in the community. For more details, visit nature.org.

Earth Day at Ponce City Market

The entire family can celebrate Earth Day at Skyline Park on The Roof at Ponce City Market on April 21 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with face painting, a giant balloon artist, a stilt creature named “Earthy,” a bubble bar blowout and classic boardwalk games. In addition to fun and games, kids can get crafty with a special color-your-own flowerpot station. Daytime admission will be $10 for adults and children, excluding games and food. Children under three are free. From 7 to 11 p.m., Skyline Park will be for ages 21 and over with eco-friendly entertainment including LED hula hoopers, flower crowns and a variety of photo opportunities including living plants. When the sun goes down, the dance floor will come alive with tunes from DJ Fade and themed drinks like basil daiquiris. Event admission will be $15 per person and will include unlimited Skyline Slide and Heege Tower rides. For more information, visit poncecityroof.com.

Earth Day 2018: Ending Plastic Pollution

By Jordan Johnson

What do hippies, housewives, and politicians all have in common? The initial desire to uplift the environment, which ultimately birthed Earth Day.

Former U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day after witnessing the effects of an oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. With at least 21,000 gallons of crude oil running through the Southern California Waters, Nelson was compelled to do something.

April 22, 1970 became the official “national teach-in on the environment” day, with over 22 million supporters actively engaged in protests, rallies, and demonstrations to promote protecting the environment. Today, this number has reached roughly a billion active participants engaged in about 182 countries worldwide. As numbers continue to rise, the engagement increases with nearly 5,000 environmental advocacy groups registered worldwide to make a difference.

The global theme for Earth Day 2018 is “Ending Plastic Pollution.” From polluting our waterways like the Chattahoochee River to filling up our landfills and littering our streets, the exponential growth of plastics threatens the very survival of our planet. A few disturbing facts to consider:

■ There are 6.3 billion tons of plastic waste on Earth.

■ 300 million tons of plastic is produced each year, and half of it is used only once.

■ The average American throws away approximately 185 pounds of plastic per year (Eco Watch)

■ 31 million tons of plastic waste was generated in the US during 2010, accounting for 12.4 percent of total municipal solid waste. In 1960 plastics represented less than one percent of the waste stream in the United States. (Oceana)

■ In 2014, the U.S. sold over100 billion plastic beverage bottles, the Container Recycling Institute estimated; 57 percent of them were for water. (PowerUp)

Every year, the Mayor’s Office of Resilience coordinates the City’s Earth Day events, culminating in an employee day of service. The Mayor’s Office will participate in weeklong events from of April 1620. The events entail a wide range of advocacy efforts from paper shredding to recycling gently used and worn clothing.

Atlanta is doing its part to tackle the plastic pollution crisis. In January 2017, the Recycling Partnership teamed up with the Mayor’s Office of Resilience, Atlanta Department of Public works, and a local private firm, Rubicon Global, to pilot the “Feet on the Street” program to tackle contamination in the residential recycling stream.

In November 2017 the City of Atlanta also launched the Big Belly Recycling Program. Big Belly deploys waste and recycling bins in public spaces that keep communities clean, advance environmental goals, and host smart technology. Atlanta remains dedicated to finding solutions that make sense for our economy and environment. The recycling program continues to provide a curbside, single stream recycling program for our residents, and currently accepts all forms of recyclable material (household paper, cardboard, glass, cans, and plastics).

As Earth Day approaches we encourage all Atlantans to get involved with a local project, organization, or agency to help improve our environment and communities.

■ Carry a reusable water bottle to work or school and reduce the billions of plastic bottles that are wasted each year.

■ Only shop with reusable bags when going to the store. Did you know that Whole Foods Market gives 10 cents per bag to customers who re-use their own shopping bags for their purchased groceries? Customers have the choice to accept their cash refund, or donate the cash back to the store’s chosen non-profit organization, or to the Whole Planet Foundation.

■ Tweet us your Earth Day photos @Atlresilience or share with us on Facebook facebook.com/ATLResilience.

Happy Birthday, Earth!

June Jordan is the Communications Manager for the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Resilience.

A Little Dirt Won’t Hurt

Soil Festival raises awareness of dirt in healthy diets

By Grace Huseth

Food Well Alliance does not encourage Atlantans to include dirt on the menu, but they do believe dirt determines the quality of the food that ends up on our plates.

The nonprofit, which works to help strengthen the local food economy, is hosting its annual Soil Festival at the Truly Living Well’s Collegetown Farm, 324 Lawton St., on May 5 from 1 to 5 p.m. The afternoon of free events will include educational workshops, a children’s corner with garden-based activities, a variety of urban agriculture vendors, a petting zoo and farm-to-table food. Attendees will also get a free bag of compost for their own garden.

“Healthy food starts from the ground up and starts with the soil,” said Food Well Alliance executive director Kim Karris. “Who would think you could throw a party around dirt, but hundreds of people show up to this event.”

Through conversations with community gardens and urban farmers, Karris discovered the number one challenge to growing food in Atlanta was access to healthy soil and affordable, high quality compost. A group of seven Food Well Alliance leaders launched the Healthy Soil, Healthy Community Initiative and hosted a series of 30 workshops on the importance of soil and composting.

“Especially in an urban area, you need to make sure that soil is healthy and not

only free of toxins, but also that it has all the nutrients needed,” Karris said.

She finds environmentalists have started to address food waste more in recent years, yet few people are making the connection between where food waste goes and how it can be returned to farm and food production in the form of nutrient rich compost.

Compost may take a few months to cultivate, but the payoff is high quality soil as the key source for growing healthy food. Gather food scraps, from banana peels and eggshells to coffee grounds and strawberry tops, and place in a compost bin. Use a thermometer to monitor proper decomposing and food can turn into fuel for the next crop.

“We are not a soil organization, but we need compost and the consciousness of Atlantans to understand that food waste is gold for an urban farmer or gardener. Our ability to recycle food waste and turn it into compost for healthy soil is the link that is missing,” Karris said.

For more information, visit foodwellalliance.org.

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“How We Found Our Dream Home.”

Boynton & Myrick Real Estate Helps an Atlanta Family Step into a Charming Nirvana-of-a-Home

They bought a house and sold a car... That’s because this young, active family can now walk to anything they need. Their wonderful new neighborhood sets their house in privacy, yet puts restaurants, parks, shopping and welcoming neighbors right outside their front door. And they couldn’t be happier.

Blake and Ginny Barbre and their two children found their dream home in Virginia Highland. The two story bungalow, circa 1919, o ered not only an amazing intown location that comes with invigorating urban energy, but all the historic features they were looking for.

“Previously, we lived in a big, new house,” says Ginny. “But we missed the feel of old quality construction…the old fireplaces, the wavy glass, the timeworn banisters…even the uneven floors! It’s what we really wanted, but of course, because of the kids, schools were a priority, too.”

It didn’t sound like an easy bill to fill. But Blake and Ginny knew the right people: the Boynton & Myrick team from Harry Norman.

“We have a great history with Joy Myrick and Donna Boynton In the past few years, we actually sold two houses with them and bought two houses with them,” says Blake. “So right from the start, we were confident and well aware of their

expertise.” The couple was also aware of the agents’ intimate knowledge of Atlanta intown neighborhoods, the schools and the market values. And sure enough, Blake, Ginny and the children got everything they wanted in one, charming and foot friendly, Virginia Highland home.

The Barbre family plans on staying put for a while. (That is, aside from the many hours of the day they’re on their feet, enjoying the abundance of their neighborhood!) Even though they’ve lived in several urban settings around Atlanta, they’ve truly found their very special, very convenient, dream come true home. And thanks to the Boynton & Myrick team from Harry Norman, it was a real walk in the park.

Photo courtesy Jenni Girtman

The Soil Festival returns May 5 at Truly Living Well’s Collegetown Farm.

Conservation voters group gets reboot with longtime activist

Let the mountains talk, let the river run. Once more, and forever.

– David Brower

Called the father of the environmental movement, David Brower was a larger-than-life figure: profiled by writer John McPhee, vilified by federal dam builder Floyd Dominy and twice-nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. As executive director of the Sierra Club from 1952 to 1968, Brower guided the organization from a small, western mountaineering society to a powerhouse of environmental activism.

Understanding the need for political action at the national level, Brower co-founded the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) in 1969, a year before the first Earth Day in 1970. Today, LCV is considered one of the nation’s most influential environmental political action groups, as it works to turn environmental values into national, state and local priorities. Along with its 29 state affiliates, LCV advocates for sound environmental policies and holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions.

In the early 2000s, Georgia Conservation Voters (GCV) was

ABOVE THE WATER LINE

By Sally Bethea

Sally Bethea is the retired executive director of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and current board president of Chattahoochee Parks Conservancy whose mission is to build a community of support for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

founded as a non-partisan organization with a mission to transform the state’s political landscape by electing leaders with conservation values and holding them accountable to implementing policies that ensure clean water and air, abundant wildlife, scenic landscapes and economic opportunities for all Georgians. Annually, state legislators who voted to support environmental initiatives were recognized by GCV and a valuable scorecard was produced to inform voters.

As politics changed in Georgia (and elsewhere) in the decade that followed GCV’s founding, it became increasingly difficult for the organization to accomplish its mission and, in 2013, it discontinued operations. Five years later – with a dynamic new director and a state population that is growing more diverse and progressive – GCV is rebooting. Polling shows that a large number of Georgia voters now identify with environmental issues.

At the age of 10, Colleen Kiernan became an activist. Away from her parents

overnight for the first time at a basketball camp at Northwestern University, she says there were only a few ways to be “rebellious,” one of which was to drink lots of “pop” – soft drinks not allowed at home. As she and her friends consumed their pop, aluminum cans accumulated around them; at the time (the late 1980s), the college campus did not have a recycling program. At school, Colleen had learned that recycling just one can could save enough energy to power a television for three hours. She and her best friend collected cans from the entire dormitory and took them home to recycle. A lifelong environmental activist was born.

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Three decades later, Colleen remembers thinking at the time: “What if everyone recycled all the cans, all the time – what a big impact from collective action!”

As the environmentalist in her Midwestern family, Colleen’s holiday presents were often “green”, such as the Greenpeace calendar and, one year, a whale adopted in her name. In the fifth grade, she continued her collective action with a petition drive to reinstate a special lunch day; the petition was signed by every student and school leaders relented.

Persuasive, organized and passionate: these are attributes that Colleen brought with her to Emory University where she joined the Barkley Forum debate team and, as luck would have it, got to debate her favorite topic her sophomore year: “That the United States Federal Government should increase regulations requiring industries to substantially decrease the domestic emission and/or production of environmental pollutants.”

In 2008, Colleen received a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from Georgia Tech which augmented her political science and environmental studies degree from Emory. After working for a local firm doing green building and sustainability consulting, she became the Georgia Chapter Director of the Sierra Club in 2010. In her six years with the organization, Colleen directed successful campaigns to shutter coal-fired power plants, add significant solar energy resources and bring MARTA to Clayton County.

Next, as policy director for Atlanta City Councilmember Kwanza Hall, Colleen drafted and helped pass a 100 percent clean energy policy in May 2017, making Atlanta the first city in Georgia to pass such a measure and the largest southern city to do so. By 2025, all city operations must be powered by clean, renewable energy sources.

In early March, Colleen Kiernan became GCV’s new executive director. She says that the organization will build slowly and strategically with a focus on the Georgia General Assembly and a goal to inform and mobilize conservation voters throughout the state. She believes that there is no better time than now to unite Georgians to protect their air, water and future generations.

For more information, visit gaconservationvoters.org.

Collen Kiernan

King of Compost

Turning food waste into better soil, produce & popsicles

By Clare S. Richie

Ever wonder what happens to the apple core you toss in the trash? Each year, Atlanta sends thousands of tons of food waste to landfills because the city lacks the composting infrastructure many other cities have to reclaim these valuable nutrients.

Until now.

Homegrown, community-minded businesses King of Pops and Compostwheels have teamed up to create King of Compost, the closest compost facility to the city.

“By necessity we had to create it ourselves. Now we can take on more commercial clients, we can process more material and ultimately, get more finished compost back into local farms and gardens,” said Compostwheels founder David Paull.

“King of Pops is always trying to find ways to make ourselves a bigger and better part of the community and sometimes that’s through sustainability efforts like this,” said Nick Carse, King of Pops co-founder.

In 2010, Nick and Steven Carse

began selling their distinctive popsicles seemingly everywhere under their signature rainbow umbrellas. Two years later, Paull started his compost pick-up service to turn organic spoil into fertile soil. The two businesses crossed paths at farmer’s markets, followed each other’s growth and talked about creating something together.

“When we bought our farm in Douglasville in 2014 that

Nick and Steven Carse and David Paull have joined forces to create King of Compost.

became a pretty obvious place to do our own composting, not only because we needed to rehab the soil but because we now had the land,” Carse said about the 68-acre commercial nursery they converted into a popsicle farm.

Paull followed the farm’s progress as his business needed a site for a large compost facility to service restaurants, cafes, universities and other commercial clients.

“I don’t even know who said it first – we have the space, you have the infrastructure, so let’s try it out,” Carse recalled.

From there, King of Compost was born. Fruit waste from the farm, King of Pops production and Compostwheels deliveries are placed in long rows set atop two large clay pads. Woodchips and sawdust from sawmills and tree companies are added to introduce nitrogen. The last step of this giant chemistry experiment is to mix the ingredients to introduce oxygen, which breaks it all down into the desired soil amendment.

To maximize their efficiency and impact, and make a better product, King of Compost needs specific equipment and favorable regulations. At a hefty price tag of $50,000, a windrow turner rides behind a tractor and more evenly turns the piles than the scoop-by-scoop approach by a tractor alone, and cuts down on processing time.

“Right now, we turn food waste to finished product in three to four months. We could get it down to six weeks if we had the proper equipment,” Carse said.

A recent fundraising campaign raised more than half of their $120,000 goal.

“It gave us a good start. We’ll be able to fund more of the equipment that we need in a more traditional way,” Paull said.

Securing regulations to expand composting efforts has been another journey. For more than a year, Paull built community support to update the solid waste handling regulations to allow small farms to compost materials from outside sources. They explained that expanded composting efforts would revitalize agricultural land, improve soil, protect water and generate jobs. Last month, those efforts paid off. State officials listened.

“The newly passed regulations in Georgia will allow King of Compost to compost more material and provide a rule framework that supports the growth of our business and our mission. We are greatly appreciative of the EPD and all other stakeholders. This is a big deal for community composting in Georgia,” Paull said.

King of Compost goes even further by showing Atlanta what’s possible on a larger scale when food waste is handled well to make beautiful soil and produce.

“For us it’s telling that full story. We can grow the produce, put them in the pops and then compost whatever is left over. The fruit and the sticks can all go back into the compost and be turned back into the soil, which can grow more fruit to make more pops,” Carse said.

For more information, visit kingofcrops.com and compostwheels. com.

Green Cleaning in the Spring

By Kristen Sumpter UGA Cooperative Extension Agent

After you add up the amount of time you spend inside working, sleeping and relaxing, it’s not surprising to learn that people spend an average of 90 percent of their time indoors. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found levels of several common pollutants to be two to five times higher inside homes than outside. Yikes!

Many of these pollutants come from chemicals that are found in our very own household cleaning products.

We can reduce the chemicals in our homes by replacing cleaning products with homemade green cleaners, storebought green cleaners or just by using a bit more elbow grease. With spring cleaning on our minds, now is the time

Do It Yourself

Try making your own green cleaning products. Here are a few recipes to get you started.

Most ingredients can be found in area stores. Borax and washing soda are usually stocked in the laundry aisles. Vegetable oil-based liquid soap (commonly called castile soap) is available at many natural food stores.

The Green Cleaning Booklet, by Sharon Gibson & Pamela Turner, has more recipes and suggestions. Find the pdf at fcs.uga.edu; type “Green Cleaning Booklet” in the search bar.

All-Purpose Cleaner

■ 3 Tbsp. white vinegar

■ ½ tsp. washing soda (sodium carbonate)

■ ½ tsp. vegetable oil-based liquid soap

■ 2 cups hot water

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle or bucket. Apply to surface and wipe clean.

to start making the switch. Here are a few green cleaning facts to get you started on your journey to a healthier home.

■ Alkalis such as baking soda and borax scour off dirt and grease. If you need a stronger alkali, find a recipe with washing soda to get the job done.

■ Both vinegar and lemon juice can be used to remove hard water stains. While lemon juice smells great, be sure not to use it on silver.

■ If you want to disinfect a surface, you must consider its “dwell time.” This is the amount of time the solution must be in contact with the surface; it can be found on the product’s instructions.

■ One of the best ways to select a store-bought green cleaning product is to look for a third-party certification, such as Green Seal or EPA’s Safer Choice.

Please note that eco-friendly disinfectants can be used at home, but always read the instructions carefully to make sure you’re using them properly. It’s important to know that these disinfectants should not be used in childcare facilities or commercial food preparation sites.

Wood Cleaner

■ 2 Tbsp. olive oil

■ 2 Tbsp. white vinegar

■ ¼ cup lemon juice

Mix ingredients. Use a soft cloth to rub into the wood, going in the direction of the grain.

Oven Cleaner

■ 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil-based liquid soap

■ 2 Tbsp. borax (sodium borate)

Mix the soap and borax in a spray bottle. Fill the bottle with hot water and shake well. Spray on oven surfaces and leave for 20 minutes. Scrub off.

Bring More Birds to Your Backyard

By Isadora Pennington

It’s the year of the bird! 2018 has been deemed the Year of the Bird by 150 organizations — including the National Audubon Society, National Geographic, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and BirdLife International — in celebration of the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which protects migratory birds from being hunted, captured, killed or sold.

Celebrate the year by enticing birds to your home. You can start simply by purchasing a bird feeder for your backyard or porch. Feeder styles include hopper, platform, tube, suet and window feeders, and specialized items like hummingbird feeders can bring the types of birds you want to attract to your property.

This is the perfect time to set up bird-friendly feeders, baths and houses, said Joel Lehmann, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Atlanta. “Early spring is the best time of year,” he said, “but you can purchase and install a birdhouse anytime. Owls, who are cavity nesters, are generally looking to start nesting in the fall to winter, but most songbirds are nesting in the spring and summer.”

An important consideration in choosing your feeder, Lehmann said, is to pick one designed to prevent spreading illness among the birds. Cleaning and maintaining your feeder, and regularly disinfecting your birdbaths, will stop the spread of disease and keep your backyard friends happy and healthy. Lehmann pointed to the EcoClean line of feeders. “Every surface of these feeders is coated with an antimicrobial agent to help prevent molds and bacteria from growing, keeping birds safer as a lot of disease can be transmitted at the feeders from bird to bird,” he said.

Lehmann suggests that shoppers choose ones that are put together with screws and have easy access to clean out old nesting material.

Even if you’re not interested in feeding the birds, there are ways to attract them to your home. “Keep your space as natural as possible,” Lehmann said. Leaves on the ground provide a habitat for bugs and, seeds and fruit from nearby trees, which are natural sources of food for birds.

Area Events & Contacts for Bird-Lovers

This year’s Atlanta Bird Fest, hosted by the Atlanta Audubon Society, will take place from April 14 through May 20, and will feature field trips, paddleboard tours, workshops, art shows and volunteer days.

This past February, bird lovers around the world participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count, a tradition that brings together birders from around the world. Every year, over the course of four days, birdwatchers contribute photographs and report sightings to compile a comprehensive snapshot of bird species populations and their distribution. For 2018, more than 170,000 contributors sighted upwards

of 27 million birds of 6,219 species. If you’d like to participate in next year’s bird count, you can learn more and register at birdcount.org.

To learn more about backyard birds and how to care for them, visit Wild Birds Unlimited at locations that include Vinings, Atlanta in Chastain Square, Decatur and Marietta, or online at atlanta.wbu.com.

Additional info on birds can be found at the Atlanta Audubon Society’s website: atlantaaudubon.org; All About Birds: allaboutbirds.org; and the Chattahoochee Nature Center: chattnaturecenter.org.

Some Backyard Birds to Look For

Northern Cardinal — Cardinalis cardinalis

Fun fact: the male birds, which are bright red with a black mask and crest, feed their reddish brown female partners beak to beak during courtship. The males also feed the first brood alone while the females build their next nest.

PHOTOS BY ISADORA PENNINGTON

Carolina Wren — Thryothorus ludovicianus

These quirky little birds are very vocal, with males singing up to 40 different types of songs and the female sometimes joining in for duets. They often nest in unusual places such as mailboxes and are year-round residents of Georgia.

White Breasted Nuthatch — Sitta Carolinensis

The nuthatch is a speedy flyer and known for hopping vertically down trees, thanks to an extra-long hind toe. The name originates from a Middle English term referring to the bird’s habit of wedging seeds into cavities of trees and breaking them open with its beak.

Eastern Bluebird — Sialia sialis

These friendly songbirds prefer to nest in open habitats like fields and pastures, and the young of the first brood help to raise the second brood. They rely heavily on man-made birdhouses and can be seen perching on low branches or wires and scanning the ground for prey.

Mourning Dove — Zenaida macroura

The greyish brown, medium-size bird is known and named for its mournful cooing call and prefers to forage for food on the ground, bobbing its head as it walks. When in flight, the wind rushes through its wing feathers which causes a distinct whistling sound.

Broad-winged Hawk — Buteo platypterus

These birds of prey are rather stocky and are common in eastern woodlands in the summer. Typically, they don’t stray far from the edges of the woods, swooping down to capture small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds. In the fall, thousands of these hawks migrate south and create a visual spectacle as they swarm together above ridgelines and coastlines.

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By Isadora Pennington

According to a 2017 USDA report, Georgia is home to around 100,000 honey bee colonies. These black and yellow striped fuzzy insects live together in a complex society within a hive. During the day, bees travel from flower to flower, collecting pollen as they brush up against the stamens and then bringing that pollen back to the hive where it is harvested as food for the colony. An average hive hosts between 10,000 to 80,000 bees and produces around 30 pounds of honey per year.

“Honey bees are the most powerful pollinators we have,” said Julia Mahood, master beekeeper and the president of the Metro Atlanta Beekeeping Association. In contrast to other insects that are considered to be accidental pollinators – such as butterflies – honey bees have evolved to the task, utilizing static electricity to collect pollen in a pocket called a pollen basket on their backs. Pollen is the honey bee’s primary source of protein and they process it along with nectar in the hive to create honey.

They are the single most efficient pollinator worldwide, contributing 75 percent of all pollination, according to the biologists at the University of California San Diego. Additionally, they have a tendency to stick with only one type of plant in a foraging session, which increases the likelihood of the correct type of pollen being spread between plants. The financial impact of honey bees on agriculture is estimated to exceed $50 billion annually for the United States alone.

Unfortunately, there are many factors that put these crucial creatures at risk today. There has been a steady population decline in recent years due to mites, illnesses and the use of neonicotinoid (neonics) pesticides which are systemic to the plants and toxic to bees. The toxin is considered to be sub-lethal, meaning that the bees live while infected with the toxins and after generations they begin to suffer from genetic damage and compromised immune systems. A new type of honey bee disease known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) was discovered around 2005, which causes hives to unexpectedly die in the winter months.

“Now it has gotten much much harder to keep bees alive, and it makes me sad,” said Mahood.

There are a number of ongoing efforts to maintain and grow the honey bee population, both

All About Bees

Intowners encouraged to help honey bees

commercially and in backyards. The Metro Atlanta Bee Association is one local organization whose intent is to educate, promote and facilitate backyard beekeeping. Classified as a nonprofit and completely run by volunteers, they offer classes, workshops, mentoring, services and certifications.

Mahood has been a beekeeper and a member of the Metro Atlanta Bee Association for 15 years, and recently became the association’s president. She’s very passionate about bees and is involved in a number of education efforts for kids, adults and even inmates at local prisons. One such program is a beekeeping course at Arrendale State Prison in Raoul, Georgia, where she has been teaching for the past three years. “That has been a very powerful program, giving these women not only something to take with them when they leave in terms of supplementing their income, but also something to learn,” she said.

Honey bees typically forage within two miles of their hive but sometimes go to twice or even three times that distance, and as such have the ability to affect a large amount of pollination for yourself and your neighbors. The inmates at Arrendale are not only learning a new skill and the science of honey bees, but they are also likely aiding nearby farms and gardens such as a neighboring orchard. The inmates’ interest in beekeeping is contagious, and they are known for talking to others in the facility about bees, helping to dispel unfounded fears of the creatures and encourage learning. “What has happened is that the guards have gotten interested and they are basically taking the class along with the inmates,” said Mahood.

Mahood lives with her family in a Sandy Springs ranch with a property of just about half an acre. In her backyard, she has maintained multiple hives for years. While the bees only live for about six weeks in the summer, she admits that she holds a certain irrational affinity for some of her colonies. Having grown up in a house full of girls who were squeamish about bugs, Mahood’s love for the fuzzy flying bugs is rather unexpected. Despite her fears and anxieties regarding bugs, it was after seeing her two young sons bravely interacting with bees that she realized her fears were unfounded. These days, now that her sons have grown and moved out, she spends a lot of her time tending to her colonies and educating others about how to care for their own.

Those interested in beekeeping can attend the Metro Atlanta Beekeeper Association’s (metroatlantabeekeepers.org) or a local bee club like Little Bee Project (littlebeeproject. com), founded by Steve Esau in East Atlanta, which started with two hives and has now grown to 10 and is expanding to the backyards of other bee-lovers.

Julia Mahood

Little Bee Project’s master beekeeper Steve Esau leads a class for aspiring beekeepers in East Atlanta.

Photos by Isadora Pennington

ADAM PARKER TEAM Top Team, Companywide

AMY JONES Top Individual, Companywide

MIKE TERRY AND MARGIE YONDORF Top Team, Kirkwood

KYLE EMBLER Top Individual, Dakota Phoenix Award

HEATHER TELL Top Individual, Midtown

DANA LINK Top Individual, Kirkwood

DAVID VANNORT JULIAN RATHER

JEREMY SMITH CHARLEY CORKRAN TANYA EMERSON

DARRYL PITTS CINDI SOKOL

CAM MCCAA KIRA ASINAS

Southface recognized some of the Southeast’s most innovative sustainability initiatives at last month’s 20th annual Greenprints conference during the Fulcrum Awards. Honorees included Georgia State University’s Leafy Green Machine, an adaptive reuse project for growing vegetables; Live Thrive Atlanta’s Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM); the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech from architectural firm Lord Aeck Sargent; and Len Foote Hike Inn in Dawsonville, which uses solar energy and promotes sustainability.

The 10th annual Atlanta Eco-Lifestyle Trunk Show will take place on April 10 at the new Hall-Space pop-up shop in Buckhead from noon-8 p.m. The event will feature sustainable fashion, jewelry, natural beauty and home décor from

local designers. Open to the public and free to attend, the event will take place at Hall-Space, 3261 Roswell Road NE. Free parking. For more information, visit hallspace.com.

Atlanta based nonprofits Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and Trees Atlanta have partnered to launch an initiative that addresses the needs of enhancing Atlanta’s tree canopy while improving urban stormwater management. The new Green Streets and Clean Streams project will implement street-side tree planters designed to infiltrate and clean stormwater runoff, the largest contributor of pollution to our rivers and streams. Funded through the support of Georgia Center for Nonprofits and The Home Depot Foundation’s Building Community Network (BCN) initiative, the project will provide multiple environmental and quality of life benefits for Atlanta residents and serve as a case study to replicate throughout the region.

The Piedmont Park Conservancy will host its annual Landmark Luncheon on April 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Promenade at Legacy Fountain. The Conservancy is celebrating the Power of Play, which represents Piedmont Park as an active community of people of all ages. The featured speaker will be Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank, who will highlight the importance of sports and activities in the Atlanta community. Tickets are available at piedmontpark. org/landmarklunch.

Clean water heroes from across the state were recognized for their work to protect Georgia’s water during last month’s Georgia Water Coalition’s Inaugural Clean 13 Celebration. Honorees included the City of Atlanta, Cox Enterprises, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Institute of Technology, Ladybug Farms, Macon Water Authority, Mark Masters, Chairman John Meadows, Scott Bridge Company, Solar Crowdsource, South Fork Conservancy, Storm Water Systems and United Parcel Service.

GSU’s Leafy Green Machine

The Neighborhood

Going South

City acquires property for Atlanta BeltLine Southside Trail

“The Southside Trail will connect the east side of the Atlanta BeltLine to the west side for the first time in its history – and that changes everything,” said Brian P. McGowan, President and CEO of ABI. “This inactive rail corridor that once divided neighborhoods can now be used to create jobs, transit and affordable housing options for communities south of downtown.”

This purchase of the Southside Trail extends from University Avenue on the Westside to Glenwood Avenue on the Eastside, running adjacent to several neighborhoods including Pittsburgh, Capitol View Manor, High Point, South Atlanta, Peoplestown, Chosewood Park, Grant Park, Boulevard Heights, Ormewood Park and Summerhill.

ABI hopes to open an interim hiking trail along the corridor in the next 12 months.

The corridor will remain closed while CSX works to remove the rails and the Kimley-Horn design team begins detailed engineering and site investigations.

By Collin Kelley

The City of Atlanta has acquired the railroad corridor needed to complete the Atlanta BeltLine’s Southside Trail. The acquisition will connect the Eastside and Westside Trails for approximately 14 contiguous miles of the BeltLine corridor. The purchase is the single-largest remaining land acquisition for Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI), representing more than four miles and 63 acres of the Atlanta BeltLine’s planned 22-mile transit and trail loop.

The corridor was purchased in a $26 million transaction with CSX, who operated rail on the corridor until 2014. Design of the Southside Trail is underway, funded by a $2.4 million grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission. Community engagement commenced in 2016 and will continue throughout the design process, establishing trail alignment, access points, vertical connections and preparation for future transit.

“I am pleased to announce that the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta BeltLine have concluded the largest remaining single purchase of land toward closing the Atlanta BeltLine loop,” said Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. “With this historic purchase, the City of Atlanta is taking another step forward in improving connectivity, growth and investment in South Atlanta by providing access to trails, transit options and world-class greenspace for all residents.”

Courtesy Atlanta BeltLne Inc.

Renderings of the new Southside Trail show the Downtown Connector underpass (top), near D.H. Stanton Park (middle) and at University Avenue (bottom).

This sublime chunk of change is Kurt Vonnegut. And, yes, he is as deliciously blockheaded and beefcakey as he looks. Kurt is a 2-year old whirlwind of happy Pit Bull energy, goofball charm and love for his people. His favorite thing in the world is attention. He will do just about anything for a little love from you, and he’s extremely loyal to his friends. His second favorite thing is probably tennis balls. Kurt can play fetch for days and days. For more information on adopting Kurt, visit PAWSAtlanta.org or visit the shelter at 5287 Covington Highway in Decatur.

Pet Pick Pet Briefs

LifeLine Animal Project, the non-profit that was the first to obtain no-kill levels at the DeKalb and Fulton County Animal Services shelters it manages, announced the launch of their first capital campaign to fund the new LifeLine Community Animal Center. The new 25,000 square foot facility will feature a full-service, low-cost veterinary clinic that will be open to the public, and an adoption center which will increase the adoption capacity by 2,000 annually. The goal of the Community Animal Center is to keep more animals from being surrendered to shelters by providing affordable wellness care up front, while helping every adoptable animal that comes into their shelters find a forever home. The nonprofit has already received over $3.2 million in pledges towards the new building and is looking for additional donors to make the center a reality. To learn more about the project, view the floor plan or make a donation, visit LifeLineAnimal.org/ animalcenter.

The Piedmont Park Conservancy has installed a brand new agility course in the large dog park. The course was donated by Ansley Park resident Jason Steinfield, 16, who is working toward his Eagle Scout rank. Over 20 scout, family and friend volunteers helped with the installation.

Atlanta veterinarian Duffy Jones has published “The Business Side of Veterinary Medicine: What Veterinary Schools Don’t Teach You.” The founder of Peachtree Hills Animal Hospital shares his own first-hand experience, resulting in a curated manual of essential veterinary business practices. The book is available at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

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ON THE AGENDA

MEETINGS

The Atlanta City Council is in recess and will only meet April 16 at 1 p.m. at City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave. For agendas and more information, visit citycouncil. atlantaga.gov.

The Decatur City Commission meets in open session on the first and third Mondays of each month at City Hall, 509 North McDonough Street, at 7:30 p.m.

NPU-F, which includes the neighborhoods of Virginia-Highland, Piedmont Heights and Morningside-Lenox Park, meets the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at Hillside Facility, 1301 Monroe Drive.

NEWS

Richard Cox has been named new Chief Operating Officer of the City of Atlanta. Cox will be a “loaned executive” from Cox Automotive and will serve the city for one year before he returns to his company.

MARTA has announced Jeffrey A. Parker as the sole finalist for its new general manager and CEO.

The Atlanta City Council continues to consider a ban on booting vehicles on private property. After a stream of business owners and property managers spoke at last month’s meeting, the council sent the measure back to the Public Safety Committee for further study.

The Atlanta City Council has approved funding for a pedestrian bridge over Northside Drive to connect MercedesBenz Stadium to the Vine City MARTA Station. The cost of the bridge, which was originally priced at $12.8 million, is now $24 million.

MARTA gets $12 million for rapid transit bus line

The City of Atlanta and MARTA have received a $12.6 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the United States Department of Transportation. The grant will help fund a $48.6 million, 9.4mile route of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) from Summerhill – where the former Turner Field area is being redeveloped –to the Arts Center Station in Midtown.

“This TIGER grant is more than an investment in our city’s infrastructure, it is a long overdue investment in an often-overlooked area of our City,” said Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. “The dividends paid by investing in South Atlanta will boost our economy and lift up communities longwaiting for opportunity. This news is further evidence of what can be accomplished when we reach across partisan and governmental lines to work together for a common good.”

The Summerhill Bus Rapid Transit is an approximately 9.4mile bus rapid transit route connecting

the Summerhill neighborhood of Atlanta anchored by Georgia State University to MARTA’s heavy rail system and the Atlanta Streetcar. The route will include stations and vehicles linking Midtown, Piedmont Park, Downtown, existing MARTA stations and the new Summerhill mixed-use development. The Summerhill mixeduse development from Georgia State University and Carter will feature a mix of housing, offices, retail, restaurants and more around what

is now Georgia State University Stadium.

This announcement represents the very first installation of BRT in the state of Georgia. BRT is a high-capacity transit system that utilizes existing roadways and dedicated lanes to quickly transport passengers throughout a city or region via bus. BRT lines are connected to local traffic grids so they trip lights, stop less frequently than traditional buses, and have pre-pay ticketing systems. The project also includes the purchase of approximately five new bus rapid transit vehicles that will operate in a mix of exclusive and shared roadways and the installation of approximately 30 transit station locations with level boarding along with other conveniences.

“We are incredibly excited to see BRT in Atlanta,” said Robbie Ashe, MARTA Chairman. “BRT has been widely successful in the United States and abroad, and I’m excited to see it come to Atlanta. We look forward to working with US DOT and the City on this transformative project.”

New Route Atlanta Streets Alive kicks off 2018 with DeKalb Avenue event

Atlanta Streets Alive will kick off its 2018 programming with a brand new route on April 8: Decatur Street and DeKalb Avenue.

A 4.4-mile stretch from the Peachtree Street intersection in Downtown to Rocky Ford Road will be closed to vehicle traffic for walking, biking and skating from 2 to 6 p.m. Organizers Atlanta Bicycle Coalition are encouraging participants to use the various MARTA stations along the

corridor.

The new route will be christened with a parade, which kicks off at 2 p.m. (lineup begins at 1:30 p.m.) on Decatur Street between Pryor and Central.

Atlanta Streets Alive will continue on June 10 on the Westside

from 4 to 8 p.m. along Marietta Street and on Sept. 30 along a 3.1 mile route along Peachtree Street from Midtown to Downtown. For more details about this year’s ASA events, visit atlantastreetsalive.com.

– Collin Kelley

One of my household duties is garbage and recycling maintenance. Each week I announce when I’m about to bring everything to the curb with the heroic flair of someone going into a burning house to save a goldfish. Nobody really listens, but it’s the work itself that fulfills me.

TIMMY DADDY

By Tim Sullivan

Last month, I tossed a bag onto the back porch and it actually bounced because it was full of plastic bottles we accumulated when the water service was interrupted. Somehow a broken pipe all the way over on Buford Highway left us with no water for a day and a boil water advisory for another. But who wants to drink boiling water? By time I got to the store the generic brands were all gone so among other uses, I was filling the dog’s bowl with Evian for a couple days.

When we lived in Cabbagetown, our neighbor’s recycling bin was always

perfectly full of empty water bottles and nothing else. I debated buying her a bottle of wine to mix things up or at least a Brita, but then I would have to admit I was overanalyzing her recycling habits. Before the kids were born, Kristen and I could get through the week with a tidy, albeit much more varied, amount to fit in one of those little bins. But when Elliott and Margo came along we needed to step up to the varsity level because kids come with an awful lot of packaging. So I called the City of Atlanta several times to request one of the big wheelie-bins for the weekly haul.

I exhaled when our first one was finally delivered because our curb presence each week had the aesthetic of an eviction. When the city brought us a second one, I thought, “Cool, we could use that, too.” Then the third and fourth bins came – one for each phone call. I suppose. So when we moved to Decatur, I left two in Cabbagetown and brought two of them with me. The movers doublechecked with me: “You sure you want these smelly cans on the truck?” Yes. Yes, I do.

People may tire of hearing that Decatur is Greater for its schools and restaurants, but I will offer that Decatur may in fact, be greener. I know this, because my garbage bags cost a fortune. The city won’t pick up the garbage unless it is in one of the approved bags and a roll of 10 large ones costs about $15.

The net result is that Decaturites recycle with gusto and try like heck to get all the week’s garbage into a single, sanctioned refuse bag. Two bags and either you are spring cleaning or a failure. Our pickup day is Thursday, so each Wednesday I scan the house for recyclable materials. In addition to our usual stockpile of aluminum, plastic and Honey-Nut Cheerios boxes, Margo might have scraps of construction paper and poster board from various projects. And Elliott probably won’t need all those school worksheets anymore, right? Kristen often has an empty shoebox that I so badly want to recycle but a still pending keep/return decision slows my roll. I’ll contribute a stack of newspapers and magazines. It can be bittersweet if I

haven’t read the Krugman article yet, but sometimes tough decisions need to be made.

When I walk the dog on Wednesday evenings I size up the street’s offerings. I mean, how can I not notice when the “Dennisons” buy yet another flat screen TV or that the “Petersons” had a Jagermeister party they didn’t invite us to? Honestly, I’m most suspicious of the people whose bin is sparsely adorned. Am I supposed to believe that you spent the entire week eating homemade preserves and washing it down with olive oil? C’mon now. We’re all in this together so there’s no need to hide the evidence. Recycle like no one is watching.

New 4-acre park to be created at

Drive and 17th Street

The Upper Westside Improvement District has reached a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management to create a 4.5-acre passive greenspace at the northwest corner of Northside Drive and 17th Street.

Friends of Atlanta Waterworks Park has long championed the land on the eastern edge of the Atlanta City Water Works Hemphill Reservoir as potential greenspace. The Upper Westside Improvement District worked with the city and former Atlanta City Council Member Yolanda Adrean and the Department of Watershed Management to reach the agreement, with support from the park group and the Berkeley Park Neighborhood Association.

“On behalf of the businesses and the neighbors in the Upper Westside Improvement District, we have been working diligently to create new public greenspaces for our community. We are grateful to the city of Atlanta and the Department of Watershed Management for their commitment to the same,” said Elizabeth Hollister, Upper Westside Community District. “This high-profile corner will be an asset for the Upper Westside for years to come.”

The MOU determines the scope of the project, which will transform the underutilized corner parcel into passive greenspace over several phases, the first of which will be the initial cleanup. The hilltop will eventually have benches, mulch trails and signage and offer dramatic views of the city skyline.

The Upper Westside Improvement District is in the process of approving the contractor for the site work and expects to have phase one complete in time for summer. The organization hopes to have the greenspace completed and open to the public by the third quarter.

Andrew Young

Reid Rice

Second-Ponce de Leon Ba pt i st Chur ch pr esent s

Tim Sullivan grew up in a large family in the Northeast and now lives with his small family in Oakhurst. He can be reached at tim@ sullivanfinerugs.com.

Elizabeth Hollister

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Up on the Roof

Green rooftops are popular new amenity at Intown buildings

By Clare S. Richie

Development in Atlanta is reaching new heights with landscape architecture firm HGOR on the forefront of bringing sustainability, cost efficiency, aesthetics and social spaces to Atlanta’s rooftops.

One of HGOR’s most recent projects is a 40,000 square-foot green rooftop perched on the 6th floor parking deck at NCR Corporation’s new global headquarters on Spring Street in Midtown, just north of Tech Square.

“As we plan our growing city it seems wise and forward thinking to take advantage of every part of our outdoor environment, on and around our buildings,” HGOR Principal Chris Mutter said.

Any planted medium on top of a building is a green roof. Initially, they were built to reduce rain runoff, cool the building to provide energy savings or for aesthetic beauty. Their recuperated savings more than offset the higher initial cost than a traditional roof. And nowadays, landscape architects like HGOR, see the potential to design green roofs as an amenity for those in the building.

“More and more companies to be competitive in attracting talent and retaining their own talent are finding large value in creating flexible work arrangements, which is really about taking your culture and expanding it outdoors,” Mutter said.

NCR’s green roof is set between two towers on the sixth floor, which is packed with amenities. In addition to indoor dining options, a gym, coffee bar and large lecture space, employees can head outdoors for meetings, to work independently or take respite among informal exterior spaces to spark creativity.

“We are very connected to the growing trend of the flexible work environments.

Rather than traditional conference rooms, you and I could have a quiet conversation, to a group of 10, 20, 50 or more people – outdoors,” Mutter said.

HGOR achieved a similar concept on the green roof at the SPANX corporate headquarters in Buckhead. It sits atop the third floor of the building, adjacent to the interior dining space. Designed to accommodate a large event of up to five hundred, the space also breaks down into spaces for smaller gatherings.

By giving employees more conveniences and onsite access to green space, corporations hope to keep employees “happy, interested and present.”

“Access to green space improves peoples wellness and productivity. In a corporate environment – employees get a little reprieve, release their stress and feel stimulated and activated. To also have a place where people can take advantage of a nice day and get work done,” Mutter said.

To encourage more of these sustainable amenities, cities are implementing tax incentives, grants, density and zoning bonuses, fee reductions and expedited permitting.

Around Atlanta, green roofs also feature an amusement park like Ponce City Market, recreational space like Soccer in the Streets at the Five Points MARTA Station, and public spaces. Look for more of these as they grow in popularity and more subsidies become available. Like HGOR’s next project, a public space on the top of the new Grant Park parking garage.

“It’s almost like Atlanta’s waterfront real estate. Perspectives or views of the city skylines that we wouldn’t otherwise have seen are now being captured on these rooftop spaces,” Mutter said.

SPANX ‘s green roof in Buckhead.

NCR’s green roof and amenities space in Midtown

Colony Square to get luxury iPic cinema in 2020

Colony Square in Midtown is getting a movie theater as part of an ongoing multimillion renovation project.

A nine-screen, 426-seat luxury iPic Theater, along with a 6,700-square-foot destination bar/restaurant from James Beard Award-winning Chef Sherry Yard is planned for a 2020 opening at Colony Square.

The cinema will feature nine auditoriums showing the latest Hollywood blockbusters as well as live shows including magic, comedy, along with gaming competitions and other “iPic experiential ticketed events.” The cinema will also have those big, comfy reclining seats with pillows and blankets. At the touch of a button, a server will bring food and drinks to your seat.

“We have had our eye on the Atlanta market for five years now, and the Colony Square redevelopment project allowed us to launch the iPic brand experience into one of the top ten DMAs in the country,” said Hamid Hashemi, President and CEO of iPic Entertainment, in a media statement.

Upon completion by owners North American Properties, the reimagined Colony Square will comprise approximately 260,000 square feet of retail space, 262 luxury residences, 940,000 square feet of office space and a 466-room hotel.

Plans announced for mixed-use Quarry Yards project

Urban Creek Partners has unveiled plans and renderings for Quarry Yards, a 70-acre mixed-use development in West Midtown.

Designed by HKS Architects and Populous, Quarry Yards is being master-planned to become the gateway to Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry, the city’s new park and reservoir along the Atlanta BeltLine.

Phase one of the project, which is adjacent to the Bankhead MARTA Station on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, will include 575,000 square feet of office space, 850 residential units, a 300 room hotel and 75,000 square feet of retail and restaurants. The $400 million first phase is expected to break ground by the end of the year.

Urban Creek Partners also announced it is working with Pollack Shores Real Estate Group on forming a joint venture partnership for the multifamily development and is in discussions with a retail partner on a food hall concept.

“Urban Creek Partners has been in this community for the past 10 years, listening and learning about what our neighbors want in this development. Our plan is to continue to be here for the long haul and create an economic driver that will lift the entire area – one which has been overlooked for far too long,” said Urban Creek partner Max Teixeira.

Along with access to Westside Park and the BeltLine, the soon-to-becompleted Proctor Creek Greenway runs through the heart of the site. The developer also plans to work with MARTA to expand the Bankhead station.

Renderings for the project show building design keeping with the area’s industrial roots with brick, glass, concrete, metal and iron and container storage units that will be used for startup businesses and restaurant concepts.

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MAY OPEN HOUSES

Preschool Tuesday, May 1

Grades K-7 Thursday, May 3

Grades 8-12 Wednesday, May 2

Details at holyspiritprep.org/visit.

A Catholic Education Honor Roll school in Chastain Park, forming students 6 months-12th grade. holyspiritprep.org

BUSINESS BRIEFS

► Inland Tract, a redevelopment of two mid-century warehouses into creative flex space, has broken ground in West Midtown. Built in 1964 and located at 1218 and 1236 Menlo Drive, the property is being leased by Wilson, Hull & Neal and developed by partners Third & Urban and Granite Properties. Slated to open in fall 2018, the $16M project will deliver 77,487 square feet of office and warehouse environments to a wide range of businesses.

▼ CBRE facilitated the sale of Pershing Point, the 409,579-squarefoot, 8-story office building located at 1375 Peachtree Street in Midtown. The Dilweg Companies acquired the property, which is anchored by long-term tenants Kaiser Permanente’s Healthcare IT division and global advertising firm HUGE.

■ Paint Sip Socialize, an art studio owned and operated by radio personality, author and entrepreneur Sasha The Diva, is now open at 1259 Glenwood Ave. in East Atlanta. Artists can bring their favorite beverage and work on projects and socialize with other artists. Visit paintsipsocialize.com for more information.

Time on the job WITHOUT PAIN.

◄ Freedom Barber Co. will open a new barbershop later this year at SPX Alley, the new retail component along the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail at Studioplex in the Old Fourth Ward. The original location at Paris on Ponce has been a success and was recently featured on the Netflix series “Queer Eye.”

■ Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has signed an agreement for the city to join the Employment, Education, and Outreach (EMPLEO) coalition. The coalition is an initiative of the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour division to address the concerns of recent immigrants who are not familiar with their workplace rights and responsibilities in the U.S. The partnership will help protect Spanish-speaking members of the workforce, as well as employers, from illegal work practices that put them in unfair and unsafe situations.

■ Organics food grocer Earth Fare will soon close two of its Atlanta area stores, after just over three years in business. According to Tomorrow’s News Today, the stores at the Village at Peachtree Corners shopping center and Emory Point are going out of business.

Inland Tract

Pershing Point Plaza

Freedom Barber

Home & Real Estate

Spring Tours & Sales

There’s a host of home and garden tours, and plant sales, on tap

By Collin Kelley

If you’re looking for some colorful inspiration for your home and garden this Spring, then check out this calendar of upcoming tours and plant sales in April and May.

TREES ATLANTA ANNUAL PLANT SALE

Over 100 varieties of native perennials, grasses, shrubs, and tree-friendly vines will be available for purchase at the 6th annual sale April 7 at 8 a.m. at The Carter Center, 453 Freedom Parkway. The selection showcases many of the native perennial wildflowers that are planted on the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum. Included are great bird and butterfly friendly species, as well as many species of vines, ferns and grasses. Trees Atlanta staff members will be on hand to provide advice on plant selection and placement. All proceeds will benefit Trees Atlanta’s planting and education programs. For more information, visit TreesAtlanta.org.

INMAN PARK TOUR OF HOMES

As part of the annual Inman Park Festival, this year’s tour runs April 2729. There will be 10 of the neighborhood’s most unique homes, including Victorians, English Cottages, Four Squares, bungalows and more. For updated information on the tour, visit inmanparkfestival.org.

IRIS SHOW AND SALE

The Georgia Iris Society will host its annual Iris Show and Sale on April 28 at St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church, 1790 Lavista Road. Judging of the best flowers in the show will begin at 9 a.m. and the sale is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

MIDTOWN GARDEN STROLL ▲

The Midtown Neighbors’ Association will host its 5th Annual Midtown Garden Stroll on May 20 from noon until 5 p.m. This free event is open to the public for a chance to see the gardens at private homes in the Midtown Garden District. Guests can expect to see formal gardens, casual gardens, backyard beekeeping, fountains, espalier, intricate brickwork and inspiring ideas for beautiful, fully-functional family yards. Guests may obtain a map of participating homes at MidtownAtlanta.org, on the Midtown Gardens Facebook page or pick up a printed copy on the day of the event at the Garden Stroll Headquarters. located at 771 Myrtle Street NE. Homeowners will often be on hand to answer questions and provide a complimentary drink. Friendly pets are welcomed but must be kept on a leash at all times.

GARDENS FOR CONNOISSEURS TOUR ▲

Benefiting the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the annual tour will feature 10 gardens at private homes around Atlanta on May 12-13. Featuring a range of styles and sizes – from tranquil woodland settings to intimate urban oases – the self-guided tour will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Tickets are available at atlantabg.org.

DRUID HILLS TOUR OF HOMES & GARDENS ▲

The 50th anniversary edition of the tour is set for April 20-22 with six of Druid Hills’ most beautiful homes (including one that was on the very first tour) and six gardens. The weekend will also include a history display at Rose Library at Emory University, the Lullwater Garden Club Plant Sale and the debut of “History Happens Here,” a film by David Winston about the development of the Druid Hills community. For tickets and more details, visit druidhillstour.org.

Green Building Trends

By Kathy Dean

The move toward sustainability continues to grow, and Intown residents are finding more ways to incorporate it into their lives. Home designers and builders report that while they do get clients looking for environmentally-friendly designs and materials, it’s not yet a regular request.

“I honestly think it’s mostly due to a lack of knowledge of what products are out there,” said Rick Goldstein, Owner/ Registered Architect, MOSAIC Design + Build. “As these products and practices become more advertised, I believe people will begin requesting green products more and more.”

In Atlanta, he said, it’s the Intown homeowners who seem to be much more in tune with sustainability and green practices, especially those living in the older 1920s neighborhoods, like Candler Park, Grant Park and East Atlanta.

Randy Glazer, owner, Glazer Design & Construction, said that he’s seen interest growing in the Decatur and Virginia Highland areas. “Some cities are enforcing stricter rules and regulations, and promoting energy efficient materials,” he said — and that’s helping push greener building products.

There’s a definite increase is in the desire for energy efficiency, which some homeowners equate with green, according to Goldstein. “Better insulation, a tighter building envelope, more efficient HVAC and water heating — these are more green because they decrease energy needs,” he said.

Goldstein added that almost all of his clients incorporate a recycling area somewhere in their kitchen, as it’s an easy way to encourage green practices. “We’ve also had several clients interested in the new Tesla solar roofing,” he said, “and a number of homeowners want electric car charging stations as well, even if they don’t yet have an electric car.”

He listed some environmentally-friendly building products that are becoming more common. Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and adhesives cut down on emissions. LVT (luxury vinyl tile) has a backing made with cork, a sustainable

material due to its rapid regrowth. Low E (emissivity) glass windows reflect heat; and low-flow products for faucets, shower heads and toilets conserve water.

Glazer noted that while his clients are also interested in energy efficiency and renewable energy, some are moving toward the latest building trend: disasterresilient housing. “They want resiliency, products that can withstand Mother Nature,” he said.

With the change in weather patterns, homeowners now look for structures that can withstand extreme storms, strong winds and flooding. This can be achieved through designs like aerodynamic exteriors, windresistant roofs and elevated buildings.

Green trends extend to office and commercial building as well. Some of the sustainable construction products that Glazer uses include the VersaDry Track System, a construction system that protects drywall from moisture and mold; the Grayworks modular graywater system to decrease water consumption; airflow panels to increase heating and cooling efficiency; and SunPower solar carports, which uses solar panels to protect cars while collecting the sun’s energy.

Designs for home and office interiors are moving in the same direction. “Again, we’re incorporating things that are sustainable and healthy,” Glazer said, “like eco-friendly paints and primers and floor refinishes.”

Reclaimed wood has become very popular, according to Goldstein, and it can be used for all sorts of applications, including accent walls, flooring, countertops and furniture. “It has a neat look and can give off a rustic or modern vibe, depending on what you pair it with,” he said.

“LED lighting is big, not only from the standpoint of cost savings, but from an aesthetic standpoint as well. It functions with less heat output, which means less work for the air conditioner,” Goldstein said. “We incorporate LED lighting into almost every project that we do.”

Decorative Arts

Annual design market returns to ADAC

Atlanta’s GYN & Surgical Specialists

The free-to-attend event will also feature special guests Hamish Bowles, international editor-at-large of Vogue, and designer Victoria Hagan.

“At this year’s Design ADAC, we are celebrating innovative minds that are revolutionizing how the world of interior design is being expressed,” said Katie Miner, General Manager at ADAC. “Our goal was to create a series of events that would encourage everyone to find new ways to apply their own skills and interests into something uniquely their own.”

Featured events will include:

• Cooking Up A Lifestyle: Set for April 24 at 10 a.m., this event will feature designer and cookbook author Nathan Turner will discuss how he weaves together elements of the design and culinary arts to craft sumptuous experiences for family and friends.

• Meet the Inimitable Mr. Bowles: Vogue Editor-At-Large Hamish Bowles will discuss his formative influences and experiences in the world of design on April 24 at 1 p.m.

McDaniel and Durrett •

•

Previously

Bio Identical Hormone Therapy

RIGHT FOR YOU?

Has child birth or menopause relaxed or stretched your feminine tissue?

Do you occasionally dribble or leak when you sneeze, cough or exercise?

• Take Out: Bring Restaurant Design Home: Chef Alton Brown moderates this panel discussion with architect Steven A Rugo, designer Patrick Sutton and contractor Elizabeth Ingram on how to bring the best of restaurant design into your home on April 24 at 4:30 p.m.

• About Decorating:

Designer Richard Keith Langham discusses his 30-year career and discusses his approach to designing city and country projects on April 25 at 10 a.m.

• Southern Roots:

Designers Lindsey Coral Harper, Katie Leede and Ruthie Sommers discuss how their Southern roots have influenced their design on April 25 at 1 p.m.

• Dream Spaces:

Designer Victoria Hagan discusses her design philosophy and why she’s known as the “queen of restrained elegance” on April 26 at 1 p.m.

• Masters of Design:

Designers Brian McCarthy and Suzanne Rheinstein discuss a range of interior design topics, including the current state of style, on April 26 at 1 p.m.

For more information about all the events happening during Design ADAC, visit adacatlanta.com.

Move-In Ready Homes in Brookhaven

Peach Hospitality plans to renovate the derelict office building known as The Peach in Midtown into new residences. Located at 1655 Peachtree Street, the 12-story building has stood vacant for more than a decade. Originally constructed in the 1960’s as an office building, the structure underwent partial conversion to a residential building approximately 10 years ago but was never completed. The building is highly visible from the Downtown Connector thanks to the large, vertical advertisements that rotate on its outer wall and the giant peach on the roof, which is part of an advertising billboard. The project would include 107 new residential units of varying sizes and an amenities deck.

Dezhu US, an Atlanta-based subsidiary of a prominent Chinese developer, has scored a $6 million loan for a project called Juniper and 5th to move forward with the construction of 150 condominiums in Midtown, according to a report at Curbed Atlanta. The five-story building will be located on 1.8-acres, which is currently parking lots and low-rise commercial buildings.

EA Homes has announced a new single-family home community near Kirkwood called Bixton. The development will feature two- and three-story plans with expansive porches featuring three- and fourbedroom options ranging from 2,400 to 2,600+ square feet. Homes at Bixton will start in the low $500s. For more information, visit eahomes.com/bixton.

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation has acquired three properties along the Atlanta BeltLine’s Westside Trail that the organization plans to rehabilitate and sell back to the community as affordable housing. Two of the properties are houses that the Trust will rehabilitate; the third property is an undeveloped lot on which the Trust will construct a new house that is affordable, environmentally sustainable and architecturally compatible with the historic neighborhood. After construction is completed, all three houses will be made available for purchase as affordable housing through the Georgia Trust Revolving Fund program, which provides effective alternatives to demolition or neglect of architecturally and historically significant properties. The properties are located in historic Washington Park (circa 1953, 1,500 square feet with three bedrooms) and Mozley Park (1920s bungalow with 1,300 square feet). The two houses contribute to the historical integrity and architectural qualities of those neighborhoods. The undeveloped lot is adjacent to the Washington Park house.

Set to become the city’s tallest residential tower at 53 stories, construction has commenced on No2 Opus Place in Midtown. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices team, CITY HAUS, has released new details for the 257 condos, priced from the mid$400s and going up to ultra-luxe penthouse homes at $12 million. The floorplan mix includes pied-a-terre, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom homes ranging from around 625 square feet to 4,000 square feet on the building’s upper floors. Recently, additional homes on the smaller end of the spectrum were added to the project’s plans due to shifting market demand. For those interested in learning more, the sales center is open at 98 14th Street and details are available at opusplaceatlanta.com

District 9 Atlanta City Councilmember Dustin Hillis is on a mission to eliminate blight in his district and throughout the city. Since taking office Jan. 2, Hillis and his staff have submitted over 150 code enforcement issues to the city via smartphone. The councilmember is encouraging residents to use the SeeClickFix smartphone app to submit similar code violations to the city. The app syncs with ATL 311 and sends a notification any time a new code enforcement violation comes in. The city is currently developing its own app for the same purpose. Turning in code enforcement violations is only a part of the battle for Hillis, who wants to see these properties cleaned up and be rebuilt with affordable housing.

A new initiative has been unveiled to strengthen affordable housing opportunities in the City of Atlanta to help low income residents avoid displacement. The initiative includes three unique Heritage Owner-Occupied Rehab (OOR) programs – which provide forgivable loans to residents to make critical health and safety repairs on their homes. The program is being implemented by Invest Atlanta with support from the Atlanta Housing Authority and Choice Atlanta. The initiative is geared toward seniors, veterans, disabled heads of households and families who have lived in their homes for at least five years, with a special focus on Westside neighborhoods like Vine City, English Avenue and portions of Castleberry Hill, as well as Ashview Heights and the Atlanta University Center area. Information about the Heritage Owner-Occupied Rehab programs can be found at investatlanta.com/owneroccupiedrehab.

Engel & Völkers Atlanta has formed a partnership with Opendoor, a smartphone app that streamlines the process of selling a home, to better serve its homebuyers. The app allows buyers to access hundreds of homes that fit specific criteria and schedule an in-person visit with just a few taps, offering flexible visiting hours every day of the week rather than traditional open houses.

Harry Norman, Realtors recently celebrated the grand opening of its Buckhead North office on East Paces Ferry Road. The new office combines stylish décor designed by Hendrick Associates with smart technology, including an 80” TV for PowerPoint presentations. The conference room serves as an agent lounge and entertaining space.

For the fourth year running, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers was awarded Platinum Status by the Cartus Broker Network, a worldwide leader in employee relocation services.

News You Can Eat

Market Mania

Get fresh produce from local farmers and makers at local farmers markets

By Collin Kelley

If you’re looking for fresh food and produce from local farmers, then be sure to check out Intown’s array of farmers markets, which have reopened – or soon will – for the season. Check out our handy guide.

GREEN MARKET AT

PIEDMONT

PARK

The annual Green Market at Piedmont Market opened in late March and continues every Saturday through mid-December from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. near the 12th Street gate. More than 40 vendors offer fresh goods and there are also chef demonstrations, arts and crafts, live music and history tours. Information: piedmontpark.org.

MORNINGSIDE FARMERS’ MARKET

Open year-round, this neighborhood market at 1393 N. Highland Ave. has been a Saturday morning favorite for more than 20 years. Check out organic produce, freshly prepared foods, baked goods, artisan crafts, flowers and more. Market hours are 8 to 11:30 a.m. Information: morningsidemarket.com.

GRANT PARK FARMERS MARKET

The market will be open on Sundays beginning April 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of Cherokee and Milledge avenues. There will be locally grown fruits, vegetables, artisan produced breads, cheeses and celebrity chef demonstrations. Information: grantparkmarket.org.

PEACHTREE ROAD FARMERS MARKET

Located in the parking lot at Cathedral of St. Phillip, 2744 Peachtree Road in Buckhead, the market reopens April 7 from 8:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday through mid-December. Information: peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com.

DECATUR FARMERS MARKET

Held on the front lawn of the First Baptist Church of Decatur at the corner of Commerce and Clairemont, the market reopens on Wednesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. on April 11 and on Saturdays starting April 14 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each week. Information: cfmatl.org/Decatur.

PONCE CITY FARMERS MARKET

Opening day is April 10 for this market located directly on the Beltline’s Eastside Trail at The Shed at PCM. The market will be held seasonally on Tuesday evenings from 4 to 8 p.m., and will host urban farmers, artisanal food makers and pop-up chefs. Information: cfmatl.org/poncecity.

PEACHTREE CENTER GREEN MARKET ▲

The market returns April 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will continue each Thursday through October. The market features more than a dozen weekly vendors selling local goods from produce to breads to juice to prepared lunch items. Bernhard’s German Bakery, Pearson Farms, King of Pops and Cosmos Organic Farm are just a few of the favorite returning vendors for 2018. Information: facebook.com/peachtreecenter.

FREEDOM FARMERS’ MARKET ▼

The market is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. year round at the Carter Center in Poncey-Highland. Expect to find fresh produce, meats, baked goods, cheese and dairy, handmade preserves and honey, fresh coffee and more. There are also regular guest chefs in the restaurant pop-up tent. Information: freedomfarmersmkt.com.

EAST ATLANTA VILLAGE FARMERS MARKET ▲

The market reopens April 12 and continues through mid-December on Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. at 572 Stokeswood Ave. (the grassy park across from Midway Pub). You’ll find fresh produce, locally-made food and products, chef demos and much more throughout the season.

Deep End

Tasting Intown

By Megan Volpert

As a resident of Decatur, I’m accustomed to the good work of the people behind The Pinewood. Those folks have several quality spots around town, including Mercury at Ponce City Market. My wife loves to stroll around PCM, and I sometimes end up holding her bag and looking for a place to camp out while she does her thing. Crowds make me crabby after awhile, no matter how delicious or how happening the spot. Finally, I have found my preferred retreat: Deep End, at the corner of Glen Iris and North Avenue, right across the street from PCM.

A two-minute walk is all it takes to arrive at decent tacos and excellent cocktails, minus the well-groomed and carefully curated chaos nearby. They open at noon on weekends and 5pm on weekdays, not closing until 2am on any day except Sunday, when they close at midnight. Anytime is a great time for tacos, right? With those hours, I bet a lot of people who work at PCM consider this a perfect late night spot to escape their own customers. In the afternoon, it offers a spacious, breezy patio with some good conversation from amusing strangers and excellent people watching. In the early evening, the neon kicks on and the cavernous warehouse vibe inside takes on bright pink and blue tones that will make you wonder if you’ve stumbled onto the set of Miami Vice.

For seven bucks, you can snack on chips and salsa, or queso or guacamole. For twelve bucks, you can snack on all three. The chips aren’t greasy but they do pack plenty of salt. The salsa and gauc were creamy and flavorful, but I wasn’t that into the queso until I threw in an extra three bucks to add chorizo. There are eight tacos on the menu, all priced at four bucks a pop. Most people can get fed on twelve bucks. The ground beef gringo will satisfy your least adventurous friend who thinks Taco Bell is proper Tex-Mex. The el pastor taco goes heavy on pineapple and cilantro with refreshing results. Get the mahi mahi taco if you’re into a good slaw topping. For my money, the chicken tinga taco had the best spice—plenty seasoned but hot enough to keep you reaching for your beverage regularly. Or if you prefer seafood, the shrimp taco uses the same solid chipotle sauce as the chicken tinga taco.

If you like sugar at the end of your meal, Deep End’s churros are top notch. The outside has an excellent crunch without succumbing to greasiness, and the inside is plenty dense without succumbing to squishiness. The cinnamon sugar was in good proportion and more of it will get into your mouth than on your hands. The accompanying chocolate sauce is a bit runny to be dunking at arm’s length across the table. If you’re going to share, it’ll be a race to get to your mouth without dripping, but the flavor of the sauce itself was nice and sweet and it did not overwhelm the pastry’s own taste.

The real glory of the place of course resides in its bank of slushy machines, which dispense four varieties of frozen cocktails. For nine bucks, you can get rum, vodka, gin or sparkling wine

in colorful island combos that go into color-changing plastic cups—all the rage in Atlanta now, thanks to the hot pink ones proliferated by Bon Ton. The best and prettiest slushy is the Malibu Sands: rum, pineapple, coconut, orange, nutmeg. They also have more traditional cocktails, including a margarita that isn’t too tangy, and some decent bourbon or wine options. The most expensive beer is a seven dollar local draft and the cheapest is a four dollar can of High Life, which the menu charmingly describes as “non-artisanal and super American.”

Deep End is not fussy or expensive. It is not too loud or overcrowded. Its menu is serviceable and its drinks are transportive. Its staff is friendly without hovering. It runs day and night, indoors and outdoors. This is a great spot to unwind from too much work or too much leisure, brought to you by restauranteurs that Atlanta trusts to do things right without trying too hard.

Live in Casual Elegance

Megan Volpert lives in Decatur, teaches in Roswell and writes books about popular culture.

App trio with salsa, guac and queso.

Bouquet of beverages.

Churros with chocolate sauce.

Deep End is located at 621 North Ave. in the Old Fourth Ward. For more information, visit 10apart.com/deep-end/.

Three kinds of tacos.

The

By Natalie Keng

The similarities between Chinese cooking and Southern “soul” food are unexpected or expected depending on where you sit at the table. To my friend’s dad, food was food and he might as well have taken it intravenously. Or if you’re me, I live to eat and I eat to learn. Every dish tells a story, whether it’s bratwurst, bagels or balut. And just like putting labels on people, the judgments we make about a particular type of food or who makes it, says more about ourselves than anything else.

Most of our minds jump to conclusions before the fried chicken is even done cooking. I myself declined to date a guy who hated strawberries. Something must be wrong with him if he doesn’t like the juicy, sweet, wholesome goodness of a fresh strawberry! And if Auntie Chin gets offered the fish head, she must be the special guest! If you use lard instead of olive oil, someone might assume a mobile home is your place of residence. The food never changes even if the judgments do. Peasant food one day, organic the next. Slave food one day, artisanal Southern cuisine the next.

Being a girl born and raised in Smyrna by Chinese parents makes me a Chinese Southern Belle, and cooking with recipes and ingredients originating from the Deep South not only results in an amazing array of mouthwatering dishes at our family Thanksgiving table, but also in a profound appreciation for my heritage and the women—mothers, aunts, grandmothers and more – who cooked and slaved in the kitchen, literally and figuratively, so that the rest of us could savor and learn from their creations. Race, gender and resourcefulness spawned by poverty and slavery are some of the unlisted ingredients.

Like many traditional dishes around the world where written recipes are virtually nonexistent because the cooks – women, people of color and other groups considered secondclass citizens – were not allowed to attend school and often couldn’t read or write, their culinary legacies were handed down verbally with a dash of faith and a dollop of love.

Traditional Chinese food, Southern food and soul food share common traits despite originating on opposite sides of the globe. The diet of Southern slaves was restricted to what their owners would provide – leftover meat parts, and vegetable scraps or roots. The cooking in Southern households was often done by black female slaves resulting in the development of Southern food with African American influences and, depending on the heritage, Native American, Caribbean, French and Spanish influences. They learned to use less desirable off-cuts of meat such as pig’s feet, oxtail, ham hocks, pig ears, chitterlings, tripe and re-used lard for cooking,

Eating a wide variety of animals, vegetables and the whole of their parts was also a matter of survival for Chinese people who were mostly peasants and farmers. Meat was a luxury and being picky or throwing away anything edible was unthinkable. Bone soups and bone-in meat stew, originating from necessity, are now

considered healthier, more nutritious and richer in flavor. Skinless meat? Never! The skin helps retain moisture but also carries the flavor of the seasonings and sauces.

Native American tribes of the Southeast strongly influenced Southern cooking in the form of corn-based dishes (grits, Johnny cakes, hushpuppies), fishing, and hunting native wild game. Onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf were added, not just as flavor enhancers, but as flavor cover-ups. With no refrigeration and limited storage, spoilage and rancidity were common. Chinese hot chili oils and sauces, and fermented curds served a similar purpose. Spicy food also stretched resources further by pairing scarce meats with cheap, filling starches such as rice or beans.

In my family, mom and dad loved to fish so my sisters and I were trained early on how to tease out tiny fish bones but swallow the meat. We also expertly spat watermelon seeds out, and sucked shrimp or crab from their shells. From whole chicken stew to “see-through rind” watermelon-eating contests with my cousins, we lived outside the land of pre-cut fruit salads, fish sticks and boneless chicken. Auntie made pork belly buns long before they hit restaurant menus or food trucks. Mom’s beloved soups were made from and served with meat bones in the bowl. Dad’s signature ribs were “gnaw off the bone” type, not “fall off the bone” type. I wondered why back then, none of my friends wanted to stay for dinner.

Today, when my family goes out to eat, it’s often Southern-style cooking and not Moo Goo Gai Pan. The last time I made biscuits, I went searching for lard in three different stores before I found a block. When did lard disappear? How does fried chicken go gourmet? Why does the lowly pork belly sandwich create two-hour wait lines?

Perhaps it’s okay to like a food for what it is and not what it represents. My dad loves Chinese porridge with a thousandyear egg cut up in it and fermented bean curd on the side, but he also loves Popeye’s Fried Chicken because it tastes good. The circle of food mirrors the circle of life. The old becomes the new and then repeats itself. Old foods create new conclusions. Will there ever be a time when food is just food? Probably not. The story behind the recipes are the unseen ingredients I love the most. Will there be a time when we are a colorblind society? I hope not. Diversity is the ingredient that makes our country great. No blending required.

Natalie Keng is the founder of Chinese Southern Belle, which offers cooking classes, food tours and demonstrations as well as a line of sauces. Find out more at chinesesouthernbelle.com.

From left, Leigh Keng, Margaret Keng, Natalie Keng and Pearl Keng.

America’s Native Cuisine

Barbecue

exhibit at Atlanta History Center celebrates “the most truly American food”

as

By Joe Earle

Barbecue. It was born and named in the Caribbean and is older than the United States, but it still is considered a significant part of America’s native cuisine.

A taste for smoked meat both unites and divides us: Barbecue brings together fans from coast to coast while the never-resolved questions about barbecue — What kind of meat to use? How best to cook it? Chopped or sliced? Sauce or no sauce? — splinter us by region, state, even county and community.

The Atlanta History Center plans a new exhibition starting May 5 to examine the enduring allure of what the center describes as “the most truly American food.” The exhibition, called Barbecue Nation and scheduled to last through June 3, 2019, will survey barbecue’s role in American history.

“Barbecue touches on almost every part of our national history,” Barbecue Nation, consulting curator, and Atlanta author Jim Auchmutey, who is working on a book telling the story of barbecue, said in a press release from the history center.

“It involves the age of discovery, the colonial era, the Civil War, the settling of the West, the coming of immigrants, the Great Migration of blacks and whites from the South, the spread of automobiles, the expansion of suburbia and the rejiggering of gender roles. It is entwined with our politics and tangled up with our race relations.”

The history center’s exhibition will touch on styles of barbecue spread from North Carolina to Texas and from Kansas City to Memphis to Chicago; present an array of artifacts ranging from cookbooks to cooking gadgets; display vintage grills; and offer oral histories from restaurants, festivals and community gatherings, the history center said.

Barbecue Nation also will survey barbecue’s contributions to politics, including a presentation on a 1909 banquet in Atlanta for then President-elect William Howard Taft that featured barbecued possum, and another on a barbecue in 1889 that drew thousands of Union and Confederate vets to dine together in Chickamauga.

The Atlanta History Center is located at 130 West Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets cost $18 for seniors (aged 65+), $21.50 for adults, $18 for students (aged 13+), $9 for youths aged 4 to 12 and free for children 3 and younger. For more information: 404-814-4000 or AtlantaHistoryCenter.com.

Courtesy of Atlanta History Center Rodney Scott, a celebrated barbecue restaurateur in Charleston, South Carolina, is an example of the new traditionalists who are reinvigorating barbecue by doing it the old-fashioned way. He sources his own meat and fuel, going so far

to choose and cut his own wood. His story will be one of many told in the Atlanta History Center’s exhibition Barbecue Nation, opening on May 5.

QUICK BITES

F&H Food Trading Group co-owners Hicham Azhari and Fikret Kovac are bringing Little Alley Steak to One Alliance Center in Buckhead this month. The original location opened in Roswell in 2012. The “butcher to table” will offer prime USDA cuts of beef from Meats by Linz in Chicago, charcuterie program, seafood options, extensive wine selection and more than 350 bourbon selections.

Chef Kevin Gillespie plans to open Cold Beer on the Beltline in the new Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail mixed-use development from Vantage Realty between DeKalb and Edgewood Avenues. According to Eater Atlanta, Cold Beer will have 7,000 square feet and three BeltLine-facing patios.

The Atlanta Spring Wine Fest will be held April 14 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Historic Old Fourth Ward Park with more than 50 wines as well as a selection of beer and cider to choose from. There will be live music, plenty of fun and games, and food will be available for purchase. Tickets are $45 ($50 after April 5). For more information, visit atlantawinefestivals.com.

Sage Woodfire Tavern is now open in Buckhead at 3379 Peachtree Road in the former Morton’s space. The menu includes surf and turf, pastas, soups, salads and more. For more information, visit sagewoodfiretavern. com/buckhead/

Chef Shane McIntosh has reopened Ocean Market at 489 Peachtree St. after remodeling and a continued focus on fresh, organic ingredients and a contemporary take on Parisianinspired menu items. Offering a grab-and-gostyle, all-day lunch and snack menu tailored to busy professionals, area residents and more, the bistro concept is open every Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit facebook.com/ oceanmarketatlanta for more information.

Crawfish + Cocktails will be held April 15 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall, 685 John Wesley Dobbs Ave., in the Old Fourth Ward. Chef Chris Wilson, director of culinary operations for Emeril’s Homebase, will prepare a classic boil alongside other New Orleans culinary favorites. Sweet Crude will provide the toe-tappin’ tunes. For tickets and information, visit gardenandgun.com/event/crawfish-cocktails/.

A Page From the Book Festival of the MJCCA presents Stirring the Pot with Superstar Southern Chefs on May 2 at 7:30 p.m. This panel discussion will feature chefs Hugh Acheson, Eddie Hernandez, Todd Richards and Virginia Willis talking about their new cookbooks and Southern comfort food. The program will take place at the Marcus JCC of Atlanta (5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody), and will feature Q&A, a book signing and a dessert reception featuring desserts from all four cookbooks. For information, visit atlantajcc.org/bookfestival.

Trade Root is now open at The Whitley Hotel in Buckhead, 3434 Peachtree Road, featuring Mediterranean-inspired cuisine and signature cocktails under the direction of Executive Chef Marc Suennemann. For more information, visit thewhitleyhotel.com/dining/trade-root/.

The Studio Rumble and Roll

Atlanta Rollergirls thrill fans with sport and spectacle

By Isadora Pennington

Walking up the driveway of the Yaraab Shrine on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Midtown, roller derby is not the first thing you would imagine is happening behind its ornate façade. But inside, a big crowd has come to cheer on the Atlanta Rumble Bs as they compete against the Tampa Bay RollerGirls. Spectators fill the stadium seating at either end of the big hall and overflow down onto the floor, many seated mere inches away from the action and separated only by colorful tape on the floor.

Dominated by female teams, the sport is physical, aggressive, and has a huge cult following. Players have pseudonyms that are meant to reflect aspects of their individual personalities. The showmanship and spectacle of the sport have at times overshadowed the athleticism, but the truth is that players must maintain peak physical condition and excellent coordination in order to excel at the game and to avoid injury.

The Atlanta Rollergirls were founded in 2004 by Tanya Hide and a few fellow members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). “Atlanta Rollergirls is a group of diverse, strong women who get together to play an aggressive sport on roller skates,” said Rosie Derivator of the Rumble Bs, Atlanta’s B Team. “It’s grown from its days of fishnets and tutus, but there are always big hits, fancy spins and amazing jumps; it’s an entire hour of amazing, entertaining athleticism.”

There are several teams that call Atlanta home, including the A Team ‘Dirty South Derby Girls’ and the C Team ‘Jukes of Hazzard.’ In addition to the female leagues, there is also a men’s and junior’s team. “Our league is comprised of women of all ages, race, nationalities, and walks of life. I love that about the sport overall, it’s welcoming of all women regardless of experience,” said Rumble B member Johnnie Knox’em. “You just have to want it and love it.”

The Atlanta Rollergirls are currently rated 14th in the nation out of more than 300 teams total, and they benefit from having a strong base of knowledge and skill within their ranks.

“This gives ARG members access to training by some of the best skaters in the world, in a well established league with a dedicated practice space,” said Derivator. While there is a prevailing element of theatrics to the sport akin to televised wrestling bouts, the hits, moves, and points are all taken very seriously.

“It’s a contact sport much like football or rugby, except we do have the room for a bit of dramatic flair while also keeping it professional and real,” Derivator said. “By that I mean all the outcomes, spills, and injuries are organic, natural, and unplanned. We roll with the punches, so to speak, as they come.”

Due to its inherently physical and confrontational nature, players and guests alike must keep their wits about themselves. Injuries are very real and can be serious for players.

“There are definitely a lot of injuries, going from simple sprains and black eyes to the more severe broken bones,” Knox’em said. “We love the sport so much that it makes it worth the risk, and learning how to handle ourselves lessens that risk. I most commonly see ankle injuries, from sprains to snapped ankles.”

Despite the potential injuries, Derivator says roller derby is, in a way, a calling.

“There’s a running thought in the roller derby community that most of us find roller derby when we need it most,” said Derivator. “In times of struggle and difficulty, roller derby is a constant and a means of an outlet. It’s a few hours a day, a couple of times a week, when the outside world doesn’t matter and we can focus on bettering ourselves in one specific area. It’s been fantastic for my mental health.”

Knox’em said Atlanta Rollergirls gives young women a view into what they are capable of and how they can channel their energy and competitive spirit. “I also hope the world gets to see how we play and has a better insight on how far the sport of roller derby has come.”

To learn more about the Atlanta Rollergirls and buy tickets for their next event on April 28, visit atlantarollergirls.com.

Photos by Isadora Pennington Master Blazer makes her move.

In action at the Yaraab Shrine in Midtown.

Rosie Derivator

FESTIVAL FEVER

Art, music & more in April

FESTIVAL ON PONCE

The spring version of the festival will be held April 7-8 in Olmsted Linear Park along Ponce de Leon Avenue. More than 125 artisans, kids zone, food and more. festivalonponce.com

Off Stage Theater

Found Stages challenges theater scene with unconventional platforms

By Grace Huseth

Atlanta theater group Found Stages is changing the way Atlantans enjoy theater, embracing unconventional performance spaces and technology and eschewing traditional sets and costumes.

Founder Nichole Palmietto believes performing outside of the typical theater model exposes new people to theater. “A lot of people who are drawn to the work don’t identify themselves as theater patrons,” Palmietto said. “We hope that we can be that theatrical home for people who don’t already have one and to grow the Atlanta theater audience even more.”

This summer, Found Stages will return to the Dunwoody Nature Center where they performed their first play in 2014. The nature center’s new glass enclosed pavilion will be transformed to a stage for the Wine and Reading series held on the first Sunday of each month June through November. At 2 p.m., wine will be served, listeners will take their seats and plays by nationally recognized playwrights will be read by professional actors. The hour-long plays have never been read or performed in Atlanta, and with stage directions guiding their imaginations, many audience members will try their hand at directing and set design for the first time.

“Listening is fun because you get to use your imagination more. You don’t have light or sounds or setting,” Palmietto said. “It’s an opportunity to get a preview of what a production would look like because you are meeting embodied characters, but there is a lot of room for the audience to use their imagination to fill in the blanks.”

Texas native Palmietto moved to Atlanta for a directing internship with

Actor’s Express and quickly joined the city’s theater community. After Palmietto kept bumping into Found Stages’ co-founder Neeley Gossett at local productions, the two had coffee, discovered they had a similar goal to create unique plays and began Found Stages. Since then, the duo has partnered with artists who work professionally at theaters and educational institutions all across Atlanta, including the Atlanta History Center and Georgia State UniversityDunwoody Campus.

“In Atlanta, people are so willing to give you a chance. I’ve never had anyone say no to coffee, even if they didn’t know me, and people are genuinely supportive of each other. You can be friends with the theater community and feel like you have a home here. I don’t know if you’d get that many other places,” Palmietto said.

Found Stages is embarking on a new digital platform for their plays and is currently researching the technology needed to produce a play that will be delivered through text messages. Palmietto participated in a text message play

by Physical Plant Theater in Austin and was hooked. The six-month-long play unfolded as characters texted back and forth and audience members received messages from different characters.

Found Stage’s own Gossett is writing a digital play inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in celebration of the book’s bicentennial. The play, A Year Without Summer, refers to the year Mary Shelley penned the book, the same year a volcano erupted and the ecology of the world took a shift.

“Even though you are going on the adventure alone, you are all the same character and have the same lens into it,” Palmietto said. “Our hope is that this theater experience will inspire new conversations with people.”

For more information, visit foundstages.org.

ATLANTA DOGWOOD FESTIVAL

Piedmont Park will be buzzing once again on April 13-15 with the 82nd annual Dogwood Festival. Arts and crafts, live music, food, rides and more. dogwood.org

INMAN PARK FESTIVAL

The 47th annual festival will be held April 28-29 with the parade on Edgewood Avenue kicking off at 2 p.m. Arts and crafts, music and food, tour of homes. inmanparkfestival.org

SWEETWATER 420 FESTIVAL

The annual music and beer festival returns to Downtown’s Centennial Olympic Park on April 20-21. Lineup includes String Cheese Incident, Umphrey’s McGee, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Sturgill Simpson and many more. sweetwater420fest.com

ATLANTA ARAB FESTIVAL

The 12th annual celebration of Arab culture will be held April 21-22 at the Alif Institute, 3288 Marjan Drive. There will be music, food, art and more. alifinstitute.org

KVC Photography

Found Stage’s very first production at Dunwoody Nature Center, Beulah Creek.

Paula Hardinr

“On Stage” during fall 2017 production, Empty Rooms.

S

The 42nd Atlanta Film Festival opens April 13 with two weeks worth of major and independent releases and special events.

The festival opens on April 13 with “Blindspotting,” the feature film debut from director Carlos López Estrada starring “Hamilton” actor and Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs, at the Plaza Theatre. Diggs will attend the screening and receive an ATLFF Innovator Award.

More big screenings will take place throughout the 10-day festival including “Tully” (starring Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass and Ron Livingston), “Leave No Trace” (starring Ben Foster and Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie ) and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” a feature-length documentary profiling beloved children’s educator Fred Rogers. Academy Award-nominated director Jason Reitman (“Juno,” “Up in the Air”) will be on hand to introduce “Tully” on April 15 and participate in a post-film Q&A.

This year, ATLFF received a record-breaking 7,600-plus feature length and short film submissions, and more than 150 were selected for screenings this year.

ATLFF is also launching a new initiative to honor originators, innovators and rebels in the film industry, a symbolic gesture in the spirit of key figures who have helped shape Atlanta’s story.

For tickets and a complete lineup of films, visit AtlantaFilmFestival. com.

Charlize Theron in Tully.

Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs in Blindspotting.

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By Anna Jones

Every year, there is an influx of professional landscape painters in Atlanta –and for good reason. The Olmsted Plein Air Invitational, “the center of the modern plein air movement,” is holding its 4th annual, week-long event April 21 - 29 in the city.

Most of the events that fall under the Olmsted Plein Air umbrella are free, with reserved tickets available online at olmstedpleinair.com. Events include a ‘Meet the Artists’ showcase on April 24, a pop-up garden stroll on April 27, an Artists’ Awards and Collectors’ Soiree on April 28, and a Paint Quick competition on April 29.

The invitational is an event in which artists from across the country are hand-selected by a committee founded in Atlanta. While the outdoor painting extravaganaza has previously centered in the city, this year artists will spread out to Georgia’s seacoast and the mountains as well. The artists are competing for the coveted Olmsted trophy as well as winning one of the largest purses in the country.

Produced by the nonprofit Olmsted Arts, the event is, according to Founder Lillian Ansley and PR Director Geri Laufer, inclusive to all – hence the fact that the majority of the invitational is open to the public.

“It doesn’t matter if you have significant means, you can experience the thrill of watching an artist paint a painting from start to finish within a couple of hours – it’s amazing,” Ansley said. “We’re documenting Atlanta’s hidden, special places. It’s a bond that we’re creating with our city.”

An example of this inclusivity is the Paint Quick competition that is open to the public. Painters can sign up on the Olmsted Plein Air website, and all artists will have two hours to complete a painting in Atlanta’s beautiful Olmsted Linear Park. There is a nonrefundable pre-registration fee of $25, with a walk-up fee of $50 cash.

Another notable event to appeal to all generations – including younger ones – is the Pop-Up Garden Party, where participants will listen to an “amazing” band, and get to partake in an all-organic meal by Chef David Sweeney. The location will be revealed only hours before the event to add a bit of fun mystery to the event.

The public will really get a chance to see the art created at the Public Art Sale at Druid Hills Golf Course on April 29 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. That same day, there will be a Petite Plein Air Painting Exhibition and Sale of small works at Olmsted Linear Park from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Saint Anne’s Terrace has a beautiful setting with waterfalls, a fish pond and flower gardens. The staff is professional, friendly, courteous, which creates a family atmosphere. I’m very happy to be a part of this community.”

Horse Lovers Summer Camp

Chastain Horse Park - convenient Buckhead location!

Boys and girls ages 4-8 – Mon-Fri 8am-1pm

Many weeks to choose from during Summer 2018

Camp activities for our younger riders include horsemanship instruction (grooming, safety and more), riding lessons, crafts and games!

Contact us at (404) 252-4244 ext.1 or ponypals@chastainhorsepark.org.

More information regarding summer schedule dates and registration form can be found at chastainhorsepark.org, select Riding Services, then select Summer Camp!

Photo by Kim Kenney.

Moving On Youth dance company to get new state-of-the-art facility

Nonprofit Moving in the Spirit has signed a 99-year ground lease with MARTA and Columbia Ventures to build its new facility at the Edgewood/Candler Park transit-oriented development (TOD).

Founded in Atlanta in 1986, Moving in the Spirit’s dance programs help children and teens ages 3-18 develop social, emotional and cognitive skills.

Phase II of the Edgewood/Candler Park TOD will feature Moving in the Spirit’s new home, a state-of-the-art 21,500 square foot facility designed by Perkins+Will that will double the organization’s capacity from 250 to 500 students. In addition to two fullyequipped studios, the facility will include a 150-seat professional theater with one of the few wheelchair-accessible tech booths in the city. This theater will allow Moving in the Spirit and its youth-serving partners to reach an additional 15,000 children and families through performances and workshops, and will serve as a resource for Atlanta’s professional dance community.

“We identified a need to be located next to a rail line years ago when, during the economic recession, the MARTA bus stop in front of our former facility was eliminated, putting hardship on our families,” said CEO and co-founder of Moving in the Spirit, Dana Lupton. “We are thrilled to work with MARTA and Columbia Ventures on this innovative endeavor, exemplifying how the arts can unite communities, spur economic development, promote transit use and empower youth.”

Moving in the Spirit anticipates breaking ground on the project in the third quarter of this year.

I am a candidate for an open seat on the Fulton County Superior Court for the May 22, 2018 election. I decided to seek this position because the citizens of Fulton County should have a highly qualified judge to represent their interests. The citizens of Fulton County expect and deserve to be served by a judiciary that is transparent and fair. I will serve the citizens in an expeditious manner that is transparent and fair.

My legal career of twenty-two years has afforded me a broad range of experience which includes private practice, Assistant Solicitor for the City of Atlanta, and most recently, supervising the largest division of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office as a Deputy District Attorney. Each of these positions were in service to Fulton County Citizens, resulting in a wealth of knowledge, understanding and respect for the great people of Fulton County. As Georgia’s laws become more complex, there is a call for judges who demonstrate an understanding of how the law affects all citizens. More importantly, all judges should serve from the moral position that every citizen who stands before the court has both a legal and constitutional right to fair and unbiased proceedings and rulings. Having served as lead counsel on a gamut of case types, I am equipped with the years and variety of legal experience to ensure my ability to serve as your next Fulton County Superior Court Judge with wisdom, fairness and a work ethic that has gone unmatched.

I have included a list of professionals from various fields who serve our community and who support my candidacy for this position. I am asking you to join them and vote for me on May 22, 2018. Early voting begins on April 30, 2018.

Fani Willis

Judicial Candidate

Fulton County Superior Court

• Howard University, Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, December 1992

• Emory University School of Law, 1996

• Law and Justice Award, Woman of The Year, Georgia's Most Powerful and Influential Attorneys 2017- 2018

• Lewis R. Slaton Award, 2005, 2006, and 2011(only three time winner in history)

• Member, Georgia Bar Association

• Member, Georgia Association of Women Lawyers

• Member, We All Value Excellence (WAVE)

Visit us at: www.faniwillis.com

Above: A rendering of the new Moving in the Spirit building at Edgewood/Candler Park MARTA station from Perkins + Will.

Left: Chris McCord, Janan Mizra and Diamond Lewis perform at the lease-signing event.

Your family’s most comprehensive online guide to arts and cultural entertainment Visit AtlantaPlanIt.org for more upcoming events.

Visual Arts

of original prints by the late Dutch graphic artist, plus 2-D and 3-D works by contemporary math artists. Opens April 13. Free. differenttrainsgallery.com

The Dream Machine: The Beat Generation & the Counterculture, 1940–1975: This exhibition at Emory University’s Robert W. Woodruff Library reconsiders postwar literature and the ways it mirrored, predicted, and remade the culture around it, with special focus on the influential group known as “the Beats.” Monday through Friday. Free. arts.emory.edu

Performing Arts

Shen Yun: Connecting Heaven & Earth: Shen Yun Performing Arts lets classical Chinese dance do the storytelling, and the group shares beautifully diverse ethnic and folk traditions with audiences at the Cobb Energy Centre. April 4 through 8. $80 to $240. cobbenergycentre.com

Stomp: The eight-member troupe in “Stomp” uses everything but conventional percussion instruments–matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps–to fill the stage at the Fox Theatre with magnificent rhythms. April 6 and 7. $30 to $85. foxtheatre.org

Jimmy Buffett: Visit Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park to see Jimmy Buffett, who has translated his easygoing Gulf Coast persona into more than just a successful recording career. April 17. $80 to $265. vzwamp.com

Violin Sensation Nicola Benedetti Plays

Healthyville: Children’s Museum of Atlanta’s interactive exhibit teaches health and wellness lessons through play-filled activities and educational messages that foster learning by doing. Thursday through Tuesday. $14.50. childrensmuseumatlanta.org

How Does the External Shape Shape the Internal Shape: This Atrium Wall installation, located in the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center lobby, is a place where contemporary artists create a site-specific commission and temporal solo exhibition, and the current exhibit is by Katya Tepper. Tuesday through Saturday. Free. atlantacontemporary.org

Joris Laarman Lab: Design in the Digital Age: From furniture generated by algorithms to a “living” lampshade made of genetically modified cells, the work of pioneering Dutch designer Joris Laarman, on view at the High Museum, redefines the boundaries between art, science and technology. Tuesday through Sunday. Free to $14.50. high.org

M.C. Escher +: Different Trains Gallery presents “M.C. Escher +,” an exhibition

The Secret World Inside You: Meet your microbiome - the community of microbes that keep your immune system, digestive system and brain working properlythrough larger-than-life models, videos, interactive experiences, unique games, and immersive displays at Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Daily. Free to $20. fernbankmuseum.org

Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits: This exhibition at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum features 48 iconic photographs of Americans who have distinguished themselves in fields as diverse as business, medicine, entertainment, politics and the arts. Daily. Free to $8. jimmycarterlibrary.gov

Atlanta Dogwood Festival: This festival in Piedmont Park, which has been held for more than 80 years, attracts artists from around the United States to show off and sell their creations, including paintings, photographs, pottery and more. April 13 through 15. Free. dogwood.org

Out of Darkness: Two Remain: Composer Jake Heggie‘s and librettist Gene Scheer‘s moving two-act opera presented by The Atlanta Opera at The Balzer Theatre at Herren’s centers on Holocaust survivors visited by ghosts of their past. April 5 through 15. $50. atlantaopera.org

Big K.R.I.T.: Recalling the Dirty South sound of UGK and Scarface, Mississippi rapper/ producer Big K.R.I.T. spent five years on the mixtape circuit honing his skills before his 2010 release took his career to another level. See him at The Tabernacle. April 6 and 7. $25 to $190. tabernacleatl.com

Tu Tu & More: In April, Atlanta Ballet is at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre to present three show-stopping works spotlighting the amazing spectrum of dance today. April 13 through 15. $20 to $129. atlantaballet.com

Hospice + Pointing At The Moon: Alliance Theatre Mellon Playwright in Residence Pearl Cleage offers two one-act plays separated by 30 years but connected by the presence of Jenny Anderson in this show at the Southwest Arts Center. Closes April 15. $10 to $75. alliancetheatre.org

The Beethoven Concerto: Nicola Benedetti joins composer/conductor Matthias Pintscher and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in this concert at Woodruff Arts Center’s Symphony Hall. April 19 and 21. $32 to $108. atlantasymphony.org

SweetWater 420 Fest: SweetWater 420 Fest is an annual three-day music festival sponsored by SweetWater Brewing Company in the heart of Atlanta at Centennial Olympic Park. April 20 through 22. $56 to $392. sweetwater420fest.com

Little Big Town: Visit the Inifinte Energy Arena in Gwinnett to see Little Big Town with special guests Kacey Musgraves and Midland. April 21. $24.50 to $59.50. infiniteenergycenter.com

Freaky Friday: A New Musical: Horizon Theatre’s “Freaky Friday” is a hilarious, contemporary update of an American classic in which a mother and daughter really see what it is to be a family and experience each other’s lives first-hand, if only for a day. Closes April 22. $25 to $38. horizontheatre.com

Photos by Asep Mawardi

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