Atlanta Intown - April 2019

CONTACT US

Editorial

Collin Kelley INtown Editor

collin@atlantaintownpaper.com (404) 917-2200, ext. 102

Contributors

Sally Bethea, Kathy Dean, Grace Huseth, Donna Williams Lewis, Asep Mawardi, Clare Richie, Tim Sullivan, Megan Volpert, Mark Woolsey

Submissions

Article queries and calendar submissions should be emailed to collin@ atlantaintownpaper.com.

Advertising

Forinformationcall (404)917-2200ext119.

Sales Executives

Melissa Kidd

Jeff Kremer

Janet Porter

Jim Speakman

Circulation/ Subscriptions

Each month, 30,000 copies of Atlanta INtown are mailed to homes and distributed to businesses in and around ZIP codes 30306, 30307, 30308, 30309, 30324 and 30329. For delivery information, call (404) 917-2200, ext. 110.

Published By Springs Publishing LLC

Atlanta INtown • Reporter Newspapers

Atlanta Senior Life 6065 Roswell Road, Suite 225 Sandy Springs, GA 30328

Phone: (404) 917-2200

Fax: (404) 917-2201

Steve Levene Founder & Publisher stevelevene@reporternewspapers.net (404) 917-2200, ext. 111

Amy Arno Director of Sales Development amyarno@reporternewspapers.net (404) 917-2200, ext. 112

Rico Figliolini

Creative Director rico@reporternewspapers.net (404) 917-2200, ext. 117

Julie Murcia

Graphic Designer iulie@reporternewspapers.net (404) 917-2200, ext. 123

Deborah Davis

Office Manager deborahdavis@reporternewspapers.net (404) 917-2200, ext. 110

On the Cover

Read more on Page. 6.

Decatur’s Finest

We specialize in Art Jewelry and unique custom design, redesign, and repair, as well as select Fine Art om talented and diverse Artists!

INtown Insider podcast series debuts in April

EDITOR’S LETTER

Collin Kelley collin@atlantaintownpaper.com

April is a big month for Atlanta INtown as we publish our annual Go Green issue and launch a new podcast series, INtown Insider.

The 12th annual Go Green issue is our largest ever, and the magazine is chockful of news, features and volunteer opportunities related to sustainability. We are thankful to our loyal advertisers, readers and all of the organizations and individuals who continue to support this special issue of INtown each year.

But what we’re extra excited about is our new podcast series! The first episode launches April 1, and you’ll be able to listen from our website at AtlantaINtownPaper.com or Facebook page or subscribe and download from iTunes or Spreaker.

In keeping with our Go Green theme, the debut episode features award-winning columnist Sally Bethea discussing the work of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, which, like INtown, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

FEATURED LISTING FROM YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD EXPERT WITH GLOBAL REACH

A new INtown Insider will be made available on Mondays with each 10 minute episode having its own special focus. Along with Sally’s “Sustainable ATL” segment, we’ll also be dishing food news with critic Megan Volpert in “Quick Bites” and previewing and reviewing upcoming plays, concerts and exhibitions with theatre critic Manning Harris on “Inside the Arts.”

Another regular podcast will be “Real Estate Briefs” dedicated to Intown’s buzzing development market. This month, architect and regular “Perspectives in Architecture” columnist Melody L. Harclerode will be discussing the revitalization of Fort McPherson and the historic Rufus M. Rose House being put on the market (read more about that on page 34).

We hope you’ll tune in!

922 ARTWOOD ROAD • OFFERED FOR $649,000

• 3 BATHROOMS

Nestled on a cul-de-sac road with Fernbank Forest as the backyard neighbor, this quality-built, mid-century home provides one-level living with the bonus of an in-law suite on the terrace level. Situated on a verdant .5+/- acre lot, the home features spacious, sunshine-filled rooms with new windows, hardwood floors, an updated kitchen open to the fireside family room, a welcoming foyer and generously sized and separate living and dining rooms. Enjoy three bedrooms and two full bathrooms on the main level and a walkout entertaining-size deck spanning the back of house with a private, wooded view. The terrace level offers a family room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, workshop and unlimited storage.

PEGGY HIBBERT

Sustainability For The Greener Good

Nonprofit Park Pride marks 30 years of improving Atlanta greenspaces

By Clare S. Richie

Since 1989, Park Pride has been the only nonprofit in the City of Atlanta – and later Tucker, Brookhaven and DeKalb County – to work alongside communities to improve their neighborhood parks through redesigns, grants, volunteer projects, advocacy and more.

“Our mission is to engage communities in the power of parks. We’re not a membership organization. We want folks to get involved in their neighborhood parks – in most cases that’s a Friends of Park group or a conservancy. That community orientation makes all the difference in what we do, what we’ve accomplished and the relationships we built,” Park Pride Executive Director Michael Halicki said.

Any number of park users – environmentalists, community advocates, public health enthusiasts – can form a Friends of the Park (FoP) group and count on Park Pride for support.

“These people roll up their sleeves and jump in. You call them, they come. You need help, they show up,” Park Pride Director of Community Building Tina Arnold said.

In 2018, FoP groups completed 370 different projects. Park Pride provides opportunities for the 170-plus groups to learn from each other at monthly meetings, the annual summit or annual conference plus other resources like workshops, access to funding and free tool rental.

“[FoP] are from every demographic mix and geography of our service area. A Friends group in Buckhead can rely on a Friends group in English Avenue for advice and support, and vice versa. It’s all this mutual support network and that’s a pretty extraordinary thing,” Halicki said.

Park Pride’s grantmaking programs help fund the smallest clean-up project to a full-scale park overhaul that have local parks department approval.

“Rather than assess individual park projects, major Atlanta foundations gave Park Pride a pot of money for grantmaking,” Halicki said. In its 2018 grant cycle, Park Pride awarded $864,000 to 21 community groups to fund capital park improvements. Zonolite Park received a grant for plantings and expanding the community garden. Park Pride is encouraging volunteers to turn out for its Greener Good project at Zonolite on April 27 from 9 a.m. to noon.

“[Zonolite FoP] are working to get part of the park certified as an Audubon wildlife sanctuary,“ Park Pride Volunteer Manager John Ahern said. Toward that aim, Greener Good volunteers will clear invasive plants after a first pass by goats and remove cattails to re-establish open water for migrating birds.

Park Pride

By The Numbers:

■ Provided support for 250plus parks and facilitated the organization of 170-plus FoP groups

■ Coordinated 580,000 volunteer service hours in parks

■ Awarded $6.6 million for park improvements to community groups through its Small Change, Community Building, and Legacy Grants

■ Completed 44 Park Visions

■ Helped communities raise over $5.5 million through the Fiscal Partners Program

■ Assisted with the creation of 22 community gardens and 5 pollinator gardens

Park Pride’s community orientation and partnerships are perhaps best exemplified by its collaborative effort on Atlanta’s Westside. In 2010, State Representative Able Mable Thomas asked the nonprofit to work with the community to support the first park in English Avenue. The area was grappling with vacant buildings and land, chronic flooding from capped creeks used for sewers, low topography and runoff from downtown.

“They moved the streams but nobody told the raindrops,” Halicki said about the chronic flooding.

Park Pride responded with a year-long public outreach project to create the Proctor North Avenue Study (PNA) with pro-bono partners like Perkins + Will, Eberly and Associates, national environmental organizations like The Conservation Fund and American Rivers, and community groups like the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance and Community Improvement Association.

“The vision was a connected network of parks to absorb storm water and address the lack of parks,” Halicki said.

Since then, the community and many partners joined Park Pride and The Conservation Fund to create Lindsay Street Park in English Avenue and to expand Vine City Park. This year, four youths from the neighborhood were hired to develop a third green space from the PNA study into Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park, named to memorialize the English Avenue resident killed by police in 2006. The National Recreation and Park Association awarded Park Pride a $437,000 grant for the park. Other funders include the Coca-Cola Foundation, Home Depot Foundation, Georgia Pacific Foundation and PNC Bank.

“It shows what can be achieved when you think big, stay connected to the community and build up one project at a time,” Halicki said.

Park Pride also encourages advocacy for park access and proper maintenance. In 2007, it championed legislation for community gardens in public parks. The nonprofit has been a vocal supporter of The Trust for Public Land’s 10-Minute Walk Campaign, and in 2018, Mayor Bottoms signed a pledge supporting the initiative.

“We have folks show up in green shirts, when the Parks Commissioner outlines the budget proposal,” Halicki said. “The ‘green shirt army’ shows that there are constituents in every district that care about their parks, that vote and are active. Sometimes we’re not on the same page, but we are all working toward the same goal.”

Even though Atlanta may not have the best park system in the country, because of Park Pride it is often held up as an example of a new urban parks movement – with local park stewardship, coordinated advocacy, connection to philanthropy and receptive government.

“We know the community, the people in the community who effect change and the people in the parks department that they’re calling. We are looking to build a strong Park Pride that will be around for the next 30 years,” Halicki said.

For more information about Park Pride and upcoming events, visit parkpride.org.

Park Pride volunteers clean up Zonolite Park.

Volunteers clean up Kitteridge Park as part of Love Your City with Community Bucket and ParkPride.

Michael Halicki

Photo by Luke Beard

Earth Day Activities, events and volunteer opportunities all month long

By Collin Kelley

While debate continues to rage over the effects of climate change around the globe, more than 190 countries will mark the 49th annual observance of Earth Day on April 22. Here in Atlanta, a month of events has been announced by various nonprofits designed to bring awareness to sustainable and green efforts as well as to encourage residents to get involved at the local level

EarthShare Georgia

The nonprofit that helps raises funds for state environmental organizations is hosting two big events for Earth Day 2019. First up is the annual Earth Day Leadership Breakfast on April 18, 8 to 10:30 a.m., at The Fairmont. The event brings together the business and environmental communities for a seated breakfast and a morning of networking, learning, and exploring sustainability topics. This year’s breakfast will feature keynote speaker Beth Wytiaz, Global Environmental Operations Manager at Bank of America, a panel discussion on land issues, presentation of annual awards, and member group organizations will showcase their work in addressing environmental issues. The EarthShare Georgia Celebrates Party will be held on May 10, 5 to 8 p.m., at Ponce City Market. Guests will connect with the environmental community and learn about the work being done for a greener Georgia. There will also be an opportunity to engage with the businesses and learn about their corporate sustainability efforts. The popular silent and live auctions will feature environmental and outdoor experiences, gear, art and more. For more information, visit earthsharega.org.

Trees Atlanta

The nonprofit will host its 7th annual Native Plant Sale on April 6 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Carter

Center in Poncey-Highland. Over 100 varieties of native perennials, grasses, shrubs, edibles and tree-friendly vines will be available for purchase. The selection showcases many of the native perennial wildflowers that are planted on the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum. All proceeds will benefit Trees Atlanta’s planting and education programs. And don’t forget that there are walking tours of the BeltLine Arboretum on the Eastside and Westside Trails on alternating Saturdays all month long. Visit treesatlanta.org for all the details.

Sweep the Hooch

Chattahoochee Riverkeeper will conduct its 9th annual Sweep the Hooch on April 6, 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 more than 80 tons of river refuse. To register, visit Chattahoochee. org.

Georgia Tech’s Earth Day Celebration

The 22nd annual event is set for April 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Tech Walk. The event is free, open to the public and features exhibitors, eco-friendly giveaways, recycling opportunities, a clothing swap, spoken word contest and more. For more information visit earthday.gatech.edu.

Continued on page 8

WELCOME TO OUR COMPANY

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.

The Nature Conservancy’s Celebration for Conservation

The Nature Conservancy in Georgia will host the 25th annual event with the theme “Wild for Georgia” on May 3 at Piedmont Park. This year’s event will feature live music, gourmet cuisine, silent auction and the opportunity to meet conservancy scientists and talk to them about their work. For more details, visit nature.org.

Atlanta Bird Fest ▲

Atlanta Audubon’s 4th annual event, which will run from April 13 through May 19, is the Southeast’s largest bird and nature festival, Atlanta Bird Fest features a full month of activities, including field trips to Georgia’s best birding hotspots, nature-based workshops and guest speakers. Events are tailored to all levels of bird, nature and outdoor enthusiasts— there’s something for everyone. World record holding birdwatcher Noah Strycker will give this year’s keynote and lead birding trips, while the closing ceremony will feature Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd, director of University of Georgia’s atmospheric science program and past-president of the American Meteorological Society. For a complete listing of events or to register, visit atlantaaudubon.org/atlanta-bird-fest.

Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd

Noah Strycker

Rolling on the River: Relay marks Chattahoochee Riverkeeper anniversary

ABOVE THE WATER LINE

Erik Fyfe and several friends began their journey to the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River, walking the mountain ridges and slopes of north Georgia’s Mark Trail Wilderness, with mist and low-lying clouds enveloping them. He thought the weather conditions were particularly appropriate; where does a river start, but in the clouds?

For the past three years, Erik has worked for Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK), the nonprofit environmental organization that I helped found in 1994 and retired from in 2014; this year, our group is celebrating 25 years of keeping watch over the river, its lakes and tributaries – a watershed of nearly 9,000 square miles. To honor the hardest-working waterway in Georgia, which provides so much for so many, CRK has organized Relay Down the Hooch: a 435-mile, Olympic torch-style relay, first on foot and then by boat, to take place from March to November.

The Chattahoochee River watershed touches three states, countless communities, and more than five million people who depend on it for drinking water, farming and power generation; it also provides crucial wildlife habitat and is a valuable resource for recreation: hiking, tubing, paddling, fishing, sailing and power-boating.

More than 25 partner organizations, outfitters, advocates and others are engaged in Relay Down the Hooch. Everyone else is welcome to follow along, as the participants “pass the paddle” from community to community. The general public is also invited to join the paddlers and boaters for select relay sections. On April 27, the public can participate in a 13-mile paddle from Mossy Creek State Park to Lula, a flat river section above Lake Lanier. On June 29, I’d love to have you join me and Chattahoochee Parks Conservancy (the friends group for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area) to paddle a metro Atlanta relay section from Morgan Falls Dam to the Paces Mill boat ramp. Details, registration and an interactive map can be found at www.chattahooochee.org/relay.

For the past quarter of a century, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper has worked to ensure enough clean water in the Chattahoochee River and its tributaries for people and wildlife. An amazing sum of $28 million was donated to CRK during these years to support monitoring, educational, policy, legal and recreational programs. That critical support has yielded measurable results in cleaner drinking water supplies, enhanced wildlife habitat, safer recreational areas, improved property values and more. In fact, every dollar donated resulted in at least $80 in documented benefits: a total investment of more than $2 billion from and for the people who live, work and play in the Chattahoochee watershed.

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.

The first leg of the relay began with the two and a half mile hike to the spring that gives birth to the Chattahoochee River, followed by a challenging plunge down the mountain (along the river) to Horse Trough Falls and the Upper Chattahoochee River Campground, wrapping up just upstream of the town of Helen: a 14mile adventure that took Erik and his team a full day. There is no trail in the mile and a half section between the spring and the campground; the area is thick with rhododendron and requires good maps and a dozen river crossings, so it is not recommended for most hikers. As they spent hours scrambling down the slope, the team marveled at the huge trees, fields of trout lilies and pristine river water.

At the campground, where human impacts became visible for the first time (trash and silty water), the hikers began to follow Forest Service roads that wound beside, across and above the Chattahoochee, as it gained additional volume from fast-flowing tributary streams. They carried with them an official “torch” (actually a three-foot, custom paddle serving as a commemorative baton), which they passed to a team of tubers in Helen, who subsequently floated to Nacoochee Bend.

With plenty of water in the river for paddling downstream, the relay sections to Hardman Farm, followed by Sautee Creek, Buck Shoals and Mossy Creek will have been completed by early April, when you are reading this column. When they arrive at Mossy Creek, the relay teams will have covered about 42-miles from the headwaters spring. Ultimately, more than 30 sections will be completed on the 435-mile watery journey, before reaching the end of the river at Jim Woodruff Dam, where the Chattahoochee joins the Flint River and becomes the Apalachicola River; the mingled waters flow another one hundred miles through Florida before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.

Riverkeeper Jason Ulseth calls the relay a “year-long river patrol,” noting, “We’ve made tremendous progress in water quality improvements and this is an opportunity to celebrate the river’s revival.”

This Earth Month, I hope that you’ll find time to thank, donate to and/or volunteer with one or more of the dozens of environmental organizations in Georgia that work tirelessly to ensure that you and your family have clean air and water, parks and green space and safe communities.

Hikers carry the paddle “baton” as they walk down stream on the first leg of the Relay.

GYN Surgical Specialists

A Northside Network Provider

404-303-3157

GYNSurgicalSpecialists.com

NOW WITH THREE CONVENIENT LOCATIONS!

We are a full-service gynecologic practice that offers routine gynecologic care and the most advanced minimally invasive surgical procedures to treat a wide range of gynecologic conditions.

Our board-certified physician and skilled robotic surgeon provides a patient-centered approach to women’s health care in a compassionate and trusting environment.

Advanced diagnostic and treatment options for:

• Cervical dysplasia

• Endometriosis and pelvic pain

• Ovarian masses

• Painful bladder syndrome

• Stress and urinary incontinence

• Uterine bleeding and fibroids

Our

For The Birds

Candler Park gets grant to restore bird habitat

Atlanta Audubon has awarded a Habitat Restoration Fund Grant to Candler Park Conservancy for a habitat restoration project in Candler Park.

The grant, made possible through the generosity of a private donor, will support work to restore a bird-friendly wetland habitat along the riparian corridor in the north-central portion of the park.

Since a successful stream restoration project in 2006-2007, Candler Park’s riparian corridor has evolved into a thriving urban wetland ecosystem hosting a range of native flora, birds and other wildlife. According to eBird, a real-time, online checklist program, 95 different bird species have been recently spotted in the park. However, the park’s riparian corridor is currently overgrown throughout its quarter-mile length with invasive and exotic plant species like porcelain berry, privet and Japanese Chaff Flower.

Through the habitat restoration grant, Atlanta Audubon will fund the professional removal of these invasive and exotic plants, and installation of bird-friendly, siteappropriate, native plants. This work will be performed in cooperation with Candler Park Conservancy, the City of Atlanta, and other stakeholders.

Atlanta Audubon and Candler Park Conservancy may also explore other opportunities enabled by the habitat restoration project like bird species abundance monitoring, community outreach programs and Atlanta Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Certification.

“Atlanta Audubon is eager to work with Candler Park Conservancy to restore Candler Park’s riparian corridor and to replace invasive plants with native plants that benefit birds and other wildlife,” said Nikki Belmonte, Atlanta Audubon Executive Director. “This project demonstrates how parks can be urban refuges for wildlife while still serving multiple recreational uses for people.”

“We are so grateful for this generous grant to improve Candler Park,” said Perry Smith, a Candler Park Conservancy board member involved in the project. “Candler Park offers a great range of recreational uses, but it also serves complementary roles as a locally significant greenspace, watershed and natural habitat. The park’s riparian corridor in particular has become an important urban habitat for birds and other species. We are excited to work with Atlanta Audubon and other stakeholders to make this part of the park more resilient, sustainable and ecologically sound.”

Located on McLendon Avenue, Candler Park encompasses 55-acres of greenspace, including a public golf course and a range of other recreational amenities. The park was donated to the city in 1922 by Coca-Cola magnate Asa Candler. Candler Park Conservancy was formed in 2015 to protect and improve the park.

To learn more about applying for the Atlanta Audubon Habitat Restoration Fund Grant, visit atlantaaudubon.org/habitat-restoration-fund.

The Audubon Society hosts a bird walk in Candler Park (Photos by Perry Smith)

Rama Rao, M.D. MPH, FACOG

OVER $62.6M SOLD IN 2018

#1 AGENT, MORNINGSIDE, 2018

#1 AGENT, VIRGINIA-HIGHLAND, 2018

With more than $62.6 MILLION SOLD IN 2018 , Jared Sapp is Virginia-Highland and Morningside’s No. 1 REALTOR® , with more homes sold, under contract and listed than any other agent.

At Arthritis & Total Joint Specialists, we deliver treatment for those suffering from chronic joint pain due to arthritis or other conditions.

Our physicians are board-certi ed experts and leaders in joint replacement, and offer the latest in minimallyinvasive surgery, including anterior hip replacement and robotic knee surgery to return you to activity.

The industry leaders in rapid recovery, we strive to get you home within hours of your surgery, and with less pain.

ECO BRIEFS

The City of Atlanta Council has adopted a plan in March to transition the city to 100 percent clean energy by 2035. The plan provides benefits communitywide, creating local jobs, reducing electricity bills, providing public health savings, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing gross regional product. The Mayor’s Office of Resilience worked in partnership with city departments and external community stakeholders to develop a plan to transitions the city to 100 percent clean energy that prioritizes affordable and equitable access to clean energy through ownership and benefits to new opportunity for historically marginalized communities.

Georgia River Network’s Paddle Georgia 2019 is a program that enables Georgia educators to participate in the 7-day, 92-mile river journey and receive environmental education curriculum and Georgia Adopt-A-Stream training. The Paddle Georgia Educator’s Scholarship program provides eight scholarships valued at $425 to Georgia’s public and private school teachers for the June 15-21 journey on the Withlacoochee and Suwannee rivers. The purpose of the program is to encourage classroom instructors to incorporate environmental education into their regular lesson plans. The trip is open to all skill levels and all ages. To learn more about the event visit garivers.org/ paddle-georgia.

Woodlands Garden, the 8-acre public forest at the corner of Scott Boulevard and Clairemont Avenue in DeKalb County, closed in February to begin construction on its new entrance. The garden was initially the private residence of the Morse family and as the garden transitioned into a public resource, the need for updated vehicle and visitor access grew. In 2016, the garden acquired the one-acre property at 915 Clairemont Ave. to serve as the site for a more visible and safe entrance and exit. Designed by Atlantabased architectural firm TSW, the new entrance will offer better access for vehicles of all sizes, including school buses; an updated ADA-accessible path to the garden visitor’s center; a new pollinator garden; and many new plantings of native shrubs and trees. Gay Construction Company is the general contractor for the project. The garden is expected to reopen by this fall. For updates on construction, visit woodlandsgarden.org.

In honor of the recent Super Bowl, a $2.4 million grant – supported by funding from the NFL Foundation, Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation – was awarded for renovation of John F. Kennedy Park located in Atlanta’s historic Westside neighborhood. Additional support for the project was provided by Atlanta-based partners – Chick-fil-A Foundation, Park Pride, Primerica and WXIA. The project will provide students at the nearby Hollis Innovation Academy, as well as the Westside community, with a versatile playing field for athletic competition and the surrounding community a safe space for exercise and outdoor activities.

Four new episodes of the popular PBS environmental series EcoSense for Living will premiere nationwide in April for Earth Month. Topics include grizzly bears and wolves and their complicated relationship with the people of Montana and Wyoming. A second episode explores the future of food with a visit to New Orleans to learn about sustainable seafood and how crickets and other bugs are appearing on trendy New York menus. The series transports us to Donora, Penn., where disastrous events in 1948 led to America’s Clean Air Act still critical today to curb air pollution. Another new episode explores the critical need for recycling and how Orlando, Fl., deals with trash generated by 72 million guests each year. The series founder, producer and host is Atlanta native Jennie Turner Garlington. Watch episodes at pbs.org.

Piedmont Park Conservancy has welcomed 10 new members to their board: Lee Echols, V.P. Marketing & Communications, Northside Hospital; Makara Rumley, Founder & CEO, Hummingbird; Patrick Baldwin, Senior Associate, Jones Day; Erin Yabroudy, Harry Norman Realtors; Herman Howard, Founding Partner/Director of Planning and Urban Design, SHAPE; Timothy Montz, Vice President of Business Operations, Cox Communications; Adriana Varela, Attorney, Fragomen’s; Alex Wan, Executive Director, Horizons Atlanta; John Wilson, Senior Vice President, Jamestown; and Joni Winston, Community Philanthropist and Wellness Instructor.

The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM), in partnership with investment firm Quantified Ventures and broker Neighborly, have announced the issuance of the first impact bond to be offered on the public markets. The $14 million Environmental Impact Bond (EIB) gives the City of Atlanta access to funding for innovative green infrastructure projects that will address critical flooding and water quality issues, reduce stormwater runoff and enhance the quality of life of Westside neighborhoods that are in the Proctor Creek watershed. The Atlanta EIB issuance was supported by a grant from The Rockefeller Foundation with additional underwriting support provided by KeyBanc Capital Markets and Siebert Cisneros Shank.

Welcome Jeremy Statton, M.D.

Revolving & Evolving

By Grace Huseth

Shawn Walton believes cycling empowers youth, but he also believes engaging the community comes in cycles as well.

For more than seven years, Walton’s nonprofit, WeCycle, has revolved around sustainable transportation and has evolved into a program that reaches many more youth in West End. The youth learn to cultivate community in a community garden and then earn bikes that will give them the freedom to ride toward more opportunities.

WeCycle’s home base at Atlanta Good Shepherd Community Church places the nonprofit at the center of the community. Morehouse College and Spelman College are just blocks away and West End Park is across the street. Head north on Lawton Street and you’ll find Truly Living Well’s Collegetown Farm, head south and you’ll join up with the Atlanta Beltline Westside Trail.

Walton graduated from Morehouse with a degree in early childhood education. Instead of teaching in the classroom, he found his calling while digging in the dirt and repairing bicycles.

WeCycle started when a community neighborhood forum said there were too many kids in the streets with no outlet.

“I thought, ‘That sounds like me at 12,’” Walton recalled. Using his last college refund check, Walton bought bikes and incentivized kids to earn them by working on a .5 acre farm in Ashview Heights. Now that he’s inherited the farm behind Atlanta Good Shepherd Community Church, he’s jumped from .5 acres to 5 acres.

“I’ve seen kids retain information about why growing your own food or riding your own bicycle gives you enough money and time to invest in yourself,” he said. “That’s a key lesson, especially if it ends with investing in yourself.”

Bike traffic around West End has always been WeCycle’s best exposure, but it was nothing in comparison to the exposure that came from being featured on a hit Netflix show.

Atlanta rapper Killer Mike shot a segment of his show “Trigger Warning with Killer Mike” with WeCycle. In the first episode, Killer Mike attempted to support only black-owned businesses and stopped by WeCycle’s former bike.

“To see that ‘living black’ episode and to see how hard it was for Killer Mike to survive three days of shopping exclusively in the black community made me, and should make other people, want to support black led infrastructure so that folks can rise up to another socioeconomic status and better quality of life,” Walton said. “If you have to struggle to thrive, simply depending on your own community, that’s a red flag. All within that community should strive to make it possible. Other communities shouldn’t want to see neighboring communities struggle either, so outside help is warranted for the greater good of all.”

Since “Trigger Warning,” WeCycle has partnered with many bike programs and nonprofits, including JUMP, an Uber bike share program, for community rides.

With Atlanta University Center a quick pedal away, Walton wants to see his WeCycle youth visiting colleges and preparing for their future.

“A lot of kids in this area have not been to the Atlanta University Center. I want to take them one step towards higher education, seeing people who value education, and then take them another step across the ocean to Ghana.”

Ghana is the destination of choice since WeCycle already has a strong relationship with a similar bicycle nonprofit in the country. Walton discovered Ghana Bamboo Bikes in Kumasi, Ghana, and admired the nonprofit for having a similar mission on the other side of the world. “It’s a youth led organization based on sustainability in Africa working with a youth led bicycle sustainability organization in Atlanta.”

Walton’s partner, Jehuti Willis, recently returned from Ghana with two new bamboo bike frames. He now serves as WeCycle’s bicycle engineer, working with the chief engineer of Ghana Bamboo Bikes to create specs and measurements to fit American bike models. The WeCycle team will return to Ghana this summer to fill an order for a full fleet of bamboo bikes.

“This is going to be an everyday, one-bite-at-a-time [program] because it’s a cycle we are familiar with,” Walton said. “Now that we have had a cycle of learning – with the community, with myself – this cycle has expanded and the efficiency will be much better. Hopefully, one day it will be my dissertation or my doctoral thesis of being able to create new ecosystems using agriculture and transportation in urban communities, but for now I’ll settle for getting Killer Mike and his wife on a Bamboo Bike!”

For more information about WeCycle, visit wecycle.org.

The Neighborhood The Stitch

Plan to cap Downtown Connector moves forward

By Collin Kelley

A“world-class park” could be the first phase of The Stitch, a proposed $452 million project that would cap the Downtown Connector.

First proposed in 2016, The Stitch envisions capping the Downtown Connector by constructing a ¾-mile platform over the interstate, extending from the Civic Center MARTA station at West Peachtree Street to Piedmont Avenue. On top of the platform, which would create around 14 acres of new buildable space, would be the recommended five acre park, homes, office buildings, hotels and more.

The Urban Land Institute presented its findings at a panel discussion on March 1 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. ULI and the city have been evaluating the project for 12 months, but representatives spent this week in the city get an up-close look at the area and talking with stakeholders.

The Stitch is also envisioned as the “belly-button,” as one panelist described it, of a possible connection to the Atlanta BeltLine. Another part of the plan was to improve streets that surround The Stitch area, including Ralph McGill Boulevard, which could be a gateway street to The Stitch, and envisioning development opportunities around the Civic Center MARTA station.

The project could be paid for from taxes collection in a tax allocation district (TAD), bonds, state and federal grants, funds from the city, foundation support and public/private partnerships.

Officials said building The Stitch would require around four years of pre-development and six-years to buildout.

Attendees at the Central Atlanta Progress/Atlanta Downtown Improvement District annual meeting on March 12 got the first look at a dramatic video rendering of The Stitch, which you can watch online at atlantadowntown.com/initiatives/the-stitch.

The video says The Stitch will have a $3 billion impact on the city and transform the area of underutilized parking lots and buildings into an “economic engine.”

CAP/ADID President A.J. Robinson said during his keynote address that Downtown Atlanta has entered a new “golden era” of economic prosperity and community support.

“For decades, Downtown was an island unto itself, cut off from Midtown and Buckhead by the Connector,” Robinson said. “Now, the market is the healthiest it’s ever been, and there’s a confidence in what we offer that is inspiring investment in long dormant neighborhoods.”

Renderings of The Stitch project in Downtown. (Courtesy Central Atlanta Progress)

News Roundup

City Council seeks injury data from scooter use

By Collin Kelley

The Atlanta City Council approved a resolution in March seeking injury data related to the use of dockless scooters. The resolution, approved unanimously, requests that hospitals, urgent care facilities and other healthcare institutions provide injury reports to the City Council on a quarterly basis.

The resolution was drafted by Council President Felicia Moore in response to safety concerns generated by the growing use of the devices.

The move comes as hundreds of injuries have been reported by people using the various dockless scooters offered by Bird, Lime, Lyft and Uber. The council recently approved a set of regulations to control the proliferation of the electric scooters that have crowded Intown sidewalks.

“Since scooters were introduced into Atlanta’s landscape, members of the public and media have expressed concern regarding the safety of these devices,” Moore said. “Empirical data from healthcare providers would better position us to ensure that scooters are not just an innovative transportation solution, but a safe one as well.”

At her annual State of the City address, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced that the City of Atlanta will create a Department of Transportation to consolidate work being done across several departments.

The newly-announced Atlanta Children’s Memorial Commission will explore the creation of a monument for the victims of the Atlanta Child Murders. At least 28 people, mostly children and adolescents, were killed over a two-year period, starting in 1979.

The Atlanta City Council approved legislation to create the new Board of Ethics and Independent Compliance as well as the establishment of the position of the Independent Compliance Officer. The board will work to ensure that the City of Atlanta eliminates fraud, waste and abuse.

The Georgia Department of Transportation plans to remove four miles of reversible lanes on Memorial Drive – between Pearl Street and Candler Road – to help improve traffic flow.

“As a critical care nurse, it is important to me that our city be able to monitor the injury data regarding this new mode of transportation. As we gather this data, it will inform possible future legislative actions to further regulate the devices in the interest of public safety,” Councilmember Dustin Hillis said of the resolution.

Rules adopted in January by the council include that scooters must be parked upright on sidewalks and allow pedestrians five feet of space. Companies that violate the policy could be fined $1,000 per day. However, scooters continue to block sidewalks and the Atlanta BeltLine and can be found overturned in heaps at locations around the city.

Atlanta Streets Alive returns to Peachtree on April 7

Atlanta Streets Alive returns for its 6th year on April 7 for the first of three events that will close local streets to vehicle traffic and open them up for pedestrians, bicycles, skaters and scooters for the afternoon.

The 2019 kickoff will be held on Peachtree Street from South Downtown to Midtown. A 3.1 mile stretch of the city’s iconic thoroughfare from Mitchell Street to 17th Street will be closed from 2 to 6 p.m.

The fun kicks off in Midtown, at the intersection of Peachtree Street and 16th Street at 1:30 p.m. where you can join in the official opening of the street followed by a parade of the route. The parade will begin at 2 p.m. Free bike decorations will be available while supplies last.

In recent years, the Peachtree Street edition has attracted over 100,000 people, according to the event’s organizers, Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.

The most ambitious – and longest – route will happen June 9 when a 10-mile “Cross City” event will open streets from Underwood Hills to Decatur. The event will run from 2 to 8 p.m. along Howell Mill Road, Marietta Street, Decatur Street and DeKalb Avenue.

The season will conclude on Sept. 29 with a new Southwest route that was still being determined at press time.

For more information on all the Atlanta Streets Alive events, visit atlantastreetsalive.com.

Last year’s Atlanta Streets Alive event on Peachtree drew a whopping 100,000 people who walked, biked, skated and scootered down the city’s iconic throughfare. This year’s ASA season kicks off, once again, on Peachtree.

Lonnie C. King Jr., who died March 5 at the age of 82, is being remembered as an icon of the Civil Rights Movement for his efforts to desegregate Atlanta in the 1960s. King was a co-author of the landmark “An Appeal for Human Rights” and was the leader of the Atlanta Student Movement, which led sit-ins to desegregate lunch counters in the city, and remained an activist up until the time of his death from a heart condition.

Photo by Asep Mawardi

Scooters partially block the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail at Irwin Street.

SHERRY WARNER KATHLEEN SICKELER ERIN FYE

JOAN ARKINS MIKE KONDALSKI

ANN FINLEY NICOLE DAVIS

DAN RICHARDSON Top Leasing Agent

J. DUNN

ANN HUDSON Team of the Year

HELEN NICOLE SIMMONS

ED WOODS

MICHAEL JW SMITH STEVEN BARLOW

MIKE GUNSALLUS

MATT SCHWARTZ LAMAR GOLAR

JOHN PETROU DAVID BROWN Rookie of the Year

FRED MCFARLIN EDWINA MURPHY SHARON SMOOT LISA ROSS

1110 West Peachtree Street Northwest Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30309

Monday – Sunday: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. For an appointment call: 404-575-2000

Our Services

• Sore throats, fevers, ear aches & sinus infections

T his Month In Atlanta History

ANN TAYLOR BOUTWELL’S A LOOK BACK

April 4, 1997: The Atlanta Braves play their first game at the newly reconfigured Turner Field, which was built as the stadium for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The Braves beat the Cubs, 5-4.

Editor’s Note: In honor of Atlanta INtown’s 25th anniversary and in memory of our late historian, Ann Taylor Boutwell, we’re bringing back her column every month for 2019.

• Back pain, ankle sprains & broken bones

• Rash & burn care

• Allergic reactions, including insect bites

• All minor emergencies

We are proud to now serve in Midtown Atlanta. Currently offering Urgent Care services, you’ll find a commitment to personalized care, with a focus on communication. For your busy lifestyle, we offer extended office hours and weekend appointments to handle minor emergencies when a trip to the hospital is either unnecessary or inconvenient. We accept most insurance plans, and offer a convenient location for you and your family. NorthsideUrgentCare.com

April 8, 1974: Baseball fans go wild as Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s record by hitting home run number 715 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

April 16, 1925: Mayor Walter A. Sims signs a five-year lease on an abandoned auto racetrack and commits the city to developing an airfield. As part of the agreement, the 287 acres of land is renamed Candler Field after its former owner’s family, including Coca-Cola magnate Asa Candler. The airfield would later be known as Atlanta Municipal Airport and eventually Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

April 19, 1936: Walter Rich, founder of Rich’s department store, sought to make Atlanta internationally known for the blooming of the dogwood trees during a week-long event called the Atlanta Dogwood Festival. Trees were planted in all parts of Atlanta under the sponsorship of the garden clubs and citizens interested in the beautification of the city. Pageants, parades and carnivals sponsored by the Junior League, along with performances by the Metropolitan Opera, Philadelphia Symphony and choruses from local colleges, were featured.

April 12, 1916: Talented, vivacious and witty stage and silent screen actress Gladys Hanson marries Charles Emerson Cook, playwright and producer. The Georgia native was a member of the Henry Miller theatrical company, and at age 26 played Ophelia in “Hamlet” on Broadway. Some of her stage credits include “Evensong,” “Mary Goes to See,” and “Brown Danube.” From 1914 to 1916, Hanson appeared in the films “The Straight Road” and “The Evangelist.” She also appeared in the film “The Havoc” with famous actor, Lewis Stone. She died February 23, 1973 and was buried in Westview Cemetery.

April 13, 1945: After his death from a cerebral hemorrhage at Warm Springs, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s funeral train stops in Atlanta to change engines on its way to Washington D.C. Thousands turned out to pay their condolences as the train arrived and departed the city.

April 20, 1868: In the aftermath of the Civil War, Atlanta is made state capital by order of the military governors overseeing reconstruction. Many had called for an election in 1847 to move the capital from Milledgeville but it was opposed by those who believed the seat of power should be more centrally located in the state.

Growing Up Fast PET BRIEFS

It’s often said of raising kids that “it goes by so fast”… and if Elliott’s gargantuan shoe size weren’t enough notice, I can turn to my nieces and nephews who are now in college. I started writing this column years ago because a timeout each month to note a few things seemed a worthwhile exercise. I’ll continue jotting these things down until my kids revolt, and that may be imminent since I am about to document their rap music phase.

TIMMY DADDY

By Tim Sullivan

Sullivan

I am genuinely impressed though. The lyrical team of Lil Saltine (Margo) and Lil Tortilla (Elliott) deserve their due. Lil Tortilla (tore-till-uhh) is the producer. He selects beats he finds on the internet, films and edits the videos. Lil Saltine is the performer and choreographer. She has already achieved a moderate level of fame among Elliott’s 6th grade cohorts with lyrics like: “Little Saltine, not even a teen, top on this track! Yes, I can rap! Get off my street, you don’t want this heat. I can do any flow, you already know!”

Margo has previously explored other music genres. When she was three years-old she wrote what I would term a Country Grunge tune called “Cowgirl, Get Up.” It was an ode to strong women everywhere: “Cowgirl, get up, in the morning, ride your pony, you’re the best cowgirl in the wor-or-or-or-orld.” Now that Elliott is a skilled producer, a dance remix may be in order.

My own rap phase was safely confined within the cinderblock walls of my freshman dorm room. And no one had recording devices in those days, so there it remained, mercifully. I was just singing along anyway. It never occurred to me to write and perform my own “flow.” However, if the business is as lucrative as the videos make it seem, I may want the manager job. The kids must be hiding the piles of cash somewhere around here.

Their spirited collaboration was a bright spot as we marched through March. A sunny day here and there beckoned us outside until we got sniffly and lightheaded from the tree pollens. We retreated and watched a dizzying amount of college basketball instead. Since we’ve had kids, the springing forward of daylight savings time is like being catapulted into a faceplant. Bedtimes creep later and morning alarms feel like forever o’clock fire drills.

So, when my nephew texted that he would be spending a weekend with us on his way to Florida for Spring Break, that was a welcome diversion as well.

Emmet is a junior at the University of Virginia and his visit was enough to wrangle his father, my brother Marty, to join us from New York. The highlight of the weekend was a trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to see Atlanta United play. Safe to say we have two more converts to the cult of the Five Stripes. But before that we dragged them around from softball field to soccer field to see our kids play. For Marty it must have felt like he time-hopped a decade backwards. It seemed a welcome break from the 6 a.m. commuter train into Manhattan and the mailing of tuition checks at least.

Our friend Jenny asked, “When did Emmet get so grown up…and handsome!” It’s hard to say—it “all went by so fast.” He’s so mature, it’s almost jarring. This little smush of a curly haired toddler has sprung into a 6’4” Psychology Major who plans to pursue a Ph.D. I can only imagine how fast it all has gone by for Marty. Not that he longs to turn back the clock. Life is good, his kids are excelling in school. The fiscally responsible part of him probably wishes they opted for the music business like my kids have, but academia is fine, too. There’s a path for everyone I suppose. I just hope these paths meander slowly enough that we can take it all in.

Pet Pick

Bruno is a big teddy bear at heart. Don’t let his tough exterior fool you. This handsome guy is sweet and affectionate with a beautiful brindle coat. Perfect company for a jog or just lounging around for a cookout. Come and check him out, he may be your new best friend! For more information about adopting Bruno, visit PAWSAtlanta. org or the shelter at 5287 Covington Highway in Decatur. Be sure to check out upcoming fundraising events at PAWSAtlanta. org including the Puppy

Haven Party on May, Walk for the PAWS on May 11 and ASW PAWS Night at the distillery on May 16.

Tim

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.

The 161st annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade drew thousands of participants to Peachtree Street in Midtown on March16. Photos by Asep Mawardi

The annual Doggie Dash 5K to benefit Piedmont Park Conservancy brought out pups and their owners on March 10. Photos by Asep Mawardi

‘Nothing and Everything’

Eco-friendly, hand-knitted Blabla Kids charm children around the world

By Grace Huseth

There’s a story of sustainability behind every stitch in Blabla Kids, the Atlanta-based toy company that makes eco-friendly dolls and products.

Blabla Kids, which has its flagship store in Virginia-Highland, is filled with everything soft and handmade from pillows and rattles to books and finger puppets. Their most popular product, Blabla Kids dolls, are not your typical stuffed animal but have a soft, fit-in-the-crook-of-your-arm design.

The founding Blabla Kids team in Atlanta includes Susan Pritchett, communications director, and designer Florence Wetterwald.

“Blabla means nothing and everything, and it’s a perfect word for a kid,” Wetterwald said of the company’s humorous name, which has grown quickly into a worldwide business.

In addition to the Virginia-Highland store, Blabla Kids sells its products in hundreds of boutiques across the country, in over 40 countries, and through the online shop and Amazon.

First Words

Out of all the beautiful patterns, textile weavings and woven goods Pritchett and Wetterwald saw on a creativity sparking journey to Peru nearly 20 years ago, it was finger puppets that called to them. Their tiny puppets depicted both whimsical animals with a folklore theme, as well as showcasing a Peruvian knit style that has been practiced for generations.

Wetterwald started sketching a similar style, invigorating the ancient fiber art with a contemporary feel, and created her first Blabla Kids doll in 2001.

“The first doll wasn’t perfect, but we saw the potential and felt we had touched on something,” Wetterwald said. “We were asking ourselves, what does a child really need, if not a cuddly comforting best friend?”

Their breakthrough came in 2002 when a vendor at AmericasMart dropped out of the gift show at the last minute, and Blabla Kids swooped in to take the spot. They were featured in Sundance Catalog and business skyrocketed due to their unique designs. In the early days, dolls were packaged in the garage and business was conducted at the kitchen table. “We live on a tiny street, but giant UPS trucks would come rumbling down the little street. It was a whirlwind in those days,” Pritchett said.

Green Thimble

Blabla Kids have been handmade in

Peru since the beginning, using 100 percent natural Peruvian cotton that is fair trade and sustainably sourced. The artisans who hand knit each doll have been employed and empowered by Blabla Kids for over 15 years. The company has supported the artisans through the years by building houses after earthquakes, buying school lunches and giving computers to the children of the artisans, but the most impactful influence has been steady, consistent knitting work. Inspired by the sock monkey, the Blabla dolls have taken a life of their own with many more characters and personalities. It takes at least 15 hours to knit and embroider each doll. The design is classic with a modern twist, and the thoughtful details make each doll stand out. There’s Wooly the Sheep, who sleeps upside down with his feet on his pillow; Pierre the Bunny, who distributes letters with stamps and loves radish marmalade; and new on the shelves is Aletta the Butterfly, whose name means “little wing” in Italian. Each regular sized 18-inch doll sells for $64, with 12-inch mini versions for $51.

Stitch Story

Since each doll tells a story, Wetterwald decided to continue their stories with board books in a collaboration with Random House. Later this year, Blaba’s will make its television debut.

Families tell their own Blabla stories. When one family lost their treasured doll, they spun a tale that the doll went on vacation, giving trip updates and postcards, until the doll was replaced. Replaced is last resort when many dolls can be repaired thanks to Nurse Nell, a seamstress who knits and crochets over boo boos and stops by the Blabla Kids store for a hospital day.

The shop is a cornerstone in the community and often hosts craft days, sing a longs, and holiday events for everyone to be part of the Blabla Kids story. This month will feature an Easter event on April 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The party will have bunny and lamb yarn crafts and games, and if kids come dressed as a bunny, they get a free finger puppet. Next month, the shop with celebrate Mother’s Day with Tim “The Silhouette Man” Arnold on May 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and May 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“When you shop local, it is a commitment to your community. When we keep our shopping experience local, we are all part of the story and you are looking out for your neighbors, and as a community we grow and thrive together,” Pritchett said.

Blabla Kids is located at 1189 Virginia Ave. NE; more at blablakids.com.

Florence Wetterwald and Susan Pritchett

Close Sale of 3-acre Estate After 10 Years”

offered for $3,995,000

He changed strategies using Facebook, Instagram and other social media content that earned a total of 100,000 views, to hosting a broker’s open house with local gourmet popsicle company King of Pops, and touring prospective buyers through the home’s gardens first, then showcasing the home’s features including its wide expanses of windows, floating staircase and mahogony and wrought iron accents. Food is an imortant marketing tool because people connect through food. Food and social media are especially important means to reach people between 30 and 40 years old, the average age driving the broker market. Five months later, 5229 Riverview was under contract. The home closed within 3 percent of the asking price.

AS SEEN IN ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE, 3/8/19

“Everything happens around the kitchen table”

THE SPRING MARKET IS HERE

By Grace Huseth

Nestled behind a cluster of homes in Clarkston is a crafters’ cottage with a little red door that Peace of Thread has transformed into its headquarters. Here, purses are designed, patterns made and cut, and kits are prepared for seamstresses. Fabric may be flying, but the cottage always has a sense of calm. The artisans working at the cottage are making much more than pretty bags: they are crafting community.

Peace of Thread employs refugee women to sew one-of a-kind handbags and accessories. Since 2012, the sewing sisterhood has trained women seeking refuge in Atlanta from countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Burma, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Through the years, their purses, clutches and totes have sold online, at select boutiques and at craft shows such as the Yellow Daisy Festival and Piedmont Park Arts Festival.

The aforementioned calmness at the cottage is kept by a simple work ethic. “Our dialogue here is that we keep everything at peace. We are women of peace. We do not bring any politics into this area. We respect each other with dignity and honor women with dignity no matter what,” said founder and CEO Denise Smith, who operates the

Denise Smith

nonprofit with teammates Hilary Cheeseman, Stephanie Marbut and Najah.

Smith believes the best way to spark change in the Clarkston community is to support its residents every day, from learning English to navigating healthcare. She learned the importance of trusting neighbors as an expat in Lebanon for nearly seven years. “We, as American women, need to be better advocates and embrace our diverse community in a different way, rather than being activists loudly through demonstrating. That’s when the woman who has no voice and no education can be empowered,” she said.

Smith said the women trust her friendship and support, but seek out the counsel of Najah, a refugee from Mosel, Iraq who has been with Peace of Thread for four years. If Smith is the friendly neighbor and a bridge to American culture, Najah is the older sister and confidant. The seamstresses in training see Najah’s success, from her sewing skills to her driving skills, and aspire to reach her level of selfsufficiency.

Peace of Thread started with support from Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC) and their donations of fabric for handbags. The interior design showroom sends baskets full of fabrics coming in many textures and tapestries, patterns and embroidery and the tags boast popular textile designers such as Pindler and Robert Allen. Peace of Thread designers then pair together these many fabrics for handbags that are more masterpieces than patchwork.

Susan Lightcap, an artist who works out of her studio in Pine Lake, volunteers as a designer at Peace of Thread. She loved the mission of the organization, but also the fabrics. “I’ve been a textile artist my entire adult life but getting to put my hands on these amazing fabrics just blew my mind,” she said.

Lightcap stops by the cottage regularly to cut fabric, gather materials and assemble a handbag kit. The kits are then distributed to seamstresses who work out of their homes.

Sewing may be a predominately solitary activity for the seamstresses, but the sewing circle stays connected virtually. Since each seamstress is given a smartphone, they can contact the designer of the bag they are working on through an app called Viber if they hit a snag.

The network of Peace of Thread extends to what Smiths calls “freedom circles” where women around the southeast design and cut patterns, including one friend in Memphis. Another designer in Canton has opened up a room in her home and has turned it into a small workshop to train and teach women how to sew.

For more information, visit peaceofthread.com.

THE MOST POWERFUL CANCER FIGHTING NETWORK IN GEORGIA

Northside leads the statewide network of the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program which gives you access to the latest research and treatments.

Using the latest technology Northside’s physicians, nurses, researchers and support staff provide the most effective treatments possible.

Our Cancer Centers Offer:

Dr. Jayanthi Srinivasiah Dr. Aaron Alizadeh Dr. Kathleen Lambert Dr. Simbo Aduloju

Dr. Hiba Tamim Dr. Lijo Simpson Dr. Megan McKee

CIM Group, the firm behind The Gulch development in Downtown, has secured the air rights for the 40-plus acre property for $13 million from Cousins Properties. Air rights will allow CIM Group to build vertically on the site, which will be transformed into a $5 billion development of office buildings, hotels, retail and homes.

The dilapidated Medical Arts Building in Downtown will become a 160-room boutique hotel with ground floor retail and restaurant space, according to a report from Atlanta Business Chronicle. The historic 1927 structure at Peachtree Street and Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard would also become a focal point for The Stitch project, an ambitious plan to cap the Downtown

Connector and create a new park, homes and office space.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium has announced it will become a fully cashless operation starting with the Atlanta United season opener on March 10. Only debit and credit cards or mobile payments (such as Apple Pay) will be accepted at concession and souvenir stands. For those without cards, kiosks will be available on each level of MBS where you can load cash onto a pre-paid VISA card. Unused balances on the cards can be spent outside the stadium anywhere cards are accepted. The move to cashless, designed to speed up wait times, is tied to MBS’s announcement that it will lower prices by 50 cents on its most popular

Site work is underway at the 27acre Pullman Yard development in Kirkwood, and “major construction” is expected to launch in the coming weeks, according to a report at Curbed Atlanta. Atomic Entertainment plans to turn the former sugar and fertilizer processing plant — and later, train depot — into a “creative city” mixed-use campus. Once complete, the site will feature soundstages for film production, as well as offices, residences, a boutique hotel, a food hall and green space.

food items including hot dogs, hamburgers, pretzel bites, waffle cones and chips & salsa.

Drybar is now open at 60 11th Street in Midtown offering an array of haircare services and products. For more information, visit thedrybar.com.

FirstLight Home Care, a provider of non-medical home care, will open a new location in Decatur this year. FirstLight serves seniors, adults with disabilities, new mothers, veterans, those recovering from surgery and other adults in need of assistance. Their caregivers help with many needs – from personal hygiene and household duties such as cooking, cleaning and running errands to mobility assistance

T3 West Midtown, the region’s first timber-framed office project, has officially topped out. Since October, shipments of timber have been making a 5,000-mile journey to Atlanta from Austria to erect the 230,000-square-foot building at Atlantic Station. Along with office space, the Hines developed building will feature rooftop terraces and shared social spaces.

and dementia care. For more information, visit firstlighthomecare.com.

Atlanta-based advertising technology firm Cardlytics has opened a new office in Vizag, India – a growing hotspot for global financial technology innovation.

GreenPal, an app that connects homeowners with local, vetted lawn care professionals, has launched in Atlanta. Nashville-based GreenPal allows homeowners to find local, pre-screened lawn professionals. Homeowners can list their lawns with their service date and lawn care needs. For more information, visit yourgreenpal.com.

New York-based Higher Standards, a retail shop that brands itself as “elevating the cannabis experience,” is open at Ponce City Market in the Old Fourth Ward. The store will offer smoking accessories such as pipes, vaporizers, infusers as well as candles, skincare brands and more.

Make Yourself at Home

New Homes in Atlanta’s Hottest Neighborhoods

Come home to a place that’s right where you want to be, where it’s never been easier to make space for life and the things that matter most to you. Well-crafted and uniquely designed with you in mind, new homes from The Providence Group are nestled in some of Atlanta’s most sought-after neighborhoods and focused on just one thing - your life, your way.

Home & Real Estate

Colorful Inspiration

Annual home tours, plant sales set for April & May

By Collin Kelley

Spring has sprung and that means a host of home and garden tours as well as plant sales are on the way in April and May. Check out our guide and get inspired!

Trees Atlanta Annual Plant Sale

The nonprofit will host its 7th annual Native Plant Sale on April 6 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Carter Center in PonceyHighland. Over 100 varieties of native perennials, grasses, shrubs, edibles and tree-friendly vines will be available for purchase. The selection showcases many of the native perennial wildflowers that are planted on the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum. All proceeds will benefit Trees Atlanta’s planting and education programs. Visit treesatlanta.org for more information.

Iris Show and Sale

The Georgia Iris Society will host its annual Iris Show and Sale on April 27 at St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church, 1790 Lavista Road. Judging of the best flowers in the show will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the sale is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring more than 250 plants.

Druid Hills Tour of Homes & Gardens

This year’s tour is set for April 12-14 with six of Druid Hills’ most beautiful homes and gardens. This year’s tour includes homes that showcase the diverse architectural and design styles of Druid Hills homes and gardens. From the stately home now occupied by Springdale Park Elementary on Ponce de Leon and one of the first homes built on Oxford Road to a recent build on Briardale Lane and an urban goat farm on Lullwater, the six homes and one garden on the 2019 tour are an exhibition of modern living in a century-old neighborhood. For tickets and more details, visit druidhillstour.org.

Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour

Benefiting the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the 35tth annual tour will feature nine gardens at private homes in Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Decatur and Midtown on May 11-12. A special stop on the tour will be late designer and event co-founder Ryan Gainey’s garden. The self-guided tour will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. rain or shine. Tickets are available at atlantabg.org.

Inman Park Tour of Homes

As part of the annual Inman Park Festival, this year’s tour runs April 26-28. There will be nine of the neighborhood’s most unique homes, including bungalows, Craftsman, Neoclassical, Four Squares and more. For updated information on the tour, visit inmanparkfestival.org.

Midtown Garden Stroll

The Midtown Neighbors’ Association will host its 6th Annual Midtown Garden Stroll on May 19 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 bee keeping, 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 Neighbors’ Facebook page, or pick up a printed copy on the day of the event at the Garden Stroll Headquarters located at 826 Penn Ave. Homeowners will often be on hand to answer questions and provide a complimentary drink.

Historic Fixer-Upper One of the last Peachtree Street mansions is on the market

The historic Rufus M. Rose House on Peachtree Street in Midtown is up for sale again. The price tag: $1 million.

Designed by Atlanta architect E.C. Seiz, the Queen Anne-style home was built in 1901 for the wealthy founder of the R.M. Rose Distillery. The home, situated across from Emory Midtown Hospital, is one of only four mansions left on Peachtree. The home is being marketed by Historic Atlanta, a nonprofit dedicated thoughtful reuse of the city’s historic properties.

Since the two-story, five-bedroom home is on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Landmark Building by the city, the home is eligible for a number of federal and state tax credits for renovation. And it’s most definitely a “fixer-upper”: the renovation cost is expected to run between $1.3 and $2.3 million.

Many Atlantans will remember the mansion as home to James H. Elliot’s antique shop and “Atlanta Museum,” which featured an eclectic array of oddities including furniture from Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell’s home, Eli Whitney’s original cotton gin model, and items owned by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Adolf Hitler. Since then, the home has passed through a number of owners. The last owner attempted to turn the home into a space for artists and entrepreneurs in 2016.

For more information, visit historicatlanta.org.

– Collin Kelley

Built in 1901, the Rufus M. Rose House is one of Peachtree Street’s last mansions. The house is listed on the National Reigster of HIstoric Places.

(Photos courtesy Historic Atlanta)

Design Time

ADAC hosts annual three-day market design event

Atlanta Decorative Arts Center in Peachtree Hills will hold its annual threeday market, Design ADAC, April 23-25 with a host of regional and national design professionals and enthusiasts.

Presented in association with Veranda magazine, the festival will feature presentations, parties, book signings and product launches. The free-to-attend celebration will feature designers Bunny Williams, Ashley Whittaker, Peter Dunham and Markham Roberts.

“At this year’s Design ADAC, we are looking forward to discussing the fusing of artistic forms with the practicality of function to create a new world of finely-crafted products and projects,” said Katie Miner, General Manager of ADAC. “New this year, we’re especially thrilled to create new experiences for attendees with interactive vignettes throughout the Center. Ranging from elegant to unexpected, this provides attendees with the opportunity to gather with their friends, snap some photos with inspiring designs and share their favorite pieces of the spring market using the hashtag #PictureThisAtADAC.”

ADAC will also reveal a commemorative display, called The Winner’s Circle, honoring the legacy of past Southeast Designers and Architect of the Year Award winners, including Beth Webb, John Oetgen, D.Stanley Dixon and more.

Attendees will have the chance to attend special product introductions and demonstrations throughout the week with beloved designers such as Suzanne Kasler, Steve McKenzie and Eric Kuster. Hear from husband-and-wife duos Brooke and Steve Giannetti and Phoebe and James Michael Howard, who bring their unique perspectives on living meaningfully and creating breathtaking spaces. Stock your library with numerous design titles from A-list design authors like Emmy award-winner Kerry Joyce and Patrick Dempsey’s and Ellen DeGeneres’ landscape architect, Scott Shrader.

Designs ADAC also serves as a chance to mingle with the newest class of Southeast Designers and Architect of the Year Award finalists and winners.

To see the full schedule of events, visit adacatlanta.com.

A 33-story apartment tower called 903 Peachtree has been announced for the corner of 8th and Peachtree streets in Midtown. According to Atlanta Business Chronicle, the building, which will be developed by CA Ventures, will have 417 apartments. The site is currently home to Noodle and Bezoria restaurants.

A $400 million development will bring a new mixed-use skyscraper and “luxury” housing tower to 3354 Peachtree Road by 2022. The development will go up on what is now a 3-acre parking lot along Ga. 400 and the Buckhead MARTA Station. The building will contain 560,000 square feet of space and around 60 luxury condominiums. The project is being spearheaded by a partnership of TIER REIT Inc., Regent Partners and BatsonCook Development Company.

TriBridge Residential has started sales for Harper on Piedmont, a recently announced condominium conversion situated on the border of Downtown, Midtown and Old Fourth Ward. Located at 625 Piedmont Ave., the building is formerly known as Ivy Hall Apartments. With prices ranging from the $200,000s to $600,000s, the condominium offers studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom residences amongst upscale amenities. TriBridge Residential has partnered with Engel & Völkers Atlanta to handle sales and marketing for the condominiums.

The Barsky Group, a team of Realtors focused on builder and developer services with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage and local real estate developer CityScape, have established a partnership on a series of residential projects in the Atlanta area. Their first project is a new construction residential development is the Preston Hills Neighborhood, located at Preston Lane in southwest Atlanta. Currently in phase two of construction, the community will provide single-family homes with two car garages starting at $250,000. For more information, visit prestonhillshoa.com.

New apartment community The Ashley Gables Buckhead at 530 East Paces Ferry Road is officially open. The Ashley is the first apartment complex to offer full-service amenities to residents through a custom app, powered by Amenify. The app will offer residents concierge services including dog walking, spa treatments, personal styling, home doctor visits and more. Additionally, The Ashley has partnered with Buckhead neighbor, Antica Posta, to provide residents with door-to-door catered lunch opportunities. The Ashley offers studios to three-bedroom flats and townhomes, beginning at 476 square feet for studios and ranging up to 2,588 square feet for townhomes. For more, visit theashleygablesbuckhead.com.

The top individual agents of Harry Norman, Realtors Buckhead office were saluted at the firm’s recent awards luncheon. Senior Vice President/Managing Broker Betsy Franks congratulated these associates for “impressive production and exemplary service to clients and customers alike throughout the year 2018.” The honorees included Kay Settle, Alden Treadway, Patty Webb, Madeline Sater, Debbie Shay and Hilary Young. For the 11th year, Travis Reed, of Travis Reed & Associates of the firm’s Buckhead office, captured the highest honor as Harry Norman’s “Top Agent, Small Team, Company-Wide.”

News You Can Eat

Second Helpings

Food rescue group makes great save at Super Bowl

By Donna Williams Lewis

For 15 years, volunteers at Second Helpings Atlanta have picked up surplus perishable food from donors and immediately shuttled the bounty to partner agencies that feed the hungry.

Keeping track of every pound, the nonprofit food rescue organization says it rescued its 9 millionth meal on Dec. 6, 2018. A couple of months later, all of that experience came in handy for SHA as Super Bowl LIII descended on Atlanta.

Second Helpings Atlanta (SHA) was one of three organizations authorized by the NFL’s Sustainability Team to rescue food from NFL-sanctioned corporate events before and through the Super Bowl.

In a word, SHA scored.

Within a 10-day period, 31 of its volunteers, staff and board members rescued 17,044 pounds of food from 10 events.

That was food that would otherwise have been “dumped in a big green dumpster and hauled off to a landfill,” said the group’s Executive Director Joe Labriola.

Instead, food picked up from sites including State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium — both year-round SHA food donors — was delivered to 21 of the food rescue’s partner agencies located near the stadium.

Following the Super Bowl, SHA rescued 7,392 pounds of prepared food at the stadium in its biggest and most complex food rescue to date.

Labriola attributed the organization’s Super Bowl success to “outstanding advance planning” and the volunteers’ efforts.

“I feel an enormous sense of satisfaction at how well our operations team performed,” he said.

He was also moved by the quality of the stadium’s donations — food that didn’t come from its concession stands but from the stadium’s exclusive clubs and suites.

Volunteers picked up pans brimming with smoked brisket, shrimp and salmon, he said.

“State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz … those organizations are so supportive of this program,” Labriola said. “We show up and people shake our hand and say, ‘We are so proud to be doing this.’ ”

Partner agencies have let SHA know the food they receive at least once a week, free of charge, is uplifting to their clients.

A chef at one of those agencies told a volunteer driver he couldn’t wait to come up with a menu featuring the load of frozen shrimp he’d been given.

“What we’re delivering is joy,” Labriola said.

SHA works with more than 80 food donors and more than 50 partner agencies. About 95 percent of the food donated comes from grocery stores, corporate kitchens, stadiums and big box retailers.

Deliveries are made by 450 volunteers, currently ranging in age from 16 to 80, Labriola said.

They are assigned routes using a “90-minute model” designed to enable them to pick up a donation, deliver it,

and return to their starting point within 90 minutes.

About one-third of the food rescue’s routes have been adopted by other organizations and corporations, who take on the driving, sometimes rescuing their own surplus food.

SHA had a banner year in 2018, with significant increases over 2017 in food rescued, funds raised, and in donors and partner agencies acquired, according to a recently released year-end report.

“We are ready and eager to build on last year’s growth,” Labriola said, “and drive out hunger, one mile at a time.”

Learn more about the food rescue at secondhelpingsatlanta.org.

basket | Veggie, turkey or smoked salmon quiche | Deviled eggs | Bagel basket with smoked salmon | Roasted lamb top round | Beef tenderloin | Bunny bread | Cheese Danish | Coffee cake | Hot cross buns | Carrot walnut cake and more!

By Collin Kelley

Spring has sprung and that means Intown’s farmers’ markets are opening up for the season. If you’re looking for fresh food and produce from local farmers, then be sure to check out our handy guide.

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. You’ll find fresh produce, grass fed meats, dairy including cheeses, yogurt, butter, milk, farm fresh eggs, handmade pasta and preserves, baked goods, coffee and more. Information: freedomfarmersmkt.com.

Green Market at Piedmont Park

The annual Green Market at Piedmont Market continues every Saturday through midDecember 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, food prep demonstration, children’s activities and history tours. Information: piedmontpark.org.

East Atlanta Village Farmers Market

The market reopens April 11 and continues through Nov. 21 on Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. at 572 Stokeswood Ave. You’ll find fresh produce, locally-made food and products, chef demos and much more throughout the season. Information: cfmatl.org/eav.

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. All produce sold at the market is certified organic and you’ll also find 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 7 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 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 is open from 8:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday through mid-December. Fresh produce, artisan crafts and more are on offer. 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 10 and on Saturdays, starting April 13, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each week. Information: cfmatl.org/ Decatur.

Ponce City Farmers Market

Opening day is April 9 for this market located directly on the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail at The Shed at PCM. The market is held on Tuesday evenings from 4 to 8 p.m. hosting urban farmers, artisanal food makers and pop-up chefs. Information: cfmatl.org/poncecity.

Tasting Intown: The White Bull

As everyone knows, it’s pretty hard for new restaurants to break into the food scene surrounding Decatur Square. Because there’s no place left to build new real estate around there, the kitchens can be quite expensive and prospective restauranteurs need a very clear concept that can strike a balance in meeting the needs of Decatur’s eclectic community. We’ve been spoiled by exceptional neighborhood cuisine, but we still want it to have a cool vibe; additionally, we don’t want to overpay for plates because our property taxes are already ridiculous. So all this makes for a less than hospitable climate for entrepreneurs, though the payoff for successful experiments is enormous.

and growers that will land on your plate. At a minimum, they tend to list some of these farmers on the menu. The White Bull doesn’t showcase these, and when I pressed a couple random servers about origin stories, none of them could tell me anything beyond some of the names of the farms. The brunch menu listed 13 plates and eight of them prominently featured eggs. It’s a low bar for them to say where these eggs originate. I asked where they get their espresso. Answer: “I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s local.”

Tasting Intown

By Megan Volpert

There is one restaurant spot in particular that seems especially cursed with a rotation of unprepared concepts— the one between longtime Decatur staples Worthmore Jewelers and Sweet Melissa’s. That long, shotgun-style dining room space and tiny patio is currently occupied by The White Bull. Ernest Hemingway referred to a blank page as the white bull, and the interior is a gorgeously minimalist white that lets the bar display shine. It’s a good looking dining room that isn’t too terribly cramped for such a thin, rectangular space.

The dinner there has already gotten reviews that are solid, so I went for brunch instead. There’s no nice way to say this except to just say it: The White Bull is trying to be all things to all diners, and as a consequence, it is not succeeding in being anything at a level of excellence. If you have a bunch of folks who can’t agree on where to have brunch, The White Bull may be your best answer because everyone will be equally a smidge disappointed. There are many things to enjoy about The White Bull, but the total effect of these things is “meh,” which is disappointing given the obvious intellect and talent of Chef Pat Pascarella.

One things it wants to be is a farm-to-table place. Decatur already has several of those. Most of them have blackboards up all over the walls featuring the local farms

Another thing it wants to be is a from-scratch place. They butcher their own meat in the back somewhere (points for being — I think? — the only ones in Decatur to do this, and may it not become a trend). They make their own butter, and bread, and pasta. And bloody mary mix, but they’d run out of it when I ordered one — at noon on a Sunday, during the high tide of brunch. Other things it wants to be are an Italian place, a tapas place, an unfussy family place and an eventful spot. But ok, let me stop complaining and be sure you know that the food is very good.

The best thing we tried was the mafalde pasta with pecorino and black pepper. The menu advertised this explicitly as “#yolkporn,” and indeed it was. The other stand-out dish was the grits with short rib. The last very good get was something we had as an appetizer that would’ve been equally suited for dessert: the burrata and pumpkin bread with hazelnuts and raisins. Some version of all three dishes at basically the same price are also available on the dinner menu. Not on the dinner menu is their burger: onions caramelized, cheddar aged, bacon made into jam, house bun. It was good, but not good enough to stand tall above the many killer brunch burgers all over Decatur.

The good people at The White Bull seem smart and nice. Their problem is not a blank page, but a too-full one. Is their Italian interpretation any competition for no.246? Are their tapas concepts any match for The Iberian Pig? Can their bar compete with Brick Store Pub or Victory Sandwich? Is their support of local farm stories as visible as Leon’s Full Service? How will they pull people away from the cheap and easy standard brunch at Sweet Melissa’s right next door? Only time will tell, but if The White Bull doesn’t focus its brand into a more excellent experience, I fear they will go the way of so many prior contenders at that address. We have no shortage of good food in Decatur already.

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

Grits with short rib

Caremlized onion burger

Malade Pasta

Bread basket

Whole Foods to open Midtown flagship

store April 5

WE UTILIZE THE LATEST IN SURGICAL TECHNIQUES...

including laparoscopic surgical technology and colonoscopies, to treat and care for diseases of the colon and rectum. GCRSA surgeons are trained and experienced in treating diseases of the colon and rectum, which include such problems as hemorrhoids, anal fissures, fistulas, bowel incontinence, the management and treatment of diverticulosis, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, constipation, benign polyps and malignant diseases of the colon and rectum.

Our physicians are affiliated with 10 of metro Atlanta’s most respected hospitals and remain actively involved in medical and technological research programs that over the years have led to earlier discharge and faster recuperation rates for many surgery patients.

OUR LOCATIONS OFFER:

• Laparoscopic colon resection

• Laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery

• Hemorrhoids

• Anal fissures

• Anal fistula

• Bowel incontinence

• Management of diverticulosis

• Benign & malignant polyps of the colon & rectum

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Inflammatory bowel disease

• Constipation

CALL TODAY FOR AN APPOINTMENT 770-277-4277

• Anal condyloma/wart removal gcrsa.com

Whole Foods Market will celebrate its 500th location with the opening of its new flagship 70,000 square-foot, multi-level Midtown store, located at 22 14th Street, at 7 a.m. on Friday, April 5. As the region’s flagship location, Whole Foods Midtown will feature four different fast-casual eateries across four floors, including a rooftop bar with skyline views. The eateries will offer exclusive food menus and curated selections of locally sourced beer and wine.

Some of the other special features of the Midtown store include an in-store “fruit and vegetable butcher” offering cut-to-order produce while customers shop; a meat cutting room with “old-world” style butcher service; hot and cold prepared food bars featuring seasonal dishes and options for special diets; a selection of over 100 beers and over 1,000 wines, many from local producers; 150 bins of bulk scoop items including candy, beans, grains, dried herbs and spices; European-inspired floral shop; and a juice bar offering madeto-order smoothies, as well as juice shots and cold-pressed blends.

To celebrate joining the community, five percent of the store’s net sales on Thursday, April 18 will be donated to Food Well Alliance, which supports local urban agriculture in Atlanta.

The opening of the massive Midtown store comes on the heels of the announcement that the two recently-opened Whole Foods 365 small format stores in Decatur and Buckhead will be converted to regular stores after the company decided to scrap the concept.

Also, the Briarcliff Road location, which was the city’s very first Whole Foods, is closing down just before the Midtown store opens.

– Collin Kelley

QUICK BITES

square-foot spot will feature an expansive porch will feature wood-roasted “chicken al carbon” at its core item plus staples including salads, fresh salsas and hand-made tortillas.

After nearly two years, Ammazza has reopened its original location at 591 Edgewood Ave. in the Old Fourth Ward. The pizzeria was shuttered after two separate car accidents just a month apart caused extensive damage to the building’s exterior. While repairs have been ongoing, Ammazza opened a location in downtown Decatur. Owner Hugh Connerty, Executive Chef Sean Dwyer and their team renovated and refreshed the space, including expanding into the building next door, upping the restaurant’s square footage from 5,000 to 8,000, and more than doubling the kitchen size. A room in the back of Ammazza will eventually be turned into a small space for private and semi-private events. For more information, visit Ammazza.com.

Chef Ford Fry’s Little Rey is set to open in late April at 1878 Piedmont Ave. in the Piedmont Heights neighborhood. Serving up a menu of Tex-Mex, the new 3,500

Restaurateurs Zeb Stevenson and Ross Jones will open Redbird in the former Bacchanalia space at Westside Provisions District in early summer. The “freespirited cuisine” will mix cooking styles from all over the globe and will feature a constantly-rotating, seasonally-driven menu. Highlights will range from chickpea flatbreads to Georgia coast shrimp.

Breakfast-focused eatery Pancake Social is now open at Ponce City Market. Open daily for breakfast from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., the 120seat restaurant features both indoor and patio dining and a menu of breakfast favorites from Chef Anne Quatrano. For more information, visit poncecitymarket.com.

Buena Vida Tapas & Sol restaurant is slated to open late 2019 in the North and Line development, 385 Angier Ave., in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. This fifth hospitality project for Adam Berlin and Juan Calle – owners of Big Sky Buckhead – will feature a menu influenced by Southern Spain, created through the owners’ travels and with influence from Chef Juan Hormiga, who will be re-locating from Spain to Atlanta to helm the kitchen. The space will have a sprawling patio at the Beltline and opening onto Historic Fourth Ward Park. Find out more at BuenaVidaTapas.com.

Inman Park’s popular Folk Art Restaurant has announced plans to open a second outpost in downtown Decatur this fall. The eatery is known for its traditional Southern breakfast menu and is a favorite for weekend brunch.

Southern Exchange Ballrooms has partnered with Certified Master Chef, Rich Rosendale, to establish an in-house catering operation called Rosendale Events. Once the iconic Macy’s department store on Peachtree, Southern Exchange houses over 110,000 square feet of event space among six unique venue spaces available for weddings and large corporate events. For more information, visit SouthernExchangeAtl.com.

The Atlanta Spring Wine Fest will be held on Saturday, April 13, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Historic Fourth Ward Park with more than 50 wines as well as a selection of local beer and cider to choose from. There will be live music, plenty of fun and games, and food will be available for purchase. For tickets and information, visit atlantawinefestivals. com/spring.

Tickets are now on sale for the annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, which returns to Historic Fourth Ward Park and Loews Atlanta Hotel for its ninth year from May 30 to June 2. From now until Sunday, March 31, early-bird tickets are being offered at a reduced rate for the festival, which has the theme “Off the Eaten Path.” For tickets and details, visit atlfoodandwinefestival.com.

The Studio

Making an Impression

Annual Olmsted Plein Air Invitational to draw top painters to the city

By Collin Kelley

Painters will be setting up their easels around Intown from April 28 to May 5 for the 5th annual Olmsted Plein Air Invitational. According to event co-founder Lillian Ansley, the painting extravaganza will offer a series of experiential and educational events for artists, collectors and admirers. Painting sessions will be held in the invitational’s namesake, Olmsted Linear Park in Druid Hills, as well as the Atlanta History Center and on Miami Circle.

“It’s a great opportunity to watch impressionist artists create before your very eyes,” Ansley said, noting that 26 of the country’s most noted painters will be on hand vying for the purse and to sell their art to collectors.

The artists will fan out across the city and the state for six days to create new works of art before gathering in Atlanta to showcase their three best works and compete for thousands of dollars in prizes.

A Meet the Artists Welcome Party will be held April 30 at Smith Family Farm on the grounds of the Atlanta History Center in Buckhead. The evening to get a first look at the art by the competing artists along with enjoying food and live music.

The Awards & Collectors Preview Soiree on May 4 will give attendees an opportunity to view and purchase paintings from the artists before the general public. There will also be wine, food and conversation with the participating artists.

The Paint Quick will be held May 4-5 at Olmsted Linear Park and is open to the

first 200 artists who want to participate. Artists will have two hours to complete their work. A “practice round” is set for Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. and the competition on Sunday at the same hours.

Ansley, an artist herself, created the invitational with fellow Druid Hills artist Andy Hall to help activate Olmsted Linear Park. “The parks are beautiful and we wanted to create something low impact so that visitors could explore and enjoy the beautiful landscape,” Ansley said. “Plein air – outdoor painting in French – was a movement in the late 1800s that got the artists out of the confines of the studio and painting among the people. The Olmsted Plein Air Invitational is in the spirit of those early impressionists.”

Ansley said the popularity of plein air painting reemerged in the 1980s in beach and mountain communities, and artists began flocking there. “We thought: why not have a plein air event in the city? There are so many beautiful spots here that lend themselves to creating still life art.”

For those who want to collect art, the work created and sold by the artists won’t break the bank: prices generally run from $500 for a small painting to $2,400 for a larger canvas. Ansley said the artists competing generally sell their work for much higher prices in galleries and with agents, so Olmsted is accessible way to add to or begin building an art collection. “You also get to know and meet the artists who created the work hanging on your walls,” she said.

For the full list of events, visit olmstedpleinair.com.

Skyline Over the Pond by Shanna Kunz

Ponce City Market by Michele Byrne

Cafe in Red by Vladisilad Yeliseyev

Painters at work in Olmsted Linear Park

Morning Madness by James Richards

National Poetry Month

Readings, workshops & events around Intown

If you appreciate poetry and spoken word, there will be plenty of verse-related events to keep you busy all month long as Intown observes National Poetry Month.

Word is Born at Apache Café

Apache Café, which is moving into an interim space at 880 Woodrow St. SW, presents its poetry and music open mic every Sunday. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit apachecafe.info.

Poetry Workshop at The Arts Exchange

Award-winning poets Theresa Davis, Andrea Jurjevic and Collin Kelley will give a free poetry workshop and discussion on April 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Arts Exchange, 2148 Newnan St. in East Point. The workshop, presented by the Broadleaf Writers Association, is open to adults of all poetry experience levels and will include creating new work. For more information, visit broadleafwriters.com.

Poetry Atlanta Presents… Sibling Rivalry Press

Poetry Atlanta, the nonprofit that promotes live poetry events, is marking its 35th anniversary this year and will celebrate National Poetry Month with a special edition of its Poetry Atlanta Presents… reading series featuring poets from award-winning Sibling Rivalry Press. Featured poets will include Robert Siek, Charlie Bondhus, Theresa Davis, Juie E. Bloemeke, Megan Volpert, Brent Calderwood and host Collin Kelley. The free reading, presented in association with Georgia Center for the Book, will be held April 8, 7:15 p.m., at the Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore St. More at facebook.com/poetryatlanta.

Poetry at Callanwolde: Cecilia Woloch and Eve Hoffman

Poets Cecilia Woloch and Eve Hoffman will read from their latest work at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road, on April 11 at 7:30 p.m. For more details, visit callanwolde.org.

Java Speaks at The Pinewood

Java Monkey Coffee House is still closed for repairs after last year’s arson attack, but the long-running open mic is returning to Decatur on April 14 at its new home – The Pinewood, 254 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. The sign-up list for the open mic is available beginning at 7:30 p.m. and readings begin at 8 p.m. Award-winning poet Theresa Davis is the host. Facebook.com/thepinewoodtr.

Kodac Harrison & Friends

The local poet and musician will celebrate his 70th birthday and the release of his 18th recording of music and spoken word on April 27 starting at 6 p.m. at Smith’s Olde Bar, 1578 Piedmont Ave. Visit smithsoldebar.com for tickets and information.

For even more poetry events, be sure to visit the Poetry Atlanta Facebook page at facebook.com/poetryatlanta.

DERM ATOLOGY AS SO CIATES

Call today to schedule your FREE consultation!

3379 Peachtree Rd Ste 500 Atlanta GA, 30326 404-355-5484

bulges in the submental area, thigh, abdomen and flank, along with bra fat, back fat, underneath the buttocks (also known as lax tissue with submental area treatments. pinching, intense cold, tingling, stinging, aching, and cramping at the treatment site. These sensations subside as the area redness, swelling, blanching, bruising, firmness, tingling, stinging, tenderness, cramping, aching, itching, or skin sensitivity, treatment. Rare side effects may also occur. The CoolSculpting® procedure is not for everyone. You should not have the disease, or paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria. The CoolSculpting® procedure is not a treatment for obesity. Ask your doctor if www.coolsculpting.com. reduction. ©2018 Allergan. All rights reserved. COOLSCULPTING® and its design are registered trademarks of ZELTIQ Aesthetics,

| olanskydermatology.com

Still on the Air

Harlon Joye has been speaking his mind and playing music for over 45 years

By Mark Woolsey

Who’s the longest-running radio broadcaster in Atlanta?

Is it that morning gentlemen on WSB who weaves together news, weather traffic reports and commentary? Nope, it’s not Scott Slade. Perhaps the affable fellow named after a car who spins tunes on country WKHS? No, not Cadillac Jack. Guess again.

The Award for Longest-Standing Radio Host in a Turbulent Media Market apparently goes to — envelope please — 85-year-old Harlon Joye. He’s one of the co-founders of WRFG radio (89.3 FM) the scrappy, nonprofit source of a wide variety of music and progressive (yes, liberal) information since 1973.

Holding forth on his “Fox’s Minstrel Show” — a fixture since the station’s inception — Joye plays a wide a variety of folk, rock, blues and Americana tunes from his collection of thousands of albums and CDs, combining them into sets with political and societal themes and interspersing the music with sometimes pungent commentary.

What’s it like to be the dean of Atlanta radio types?

OLANSKY DERMATOLOGY 404-355-5484

The CoolSculpting® procedure is FDA-cleared for the treatment of visible fat bulges in the submental area, thigh, abdomen and flank, along with bra fat, back fat, underneath the buttocks (also known as banana roll), and upper arm. It is also FDA-cleared to affect the appearance of lax tissue with submental area treatments.

During the procedure you may experience sensations of pulling, tugging, mild pinching, intense cold, tingling, stinging, aching, and cramping at the treatment site. These sensations subside as the area becomes numb. Following the procedure, typical side effects include temporary redness, swelling, blanching, bruising, firmness,

BUCKHEAD OFFICE: 3379 Peachtree Rd NE, Suite 500 Atlanta, GA 30326 olanskydermatology.com

“Tiring,” he chuckled. “Seriously though, it’s not that big a deal.” But it IS a big deal to his audience of progressives. They may not show up with huge ratings numbers, but they ARE passionate.

A recent Sunday night following the end of the partial government shutdown found him commenting on President Trump’s remarks on the month-long wrangle, interspersing them with such musical offerings as “Sure dug myself in a hole, and I gotta get out.”

Joye is unapologetic about his socialist perch on Atlanta airwaves.

“The real thing is to look how important Fox News has become, on politics and people’s way of thinking. There’s nothing on the left like that. People had no voice and no way to get a voice.”

Joye is a true son of the South, minus the Stars and Bars and acceptance of the region’s historical status quo. His life story could be summed up as “keep learning and question everything.”

Raised in Orangeburg, S. C., Joye absorbed powerful lessons about racial and economic injustice and began wondering how the script could be rewritten. A stint at then-all-male and all-military Clemson University followed. “I read Thomas Paine’s ‘Age of Reason’ and started questioning religion — and that didn’t go over well,” he recalled, particularly with upperclassmen who meted out discipline.

He next headed north to the University of Michigan to study forestry, landing in student co-op housing.

“They were unlike anything else on campus. They were independent and not fraternities and sororities,” he said. “They got all the people who were weird — and political. And remember, this was during the McCarthy era.”

Reading, debating and rubbing shoulders with young Communists, socialists and other social justice rabble-rousers, he emerged as a full-fledged ‘lefty.’ Over time, he said, that put him on the radar of everybody from prominent black civil rights activists to the FBI and the Atlanta Police Department.

In addition to politics, music was a fixation. “Every time my wife and I would travel somewhere,” he said, “we would hit used record shops.” Those predilections stood him in good stead after he relocated from New York to Atlanta in 1966.

“There was no worthwhile radio station in Atlanta at the time,” he said flatly. Joye helped pull together WRFG’s founders, served as the first station manager, and set the tone for the frequency’s progressive news and eclectic music mix. Not content to merely spin tunes, he took the lead in such projects as producing “Living Atlanta,” an award-winning series of documentaries on life in Atlanta between the two world wars.

It was perhaps foreordained: WRFG soon came under the microscope of the Subversive Control Unit of the Atlanta Police Department, which was convinced that the Little Five Pointsbased operation was full of “Communists, dope smokers, homosexuals, Weatherman and Black Panthers” in the words of a 1993 station-produced lookback.

Joye said the cops convinced a local TV station to scrub a partnership with WRFG that would have allowed a power increase and he claims his home was ransacked at about the same time. WRFG persevered, he added, and won in the courts against the TV station.

The veteran activist contends he landed on federal Communist and socialist watch lists for throwing in with two youth civil rights marches on Washington in the late 1950s, as well as the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom. That era found Joye working alongside a veritable Who’s Who of civil rights and labor crusaders: Bayard Rustin, A. Philip Randolph, Harry Belafonte, Jackie Robinson.

Hailing from New York at the time of the 1963 Washington gathering, Joye was tasked with marshaling attendance from the Lower East Side.

“We had 20 busloads of people lined up, when we were red-baited in a speech by [U.S. Sen. Kenneth] Keating and the bus service canceled on us. So we rented a train,” he recalled, chuckling. He says it’s not true that he was in charge of the port-a-potties, as his granddaughter jokingly claims.

Joye was on the National Mall for everything from Bob Dylan and Joan Baez’s pre-rally sound-checks to Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s “I Have a Dream” call to action.

Interestingly, said Joye, “The speech didn’t impress us that much at the time.”

Jobs such as a stint with the radical Students for a Democratic Society DID make a substantial impression across his native Dixie. Joye found his name appearing frequently in the papers — including the hometown journal he’d thrown onto front porches as a kid.

As a result, he said, “I had a sister who didn’t speak to me for several years.”

Labor organizing took center stage in later years; the civil rights veteran worked for more than 30 years with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Atlanta Labor Council, going to bat for such groups as workers constructing the 1996 Olympics venues.

Retired the last couple of years, Joye continues to hold forth on the Sunday night airwaves and waxes hopeful about what he thinks is a resurgence of progressivism. Joye thinks such trends as increasing income inequality and the near-monopolization of some business sectors are forcing action, as is the growing realization of climate change. He hopes millennials will hoist the banner and carry it forward, much as he’s done for decades.

“There’s more acceptance of the concept of socialism than there’s been in the last 50 years,” he said.

Our multi-specialty practice has provided primary care and dermatology services to adult patients for nearly two decades. Our physicians, Dr. Mark Koralewski, Dr. Je rey Rollins and Dr. Mack Rachal are board-certi ed and extensively experienced, and are committed to serving you with the highest quality of care in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. We accept most insurance plans, are welcoming new patients and o er a convenient location within walking distance of the Arts Center Marta Station and close to major downtown employers.

Photos by Mark Woolsey Harlon Joye with some of the posterboards that he uses in lieu of scrapbooks

A sampling of Joye’s record collection.

We provide exceptional and compassionate care for women with cancer of the female reproductive tract. Our patients get more than just medical care, they get an experience that brings healing and hope to help them and their families navigate their journey.

Dr. Stephanie Yap, our expert board-certified gynecologic oncologist, provides comprehensive treatment options including access to groundbreaking clinical trials and minimally invasive robotic and laparoscopic surgeries for a variety of conditions including:

• Endometrial cancer

• Ovarian cancer

• Cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancer

• Pre-invasive diseases of the lower genital tract

• Complex benign gynecologic conditions

43rd Atlanta Film Festival returns April 4 – 14

The 43rd annual Atlanta Film Festival returns April 4 – 14 with more than 175 film screenings, educational programs and special events. Selected from a record-breaking 8,400-plus submissions, the 2019 festival will present 31 feature length films, 98 short films and 36 creative media presentations.

“In our 43 years, we have made enormous strides in providing not only top-notch film programming, but also hosting special presentations and educational events that enrich Atlanta’s film and arts community,” said Christopher Escobar, Executive Director of the ATLFF. “Year after year, we are even more thrilled to showcase our remarkable slate of films and welcome exceptional filmmakers into Atlanta’s booming film industry, which has no doubt grown each year in tandem with the festival.”

Festival favorites, including SOUND+VISION, Food on Film and the IMAGE Film Awards Gala, returning after a 10-year hiatus, will also round out this year’s programming. The five-day Creative Conference will also delight attendees with panels, workshops, Q&As and more educational offerings.

Festivalgoers will enjoy screenings and events at returning official venues including the Plaza Theatre, Dad’s Garage and the Hilan Theatre, plus the addition of 7 Stages Blackbox Theater as a new venue this year. This year’s opening night event on April 5 at Plaza Theatre will be a screening of “The Farewell” about a dysfunctional family that learns its matriarch has terminal cancer. The closing night event on April 13 at the Plaza will be a screening of “Them That Follow” starring recent Oscarwinner Olivia Colman about Pentecostal snake-handlers.

For a complete list of films, festival badges and individual screening tickets, visit AtlantaFilmFestival.com.

Conveniently located in the Northside Medical Midtown building. 1110 West Peachtree Street NW, Suite 810, Atlanta, GA 30309

The Farewell

Art on the BeltLine seeks proposals for 10th year

Art on the Atlanta BeltLine has released a call for proposals for its 10th year of exhibitions this fall.

The 2019 season seeks visual artist, performers, musicians, lecturers and art historians at every stage of their careers to apply for the exhibition. Potential project proposals could include, but are not limited to, visual installations, performance works such as music, dance and theater, murals, collaborations and amenities such as benches or bike racks and more.

Submitting artists will apply to have their work featured in any of the following components of the exhibition:

BeltLine Walls Volume 2: A follow-up to 2018’s two-week-long mural festival, this year’s event will partner with MARTA’s ArtBound project to bring murals to the Atlanta BeltLine’s Northeast Trail. Located near the Lindbergh Center MARTA station, artists will work side-by-side on murals, culminating in a celebration at the end of the festival.

BeltLine Flow: Artists are invited to perform along the BeltLine corridor throughout the timeframe of the exhibition. These are designed to act as a pop-up style events to creatively activate and celebrate the corridor in many locations.

Atlanta BeltLine Concert Series: Unlike the pop-ups, these may take place in several BeltLine parks including Historic Fourth Ward Park, Gordon-White Park, the multipurpose field at Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark and Piedmont Park.

A City for All: Artists are invited to submit proposals considering the concept of “A City for All” for this year’s sculpture exhibition along the corridor.

BeltLine After Dark: On the weekend of Oct. 18 and 19, artists and vendors will gather to activate the Westside Trail and event space at Gordon-White Park, Washington Park and Holderness.

Lecture Series: Artists and professionals are invited to submit proposals for panel or individual discussion to address topics related to Arts & Culture, Ethics & Responsibility, Equity, Affordability, Science & Education and Transit.

Special Projects: Arts and culture organizations can submit proposals that use the Atlanta BeltLine to showcase their work/project, host a pop-up event and many other ideas.

Proposals and applications are due April 26, 2019. The complete proposal and guidelines are available at art.beltline.org.

“Hurricane” by Ray Katz is installed on the Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail. (Courtesy ABI)

Visual Arts

2019 Atlanta Biennial - A thousand tomorrows: This exhibition aims to address complexities and deep vernacular traditions of the Southeast continues the longstanding efforts to present new artists from around the region. Closes Apr 7. Free. thecontemporary.org

Bed: Curated by David Humphrey and Kate Javens, this exhibition presents diverse works by eight nationally known artists inspired by the theme “Bed”. Apr 3-May 4. Free. marciawoodgallery.com

Bonsai: Masao Yamamoto’s photography is known for evoking emotional power in the form of small-scale photographs. AprJune29. Free. jacksonfineart.com

DO or DIE - Affect, Ritual, Resistance: Exploring the intersections between African-based spiritual traditions and the political and societal violence against black male bodies in the US. Closes Apr 28. $6$8. carlos.emory.edu

Friends from Social Networks: A diverse group of North-American artists are brought together for this exhibition primarily through Instagram. Mar 20-Apr 23. Free. thomasdeansfineart.com

Gathered IV - Georgia Artists Selecting Georgia Artists: This juried exhibition has steadily evolved over the last thirteen years from its original incarnation. Apr 20-June 15. Free. mocaga.org

Looks Good on Paper: This unique show creates a dynamic exhibition that features a wide variety of styles and mediums sure to whet the palette of every taste. Tues-Sat. Free! spruillarts.org

Obsolescence to Relevance: Artist Woddy Patterson creates abstract expressionism and color field paintings, specializing in and 2D and 3D multi-media works on canvas. Apr 26-May 11. Free. tewgalleries. com

Passione Italiana - The Art of Espresso: Chronicles the evolution of the espresso machine and documents technological and industrial design developments. Tue-Sun. Free-$8. museumofdesign.org

The Magic within Us: This exhibit features artists Sharon Louise Barnes, who explores process and materials, informed by legacies of will and transformation in the African American experience. Mon-Fri. Free. septembergrayart.com

Stories Without An End - Women in African Art: Mehta Collection includes a selection of 50 classically carved wooden sculptures and masks drawn from the collection of Dileep and Martha Mehta. Closes Apr 21. Free-$5. museum. oglethorpe.edu

Us, Them and an Island of Truths: Atlanta’s own Calvin Jones creates enigmatic portraits

of imaginary women in a semi-abstract, luminous style. Apr 26-May 11. Free. tewgalleries.com

Performing Arts

April Fools Comedy Night: Sample the latest batch of laughs and hand-crafted beers with the Decatur Arts Alliance and Three Taverns Brewery. Apr 1. $25. threetavernsbrewery.com

Big Fish: Overflowing with heart, humor and spectacular stagecraft, this new Broadway musical reminds us why we love going to the theatre. Apr 12-28. $15-$30. act3productions.org

Bullets over Broadway - The Musical: The excess of the Roaring ‘20s, and the comic genius of Woody Allen come together in this splashy, over-the-top musical delight. Apr 11-23. $25-$43. get. org

Narcissus

signature work of contemporary art created by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama features 1,400 carefully arranged stainless steel spheres. Tues-Sun. $20.95-$29.95. atlantabotanicalgarden.org

When My Scars are my Testimony: The Atlanta Contemporary invites mixed media artist Kevin Cole for a temporal exhibition on the Atrium Wall. Tues-Sun Free. thecontemporary.org

Garden: This

The Negroes Are Congregating: Canadian playwright Natasha Adiyana Morris brilliantly pens her storytelling skills to create this incredible theatrical experience Apr 10-14. $25. portersanfordartscenter.org

Candide: Based on Voltaire’s meandering, farcical epic of the same name, this musical celebrates the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein. Apr 12-14. $12-$25. rialto.gsu.edu

Etienne Charles: Musician returns to his roots to celebrate the traditions that best exemplify Trinidadian culture with the GSU Jazz Band. Apr 27. $20-$52. rialto. gsu.edu

Falsettos: With a Tony-winning score by William Finn, this landmark musical is about how we love, live and grow. Closes Apr 28. $20-$35. actors-express.com

I Love To Eat: Drop in on James Beard for bean-spilling anecdotes, on-air flashbacks, and a salty voyage around the world of love, life, and comfort food. Apr 10-May 5. $15-$51. theatricaloutfit.org

Joe Gransden: Plan to meet your friends downtown for Feed Your Senses, featuring Grandsen presented by the Lunchtime Learning Performing Arts Series. Apr 17. Free! rialto.gsu.edu

Nat King Cole - The Man. The Music. The Legacy.: Join the Southwest Arts Center for this musical production featuring 2019 Grammy nominee Freddy Cole. Apr 14. $35-$45. fultonarts.org

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella: The Tony Award-winning musical that’s delighting audiences with its surprisingly contemporary take on the classic tale. Apr 5-7. $30.25-$115.25. foxtheatre.org

Secrets of a Soccer Mom: Three woman reluctantly take the field in a mothers vs. sons game that ignites a desire to recapture their youth. Closes Apr 14. $15-$33. stagedoorplayers.net

Shen Yun – 5,000 Years of Civilization Reborn: Experience a lost culture through the breathtaking art of classical Chinese dance, and see legends come

to life. Apr 5-Apr 14. $85-$235. cobbenergycentre.com

Singin’ in the Rain: The “Greatest Movie Musical of All Time” is faithfully and lovingly adapted by Broadway legends Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Apr 12-28. $26-$68. atlantalyrictheatre.com

The Hero’s Wife: In this play Cameron, a Navy SEAL, doesn’t remember what he does at night and his wife, Karyssa, doesn’t tell him. Wed-Sun. $31-$41. synchrotheatre.com

La traviata: The Atlanta Opera is proud to present this Verdi’s masterpiece with a sumptuous setting and sweeping music. Apr 27May 5. $38-$134. cobbenergycentre.com

Capitol Steps: The group has elevated political satire to an art form and are coming back to Atlanta with a new show of musical and political comedy. Apr 6. $39-$74. rialto.gsu.edu

Parliament Funkadelic: If you want to watch the original master of funk do his thing, you only have one more chance before he retires this year. Apr 4. $42-$72. cobbenergycentre.com

Virginia Schenck and Friends: This critically acclaimed Atlanta singer joins the annual International Jazz Day celebration with a special concert. Apr 30. $18-$20. citywinery.com/atlanta

Derek Hough Live!: This dance show features a brand-new stage production, astounding versatility and, as always, Hough’s magnetic stage presence. Apr 12. $49.50-$85 foxtheatre.org

RICHARDSON BARBARA GILLIAM ERIN OSTERLAND GARRETT FULTON ANDI MARBAN ROSHEATA McCLAIN ROB OPITZ

COLDWELL BANKER

DECATUR - Amazing new construction from Parclife Homes! Huge Chef’s kit, breakfast area, dining rm w/ built-ins, family rm w/stacked stone fireplace, guest BR on main, detached covered parking. Earthcraft certified, City of Decatur Schools. 6Bed/5Bath $999,000

FMLS: 6124075 Kathleen Sickeler 404.368.3234

DECATUR - An absolute must see from Parclife Homes – master on main, additional guest/office rm, fabulous flex space upstairs, amazing basement w/ stained concrete floors perfect for media rm/exercise/ BR with full bath! 5Bed/6Bath $1,109,000

FMLS: 6124087 Kathleen Sickeler 404.368.3234

DECATUR - Outstanding Craftsman from Parclife Homes. Well designed spaces throughout, nice large dining rm, gorgeous master, large secondary bedrooms, family rm with vintage mantle, smart thermostats, 2 car garage. 5Bed/5Bath $1,099,000

FMLS: 6124092 Kathleen Sickeler 404.368.3234

DECATUR - Two new homes on unfinished basements by Stoney River Homes. Summer completion – work w/ builder to pick your finishes. Screened porch, 2 car gar, fenced backyards, great storage space. 2-10 Builder Warranty. 5Bed/3Bath $699,900

FMLS: 6125789/6125758 Kathleen Sickeler 404.368.3234

MIDTOWN - Top floor end unit condo featuring kitchen w/granite c-tops & gas range, light filled dining area & great room w/cathedral ceiling & fireplace. 2 level floor plan w/bed & bath on each level, covered deck overlooking courtyard. 2Bed/2Bath $329,000

FMLS: 6502434 Cindy Hulbert 404.597.9984

LAVISTA PARK - Work with Direct Build Atlanta builder to customize your modern dream home. Roof top deck, 2 car garage, situated on rare private lot in the heart of Atlanta. Close to Piedmont Park, Beltline, shopping, restaurants. 4Bed/4Bath $1,250,000

FMLS: 6126767 David Brown 917.705.6387

MORNINGSIDE - Beautiful classic Tudor home on huge corner lot with private driveway and completely fenced in outdoor space ideal for entertaining. With 2 car garage and carport, unfinished basement, hardwood floors. 3Bed/2.5Bath $879,900

FMLS: 6515247 David Brown 917.705.6387

SPRINGDALE HEIGHTS - Walk to Decatur Square from this classic charmer situated on quiet, tree-lined street. Hardwood floors, awesome sunroom, second story addition with master, 2 spacious guest BR’s & laundry. Tons of space! 5Bed/4Bath $525,000

FMLS: 6121802 Beth Smith 678.595.4448

OLD FOURTH WARD - Under construction and ready for your design selections! Skyline views from roof-top terrace, modern design offers multiple indoor/outdoor entertaining spaces. Sleek cabinets in kitchen with center island. 3Bed/3.5Bath $675,000

FMLS: 6124459 Joan Arkins 404.661.2500

MORNINGSIDE - Intown living at its finest! Spectacular details throughout including original fireplace and moldings, oak hardwoods, eat-in-kitchen with task lighting & SS appls, back patio, huge unfinished basement for tons of storage. 3Bed/2Bath $625,000

FMLS: 6099185 Joan Arkins 404.661.2500

GRANT PARK - New construction on The Beltline! Open floor plan featuring kitchen with large island, fireplace in living room with French doors to a covered porch, 2nd covered porch upstairs, 2 car carport. Walk to The Beacon and The Beltline. 3Bed/2.5Bath $550,000 FMLS: 6508895 Joan Arkins 404.661.2500

CASTLEBERRY HILL - Great unit at Deere Lofts w/exposed brick walls, high ceilings, giant widows allowing tons of natural light, hardwoods, updated HVAC & hot water heater. Amazing rooftop deck. 2Bed/2Bath $289,000 FMLS: 6515322 Nanda Ragala 404.542.4988 Matt Domenick 404.276.0061

CLAIRMONT HEIGHTS - Renovated brick ranch with new roof, granite countertops, SS appliances, refinished floors, freshly painted. Easy walk to Emory/ CDC. Screened porch overlooks private, peaceful flat backyard. 4Bed/2Bath $339,333 FMLS: 6088601 Ann Hudson 404.307.9902 Ann Finley 404.276.8290

WOODLAND HILLS - Wonderful bungalow with large living rm, separate dining rm, spacious kitchen w/lots of counter space, covered deck overlooking fenced backyard. Hardwood floors, renovated tile bath, 2 car garage addition w/plenty of storage. 2Bed/1Bath $359,000

FMLS: 6090562 Mike Kondalski 404.234.9379

LAUREL HILL - Brick ranch with large fenced backyard, freshly painted interior, refinished hardwood floors, new floors in kitchen/breakfast rm & keeping rm. Updated bath, keeping rm with fireplace. Close to Emory/CDC. 3Bed/2Bath $349,900

FMLS: 6101253 Edwina Murphy 404.275.1807