Atlanta Intown - May 2016

Our mission: Published monthly since 1994, Atlanta INtown provides its readers with hyperlocal news and information that helps foster a sense of community in a dynamic urban setting. Live, work and play—we cover everything that makes our city home.

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Editorial Collin Kelley

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

Contributors

Franklin Abbott, Sally Bethea, Joe Earle, Manning Harris, Grace Huseth, Asep Mawardi, Isadora Pennington, Clare S. Richie, John Ruch, Shandra Hill Smith, Tim Sullivan, Megan Volpert, Diane Wynocker

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Collin Kelley collin@atlantaintownpaper.com

Hello from Sicktown

This issue went to press after I spent two days in the hospital. Somewhere during my travels to California, Colorado and New York to promote the release of my new novel (“Leaving Paris” –out now!) in April, I picked up a nasty sore throat.

Except this wasn’t an ordinary sore throat.

I had an inkling of this while sitting in Newark Airport for my return flight to Atlanta - that sudden rawness in the back of my throat. This was a painful, stabby kind of sore throat, that eventually settled into feeling like swallowing glass. Sure, I had been burning the candle at both ends for two weeks – running from events, to dinners, to parties, readings and signings. It was a fun, but exhausting whirl.

Just a couple of days after I returned home, I went to urgent care. The doctor looked at the back of my throat and said, “What the hell?” I got a steroid shot, some antibiotics and the warning that if I felt like I couldn’t breath, I

should go to the emergency room.

Two days later, that’s exactly where I was.

It was the look of horror on the doctor’s and nurses faces every time I opened my mouth that truly unnerved me. Of course, I could barely speak at all. The doctor rushed me off for an x-ray and CAT scan to discover that not only had my tonsils taken over my throat, but the lining of my throat itself was inflamed all the way to my larynx.

When I was told I was being admitted to the hospital, I felt vaguely ridiculous. I mean, who gets admitted to the hospital for a sore throat? This guy, right here.

If you haven’t stayed overnight at a hospital lately, I’m afraid there’s nothing good to report. The nurses and doctors were all very nice, but they woke me up constantly and my needlepricked arms look like I’m transforming into “The Walking Dead.”

I’m sitting on my couch as I write this, but I’m still on steroids and antibiotics, and will be long after you’ve read my column. This is the sickest I’ve ever been in my life, but I’m pushing through.

I’m wishing all of you wellness. And don’t dismiss something as simple as a sore throat.

WILL MARTA GROW?

Largest expansion in transportation system’s history will rest with voters

By Shandra Hill Smith

Plans are well underway for what could make for the largest funding expansion in the history of MARTA. On the last day of the legislative session in March, the Georgia General Assembly approved Senate Bill 369 to allow for

a retail sales and use tax by the city of Atlanta. Voters may have a chance to decide on the half-percent sales tax increase as early as this November.

According to MARTA Board Chairman Robbie Ashe, SB369 is the most significant piece of legislation for MARTA since the original MARTA

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Act more than 40 years ago. Through revenue from the potential tax that would last through 2057, “we expect to raise approximately $2.5 billion to $3 billion,” for expanding metro Atlanta’s public transit system, Ashe added.

“Expansion means increased mobility around the city,” said Ashe. “A more robust system aids in workforce development because employers will have access to potential employees who rely on public transportation from across the region and not only those job seekers who are situated nearby. Studies show that for every dollar invested in transit, we generate about $4 in economic development across the metro area. With more transportation options, and as the town becomes more densely populated, an expansion could provide relief from traffic congestion, while helping residents enjoy their lives without spending as much, or any, time in their cars.”

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On May 31, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority staff plans to present a proposed project list of new rapid transit projects to the Atlanta City Council. These include projects within or serving the geographical area of the city, and may be funded in whole or part by an additional tax.

“Over the summer, MARTA and the city have to come to an agreement about what the final project list will include. There will be several community meetings to get public input to make this process as transparent as possible,” said Ashe. For any potential expansion outside of the city limits, Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties “may still consider their own referendum options during future legislative sessions,” Ashe said.

The deadline for the city to adopt a resolution authorizing a referendum, Ashe said, is June 30, and by the end of July MARTA will submit the final project list.

“We need the Atlanta City Council to decide to put this measure on the ballot for the November 2016 election, and then we need the voters to affirm this legislation on Nov. 8 — Election Day,” said Ashe.

Atlanta residents now pay a 1 percent MARTA sales tax; an increase would push the sales tax rate to 8.5 percent.

“This bill allows us to go to voters for approval for what will be the largest expansion of MARTA in the system’s history,” said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed

in a statement. “Atlanta’s residents want transit solutions that offer access to full economic and social participation in the life of our city.”

Reed added: “By focusing on expanding the MARTA system through light rail along the Atlanta BeltLine and in other parts of our city, we will address last-mile connectivity, making this a transit system that works for everyone, for every day. Atlanta stands alone among major cities in our region with our heavy rail infrastructure. By adding light rail, we will build a system that will sustain our city’s growth for decades to come. I believe the passage of this bill will mark a turning point for our city – a point where we chose to take control of our future.”

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A southbound MARTA train passes by bumper-to-bumper traffic on Ga. 400 north at the Glenridge Connector.

MARTA plans to convert its entire fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel vehicles by the end of 2018. The current fleet size is 565 buses: 420 CNG buses and 145 diesel buses.

MIDTOWN GETS FEEDBACK ON TRANSPORTATION PRIORITIES

More than 1,000 Midtown residents and workers visited the MidtownTransportationPlan.com website created by the Midtown Alliance and offered their comments on how to improve the district’s transportation network.

From this effort to gather public input that began at the beginning of the year, many themes have emerged about

on foot remains vital to the urban experience.

• Ensuring safe conditions is critical by eliminating pedestrian, vehicular and cycling conflicts.

Of the 1,000-plus comments posted to the website, 58 percent directly related to safety concerns. In all, four out of every five comments offered on pedestrian and bicycle issues related to safety. Many of the comments emphasized fixing or completing sidewalks, adding more crosswalks, completing a protected bicycle network and improving safety by reducing vehicle speeds along major corridors.

transportation priorities:

• People who spend time in Midtown want multiple and highquality transportation choices.

• The capacity to explore Midtown

Midtown Alliance is working with a steering committee comprised of transportation agency partners, businesses, residents and subject matter experts to evaluate a number of potential strategies that range from traffic calming measures

and new signalization approaches to two-way street conversions and added infrastructure. This work will continue into the summer.

Look for the draft plan later this spring, which will be posted to the MidtownTransportationPlan.com website for additional comments. You can also send your questions and

ideas any time to Transportation@ MidtownATL.com.

A transportation open house will be held on May 4 to discuss the return of two-way traffic on 3rd, 4th and 13th streets. The open house will be from 5 to 7 p.m. in the 5th Floor Conference Room at the 999 Peachtree building.

NEW TRAILS

PATH celebrates 25th anniversary with big announcement

The PATH Foundation is celebrating its 25th anniversary with plans to add 37 new miles of trails. The organization is seeking to raise $15.8 million in private funds through a recently launched fundraising campaign.

The campaign will leverage more than $34 million in public funding for a total investment of $50 million in new trail projects. To encourage community support, the James M. Cox Foundation has committed $6 million to the effort.

The new trails will serve as community connectors by linking

existing trails to new neighborhoods and to Atlanta’s colleges and universities, extending the PATH400 project in Buckhead, completing a new segment at the Ga. 400/I-285 interchange and expanding the trail network into southwest Atlanta.

Plans also include a new segment to connect Vine City to Downtown around the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium and to create a “Bike Depot.” Located between Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia Aquarium, the Bike Depot will provide bike rentals and cyclist parking.

PATH will begin construction on the PATH Parkway project on the Georgia Tech campus later this month. PATH, Georgia Tech and the City of Atlanta are partnering to create a linear park between Northside Drive and North Avenue by eliminating the southbound lanes of Tech Parkway and claiming the space for pedestrians and cyclists.

A rendering shows detail of the PATH Parkway project near Georgia Tech.

GIRL SCOUTS EARN BIG AWARD

By Clare S. Richie

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta named Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta the 32nd annual Managing for Excellence Award winner. The nonprofit will receive a $75,000 award plus customized consulting services from The Boston Consulting Group.

To earn this distinction, the Girl Scouts demonstrated strong leadership, consistent business practices, stable infrastructure, and unwavering support of mission and impact.

“We were impressed by how the local Girl Scout board and staff leadership, as part of a 100-year-old organization, continue to evolve and adapt to what girls need today,” Alicia Philipp, president of the Community Foundation, said.

Managing for Excellence applicants were ranked against criteria of more than 80 characteristics. Following a formal application and site visit process, the review committee selected this year’s winner.

“This grant will support the delivery of STEM, financial literacy, life skills and outdoor education programming to the more than 42,000 girls who are the future leaders of our greater Atlanta community. An increasing percentage of our members need financial assistance to be a Girl Scout, and this award will help to make scouting a reality for more than 10,000 girls from underserved communities,” Amy Dosik, CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, said.

For more information visit GirlScoutsAtl.org.

Above: Lesley Grady, left, of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, presents Kelly Barrett, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Board Director, with the Managing for Excellence Award.

Below: Gil Benjamin, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Board Chair, left, and Amy Dosik, CEO of that organization, right, with Lesley Grady.

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MORE THAN A MURAL

Art inspires at O4W’s Hope-Hill Elementary

By Clare S. Richie

Local artists Christy Holmes and Becky Fite have wowed students, teachers and staff at Hope-Hill Elementary School with their Atlanta cityscape hallway mural.

“We want this mural to build students up, because they come from greatness,” Fite said.

With Hope-Hill featured prominently in the center, the mural shows the historic jewels of the Old Fourth Ward (O4W) neighborhood –

Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home, Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Old Wheat Street row houses purposefully placed at the student’s eye level. From the foundation of their school and community, the Atlanta skyline rises in the background.

A traditional elementary school in the Atlanta Public School system, Hope-Hill enrolls 430 predominantly African American students, nearly all of whom qualify for free and reduced lunch. Its neighborhood includes homes snatched up for proximity to the

Christy Holmes and Becky Fite

Atlanta BeltLine and Ponce City Market as well as Bedford Pine apartments –the largest section 8 housing project in Atlanta.

For the past three years, Principal Maureen Wheeler has been working to create a school climate that is welcoming, inviting and academically stimulating. Last year, Hope-Hill was the most improved school within APS, and this year experienced the largest enrollment surge, growing by 130 students. Upon completing 5th grade, Hope-Hill students attend Inman Middle School and then Grady High School.

“Most of these students don’t have the same advantages as their future classmates,” Angela Lewis, Hope-Hill Parent Liaison explained. In addition to students’ parents and caregivers, she reaches out to the Grady High School cluster community for volunteers and support.

When Hope-Hill asked for artists to create a mural – Fite and Holmes answered the call.

The friends and co-founders of bee good design are known for their collages assembled from old letters, snapshots and ephemera that speak to life today with a nurturing touch. You may have seen their pieces at local festivals and coffee shops.

Last fall, Fite and Holmes had a “serendipitous” meeting with Lewis, whose vision of an Atlanta cityscape was reminiscent of their collages. By winter, a sharpie outline drawing of the buildings graced the cinderblock wall. Painting began in January and continued through the spring. Now complete, the cityscape mural is both grounded in history and whimsical.

“Students are so excited about the mural,” Principal Wheeler said.

“I like your painting. You’re doing a good job,” students told Fite and Holmes as they passed by the work in progress.

“They were so enthusiastic and affirming. I didn’t want to leave,“ Holmes said. She was also touched by how protective and appreciative the teachers were of the mural and volunteerism. Perhaps they too saw that the mural was more than decorative.

“This could be a fantastic teaching

tool. Students could research the historic buildings and use it as a backdrop for their presentation,” Fite offered.

The artist duo plans to return next year to paint two more murals, the Hope-Hill eagle mascot soaring over students reading under a tree and the school logo. After such a heartwarming experience they are also open to donating their time and talent to another Title 1 school.

VOTE MAY 24TH Running for Wendy Shoob’s Open Seat

The Broad experience We deserve

Gary Alembik has a broad range of experience. On top of his 27 years as a member of the state bar in private practice, he is the only candidate for judge who has served Fulton County for 10 years as a magistrate and judicial officer. He truly knows how our court system works… and where it needs to be fixed.

The completed mural at Hope-Hill.

Education Briefs

The Primary (Kindergarten through third grade) chess team from Mary Lin Elementary, an Atlanta Public School, recently competed and placed 18th at the 2016 Georgia K-8 Team State Championship. Through Kid Chess programs, students learn sportsmanship, problem solving, critical thinking, concentration, patience and attention span. Participation in chess has been shown to increase test scores in reading and math. Started in 1998, Kid Chess teaches chess to Atlanta-area children in a fun and educational environment, on campus at various public and private schools, with homeschool groups and at other locations. More information and a full list of schools with Kid Chess programs is available at kidchess.com.

Eight Atlanta high school students who participated in the Atlanta Regional Commission’sYouth Leadership Program presented their ideas for improving metro Atlanta at a recent ARC board meeting.The students were among 50 teens from the 10-county region who took part in the Model Atlanta Regional Commission (MARC), a youth leadership program that involves six months of study, debate and handson activities regarding regional issues and challenges.“I am so impressed with the innovative ideas that these young leaders have developed,” said Kerry Armstrong, ARC board chair. “These resolutions have the potential to help improve quality of life throughout the region. They deserve our careful review.” City of Atlanta participants were:

• Henry Cox, a sophomore at Charles R. Drew Charter School

• Khari Crooms, a sophomore at Carver Early College

• Francis Fataki, a junior at Carver Early College

• Lucy Grant, a junior at Maynard Jackson High School

• Maya Hogan, a junior at Grady High School

• Anya Lomsadze, a sophomore at Grady High School

• Mariko Shaw, a junior at Benjamin E. Mays High School

• Colby Williams, a sophomore at North Atlanta High School

Arbor Montessori School will open a second campus on 1434 Scott Boulevard in Decatur for the 2016-17 school year. When it opens in August, the Scott Blvd. campus will house two primary classrooms and one toddler classroom for a total of 72 students. The school plans to add an additional toddler classroom (12 students) by August 2017. The 10,000-square-foot building is designed by Collins Cooper Carusi Architects.

The Goddard School recently held its annual Science Fair. Teaching children to collaborate, communicate, be creative and think critically, the Science Fair is an opportunity for Goddard School preschoolers and kindergarteners to showcase their learning through projects and experiments while demonstrating The Goddard School’s unique F.L.E.X. (Fun, Learning, Experience) Learning Program in action.

Public Safety Briefs

Atlanta City Councilmember Felicia Moore introduced an ordinance at the April 18 Atlanta City Council meeting authorizing payment of $125,000 from her District 9 carry forward account to the Atlanta Police Foundation for the installation, maintenance and operation of security cameras in the city’s right of way within District 9. The police foundation started installing cameras (PTZ cam) and license plate readers (LPR) throughout the city with plans of having as many as 12,000 devices at various locations. The devices will be integrated into the city’s Operation Shield Video Integration Center, where police can monitor images from more than 5,700 high-tech cameras throughout the city. The legislation was referred to the Finance/ Executive Committee.

As part of its participation in the White House’s Police Data Initiative, the Atlanta Police Department will begin using nextdoor.com, the private social network for neighborhoods, to poll residents in Atlanta. APD has been using Nextdoor since April 2014 to better connect with residents, and is one of the first public safety agencies in the country to gain access to Nextdoor Polls. Nextdoor Polls will enable verified residents in Atlanta to provide feedback on specific programs and overall sentiment directly to the department in an open and transparent way. Through Nextdoor, the Atlanta Police Department will be able to poll more than 209 neighborhoods across Atlanta and analyze the results down to the neighborhood level. The APD will use the poll results to better understand the needs and concerns of residents and work with them to build stronger and safer Atlanta neighborhoods. Nextdoor is free for residents and the Police Department.

Lynley S. Durre , M.D.

The Goddard School Science Fair

Felicia Moore

DONOR UP!

Funds sought for Grady High batting facility

By Clare S. Richie

The newly revitalized Grady Dugout Club just launched an $80,000 fundraising effort to build an on-site batting facility for the Grady High School baseball and softball teams, which currently lack a home or adjacent ball field or practice facility.

“We need the support of our community – anyone who loves the game, anyone who values the role of team sports in the lives of our students. Any contribution will get us closer to our goal,” said Cathy Lepik, Grady Dugout Club parent.

The indoor batting cage and bullpen facility would sit inside the 10th Street fence line on the athletic stadium property. Its location would not conflict with the proposed Grady High School campus expansion.

Once constructed, players could practice while waiting for the bus to the off-site field or when the shared off-site field’s not playable or taken by another team. Players could also use it to warm up before games – rather than starting games cold, which has been a huge disadvantage.

Grady High School is the only traditional high school within Atlanta Public Schools (APS) lacking an on-site or adjacent baseball or softball field or practice facility. Until the 1990s, Grady

players practiced across the street at Piedmont Park, but that’s not an option, despite years of parent advocacy.

So, persistent parents decided to pitch an on-site solution.

“We started working directly with APS to do something that was more achievable – an indoor batting cage. If the kids can’t walk across the street and play ball at least they can hit on the Grady campus,” Grady Dugout Club parent Pete Mastin said.

Even the student players pleaded their case to the Atlanta Board of Education. After many meetings, APS agreed to the idea.

“The concept of the Grady PTA or other booster group constructing a batting cage facility in the northwest corner of Grady Stadium property has been accepted. The interested group would be responsible for all planning, design, permitting, construction, financing and operation,” Jere J. Smith III, APS director of capital improvements, explained.

With this approval, the Grady Dugout Club is swinging into fundraising mode. The goal of $80,000 is estimated to cover materials for the physical structure, concrete foundation, turf, lighting and electrical, construction, netting for two batting cages and a bullpen lane, with a portable mound. Fundraising and

planning/design efforts are happening concurrently so the project can be implemented as quickly as possible for the student athletes.

“This facility isn’t just for our current rosters. It’s a broad, longterm investment in the students of the Grady cluster. Not only will the next generations of Grady players benefit, Inman baseball and softball players, who have no on-site facilities either, will

finally have a nearby practice space to utilize,” Lepik shared.

All donations are tax-deductible, payable to Grady Grey Knights Athletic Booster Club. Donate online at crowdrise.com/gradybaseball or mail checks: c/oTreasurer 1036 Cumberland Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30306. For more information, email gradyknightsbaseball@gmail.com.

The Grady High baseball team must uses Crim High School as its “home field.”

Sophomore Lyndon Weaver heads to first base at a recent game at Crim.

SALVAGE SPRING

Indie Craft Experience brought its award-winning craft & vintage goods to Midtown’s Yaarab Temple on April 17

DOGWOOOD FESTIVAL

Thousands turned out to browse the arts, crafts, food and entertainment at Piedmont Park, April 8-10

Photos by Isadora Pennington

Photos by Asep Mawardi

Shopping

A visitor chats with Gun Street Goods owner Keri Workley. Serra Branyon and Phillip Jaggar.

Keri Workley, owner of Gun Street Goods.

The artwork of Malu Castro.

Stephany Barbosa and owner of Parasol vintage clothing Samantha Paez. Belt buckles for sale at the Man Cave booth.

Dan Capaldo and Jared Lee, owner of Man Cave.

The Yaraab Shriners Temple on Ponce hosted the Salvage Vintage Market. Vintage accessories.

Sarah Roberts, artist and owner of In The Quiet Hours hand embroidery. Zano of Criminal Records DJ’d the event.

ATLANTA STREETS ALIVE

A new route from West End to Grant Park launched on April 17 with perfect weather for biking and walking

Photos by Asep Mawardi

The Great Atlanta Fire of 1917 destroyed most of the buildings in the Old Fourth Ward, fanned by heat, wind and a lack of personnel to fight the blazes that broke out around the city the morning of May 21, 1917.

The City of Atlanta’s Fire Department was already taxed with a rash of fires that broke out on the morning of May 21, 1917 – pulling its resources thin. When the call came about a stack of burning mattresses at a warehouse on Decatur Street, no one knew it would become “The Great Atlanta Fire” that would level most of the Old Fourth Ward.

Without enough equipment to fight the mattress fire, flames were spreading to other buildings and beginning to race north, fueled by hot temperatures and a steady breeze. By the end of the day, the fire would leave 10,000 homeless, wiping out nearly 2,000 homes and apartments along with assorted businesses.

Although one woman died of a heart attack, remarkably no one perished in the flames. The annual “Fire in the Fourth Festival” will commemorate the event on May 21. Turn to page 37 for more details.

Photos at left, courtesy of Fire in the Fourth; photo above courtesy Library of Congress.

Pet Pick

Elvis loves everyone he meets—kids especially! We often take him out to meet the Girl Scout Troops when they stop by for a visit, and he cannot get enough of their attention. He is a very gentle-natured guy, but he is also playful. Elvis will be a very fun pet for some lucky family. He seems to do well with other dogs, so if you have a pup at home be sure to bring them by for a meet and greet. To adopt Elvis, visit PAWSAtlanta.org or drop by the shelter at 5287

in Decatur.

The Petco Foundation awarded LifeLine Animal Project, the leading Atlanta nonprofit saving the lives of cats and dogs in the local community, with a $1.5 million Lifesaving Impact Grant to recognize the organization’s work in helping to transform Atlanta into a lifesaving community. Pictured below right, LifeLine Animal Project DeKalb Shelter Director Kerry Moyers-Horton, left, and DeKalb Operations Manager Tracy Thompson, saying thank you to Petco.

The Ellis Hotel in Downton has upgraded its Pet Friendly Floor experience with new amenities for furry, four-legged jet setters. Fluffy and Fido can now dine with their own luxurious travel food bowls while dressed in their stylish “Ellis” bandanas. Pet parents can order fresh, organic farm-to-table cuisine from The Ellis’ Terrace Bistro for their dogs and cats. Pets will enjoy a walk around Downtown with their courtesy bags (attaches to the leash) and visiting nearby parks, pet-friendly restaurants and boutiques.

Texas-based FarmHouse Fresh, an award-winning manufacturer of natural and organic bath, body and face products, made a charitable donation of 75 dog beds of various sizes valued at more than $5,000 to PAWS Atlanta in Decatur.

Pet Briefs

Covington Highway

LifeLine Animal Project DeKalb Shelter Director Kerry Moyers-Horton, left, and DeKalb Operations Manager Tracy Thompson say thank you to Petco for a big donation.

REACHING MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES

Emory student uses art and social outreach to help others

By Franklin Abbott

Paul Nguyen grew up in Sandy Springs as one of five siblings. He says their father taught them all how to play the piano, and music became the way in which Nguyen could best express himself. He participated in a Volunteer Emory spring break program that immersed students in the life and culture of homeless shelters.

He found out that a disproportionate number of homeless youth were LGBTQ and they were often in homeless shelters longer than their non-LGBTQ peers. He wondered what the experience would be like and what would give him personal solace. His process deepened after a difficult coming out process with his own family, and his connection to music became even more essential.

Nguyen, who has a double major in music composition and neuroscience, founded Art Works, a group of Emory students and alumni, who work to convert stories into art. Art Works’ first project explores the role of collaborative art on the selfempowerment of LGBTQ youth in an Atlanta homeless shelter. Nguyen’s team includes writers Adna Jaganjac and Gaby Arifin; musicians Dan Martin and Erin Baker; steppers from Emory’s Ngambica step group, Ayana Bohanan

and Kaela Kuitchuoua; and a filmmaker, Bria Goeller. Together they collaborate with homeless youth to help them tell their story.

The identities of their clients are anonymous and the story is told in silhouettes, with hands, feet, rhythm and voices. Nguyen wanted to create something tangible, a keepsake, for the clients and volunteers to take away. A short film was made to share at the recent Break-the-Cycle Conference.

The film, “A Bed of Strength,” centers on a client’s experiences of strength and vulnerability, and is based on her poem of the same name. Nguyen and his team engaged their clients in a variety of exercises to help them find their creative voices.

One of the exercises was centered on the question, “If you had 10 seconds to say anything to the world and they had to listen, what would it be?” One of the responses was the poem that became the centerpiece of the film. The poem and the film show how a young homeless person wrestles with what her

true strength is. Does it come from a facade of toughness or does it arise out of a more vulnerable knowing of self?

This is the first of what Nguyen hopes will be ongoing collaborations between Art Works and marginalized communities.

SPECIAL

Paul Nguyen, far right, and his team put together a film to address the issue of LGBT youth homelessness.

By Tim Sullivan

GHOST OF SPRING BREAK PAST

Most people probably don’t spend much time on spring break thinking about their dead grandmother, but I do. Nan passed away about 17 years ago, but any time I feel exceptionally decadent or privileged she springs to mind precisely because she would have had none of it. To her, a loaf of Irish soda bread was a party, and a vacation was 20 minutes in a folding chair reading the obituaries. Slack off for a few minutes around the house and she was quick to dismiss you as “the laziest of the bunch.”

Kristen, the kids and I spent spring break on Captiva Island, Florida, at the South Seas resort with her sister Betsy and her family. If you’ve been there then you may understand the Irish Catholic guilt that permeated my soul, but if not, then just imagine the agony over deciding pool, beach, golf or tennis each day. Do you want to see dolphins or exotic birds? Should we ride bikes, go fishing or do yoga? Yes kids, the snacks in the cabana come with the daily rental. It was like Nan’s Top 10 list of useless activities.

The resort trolley swiftly scooted us to our desired leisure, and there was a tracking app that told us exactly how long to expect to wait for the bus (4 minute average). The key swipe card not only opened the door to our room but also “paid” for everything on or near the resort. It was like magic! Dangerous magic. I think I’ll let Kristen open the AMEX bill while I close my eyes and chant ohm ohm ohm…

When I was young, spring break was about as exciting as a 50-cent coupon to Pathmark. We could sleep a smidge later and hang out with our friends on the block, but never under any circumstances was there a palm tree in sight. That was part of the deal when growing up as one of 10 kids—no palm trees. My mother might suggest projects like cleaning our rooms or getting a jump on our summer reading lists. Nan would scoff at the mere notion of a week off but suggest we get acquainted with

the broom, mop and scrub brushes. And we could always enjoy the rewards of potato detail. Nan kept about 25 pounds of potatoes in a lower kitchen cabinet at all times. And potatoes need peeling. To prove she was the least lazy of the bunch, Nan would peel the potatoes with a small paring knife that she would sharpen out on the front stoop (where she also sharpened large knives). I’m pretty certain that she never visualized the opening scene of a horror movie quite the way I did.

Because the thing was, we did have a potato peeler. That had definitely been invented at the time. The soft, ergonomic grip was still years away, but the functionality was absolutely superior to the SEARS culinary collection of 1961. But Nan immigrated from Ireland as a teen and just never stopped working. She outlived her husband, siblings, two children and their spouses... Aside from work, the constants in her life were heartache and potatoes, so any technologically advanced methods designed to aggregate more leisure time were pointless. She had already read the obits, right?

I would have loved to take Nan out of her comfort zone and bring her to Captiva, just to witness the Least Lazy Person Ever fight the adjustment to island time. Whenever Enrique the Captiva bartender would mix up a round of fruity island drinks for us, I would contemplate what might constitute “The Nan” cocktail. Potatoes make vodka but Nan’s drink was Scotch with a little water and a small spoonful of sugar. We could toss that and some ice in a blender, right? Maybe a plastic umbrella and a potato slice for garnish? It might be terrible, but that is exactly how Nan would want it.

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

From left, Owen McEvoy, Margo Sullivan, Elliott Sullivan and Emma Buckley enjoying a sunset harbor cruise. (Photo credit to Betsy Buckley)

The Neighborhood Hot List: Oakhurst

One of Decatur’s hippest neighborhoods, Oakhurst has carved out its own identity as a place for young professionals, families and those who also like a laid back good time. With a host of festivals, events and a vibrant village, Oakhurst continues to charm.

1 Village Vibe

If you walk over to the village, it might be just like arriving at “Cheers” - chances are someone is going to know your name. Whether you’re stopping off at Universal Joint for a burger and beer on the patio, some good Mexican at Mezcalito’s or a coffee at Kavarna, there are lots of places to get your food and drink fill.

2 Oakhurst Jazz Nights

Head over to the historic Solarium for

some art, wine and nights of jazz every spring and fall. The former Scottish Rite Hospital site makes for an interesting backdrop to hear all sorts of local music.

3 Wylde Center

Organized programs, classes and events help develop creative skills in sustainable urban living, organic gardening, health and nutrition.

4 Oakhurst Porch Fest

Last year’s inaugural event saw hundreds of music lovers walking around the community watching local bands play on the porches of homeowners. The second event is set for Oct. 8.

Every Robin Loves Their Nest. –And

Meetings

The Atlanta City Council will meet May 2 and May 16 at 1 p.m. Meetings are held at City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave. For agendas and more information, visit citycouncil.atlantaga.gov.

The Midtown Review Committee meets the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the fifth floor conference room at 999 Peachtree. For more information and to see agendas, visit midtownatl.com.

Community meetings, news & events

Neighborhood Planning Unit-N (NPU-N) , Cabbagetown, Candler Park, Druid Hills Civic Association, Inman Park, Lake Claire, Little Five Points, PonceyHighland and Reynoldstown, meets the fourth Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Little Five Points Community Center, 1083 Austin Ave.

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

News

Metro Atlanta’s population rose to more than 5.7 million residents last year, according to new U.S. Census estimates. The Atlanta area remained the ninthlargest metropolitan statistical area in the country with the region growing by about 1.7 percent between 2014 and 2015.

The City of Atlanta announced its participation in the Waze Connected Citizen Program , a free data-sharing partnership with the social navigation app, to further assist the city with traffic congestion reduction efforts. Waze provides partners with anonymous, real-time incident and slow-down information directly from app users. In exchange, partners provide real-time construction, crash and road closure data. Information collected through the Waze Connected Citizens Program will allow municipal leaders to evaluate road conditions and help inform traffic congestion solutions. “Our information technology department works every day to be an innovative and customer-focused service provider to residents,” said Samir Saini, the City of Atlanta’s Chief Information Officer. “The Waze Connected Citizen Program is aligned with our goals. By partnering with Waze, we can better help Atlanta residents respond to the constantly changing environment of city streets and shorten their commute.” To find out more about the Connected Citizens Program or to download the free Waze app for iOS or Android, visit waze.com.

The Atlanta BeltLine Inc. has appointed Dr. Henry Ikwut-Ukwa to serve as their new Transportation Director. In this capacity, Dr. IkwutUkwa will lead the effort to implement the 22-mile Atlanta BeltLine transit loop with the Atlanta Streetcar crosstown network. In addition, Ikwut-Ukwa will lead implementation of the Atlanta BeltLine’s 46 miles of complete streets and accompanying elements of the Connect Atlanta Transportation Plan and Streetcar System Plan.

The BeltLne also announced the appointment of Nina R. Hickson to serve as vice president and general counsel. In this capacity, she will be responsible for all legal matters including general corporate transactions, corporate governance, compliance and risk management, and a wide variety of real estate-related matters including transactional work and negotiations.

Atlanta ConnectHome, an initiative designed to bridge the digital literacy gap for school-aged children in the City of Atlanta by providing families with free wireless devices and internet services, has launched a second pilot program at The Center of Hope at Adamsville Recreation Center where 150 families received tablets and technology training. “We are honored to host the ConnectHome second pilot launch at The Center of Hope at Adamsville Recreation Center,” said Commissioner Amy Phuong. “We are able to see firsthand how the families served through our afterschool programs benefit from the tools they need to compete in a constantly evolving digital environment.” As part of the first launch of the ConnectHome pilot program in January, more than 70 families received computer devices, free internet service and digital literacy training that connected families with educational resources as well as job training.

Nina R. Hickson

ATLANTA DAIRIES WILL BRING LIVE MUSIC TO PROJECT

Paces Properties has signed a lease to bring live music to the Atlanta Dairies mixed-use development on Memorial Drive. Agon Entertainment, owners of the Georgia Theatre in Athens and Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points, will work with Terminal

West to open a multi-use facility that will operate as a special event space, concert hall, and will have a rooftop bar with skyline views.

“Our goal with Atlanta Dairies is to create an environment where you can live, work, dine, entertain and now

catch a live show because of what Agon and Terminal West are going to bring to the project,” David Cochran, president and CEO of Paces Properties, said in a media statement.

Located just off the Beltline at 777 Memorial Drive, the Atlanta Dairies

redevelopment is set to transform a historic icon in Reynoldstown into a new 93,000-square-foot cultural and entertainment destination. Atlanta Dairies is targeted to open in late 2017.

Yvonne Zusel, CMG-Atlanta

Renderings show the new live music venue, above right, and a colorful look at the completed renovation of the Atlanta Dairies property on Memorial Drive in Reynoldstown.

GSU GETS $2 MILLION FOR STUDENT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT CENTER

The SunTrust Foundation has awarded Georgia State University a $2 million grant to create the SunTrust Student Financial Management Center, a first-of-its kind program to help students address financial issues that can be obstacles to earning their degrees.

The SunTrust Student Financial Management Center will build on Georgia State’s nationally recognized efforts in providing students with proactive academic advising to help them achieve academic success. Financial problems remain the number one reason most students drop out of a college or university.

“The establishment of this center, with the generous support of the SunTrust Foundation, constitutes another important step in guiding our students to graduation,” said Timothy Renick, vice provost and vice president for enrollment services. “We want to continue to find innovative ways to use data to identify problems that our students face when there is still time to help.”

Georgia State already uses predictive

analytics to track more than 30,000 students each day and to alert staff when the students make academic decisions that put them off track. The alerts led to more than 45,000 one-on-one meetings with academic advisors last year. The university will use its Financial Alert System to contact students before financial problems arise.

SunTrust will provide financial mentors, and the center staff will use the system to contact students and develop a series of outreach programs. Because many students and their parents have limited ability to be on campus during the day, the center will offer online and phone counselors after hours. The center will also provide financial counseling and outreach to low-income and hardto-reach families that rarely have access to financial guidance from credible institutions.

As part of the project, Georgia State will develop a detailed playbook on how to use predictive analytics to reach financially at-risk students to share with other educational institutions.

Georgia State University and the SunTrust Foundation will create a financial management center for students to help them learn to best use their money and manage their financial aid while getting an education. Students will have their own counselors who can help them make choices without falling further into debt.

UNDER CONTRACT

UNDER CONTRACT

UNDER CONTRACT

UNDER CONTRACT

WOULD YOU GET A LUNG CANCER SCREENING IF WE CALLED IT A “LUNG-OGRAM”?

Business Briefs

The Possible Woman Conference 2016 will be held on Tuesday, May 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center. Opening Keynote Speaker is Hala Moddelmog, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Following the keynote will be the Women of Power and Vision Panel moderated by Malenka Warner, managing director and owner of Atlanta Daybook. This year’s participants are Belinda Grant-Anderson, vice president, Workforce Development & Diversity at AT&T Services; Shan Cooper, chief supply chain and technology officer at WestRock; Patricia M. Falotico, CEO of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership; Stacy Kilcoyne, vice president, Human Resources and chief diversity officer at the Southern Company; and Lee Pressley, vice president of sales at IBM Cloud for the Southeast Region. The closing keynote is Celeste Jonson, transformation coach and strategist at Celeste Jonson International. For more information, visit possiblewomanfoundationinternational.org.

home improvement store. Taking a page from Dollar Shave Club’s razor blade subscription business, he solved both problems by launching FilterSnap with 72 filter sizes and a choice of 1, 2, 3, 6 or 12-month replacement schedules. Visit filtersnap.com for more information.

Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH has opened its newest store in Buckhead at 1 Buckhead Loop. The store features in-season and on-trend looks for men, women and kids, boasting more than 800 top designer brands.

Carré d’Artistes, a chain of international art galleries, will open its latest space at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta this June.

Most women know to get a mammogram but not a lung screening. Yet lung cancer kills more women than any other type of cancer. The good news is a lung cancer screening can help detect it early when there are more treatment options. Northside Hospital Cancer Institute offers a low dose CT screening if you’re 55 – 80 years old and a current or previous smoker. It’s quick and easy and could save your life. For information call 404-531-4444 or visit http://www.northside.com/lung.

Two of the top 50 fastest-growing women-owned/led companies this year are in Atlanta. These women are ranked on the global list of flourishing womenowned companies, cosponsored by the Women Presidents’ Organization, a national nonprofit with 127 chapters located internationally, and American Express. Ranked #16 on this year’s list is Phyllis Newhouse, founder and CEO of information technology services and solutions provider Xtreme Solutions, Inc. Newhouse saw her company revenue grow from $38.6 million in 2013 to more than $59.3 million in 2015. During that time, the company headcount also jumped by 765. Also on the list at #44 is Amy Dresser of J Curve LLC, which provides experienced accounting and financial professionals on an interim and project basis. The company’s revenue grew from more than $5.6 million in 2013 to $7.2 million in 2015.

Six years ago, Atlanta’s Shane Kenny and his brother Aaron sold their 11-year-old internet filtering software business to McAfee for over $10 million. Today Shane is back in the filtering game – albeit in a completely different sense – as the founder of a service called FilterSnap that delivers air filters to consumers’ homes on a regular schedule to ensure timely replacement. Shane came up with the idea because of his own frustration in remembering to change filters and trying to find the size he needed at the local

Vine Vault, a secure wine storage and logistics retailer for wine lovers and collectors, has leased 5,650 square feet in Atlanta’s 764 Miami Circle retail center. The facility will include optimum lighting, refrigeration with back-up generator, state-of-the-art security systems, insurance and shipping services. More details soon.

Private Bank of Decatur President Judy Turner is retiring May 31. In anticipation of that change, the bank’s Brent Adams is working closely with Turner and will serve as her successor. “In 2011, at a time when she could have been resting on the laurels of a remarkable career in banking, Judy joined us to help structure and open Private Bank of Decatur,” said Charlie Crawford, president, CEO and chairman of Private Bank of Buckhead, in a statement. “Judy and her team opened the doors of the Decatur location in October 2012. Notably, last year about this time Judy celebrated a milestone of 50 years in banking. I am honored and proud to have worked with Judy, and look forward to her continuing support of the bank. Among other ways, Judy will remain active as a member of the Private Bank of Decatur Board of Advisors.”

Hala Moddelmog Judy Turner

FilterSnap

Consumer credit reporting agency and data analytics company Equifax has signed a multi-year lease to expand its offices into 100,000 square feet of space at One Atlantic Center in Midtown. The expansion is expected to generate over $75.8 million of economic impact as a result of Equifax’s $17 million investment in the project, as well as nearly 700 new jobs.

Built in 1987 between the intersection of 14th and West Peachtree streets, the new office space in the 50-story skyscraper will serve as an extension of Equifax’s operations and join the company’s other two current metro Atlanta locations. Construction is expected to begin in September and the company plans to begin occupying the space in two phases, with the first occurring in February 2017 and the final phase occurring in July 2017.

“After considering several locations, we decided it was in the best interest of the company, our Atlanta-based employees, and the community, to expand in Atlanta and further strengthen our roots that date back 117 years, and position for a great future that includes a growth trajectory of 600-700 jobs over the next several years,” said Andy Bodea, chief global operations officer for Equifax, in a statement to the media. “We naturally gravitated to Midtown with its terrific

access to a prominent engineering school and a growing reputation for innovation and technology hubs that are a magnet for great talent.”

So pretty, extremely quiet, top notch. Come see this traditional 1930’s brick on half acre lot just a block to the best elementary school in town. Owned by the neighborhood’s favorite Realtor,* it is graced with lovely formal rooms; original built-ins; newly refinished hardwood floors; eat-in kitchen open to den. Delightful sunroom for office. Ready to move in and raise your family. Priced to renovate or rebuild. Come make it your home.

Above the Waterline

A garden grows in the city

The only place in the yard that the sun shone brightly and continuously was a skinny strip of land between my rented Midtown duplex and the driveway.

It was the mid-1970s and I wanted a vegetable garden.

Undaunted by the tiny plot and my lack of gardening experience, I planted squash, tomatoes and peppers in the rocky, nutrient-poor soil. I remember the beautiful squash blossoms, but not so much the vegetables; I think that most of them were eaten by bugs and other critters.

In the decades that followed, I moved to houses with lovely shady yards full of ferns, hostas and hydrangea, but no sun-loving plants or vegetable gardens.

Forty years later and now retired, I have finally found some sunshine and a

community garden where I am happily pulling weeds.

My garden is in the historic Howell Station neighborhood: northwest of downtown Atlanta and just four miles from my home. The Western and Atlantic Railroad (now CSX) was extended here in 1843. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, the area was developed specifically for blue-collar workers, employed by the railroad and light industry located along West Marietta Street.

I met Mia McCaskill on the grounds of the Northwest Baptist Church, one of four historic churches in Howell Station. Made of Stone Mountain granite, the structure was erected in 1927 to replace the tent where congregants had been meeting.

Mia and a neighbor started the Nuleaf Community Garden on the church grounds four years ago.

Tall with a pleasant, soft voice and a growing family (husband David, daughter Maria, son Max, and a baby on the way),

Mia welcomed me to the first garden work day in early April.

David was turning over the soil with a small hand-held tiller that looked impossibly

difficult to manage. I followed him with a heavy rake, doing my best to remove weeds, rocks and the occasional found object. A few volunteers pulled weeds from two raised beds and a small herb garden. Mia planted fruit trees.

Raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Mia remembers her grandmother’s garden, which always had greens, cabbages and fruit trees. At the age of 10, she helped her father with their small family plot. She says that she didn’t know much about how to plan her own garden, but she knew what she wanted: a way to meet more people, get her kids involved and help the church make connections in the community.

Her supportive husband said: “Well, do it!”

Mia says proudly that she’s making her city boy (David is from Detroit) into a country man.

Instead of establishing individual plots within a larger garden, Mia decided that everyone would work in the whole garden, making sure that it is well-tended and also serves as an attractive retreat, a place to “take a blanket and relax,” she says.

Garden volunteers can take home a bag of veggies and herbs. There is always plenty – enough to pass on to neighbors unable to volunteer and to donate to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, which provides everything from seeds and plants to tilling, tools and volunteers. In fact, it is thanks to the Food Bank that I am now a part of Atlanta’s flourishing community garden movement.

Mia’s favorite crop is tomatoes, but she says that she has learned to love fresh beets from her garden – noting that they are “a whole other experience”

than canned beets. A lifelong beet-hater, I am looking forward to trying the beets that we grow this year.

But, even more than the prospect of growing my own vegetables, what I like most about my new volunteer job is the feeling of community that the garden creates – and digging in the dirt while the sun shines.

To volunteer for a community garden near you, visit www.acfb.org or www.parkpride.org. To help Nuleaf Community Garden in Howell Station as a volunteer or with donations, contact me at sbethea063@gmail.com.

Mia McCaskill and her children, Max and Maria, work in the Nuleaf Community Garden in the historic Howell Station neighborhood.

The vegetable garden at Nuleaf.

Sally Bethea

Eco Briefs

Happy Mango , an eco-friendly baby, pregnancy and kids boutique, is now open in the Kirkwood neighborhood at 1996 Hosea L. Williams Drive NE. The store offers unique items - from bamboo swaddles to furniture that grows with your baby to non-electric educational toys - that are eco-concious and comparable to their non-eco counterparts. For more information, visit ShopHappyMango. com.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has two projects in the works that will move it toward further sustainability: a state-of-the-art, onsite composting and recycling facility (which would be called Green Acres ATL Energy Park) and procurement of an electric shuttle bus. The recycling facility would repurpose, reprocess, and/or recycle at least 90 percent of domestic municipal solid waste generated at the airport. The facility will also process chipped yard trimmings from the City’s Department of Public Works. The 22-passaenger shuttle would be used to transport guests around the facility with zero emissions.

Park Pride announced seven recpients of its 2016 Inspiration Awards during the recent Parks and Greenspace Conference. This year’s Inspiration Award Winners include: Linda Bain, for her years of dedication as the executive director of the Sandy Springs Conservancy before her retirement in 2015; Dave Butler, for his commitment to improving and activating natural greenspace during his tenure as DeKalb County’s Greenspace Environment Manager, a position from which he retired in 2015; Pauline Drake, for her dedication to the transformation of empty lots into Jennie Drake Park,

named after her mother, Jennie Drake Park; Cynthia Gentry, for her advocacy for children’s right to play and her role as Atlanta’s play expert; Ronald Johnson, for his contributions to the County Line/Ellenwood community and greenspace; Karl Schultz, in recognition of his efforts to motivate local youth to engage in park projects at Frazier-Rowe Park; and Esther Stokes, for her passionate pursuit of quality parks.

The City of Atlanta has been recognized by the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP), an international organization which motivates companies and cities to disclose their environmental impact, for its climate control reporting. CDP selected Atlanta as a Top 10 city out of 308 cities worldwide after evaluating its sustainability practices and policies.

In addition, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) awarded the city with the CREATE Community Award, an honor presented to local governments for their innovative efforts in environmental sustainability.

The 2015 Atlanta Climate Action Plan, created by the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and adopted unanimously by the City Council last September, details approaches and policies that the City of Atlanta is uniquely positioned to implement, including actions that can reduce energy and water usage, create local jobs, improve air quality and reduce the city’s carbon footprint. “The Office of Sustainability is excited to be recognized for our climate work,” said Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability.

“I would like to thank CDP and ARC for these honors and our more than 50 stakeholder experts across Atlanta who helped us earn them.”

The idea of retirement community living never really occurred to the Andersons. Their daughters wanted them close by and willingly did the research, visiting several communities, and eventually choosing Canterbury for its welcoming feeling. With T.J. actively composing most days, their newly renovated apartment had to provide a gracious home for his piano, as well as expansive art and book collections. That it also offered a great view of Peachtree fireworks was icing on the cake.

The Andersons invite you to discover their Canterbury Court.

Happy Mango

By Manning Harris

In recent years Atlanta has become a virtual summer theater festival. With the influx of actors and technicians in Atlanta to work in the burgeoning film scene, it’s entirely possible that new shows may pop up at any time. As you can see, summer is no vacation for working theater professionals in Atlanta; quite the reverse. It’s a boomtown, and audiences are very happy about that. Here is a sampling of what’s in store for us in the spring and summer of 2016:

SUMMER STOCK

Theater lovers will have plenty to keep them entertained

production of the mega-musical “Miss Saigon,” runs July 21-Aug. 7, with Niki Badua in the title role, after an extensive national talent search.

Aurora Theatre

On the north side of town, Aurora is presenting the comedy/drama “I’m Not Rappaport,” the 1996 Tony winner by Herb Gardner, running May 5-June 5.

Horizon Theatre

The Little Five Points-based company will stage “The City of Conversation,” a political drama set in Washington, D.C., by Anthony Giardina, May 20-June 26. Also, “ ‘Da Kink in My Hair,” a musical by Trey Anthony, plays July 15-Aug. 28.

Actor’s Express

Serenbe Playhouse

Famous for its site-specific outdoor performances, Serenbe leads the way with three shows: “Charlotte’s Web,” based on E.B. White’s classic children’s book, running May 27-July 31. Next, John Steinbeck’s powerful drama “Of Mice and Men,” recently revived on Broadway, plays June 9-26. Then a much-anticipated

Busy Actor’s Express has a gay romantic comedy called “Significant Other,” by Joshua Harmon, author of the Express’ hit “Bad Jews,” running May 21-June 19, and featuring local favorites Cara Mantella, Diany Rodriguez, Judy Leavell and Edward McCreary (“Oklahoma,” “Carousel”).

Pinch ‘N’ Ouch Theatre

This scrappy theatre company gets a summer coup with the Atlanta premiere of Neil LaBute’s “The Way We Get By,” a romantic comedy/drama of “love, lust and the whole damn thing,” running June 16-July 17.

Synchronicity Theatre

Synchronicity is planning a oneweekend only workshop production of a new musical called “The Last Time We Were Here,” by local favorites Jeremiah Parker Hobbs (music and lyrics) and

The Alliance Theatre

There’s still time to catch “Born for This: The BeBe Winans Story,” a world premiere musical, which continues through May 15. Later in the summer, “The Prom,” a new Broadway-bound musical comedy, is playing Aug. 18Sept. 25.

Aris Theatre

“Atlanta’s Stage for Celtic Culture,” opens its third season with “Stones in his Pockets,” a delightful comedy by Marie Jones, running May 5-22. They perform at the Georgia Public Broadcasting Studio on 14th Street.

Atlanta Lyric Theatre

The Lyric will present one of greatest American musical dramas, “West Side Story.” With a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, this legendary show runs June 10-26.

Jessica De Maria (book) and starring Hobbs and De Maria, June 17-19.

Miss Saigon at Serenbe

Lee Osorio stars in “Signifcant Other” at Actor’s Express

Sweet Auburn Springfest

The 32nd annual festival will be held May 6-8 along Downtown’s historic Auburn Avenue, featuring three days of food, entertainment and information. Details were still being worked out at press time, but expect a kids’ fun zone, international food court, zip line and plenty of live music. Visit sweetauburn.com for more information.

Chastain Park Arts Festival

There will be 185 artists representing all disciplines, a children’s play area, local food vendors and live music at this year’s event May 7-8. For more, visit chastainparkartsfestival.com.

Kirkwood Spring Fling

The 14th annual Kirkwood Spring Fling and Tour of Homes is set for May 14 at Bessie Branham Park. The day begins at 8 a.m. with a 5K road race along Hosea Williams Drive, while the artist market will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be live music, a kids’ area, food from local vendors and a barbecue cookoff. The Kirkwood Tour of Homes (which is also held Sunday, May 17) offers looks inside classic and funky-chic homes. Tickets for the home tour are $20 and available online. Admission to the festival is free, while proceeds from the home tour benefit the Kirkwood Neighbors Organization. For more, visit kirkwoodfling.com.

Decatur Arts Festival

The 28th annual festival will be held Memorial Day weekend in and around downtown Decatur. The event kicks off May 27 with an ArtWalk around Decatur and the Oakhurst neighborhood to participating galleries and businesses. The giant artist market downtown will be open May 28-29 featuring vendors from all over the region. There will also be live music, dance, performing arts, literary events, a kids’ area, food and much more. See the full schedule at decaturartsfestival.com.

MAY FESTIVAL GUIDE

From arts and crafts to music and food, there’s a festival for every mood happening around Intown during May.

Be sure to visit AtlantaINtownPaper.com often to stay up-to-date on the latest festival happenings around the city.

Visual Arts

Chihuly in the Garden: Internationally acclaimed artist Dale Chihuly returns to the Atlanta Botanical Garden with an encore exhibition of 21 installations. Tuesday through Sunday. $12.95 to $18.95. atlantabg.org

A Better View: Visit ABV Gallery to see new 24 x 24 inch pieces from more than 45 contemporary artists. Monday through Saturday. Free. abvagency.com/gallery

To Pass Through and Be Gone: Works From the Private Collection of William Arnett: Hammonds House Museum presents this show featuring works by vernacular artists Thornton Dial, Thornton Dial, Jr., Richard Dial, Lonnie Holley, Ronald Lockett and Joe Minter. Wednesday through Sunday. $2 to $5. hammondshouse.org

A Kind of Confession: Jeffrey Gibson’s multidisciplinary practices intermingle elements of traditional Native American art with contemporary artistic references in this show at SCAD Atlanta. Closes May 20. Free. scad.edu

Learning from the Empire: Japan in the Archives of Oxford College and Emory University: This exhibit at Emory University’s Robert W. Woodruff Library showcases 19th century Asian objects, diaries and travel photographs from several collections. Daily. Free. web.library. emory.edu

Gray Space: Visit the Swan Coach House Gallery to view this exhibit that features works by 2015-16 Emerging Artist Award Winner Kelly Kristin Jones, along with the other award finalists. Closes May 26. Free. gallery. swancoachhouse.com

A Stretch of the Imagination: Longtime Decatur resident Kodac Harrison describes his paintings on view at Decatur Arts Alliance as reminiscent of the “all-over”

abstract-expressionist house paint “drips” of Jackson Pollock and “visual poetry.” Closes May 9. Free. decaturartsalliance.org

The Dapper Comes to the Walkers: Dapper Bruce LaFitte honors marching band culture in his exhibition of drawings at Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. Opens May 19. Free. atlantacontemporary.org

Decatur Arts Festival: The Decatur Arts Festival brings together art, music, theater, dance and family events. May 28 and 29. Free. decaturartsfestival.com

Performing Arts

Romeo and Juliet: Come with The Atlanta Opera as they venture to Verona, and meet Shakespeare’s starcrossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile feuding families. May 7 through May 15. $24 to $125. atlantaopera.org

e Heath: Awardwinning playwright Lauren Gunderson traces the life and lineage of her WWII veteran grandfather, who battled dementia, alongside the myth of King Lear, who grew old, went mad, and wandered out onto the heath during this show at Synchronicity eatre. May 20 and 21. $25 to $35. synchrotheatre.com

Xperimental Puppetry Theater (XPT): Center for Puppetry Arts offers professional and emerging artists the opportunity to explore and experiment, creating original and bold puppet theater during this event. May 12 through May 15. $15. puppet.org

MAYhem: Kissed: Get ready as the energy of Atlanta Ballet’s dancers bursts forth from the stage and pulls viewers into a high-octane exploration of dance in the modern world in this show at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. May 20 through May 22. $20 to $127. atlantaballet.com

Two Gentlemen of Verona: Watch and laugh as close friends Valentine and Proteus both pursue the Duke of Milan’s beautiful daughter, Sylvia, in a performance by Atlanta Shakespeare Company. May 14 through May 29. $15 to $39. shakespearetavern.com

Significant Other: As each of his close-knit girlfriends begin coupling off, Jordan Berman navigates the uneasy transition from gay best friend to bridesman in Actor’s Express’ comedy about searching for love and moving on. Starts May 21. $20 to $40. actors-express.com

Atlanta Master Chorale Presents: Excursions - Day Trips & Distant Journeys: This Atlanta Master Chorale concert explores stories and

Chihuly in the Garden

Atlanta Opera: Romeo & Juliet

music from around the world, weaving a global musical tapestry of shared experiences. May 21. $20. atlantamasterchorale.org

Molly Blank Jewish Concert Series: The King of Swing - A Night of Benny Goodman: This concert at The Breman features Joe Gransden’s Big Band and a special guest clarinetist, Allan Vache, bringing to life Benny Goodman’s crowdpleasing hits. May 15. $59. thebreman.org

Atlanta Jazz Festival: Check out this annual music showcase that celebrates jazz legends and upand-coming jazz greats in venues throughout metro Atlanta. May 27 through 29. Free. atlantafestivals.com

The Musical Tribute: A Family & Children’s Concert: Lauda Musicam of Atlanta performs works that bear the names of people, both unknown and famous, in this show at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church. May 15. Free. laudamusicam.org

Broadway’s Golden Age: The large, lush arrangements for a Broadway orchestra and chorus are no more, but the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and its world famous chorus keep the tradition alive with an evening of Broadway classics from its Golden Age. May 13 through May 15. $33 to $65. atlantasymphony.org

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical: Visit the Fox Theatre to see this musical that tells the inspiring true story of chart-topping music legend Carole King’s remarkable rise to stardom. May 24 through May 29. $30 to $115. foxtheatre.org

The City of Conversation: Follow the Ferris family from the end of the Carter presidency through the Reagan era and into Obama’s game-changing inauguration in this off-Broadway hit performed by Horizon Theatre. Opens May 20. $25 to $35. horizontheatre.com

A Seussome Twosome: Using the poetry of Dr. Seuss’s Gertrude McFuzz and Green Eggs and Ham, this twosome is an easy to understand, engaging introduction to opera by Capitol City Opera Company. May 21. $10. ccityopera.org

Charlotte’s Web: On Serenbe Playhouse’s vibrant farm, bustling with life, growth and enduring love, what more natural tale to tell than that of Wilbur, a charismatic young pig who wants to avoid the fate of bacon and ham, and his friend Charlotte, the literate spider who has a plan. Opens May 27. $10 to $20. serenbeplayhouse.com

Diary Of A Madman: Synchronicity Theatre presents Nikolai Gogol’s farcical short story that follows the format of a diary to chronicle the descent of the protagonist, Poprishchin, into insanity. Opens May 19. $12 to $29. synchrotheatre. com.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Joe Gransden presents Night of Benny Goodman

A Suessome Twosome

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By Grace Huseth

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is also more inspiring, entertaining and surprising than anything you could dream up. Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps, believes everyone has a unique story and that we should live on in stories long after we are gone. Today, StoryCorps records oral histories from everyday people thorough out America. The national project continues in Atlanta with a special StoryBooth recording studio at the Atlanta History Center to preserve stories from our great city.

“The StoryCorps process is simply a 40-minute conversation between two people who know each other who talk about something that’s important to them,” Daniel Horowitz, regional

JOIN THE FUN!

manager of StoryCorps Atlanta, said.

The recording studio is inside the library at the Atlanta History Center with dim lighting and books to muffle the sound.

“We try to get the recording studio to feel like it’s late at night around the kitchen table. It’s a time and space where you have nothing else going on, you are not going to be interrupted, and you can have that kind of conversation,” Horowitz said.

Horowitz said StoryCorps has many different methods to record stories in addition to the StoryBooth. StoryCorps Atlanta set up field recording days to collect stories from a specific community in Atlanta and has a StoryCorps app for personal recording. With these resources, StoryCorps can capture conversations that reflect all of Atlanta.

“We think about what the archive needs. The archive has to be reflective of a community, so half of our interviews need to come from community outreach,” Horowitz said.

Out of the over 600 interviews held at the booth each year, a great majority are from community outreach. One of StoryCorps’ goals for 2016 is to engage the refuge community and continue the Historias initiative and Griot initiative, collecting Hispanic and AfricanAmerican experiences.

“A big piece of outreach is talking to folks and convincing them that the story they have is worth other people’s time,” Horowitz commented. “Once they are convinced, they are happy to share. It’s usually the folks who say, ‘I didn’t do anything’, that are the really interesting ones.’”

This year StoryCorps has partnered with the CDC to collect stories from over 2,000 full-time employees who responded to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. True to their mission, StoryCorps seeks to archive the personal connection the specialist had to Ebola, with less emphasis on recording scientific research.

All interviewees are encouraged to sign the general release form so that the story can be shared on the radio. StoryCorps’ partnership with WABE allows for stories that meet the criteria of true storytelling form to make the air.

“We tell people your chance of getting on the radio is not very high – less than 1 percent of all stories go on NPR with a bit higher going on locally. But I guarantee that if you sign the general release form you will be in multiple archives around the country,” Horowitz said.

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CATCHING FIRE

Fire in the Fourth Festival returns to O4W

The Old Fourth Ward Business Association will host the Fire in the Fourth Festival on May 21 from 3 to 11 p.m. The event will be held on Edgewood and Auburn avenues, between Boulevard and Jackson. The festival is free and open to all ages.

Paying homage to the historic Great Atlanta Fire of 1917, which devastated the Old Fourth Ward, the festival features live music, dancers and artists as well as bike tours, games, art displays, history presentations, and food and drink.

All proceeds from Fire in the Fourth will benefit the Old Fourth Ward Business Association.

Raising $10,000 in its inaugural year, Fire in the Fourth funded four new City of Atlanta trashcans and an O4W mural at Glen Iris and North Avenue. Proceeds also funded public safety initiatives that included a graffiti task force and a collaboration with City of Atlanta District 2 Councilmember Kwanza Hall’s ‘Year of Boulevard’ initiative for a community-wide clean car campaign to engage visitors, customers and residents to keep valuables out of sight.

“Fire in the Fourth strives to be a shining example for what a neighborhood festival can and should be,” says O4WBA Event Chairman and Noni’s restaurant owner Matt Ruppert. “Instead of wondering how money is going to be put back into the community, you can walk around and experience it on the street.”

Those looking for an upgraded experience can purchase tickets for the first time to the Tito’s VIP Fire Dome, featuring curated food and entertainment by Bone Lick BBQ, Venkman’s and Bantam Pub, each with their own menus and custom cocktails. Also returning this year are also a number of fan favorites like the Imperial OPA Circus; Hot Spot curated mini-performance stages; the Great Atlanta Fire-o-Rama; Soul Food Cypher; Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective; an antique fire engine show; Great Atlanta Fire of 1917 history presentations; a dedicated Kid Zone; and more.

A full list and details about Fire in the Fourth attractions can be found online at fireinthe4th.com.

Photos Courtesy: Fire In the Fourth Festival

By Isadora Pennington

You know that feeling of wrapping yourself up in blankets on a cold day when you have nowhere to be and nothing to do? That’s the same feeling I get when I bite into a burrito. A warm, soft tortilla that pulls together all of my favorite ingredients into one, concise

ALL WRAPPED UP

Our food-loving photographer visits her favorite burrito joints

food just perfect for easy consumption. On any given day and at virtually any time, I am down for a burrito. You got a new job? Hooray! Let’s celebrate with a burrito. Oh, you feeling a little run down? I know what would make you feel better – BURRITOS! Partied too hard last night? I’ve got you, let’s get a burrito. That’s me, though – a little obsessed and pretty particular in my tastes. So in honor of Cinco de Mayo, this month I’ve revisited a few of my favorite spots to snag a tasty burrito. Check it out!

Elmyriachi (Kirkwood)

Chimichanga, a fried burrito with chicken, roasted corn, hatch green chilis, topped with queso, lettuce, tomato, cilantro, guacamole and your choice of either guajillo or verde sauce, served with pinto beans. 1950 Hosea L. Williams Dr. NE, 30317, (678) 705-9902 or elmyriachi.com.

Tomatillos (East Atlanta)

Potato & Green Chili Burrito with rice, pinto beans, cheese, salsa fresca, sour cream and corn. 1242 Glenwood Ave. SE, 30316, (404) 622-9448 or tomatillosatlanta.com.

Raging Burrito & Taco (Decatur)

Raging Queso Burrito, with grilled chicken, sautéed bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and corn, with pico de gallo and cheese. Served on a plate covered with queso dip and pico de gallo. 141 Sycamore St., 30030, (404) 377-3311 or ragingburrito.com.

Bell Street Burritos (Midtown)

Potato Burrito with fresh jalapenos, chopped onions, chipotle salsa, sour cream, cheese, rice and beans, then grilled. 1816 Peachtree St. NW, 30309, (404) 815-0011 or bellstreetburritos.com.

Tasting Intown

By Megan Volpert STAPLEHOUSE

In the April edition of Atlanta Magazine, Corby Kummer gave four stars to Staplehouse—the first four-star rating given by that magazine since 2010. Within the same 24 hours as that incredible review, news also broke that Staplehouse is a James Beard Finalist for Best New Restaurant.

Restaurant Review

hyperbole of any kind, I want to state unequivocally that I have never been so impressed with a meal in our fair city as I was with the one at Staplehouse. Kummer said it’s a meal worth a plane ticket and I agree.

After I ate there, I immediately posted on social media: “Don’t wait for my review, ATLiens, get tickets to eat at Staplehouse now, before they’re the hardest table to get in this city. I’m not a sentimental person, so when I say you won’t regret it…” and then posted a photo of the slogan painted over their kitchen. It’s a quotation from Ryan Hidinger that reads, “Anything long lasting or worthwhile takes time and complete surrender.”

There are many dishes worthy of analysis, but little point in detailing them because you should not order them. Staplehouse offers an a la carte menu, but you should get the tickets. Don’t argue with me about the merits of ticketing; trust Smith to deliver you an amazing feast that is twice as large as you expect. The tickets are for a five-course menu, but there were four surprise courses threaded between

Noooo! I would say instead, “welcome to Atlanta, where the very best chefs have no need of white tablecloths.” Fine dining establishments in New York or Los Angeles are free to serve you expensively boring four-star food, resting assured that you can sweep your disillusionment under their white tablecloths. That is not how we do it in the South. Not only is Staplehouse free of white tablecloths, it doesn’t even require servers to wear standardized uniforms and it also features – gasp! – an open kitchen floor plan. We are unfussy and we have soul, and we should not make concessions or apologize for it.

One other thing: we like to drink in the South. The long line of glowing Staplehouse reviews often neglects to mention its bar program, directed by Stephen James. James is not a formally trained sommelier. He is a glam band rocker from Athens with little patience for some other expert’s idea of good taste. A self-taught connoisseur, he paired a superb set of wines to go with the tasting menu. Every pour was a generous one and he personally chatted us up tableside when, after having very much enjoyed not making any choices for the past two and a half hours, we struggled to decide on a simple aperitif.

Everyone knows the late Hidinger’s story by now. In short, he was a talented chef with plans to open a restaurant, but instead he died after the industry raised quite a lot of money to aggressively but unsuccessfully treat his gallbladder cancer. What remains is the small but fiercely determined clan of his wife, Jen; his sister, Kara; and Kara’s husband, Chef Ryan Smith. What remains is The Giving Kitchen, a means of raising charitable funds for members of the industry who are in need of help with expensive medical bills. All of the after-tax profits from Staplehouse go to The Giving Kitchen.

So to begin with, this is an easy way to give back to the chefs and servers who literally put food on your table. And it is incredible food. I have had the pleasure of experiencing the majority of fine dining offerings in Atlanta, and without

those and one of them had four completely different bites on it. It’s dynamite bang for your buck. Trust in Smith, whose tastes, techniques and plating will all prove themselves to you as worthy of the ridiculous amount of praise already bestowed upon them.

This brings me to my only point of disagreement with Kummer’s review. He says that the food “is of a seriousness that suggests, perhaps even demands, white tablecloths and a hint of formality.”

Get tickets to Staplehouse. Completely surrender to it, as Ryan Hidinger wanted. Traditionalist fine diners and the James Beard Awards should find it worthwhile, too.

Staplehouse is located at 541 Edgewood Ave. in the Old Fourth Ward. For more information, visit staplehouse.com.

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

Uga caviar, kohlrabi, rice cracker, celery and radish.

Bear Creek beef, faro verde and spring Vidalia.

From left, Kara Hidinger, Chef Ryan Smith and Jen Hidinger.

Hibiscus, vanilla, white chocolate and creme fraiche.

Charred baby cabbage, katsuobushi and fermented shrimp.

COME SATISFY YOUR SPRING SWEET TOOTH

EAT & DRINK SOUTHERN

Annual food and wine event returns June 2-5

More than 250 chefs, sommeliers, mixologists, pitmasters and artisans hailing from Texas to the District of Columbia will be on hand for the sixth annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival in Midtown June 2-5.

The four-day weekend showcases the rich food and drink traditions of the South through a variety of learning experiences, tasting tents, dinners and classes led by chefs.

“Our event is part conference, part party and is designed to teach guests about the past, present and future of the region’s food and drink scene,” said festival co-founder Dominique Love.

Here are some of the highlights for the 2016 event:

A Series of Masterclasses

For the more serious and seasoned food and drink lover, the festival’s new Masterclass series will offer expanded learning experiences. These two-hour sessions delve into topics ranging from in-depth wine pairings led by master sommeliers to a class on rare bourbons and country hams.

Destination Delicious: The Ultimate Road Trip Party

Located in The Stave Room at American Spirit Works, this year’s kick-off party presented by The Local Palate will take guests on a virtual road trip through some of the South’s top food and drink destinations.

Sunday Brunch

This year’s Sunday Brunch will include a VIP brunch at Vineyard in the City and a general admission brunch at the Loews Atlanta Hotel, food and drinks by more than 15 chefs and mixologists, and live music.

Tasting Tents

Located in the Greensward Promenade area of Piedmont Park, the new Tasting Tent location will feature sommelier and mixologist lounges, a Pairings Tent, live music, tailgating areas outfitted for barbecuing and relaxation, and a pick-your-garnish cocktail garden.

Vineyard in the City

The festival’s pop-up vineyard and event venue will provide a unique backdrop for Masterclasses and events during the weekend, including a “Grapes from A to Z” Wine Luncheon with master sommeliers and a VIP Sunday Brunch. Located in the former Atlanta Symphony Hall lot of 14th Street, the pop-up vineyard will remain open after the festival until July 14 for community use.

Ticket prices and packages vary depending on how many days or events you want to attend. Visit atlfoodandwinefestival.com to buy tickets and see more details.

Quick Bites

Chef Kevin Gillespie has opened Communion, a German beer gardeninspired backyard at his popular Revival restaurant in Decatur. A food truck will allow guests to sample executive chef Andreas Müller’s inspired takes on classic German beer garden snacks, including grilled rye with Kartoffelkäse, Bavarian-style pretzels with hot mustard and Obatzda, and grilled sausages with sauerkraut, mustard and beef fat-fried potatoes. The drink list offers a selection of European-style draft and bottled session beers, Old World-style wines, punches and batched cocktails. Upon arrival, guests purchase tokens – $5 each – from the Communion cashier and spend them on drinks and food truck purchases. Any unused tokens can be used on future visits. Most food truck snacks and drinks are one

to three tokens, with server and bartender gratuities already factored into the price of each. Visitors can also play games like horseshoes and corn hole. For more information, visit revivaldecatur.com.

East of Chicago Pizza has announced they are opening their first Georgia location at the Pencil Factory Flats and Shops in Decatur, offering pizza, pasta, subs, wings, burgers and bread sticks. The restaurant will also serve dessert, liquor, beer and wine as well as offer live entertainment. eastofchicago.com.

Vgë Café is open in Midtown offering a menu of “plant-based nutrition.” The vegetarian and vegan spot is located at 1197 Peachtree St., Suite 518. vgecafe.com.

Communion has opened in the garden space behind Revival in Decatur.

CITY WINERY ANNOUNCES NEW SHOWS

City Winery Atlanta, the restaurant, urban winery and concert venue set to open in June at Ponce City Market, has announced new shows for June, July and August.

Just announced are Joshua Radin (June 13-14), Peter Asher and Albert Lee (June 21), Darryl Scott (July 29) and Simplified with special guests Paul Pfau, Steve Everett and Robbie Christmas (Aug. 12). Tickets are available at citywinery.com/atlanta.

City Winery is the brainchild of Michael Dorf, founder of the iconic

Knitting Factory, one of New York’s longest running music venues. Dorf wanted to create a space where he could combine his shared passions for wine and music, thus opening the first City Winery concept in New York City in 2008. Since then he has opened locations in Chicago, Napa, Nashville, and now Atlanta.

Along with the fine dining, vino and music, there will also be food and wine classes and private events. The executive chef is Jeffrey McGar.

Peter Asher and Albert Lee.

MOTHER’S DAY DINING

Mother’s Day is May 8 and you probably know a mom who could use a break from the kitchen or just a nice afternoon out.

Here are a few locations around the city offering up Mother’s Day brunches and other specials. Be sure to check with your favorite restaurant and see what’s on the menu and put in a reservation.

Downtown/Midtown

HOBNOB Neighborhood

Tavern serves its regular brunch menu and $17 bottomless mimosas from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., along with live music from 1 to 4 p.m. and halfprice wings from 4 to 10 p.m. It’s also Family Sunday Funday, which means kids eat free with an adult entrée purchase from 4 to 10 p.m. (404) 968-2288, hobnobatlanta.com.

Indulge your mother’s love of cooking with a gift from the Market at Bellina Alimentari, located at Ponce City Market. Choose from a range of balsamic vinegars, sea salts and olive oils, beautiful handmade pottery and aprons, specialty gift baskets or cooking classes. 800-540-1796, mercatodibellina.com.

At Sublime Doughnuts, the A-Town Cream and A-Town Mocha will be offered in the shape of an “M.” Since all other doughnuts come in an “O” shape, you can easily spell out “MOM” in a sweet assortment she’ll love. (404) 897-1801, sublimedoughnuts.com.

Twelve Eighty, located in the Woodruff Arts Center, has a Mother’s Day brunch with seatings at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Cost is $34.95 for adults and $16.95 for children ages 4 to 10. (404) 897-1280, woodruffcenter.org.

Virginia-Highland

Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland serves brunch classics like deviled eggs and more stylish options such as chorizo and egg tacos. On May 8, there will be brunch specials like pesto breakfast strata and lamb pot pie, as well as a gift for moms. (404) 876-7249, atkinspark.com.

Food at HOBNOB.

RETAIL, FOOD, WELLNESS, MUSIC PLANNED FOR GRANT PARK DEVELOPMENT

Pellerin Real Estate has announced its latest project – The Beacon Atlanta in Grant Park. The nine-acre former industrial site at the end of Grant Street has six buildings, which will be revitalized into a mixed-use site offering retail conveniences, health and wellness, office space, arts and culture and dining options. It also sits along the Atlanta BeltLine.

The website says the project might feature such useful amenities as a gym, chiropractor, wellness center, nursery school, salons and a dance/performing

arts academy. As for restaurants, the project envisions a mixture of family friendly and food destination restaurants as well as on-site tasting room in what will be called Grant Hall. A live music venue is also planned. There will also be an artists’ walk with working studios that at night convert to storefronts where creatives can sell their collections.

The project is expected to be completed in summer 2017. For more, visit thebeaconatlanta.com.

IN THE STARS

Distinctive mixed-use development planned for West Midtown

The Allen Morris Company has announced development plans for Star Metals, a $210 million mixed-use development in West Midtown. The development will include a multifamily residential building along with a Class A office building with ground floor retail directly across the street.

The multi-family residential component, Star Metals Residences, will feature 409 rental units and amenities such as a rooftop club room and deck, theater, Bocce ball court, Yoga studio, poolside movies at night, community garden and greenhouse. The building will also include 16,500 square feet of ground floor retail, which will offer residents convenient restaurants and services.

The 12-story Star Metals Offices project will have 185,000 rentable square feet of office space, 30,000

square feet of high ceiling retail on the ground floor and four levels of parking. The office amenities will include landscaped outdoor terraces and a panoramic rooftop restaurant with views of Buckhead, Midtown and Downtown.

Slated to begin construction on the multi-family building in the third quarter of 2016, the Star Metals Offices building located at 1055 Howell Mill Road will be situated directly across the street from the development’s Star Metals Residences, which are located at 1050 Howell Mill Road.

Renderings of the exterior and interior of The Beacon in Grant Park, a mixed-use development near the Atlanta BeltLine.

A rendering of the distinctive look planned for the Star Metals office building.

More than 400 apartments will be part of the Star Metals residential component.

Coming Soon

THE BELTLINE’S NEXT MOVE

Extension of Eastside Trail set to begin this month

finally getting to see just how the “Krog Tunnel solution” is going to work in real life.

The unpaved section of the Eastside Trail begins at Stove Works, continues behind the Alexan on Krog apartments before dipping under Edgewood Avenue and ending at Decatur Street/DeKalb Avenue. This is where things get tricky.

By Collin Kelley

If you live or work along the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail, expect to see some major work get underway this month if weather and permitting holds.

The much-anticipated extension of the trail south of Irwin Street and into Cabbagetown/Reynoldstown is finally set to begin. That will mean construction noise for some, darting around more work equipment and

Bicyclists and pedestrians will then be directed to make a left onto Decatur to head down to the Krog Street Tunnel. Users will have the option to use the tunnel’s elevated eastside walkway or the road itself. New lighting, handrails and other improvements are to be installed inside the Krog Tunnel.

Once on the Cabbagetown side of the tunnel, there will be an expanded 10-foot-wide path leading down Wylie Street in Reynoldstown to pick up the Eastside Trail again. The trail will be extended to Kirkwood Avenue.

Estimated time until completion: 18 months.

Of course, the Krog Tunnel solution is only a temporary answer on how the BeltLine can cross the busy CSX Husley Yard. If streetcars really will be added to the BeltLine system in the future, it will be a tight squeeze through Krog Tunnel, so some other bridge or tunnel solution will eventually have to be decided on.

The cost for this part of the trail extension is an estimated $5.8 million.

After this phase, the BeltLine will focus on taking the trail to Memorial Drive and Bill Kennedy Way, which is now bustling with construction work on a new super Kroger shopping center.

Looking south down the unpaved portion of the Eastside Trail behind Stove Works and the Alexan apartments.

The Krog Street Tunnel will act as a temporary connector for the Eastside Trail from DeKalb Avenue to Reynoldstown.

The paved portion of the Eastside Trail ends at Irwin Street in the Old Fourth Ward.

$359,000

3BR/2fb/1hb. FMLS: 5646568

Rodney Hinote & Sara Harper 404-786-9562

UNDER CONTRACT

WILBURN HOUSE 266 11th Street NE #201, $259,900

1BR/1fb. FMLS: 5671025

Rodney Hinote 404-786-9562

UNDER CONTRACT

MIDTOWN

785 Vedado Way NE, $695,000

4BR/2fb. FMLS: 5668713

Rodney Hinote 404-786-9562

UNDER CONTRACT

MIDTOWN

883 Penn Avenue NE, $669,000

3BR/3fb. FMLS: 5656478

Rodney Hinote 404-786-9562

PALMER PHELAN

81 Peachtree Place #3, $489,900

2BR/1fb/1hb. FMLS: 5675947

Rodney Hinote 404-786-9562

UNDER CONTRACT

METROPOLIS

923 Peachtree Street #1922, $259,900

KIRKWOOD

185 Hawthorn Circle NE, $445,000

3BR/2fb/1hb. FMLS: 5661444

Annette Upton 404-683-5798

RESERVED

UNDER CONTRACT

GLENDALE HEIGHTS 880 Glendale Terrace #1, $139,900

FMLS: 5651127

Rodney Hinote 404-786-9562

MEADOWCLIFF

2212 Oakawana Drive, $508,000

4BR/3fb. FMLS: 5648179

Craig Mihaly 404-234-2791

6BR/3fb/1hb. FMLS: 5654575

Beth Smith 404-862-3282

MORNINGSIDE

Noble Drive NE, $1,099,000 4BR/4fb. FMLS: 5623820 Boynton & Myrick 404-323-2012

1757

1212 N Decatur Rd. ,$739,999

FMLS: 5658888

ANSLEY PARK 4 Polo Drive NE, $2,590,000

6BR/5fb/3hb. FMLS: 5599930

Bob Glascock 404-754-7581

ANSLEY PARK 33 Golf Circle, $949,900

4BR/4fb/2 Car Garage. FMLS: 5675967

Bob Glascock & Pam Santiago 404-754-7581

BUCKHEAD

711 Greenview Ave, $679,000

3BR/3fb. FMLS: 5663275

Kathy Olmstead 404-550-5203

MASSELL: TODAY’S RENTERS... ‘WILL BE TOMORROW’S LEADERS’

By John Ruch and Joe Earle

Thousands of apartments and apartment-renting millennials are coming to Buckhead and the neighborhood should embrace the changes they bring, Buckhead Coalition president Sam Massell says.

“These renters…they will be tomorrow’s leaders in Buckhead and we had better be their friends,” Massell told the Buckhead Business Association at its April 7 meeting during his annual “State of the Community” address. “Buckhead will no longer be just a commune of old-money homeowners. It will be a mixture of old money and fresh thinking.”

Massell, a former Atlanta mayor and longtime Buckhead booster, said the community will have to deal with the “tremendous impact” of the apartment boom that he estimated will bring 24,000 new residents—a 30 percent population increase—in the next four to five years. “Believe me, they are coming,” Massell said. “A positive reaction can ensure the continuation of Buckhead’s pleasant personality, plus its progress and prosperity.”

Massell said his biggest concern is that some Buckhead leaders aren’t acknowledging the changes underway. He said that since the apartment construction boom started in 2012, the number of units proposed, under construction or in the rental phase, has increased 117 percent. The Buckhead Coalition has counted 48 complexes with 14,953 units, he said.

Massell said he is concerned with the character and quality of some of those new buildings, which “won’t look very

Real Estate Briefs

Continuing the tradition of recognizing an Atlanta nonprofit at his annual Good Friday Breakfast, Atlanta homebuilder John Wieland provided HomeAid Atlanta with a $25,000 donation to support their mission to help the homeless. Wieland’s support of HomeAid Atlanta has been continuous, and not just financial. In addition to financing 100 percent of the labor and materials for HomeAid’s 2004 construction project at Atlanta Union Mission’s (now Atlanta Mission) Second Mile Home, Wieland also served as the builder captain and major financial contributor for the construction of My House in 2008, to assist homeless, medically fragile infants and children.

Ansley Atlanta Real Estate has named David Tufts as president and managing broker. This move from Bonneau Ansley III pairs Atlanta’s top developer services firm, The Marketing Directors, LLC, with the newly formed boutique brokerage firm.

RE/MAX Metro Atlanta, Inc. has named

good in 10 years.” He is also worried about losing small business with neighborhoodoriented businesses, which he wants to address with “affordable retail” setasides, like policies that require a certain percentage of housing units in a large building to be priced affordably.

Contacted after Massell’s speech, several Buckhead community leaders said they generally agree with him. In emailed comments this week, some worried about traffic and the quality of construction being done, but said continued growth is coming.

quality of the some of the buildings being constructed.

“We need to do our best to see that new construction is of a caliber that will hold its value over time,” she wrote in an email. “Since we’re building the future now, we should be thinking about how things will look 15 to 20 years down the road. That includes not only the buildings themselves but also our pedestrian and vehicle infrastructure.”

Massell described the influx of millennials into Buckhead in much the way some global leaders talk about international immigration—a big cultural change that is best handled by embracing it. He suggested business association members reach out individually to young newcomers.

Massell also recalled that he came to Buckhead in 1952 as a tenant of a $50-a-month apartment, then went on to become mayor of Atlanta as well as president of the City Council and the business association itself. “So dismiss any concept that renters are second-class citizens,” he said.

Atlanta City Councilman Howard Shook also said he assumed many current leaders and innovators “were tenants at some point in their lives, so that should hold true for tomorrow’s leaders and innovators.”

increases in Buckhead. You can’t fit a fifth quart in a gallon jar.”

Wes Lyle of the Peachtree Park Civic Association also flagged increased traffic as a major problem. “As a Buckhead native, I also welcome all to Buckhead,” Lyle said. “I do have increasing concerns over traffic issues affecting our quality of life, though. This is obviously not the fault of those that want to move here, so I put no burden on them. What I would like to see is significant impact fees on the developers and rental owners (those that stand to profit) on these units – be they apartments, condos or hotels. Those fees should be invested in improved and alternative transportation projects relevant to the area.”

But Gordon Certain, president of the North Buckhead Civic Association, said one problem the neighborhood faces is the way city officials assess those impact fees. “Adding traffic on already crowded Buckhead streets costs far more to address than it does in areas of the city where streets are underutilized and land is cheap. Yet the fees are the same,” he said. “The result is that new developments, such as apartments, are subsidized here and are discouraged in parts of the city that badly need revitalization. We need our city and county (and, if necessary, state) leaders to fix these abuses. ”

“Change is inevitable,” Fulton County Commissioner Lee Morris said. “We knew in the boom days of the ’90s that zoning decisions made in the ’80s would produce major changes, and we saw significant change in Buckhead in the ’90s. We will see more ahead. Mayor Massell is correct that Buckhead should embrace the apartment dwellers, as it has always embraced change.”

Andrea Bennett, chair of the board of Neighborhood Planning Unit B, which covers much of Buckhead, agreed growth was inevitable in Buckhead, but, like Massell, she worried about the

“From a social and political perspective, demographic data as well as my experience, suggests that although single-family homeowners may constitute a minority—and shrinking share—of Buckhead’s residents, they will continue to represent the vast majority of those with the ability and desire to make their voices heard in a coordinated fashion,” Shook said.

“Notwithstanding the above, these units will add traffic to already heavily congested streets. From a policy perspective, I believe that this boom is, by itself, grounds to deny future density

On April 7, Massell’s speech was met with applause, but audience members had questions about various traffic and development impacts.

One member wanted to know what Massell meant by his “old money” and “fresh thinking” comments. “I’m just talking about the people who built Buckhead. I don’t mean to disparage anybody,” Massell said. “I don’t expect the millennials to all be millionaires, but they definitely have fresh thinking,” he added, suggesting that people visit Atlanta Tech Village “and you’ll get a taste of what fresh thinking is all about.”

Mark Jones as its new managing broker. Jones previously founded and sold the Dwellings real estate company, which started in Atlanta’s Little Five Points neighborhood and grew to 125 agents in four offices. He also was previously with RE/MAX Metro Atlanta as an associate broker and agent, prior to relocating to southern California, where he spent five years building one of the region’s leading marketing and public relations firms.

The Office, a high-rise luxury apartment building, located at 250 Piedmont Avenue in Downtown, announces the release of its loft-style homes and penthouses. The standard features of the penthouse and loft-style homes include stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, built-in wireless entertainment systems, wine coolers, energy-efficient appliances and Nest thermostats. Additionally, the 16 oneand two-bedroom penthouse homes have six different floor plans to choose from and range from 686 to 1,535 square feet. These

homes also include 14- to 17-foot ceilings, panoramic city views, upgraded Kitchenaid appliances and an upgraded closet featuring a carousel accessory and clothing rack. Residents can also relax in the exclusive Sky Lounge, located on the penthouse level, equipped with a coffee bar and wine dispensers. Monthly rental rates begin at $1,996 for one-bedroom penthouses and

from $2,789 for two-bedroom penthouses. The five loft-style homes range from 1,301 to 1,569 square feet and are complete with a private patio equipped with an outdoor kitchen. Monthly rental rates begin at $2,599 for one-bedroom homes and from $3,098 for two-bedroom units. For more, visit TheOfficeApts.com.

John Ruch

Massell addresses the Buckhead Business Association.

The Office Apartments

The 10th annual Shutze Awards of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art saluted architects, interior designers and landscape designers for their dedication to preserving the classical tradition. Winners were honored at one of Philip Trammell Shutze’s own buildings, the Piedmont Driving Club.

Honored for their contributions to preserving the classical tradition of design in specific categories were:

• Single Family Residences: James F. Carter, Inc.; C. Brandon Ingram Design; Historical Concepts; D. Stanley Dixon Architect.

• Interior Design: New Construction and Renovation: Susan Ferrier of McAlpine; Jacquelynne P. Lanham Designs, Inc.

• Renovation: William B. Litchfield Residential Designs, Inc.

SHUTZE AWARDS

Architects, designers honored for work

To commemorate the 10th anniversary, a special bronze Shutze Medal was commissioned by the Southeast Chapter founders. Casted by Kevin Grisso, a past Shutze Award winner himself and his artisans at Cherry Lion Studio, the medal will be awarded to all future Shutze winners.

• Civic Institutional: Historical Concepts; Robert A.M. Stern Architects

• Commercial Interior Design: Susan Ferrier of McAlpine

• Preservation, Artisanship and Craftsmanship: Mississippi Dept. of Archives and History, and Mississippi Dept. of Marine Resources.

• Landscape Garden Design: Land Plus Associates, Ltd.

Right above, left to right, James Strickland of Historical Concepts and 2016 Honorary Chair with wife Linda, Bill Lanham, with wife Jacquelynne Lanham, Jacquelynne P. Lanham Designs and the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and Judy Talley, chair of the Philip Trammel Shutze Awards.

At left, Barbara Shelton, one of the board of directors, of Barbara Shelton Designs, and Robert Norris, with Spitzmiller & Norris.

Photos by Kim Link

Above, from left to right, Andy Olsen, Lori Lane, Joel Kelly and Tina Hunsiker of event sponsor Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.

Parting Shots

Top left, Georgia Power volunteers join Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta executive director Cati Diamond Stone, second from left, and Keith Williams of Georgia Power, far right, at the annual breast cancer survivorship conference, Surviving and Thriving, hosted by Georgia Power.

Left, the Atlanta History Center’s Members Guild and friends were enthralled with the program by Sarah Schleuning, High Museum of Art Curator of Decorative Arts and Design, about the “Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion” exhibition. Models strolled around the Overlook Ballroom to show off the beautiful dresses by designers of Neiman Marcus. From left: Tom Abrams, of sponsor of Neiman Marcus, Toni McGowan, of sponsor of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Bill Murray, vice president and managing broker for the Buckhead office, Georgia Schley Ritchie, Spring Luncheon Chairman and Bill Voyles, presenting sponsor.

Top, get your tickets now for the Wylde Center’s annual Beer Garden and Silent Auction Fundraiser on June 25. The popular event brings together a number of local brews, food and music for a casual evening outdoors at the Oakhurst Garden, 435 Oakview Road, Decatur. A VIP Happy Hour begins at 4:30 p.m., while the main event lasts from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door. VIP tickets are $250 per pair and include additional benefits such as admission to the VIP party, access to the sponsor/patron lounge, deck and restrooms, early bidding on auction items and more. All tickets are available at wyldecenter.org.

404-368-3234

DRUID HILLS - Beautiful setting on idyllic .8 acre lot w/wooded vistas & extra privacy. Easy walk to Biltmore Rd @ La Vista. 2 light-filled levels. Updated kitchen. Wrap-around deck. New paint, carpet & refinished hardwoods. 6Bed/3Bath $599,900

FMLS: 5674047 Sally Westmoreland 404-354-4845

DECATUR - Meticulously maintained home. Open concept. Huge kitchen with s/s appliances, maple cabinets, wet bar. Massive master bedroom. Hardwoods throughout main level. Located within 5 miles of CDC/Emory. 4Bed/3.5Bath $489,900

FMLS: 5663265 Retta Christoforatos 770-597-3054

BROOKHAVEN - Executive home. Desirable Pine Hills neighborhood. 10’ ceilings & Brazilian cherry floors on main. Master on main w/fireplace. Basement features full kitchen. Large deck w/screen porch. 5Bed/4.5Baths $819,000 FMLS: 5672009 Nelson Brown 404-276-8928

VIRGINIA HIGHLAND - This double porch home w/stepless entry through rear 2 car garage looks and lives like newer construction. Timeless design w/ gracious room sizes & open, flowing floor plan. 5Bed/4.5Bath $999,900 FMLS: 5676428 Sally Westmoreland 404-354-4845

PONCE SPRINGS LOFTS - Fantastic top floor unit. Beautiful view of Ponce City Market. Steps to restaurants, entertainment & Beltline. Corner unit has extra windows, hardwoods & large open floor plan. 2Bed/2Bath $359,900 FMLS: 5662178

Bru Krebs 404-984-0243

MIDTOWN - Exceptional loft living. Move-in ready. Open floor plan. Wide plank hardwoods. Exposed concrete - soaring ceilings. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Gated-deeded parking space. Walk to everything.

1Bed/1Bath $199,000 FMLS: 5665396

Helen Kaur 404-408-1853

OAKHURST - Custom new construction home built by Smith Reid Ventures LLC. Walking distance to Oakhurst Village, schools & parks. Open bright floor plan. Full finish basement w/media room. Cedar screen porch & deck. 6Bed/5Bath $995,000 FMLS: 5661829 Melissa Stratton 404-713-5850

VIRGINIA HIGHLAND - Priceless location. One of Highland’s most desirable streets. Brick bungalow features high ceilings, hardwoods, and is lightfilled throughout. Private yard and brick patio.

3Bed/3Bath $699,000 FMLS: 5630542

Bonnie Smith 404-406-1993

VIRGINIA HIGHLAND - Spacious brick home on wide low-maintenance lot. Just a short stroll from Morningside Elementary. Tastefully updated and renovated. 5Bed/3.5Bath $749,000

FMLS: 5649861 Erin Fye 404-771-9822 or Sally Westmoreland 404-354-4845

DOWNTOWN - W Residences. Beautiful spacious unit with incredible views. Hardwoods. Custom window shades. Designer touches throughout. Fully furnished. Barely lived in. 2Bed/2Bath $699,000

FMLS: 5642103 Bru Krebs 404-984-0243

DRUID HILLS - Renovated late 2013 by John Wesley Hammer. ½ acre corner lot. Unincorporated Dekalb taxes. Sunroom, mature landscaping, invisible fence. Walk to Emory, CDC, Emory Village. Plans for kitchen expansion approved. 4Bed/3Bath $850,000 FMLS:5677070 Nicole Davis 404-358-6252

DECATUR - Beautifully renovated brick ranch home w/open floor plan. Bonus room off kitchen. Private fenced backyard, deck & 2 car garage. 4Bed/2Bath

$174,000

FMLS: 5657385

Edwina Murphy 404-275-1807

VIRGINIA HIGHLAND - Elegant living on 3 full floors. Stunning craftsman w/open floor plan.

Cook’s kitchen. Hardwood floors. Guest bedroom on main floor. 2 Wrap-around porches. Private fenced yard. 5Bed/5Bath/1Half Bath $824,900

FMLS: 5604959 Mike Kondalski 404-234-9379

MIDTOWN - Beautiful 1 bedroom with den in the highly coveted Atlantic Station. Showcase home boasts hardwood floors, walk-in closets and amazing views of Atlantic Station to Buckhead. Transferable leasing permit included. 1Bed/1.5Bath $315,000 FMLS: 5645523 Sean Carter 404-981-0639

Sunbelt Lending Services

Intown Tanya Arnold 678.777.0815

CLARKSTON - Incredible craftsman. Spacious kitchen w/newer stainless appliances and solid surface counters. Hardwoods. High ceilings. Tons of storage. Private backyard with deck. 2 car garage. 3Bed/2.5Bath $239,900

FMLS: 5658800 Mike Kondalski 404-234-9379