Atlanta Intown - October 2014

Engel & Völkers Portfolio of Homes

Morningside:1297 Middlesex Avenie. Exceptional New Construction, Custom Finishes, Magazine Worthy Kitchen-Family Room, Deep Walk-Out Backyard, 5 BR/3.5 BA $1,349,000

Morningside: 1267 Avalon Place. Quintessential Tudor Bungalow in Morningside Elementary School District. 4 BR/3BA, 3 Finished Levels, on a Perfect Lot with Level Backyard $799,000

Morningside: 1265 University Drive. Amazing Floor Plan and Finishes, 3 Finished Levels, 5 Bedrooms, 5 Baths. 3-Car Garage, Manicured Backyard and Gardens. $1,275,000

Morningside : 825 Wildwood Road. Very Special Home Offers Gourmet Kitchen Open to Expansive, Sunlit Family Room, 5 Bedrooms, 4 Full and 2 Half-Baths, 2-Car Garage. $975,000

Morningside : 1529 N. Highland Avenue. Exceptional Morningside Tudor Loaded with Charm & Character. 6 Bedrooms, 5 Baths. New Driveway, Lush Landscaping & Gardens $849,000

Ansley Park: 23 The Prado. Built By Noted Architect, Leila Ross Wilburn, Dramatic Spaces, Charm, Fine Finishes 4BR/4.5BA,

Morningside: 1887 Lenox Road. Striking, Pure, Clean & Fresh. Total Renovation by Leslie Williams, Striking Mid-Century Ranch with Cool, Crisp Kitchen and Baths. $699,000

Virginia Highalnd: 898 Barnett Street. Charming Bungalow with Light Filled Rooms, Hardwoods, LR w/ Fireplace, Chef’s Kitchen, Corner Lot, Walk to Everything 3BR/2BA $575,000

Morningside: 1240 Beech Valley Rd. Exceptional Morningside/Johnson Estate home. High Ceilings, Large Rooms, and High Finish Levels. Great Open Floor Plan with Master on Main, $749,000

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

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Ann Taylor Boutwell, Lola Holley Catoe, Kathy Dean, Joe Earle, Benjamin Getz, Kenneth Hatchett, Art Huckabee, Geri Laufer, Phil Mosier, Annie Kinnett Nichols, Martha Nodar, Ann Marie Quill, Clare S. Richie, Delaine Ross, Tim Sullivan

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Collin Kelley collin@atlantaintownpaper.com

Falling Forward

Autumn is my favorite season. e air becomes cool and crisp, the days shorten and the holidays, which can be a mixed bag of good and bad, seem to take over our lives.

My fall season is already shaping up to be a busy one. e 20th anniversary of Atlanta INtown is upon us and, as you read this, I will be hard at work gathering up photos, stories, old cover images and corralling contributors for the special issue coming in November. I’m also excited for you to see the whimsical cover art created by noted Atlanta artist Kyle Brooks, whose work currently graces Art on the BeltLine. Along with our usual coverage of arts, culture,

people and places, you will nd many articles in the anniversary issue that look back at the last 20 years and how INtown and the communities we cover have grown.

e next few months will also mean many nights and weekends hunkered down at home working on my third novel, Leaving Paris, which is due out in early 2016 from Sibling Rivalry Press. I nished the rst dra while I was in London last month (the Kate Bush concerts were spectacular beyond words!) and now the great rewriting begins. I love shaping scenes and dialogue, so this is my favorite part of the writing process. Leaving Paris is the nal book in e Venus Trilogy, which includes the already-published Conquering Venus and Remain In Light

I’m also headed east on Nov. 7-8 to take part in the Georgia Literary Festival, which is being held in Augusta this year. I’ll be reading poetry with some great Intown folks including eresa Davis, Megan Sexton and M. Ayodele Heath. e legendary opera singer Jessye Norman will give the keynote at the event, which is produced by the Decatur-based Georgia Center for the Book. If your literary cravings weren’t satiated at the Decatur Book Festival, consider a weekend trip to Augusta.

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

At press time, the Atlanta City Council was mulling whether to require a debt a ordability assessment before the city considers issuing millions in municipal bonds for infrastructure improvements.

Councilmember Felicia Moore introduced the legislation in September and received support from fellow councilmembers Mary Norwood, Andre Dickens, Yolanda Adrean, Alex Wan, Ivory Lee Young, Jr., Natalyn Archibong and Howard Shook.

e city faces an infrastructure backlog of more than $900 million. To address the city’s pressing needs of city roads, bridges, sidewalks and upgrading critical public buildings and facilities, Mayor Kasim Reed is proposing a $250 million bond referendum to pay for many of the needed repairs and improvements.

e administration intends to use a combination of savings recommended by the Commission on Waste and E ciency in Government and the sale of city assets, including Underground Atlanta and the Civic Center properties.

“I feel that the City Council should be fully aware of the nancial impacts of approving a bond issue of this magnitude,” Moore said. “ erefore a nancial feasibility or debt a ordability study should be performed prior to the approval of legislation

authorizing the bond referendum for the issuance of any bonds.”

Moore said a study would provide a basis for measuring the impact of future debt issuances on the city’s nancial position and enable policy makers to make informed decisions on nancing alternatives and capital spending priorities.

Prior to a bond referendum, the Atlanta City Council must vote to authorize an election to be held for the purpose of determining whether bonds will be issued for the stated amount and purpose.

e city has launched an interactive map that shows potential projects and programs being considered for the bond referendum to help clear the backlog. e interactive map can be accessed at infrastructuremap.org.

In addition to viewing potential projects in their neighborhoods, residents also have the ability to provide feedback and leave comments for city o cials. Estimated expenses and criteria for each proposed project is also available.

Some of the projects listed include replacing decaying bridges in Downtown, lighting for the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail, new recreation centers, pools and public safety facilities.

Atlantantans would go to the polls in early 2015 to vote on the bond referendum.

More public hearings are slated, so be sure to visit atlantaga.gov for dates and locations.

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The city has released an interactive map at infrastructuremap.org to pinpointing potential projects for the bond referendum to fund.

History Center renovates to make the past ‘not boring’

By Joe Earle

ey want more company. To show it, they’re getting a new front door. And a lot more.

e Atlanta History Center has begun a dramatic renovation of its West Paces Ferry Road facilities that will create a new entrance for its museum building, a new display of Atlanta history, add an historic log cabin to its collection, and, if the city of Atlanta signs o , could provide a new home for the historic Cyclorama painting.

e center plans to bring more than $50 million worth of construction projects and new programs to its Buckhead campus over the next few years.

“It’s de nitely an exciting time,” History Center Vice President Hillary Hardwick said. “It’s a great time for Atlanta and it’s a great time for the Atlanta History Center. We used to say we were one of Atlanta’s best kept secrets -- and we didn’t say that proudly. We want to open up.”

e $21 million construction project now under way will provide a new entry drive o West Paces Ferry, move the front of building closer to the street, create a new entry façade for the museum, double the size of the building’s atrium, add a central hallway connecting the exhibits, and add a co ee shop/gi shop/bookstore.

History Center o cials hope that the work will make the facility seem more inviting, and will help change the way Atlantans view history. “One of our big goals is changing the perception of history and the Atlanta History Center,” Hardwick said.

What do they hope to convince people about history? “It’s not boring,” History

Center President and CEO She eld Hale said. “It’s fun. It impacts their lives.”

In the past, he said, history “was taught so badly that people thought it was names and dates and dead folks, and had no relation to them.” To change that, Hale and Hardwick say the center is opening up both physically and philosophically.

“ e rst thing I did when I got here was take down the fences,” Hale said. “ e reaction I got was far beyond anything I thought I’d see. ... Who wants a chain-link fence in their front yard? ose kind of symbolic things matter. e architecture matters. e way this old building looked to people, they didn’t know what it was and they didn’t come in.”

Hale says the new bookstore/gi shop/co ee shop planned as part of the renovation will provide one way the center can become more welcoming to the public. He hopes it becomes a place where the center’s neighbors will come for co ee or to relax. e shop will o er places to sit and Wi-Fi connections, he said.

“It’s not going to be like any other museum bookstore,” Hale said. “It’s going to be a community living room. What I want it to be is the coolest bookstore/café/living room you’re ever been to.”

e center used focus groups to determine what people wanted to see. Audience feedback said one thing museum goers wanted, Hale said, was co ee. “Co ee and a chair,” Hardwick said.

As the building gets a new entrance and façade, the center’s main exhibit showing the history of Atlanta is being re-tooled, too. e exhibit, which hadn’t changed since it was installed in 1993, has been removed, and center historians are reworking it. ey intend for the new exhibit, scheduled to open in 2016, to be more interactive and to do a better job of

bringing Atlanta history to life.

“We’re going to talk about your neighborhood,” Hale said. “One week it could be Morningside, the next week it could be Old Fourth Ward. Everybody loves to talk about their neighborhood. ... We think that construct of ‘neighborhoods’ might be a disciplined way for us to get out into the community.”

And Hale wants the History Center to get out more. He thinks the nonpro t center should have a greater impact on the community.

“When we started this project, one of our goals was to really change the way people feel as they walk onto this 33-acre campus,” Hardwick said. “We’re changing. ... All of this helps reinforce that. It mirrors the organization we‘re becoming.”

Changes under way at the Atlanta History Center

e Atlanta History Center has begun a major renovation of its facilities. Over the next few years, more than $53 million is to be spent on projects at the museum and on its grounds. e work, History Center o cials say, is intended to make the facility more visible from the street and more inviting to visitors.

1. New entrance from West Paces Ferry and new atrium. Construction is under way to build a new entrance to the History Center and enlarge the building’s atrium to 5,300 square feet. e $21 million project will change the look of the building and add a new gi shop/ co ee shop/bookstore that center o cials hope will be used by neighbors as well as museum visitors. e plan includes moving the front of the building closer to West Paces, landscaping the drive to re ect the center’s gardens, and adding a hallway through the building that will connect all the center’s exhibits. Opens 2015.

2. New history of Atlanta display. History Center historians are working on a new display of center artifacts and documents, and plan to tell the story of the city of Atlanta in a new way. It’s the rst reworking of the center’s main exhibit since the building opened in 1993. e new exhibit, the center says, will allow visitors to see, hear, touch and explore the exhibits through new media. Opens 2016.

3. Cyclorama. e History Center has raised more than $32 million to restore and build a new home for the 128-year-old painting “ e Battle of Atlanta,” which now is on display at the Cyclorama in Grant Park. If city of Atlanta o cials approve the deal, the History Center plans to build a new home for the painting as one of its displays. e money raised includes $10 million for maintenance of the painting. History Center conservators plan to restore the painting to its original size, adding 3,268 square feet that was removed in 1921, and hang the painting the way it was originally displayed.

4. Elias Wood family cabin. e center is moving to its campus a log cabin that originally was located in the Hollywood Road area. e cabin, home to Elias and Jane Wood, was built on land ceded to Georgia by the Creek Indians in 1821, and dates to Atlanta’s earliest days, the center says.

Opening fall 2014.

5. Goizueta Gardens. A $3 million gi from the Goizueta Foundation will be used to rehabilitate and tie together the History Center’s 22 acres of gardens, which include six public gardens that illustrate the horticultural history of the area. Ongoing.

Source: Atlanta History Center

JOE EARLE

Atlanta History Center President and CEO Sheffield Hale tours the construction.

ATLANTA HISTORY CENTER

The Atlanta History Center has raised over $32 million to restore and build a new home for “The Battle of Atlanta” painting.

Sale!Anniversary 30th

Fulton Tax Commissioner defends high salary

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

Arthur Ferdinand has faced – in his estimation – a thousand lawsuits since he became Fulton County Tax Commissioner in 1997.

ose lawsuits have come from disgruntled residents, the county and the municipalities he serves, while lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to curb Ferdinand’s unorthodox – but completely legal – pocketing of money from selling o liens on delinquent properties to make him the highest paid elected o cial in the state.

Ferdinand, a native of Trinidad and former executive at IBM, is unapologetic. “If I do more work, I should be compensated,” he said frankly, noting that he also handles tax collection for the City of Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Johns Creek and Chattahoochee Hills. “I don’t apologize for it one bit.”

Ferdinand gave a broad-reaching talk and answered questions at the Sept. 11 Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods meeting. e tax commissioner’s name has come up numerous times during recent BCN meetings, mainly stemming

With an annual salary of around $383,000, much of that comes from the $1 he takes home from every lien he sells or settles. As an example, Ferdinand said if he sells the lien on a $100,000 property in Fulton, he gets $1 while the county gets $1,000. at’s money in the county’s piggybank it wouldn’t have had if the property had been allowed to sit derelict or was subjected to foreclosure.

Ferdinand was rst appointed tax commissioner in 1997. He said his wife “forced” him to go to the interview, but he not only got the job, he’s remained entrenched there a er the position became an elected one. He’s been re-elected three times – in 2004, 2008 and 2012.

He brushes away criticism by stating that he boosted Fulton County’s tax collection from the lowest in the state to the highest at 99 percent, which he continues to maintain. “My o ce collects more taxes than DeKalb, Cobb and Gwinnett put together,” he said. e stage legislature has tried several times to change the law that allows the tax commissioner to personally gain when liens are sold, and Ferdinand said he would retire if the law was ever successfully changed. He also said he believed that most elected and appointed o cials were being underpaid

Several residents, who had received liens against their property, were frustrated with Ferdinand because they had never received o cial word from the tax commissioner’s o ce. It was suggested that registered mail should be used for such correspondence, but Ferdinand said the county would never approve the increased cost. “From 49 cents to $3 per piece of mail will not Ferdinand said both Fulton County and Atlanta had countless numbers of properties that were sitting abandoned and derelict with his o ce unable to collect taxes or no investors willing to buy the liens. Atlanta City Councilwoman Mary Norwood, who was in attendance at the BCN meeting, said the recent creation of the city’s code enforcement commission would be working to track down individuals and corporations to get those properties

Arthur Ferdinand

10 tips for exercising in the Fall

By Delaine Ross

1. Take advantage of the nice Fall weather: Bike the Beltline or hike Stone Mountain.

2. Make sure to wear bright colors: It gets darker earlier so you want to be safe!

3. Wear layers: You may start out cool, but as your heart rate gets higher and you start to sweat, you’ll want to be wearing fewer clothes.

4. We tend to get busier in the Fall, especially with kids in a er school activities. Carve out a space for tness by parking farther away from the stores when running errands.

5. Fall is a time where we want to catch up on the new season of our favorite shows. Do body weight exercises such as pushups during the commercial breaks.

6. Go pumpkin or apple picking with friends. is is a way to be active while socializing.

7. Turn chores into exercise: Activites such as raking leaves can burn more than 100 calories in an hour.

8. Drink lots of water: Even though it isn’t hot outside.

9. Avoid holiday candy: Even the most avid exerciser can’t out-exercise handfuls and handfuls of sugary candy.

10. Wear sunscreen when exercising outside: Even though the sun may not be blazing, harmful UV rays are nding their way to your skin.

Delaine Ross is master trainer and owner of Condition Kettlebell Gym, 659 Auburn Ave., #157, in the Old Fourth Ward. Visit gymcondition.com for more information.

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WALK, RUN, LAUGH

Sandra Bernhard shows will benefit AIDS Walk

Sandra Bernhard

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

Comedian, actress and author

Sandra Bernhard returns to Atlanta for the first time since 2008 for a one-night-only event at W Atlanta Midtown’s top floor space, Altitude, on Oct. 18 to benefit the AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run.

Bernhard will perform two shows at 7:30 and 10 p.m., but there are only tickets for 250 people at each show. Tickets are $98.80 and available at sandrainatlanta.com.

e night of comedy is a preamble to the main event, the AIDS Walk & 5K Run on Oct. 19 in Piedmont Park. More than 10,000 will take part in the AIDS-related fundraiser, which will kick o with a speech by Bernhard, who will also lead this year’s walk.

Organizers hope to raise $1.1 million to provide critical funds for organizations in the metro-Atlanta area that provide imperative programs for those infected or a ected with HIV/AIDS.

For more information or to donate, visit aidswalkatlanta.com or call (404) 876-9255.

Health & Wellness Briefs

e Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities (ARMHC) broke ground on a new facility last month at 5420 Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Sandy Springs. e expansion will allow ARMHC to almost triple their capacity for families while their children receive medical treatment at nearby hospitals. is LEED certi ed $18.5 million house will include 31 handicap accessible guestrooms and an indoor treehouse to aid families in the healing process through play.

Betty Dent, pictured, recently retired from 35 years of helping people with developmental disabilities. She worked at All About Developmental Disabilities (AADD) in Decatur as a caseworker or outreach specialist since 1979. She taught independent living to people with a developmental disability, helped them with paperwork for state support, and helped advise them in every conceivable situation. In reality, many parents of developmentally disabled children would tell you she truly helped raise their kids. Says Kathy Keely, AADD executive director, “Betty went above and beyond every day for her clients. One year she took some clients along with her family – a family of 10 sons of her own –to Disney World!”

Human services organization Caring For Others will hold e Art of Nature Gala at the Georgia Aquarium on Oct. 11, 7-11 p.m. During the gala, Caring For Others will present two Humanitarian of Hope Awards to recognize a business partner and a

community partner. Joseph S. Folz of Porsche Cars North America and Mark Winne of WSB-TV will be honored for their commitment and contributions to the community and public service. Additionally, Caring For Others will honor Former US Ambassador Andrew J. Young with the Global Humanitarian Award for his international e orts. For more information, visit caring4others.org.

Alan Martin, a longtime employee of PC&E, passed away due to heart attack last March. To honor Alan’s memory and the wishes of his family, the company is producing a 5K Run/Walk with a portion of the proceeds designated to the Mayo Clinic and their heart health education programs and research. e Run/Walk is to be held on Oct. 18 with a 7:30 a.m. start time. Each runner/walker will receive a chip-timed running bib to track their time. e starting line is at PC&E at 2235 DeFoor Hills Road. Registration forms can be picked up at PC&E, on line at active.com or downloaded from the website www.pce-atlanta.com/alanmartinbabysenior.

e Muscular Dystrophy Association’s 9th annual Night of Hope Gala will take place Oct. 17 at the InterContinental Buckhead Hotel to support MDA funded ALS Research (Lou Gehrig’s disease). In eight years, this event has raised over $4.4 million and has become one of the largest ALS events in the country. For tickets and information, visit www.mdanighto ope.org.

McKesson Medical-Surgical , which has more than 3,500 employees in Atlanta, has sent 4 million pairs of latex gloves to West Africa to help the health workers in the midst of fighting the Ebola crisis. The five-month supply of gloves was sent to Sierra Leone. McKesson’s donation is part of a broader effort by humanitarian aid group World Vision, and their partnership with the World Health Organization’s Ebola Task Force.

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New book chronicles, illustrates breast cancer battle Platform tennis coming to Bitsy Grant Tennis Center

By Annie Kinnett Nichols

Plenty of books have been written about battling breast cancer, but Rosemary Griggs’ Mammary Lane: A Sketchbook of Breast Cancer Survival tackles the subject in a unique and artful way.

Part primer, part illustrated journal, Mammary Lane is written in chronological order from diagnosis to wellness. Drawn in black and white and color, the illustrations show how Griggs’ husband, daughter and the community rallied to support her during treatment. She also found peace and solace working in her garden, which helped her heal.

Even though this is a tough subject, I took my 12-year-old daughter to meet Griggs before a recent signing at Charis Books and More in Little Five Points. I wanted her to meet a talented artist who was 100 percent cured, happy and back to making the art she loves. ere’s such hope, play and gratitude in this book.

Pick up a copy of Mammary Lane at Charis and nd out more at mammarylanesketchbook.com.

By Collin Kelley

Plans are under way to construct three platform tennis courts at the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center in Buckhead. e project is being funded entirely by private donations to the American Platform Tennis Association and will be gi ed to the city of Atlanta upon completion.

HGOR planners and landscape architects have been retained for the project, and the platform tennis courts are expected to be completed by February 2015. Lessons, clinics, and league play through the Peachtree Paddle League are just a few of the program o erings that will be available to the public once the courts are completed.

What exactly is platform tennis?

Also known as “paddle tennis,” the sport began in the Northeast in the 1920’s as a way for tennis players to stay active during the winter months. e court is onefourth the size of a tennis court with an all-weather aluminum surface surrounded by 12-foot high screens. It is a combination of tennis and racquetball with long points as the ball can be played o of the screens. Platform tennis is an easy sport for all ages and skill levels and can be played by families, too.

e Peachtree Paddle League, formed in 2005, has been instrumental in growing the sport in Atlanta. e league has 11 teams and holds a championship event each year.

e new courts are part of the ongoing renovations and upgrades to Atlanta Memorial Park, which also includes the Bobby Jones Golf Course.

Peachtree Paddle League Platform tennis will be available at Bitsy Grant Tennis Center in early 2015.

School systems pursue options for more flexibility

By Ann Marie Quill

DeKalb schools may soon pass Fulton County schools to become the state’s largest charter system if they succeed in its plan to convert its operations to a more exible model.

In April, Superintendent Michael urmond informed the DeKalb Board of Education that the district would pursue charter system status. A public hearing on the decision will follow an Oct. 6 school board work session, where the proposal will be discussed.

Georgia’s school systems are exploring options for more autonomy following a Georgia Department of Education mandate from several years back that they choose an operating model by June 2015.

Schools must choose a charter system model or an “Investing in Educational Excellence System” model, called “IE2,” or retain the status quo. e charter system and IE2 models allow school systems to sidestep many state rules and regulations while also requiring more accountability.

“In exchange for increased autonomy, including waivers from state law, . . . districts receive the exibility to be innovative and thereby [must] show greater accountability and higher student performance,” said Trenton Arnold, a regional superintendent for DeKalb schools, at a public hearing on Aug. 28.

According to Atlanta Public Schools’ website, the types of exibility schools may pursue under the charter

and IE2 options include customizing course o erings; waiving class-size requirements to allow for collegelike settings; waiving class-time requirements to allow students to explore internships or dual enrollments; or hiring subject experts for teachers and non-traditional gi ed programs.

e Atlanta Public School System hasn’t chosen what model it will pursue.

“ ese are things that will dramatically change the way we do business,” said Superintendent Meria Carstarphen during her Sept. 9 “State of the Schools” address. “We haven’t chosen a model. APS could be very similar to what it is today; it could be very di erent.”

APS currently has a survey on its website seeking community feedback on the direction it should take, and says if it decides to pursue the charter or IE2 option it will submit its application to the state by Nov. 5 following a presentation at its Oct. 6 board meeting.

In Fulton, o cials seem pleased that they converted in phases to charter status in 2012, with a nal group of schools set to switch by this time next year.

“Our charter system is really beginning to gain a lot of traction,” said Superintendent Robert Avossa, at Fulton schools’ back-toschool news brie ng in August.

He cited examples of what some Fulton schools have been able to do as a result of the conversion.

At Centennial High School in Roswell, a physical education credit was waived, meaning that students in an athletic club or marching band can take a high-level credit course such as math or science instead. Meanwhile, Northview High School in Johns Creek applied for a class-size waiver, allowing the school to create larger classes to simulate a college experience.

“We’re excited to see if we can replicate some of those strategies across the district,” Avossa said.

JOE EARLE Dr. Meria Carstarphen delivered her first “State of the Schools” address on Sept. 9.

Education Briefs

e Georgia Environmental Protection Division has awarded Atlanta Pubic Schools the Georgia Diesel Emissions Reduction’s Blue Sky Award for environmental achievement. is is the highest honor awarded to school systems that reduced diesel emission pollution from their school bus eet. APS’ eet of 400 buses transports 22,000 students every school day. APS has used a combination of measures, including grants and capital investments, to reach its level compliance for its bus eet. e district has purchased new buses with improved emissions controls, removed older buses from its eet and installed emission control devises on others. is school year, APS also added 10 new buses that operate on green diesel technology to its eet. is new technology represents an extensive reduction of emissions.

Communities In Schools of Atlanta, an organization dedicated to keeping kids in school with community support, is under the guidance of a new executive director, Frank Brown. Brown succeeds Patty P um, who in addition to serving the past 18 years as executive director, was a liated with CIS since its founding in 1972. Most recently, Brown served as the rst executive director of the Butler Street Community Development Corporation (formerly known as the historic Butler Street YMCA). In that position, he established year-round youth programming, launched the March on Washington Film Festival in Atlanta, reestablished the Hungry Club Forum, and secured partnerships with other nonpro ts and governmental agencies that enhanced the organization’s healthy living and social awareness programming.

Students Precious Gibson and Melissa Moyer have received Buick Achievers Scholarships. Each student will receive up to $25,000 that is renewable for up to four years, and one additional year for those entering a quali ed, ve-year engineering program. Gibson is attending Spelman College this fall, while Moyer is attending Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech has been awarded a Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund from Walmart, the Walmart Foundation and the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM). Georgia Tech’s collaborative will receive nearly $2 million in funding to further develop the project “CRAFTed With Pride in the USA.” Researchers from Georgia Tech’s CRAFT (Center for Research in Apparel Fabrication Technologies) are collaborating on an automated manufacturing process to create apparel, from blue jeans to T-shirts, without a seamstress.

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School’s Speakers Series has moved this year to the Atlanta History Center. e public event, designed to share powerful ideas, spark discussion, and inspire change, takes place Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. is year’s theme is “Small Stories, Big Ideas,” and speakers will include Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes, author of Garbology: Our Dirty Love A air with Trash; Ann Daniels, recordbreaking polar explorer; Ben Foss, author of e Dyslexia Empowerment Plan; and Alex West, co-founder of the Atlanta-based WonderRoot, a nonpro t with a mission to unite artists and community to inspire positive social change. Also speaking is Bailey Lyles, a 2014 graduate of Holy Innocents’ and UGA freshman, who is building a dance rehabilitation center for victims of sex tra cking. To purchase tickets or learn more about “Small Stories, Big Ideas,” visit HISpeakerseries.org.

NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN FOR 2015

The 7th annual 20 Under 20 will appear in our January 2014 issue and we are now seeking nominations of students 19 years old and younger who have committed themselves to service to the community. Nominations are welcome from teachers, counselors, administrators, parents, siblings, fellow students or community leaders. Here’s the information we need:

• Nominator (name, relationship to nominee and contact information)

• Nominee (Name, age, grade, school, parent or guardian names, contact info)

• Characteristics and service: Please provide a paragraph describing why this nominee deserves recognition. Include service projects, goals, interests and areas of interest to help illustrate your point.

The deadline for nominations is Oct. 31. Please e-mail your nominations to editor Collin Kelley at Collin@atlantaintownpaper.com.

special

Stacy Allman of Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division presents the award to Larry Hoskins, Atlanta Public Schools’ chief of operations.

Pet Pick

Jaleah’s smile should tell you there’s nothing she loves more than playing with her people. She is always up for a good game of fetch, but she does not mind taking lengthy naps if necessary. We are con dent that she is housebroken, and she is great with kids and adults. She knows her basic obedience, and she goes to training regularly so she keeps it all fresh in her mind. Jaleah is a 10-year-old Labrador Mix, and she would be the perfect pet for one lucky person. To adopt Jaleah or any of the other dogs and cats, visit pawsatlanta.org or stop by the shelter at 5287 Covington Highway in Decatur.

Pet Briefs

e Good Mews kitties are busy learning the Charleston and getting ready to have a swell time at e Great Catsby, a silent and live auction to be held Oct. 18 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Wimbish House in Midtown, 1150 Peachtree St. Guest are encouraged to break out their dapper duds for the Roaring 20’s themed event, which will also feature food, drinks, live music and dancing to bene t Good Mews. Advance tickets are available online for $75 via goodmews.org or $90 at the door.

e Splish Splash Doggie Bath will take place Oct. 4-5 at Piedmont Park’s Aquatic Center. ere will be a doggie swim, music, ra es, giveaways and more. Times are 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. or 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. Children under 12 are not allowed at the event because of safety concerns. Register at piedmontpark.org.

P.A.L.S. - Pets Are Loving Support needs o ce volunteers on a regular basis. Volunteers help in the o ce with reception, making phone calls, data entry, mailings and more. P.A.L.S. provides ongoing care and support to pets of Atlanta area persons living with critical illnesses, disabilities, and the elderly. For more information, visit palsatlanta.org.

Buyers Hot for Luxury & Intown Location: newest Atlantic station Condos available now & Selling Fast

It’s a new – and welcome – story for the luxury condo market: A sales launch leads to incredible interest, resulting in nearly 40 homes already being claimed by eager buyers. The Atlantic, a 47-story tower in the heart of Atlantic Station, is enjoying being the star of this success story.

Amazing location, great price point and incredible features and amenities make The Atlantic unprecedented in a market that has no new product.” said David Tufts, President of The Marketing Directors. “We are not surprised by the overwhelming response from buyers -- it’s a no brainer.”

STYLE WITH A VIEW

The Atlantic’s Art Deco design with sleek geometric lines and an ornamental crown that glows at night has made it one of the most visible and intriguing buildings in the city. Inside, residents enjoy expansive views from their floor-to-ceiling windows – the glittering Atlanta skyline becoming their stunning artwork.

IDEALLY LOCATED

The Atlantic’s highly walkable community, Atlantic Station, is one of the city’s most buzzed about developments, with more than one million square feet of open-air retail, lively cafes and coffee shops, chef-driven restaurants, grocer, theater, IKEA and a Target Superstore. Walk, bike or take a quick and easy drive a mile west to the revitalized West Midtown neighborhood, home to more of the city’s best dining and shopping – or head east to Midtown proper, home to High Museum, Fox Theater, Piedmont Park and the city’s most vibrant business district.

LIVING IN LUXURY

There are six distinctive floor plans featuring more than 50 individual options. Homes range from approximately 1,031 to 3,172 square feet and feature ten- or eleven-foot ceilings, hardwood flooring, stainless steel appliances, Sacks & Bisazza designer backsplashes, granite countertops with under mount Kohler sinks, custom wood slow-close cabinetry, sweeping balconies, controlled access and covered parking with direct elevator to resident’s floor. Outdoor amenities include green space, a full-size rooftop pool with a hot tub spa and stunning city views, adjacent tennis courts, a large stacked-stone fireplace with lounge seating and professional quality stainless steel grills. Additional amenities include 24/7 concierge, lavish clubroom, state-of-the-art fitness center and screening room.

Little Five Points is the epicenter of Atlanta’s indie spirit and alternative culture with its mix of restaurants, unique local businesses and melting pot of people and cultures. The district originally grew out of the convergence of trolley lines in the area, which meant businesses thrived in the neighborhood. The neighborhood went into decline in the 1960s and 70s, but revitlization began in the early 80s and iconic shops like Charis Books & More, Wax n’ Facts records, Junkman’s Daughter and concert venue Variety Playhouse began to thrive again. The photos pictured at left by Isadora Pennington show some of the street scenes around L5P, as it’s usually abreviated by locals, while the photo above of the The Vortex’s giant skull entryway, now a landmark, is courtesy of LittleFivePoints.net.

1055 Piedmont Avenue #215

1369 Normandy Drive

1158 Virginia Avenue

1124 Virginia Avenue

PIEDMONT CREST $221,500

Classically beautiful 1BR/1BA condo in a boutique building on Piedmont Park.

Brenda Shaw ● (404) 379-4924

VIRGINIA HIGHLAND $875,000

Custom 5BR/5.5BA Craftsman-style with an open floor plan and state of the art kitchen.

Sara Shirazi ● (404) 435-0034

130 E. Parkwood Road

VIRGINIA HIGHLAND $499,900

Under contract in 12 days! In the heart of VAHI with offstreet parking.

Keating & Craig Team ● (404) 9646-3949

VIRGINIA HIGHLAND $650,000

Classic 4BR/3BA VAHI Tudor cottage with updated kitchen and backyard oasis. Annette Upton ● (404) 683-5798 300 W. Parkwood Road

3150 St. Ives Country Club Parkway

PARKWOOD $750,000

Blocks from downtown Decatur, 4BR/3.5BA in desirable Parkwood neighborhood.

Carter & Associates ● (404) 944-6577

PARKWOOD $600,000

Spacious 5BR/3BA

ST. IVES COUNTRY CLUB $525,000 5BR/4.5BA with unfinished basement in St. Ives Country Club.

Carter & Associates ● (404) 944-6577

1170

ATLANTA $329,000

Mid-century modern 4BR/3BA on 3.2+/acres with spacious floor plan.

Sybil Scott ● (678) 778-6503

Plaza Midtown Specialist

LAVISTA PARK $399,500

Spacious 5BR/4BA on lush 1/2 acre lot with a separate studio guest cottage/workshop.

Andy Philhower ● (404) 964-4550

THE VIRGINIA $209,900

First floor corner 2BR/1BA condo in historic 1920s building.

Monique Reller ● (404) 310-2200

206 Hutchinson Street

VIRGINIA HIGHLAND $599,900

Charming totally renovated 3BR/2BA with open kitchen and spacious master suite. Jason Jordan ● (404) 493-3784

PLAZA MIDTOWN $211,900-$345,000

Six units available, 1BRs and 2BRs. Amenities include concierge, pool, & fitness.

Todd Hale ● (404) 822-0230

HOME PARK/MIDTOWN $389,000

Renovated 3BR/2BA with charm and modern amenities only a block from restaurants. Hilson Hudson ● (404) 217-6004

EDGEWOOD $275,000

Newly renovated 1940s 3BR/2BA bungalow close to Candler Park MARTA.

Alex Smith Meier ● (404) 788-6729 755 Clifton Road

DRUID HILLS $2,250,000

Renovated 1915 Neil Reid 4BR/3.5BA with guest house, pool, and tennis court.

Hilson Hudson ● (404) 217-6004

825 Drewry Street

3731 Old Fairburn Road

1258 Vista Valley Drive

1084 Center Street

Virginia Avenue #1

Mayor Kasim Reed and Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran announced today that, for the rst time in the city’s history, the Insurance Services O ce has raised Atlanta’s Public Protection Classi cation (PPC) rating to Class 1, indicating an exemplary ability to respond to res. is upgrade indicates that insurance premiums, particularly on commercial properties, could be lowered by year’s end. e PPC rating upgrade becomes e ective Nov. 1. e Public Protection Classi cation rating is based on three factors: the city’s ability to receive and respond to re alarms; the re department’s rst-alarm response and initial attack capabilities; and the water supply system. Insurance companies have 90 days to respond to the rating change. Atlanta’s score rose more than eight points over its 2013 total, from 81.97 to 90.14.

e ISO rated 49,010 re departments in the United States in 2013. Atlanta Fire Rescue was the largest of the four Georgia re departments to achieve a Class 1 rating, along with re departments in Savannah, Gainesville and Macon.

e Decatur Fire Department has promoted Stephanie Burton to Deputy Fire Chief. Duties in her new role include re operations, events and emergency medical services. Chief Burton will continue to provide re prevention and education as the city’s Fire Marshal. e previous Deputy Fire Chief Tim Hatcher retired at the end of August. “Chief Burton is already a familiar face to many residents and business owners in the City of Decatur,” said City Manager Peggy Merriss. “She is an experienced re ghter who brings a high level of expertise to her new role as Deputy Fire Chief.”

e Atlanta Police are considering installing cameras around Peace Park in the Old Fourth Ward a er an increase in violence and drug activity. Located o Boulevard on Wabash at Peace Avenue, the park has been the scene of a recent shooting and residents report drug deals and gunshots are now a daily occurrence.

Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran

A LOOK BACK

This Month in History

Ann Taylor Boutwell

Oct. 1, 1875: Atlanta mourned the passing of James Montgomery Calhoun, Atlanta’s 16th mayor. He served four one-year terms during the American Civil War years, from 1862 through 1865. e South Carolina native is buried at Oakland Cemetery next to his wife, Emma Eliza Dabney Calhoun.

Oct. 4, 1870: Oglethorpe

University opened in Atlanta with a faculty of ve college professors, six instructors in the law department and three teachers in the University High School. Future plans for the university included a medical college, a commercial department and a civil engineering school. Originally located on Hunter Street, the university opened on its present site on Peachtree Road in September 1916.

Oct. 5, 1873: Liquor dealer Lee Smith sold one of Atlanta’s best saloons at 16 Marietta St., for an undisclosed sum. It was called e Girl of the Period, an expression o en used as both a derogatory and complimentary remark during the Gilded Age. e next few weeks, new owner Lucius “Luch” Harris busied himself painting, dusting and brushing up the saloon. By Oct. 29, an ad in the Atlanta Daily Herald noted the pub’s opening with a new stock of old brandies, whiskies, wines, gins and real Havana cigars. By March 1874, a er the nancial panic of 1873 and a temperance crusade, 16 Marietta St. was listed in the city directory as Samuel Long’s shoe shop, maker of custom boots.

Oct. 7, 2003: Author Steve Oney makes his rst appearance at the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts to talk about his long awaited 649-page epic saga titled And the Dead Shall Rise, published by Pantheon Books. It is Oney’s 17-year quest of the murder of Mary Phagan and the lynching of Leo Frank and to nd out what really happened.

Oct. 7-8, 1919: e old gas lamppost fronting the James Bank located at the Whitehall and Alabama street corner was a popular site during the Confederate Southern Memorial Association’s twoday reunion. e siege of Atlanta relic was where Solomon Luckie an African American barber was fatally wounded on Aug. 10, 1864. Reunion Chairman Walter P. Andrews made sure the city bustled with picnics, bands, parades and speeches on the courthouse steps. One of the Georgia Maids of Honor was 18-year-old Margaret Mitchell, home from Smith College. She enjoyed her volunteer assignment chau euring veterans around the city because it was an opportunity listen to all the survivors’ stories.

Oct. 8, 1887: Gentlemen’s Driving Club (now Piedmont Driving Club) opened two days before Cotton Exposition of 1887 in Piedmont Park.

Oct. 11, 1895: e Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama wasn’t the only one to entrance visitors in the city. e Battle of Gettysburg Cyclorama was on display during the Cotton States and International Exhibition at Piedmont Park. Visitors entered a building just outside the park near 14th Street specially designed for the massive cylindrical painting. ey stood in the center, which gave them a 360-degree perspective of the famous three-day battle.

Oct. 12, 1935: At Broadlands, the home of Josephine Inman and Hugh V. Richardson on Paces Ferry Road, the family celebrated the betrothal of their daughter Louise to Ivan Allen, Jr., future Mayor of Atlanta. e First Presbyterian Church on Peachtree Street was the scene of the noon wedding on January 1, 1936. Ivan served as Mayor and Louise served as rst lady of Atlanta from 1962 until 1970.

Oct. 14, 1952: e Daily World, Atlanta’s only African American newspaper, endorsed Dwight Eisenhower for president. Both the Journal and Constitution backed Adlai Stevenson.

Oct. 29-31, 1978: e Fox eatre held a special showing of a 1953 threedimensional lm, e House of Wax, starring Vincent Price and a very young Charles Bronson. It’s one of the few 3D lms produced in the early 1950s in which the audience wore special glassed to produce the special e ects.

Historian Ann Taylor Boutwell is a docent at the Margaret Mitchell House & Museum. Contact her at annboutwell@bellsouth.net.

Comprehensive Women’s Health

TimmyDaddy

By Tim Sullivan

Family Reunion

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www.mcdanielanddurre .com

As compelling as a group of adults all wearing the same t-shirts can be, I never thought of my family hosting a typical reunion event. No one has a farm and we’re not wholesome enough for organized picnic games or Shasta, but for years it seemed unnecessary. While 10 is a lot of siblings to corral, we all make decent e orts to see each other. It seemed improbable when my brother Steve, our resident family historian, pointed out that the last time we were all together was at my wedding over nine years ago. We’re not making t-shirts yet, but it does seem apropos that we circle up once a year and we did in late July. Marty is the perfect one to host this shindig at his home on Long Island because he and his wife Justine are equal parts organized and laid back. ey also have a pool. Also Justine’s parents live next door and they graciously o er up their house for further accommodations. Also, as Elliott is quick to point out, Marty’s kids have Xbox. Our cousins, the Hendersons, joined us, too, so the day was a blur of laughs, career updates and what grades and sports the kids are getting into. Knowing our time is limited makes for a somewhat manic catching up. It’s like speed-reunioning. I kept nding myself on one side of the yard and looking back over to the other and thinking wasn’t I just sitting at that table talking to Maureen and Eileen a minute ago? An ongoing cornhole game attracted eager participants and overeager hecklers. Food came out in waves and Margo kept jumping o that diving board over and over again. Every time I asked Marty if I could do anything to help he’d say “we’re all set” and then disappear to fetch another 40-pound bag of ice.

Impressed by how t Bill and Cathleen are looking these days, my cousin Frank went on to assess everyone’s tness levels. When queried, I dutifully reported that I try to run four days a week. He runs ve. My brother John narrowly ousted me in the most colorfully dressed competition. My eldest brother, Mike, frantically cleaned, as he is wont to do when visiting family. I found him scrubbing down the kitchen counters while everyone else was downstairs on the patio level.

He had unearthed a box of bakery treats called Rainbow Cookies (although calling them cookies is giving them short shri ). Really they were chocolate-

ensconced miracles, 16 to a box, and Mike said I just had to try one. Usually, if it is a family party and Mike is in the kitchen, Pyrex dishes explode. Usually. “Stupid plates” might be occasionally smashed to pieces, but if the only result of Mike’s kitchen meddling was discovering these delicious treats that had been overlooked then, heck, good party!

I ate one of the cookies and my nephew Emmet had two. I thought we had better get them downstairs before the three of us ate the entire box. ey went faster than mom’s famous brownies back in the day. Turns out this was ill-gotten booty though. e treats were brought as a gi by Rob and Suzanne for Marty and Justine’s 20th wedding anniversary. ey were to be enjoyed a er the family circus le town. I felt terrible about it and wished we had merely blown up a Pyrex dish.

Of course, the cookie scenario pretty much typi es every time I get together with my family. ere is an avalanche of love and laughs and sweetness and it is always too short and it invariably nds a way to break my heart, just a little. Despite ample assurances from Marty and Justine that it really was not a big deal, Mike and I contacted the bakery the following week and sent a replacement box of rainbow cookies to trick them into hosting again next year. I’ll be in charge of the t-shirts.

S. Durre , M.D.

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@sullivan nerugs.com.

The Sullivan clan gathers for a recent family reunion on Long Island, New York.

Music and Make Believe

September means two of Intown’s biggest events: DragonCon and Music Midtown.

More than 155,000 poured into Piedmont Park for the 2014 Music Midtown festival on Sept. 19-20 to hear Eminem, Jack White, Iggy Azalea (pictured le ), Lorde, Lana del Ray, Run DMC, John Mayer (pictured below right). Photos from the show by Lola Holley Catoe.

Photographer Kenneth Hatchett was on hand for DragonCon, the annual convention that draws thousands of science ction, fantasy and gaming fans to Downtown for three days of celebrity meet-ups, cosplay (check out the intricate costumes in the photos below!) and the DragonCon parade, which features hoards of costumed characters, monsters and a squadon of Star Wars stormtroopers. Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart, Battlestar Galatica’s Mary McDonnell and the cast of True Blood (also pictured below) were some the big celebrity guests at this year’s event.

Open Streets DeKalb at Emory Village

Open Streets DeKalb in Emory Village was held on Sept. 21, offering visitors the chance to walk, bike and have fun in the streets without fear of motor vehicles.

Above: Aural Pleasure, Emory University’s oldest co-ed a cappella group on campus, performed during the event. Members include Will Vander Pols, James Kennedy, Jovonna Jones, Isabelle Lee, Anna Mowell, Sami El-Kebbi, Maurielle Artis, Alex Resnick and Cathy Tang.

Top center: Imperial Opa Circus members Stevens Seaberg, playing the sax, and Nicolette Emanuelle perform.

Top right: Druid Hills residents Jane Ordway, Trinity Morris and Kelly Schattle play with hoola hoops.

Right: Sisters Emily and Abby Morris enjoy a popsicle from King of Pops.

Bottom right: Druid Hills resident, Olivia Cuevas gets her face painted by Jazmyn Ferguson, a senior physcology, and religion major at Emory University.

Feel Good Again.™

Photos by Phil Mosier

Sevananda marks 40 years of bringing healthy food to the community

By Kathy Dean

It was 40 years ago, in October of 1974, that Sevananda Natural Foods Market was begun by a small group of dedicated founders. eir vision has evolved to become much more than a natural foods grocery store; it’s now Atlanta’s trusted resource of health and wellness, not to mention a mainstay of the Little Five Points neighborhood.

One of the largest natural food co-ops in the Southeast, Sevananda may also be the only strictly vegetarian/vegan grocery store on the East Coast. e secret to the market’s success is found in its name. e word Sevananda is derived from two Sanskrit words: Seva, meaning service, and Ananda, meaning joy or bliss, to form “ e Joy of Service.”

Kay Rosenblum and her husband joined Sevananda in 1979. She described herself as a dedicated shopper and past board member, and said, “ is year I turned 60. e fact that I feel great, I attribute to Sevananda. I come in the door and I feel good.”

Sevananda is owned and operated by its members, and does a lot more than o er a source of healthy, local and organic foods to the community. It also strives to live up to its triple bottom line philosophy of economic, environmental and social responsibility. Some of the ways Sevananda does that is by supporting local farmers, partnering with community organizations and informing customers of changes in legislation regarding food safety and security.

Rosenblum stressed that it’s important for everyone to know that Sevananda belongs to anyone who comes in the door. “You don’t have to be an owner-member to shop here. Sevananda is here to help you in every way it can. If you’re searching for a way to improve your diet and own your health, sooner or later you’ll nd your way to Sevananda.”

For over 20 years, Greta omas has been a part of Sevananda, and is now a working owner in the wellness department. She was originally drawn to the market by the availability of the natural health food, and by the friendly and knowledgeable sta . “Sevananda is a coop, and that’s a breath of fresh air in this age of giant conglomerates,” she said. “It’s a real health food store that serves the community.”

e importance of Sevananda is clear, as Ahzjah Netjer Simons, the current board president and an

11-year Sevananda member-owner, explained. “As big agriculture and big pharmacy businesses ramp up their e orts to have the world become more dependent on them, Sevananda will play a key role in o ering options to those who wish to take back their power and own their health and their choice in the matter.”

Many co-ops were begun in the 1960’s and 70’s, but few have survived into the new millennium. Sevananda

General Manager Gary Hilliard claimed that the store’s success is tied into its cooperative set up and food integrity. “Being a co-op, we have to listen to the member owners and they add valuable input.”

Like any long-lived entity, Sevananda has had to contend with challenges. Since it’s community owned, there are many di erent opinions and member meetings can get feisty. In 2013, some members picketed the store

October 3-12 50% o selected jewelry

Sevananda administrator Carolyn Morris, left, and marketing and outreach assistant Ifini Sheppard.

Photos by Isadora Pennington

over disagreement within the co-op. Management has been ine ective at times, and now, the co-op is working to overcome some poor business practices of the past.

Hilliard added that Sevananda has triumphed over erce competition, board battles and nancial limitations. “ e current challenge is that we’re not the only game in town anymore, so we have to contend with pricing wars from the corporate entities that have jumped on the health food bandwagon.”

Competition and challenges, however, are no match for the real strength of Sevananda – its human element.

The 40th Anniversary Celebration

Sevananda will honor its members and patrons with a day of celebration and appreciation on Oct. 25 from noon to 5 p.m. at the market, 467 Moreland Ave. Festivities will take place in the store and parking lot. ere will be vegetarian hot dogs and hamburgers, games, clowns, face painting, entertainment and cra vendors. e co-op will also host guest speakers and a wellness spa downstairs in the Community Room, where practitioners will o er massages, re exology, reiki and other modalities. Call Sevananda at (404) 681-2831 for more information or visit sevananda.coop.

Simons said that, in her opinion, what has kept Sevananda alive over the years is the people. “ rough good times and bad, the people are resilient and they understand how important Sevananda’s

existence really is. e sta and owners are authentic human beings who strive to live what they believe and have a passion to help others.”

Hollywood South: Atlanta touts success of film industry

e Mayor’s O ce of Entertainment marked its rst year of operation by announcing that more than 100 television, commercial and lm productions were lmed in the City of Atlanta from July 2013 to July 2014. In addition, more than 580 permits were issued which generated approximately $500,000.

Atlanta’s television and lm industry currently employs more than 6,000 individuals and is forecasted to support thousands of more jobs in the near future due to the increasing number of production companies conducting business here. In August, Tyler Perry entered into a tentative agreement to expand his production operations on 330 acres of former Fort McPherson. e $30 million deal is expected to add more than 8,000 new jobs.

Last year, Mayor Kasim Reed established the O ce of Entertainment to support the city’s rapidly expanding lm industry by streamlining the city’s permitting process for lm productions, facilitating employment of local talent, creating production-related educational and training opportunities, and providing residents and businesses a ected by lm productions with information and protection.

In 2008, the state enacted the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, which increased the state tax credit to 30 percent for quali ed production of motion pictures, television series,

commercials, music videos, interactive games and animation. Since then, the state and city have been a destination for the lm industry.

“ e impressive roster of lms and television shows produced in the city, including e Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Fast and Furious 7 and e Walking Dead, is proof that a growing number of companies are seeking Atlanta as the backdrop for their highly anticipated productions,” said O ce of Entertainment Director LaRonda Sutton.

“ e O ce of Entertainment is proud of the many accomplishments made during its rst year, and we look forward to supporting the continued success of the production and entertainment industry in Atlanta.”

To accommodate the growing list of productions in the city, the O ce of Entertainment has partnered with Tampa-based FilmApp, to launch the city’s use of the FilmApp tool, which streamlines the permit application process for production companies and independent producers. e previous process required applicants to obtain separate approvals from various city departments. Now, applicants can apply online and avoid the lengthy multi-step process. e FilmApp tool also allows for the O ce of Entertainment to e ectively communicate with residents and businesses during times of lming. For more information about FilmApp, visit lmapp.com.

First retailers open at Buckhead Atlanta

Developer Oliver McMillan’s Dene Oliver, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Buckhead Coalition President Sam Massell were on hand to celebrate the opening of the first shops and restaurants at Buckhead Atlanta on Sept. 18. Pictured below, singer Warren G. Nolan opened the ceremony with a performance. Hermès, L’Occitane, Moncler, Scoop NYC, theory, Warby Parker, Corso Coffee, Gypsy Kitchen and Shake Shack are some of the early openers in the district.

Photos by Isadora Pennington

A new slate of retail and restaurants will be opening soon at Lenox Square in Buckhead, including CH Carolina Herrera, Garrett Popcorn Shops, Bantam + Biddy, Boston Proper, Soma and Wokdragon ese new o erings will join the recently announced Diane von Furstenberg, Topshop and Topman, 7 For All Mankind and Athleta.

Two companies are looking for employees in metro Atlanta. Kroger will hire 2,000 permanent associates across its Atlanta Division, which includes Georgia, Eastern Alabama and South Carolina. Kroger is hiring for a variety of positions, including front end, deli, and store clerks. Interested applicants can apply at kroger.com/careers. UPS announced that it plans to hire around 95,000 seasonal employees for the holidays. e delivery services needs drivers, sorters, loaders, unloaders and other assistance to deliver millions of packages this year. To apply visit UPSjobs.com.

Cousins Properties has signed three leases totaling 77,302 square feet, at One Ninety One Peachtree Tower. e building, located in Downtown, is now 92 percent leased, the highest level since Cousins acquired the building in 2006. Cousins completed the leases with CPA rm Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLP, the nonpro t Association County Commissioners of Georgia, and law rm Hall Booth Smith, P.C.

Atlanta-based accounting rm, Smith & Howard, has been recognized as the number one CPA rm among the elite 50 “Best of the Best” rms in the nation by INSIDE Public Accounting. e rm was also included among the Best of the Best Fastest Growing Firms.

Co-working space Industrious O ce (industriouso ce.com) will open in Midtown later this month at 1447 Peachtree St. e space will feature 37 suites (from singleperson to 9-person suites) with the feel of a co ee shop and boutique hotel. Industrious will o er wi- , printing and conference rooms as well as hosting events like lunch and learns, networking happy hours, o ce yoga and more.

West End resident Alexandre Chenault has opened a new vintage boutique, Fire y Furniture ( re yvintagegoods. com), at 573 Joseph E Lowery Blvd. e shop o ers shabby chic, antique and vintage home furnishings. Operating the store with his mother, Wandra, Chenault has pulled together pieces from Europe, Africa, South America, the Caribbean and locally for an eclectic mix of goods.

Van Michael Salon (vanmichael.com) has opened a new location in Shops at Metropolis, 929 Peachtree St. in Midtown. is is the seventh location for the Atlantabased salon group, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary since the rst opened in Buckhead.

e Metis Movement Women’s Leadership Education Conference, a two-day educational colloquium with informative sessions for both young professionals and mid-level managers, will be held Oct. 16-17 at Agnes Scott College in Decatur. ere will be seminars on professional image, personal branding, dealing with con ict, conscious leadership, stress management and more. For more information, visit themetismovement.coaching4abundance.com/wlec/.

Twitter is bulking up its datacenter capacity in Atlanta, according to a report from Atlanta Business Chronicle.

e San Francisco-based social network will lease 80,000 square feet in a nearly 1 million square foot server farm near downtown Atlanta. e data center, about the size of 17 football elds, is operated by Quality Technology Services (QTS), which declined comment to ABC for their story.

Improve Your Quality of Life!

Twitter is an existing tenant in QTS’ Atlanta-Metro data center. e expanded Atlanta capacity will improve the speed and reliability of Twitter’s service to its East Coast and European users. Twitter reported 271 million monthly active users in the second quarter.

We love it when a former Atlanta INtown intern ful lls a dream, and Timothy George has certainly done that. George, who interned with us in 201112, has created his own line of organic, handcra ed lip care called eLo. All eLo products contain Jojoba oil, natural antioxidants and healing ingredients. Products include a “day” and “night” lip balm, with the “day” version containing sun block, and a lip scrub to exfoliate and polish the lips. You can nd out more at elolipcare.com or facebook.com/ eLoLipCare.

Decatur: Fabulous Charlestonian style all brick home in a unique nine home enclave. 2 BR/2 BA

Michael Gaddy $549,500 michael.gaddy@engelvoelkers.com

Ormewood Park: Great 1930’s bungalow with loads of charm & large back deck. 3 BR/2 BA

Laurie Nickless $225,000 laurie.nickless@engelvoelkers.com

Druid Hills: Lovely updated brick home with plenty of natural light & wonderful flow. 3 BR/2 BA

Nancy Guss $399,000 nancy.guss@engelvoelkers.com

Peachtree Hills: Beautifully renovated cottage with separate guesthouse. 3 BR/2 BA

Mandi Robertson $445,000 mandi.robertson@engelvoelkers.com

Morningside: Outstanding value with 3 finished levels & Master on main. 4 BR/3.5 BA

Ken Covers $649,000 ken.covers@engelvoelkers.com

Decatur: So much space. Great floor plan with good flow. Large finsihed basement. 3 BR/ 2.2 BA

Marsha McNeer $343,000 marsha.mcneer@engelvoelkers.com

Gasket City Lofts: True loft living in the city! Wonderful rooftop deck. 1 BR/ 1.5 BA

Efrain Cerrato $199,000 efrain.cerrato@engelvoelkers.com

1411 North Highland Avenue

Atlanta, GA 30306

404-874-6357

http://intownatlanta.evusa.com/

Carlyle Park: Unique townhome with wrap around balcony, large yard & patio. 2 BR/ 2BA.

Judy Kuniansky $225,000 judy.kuniansky@engelvoelkers.com

Midtown: Triplex, two blocks from Piedmont Park. Two 1 bedroom & One 2 bedroom units.

Cole O’Connor $675,000 cole.oconnor@engelvoelkers.com

While you’ve been waiting to sell your home, we’ve been waiting on you.

MOVING IN

An update on Ponce City Market’s progress as first tenants move in

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

If you drive by Ponce City Market (PCM) on a regular basis, you’ll see changes happening almost every day as renovation on the mammoth building progresses.

Motorists have already noticed the new tra c signal on North Avenue for the main entrance to the development, which is the former Sears & Roebuck and City Hall East site. Even as construction continues, businesses are already opening at the site. Binders Art Supply and Frames quietly opened its doors in late August and held a grand opening event last month.

General Assembly, which o ers education in technology, business and design, was set to open at the end of September and was hosting meet and greets for prospective students.

More than 150 parents have enrolled their children in e Suzuki School preschool, which o cially began classes just a er Labor Day.

PCM rst’s tenant in the main building, athenahealth, was slated to move in 200 employees on Sept. 22, the same day food trucks will start bringing lunch to site.

Cardlytics, Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein Architects, Mailchimp are in the process of preparing their spaces.

As for the big food hall, expect Dub’s Fish Camp, H&F Burger, Honeysuckle Gelato, Indian Streetfood by Chai Pani, Jia Authentic Szechuan, Juice Box and Simply Seoul Kitchen to open early next year.

Also on site: Ponce Gallery opened in August featuring a rotating roster of artists from critically acclaimed established artists to neighborhood favorites.

More big tenant announcements are expected in November, according to o cials.

Gated access

Elevator accessible

Renovation and construction continues on the old Sears & Roebuck (later City Hall East) site, which is being transforme into the multi-use Ponce City Market. European-style flats, a food hall, retailers and office space will all share space at the Old Fourth Ward landmark. Below, visitors check out art at the newly-opened Ponce Gallery.

Photos courtesy Ponce City Market

CHATTAHOOCHEE REVIVAL

20 years of monitoring, advocacy and enforcement

By Clare S. Richie

Twenty years ago, the Chattahoochee River was a contaminated eyesore. Georgians counted on the river to provide drinking water for nearly 4 million residents, to carry away wastewater from more than 100 wastewater treatment plants, and for power generation. But protection of this workhorse was woefully inadequate. Government agencies were not enforcing environmental laws due to insu cient funding, sta ng or political will.

Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) set out to change that in 1994, when co-founders Laura Turner and Rutherford Seydel brought the Hudson Riverkeeper model to Georgia’s most beleaguered river. With a $50,000 grant and donated o ce space, Sally Bethea took the reins as founding executive director and the rst “Riverkeeper” of the organization.

e river has been reborn thanks to Bethea, CRK and its partners. e nonpro t now has a $1.5 million budget with a dozen sta , o ces in Atlanta, Gainesville and LaGrange, and 7,000 members dedicated to defending water quality and quantity in the Chattahoochee River basin.

“It takes a lot of di erent approaches to clean up and protect the river,” Bethea said.

Looking back on the organization’s history, Bethea is most proud of CRK’s $2 billion legal victory against the City of Atlanta, robust river and stream monitoring and education e orts.

In 1995, CRK led a lawsuit against the city for failing to control the discharge of raw sewage into the river from combined sewer over ows. CRK won the case in 1997 and settled it in 1998. is led to an enforceable plan to overhaul the city’s entire sewage system. Today, the river and its tributaries are dramatically cleaner.

“It sent a message that somebody is watching and is willing to le lawsuits to enforce existing laws,” Bethea said. at said, CRK prefers to resolve matters through communication and negotiated agreements and is proud of its working relationships with business, industry, government and civic groups.

CRK is also the top monitoring group in the state with EPA approved, quality assured labs in all three o ce locations. Each week, volunteers at 70 monitoring stations throughout the basin collect samples that are analyzed at one of these labs. “We turn data into action and have stopped dozens of sewer spills,” according to Bethea.

Monitoring e orts also includes cracking down on industrial polluters, which are not in compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act. CRK talks with and educates these companies rst, seeking legal action only as a last resort.

In 2000, CRK developed a “ oating classroom” on Lake Lanier – and which will expand to West Point Lake soon – to teach the next generation how to protect our rivers. e Lake Lanier Aquatic Learning Center, a partnership between CRK and Elachee Nature Science Center, has taught 35,000 students so far. Aboard a 40-foot catamaran with a glass bottom viewing well, K-12 students have learned about water quality and ecology through hands-on activities.

A 20th anniversary gala will be held on Oct. 14 and will also serve as a salute to Bethea, who is retiring at the end of this year. Starting in 2015, Jason Ulseth, who becomes the Riverkeeper a er seven years as technical programs director, and Juliet Cohen, who transitions to executive director a er six years as general counsel, will carry on the legacy of one of strongest environmental organizations in the state.

“We’ll grow what Sally’s worked to build,” Ulseth said. “ e river is cleaner than it’s been in decades, but a lot of work is still ahead.”

For more about the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and details on the 20th anniversary gala, visit Chattahoochee.org.

Photos courtesy CRK

From left: Jason Ulseth, who will become the new Riverkeeper in 2015, current Riverkeeper and founding executive director Sally Bethea and Juliet Cohen, who will become executive director.

RIVER & BLUES Celebration of Land returns to Chattahoochee

e Trust for Public Land is returning to the Chattahoochee River for the sixth annual Celebration of Land on Oct. 19. e Trust has helped conserve 16,000 acres of the river’s watershed over the last two decades and has just begun the reclamation of Proctor Creek, a sevenmile greenway that will connect the Atlanta Beltline with the river.

With the theme of River & Blues, this year’s fundraiser will be held at Riverview Landing, an 82-acre reclamation site (it was formerly a scrap yard) along the Chattahoochee River. Jamestown Properties owns the land and is responsible for its restoration. It is slated

for a mix of homes, shops, restaurants and green space.

Northsiders Jackie and Jimmy Cushman are the chairs for this year’s Celebration of Land, which has raised more than $500,000 for land conservation over the last ve years. e casual evening will feature dinner, live music, dancing and a silent auction on the banks of the river. e event will honor Bea Perez, Chief Sustainability O cer at Coca-Cola, for her work focusing on water and wellbeing.

For more information, visit tpl.org.

Trust for Public Land River & Blues Chairs Jimmy, left, and Jackie Cushman, second from right, will join State Director Curt Soper, right, in honoring Coca-Cola Company Chief Sustainability Officer Bea Perez Oct. 19 for her commitment to water, well-being and reducing waste.

Eco-Briefs

e 15th annual Trees

Atlanta Tree Sale & Jamboree will be held Oct. 4 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at a new location: Freedom Farmers’ Market at e Carter Center, 453 Freedom Parkway. Trees Atlanta will o er more than 1,500 native and exotic plants – including 200 species of trees, shrubs, native perennials, and tree-safe vines – for purchase by the public. All proceeds bene t Trees Atlanta’s planting and education programs, helping the community plant approximately 3,000 trees each year and reach over 8,000 children and adults with education programs all around metro Atlanta. is year’s Tree Sale will not only feature unusual and hard-to- nd native and exotic trees, it will also feature a selection of native trees, shrubs, and perennials that attract wildlife and pollinators such as birds, butter ies, and bees. Don’t forget to pick up some of Atlanta’s nest compost for your new trees from CompostWheels while you’re there. For a list of available trees and more information, visit treesatlanta.org.

e National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) has announced that the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation has retained its accreditation status. Atlanta is one of only 119 park and recreation agencies nationwide accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). is national accreditation by the NRPA is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a parks system and sets it apart from thousands of other parks systems throughout the nation. e City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation was rst accredited in 2009.

India Woodson has joined the Decatur’s Design, Environment and Construction Division as the city’s rst ever Landscape Infrastructure Coordinator. e main part of her job is to manage and administer the Tree Canopy Conservation Ordinance, which went into e ect in July. She will also collaborate with other city departments, governmental agencies and citizen groups on landscape projects, canopy restoration programs and green space enhancement programs. “India Woodson brings a passion for trees and years of experience to the city,” said City Manager Peggy Merriss. “She will play an important role in helping educate the community about tree canopy in the city of Decatur.” India received her degree in horticulture in 1991 and has been an International Society of Arboriculture Certi ed Arborist for more than 12 years. She is on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Urban Forest Council and served as the organization’s president in 2012. Previously, India worked as an arborist with DeKalb County and started her career serving on a naval carrier as a Hospital Corpsman.

e Southface Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable convenes once a month to discuss the region’s current environmental issues – from water to energy, urban planning to policy and much more. Members of the audience are encouraged to ask questions, make comments, network and learn about Atlanta’s current and future opportunities for sustainable development. Meetings are held from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at a di erent sustainable site each month. To see where the Oct. 3 and Nov. 7 meetings will be held, visit southface.org/sart for more information.

Dan Whisenhunt / Decaturish.com

SPOOKTACULAR!

Halloween events, fall festivals abound this month

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

If you’re looking to scare up a little entertainment in October, there’s plenty happening around Intown to keep you busy. Here are some highlights:

October at Oakland Cemetery

The historic Atlanta graveyard (oaklandcemetery. com) will host some fun and spooky events in October, starting with the 35th annual Sunday in the Park on Oct. 5 from noon to 6 p.m. There will be an artists market, living history demonstrations, storytellers, Irish dancers, live music and entertainment on three stages, carriage and walking tours, a children’s area, plant sale and food trucks. Capturing the Spirit of Oakland, after dark Halloween tours, will be held Oct. 17-19 and 23-25 with a chance to see inside the gorgeous mausoleums.

Krog Masquerade

The iconic Krog Street tunnel that connects the Old Fourth Ward and Cabbagetown will be taken over by the inaugural Krog Masquerade on Oct. 25 featuring live entertainment, street performers, food and tunes from DJ Salah. Described as an “avantgarde European style masquerade ball,” this show is definitely for adults with body art, burlesque and peep show performance. Masks will be required for entry into the tunnel. Presented by the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces and Sean O’Keefe Events, the festivities begin promptly at 8 p.m. and will end at 1 a.m. Both general admission and VIP ticket options are available. The ball will be held rain or shine and is open to ages 21 and up. $50 General Admission tickets grant admission into the ball to enjoy live entertainment, music, people watching and more. $100 VIP tickets include five complimentary drink

tickets and bites courtesy of 97 Estoria, exclusive interactive live entertainment, access to the VIP tent and more. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit krogmasquerade.com.

Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna

Cirque is back in time for Halloween with a new story about a mysterious island governed by goddesses and guided by the cycles of the moon. In the wake of a storm, a group of young men washes ashore on the island and Queen Prospera discovers her daughter has fallen in love with one of the sailors. The show runs Oct. 3 through Nov. 30. More information at atlanticstation.com.

Little 5 Points Halloween Festival and Parade

The 14th annual tradition (l5phalloween.com) will see thousands congregate in L5P on Oct. 18 to enjoy food, drinks, live entertainment and one of the best Halloween parades the South has to offer. The parade begins at 4 p.m. Costumes are encouraged!

Fall Festival on Ponce

Halloween Night on Callanwolde Mountain

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center (callanwolde.org) will host its first annual fright night on Oct. 31 filling the 12-acre estate with a live Halloween concert, door to door trick or treating, and LEGOLAND Halloween building activities. The Callanwolde Concert Band along with Atlanta Braves Organist, Matthew Kaminski, will be performing selections from Night on Bald Mountain, Phantom of the Opera, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Kids can trick or treat door to door through 18 different locations on the Callanwolde estate. Prizes will be given for the best family-friendly costumes and for the most creative Bring Your Own Carved Pumpkins Contest. Take a break from trick or treating and listen to storytellers spin spooky stories amid the historic gardens on the estate. Food trucks will be on hand as well as a cash bar to provide refreshment. The event takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets for the event are $4 online and $5 at the door. Parking is free and located onsite.

Netherworld

More than 125 arts and crafts vendors will be on hand Oct. 18-19 for the annual festival at Olmsted Linear Park (festivalonponce.com). There will also be live entertainment, children’s activities and food from the local food trucks. A great chance to get some early holiday shopping out of the way.

Pace Academy Fall Fair

The 51st edition of the Fall Fair (paceacademy. org) will be held Oct. 25. Attractions will include inflatables, rides, a haunted house, food and a street fair featuring artists and vendors offering items ranging from unique jewelry, toys and children’s accessories to gourmet specialty foods.

Scarecrows in the Garden

The Atlanta Botanical Garden (atlantabotanicalgarden.org) goes all in for Halloween with its annual display of scarecrows. This year, the scarecrows share the grounds with the giant living sculptures from the Imaginary World exhibition. The Fest-ofAle happens every Thursday in October from 5 to 10 p.m. with seasonal brews and live music. Local chefs will square off on Oct. 24 from 7 to 8 p.m. for the Great Pumpkin Carving Contest.

Vampire Ball: Zombie Apocalypse

The Vampire Ball returns with frightening new twists and incredible costumes all in the name of raising funds to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Georgia. The evening will feature an “undead costume contest,” fortune tellers, an open bar, food, a silent and live auction and live music. The ball is Oct. 25 from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Georgia Freight Depot near Underground Atlanta. Tickets are $150 per person. For more, visit cff.org.

The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Silly Hollow

The Center for Puppetry Arts (puppet.org) in Midtown offers up this comedic and kid-friendly story, which features Ichabod Crane as a schoolteacher who helps the Headless Horseman find a new head and a spookier image. The show opens Oct. 28, just in time for Halloween.

Netherworld

The classic haunted house is open all month long at 6624 Dawson Boulevard in Norcross. Named one of the scariest haunted houses in the world by BuzzFeed, it’s worth the trip outside the perimeter to have the pants scared off you. This year’s theme is “Season of the Witch,” so demon’s only know what terror awaits visitors. Find out more at fearworld.com.

Phantom of the Opera

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s war horse returns to the Fox Theatre Oct. 22 - Nov. 2 to scare up some romantic sounds and visions of love. If you’re more into “The Music of the Night” than trick-or-treating and haunted houses, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. Tickets at foxtheatre.org.

Oakland Tour

Krog Masquerade

COSTUME CONFUSION?

Yelp offers ideas for places to find Halloween duds

By Benjamin Getz

Yelp Atlanta Community Manager

Halloween candy has been haunting shelves across the metro area for months, but have you picked out a costume yet? This month, Yelp Atlanta has some suggestions for to where find your party get-ups and accessories.

Costumes, Etc

Tilia M notes, “They have EVERYTHING here… wigs, realistic fangs, shoes, contacts, they have it all.” Need to be pink Darth Vader for 10/31? They’re on it.

2138 Faulkner Road.

Junkman’s Daughter

More than just a costumer! You’ll find all of your goto collectibles and whacky, awesome candy here as well. Also, the Little Five Points icon is the coup de grâce when it comes to gag gifts.

464 Moreland Ave.

Atlanta Costume

Professional makeup, costume rental, and some serious theatricalgrade equipment for the decorators who go all out. 2089 Monroe Drive

Rag-O-Rama

If a decadespecific outfit is what you’re plundering about for, this Little Five spot is a surefire stop for everything from dresses with shoulder pads to acid-wash jeans. 1111 Euclid Ave.

Richard’s Variety Store

Should you need an eerily realistic mask, a hefty selection of stick-on moustaches, or all of the materials needed to make your own costume from scratch, Richards’ is the place for you. 931 Monroe Drive.

Benjamin Getz is the Community Manager for Yelp in Atlanta. Follow his reviews at benjamingetz.yelp.com and follow all of the Yelp adventures on Instagram & Twitter at @YelpAtlanta.

Courtesy Yelp Yelp user Tilia M. found her pink Darth Vader get-up at Costumes, Etc.

Atlanta Celebrates Photography show awakens viewers’ sense of curiosity, mystery, romance

By Martha Nodar

Autumn is upon us and so is the annual Atlanta Celebrates Photography Festival, now in its 16th season. Founded by Atlanta artists, ACP is a nonpro t organization devoted to promoting creative ideas and engaging the viewer’s imagination.

Among the di erent locales around town participating in the festival this fall is the Mason Murer Gallery in Midtown. Gracing its walls through Oct. 31, are three di erent exhibitions all by female photographers. Helen Reddy would be proud.

One of the exhibitions is “Women in Focus XXI, Juried by Fay Gold,” with 83 images.

Carolyn Meltzer, Sheri Garza-Pope, and Kelly ompson are among 36 members of Women in Focus, an Atlanta-based group of female photographers whose work was selected for this event.

Meltzer’s “Awakening,” is a photo of the lake at Georgia’s Sweetwater Creek State Park capturing the dawning of a new day. She said the early stages of her own artistic journey exploring innovative ideas may be echoed in this image.

“I wanted to re ect the emotional connection with nature rather than depicting a replica of the scene,” she said.

Intrigued by “Awakening,” Midtown artist David Swann said Meltzer’s piece requires more than casual observation.

“When aesthetically analyzed, ‘Awakening’ is the image of a branch hovering over a pond of water,” he said. “Its re ection on the water’s surface lures us in and then we notice it is graphically replicated—digitally ipped—and then monochromed. Black and white awakens to color.”

Awakening our senses and looking deeper at the concealed details is what it is all about, said Garza-Pope, who suggests “there is something extraordinary in everyday moment.” ompson agrees. She said she wanted to capture a moment-in-time and a sense of mystery in “Coming for You,” a photo she took at the Wormsloe Historic Site in Savannah.

“I kept thinking – is that person coming here for a reunion?” she said about a car stopped by a fence in the background.

While Buckhead artist Nathan Dean also detected a sense of mystery in ompson’s image by “the arches of the trees leading toward a distant, vanishing point,” Cheryl D’ Amato, a Midtown artist, was moved instead by a sense of romance. She perceived the same image with “the majestic canopy of oak trees as a tunnel for couples to walk hand-inhand under its inviting shelter.”

Engaging the viewer is what artists intend to do. A parallel may be drawn between the connection a photographer develops with the lens and the intimacy a viewer may develop with a |composition.

Rounding up the rest of the exhibits at Mason Murer for this year’s festival are: “ e Family as the Vernacular,” by Margaret Hiden, Libby Rowe, and H. Jennings She eld; and, “Lucinda’s World” a solo-artist exhibition featuring Lucinda Bunnen’s pieces.

Other venues around town celebrating the annual event are Piedmont Park, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia/TULA Art Complex in Midtown, and the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in the Virginia-Highland-Poncey area among many others.

For a complete listing of events happening during the festival, visit acpinfo.org.

Park Springs Members Don and Carol Ware

“Living at Park Springs is like living in a resort. We love it, and our family loves it too.”

“Awakening” by Carolyn Meltzer

Photos courtesy ACP “Coming For You” by Kelly Thompson

BY THE BOOK

MJCCA Book Festival is back for 23rd year

By Collin Kelley

Mark your calendars for Nov. 1 - 19 when more than 40 authors will descend on Atlanta for two weeks during the 23rd annual Book Festival of the MJCCA (Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta).

Organizers are expecting more than 10,000 book lovers to attend the festival, which will feature speaker programs, author meet-and-greets, book signings, panel discussions, community reads and more.

Some of the headlining authors include comedian and actor Bob Saget, ABC anchor Dan Harris, Dr. Eben Alexander, foodie Mark Bittman, What What Happens Live host and Bravo network exec Andy Cohen, Ezekiel Emanuel, Daniel Gordis, Simon Schama, Ron Suskind, Rabbi Joseph

Telushkin, Anna Quindlen, Bernie Schein and Pat Conroy.

Most events will be held at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are on sale by calling (678) 812-4005 or online at atlantajcc.org/bookfestival.

Anna Quindlen

Photos courtesy MJCCA Bob Saget

North Georgia Mountains

Out on Film, Atlanta Pride celebrate LGBT community

Out On Film, Atlanta’s LGBT lm festival, has announced its line-up for the 27th annual event, which will take place Oct. 2-9 at Landmark Midtown Cinema.

ere will be more than 80 feature lms, documentaries, shorts and more.

e opening night lm is Patrik IanPolk’s Blackbird, which star Academy Award-winning actress Mo’Nique and Julian Walker, who plays a choir boy coming to terms with his sexuality in a conservative Mississippi town. Mo’Nique plays the boy’s mother, who is also dealing with the disappearance of her daughter.

Director David Au will attend the closing night event for a screening of his lm, Eat With Me. e lm follows a mother who comes to live with her gay son in Los Angeles, and must come to terms with her feelings about his sexuality.

For a complete schedule, visit outon lm.org.

e 44th annual Atlanta Pride festival takes over Piedmont Park Oct. 11-12 with a weekend of music, events and the annual Pride Parade down Peachtree Street.

ere will be vendors, artists and live music from headliner Colbie Caillat and comedy and music from Lea DeLaria, who is also this year’s honorary grand marshal for the parade. Other performers will include Wesley Cook, Guru sh, Amber, Meghan Trainor, Yacht Rock Review and the city’s favorite drag queens in the Starlight Cabaret.

e parade will begin at 1 p.m. sharp and step o the Civic Center MARTA station, heads north on Peachtree before turning onto 10th Street and continuing to the park. For a full schedule of events, visit atlantapride.org.

Julian Walker and Oscarwinner Mo’Nique star in Blackbird, the opening night film for the 2014 Out on Film festival.

Photo courtesy Out on Film

Singer Colbie Caillat will headline the mainstage at this year’s Atlanta Pride Festival in Piedmont Park.

Photo courtesy Atlanta Pride

High Museum aims to ‘impress’ with Cézanne exhibit

By Martha Nodar

Atlantans are up for a treat this fall when masterpieces collected by Henry Pearlman, an American businessman, arrive at the High Museum as part of a traveling exhibition. Curated by the Princeton University Art Museum, “Cézanne and the Modern: Masterpieces of European Art from the Pearlman Collection” will be on display at the High from Oct. 25 through Jan. 11, 2015.

This exhibition consists of 50 masterpieces from both the Impressionist and the PostImpressionist art periods. Cézanne, a French painter, has been credited for bridging the gap between these two artistic movements and for being a leading figure in ushering 20th century art.

“Cézanne is the quintessential prophet of experimentation,” said Jeffrey Collins, Oglethorpe University’s art history professor. “It is his compositional control, the way he modulates color and brushstrokes, and his ability to unite logic and emotion that make him a doorway to modern art.”

In addition to 24 of Cézanne’s pieces, the show includes 26 paintings and sculptures by his colleagues, Courbet, Gauguin, van Gogh, and other

masters from the era.

Although Post-Impressionists are known for the use of color, each reacted to the Impressionists’ subdued fluidity with a unique style. While Courbet focused on portraying the common life, van Gogh opted for bright colors and Cézanne championed a geometric structural balance.

Now retired, Lloyd Nick, the founding director of the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, said Cézanne was influenced by Leonardo da Vinci’s technique.

“Cézanne took trips to the Louvre especially to study closely Leonardo’s ‘Mona Lisa,’” he said. “He realized that the movement of the viewer’s eyes starts clockwise at the model’s hands. It is easy to detect a similar kind of movement in his ‘Provencal Manor.’ Observe the hill behind the manor and you will see an oval –a successful mimicking of the compositional structure in the ‘Mona Lisa’.”

For Leonardo as well as for Cézanne the objective was to take the viewer through a visual journey. Cézanne accomplished this by “stripping away the unimportant elements and reworking nature into a completely new representation,” Collins said.

Cézanne could not have chosen a better influence. An expert in optical illusion, Leonardo was a genius who

grew up in Vinci—a small village in Florence at a time when folks were simply known by their first name and place of birth. Thus, the name Leonardo (da= from) Vinci.

Neither Leonardo nor Cézanne could have anticipated the impact they would exert on the world of art for centuries to come. Modern art didn’t just happen – masters paved the way with their innovative ideas.

Providing an ambiance conducive to learning about art is what the High aims to accomplish with the help of its

docent corps, said Margaret Wilkerson, the High’s art coordinator of education volunteers.

Deby Barber and her fellow docent volunteer educator Dottie Newman said they are gearing up to help the visitors attending this exhibit. For Barber, Courbet rocks. For Newman, it is van Gogh who steals her heart.

“The docents’ ability to make the art come alive is one of our greatest resources,” Wilkerson said.

For more about the exhibition, visit high.org.

Courtesy High Museum

Cézanne’s “Provencal Manor”

SOCIAL CITY

ELEVATE art exhibit returns to Downtown Oct. 17-23

“Social City” is the theme of this year’s ELEVATE art exhibition in Downtown Atlanta, which will feature more than 100 artists.

Viewers will be able to engage with living sculptures, interactive gadgetry, artist panels, portable art and dance performances, and other surprises. All events are free and open to the public.

“ is year’s ELEVATE contemporary art happenings in Downtown Atlanta will be playful and interactive,” states Camille Russell Love, Executive Director of the Mayor’s O ce of Cultural A airs.

Locations for this year’s ELEVATE are Woodru Park, Gallery 72, Five Points Plaza and the Fairlie-Poplar District. However, many exhibits will take place in unexpected, non-traditional locations around town and some art will be mobile. Here are some highlights from this year’s ELEVATE:

Branden Collins will use ancient forms of masking and costuming from various cultures as reference points in his exhibit at Gallery 72. His artwork incorporates brilliant colors and tribal elements and encourages the viewer to come closer.

e Goat Farm, working with over 20 artists and designers, will transform 10 dumpsters into built galleries, installations

and sculptures. Utilizing art, science, technology and micro-manufacturing they’ll create cozy, inviting spaces. Among the galleries, located in hidden alleyways and nearby parks, visitors will discover a Secret Garden to make a wish or a Giant Synthesizer where they can make public music.

Strolling through Downtown at lunchtime you may encounter La Passante ese walking French parasols invite you to join them for an intimate poem and a brief respite from the city’s hustle and bustle, an unforgettable experience. La Passante is cosponsored by France Atlanta.

Joanie Le Mercier’s unique, light-based projection art will create optical illusions and “geometricize” areas of Atlanta’s urban landscape. His works combines math with art and immerses the viewer in a journey that conjures space exploration.

Dance Truck will present dance and performance art, complete with lighting, music and all the trappings that you nd on a traditional stage…in a most extraordinary mobile setting.

For more information about events during ELEVATE, visit elevateatlantaart. com

Featuring:

Bob Saget

Dr. Eben Alexander

Mark Bittman

Andy Cohen

Daniel Gordis

Dan Harris

Walter Isaacson

Anna Quindlen

Ron Suskind

Joseph Telushkin

PLUS 30 More Outstanding Authors!

Joanie Le Mercier’s light projections will be featured at

Photos courtesy Atlanta OCA

The block party is one of the big events of the ELEVATE celebration.

Dance Truck

La Passante

Visual Arts

Continuum: The Creatives Project’s artists-in-studio residents challenge the boundaries of their creativity in this exhibit and live performance at The Goat Farm. October 10. $20 to $25. thecreativesproject.org

Esoteric Lore: Rights of Passage: This Africa Atlanta exhibit explores the rich and diverse history of Africa through the work of artist collective Esoteric Lore. Closes October 11. Free. whitespace814. com

Exquisite Exhibit: Parlour Games from the Studio Artist Program: Twentyone studio artists teamed up for this modern version of “exquisite corpse,” a Surrealist parlour game in which three artists blindly collaborate on a portrait or drawing. Closes October 11. $5 to $8.

Shining Moments: Beep Beep Gallery presents this solo exhibition by Atlanta artist Jason R. Butcher, whose work is similar to daguerrotypes but are actually a combination of etching and digital prints. Closes October 18. Free. beepbeepgallery.com

Your Apprehension is Noted: Artist Benjamin Britton thinks of his paintings as journeys and experiences of the senses, creating moments of adventure or wonder. Closes October 18. Free. marciawoodgallery.com

The Ashley Bryan Traveling Exhibit of Illustrated Africana Children’s Literature: Children’s illustrators and authors R. Gregory Christie, Shadra Strickland and Michele Wood continue the legacy of renowned author and artist Ashley Bryan in this unique exhibit. Closes October 25. $2 to $4. hammondshouse. org

ACP Exhibition: The largest annual communityoriented photo festival in the U.S. returns for its 16th year with free events and exhibitions at more than 120 participating venues in Atlanta. Daily. Prices vary by venue. acpinfo. org

Performing Arts

Cirque du Soleil: Amaluna: Cirque du Soleil comes to Atlantic Station with a

show about a mysterious island governed by goddesses and guided by the cycles of the moon. Opens October 3. $60 to $275. cirquedusoleil.com

How I Learned What I Learned: August Wilson’s solo show shares the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright’s personal stories about his encounters with racism, music, love, a stint in jail and life-changing friendships as a young poet. Opens October 7. $20 to $50. truecolorstheatre.org

CHVRCHES: Glasgow’s frosty electro-pop trio writes music inspired by artists such as Prince, Depeche Mode and Kate Bush. October 8. $27 to $30. thebuckheadtheatre.com

The Sleepy Hollow Experience: This Halloween-themed outdoor performance returns to the Stables at Serenbe for a very haunted Halloween. Opens October 9. $20. serenbeplayhouse.com

Atlanta Black Theatre Festival: More than 200 artists from 18 states and three countries perform 40 plays in just four days at this diverse theatre festival at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center. October 9 through October 12. Prices vary by show. atlantabtf.org

My Children! My Africa!: In this three-character thriller, a black teacher in segregated South Africa tries to convince a favorite student that education, not violence, is the answer to the nation’s

CIRQUE DE SOLEIL

problems. October 9 through October 26. $20 to $35. theatricaloutfit.org

Brentano String Quartet with Vijay Iyer, piano: Jazz pianist, composer and 2013 MacArthur Fellow Vijay Iyer joins this string quartet with a sound called “luxuriously warm” by The New York Times. October 10. $45. arts.emory.edu

room-innate: A woman struggles to achieve comfort and peace of mind with her eccentricity in this one-woman performance piece with an entirely original score. October 10 through October 12. Free! skwhirlhaus.com

Sweet Honey in the Rock: African, jazz, gospel and R&B is just a sampling of what this revered female AfricanAmerican a cappella ensemble has performed in its 40 years. October 11. $59 to $76. rialtocenter.org

MATT HAIMOVITZ

Video Games Live: The excitement and energy of a rock concert combines with the technology and visuals of video games at this Georgia Symphony Orchestra concert. October 11. $26 to $86. georgiasymphony.org

Disney On Ice Presents Frozen: The award-winning tale of “Frozen” is told live for the first time in this on-ice production at Philips Arena. October 8 through October 12. $15 to $100. philipsarena. com

National Acrobats of China: The National Acrobats of The People’s Republic of China performs an eyepopping spectacle with acrobats, contortionists, martial artists, drummers and dancers. October 12. $22 to $47. ferstcenter.gatech.edu

Emory University Symphony Orchestra with Matt Haimovitz: Inspiring cellist Matt Haimovitz returns to Emory to perform with the University Symphony Orchestra and to premiere a new cello concerto composed by Emory’s Richard Prior. October 18. Free! arts.emory.edu

Detroit: Horizon Theatre Company presents this Pulitzer Prize finalist and one of The New York Times top ten plays of 2012 about suburban dreams and neighborhood connections. Closes October 19. $20 to $40. horizontheatre. com

The Phantom of the Opera: Following an acclaimed sold-out tour of the United Kingdom, this new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic show returns to

THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN OF SLEEPY SILLY HOLLOW

The Fox Theatre with new set designs and special effects. Opens October 22. $30 to $150. broadwayinatlanta.com

Jim Gaffigan: Following a regular theater show of his all new stand-up material, Jim Gaffigan will be doing a special book signing of his new book “FOOD: A Love Story” for all audience

members. October 24. $47 to $73. cobbenergycentre.com

The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Silly Hollow: This comedic and kidfriendly version presents Ichabod Crane as a schoolteacher who helps the Headless Horseman find a new head and a spookier image. Opens October 28.

$16.50. puppet.org

Halloween Night on Callanwolde Mountain: Celebrate Halloween with a live organ performance by Atlanta Braves organist Matthew Kaminski followed by trick-or-treating, storytelling and activities for the whole family. October 31. $4 to $5. callanwolde.org

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

More than 90 local restaurants have signed on to participate in this year’s Taste of Atlanta, which will take place Oct. 24-26 in Midtown at Tech Square.

A Little South In Your Mouth

Taste of Atlanta returns to Midtown for 13th year

With eateries featured from both inside and outside the perimeter, festival-goers will be able to sample cuisine from every corner of the city. To help attendees pinpoint their local favorites or discover new restaurants, the festival will take visitors on a culinary tour through the city’s many diverse neighborhoods. Whether it’s Buckhead’s St. Cecilia, Virginia-Highland’s e Original El Taco, Roswell’s Little Alley Steakhouse, Decatur’s No. 246, Brookhaven’s THERE, Alpharetta’s Milton’s or Midtown’s Table at Ten, foodies will experience a variety of signature dishes from each community.

Taste of Atlanta will kick o with a block party on Oct. 24 with the theme Culinary Matrimony. e event will feature local celebrity chefs, including Patric Bell, Ron Eyester, Jay Swi and Tyler Williams, for an evening of both famed and more obscure avor pairings.

ere will also be live music from Electric Avenue, booze and bites from Seven Lamps, Fox Bros. BBQ, e Optimist and Buttermilk Kitchen.

“I think people will be hard pressed to nd more culinary variety in one place,” said chef and restaurateur Ron Eyester of Rosebud, e Family Dog, Timone’s

and his latest concept, Diner. “With every signature taste, the festival showcases just how diverse and progressive our city’s dining scene really is. I welcome any opportunity to support my fellow chefs and our local food landscape, and that is exactly what Taste of Atlanta brings to the table.”

For tickets, a complete list of events and participating restaurants, visit tasteofatlanta.com.

Savor Sandy Springs

Blue Grotto promotes relaxation and conversation, and prepares you for a stunning meal. Our menu is graced with fresh, innovative sushi and other Asian cuisine. The complementary and contrasting flavors and textures will both excite and delight you!

Blue Grotto Tapas 220 Sandy Springs Cir #205 BlueGrottoTapas.com

TASTING INTOWN: Café Alsace Restaurant Review

By Art Huckabee

is month we decided to visit Decatur. It probably wasn’t wise to make the trek during rush hour as every Atlantan who owns a car was on Clairmont Road. We nally made it, only to circle the square looking for a parking spot, like an airliner in a holding pattern over Harts eld Jackson.

In a di erent life, I might have chosen to live in Decatur; there seems to be something within walking distance for everyone, be it an ice cream shop, a bar with live music or a café… perhaps a quaint Alsatian café at that.

Café Alsace occupies a small storefront just o the courthouse square. Its awning advertises that it’s been there since 1997, no easy feat in the restaurant business. When you walk in, you immediately feel like you’ve been transported to France.

e owner greets you in French ever poised to continue the conversation in that language if you are so inclined or capable. Unfortunately my French ends shortly a er “Bonjour,” “Merci,” “Au Revoir” and the song, Frère Jacques.

e space is lled with white table-clothed tables, lots of bric-abrac, artwork and things posing as artwork. You get the sense that a lot of the diners here are regulars; and if you’re not, the owner makes you feel just as welcome.

e food is distinctly French with German in uences. e Alsace region of France lies on the west bank of the Rhine River and is within yodeling distance of both Germany and Switzerland.

We began our Alsatian adventure with wine and appetizers. ere were several good Gewürztraminer’s and Riesling’s for which the Alsace region is known. ere were also a few nice reds including a Chateau Bouscasse, a Bordeaux-style blend. e wine list gives a brief avor pro le of most wines making it easier to choose a glass that will suit one’s taste.

We chose the Brie a la Rhubarbe et Mirabelle, the Tarte Flambe and the French onion soup to start. e baked Brie served with pretzel bread, Rhubarb jam and a Mirabelle plum jam provided the perfect savory, sweet, salty bite.

e Tarte Flambe was a large atbread smothered in Crème Fraiche, bacon, onions and Emmentaler cheese. It was one of the favorite dishes of the evening and if paired with a green salad, could have easily been a meal for two on its own. e onion soup was avorful and full of caramelized onions but needed a

cheesier topping.

Our entrées were the Bouef Wellington, the Filet de truite, the Poulet farci and the Crêpe du jour. I’m betting that more than one “Hell’s Kitchen” fan has visited to sample the Wellington. is version was quite good with the pastry light and crispy and the beef medium rare… not an easy feat according to Chef Ramsay. e trout dish was classically French with smoked salmon, fennel and apples. It tasted good but was texturally one-note.

e chicken stu ed with pecans,

Brie and spinach in a g “au jus” had a way of growing on you with each bite even though the chicken was overdone. e Crêpe of the day, a combination of chicken, goat cheese, quinoa and green beans was visually appealing but also overdone. e goat cheese overpowered the dish. e doneness of the birds aside, both dish’s avors were “acquired tastes.”

Each entrée came with excellent potatoes gratin and a large side salad. e g and honey dressing was so good that we bought some to take home.

While the service was excellent, the pace of service was more suited for an evening when one didn’t have to go to work the next day.

Café Alsace made the drive to Decatur worth it. Now, if we can only remember where we parked the car.

Café Alsace is located at 121 East Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur (404) 3735622 or cafealsace.net.

Art Huckabee is one of Yelp’s Elite Reviewers, as well as a pilot, gourmet cook and food lover. Send feedback to tastingintown@atlantaintownpaper.com.

Allen Wu and Mei Huang

Photos by Art Huckabee

Above: Filet de truite

Below: Baked Brie with pretzel bread

Quick Bites

More than 75 cheeses from artisan food producers from around the world will be showcased at the second annual Atlanta Cheese Festival on Oct. 3 from 6 to 11 p.m. at Atlanta Botanical Garden. e festivities will begin with a Grilled Cheese Meltdown competition from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Attendees will have the chance to vote a er sampling grilled cheese sandwich creations from a range of competitors one of which will be crowned Atlanta’s Grilled Cheese Champion. Admission is $35 or $75 for VIP tickets. e event will bene t e Giving Kitchen, which lends a helping hand to members of the local restaurant industry impacted by medical or other unanticipated hardship. For tickets and more information, visit atlantacheesefestival.com.

e Square Pub (squarepubdecatur.com) in Decatur will hold its annual Green Chile Roast on Oct. 4 starting at noon. Activities for the party will center around the outdoor hand-roasting of 8,000 pounds of premium Hatch green chiles, personally selected in New Mexico by Square Pub co-owners Jason Wiles and Bob Rhein. Other highlights will include a special chile-inspired menu and drinks that will blend southern and southwestern cuisine and a green chile chili cook-o .

Zesto’s on Ponce

will also be live bluegrass music from the Fulton Ramblers. Tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for children 10 and above, children 9 and under are free. Tickets are available at chattnaturecenter.org.

e Georgia Cra Beer Festival will be held in Candler Park on Oct. 25 from 1 to 6 p.m. e festival will include an a ernoon of arts, live entertainment, a variety of food selections from the city’s top food trucks and 100+ cra beers to sample from over 30 of the top breweries from around the state. Proceeds from the event will bene t e Georgia Cra Brewers Guild, a trade organization representing cra breweries and brewpubs in the state of Georgia. For more information, visit georgiacra beerfestival.com.

e Zesto Drive-In on Ponce de Leon Avenue in the Old Fourth Ward closed on Sept. 20. e iconic silver diner had served up burgers, fries, shakes and dipped cones at the location for 60 years. Zesto locations in Little Five Points, East Confederate and Moreland Avenue in Southeast Atlanta, near Lindbergh MARTA station on Piedmont Road, on Forest Parkway in Forest Park and on Carriage Oaks Drive in Tyrone will remain open. Tomorrow’s News Today was reporting at press time that Cook Out, which is currently opening locations around Intown, will take over the space. e exterior will remain the same, while renovation will take place inside to make room for the new burger, fries and shakes purveyor.

Davio’s in Buckhead will host a Chefs Collaborative Dinner on Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. featuring guest Chef G. Garvin of the Cooking Channel & Food Network and Davio’s Executive Chef Richard Lee. e ve-course dinner with wine pairings will be available for one night only. $125 (excluding tax and gratuity) includes wine pairings for each course. Reservations are available by calling (404) 844-4810 or davios.com/atl.

Harvest on the Hooch will be held Oct. 19 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Unity Garden. e event, presented by Whole Foods, is designed to promote the “farm to table” movement. Local restaurants – including Muss & Turners, Table and Main and Mill Kitchen and Bar – will be cooking up special dishes and there

e Bewitching Beer Dinner will be held at Red Brick Brewing Company on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.

A four-course dinner prepared by Executive Chef Christina Curry of Epicurean Endeavors will be paired with Red Brick Brewery Cra Beers. Tickets are $95 per person. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit epicureanatl.com.

e annual Battle of the Burgers will be held Oct. 18 in John Howell Park in Virginia-Highland from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than 20 local restaurants will be cooking up their best hamburgers for tasting and judging by a panel of burger experts. ere will also be a 5K run and live entertainment. For tickets and information, visit battleo heburgers.com.

Photo by Isadora Pennington

HEADING EAST

Decatur and surrounding communities attracting more homebuyers

By Kathy Dean

Everyone knows that when it comes to real estate, the top three factors are “location, location, location!”

With that in mind, Intown’s eastside communities have become prime targets for homebuyers who want to be close to Atlanta, but a little more breathing room.

e City of Decatur and its hip and happening Oakhurst community, Candler Park, Kirkwood and Lake Claire have become some of the metro’s most desired neighborhoods.

“ e tag line for Decatur is ‘Where Mayberry Meets Berkeley,’ and it’s true,” explained Weslee Knapp, Broker and Owner of Keller Knapp, Inc. “What draws people here are the phenomenal schools, small community feel, location, strong retail with great dining experiences, MARTA access, pedestrian friendliness, wonderful community events and amazing parks and outdoor spaces.”

Knapp said Decatur has a natural scarcity of homes that constantly drives up demand because the city only covers about four square miles.

Kerry Lucasse, Team Leader of the Nest Atlanta Real Estate Group at eXp Realty, reported that, based on MLS research, the average Decatur singlefamily home sales price last quarter increased $70,000 from the same time last year, from $459,000 to $534,000. When comparing the second quarter of 2014 to the second quarter of 2008 (before the market crashed), the average sales price has risen by $168,000 from $366,000 to $534,000. Part of the dramatic increase in average sales price is due to the in ux of new construction homes ranging in price from $650,000 to over $1 million.

While the real estate market in Decatur neighborhoods has been nothing short of incredible, it’s especially true in Oakhurst. “When I purchased a home in Oakhurst in 2001, very few people had ever heard of it,” Lucasse said.

“Today, it’s o en the rst neighborhood that potential homebuyers add to their wish list!”

There’s no doubt that the Decatur school system is a major reason that there’s a huge influx of young families. Knapp pointed out that the new Drew Charter Middle and High School in nearby East Lake is a big draw, too, since parents know that their children are in a school program that goes from kindergarten through high school.

Tom Fulkerson, Managing Broker at RE/MAX Metro Atlanta, said, “Each neighborhood has its own ‘village’ and parks that draw residents. We’ve seen interest in Decatur neighborhoods increasing for at least 18 to19 months.”

The specific housing options range from existing older homes, renovated homes and new construction.

“Downtown Decatur has lovely new

communities with less than 30 units, nestled in a single-family neighborhood.

A large majority of the homebuyers, however, are attracted to the character and charm of the 1920s bungalows, with their big rocking chair front porches, high ceilings and period details. Since many of the bungalows are less than 2,000 square feet, larger families often have to consider new construction homes.

Savvy homebuyers also consider resale value when purchasing a home. In Decatur, that’s a consideration that can really pay o . “Earlier this year, we assisted a family in Oakhurst that was being transferred out of state,” Lucasse said. “Even though they only owned their 3 bedroom / 2 bath cottage for about 10 months, the home sold for $67,000 more than they paid for it.”

Oakhurst is something special, according to Lucasse. She said that there’s always something to do, from the Oakhurst Dog Park, the pool at McKoy Park, happy hour on the Universal Joint patio and Jazz on the Lawn on ursday nights to neighborhood festivals and special events almost every month.

Hosea Williams Drive). A majority of the homes there have already been renovated and residents are just steps away from the restaurants, Bessie Branham Park and residents on the eastern edge can walk or bike to Oakhurst Village.

The streets of Candler Park are lined with bungalows, English Tudors, cottages and new Craftsman style homes. Most of the historic homes have been renovated in the last 10 years and range in price from the low $300s to mid $700s, with the average sales price in the high $400s. Lucasse advised homebuyers looking for a new construction home to be prepared to spend at least $700K.

condominium homes and existing townhomes that draw young singles, young married couples and empty nesters who want to downsize and not have the burden of property to maintain,” Fulkerson added.

For homeowners who prefer townhome or condo living, there are several historic buildings and newer developments that have popped up in recent years. Most are small

Probably the most highly sought a er section of Oakhurst is the MAK Historic District. It features some of the most stunning homes in the area, from large Cra sman Bungalows to Four Square homes.

Kirkwood is a favorite neighborhood for homebuyers who want the character and charm of a historic home, but need something a bit more a ordable. Homebuyers can typically nd fully renovated 3-bedroom, 2-bath bungalows in Kirkwood in the mid $300s.

Many young professionals start their home search in Oakhurst, but due to the bidding wars and low inventory levels, they change their focus to Kirkwood. The neighborhood’s downtown district has taken shape over the last year, thanks to new businesses, restaurants and a dedicated neighborhood association.

“If I had to pick the next ‘hottest neighborhood in Atlanta,’ Kirkwood would be it,” claimed Lucasse. “Property values are up almost 15 percent from the same time last year, homes are being renovated everywhere you look, and more and more businesses and investors are drawn to this friendly, intown neighborhood.”

She added that the most popular section of Kirkwood is NOHO (North of

For those homebuyers who want to live in one of Atlanta’s most highly sought after neighborhoods, but can’t swing the price of a single family home, there are also some great condos and lofts available in the $100K to $225K price range.

Those who call Candler Park home range from yoga instructors to attorneys, but they all share a love of the hip neighborhood vibe, from the annual music and beer festivals to annual block parties and Sunday brunch at The Flying Biscuit. Many are also very active, so the bike trails, Freedom Park and easy access to the Atlanta Beltline are a big plus.

Lake Claire, east of Candler Park and north of Kirkwood, is another sought-a er neighborhood of approximately 1,200 homes. e name is actually a shortened version of the intersection of Lakeshore and Claire Drives—there was never a lake, or even a pond, in the area.

Other neighborhoods, like Winnona Park, are also starting to experience exponential growth, with new construction homes selling in the mid $800s to low $900s.

Lucasse o ered this tip to homebuyers: “It’s not uncommon for a home in Decatur to sell for $50K over the asking price. If you’re in the market for a home in any of these neighborhoods, be prepared for a bidding war. Make sure your real estate agent is local and knows how to package your o er so it stands out from the crowd.”

Courtesy Weslee Knapp

This house on Sycamore Street is one of Decatur’s finest.

Courtesy Nest Atlanta Real Estate Oakhurst is one of the eastside’s most desired neighborhoods.

Courtesy Nest Atlanta Real Estate A Craftsman cottage in Kirkwood.

MIDTOWN MIXED-USE

More apartments/retail projects in the pipeline

e Midtown Development Review Committee (DRC) reviewed ve projects during its Sept. 9 meeting, including three new mixed-use developments, an o ceto-lounge conversion, and an update to Related Group’s 22 14th Street project. Here’s the rundown courtesy of the Midtown Alliance:

22 Fourteenth Street: e Related Group returned to the DRC with updates to the proposed residential tower on the southwest corner of 14th and West Peachtree. e project contains roughly 400 apartments and 6,500 SF of groundoor retail space. e design team has developed a unique approach to screening the parking deck façade using large-scale vertical columns that are segmented and slanted at various angles. e committee commended the team for exploring this creative approach and requested more detail about proposed materials and the way they would be perceived from the street level. e committee recommended conditional support for the project contingent on upgraded sidewalk conditions along Spring Street and the provision of additional information about the parking deck façade.

“Modera,” 90 Peachtree Place: Dallas-based Mill Creek Residential is proposing a 29-story development with frontage on 8th Street, Williams Street

and Peachtree Place. e proposed tower contains approximately 350 apartments and 12,300 SF of retail space located primarily on 8th Street and a portion of Williams. e committee complimented the project’s street-level approach, which wraps the parking deck with live-work units and retail storefronts. However, the committee also suggested that the retail component could be more successful if located further east on the site in closer proximity to Spring Street, where there is a greater potential for foot-tra c. Mill Creek Residential plans to return to the DRC for a follow-up review.

“Broadstone Terraces,” 811 Juniper: Alliance Residential is planning an 8-story, 218-unit apartment building on the east side of Juniper between 5th and 6th Street. e development team was mindful of the transition zone in which the property is located, with adjacent medium to high-rise developments on the Juniper Street side such as e Dakota and SkyHouse South and lower density condos and single-family homes abutting the rear of the site. e project is in the conceptual design phase and will continue to be developed over the next month with attention given to the architecture of the exterior elevations and the location of entrances to the parking structure and loading/service areas. Alliance Residential will solicit feedback from area residents at upcoming meetings

of the Midtown Neighbor’s Association and NPU-E before returning to the DRC for a follow-up presentation.

880 West Peachtree: A 22-story mixeduse development is proposed by Trammel Crow at the current location of Drew, Eckl & Farnham’s law o ce. e development includes 356 residential units and 10,000 SF of retail along West Peachtree and 8th Street. e project creates an inviting environment at the street level for outdoor dining by incorporating expanded seating areas adjacent to potential restaurant spaces. e project’s west-facing façade has a direct line from sight from the Connector and provides a high-visibility marketing opportunity. While the committee o ered general support for the project overall, they requested that the team provide additional details for the west-facing façade, including screening for the parking deck. It was also requested that a plan for landscape

elements to so en and screen the service/ loading areas along 8th Street be provided.

“Kapture,” 75 Peachtree Place: e committee reviewed a new application for the renovation of an existing o ce building located on Peachtree Place between Williams Street and Spring Street to convert it into a lounge. e proposed scope of work includes façade enhancements and upgrading the main entrance to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. e applicant is continuing to review alternatives for an ADA ramp or li and intends to come back to the DRC for a follow-up review. Additionally, the committee asked the applicant to provide more information about lighting around the perimeter of the property to enhance public safety and to identify a designated area patron queuing to ensure that the public sidewalk remains unobstructed.

Courtesy Midtown Alliance

A rendering of the proposed 22 14th Street project.

ECLECTIC ANSLEY

Home tour will showcase neighborhood jewels

e 2014 Ansley Park Tour of Homes will take place Oct. 18-19 featuring the theme “Eclectic Ansley.”

e tour will feature eight homes that highlight the diversity of architecture and décor in Ansley Park. Homes include a lovingly restored Dutch Colonial, a completely rehabbed townhouse, an English Tudor built in 1928 and designed by Frances Palmer Smith, a Greek Revival home built in 1911, a 1911 Cape Cod-Cra sman style home, and a 1929 Mediterranean style home full of architectural and design surprises.

e tour will also feature SCADpads, fully functional residences the size of a parking space designed and built by Savannah College of Art and Design students and alumni.

e tour is open to the public on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on tour dates. Tickets are available on anselytouro omes.com. Along with the opportunity to explore the homes, there will be local food trucks in the neighborhood o ering up lunch options to visitors.

Courtesy Ansley Park Tour of

ough Labor Day traditionally signals the end of summer, the Atlanta residential real estate market is showing no signs of hitting a typical fall decline. e August CalCulator, Atlanta’s residential real estate index, rose 0.1 from July to reach a 6.2, the record that was set by the June index. Large home price increases in Atlanta, falling foreclosure numbers and increased a ordability, partly due to increased inventory, led to the rise in the index. Despite the positive data, August did see disappointing news in terms of new-home sales, according to the latest data by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Sales of new single-family homes fell 2.4 percent in July. However, regionally, sales were up 8.1 percent in the South from the previous month and 33.2 percent from last year.

Jim Chapman, pictured, president of Jim Chapman Communities and Jim Chapman Fine Homes in Atlanta, was recently installed as Second Vice Chairman of the 50+ Housing Council Board of Trustees of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). He will be the chairman in 2016.

Atlanta Habitat for Humanity will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 21 at 10 a.m. for its new headquarters at 824 Memorial Drive in Reynoldstown. e building is located on 5.3 acres near the Atlanta BeltLine.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s Allen Snow, who is a liated the brokerage’s Midtown o ce, was selected by Atlanta-based Minerva Homes as the listing agent for ve of their communities: Axis Condos and Townhomes, Berkeley Village, East Avenue Cottages, Linden Place and Oakview Townhomes. Snow’s partnership with Minerva began in 2012 with East Avenue Cottages. He has closed more than $3.5 million in Minerva properties in the rst half of the year, and has approximately $7.3 million in closed sales of their properties since 2012.

John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods has announced a new neighborhood coming soon just a short walk from vibrant Decatur Square. Decatur Walk will feature 11 luxury townhomes at the corner of East Howard Avenue and Hillyer Place in Downtown Decatur. Prices are expected to begin in the $500s with sales set to open later this fall. For more information, visit jwhomes.com or call (770) 996-6065.

High-end residential housing could be part of the transformation of Underground Atlanta, according to a report from 11 Alive News. e beleaguered Downtown attraction would become a mixed-use project with the empty storefronts on Upper Alabama Avenue becoming homes, according to Mayor Kasim Reed. “You’re going have to go vertical and really turn Underground into some people’s living room, so what I think you going to see with the new development is to have some vertical construction more residential,” Reed said. Reed says some of the retail space in the subterranean part of the project will stay retail. But with people living upstairs, the struggling shops in Underground would no longer depend on tourists for tra c. In May, the city bought out the remainder of an 88-year lease with the project’s operating partner Dan O’Leary for $8.8 million. e city’s economic development arm, Invest Atlanta, is currently seeking a buyer for Underground.

Curbed Atlanta has reported on an interesting project brewing at Piedmont and 5th Street in Midtown. Prime Construction plans to build a row of three-story, contemporary townhomes connected to a historic home from the 1890s that sits prominently at the corner. e website speci es that the project will consist of six townhomes; renderings clearly show four contemporary units, so the other two are presumably inside the existing home.

Reason #1:

Exceptional Patient Satisfaction

In our clinic, our patients are #1 and that’s why they’ve given us an outstanding satisfaction score: 99.5% of patients were Satis ed or Very Satis ed with the care they received.

Experience the patient-focused environment at our new Virginia Highlands clinic. Now, Atlanta’s preferred physical therapy service is convenient for you.

ROCKING THE LANDSCAPE

Artist and gardener work to renovate historic rock garden

By Geri Laufer

e greatest gi of a garden is the renewal of the ve senses, and a historic Atlanta rock garden is once again providing just that.

e 1920s rock garden – complete with stone bench, waterfall and moated pond – is located on the historic Druid Hills estate originally owned by Equifax founder Cator Woolford at 1875 S. Ponce de Leon Ave.

e rock garden was originally designed by Philadelphia landscape architect Robert B. Cridland, but a er more than 50 years of neglect it was covered with indiscriminate rubble and leaf litter, overgrown with wisteria, poison ivy, mulberry and privet, while the stepping stone path had sunken and was unusable, and the water features no longer worked.

Cooper Sanchez, a multifaceted Atlanta artist and illustrator that apprenticed under well-known local landscape architects Brooks Garcia and Alex Smith, was appointed to return the rock garden to its original state with a grant from e Sarah Giles Moore Foundation.

e change is dramatic.

Sanchez did a bang up job of clearing away more than 50 years of neglect and growth, resetting the huge rock garden stepping stones, restoring the waterfall, recirculating stream and moated fountain, and replanting the garden with shade garden plants, all set within a cathedral-like forest.

Sanchez drew on his hybrid background of art and horticulture. He noted, “My planting goal for the rock garden was a vibrant garden lled with shade appropriate, traditional Southern plants, including many native species. Although the rock garden is man-made, I wanted the plantings to be as sympathetic as possible and make the rocks feel and look natural.”

Plantings will come into full bloom next spring and increase in beauty in subsequent years.

e current occupants of the property, the Atlanta Hospital Hospitality House, provides a “home away from home” to outpatients and relatives of patients hospitalized in 21 Atlantaarea hospitals in the former Woolford mansion. Lodging, meals and a supportive sta are on hand for guests during a crisis period.

“We serve about 200 people a year and the restored rock garden is right outside the door,” said AHHH executive director Melissa Connor. “Its waterfall and stepping stone path provide additional solace and a serene, contemplative nature spot for families in health crisis.”

e grounds of the Atlanta Hospital Hospitality House and the Frazer Center next door, including walking trails, picnicking and the restored rock garden, are free and open daily from dawn to dusk for both guests of the AHHH and to the public.

Special Cooper Sanchez in the rock garden.

Renovation tips for your historic home

Balance Design, a Candler Parkbased inter interior design rm, has a decade of experience under its belt in decorating some of the neighborhood’s and city’s historic homes.

e company’s founder and Candler Park resident Stephanie Andrews along with design director Elisabeth Paulson strive to keep the past intact while updating historic homes.

“We love working with historic homes in Atlanta’s classic neighborhoods,” said Andrews. “From restoring and renovating kitchens and baths, to opening up living spaces or simply embracing uneven oors, an old home has a legacy to consider. Our job is to reveal that spirit through considered design.”

Here are ve steps from the design duo on enhancing a historical home

1. Open a wall. You never know what you will nd. Don’t be afraid to open a wall in your historical home. You won’t lose the historical integrity by taking down a single wall.

2. Make an individual statement. Be bold! Paint your front door or anything else that individualizes your home.

3. Mix in modern elements. ere is nothing more beautiful and elegant than modern outdoor furniture on a classic porch. Here, we also think of

lighting! Modern furniture, furnishings and lighting o en accentuate the older details of your historical home.

4. Play with the landscaping. Add a sculptural tree or textured grass to create an interesting dynamic outdoor space.

5. Continue the legacy. Research the home’s history. Consider keeping the claw foot tub, re nish the pedestal sink, build shelves to match the trim or salvage old tile.

For more, visit balancedesignatlanta. com or the new blog, Design Pulp, at designpulp.net.

HCV: Baby Boomers Beware

If you were born between 1945 and 1965, you could be at risk for Hepatitis C (HCV). According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), three out of four people with HCV are part of the baby boomer generation - and most don’t even know they’re infected.

Because people can live with HCV for decades with no symptoms, screening for the virus is critical. If left untreated, it can cause severe liver damage, including cirrhosis and liver cancer – even liver failure.

Talk to your doctor about getting screened for HCV. It's a simple, one-time blood test. If you test positive, the specialists at Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates can help with the latest treatment options available.

Congratulations to Dr.Norman Gitlin,recently named a Fellow by the AmericanAssociation for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

& 5K presented by American Family Insurance

Saturday, October 26 - Atlantic Station atlantatrackclub.org

Marathon Expires 10/21

Thursday, November 27 - Turner Field

Event includes Half Marathon, 5K, One Mile and Kids Dash! atlantahalfmarathon.org

Norman Gitlin, MD Emory Midtown Huiming (Sooki) Hon, MD, PhD Emory Saint Joseph’s | Northside Enrique Martínez, MD Emory Midtown

Tracy Cox New built-in bookshelves stained to match the original 1920’s trim. Room designed by Balance Design.

Top: “Apparitions: Look Away,” a photo installation by artist Gregor Turk on a section of the Atlanta BeltLine near Piedmont Park, shows the eyes of Union General William T. Sherman, who famously burned Atlanta to the ground during the Civil War. The installation will remain in place until Nov. 15, the 150th anniversary of the day Sherman ordered the burning of the city before beginning his infamous “March to the Sea.”

Bottom Left: Junior Sargent, left, and Annabel Schaeffer met Lassie, who visited the Primrose School in Midtown to bring awareness to Save the Children’s “Prep Rally” to help kids be prepared for emergencies.

Bottom Right: Intown real estate agent Ken Covers carried the giant dragon fly kite in the Lantern Parade held in September to kick off Art on the BeltLine.

LAVISTA PARK - Gorgeous home with luxury owner’s suite and great outdoor space. This spacious home has been meticulously renovated. 5Bed/3Bath $599,900 FMLS: 5330817 Patrick Peyer 404-784-7936

Amber Mason 678-637-3530

GREENWOOD ACRES - Incredible home meticulously renovated & upgraded while preserving original integrity. High end finishes & appliances. All new kitchen, bathrooms & windows.

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NEELY FARM - Formal LV rm w/frplce,

TOCO HILLS - Gorgeous brick house close to Emory, CDC and Virginia Highlands. Renovated kitchen with custom cabinets, granite and top of the line stainless appliances.

5Bed/4.5Bath $485,000 FMLS: 5341963

Hallie Chasen 404-271-4635

OLMSTED - Craftsman w/all the charm: plantation shutters, coffered ceilings & fireplace in great room. 3Bed/2.5Bath $400,000

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Amber Mason 678-637-3530

Patrick Peyer 404-784-7936

KIRKWOOD - Thoughtful design, durable energy efficient construction and systems, quartz countertops, and custom built-in shelving. 3Bed/3Bath $385,000

FMLS: 5341547

Clarke Weeks 404-932-0391

BUCKHEAD - Quintessential Georgian home has ideal floor plan with vast casement openings, barrel ceilings, novel pocket French doors that open onto a spectacular rear courtyard. 4Bed/6.5Bath $2,499,000 FMLS: 5338931 Sally Westmoreland 404-354-4845

INTOWN - Refinished hardwood floors. Freshly painted. New carpet. Large kitchen w/stained cabinets & granite c’tops. Quaint front porch. Convenient to Edgewood Retail.

4Bed/3.5Bath+Loft $373,500 FMLS:5304016

Tonya Marlatt 404-518-8787

INTOWN - Panoramic skyline views. 2 master suites. 2 private terraces. 14’+ ceilings. Brazilian hardwoods. Huge tax abatement thru 2022. Three assigned parking spaces.

2Bed/2.5Bath $864,264 FMLS: 5184357 Rea Kelly 404-428-9929

MIDTOWN - Large loft w/plenty of room for office/den. 10’ ceilings. New windows. Upgraded kitchen. Hardwoods. Gated/covered parking. Close to everything! 1Bed/1Bath $164,222 FMLS: 5329085

Drew Cockrell 404-323-2273

MIDTOWN - Steps from Atlantic Station. Immaculate condition. Hardwood floors. Romeo & Juliet balcony. Walk-in closet. Quick access to GT & Downtown. 1Bed/1Bath

$135,000 FMLS: 5331314

Patrick Jones 404-680-9534

MIDTOWN - Large penthouse unit with 2 master suites. Midtown views through 20’ floorto-ceiling windows. 2 balconies. Gourmet kitchen. Storage unit. 3Bed/3Bath $739,900

FMLS: 5335472 Allen Snow 404-931-1176

NORTH BUCKHEAD - Brick and stone French Normandy inspired home. No expense spared! Designer chef’s kitchen w/commercial grade appliances. Flag stone terrace overlooks formal gardens. 6Bed/5.5Bath $1,649,000

FMLS: 5294601 Marc Castillo 404-449-6862

MIDTOWN - Exceptional all brick home. Like new condition. 4 finished levels. Wood floors. 10’ ceilings. Enormous level fenced-in back yard. Walking distance to Noble Park and shopping. 5Bed/6.5Bath $1,099,000 FMLS: 5177482 Marc Castillo 404-449-6862