If you’re looking for a fully renovated, move-right-in condition home with large rooms, high ceilings, oversized walk in closets (I don’t think there are larger walk-in closets in Morningside), three car climate controlled garage, abundance of storage, high end finishes and attention to details throughout, then look no further, because this could be your new home.
This is also a spacious lot that allows you to drive up your driveway with plenty of room to navigate within your gated motor court, access the three car-garage and oversized backyard. This home has loads of personality and style. The house lives and flows beautifully. The guest bedrooms are very generous in size and include separate baths, large walk-in closets and separate play rooms for each. This fully renovated home is just one year young and is thoughtfully and lovingly laid out by the current owner— an out of state move brings this home to market.
1905 Wellbourne Drive N.E.
COMING SOON 3 BED | 2 BATH
Move-in ready—Granite countertops, vaulted ceiling, skylights, stone fireplace, brick-floored sunroom, backyard, in-ground pool, hot tub.
943 Wildwood Road N.E.
COMING SOON
7 BED | 6 BATH
Custom designed and built modern house on desirable Morningside street. Features nearly a half acre lot and designer finishes throughout.
1332 Briarwood Drive N.E.
OFFERED AT $1,395,000
5 BED | 5 BATH | 1 HALF BATH
Pristine condition, move-in ready, large rooms, open floor plan, 4 car garage.
2011 Lenox Road N.E.
OFFERED AT $799,000 4 BED | 3 BATH
Like-brand-new construction in pristine condition with flat level yard. Gourmet kitchen. Oversized master suite with spa like bath.
1165 Zimmer Drive N.E.
1235 Pasadena Avenue N.E. UNDER
4
Ken Covers
Private Office Advisor
direct: 404.664.8280
office: 404.845.7724
ken.covers@evatlanta.com
kencovers.evatlanta.com
Happy Halloween! With Halloween just around the corner, I hope that you all enjoy the coming season and festivities—spending time with your loved ones and making new memories to cherish.
Don’t forget to virtually check in on loved ones who can’t spend the holiday with you, continue to support local businesses, and promote and contribute to helpful causes and charities. For more ways on how to get involved, please contact me—I’m more than excited to assist in any way I can! Your Life. Your Home. Your Realtor®
RESERVED 6 BED | 4 BATH
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For many, many, many years I had no desire to own a home. I didn’t want the burden of property, the responsibility, the settledness of it. I’ve been a constant renter since I moved out of my parents’ home at age 20. But now that I’ve just turned – gulp! – 51, I’ve had a change of heart.
A brief history of my leasing life: I lived in my first little apartment for seven years but decamped once the rent became too high. Then I moved into a loft across from Oakland Cemetery and lived there for nearly six years until the next door drug dealer and a rent increase sent me scurrying again. That was the summer of 2005. I’ve been renting my current apartment in Old Fourth Ward for 15 years. Yes, you read that correctly.
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I’ve loved living in this apartment. I’ve watched Old Fourth Ward completely transform, watched Inman Park Village rise, was here before the rail lines were ripped out to build the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail. I’ve written a substantial amount of my poetry and novels here, I’ve edited Atlanta INtown from my desk for 18 years. I think that deserves another gulp!
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Located in one of the most desired sections of the neighborhood, this quintessential 1928 Druid Hills home pairs historic charm with the appropriate modern updates, plus a walkout backyard and a carriage house apartment. Improvements comprise of a private master suite, a renovated kitchen and bathrooms and professional landscaping. Original architectural details include hardwood floors, high ceilings, light-filled windows, woodwork and hardware. Convenient to all Intown amenities, experience the incredible Druid Hills lifestyle for yourself.
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Collin Kelley collin@atlantaintownpaper.com
I kept resigning the lease because I really do like it here. The complex is quiet, everyone is friendly, and it’s incredibly convenient and walkable. But again, the rent has become too damn high. When I sat down and really looked at how much money I could be saving with a mortgage versus rent, owning property didn’t seem like such a burden after all.
And I think the pandemic has spurred me on a little, too, mainly because I’ve gotten sick of these walls after all these months of being stuck inside of them.
So, I’m just at the beginning of my search, with plans to be in my own condo or townhouse by spring. I’ll be –fingers crossed! – pre-approved for a mortgage soon and then get down to some serious home shopping.
In the meantime, I’ve been spending a lot of time on Zillow looking at neighborhoods, square footage, amenities, and prices. I’ve got a few communities in mind that will keep me Intown and won’t wreck my budget. I’m actually excited about a change of scenery and starting with a new blank slate. Except this time, I’ll be able to paint the walls any color I like and finally – FINALLY! – get the built-in bookcases I’ve always dreamed about.
Honestly, I think the idea of buying a home really started becoming attractive a few years ago when I was doing my Swedish death cleaning (look it up) and beginning to gather my papers to donate to the archive at Georgia State University Library. Decluttering and sorting are incredibly satisfying, and I’m looking forward to jettisoning junk that has accumulated here for 15 years and starting fresh.
I’ll keep you updated as my homebuying journey continues and the next chapter begins.
When Warren Boys & Girls Club closed for the coronavirus quarantine, its executive director Gail Johnson got busy calling members’ families about their needs and securing money for gift cards to help them buy groceries.
“At some point I realized I’m just talking to parents and telling them to tell the kids ‘hi,’” she said.
That wasn’t enough for Johnson, who’s now in her 42nd year with Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, an after school program whose mission is to “positively impact the lives of children and teens, especially those who need us most.”
“These kids didn’t even have time to say goodbye to their teachers,” Johnson said. “All of a sudden everybody was gone.”
She wanted the kids to know how much they matter and how much they were missed.
So, she took pen to paper and, over about two weeks in April, handwrote 267 personalized letters — one for every child on the roster — and then mailed them in personally addressed envelopes.
Johnson’s letter-writing project was “a testament to who she is,” said her supervisor, Nikki McClain, regional operations director for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta.
“She loves what she does,” McClain said of Johnson, who started with the nonprofit while still a sociology major at Spelman College. “She’s impacted so many people in this city. She’s definitely treasured.”
Instead of composing the letters at her home, Johnson wrote them inside
the then-shuttered Warren club in Grant Park where she’s worked since 1991. She hoped to recreate the mental space she’s in with each child when she greets them upon their arrival.
“I wanted the letter to be about the questions I ask them each day,” said Johnson. “The gift of writing is part of your soul you’re giving to someone else. It has to be intentional and has to be heartfelt.”
She recalls reminding a boy named James to stop aggravating his sister and told him his beloved LEGOs would be ready for him when he returns.
“The hardest letters to write were the ones to my kids who were seniors this
year,” she said. One of them had been at Warren from the age of six.
She chose to write instead of type because “that’s me going the extra mile, to give a part of me.” She used a variety of colors of ink, selecting them “depending on the personality of the child.”
Aside from getting her supervisor’s approval for postage, Johnson told almost no one about her project until it was done. Letter writing is said to be a lost art, especially among youth, and she didn’t want to be discouraged by
potential naysayers.
The response she got to her labor of love blew her away.
Parents told her how excited their kids were to get, in some cases, their very first letter. Others told her about their kids being upset that a sibling’s letter came but theirs hadn’t arrived yet.
Some kids spoke for themselves and wrote Johnson back.
“It gave me hope that, despite the pandemic, things are going to get better,” she said.
Grant Park resident Canveta Burke’s son and granddaughters were among those who replied to Johnson, attaching candy to their letters.
“The Boys & Girls Club is just their home away from home. Miss Gail has been a key part of their lives,” Burke said. “They cried when they got their first letter from Miss Gail. If only I could have recorded the look on their faces. Each child had their own letter. It was specifically for them, for the person she knew they were.”
In late August, Warren Boys & Girls Club began a partial reopening.
Johnson is there by 7 a.m. each weekday, helping a limited number of students who begin arriving a half hour later with the challenges of their virtual school day.
“With the kids returning I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “It’s like we were holding our breath for five months. This is giving us an opportunity to exhale and move forward.”
Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections has announced changes to several polling places that will be in effect for the General Election on Nov. 3. These changes will increase the total number of polling places and reduce the number of voters assigned to any given polling location, according to the election’s office. The changes can be viewed at fultoncountyga.gov/services/voting-andelections.
Local school systems are starting to return to students to classroom learning as COVID-19 numbers drop. At press time, DeKalb County Schools were planning a hybrid return on Oct. 5; City Schools of Decatur will begin phasing students back to classrooms on Oct. 12; Fulton County Schools plans to have students back to in-person learning by Oct. 14. Atlanta Public Schools was still determining a date as this issue went to press.
Former City of Atlanta chief financial officer Jim Beard has been indicted on federal fraud and weapons charges after allegedly cheating on his taxes and using tax dollars to cover personal expenses, including the purchase of illegal machine guns.
MARTA has resumed fare collection and front-boarding of its bus fleet. The transit system stopped collecting fares back and moved boarding to its rear door in March in response to the pandemic. Since then, MARTA invested $250,000 in bus safety features including polycarbonate shields around bus operator cabs, antimicrobial air filters that clean the air onboard, and mask dispensers.
Papa John’s pizza will open a 200-employee global headquarters in metro Atlanta next year at a site to be determined. The deal, announced Sept. 17 by the company and Gov. Brian Kemp, involves “government incentives” that the state would not disclose.
The Atlanta Police Department is stepping up effort to stop illegal street racing and stunts in the city after an outcry from residents.
In a public service video released on YouTube and social media, APD Officer Steve Avery said there had been a “disturbing trend” in people street racing and laying drag in communities around the city.
“Since January, APD has arrested or cited 459 violators related to street racing,” Avery said. “In conjunction with the Georgia State Patrol, will be stepping up patrols, making arrests and enforcing fines, as allowed by law. Additionally, if you are arrested for laying drag, your vehicle may also be impounded.”
Avery encourages the public to dial 911 to report street racing so officers can investigate and the incident can be documented.
While street racing is not a new phenomenon in Atlanta, the number of incidents has increased since the pandemic cleared roads and interstates.
Temporary barriers have gone up on a number of streets – including Edgewood Avenue and Highland Avenue – to narrow the roadway to prevent stunts and people gathering to watch.
Social media and neighborhood message board Nextdoor have been lit up with reports of street racing accompanied by gunshots in Midtown, Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward, and Buckhead.
Last month, images posted to Nextdoor showed bullet casings
on the ground outside the Biltmore apartments on West Peachtree and a home’s shattered window from a stray bullet at West Peachtree and 7th streets. The gunfire happened during reported street racing in Midtown.
Over Labor Day weekend, videos posted to social media showed dozens of cars doing doughnuts and laying drag in the parking lot of Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Buckhead in the early morning hours.
“They were making a huge racket revving engines, burning rubber, doing doughnuts and waking up the entire neighborhood,” an INtown reader said.
“In discussions with neighbors from our building and from the neighborhood that we met while walking, there was a lot of concern about the disturbance, and talk by several of wanting to move out of Buckhead if this activity can’t be stopped.”
On Sept. 13, APD officers arrested De’Andre Brown, 26, during a street racing traffic stop for the shooting death of two people on July 5 on Auburn Avenue. Brown shot and killed Johua Ingram and Erica Robinson during a street party that included racing and stunts. The Atlanta City Council passed an ordinance in early August that set a minimum fine of $1,000 for those caught street racing and potential jail time.
The Atlanta City Council approved legislation on Sept. 21 calling on the Development Authority of Fulton County (DAFC) to stop granting tax breaks to developers inside city limits.
he legislation, introduced by Post 2 At-Large Council member Matt Westmoreland, states that tax abatements within Atlanta should be provided solely by Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development arm, and meet the goals of the Economic Mobility, Recovery and Resiliency Plan adopted by the council on Sept. 8.
“Tax abatements should be used to support projects committing to deeply affordable housing and projects in underserved neighborhoods in need of middle-wage jobs, grocery stores, and other amenities. Offering tax abatements in thriving parts of town discourages development in communities that need it the most. And it withholds needed funding for everything from police and fire services to street improvements and parks upkeep. Making up for that lost revenue falls to Atlanta homeowners and renters,” Westmoreland said following approval of the legislation.
The resolution specifically cited DAFC’s Aug. 25 approval of tax abatements valued at over $11 million for three projects, including two in the hot areas of Atlantic Station and the Atlanta BeltLine. All three are in tax allocation districts, or TADs, where developers already get a different kind of tax break where they are allowed to keep the value of their property taxes for use in
infrastructure on the site. The granting of tax abatements within TADs is especially controversial, with critics calling it a form of double-dipping that also delays the conclusion of the TAD deal. The legislation will be forwarded to all Fulton County Commission members and board members of DAFC.
“This resolution does not tell the whole story,” said DAFC Executive Director Al Nash in a written statement on behalf of the agency. He said the council fails to mention that such projects are “bringing tech jobs from Microsoft and Google when tech office space in other cities are losing leases”; that they create “more affordable housing that meets all city guidelines they have put in place”; that they may involve infrastructure improvements, such as a sewer line in Peoplestown; or that the deals mean “millions of dollars in taxes collected on blighted properties” that would have stalled due to cleanups or other challenges.
“These are harder stories to tell as they go beyond what can be shared in a tweet or a headline, so we’ve always offered to meet with city and school leaders to review the comprehensive reports we provide to their staff,” Nash said. “We want them to gain a deeper understanding of these projects, including why incentives are needed and the overall benefits. During these unprecedented times, it’s even more important for us to look for ways to solidify and strengthen our partnership to ensure economic development continues within the city of Atlanta and Fulton County.”
Atlanta Public Schools welcomed four new principals for the 2020-2021 school year: Monica Blasingame (Sylvan Hills Middle School), Ramon Garner (John Lewis Invictus Academy), Artesza Portee (Frederick Douglass High School), and Christina Rogers (Carver Early College).
Morehouse College has received a $9 million grant from the National Science Foundation as a founding partner of the HBCU Undergraduate Success Research Center, an initiative designed to increase educational and employment opportunities for minorities interested in STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
▲Public art institution Tiny Doors ATL has released a community-focused remote learning lesson plan for grades K-12. Karen Anderson Singer, the artist known as Tiny Doors ATL, and KIPP WAYS Academy primary school art educator, Kyra Sampson, collaborated to develop and implement the teacher-accredited lesson plan. The art project, which requires a single material, is being made available for free to any educator in the world who would like to share the lesson with their students.
Mercedes-Benz USA has bolstered its support of Atlanta Public Schools with a $340,000 donation for the 2020-2021 school year. The donation will support COVID-19 relief efforts, including virtual learning; personal protect equipment and supplies for L.P. Miles Elementary School; support of the Michael R. Hollis Innovation Academy’s STEM program; and money for local nonprofit Communities in Schools that coordinates counseling, social workers, and community health support services.
Facebook has launched its new Facebook Campus platform to 30 pilot schools in the U.S. including Spelman College. The platform offers a college-only space for students, a campus directory, and campus chat function.
►Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School sophomore Bernardo Little, Jr. was selected to hit the ceremonial opening Hope Shot at Eastlake Golf Club to begin the 2020 PGA Tour Championship. Bernardo won the honor of hitting the first shot by submitting an essay, an interview, and placing 2nd in a golf event with a score of 78. Bernardo applied for the opportunity through his participation in First Tee - Metro Atlanta.
By Mark Woolsey
Monica Pearson no longer graces metro Atlanta’s TV screens nightly, but she remains a significant presence on the local landscape. Pearson arrived in Atlanta after TV and newspaper reporting jobs in her native Louisville and became the first African American and the first woman to anchor a major Atlanta evening newscast, at WSB-TV in 1975. After a 37-year career, countless major stories and a veritable truckload of awards, she stepped away in 2012.
Nowadays, she keeps busy doing radio endorsements, accepting somebut not all-speaking engagements, handling voice acting for various clients from her own home studio and exercising religiously.
Q. What are you doing these days as a retired person?
A. I am not retired, I’m rewired. I call what I do “rewirement” and here’s the reason: I have to stay active to keep my mind sharp. In my rewirement, I’m doing things I want to do versus things I have to do, meaning I will say no to some organizations [who want her to get involved with or speak to their memberships]. I’m doing things I couldn’t
do as a journalist -- endorsing companies and places, things like Stone Mountain, which is somewhat controversial at times, but they’re also companies I use. I’m also putting together a website to speak my mind on things I couldn’t do before…and I
am walking.
Q. What do you think about the changes in journalism that have occurred since you stepped away?
A. It’s very confusing for a viewer -even me (laughs). I think people need to learn how to watch TV now. By that I mean there are certain channels with a political bent and you need to be aware of that. I stick with my local news and spend a good deal of time reading newspapers. I want to make up my mind for myself. The only one I’ll admit to watching every day on cable is Rachel Maddow, because she’s fair. On a normal day I do sample CNN, MSNBC and Fox. Most people will look at just one thing and that concerns me…If you look at both sides, you can make your own decisions.
You have to delineate between people who are paid to be opinionated and people who are paid to present the news. Most viewers don’t understand the distinction between commentary and journalism.
Q. What advice would you give to prospective journalists?
A. The first thing I would say is get into it because you love news, you like telling stories that affect people’s lives. Far too many people are getting into the business nowadays because they think it’s going to make them a star. It’s “I want to be an anchor” and it’s not about the anchoring, it’s about the reporting. It’s about helping people make decisions about their lives.
Q. If you were still in journalism, how might you have covered this year’s pandemic?
A. The only thing I would have done differently is that people are just now taking note of how this affects seniors, and young people, who didn’t take it seriously because they think they’re bulletproof. I think these kinds of stories should have been done sooner. Another story I wish we had done sooner is on essential workers.
Q. What’s your opinion on the “Black Lives Matter” movement?
A. At first, I didn’t understand Black Lives Matter because I hadn’t done my research. Once I did, I was very comfortable. Put it this way: if Black lives mattered ,why are Black and brown people being the “essential workers” who are most exposed to COVID and paid the least? If Black lives mattered, why would we see an education system that’s still very segregated and in many cases “less than” for Black children? If Black lives mattered, why would a young white man who shot three people be to walk toward officers with his hands up and allowed to go home, whereas a Black man who is walking away and getting in his car is shot in the back? The movement is being demonized right now.
On cancel culture: if you know your history, you don’t mind some of your history being canceled. I know I’ll get in trouble for saying this, but some people don’t know what the Confederacy was about, the history of people being enslaved for economic reasons and not being treated as human beings. You don’t have a problem taking down the statue of a man who was a slaveholder.
Q. On a lighter note, do people still comment on your hair the way they used to when you were anchoring?
A. They still do that. And I change my hair all the time. As a matter of fact, that’s where I’m headed. I have a noon appointment to get a haircut. You have to remember that for me, hair is an accessory. As you change your jewelry, I change my hair.
Remember the scene in Austin Powers when he drives a steamroller at an impossibly slow clip through a wide-open warehouse? A security guard screams in horror as Austin tries to wave him out of the way. The guard could easily sidestep it but failing to, he gets flattened. Funny enough I suppose, until it happens to you. The rest of my family just flattened me with the slow-motion steamroller of puppy adoption. How is it that I couldn’t get out of the way?
I didn’t grow up with pets and Kristen’s childhood dog was so famously misbehaved that they once gave him away only to have him returned because the new owner was overwhelmed. Training a new puppy isn’t exactly in our family DNA. But we’ve already done the biking and the bread making, the puzzling and the gardening. Our inflatable pool is slowly deflating on the side of the house. It’s a natural progression of cliche quarantine activities, I guess? And the new normal affords us scads of time at home which torpedoed what was previously my best argument against adoption.
By Tim
I do love the adult dog we already have. We adopted Sleater when she was about 9 months old and she was a sweetheart from the jump – a housetrained, super friendly, medium sized mutt. She almost never barks. She likes attention but isn’t particularly needy. We hit the doggie jackpot so I fear we can only go down from here.
I offered examples of families who have had a tough time after adding a second dog but nobody seemed to be listening. So, I escalated by pointing out that our firstborn, Elliott, was an easy baby. He ate, he slept, he smiled a lot. Then second-born Margo gnawed on the corner of the coffee table, screamed like her hair was on fire and didn’t sleep through the night until she was two. But the Adoption Alliance within the household remained unfazed. They came across an adorable litter at iWag in Decatur (and specifically Gossip Girl #3.) In a final, flailing defense I sarcastically suggested we adopt the whole litter and that our only issue would be thinking of all the names! Noting the commercial on the TV, I suggested we call one of them Bean Bag. Margo, sharp as ever, swiftly ended the argument with “No—we’ll call her Beans.” Damn, I’m a sucker for a well applied name.
iWag listed Beans’ litter as “mixed” which could be great as I tend to think that like Sleater, the more of a mutt a dog is, the better behaved it will be. Her coloring suggests she could be Rottweiler/Doberman but I hope that’s not the case. I used to live next to Piedmont Park where I’d see these gigantic, musclebound guys in tank tops proudly walking their gigantic, musclebound dogs in spike collars and I just don’t think I’m cut out for that sort of relationship. If Beans is going to reflect her owners, she ought to be average size and like lazy Sundays. I’m cautiously optimistic because thus far she seems to be more of a German Shepherd/Persian Cat/Canadian Goose mix so perhaps I can hold off on adding a weight room to the garage.
I had to roll up all the rugs and we have strategically placed baby gates reining in the chaos of the open floor plan. The aesthetic has a minimalist-chic-meets-doggieday-care kind of vibe. This 12 pound animal is currently dictating our lives by the hour. I’m exhausted, darn near flattened. But slowly, surely Kristen is reclaiming her own standing as top dog in the household with some effective training. Elliott runs Beans ragged in the backyard and Margo sleeps next to the crate to offer comfort. I’ll admit, I’ve been impressed with everyone’s efforts. So now we’re a two adult, two kid, two dog family. I was steamrolled but she is awfully cute, so there’s that.
Virginia-Highland District (formerly Beautify Va-Hi) recently launched a campaign to involve all stakeholders in proactively filling commercial vacancies along N. Highland Avenue, from Atkins Park to the Amsterdam-Highland intersection.
“It started as more of a – hey, is this just something that I’m feeling? Let’s see if others agree and would like to see a more thriving business district. Because of COVID -19, there are more vacancies, so there’s an opportunity to curate a symbiotic business district that elevates the businesses. We started a petition to see if there was agreement,” said Lindsay Wheeler, the organization’s vicepresident and a former commercial real estate executive who teaches yoga in her spare time at Highland Yoga.
At the end of August, the petition had 1,600 signatures and resident feedback on potential businesses to fill vacancies. To curate the list, Wheeler and the Board considered local businesses with 4.7+ customer ratings, more than one local shop, good brand awareness etc. to share with landlords and prospective tenants.
“It isn’t just on the businesses to succeed, it isn’t just on the landlords, it isn’t just about the residents - it is actually all three and what we’re trying to do is serve as a bridge,” Wheeler said. “To be a voice for the residents for what is desired, to work in partnership with the landlords to then bring those appropriate businesses into the neighborhood.”
Lindsay’s husband Tyler Wheeler, a small business owner and practicing physician at the
Family Practice Center of Atlanta who serves as Treasurer of Virginia-Highland District, is “driving the discussions with landlords.”
So far, Tyler has met with Va-Hi commercial real estate landlords like The Simpson Org, Stuart Meddin, Tom Murphy and Lynn Dewitt. Even though the landlords work with their own brokers to source tenants, they were receptive to the nonprofit’s involvement because of their resident connection.
“If I reach out to East Pole Coffee, it’s a much more powerful message coming on behalf of the residents – ‘Hey we want you here, we think you would thrive and we are taking a curated approach to who goes where’ – it starts to mitigate risk for them. And we’ve created a bridge and a pathway to a landlord,“ Lindsay said.
This was the vision of founder Katie Voelpel, who sought to put her Masters of Architecture thesis into action by bringing together community members and business owners around beautification, maintenance, events and “reinvigorating the vibe” for residents and visitors.
“I was really into community design and linking districts together in a way that could be digested by the general public,” Voelpel said. She involved residents in semi-annual plantings with local business in-kind support and funding from a Va-Hi Perks discount card.
“We started with 18 planters two years ago and now we have 100 in all three intersection,” Voelpel said.
Today, Virginia-Highland District has assumed the role of a business association.
“It’s equal parts the curation of the tenants that go into the vacant spaces, the engagement of the landlords and potential developers and community engagement,” Wheeler said.
Upcoming events adapted to COVID-19’s new normal, including showing E.T. in North Highland Park on October 16 and restaurant week, October 12-18.
“Restaurant week is now going to be a takeout bingo. It does have a new twist to it, 4 or 5 different bingo cards fill out for a raffle prize,” Voelpel said.
“One of the best things we can do is bring really special events to the neighborhood – not just Summerfest but Atlanta Food & Wine festival, independent film festival things like that. To up our game as a neighborhood to draw residents in. We want it to also draw visitors in as a destination location,” Wheeler said.
Ultimately, community support is needed for local businesses to thrive.
“We recognize filling the vacancies is step one. Community engagement in events is step two,” Wheeler said. Learn more at virginiahighlanddistrict.com.
®
◄JLL has been selected to lease Midtown Medical on Ponce, a 150,000-square-foot, mixed-use, medical office building (MOB) under construction at 272 Ponce de Leon Ave. Featuring seven floors and 80,000 square feet of Class-A office space, the top five floors of Midtown Medical on Ponce will consist of customizable, 16,000-squarefoot floorplates that can accommodate a variety of services and modalities. The MOB’s top floor will be designed for surgical procedures. Additionally, the mixed-use development will feature street-level retail and a spacious ground-floor atrium including a cafe area. The building is expected to complete in 2023. For more information, visit midtownmedicalatl.com.
►SustainAble Home Goods, the Atlanta-based retailer offering fair and ethically made artisan goods, hand-picked decor, vintage furniture and accessories, has opened its new expanded shop at Ponce City Market. Formerly housed in an outdoor kiosk, the shop is now located on the second floor of PCM’s Central Food Hall between Citizen Supply and Modern Mystic Shop. SustainAble was founded in 2017 by Atlantan LaToya Tucciarone. Visit yoursustainablehome.com for more information.
Firmspace has opened a 27,000-square-foot space with individual offices designed and curated for professionals in the Sovereign Building, 3344 Peachtree Road in Buckhead. By providing privacy, elevated design, concierge services, advanced sound-masking technology and more, the space gives established professionals in law, financial services, consulting, real estate and other industries a dedicated space to engage in distraction-free work. Visit firmspace.com for more information.
Savannah-based Lake, which creates clothing for sleep, lounge, and play, has opened a 2,474-square-foot store at 3519 Northside Parkway in Buckhead. Visit lakepajamas.com for more details.
Atlanta-based SanitGrasp, a no-touch door pull handle, has seen a surge in business due to the pandemic, according to creator Matthew Fulkerson. The hygienic door pull can now be found in Fortune 500 companies, offices, educational facilities, grocery stores, restaurants, hotels and government agencies across the country. SanitGrasp allows a person to use their wrist or the bottom of their arm to open a public restroom door. The internationally patented product is ADA-compliant and can easily retrofit an existing handle. It features a stainless steel handle, an angled opening with a rounded cap and easy to read, engraved instructions. SanitGrasp handles are coated with SANIGUARD, an antimicrobial finish.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development has announced that minorityowned digital media company RYSE Interactive will redevelop a historic school space in Southwest Atlanta and transform it into a brand-new dynamic content production studio and development incubator, RYSE Creative Village. The first phase of the project will bring nearly $10 million in investment and create approximately 85 jobs in Southwest Atlanta. Located at the former Preston Arkwright Elementary at 1261 Lockwood Drive, the space will be tailored to creatives seeking to enter the film, music, gaming and digital media industry.
◄Kimberly McDonald, the fine jeweler and eco-conscious lifestyle brand, has opened a boutique at Buckhead Village, 3060 Bolling Way. The boutique is the second brick-andmortar location for the brand, joining their L.A. store on Sunset Boulevard. Kimberly McDonald launched her jewelry line in 2007
following her freelance career as a curator of private clients’ fine jewelry collections. Her line melds natural materials like geodes, agate and opals with reclaimed gold and recycled diamonds to create unique, sustainable pieces that have been worn by celebrities including former First Lady Michelle Obama, Cindy Crawford, Victor Cruz, Carrie Underwood, Vanessa Williams, Amy Adams, Cameron Diaz, Steph Curry and more.
The St. Regis Atlanta Spa in Buckhead has reopened with new safety protocols and a limited menu of facials, body treatments, massages, and nail services. Appointments can be made by calling (404) 563-7680.
Two Atlanta female entrepreneurs – Jasmine Coer of Color My Story and Nina Tickaradze of NADI LLC – were recently named as two of the 15 Winners of the Stacy’s Rise Project, a program created by Stacy’s Pita Chips to help support femalefounded businesses. Selected from a pool of 1,600, these entrepreneurs will each receive advertising support, mentorship and a $10,000 businesses grant to help their businesses continue to grow.
The Council for Quality Growth was slated to honor Doug Hertz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Distributors, with its 31st annual Four Pillar Award in a virtual ceremony on Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit fourpillartribute.com.
CallRail, an Atlanta-based analytics platform, has been named to the Inc. 5000 list for the fifth consecutive year, one of just 28 Georgia-based software companies to earn this recognition.
▼ Startup Atlanta , a community non-profit organization focused on connecting, curating and promoting the Atlanta Startup Ecosystem, has announced the addition of five new executive board members: Allyson Eamon , Chief Executive Officer of Venture Atlanta; Christy Brown , President of Launchpad2X; Evan Jarecki , Co-Founder of Gimme Vending; Jennifer Singh, Co-Founder and City Director of Atlanta’s House of Genius chapter; and Joey Womack , who leads WeWork’s entrepreneurship program in Atlanta as Labs Manager.
The Lola, an Atlanta womxn’s club and community, is planning to invest $300,000 over 12 months to support Black women entrepreneurs and social justice organizations. This investment will include grants, sponsorship, access to The Lola’s community and space, events and programming and activism aimed to amplify the voices of Black womxn. “It is up to us, our non-Black Members, to stand with, speak up for and show up for our Black sisters and friends,” The Lola co-founders Martine Resnick and Eileen Lee said. “We can’t remain silent; we can’t ignore what is right in front of us and we can’t stay perpetually paralyzed and do nothing.”
Michelle Enjoli Beato of Atlanta has been selected as a speaker for the inaugural Tedx event in Southampton, England on Nov. 11 at the Mayflower Theatre. Beato was chosen out of over 100 applicants to be one of 12 speakers for the event and is one of only two selected from the United States. Beato is founder of the new company Connect, a coaching business dedicated to helping others learn how to connect to further their careers.
Kirsten Garrison and Brian Kirchner have launched brand:vous a new marketing firm. “Our goal is to be recognized as the leading provider of truly customized, artistic designs that consistently exceed our clients’ expectations. We also want to build relationships with our clients and make sure this is a really fun process for them” said Garrison. Visit brandvous.com for more details.
It’s been six months since the lethal and planet-disrupting nature of the COVID-19 virus became widely known to the public. During these months, many of us have experienced emotions ranging from fear, anxiety and grief to acceptance and adaptation.
At the beginning – during the third week of March – I fell apart. A close friend said that he’d rarely seen me so stressed and fearful, a fact he reported to my sons, both of whom were about to embark on trips—adding substantially to my anxiety. My older son and his girlfriend were packed for a cross-country road-trip to Oregon, where they would live and work for several months; my younger son had plans for a solo surfing trip to Nicaragua on his spring break from teaching.
An article in the Harvard Business Review (“That Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief,” 3/23/20) helped me walk back from the edge of despair – that and the fact that my younger son finally cancelled his surfing trip.
David Kessler, a world-renown expert on grief, explains in the article that what we’ve been experiencing is a kind of collective grief: the loss of normalcy, the fear of economic toll, and the loss of connection.
to Kessler. He says we can’t ignore catastrophic thinking, but we can try to find a sort of balance by coming into the present. By letting go of the things that we cannot control. By focusing on what we can manage and realizing that this is a temporary, and survivable, state. Feel the grief, while finding meaning in the present and keeping an eye on the future.
As one way of finding meaning in the present, my curiosity has taken me deeper into nature. Once the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area re-opened in May, after being closed by the pandemic for two months, I resumed my regular walks through the woods to the river.
By Sally Bethea Bethea is the retired executive director of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and current board president of Chattahoochee Parks Conservancy whose mission is to build a community of support for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.The term Kessler uses that particularly resonates with me is “anticipatory grief:” the feeling we have about the future when we’re uncertain, when our sense of safety is broken. Parents anxious to safeguard their children (or their own parents) from harm see only the worst scenarios; in my case, sons sick on the West Coast or out of the country with no way for me to get to them.
Denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and finally acceptance, which is “where the power lies,” are the revolving (not linear) stages of this grief, according
I decided to focus on things that I’ve seen and heard in nature all of my life, but not really seen or heard, or understood. My first fascination became summer bugs: the buzzing, clicking and chirping cicadas and crickets that announce the arrival of summer, bringing memories of warm, humid days and my childhood. I have long wanted to know more about them— where they come from, what they look like, how and why they sing so loudly and more. Now, I had time to learn.
Once the soil temperature at a depth of eight inches reaches about 64 degrees, cicadas crawl out of the ground – where the insect nymphs have been living for two, 13 or 17 years – from half an inch diameter holes. After escaping their subterranean homes, the cicadas find vertical structures (natural or manmade) and climb as high as ten feet before shedding their exoskeletons through a tiny slit in their backs and unfolding their large, transparent wings. (Remember cicada shell hunts, when you were a child?) Seeking a mate, the two-inch male cicadas produce an exceptionally loud song from vibrating membranes in their abdomens. The sound of a chorus of males in a tree can exceed
100 decibels, almost as loud as a chainsaw, and can be heard up to a mile away.
With this year’s abundant rain, my second fixation has been fungi and their colorful fruiting bodies (mushrooms), which emerged in glorious abundance on my trail to the river in late summer. A special find was a tiny Amanita muscaria, or fly agaric, notable for its red cap with white warts and hallucinogenic properties. The vast majority of plants worldwide depend upon fungi and their underground biomass, in order to grow and flourish.
Tiny, thread-like structures, known as mycelium, create an extensive mycorrhizal network that connects with tree and plant
roots, enabling them to better access nutrients and water. In return, the trees provide the fungi with sugars produced by photosynthesis. The fungal network also connects trees to each other to enhance their communication and to efficiently share resources. Now, when I walk in the woods, I think as much about what is happening below the ground, as above, wondering which trees are helping each other and how.
Paying attention to our fascinating natural world helps me live in the present and value the meaning found in the continuity and endurance of life. You may find other ways to accomplish these survival goals in these extraordinary times.
While managing our day-by-day lives during the ongoing international crisis, we must also keep a sharp focus on the future, which means taking whatever steps necessary to vote in the presidential election on Nov. 3.
If you can’t, or don’t want, to vote in person (early or on election day), please request an absentee ballot now. Make sure to mail it at least a week before Nov. 3 or put it in a ballot drop-box provided by your county. Help your friends and neighbors get their ballots and post or drop them early. This election is pivotal for our country and the planet.
Registered Georgia voters are eligible to request and cast an absentee (or mail-in) ballot at ballotrequest.sos.ga.gov. Check your voting registration status at mvp.sos. ga.gov/MVP/mvp.do
“I got a text from a client recently who has a three-year-old,” says Brandy Hall, ecological designer and managing director of Shades of Green Permaculture. “They were in the garden and found a bunny rabbit eating their strawberries. The three-year-old was sitting near the bunny, too, also eating the strawberries. And I just thought, ‘this the whole reason I do this. This is everything.’”
What Hall and her team at Shades of Green do in a general sense is install ecologically sustainable landscapes for clients as varied as Monday Night Brewing, Grady High School and a residential farming development in Costa Rica. They help build habitats for birds, bees and pollinators. They restore watersheds, rebuild depleted soil, create landscapes where native and edible plants can thrive. They install berry thickets and fruit trees, rain gardens, flowers that attract hummingbirds. They help you reduce your lawn’s dependence on chemicals, irrigation, frequent mowing.
On a deeper level, though, Shades of Green Permaculture is looking to help people build real, symbiotic relationships with the land they live on, with the life that thrives there, whether that land is homestead on 10 acres or a small patch of urban yard in a residential neighborhood—relationships built on respect for the natural world, for its innate intelligence and its fragility.
Hall recently spoke with Atlanta INtown about this work, about creating regenerative landscapes and combating climate crisis from our own backyards. How did you first come to fall in love with the natural world?
I think back on my childhood as being a little juxtaposed. My mother and stepfather ran a 15-acre ornamental plant nursery in south Florida in the heart of conventional agriculture. Our farm was surrounded by sludge-filled drainage ditches, and I remember from a very young age growing up on that farm always being outside, climbing on piles of potting soil and digging for pincher bugs. And then on the other hand, my dad is from western North Carolina, and it’s just this pristine, beautiful wilderness. I would go spend summers with my dad and my family up there, and we would go camping for weeks at a time on the Manawa River and Lake
Manawa. So, I don’t think there was ever a point where I was like, ‘oh, here I am coming from a city and all of a sudden I discover the natural world.’ It was just always sort of around me. But I think there was a really distinct kind of feeling between being in more intact wilderness and being outside in a more cultivated ‘ag’ world. One felt clean—I remember playing with my cousins, and we would just go down to the creek and play Ferngully and make dams and climb up the rhododendron patches. And then being down in south Florida, and every time they sprayed – we would have to flee the farm because my parents were deathly ill due to the chemicals that were being sprayed.
And how do you think those experiences led you to Shades of Green all these years later?
Both sets of my parents are entrepreneurs, so I grew up around folks that just always worked for themselves. When I graduated from college, my dad, who is a builder, encouraged me to get a general contractor’s license. So I did, and I just started studying with him. I also apprenticed as a stone mason for a year with a natural building company in Virginia and just fell in love with building things out of earthen materials. It was just incredible for me. When I did finally take a permaculture design certification [later], it being a whole-systems philosophy, I think it kind of synthesized a lot of threads for me. At that point, being in my early 20s, I had treated all of these jobs that I had as learning experiences, but I always felt compelled to ask, ‘am I teacher? Am I builder? Am I a farmer?’ It didn’t actually make sense to me that I was all of those things until I discovered this philosophy of permaculture, which is the synthesis of how we interact with our landscapes.
Can you explain a bit about permaculture? How does the idea and philosophy make Shades of Green different from your typical landscaping outfit?
I think, traditionally, permaculture was really about creating permanent agriculture. It’s kind of a portmanteau of those two words, and it’s food-systems based. In the urban and suburban context, though, we’re not really compelled to grow all of our food. As city dwellers, we’re off-site a lot times—stuck in traffic, bringing our kids places, working out of the home.
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One of the things that we’re doing differently from just permaculture in general is thinking about our productive landscapes beyond just the human stakeholders, because it’s not necessarily about producing all of our food. It’s really about creating soil and creating habitat. It’s thinking of our little sites of land in this context of larger ecosystem of services—things like sequestering carbon, filtering water and restoring water sheds, reforesting and rebuilding habitat. Our little yards, in conjunction with lots of other people’s little yards, start to build this sort of patchwork ecology that I think is really important, especially in the climate context. These little things that we do add up to significantly more impact together. I think the other piece of it, to go back to what defines us or differentiates us in how we approach landscaping, I think the education piece is a really huge part. We have classes and a lot of free materials and resources to empower people even if they don’t go through our services. Also, just helping clients to see the landscapes that they live in through the lens of what’s possible there, in terms of restoring or amplifying the health of the site, thinking about the intuitive ways we can manage the resources that are on our sites—the forest, and the soil and the water. And in the design process, choosing everything for [the site or yard] for a reason. It’s that intersection between the aesthetic goals and the needs of the ecosystem.
So many people turned to gardening and their outdoor spaces as a kind of psychological salve during quarantine and the COVID crisis. Why do you think that is? And do you think the pandemic has help bring a different kind of awareness to our relationship with the natural world?
Definitely. From a very base level, we’ve gotten a lot of folks that just feel safer at home, and so they want to create more green spaces that are useable at home—outdoor rooms and play areas for their children and gardens. That’s definitely something we’re seeing a lot of. But also, just a new awareness of the fragility of some of the larger supply chains, especially early on, our not being able to get certain types of foods. I think that was sort of an eye-opener, like, ‘oh, if something like this hits, we’re actually really fragile. Maybe it’s good to be able to supplement some of these things with our own vegetables and things that we have growing in our yards.’ So that’s definitely a piece of it. I don’t know what everyone else is feeling, but I know that for me, it feels like there’s just so much going on right now on a global scale, on a political scale, it just feels very daunting. Every day you wake up and there’s a new thing to fight for. It’s a draining thing. And I think that the green spaces are the spaces that recharge us and allow us to continue having hope. \
After years of work and fundraising, South Fork Conservancy saw the fruition of a dream as its 175-foot Confluence pedestrian bridge was lifted into place by one of the largest cranes in north America on Aug. 21.
The $2.5 million state-of-the-art bridge lies northwest of I-85 between Piedmont Road and Lindbergh Drive. In addition to connecting nearby neighborhoods and parkland, it will also provide linkages to three regional trails: The Atlanta BeltLine, PATH400, and eventually the Peachtree Creek Greenway.
Constructed out of Corten steel and concrete decking, it required one of the largest cranes in North America to lift it into place. Most importantly, the bridge is designed so as not to disturb the health of the creek. The bridge also features an ADA accessible ramp.
“This is one of the most ambitious projects our organization has ever supported,” said Michael Halicki, Park Pride executive director. “South Fork Conservancy is blazing new trails and taking a bold step with this pedestrian bridge to connect Atlantans to more greenspaces and natural waterways.”
To date, South Fork Conservancy has completed five miles of trails, including catalyzing the development of three parks, along Peachtree Creek’s South Fork. The Conservancy was recently awarded one of the first-ever Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act (GOSA) grants to further its goal of increasing creek access as a source of recreation, inspiration, education and community connectivity for all Atlantans.
On Aug. 29, more than 1,000 volunteers from throughout the Chattahoochee watershed gathered at 43 parks, trails, and creeks to fight litter pollution as part of the annual Sweep the Hooch. As a result, approximately 73,646 pounds (36.8 tons) of garbage were removed from the waterways. Of that 73,646 pounds, more than 19,288 pounds (9.6 tons) were able to be recycled. This year, the event celebrated its tenth anniversary as volunteers gathered a record-setting amount of trash removed from the Chattahoochee River and its tributaries, despite the cleanup being rescheduled from its original spring date. “The results of this year’s Sweep the Hooch speak volumes about not just our volunteers, but how our community is recognizing the importance of caring for the water we need for hand washing, outdoor recreation, and more,” said Tammy Bates, Outings Manager with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, who coordinates the cleanup. “Every year, we hope for more volunteers, more trash collected; and this year, despite numerous obstacles, we’re thrilled to announce more litter removed from our waterways than ever before.”
Georgia Organics was named the People’s Choice winner for the Georgia Google.org Impact Challenge. The organization was awarded an additional $125,000, bringing the total awards for Georgia nonprofits to $1 million. “The Google.org Impact Challenge is a great example of how Google continues to invest in Atlanta in innovative ways,” said Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. “These grants will go a long way in supporting the enterprising nonprofit organizations who are helping to create economic opportunity in communities in Atlanta and across the state. “Congratulations to Georgia Organics for winning the ‘People’s Choice’ honors,” said Lilyn Hester, Google’s Head of External Affairs and Government Relations, Southeast US. “We’re excited to see how they, and all five winners, continue to create economic opportunities across the state.” Georgia Organics was a finalist for the ‘People’s Choice’ award alongside four other Google.org Impact Challenge winners in Georgia. All five winners received an initial $175,000 last week when Google opened public voting and asked Georgians to choose the one nonprofit they believe has put forth the most innovative and impactful proposal to create economic opportunity in their communities.
Georgia Power installed eight Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) chargers at the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s SAGE parking garage. These chargers are complimentary to use with parking entry and encourage drivers to charge their environmentally friendly vehicles while exploring the gardens and nearby Piedmont Park. The chargers are available on levels 2 and 5 of the parking deck, in the southwest corner. To learn more about the benefits of driving EV and Georgia Power’s rebate program, visit georgiapower.com/EV.
Blue Heron Nature Preserve Artist-in-Residence Alison Hamil’s latest solo exhibition, “Between,” is now on show at the preserve through Dec. 7. The public can see the show by making an appointment at bhnp.org/indoor-gallery to ensure social distancing.
“Between” challenges traditional methods of watercolor painting with Hamil’s use of digital media and a large format inkjet printer. She creates large symmetrical pieces with brightly colored mandala-like designs combined with the organic flowing shapes of watercolor. The paintings are an exploration of the 7 chakras, a spiritual concept that has its roots in ancient Eastern spiritual philosophies.
REI has announced its list of 2020 local grant recipients in Atlanta, totaling $46,000. The nonprofits splitting the grant money include Bearings Bike Shop, Chattahoochee Nature Center, Girls on the Run of Atlanta, and Trust for Public Land
Georgia Audubon has hired Corina Newsome, one of the organizers of the #BlackBirdersWeek movement, as its new community engagement manager. In this role, Newsome will work in collaboration with Georgia Audubon’s senior leadership to cultivate strategies and deliver programs that engage diverse communities from across Georgia in the enjoyment and conservation of birds. “We are delighted to welcome Corina to Georgia Audubon and are eager to begin working to break down barriers that make it difficult for BIPOC, LGBQT+, and other underserved communities to access birding and the outdoors,” says Jared Teutsch, Executive Director.
Ponce City Market will host to the traveling international Biophilia Poster Competition & Exhibition Oct. 15-25. Held at The Shed along the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail, the outdoor, open-air exhibition will feature 100+ creative poster finalists designed by artists and graphic designers from across the world who are inspired by biophilia, the innate connection between humans and nature. Organized by BrandCulture and PosterTerritory, the Biophilia Poster Competition launched in February 2020 and received more than 3,500 submissions from 165 countries.
HARVIN GREENE + STEPHANIE MARINAC
| $1,075,000
Spectacular renovation on quiet Morningside street.
1576 New Street 3BR | 2.5BA | $550,000
Magazine-ready home in hot Edgewood.
546 Ridgecrest Road 4BR | 3BA | $995,000
Tudor Revival in historic Druid Hills. Elegant restoration and designer finishes.
1668 Grace Street 3BR | 2BA | $450,000
Custom-built bungalow in hip and trendy East Atlanta.
845 Clifton Road 6BR | 6BA | 2HB | $5,000,000
Rare, comprehensively renovated Philip Schutze Normandy Farmhouse on Druid Hills estate lot.
850 Oakdale Road
6BR | 5.5BA | $2,500,000
1915 Neel Reid masterpiece in Druid Hills restored and renovated throughout.
1355 Harvard Road 4BR | 3BA | $1,150,000
Distinctive Architecture abounding with charm and offering a Pebble Tech pool.
1170 Oakdale Road 5BR | 3BA | $1,099,000
Classic Druid Hills home complete with mature English Gardens
269 Southerland Terrace 4BR | 3.5BA | $849,900
Lake Claire Craftsman charmer. Multiple living spaces and generous bedrooms.
By Kathy Dean
Intown’s real estate market has remained strong, largely due to low interest rates and a shortage of inventory. While the pandemic has affected house showings, it hasn’t slowed sales or lowered prices.
Carmen Pope, Founding Partner with Atlanta Fine Homes, Sotheby’s International Realty, said everyone is following a COVIDstyle showing process, which includes wearing a mask and using hand sanitizer.
“There are also easy-to-do, virtualonly showings with video,” she said. Pope added that given the current shortage of inventory, many houses are not sitting on the internet for long.
“We are currently at about 2 to 2.5 months of inventory, pretty much historic lows,” said Frank Brockway with Keller Williams Realty Intown Atlanta. He explained that six months of inventory — one that doesn’t favor sellers or buyers — means that if no additional homes come on the market, it would take six months to sell everything in the inventory. “One positive for buyers is we see interest rates staying low for a long time,” he noted.
Brockway said that sellers are more likely to accept an offer prior to the listing
going live to avoid extended showing periods, and they’re negotiating longer contractto-close periods, giving themselves the best chance to find their new home and close in the same timeline.
Buyers are viewing fewer homes, on average, before submitting an offer, he reported. “Single family homes and homes with more space are in short supply and high demand,” Brockway said. He added that supply and demand for condos and higher-density dwellings is more in balance than single family homes, “and there is more opportunity in that segment for buyers.”
Pam Hughes, Senior Marketing Consultant, Harry Norman REALTORS Intown Office, said she has been in real
estate for 41 years “…and I have seen a lot of changes. Since the beginning of the pandemic, agents are having to adjust daily, weekly, monthly.”
When COVID-19 first hit, many sellers were hesitant about listing their properties.
“Some sellers did not want their homes shown, so they withdrew them from the market, while others were not so reluctant,” she stated.
Many listings are vacant because the sellers opted to move out of their property before it went on the market, Hughes said. Additionally, buyers are relying more on the internet than ever before.
“I’m as busy as I’ve ever been, and I’ve been selling real estate for 13 years,” said Jason Cook, Realtor with Ansley Atlanta Real Estate. “This year, April was a wash,
but May, June and July were slammed. The spring market got pushed into summer. June and July are usually slow, but we’ve not seen a dip at all in activity.”
In fact, Cook set a record with the highest-priced sale in Morningside. He said that the owners bought their home for $2.15 Million one year ago, and it sold for $550,000 over what they paid for it — $250,000 over the asking price of $2,450,000. “The buyer had zero contingencies, not even an inspection period,” he said. “I got calls from all over the country about the house, and there were five offers over the asking price.”
Some sellers require that the buyers are prequalified before they let them into their homes. Still, most sellers are motivated, and Cook reported that he’s not had any buyers who were not be able to get in to see a house.
Cook said that if sellers get their houses on the market and price it close to market value, “you’re going to sell it quickly, probably with multiple offers. There are more buyers than listings right
now. It’s definitely a seller’s market and it’s a great time to be a seller!”
Since the Intown market is in need of more inventory, Pope said, “many homes are not hitting the market before they go under contract.”
For anyone thinking of selling their Intown home, she suggests they “call a local Realtor who understands our market and find out more about the value of their home and its salability.”
Brockway had two important points to share with sellers. “First, make sure you’re ready emotionally, and from a safety perspective, for people to be in your home.” He noted that while COVID-19 has increased the number of virtual showings and open houses, the final purchase decisions are only going to be made after a buyer has viewed the property in person.
“Secondly, hire a knowledgeable local agent with a track record of successfully selling homes,” he said. “A great listing agent will do two things at a very high level — accurately price the home and stage it well. Pricing your home accurately is the most effective way to ensure a successful sale.” Brockway said that not only do well-staged homes look and photograph better, they also sell faster than non-staged homes.
Hughes suggested that sellers thoroughly prepare their home for marketing. “Get a pre-listing inspection and make the repairs the inspector identifies. Have that information ready for an interested buyer.”
She also encouraged sellers to paint. “A bucket of paint is a seller’s best friend. Clean up your yard, wash your windows, clean out closets and basements — the neater and cleaner the better,” Hughes said. She agreed that sellers should ask their agent to recommend a stager and get their home staged. “Resales are competing with new construction and a resale must measure up.” Finally, Hughes stressed, price it accordingly.
For people looking to buy an Intown home, times are a little tough. “A buyer in this market needs to be ready to make the offer when the home they really like comes to market,” Pope said. “They need to keep
their eyes open for ‘Coming Soon’ signs and call their Realtor.”
She explained that Realtors stay in constant contact with each other and will usually know when something is coming available — before it hits the market.
“This current market is not a ‘wait and see’ market, in my opinion.”
Brockway’s advice for homebuyers is to “gird your loins. Single family detached inventory levels are 40% lower than a year ago. With fewer homes to choose from, competition is fierce.”
He added that buyers should make sure they’re prequalified for a mortgage from the start and are working with a knowledgeable, responsive Intown agent.
“If a property hits the market that fits your criteria, have a goal of viewing the home within 24 to 48 hours of it listing and get an offer in quickly,” Brockway said.
Cook also said it’s important that homebuyers get an agent who is wellnetworked and knows about properties that are off-market. “Agents who are connected know about properties before they get on the market, and that’s how a lot of things are selling now,” he said. “In the last 12 months, I’ve sold more than ten homes off-market through my agent network. It just shows the power of agents who are well connected.”
He suggested buyers find a real estate agent they can trust to accurately depict the properties and handle everything successfully. “A good agent is important if you’re in a multiple offer situation,” Cook said. “They know how to present your offer to edge out the competition. Mostly, though, be patient!”
This can be a frustrating time for buyers, he admitted. “If you miss out on a home, it may be a long wait to find another house that works for you. Just be patient and trust your agent.”
Buyers should get organized for the buying process, according to Hughes. “A good agent will offer a buyer consultation before you begin looking,” she said. “Some lenders are now offering preapproval, which is stronger than a prequalification letter. With either, you are ready to make an offer.”
Above all, Hughes said to keep trying. “If you lose out, there will be another house on the market at some point, often sooner than you think.”
Alliance Residential Company has closed on the acquisition of land at 105 Rogers Street for the development of Broadstone at Pullman Yards, a luxury apartment complex set to open in early 2022. Designed by Brock Hudgins Architects, Broadstone at Pullman Yards will include three residential buildings consisting of 354 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartment units which feature an industrial aesthetic, including two-toned custom cabinetry, decorative tile backsplashes, veined quartz countertops, matte black fixtures and electronic locks. Select apartment homes will showcase exterior brick accents. Amenities will include a one-of-a-kind leasing office featuring amphitheater seating and a light art installation, two-story clubroom featuring a demonstrator kitchen, lounge space and views of the Pratt Pullman District, state-of-the-art fitness center, and an elevated resort-style saltwater pool. For more, visit allresco.com.
community in Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood. Located off of College Avenue, prices at Elle at Oakhurst start in the $700s. The community will be comprised of 10 townhomes with threebedroom floorplans, offering over 2,400 square feet of living space, and three large single-family homes featuring five-bedroom floor plans, ranging from 3,200-3,300 square feet. For more information, visit elleatoakhurst.com.
Toll Brothers has completed Osprey, a 12-story, 320-apartment high-rise in West Midtown featuring studio, one- and twobedroom floorplans. Amenities including a state-of-the-art fitness center with ondemand virtual training, community-wide WiFi, rooftop lounge and terrace, juice bar, gear garage and a pool with private cabanas. On the ground floor, Osprey is also home to more than 13,000 square feet of retail space providing an opportunity for additional restaurants and shops. For more, visit ospreyatlanta.com.
Possible uses for the site include residential, office, hospitality and student housing options. More information is available at 323Spring.com.
sales. In this new role, Hunsucker will focus on sales management, talent recruitment and engagement, as the company positions itself for future growth.
▲Seven88 West Midtown, a new residential condominium high-rise under construction in West Midtown, has now completed 14 of 22 floors, and construction on the amenities and parking deck are underway. Located at 788 West Marietta Street, Seven88 West Midtown is scheduled to be completed this fall and so far, despite some COVID-19 setbacks, the developer has been able to keep construction on track. For more information, visit 788WestMidtown.com.
Capital City Real Estate, and its exclusive sales and marketing agency, @Ansley Developer Services, announced that preconstruction sales are underway for The Roycraft, a new 42-unit condominium development on the Atlanta BeltLine the Virginia-Highland neighborhood. The Roycraft will bring one-, two- and threebedroom residences, and penthouses with rooftop terraces, to a location directly along the Eastside Trail at Drewry Street. The site is walking distance to Ponce City Market, Piedmont Park, Whole Foods, and dozens of other shops, restaurants, and attractions. Construction for The Roycraft is expected to start next spring with first deliveries slated for the first half of 2022. Opening prices range from the $400,000s for onebedroom residences to $1.2 million for penthouses. For more information, visit theroycraftcondos.com.
Drapac Capital Partners has hired commercial real estate firm JLL Capital Markets to market its property located at 323 Spring St. in Downtown. Currently a parking lot and just a block away from the Georgia Aquarium and other attractions, the property is zoned for dense development and flexibility for a mix of potential uses.
▲Solis Interlock, the luxury residential component at the $450 million mixeduse development The Interlock on the Westside, has launched preleasing of its 349 studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartment homes and 18 townhomes. The spaces range from 551 to 1,905 square feet. Amenities include an infinity-edge pool, hammock garden, health and fitness club, and DIY workspace and art studios. For more information, visit SolisInterlock.com.
Residents at senior living community Lenbrook surprised the staff and management with a special message beamed back from 21 miles up in the stratosphere. It was the result of a Lenbrook resident asking a friend, who happens to be a NASA scientist, to send up a thank you sign with one of his projects. This NASA Scientist volunteers teaching students about space by launching a balloon 112,000 feet into the sky. The balloon breaks and then a parachute comes down carrying the camera, instruments, and, in this case the Lenbrook sign, for the students to retrieve and learn from the data. The sign read: “Lenbrook’s Management is highly valued by all residents.”
▲Mill Creek Residential has finalized plans for Modera Decatur, which will consist of 194 apartment homes and approximately 24,500 square feet of retail across 2.14 acres. Slated for delivery in fall of 2022, Modera Decatur will be located 163 Clairemont Ave. For more information, visit millcreekplaces.com.
▼Alix Cloud Hunsucker has joined Engel & Völkers Buckhead Atlanta and Engel & Völkers Atlanta North Fulton as director of
▲A unique 8.4 acre, six-bedroom estate on Cates Ridge in North Buckhead was sold for $7.75 million as a result of teamwork between two Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (BHHS) real estate agents. BHHS-Georgia Properties Buckhead Office Realtor Debra Johnston, represented the sellers of the property and John Scott, a Realtor in the BHHS-Georgia Properties Dunwoody Office, represented the buyers. Johnston also helped the sellers find their next home making the transaction an $11.5 million sale. She closed on both homes on the same day.
Acrowded food hall might seem the antithesis of social distancing, but two new projects with ample indoor space and large outdoor seating areas are getting ready for diners craving not only new menus, but community.
Set to open later this fall, Chattahoochee Food Works will feature 31 vendors in a 22,000-square-foot space including a large outdoor patio. Curated by Robert Montwaid, creator of New York’s Gansevoort Market, and Emmy and James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Zimmern, the food hall will be located at Selig Development’s mixed-use The Works at 1295 Chattahoochee Avenue on the Upper Westside.
The lineup for the food hall includes just announced include pizza and pasta concept Pomodoro Bella from Chefs James Semanisin and Byars Parham; savory and sweet creations from Orran Booher at a new outpost of Baker Dude; and a taste of Capetown from Allan Katzef at Baked Kitchen South African Street Food.
Previously announced tenants include Morelli’s Ice Cream; comfort Thai food from TydeTate Kitchen; Lebanese barebecue from Babakabab!; bubble tea from Unbelibubble Tea House; morning staples with a Southern twist from Graffiti Breakfast; and Mexican street food from Taqueria La Luz.
More vendors are set to be announced soon for the food hall, which will also feature chef demonstrations, intimate events, a test kitchen, and artisanal market shops.
The forthcoming food hall at Colony Square in Midtown has a new operator and name – Politan Row.
According to North American Properties (NAP), which is completing a $400 million transformation of the 50-year-old mixed use property, New Orlean-based Politan Group will operate the food hall as well as becoming its namesake.
Politan Group, which operates six food halls in Chicago, Miami, Houston, and New Orleans, said its planning 11 food and beverage concepts, a central bar, three event spaces, and a “secret bar” for Colony Square. Bell-Butler is designing the food hall space, which is set to open in Spring 2021.
More than half of the square footage
at Politan Row will be dedicated to outdoor dining. Interior space makes up approximately 20,000 square feet, while outdoor space encompasses 22,000 square feet. The food hall also features a “NanaWall” – an opening glass wall system –that will connect the food hall to outdoor spaces called The Plaza, The Patio and The Grove.
The Patio features a variety of covered seating and shuffleboards and fronts the stage and Plaza area. Separately, there will be an outdoor bar, which allows open carry of beverages throughout Colony Square. The Plaza will open to the public following the local nonprofit City of Refuge’s annual fundraising event on Oct. 8. NAP said it will activate The Plaza daily with community programming, such as comedy shows and live music. The Grove opened last year and has become a popular spot for alfresco dining.
In a nod to the new normal of social distancing, diners will be able to use technology to easily place orders and utilize contactless pick-up and drop-off options.
The food hall will also be equipped with movable, flexible furniture to accommodate occupancy restrictions and create space between groups.
“The food hall model already complements the way people want to dine post-pandemic, with quick, counter-service, quality, cost-conscious food and flexible seating,” said Mark Toro, chairman of NAP Atlanta. “Our food hall will take these benefits even further by providing ample outdoor space and enhanced technology that creates a seamless dining experience for people who are coming out of social isolation and desperately craving community togetherness.”
Formerly called Main and Main, the food hall wast first announced in 2017 with Steve Palmer of Indigo Road Hospitality Group in charge. Palmer left the project (although he did open Sukoshi at Colony Square), which was then taken over by Texas-based group Oz Rey, which departed last fall.
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By Collin Kelley
Intown has a full menu of new restaurants to try this fall – from Indian to Persian to Italian. We’ve rounded up a list of who’s taking orders or coming soon to your neighborhood.
◄Curry Up Now
The fast casual Indian restaurant is now open at Madison Yards, 915 Memorial Drive, Suite 210. The local franchisees, who also have a location in Decatur, are also on the fast track to complete another Curry Up Now outpost at The Interlock, which will also feature the craft cocktail bar concept, Mortar & Pestle. For more, visit curryupnow. com
▼Delbar
The name of the new Iman Park Village restaurant translates to “heart, captured” in Farsi, according to owner and native Iranian Fares Kargar, who says the menu is made up of influential Persian and Middle Eastern dishes from his youth. The restaurant is located at 870 Inman Park Village Parkway at the corner of N. Highland Ave. Visit delbaratl.com for more information.
Downtown’s American Breakfast Club has opened ABC Chicken & Waffles at 340 Auburn Avenue in the Sweet Auburn District offering a slimmed-down menu of its chicken and waffles along with nitro craft beverages. Visit facebook.com/abc249 for more.
Located in the former Maddy’s BBQ spot at 1479 Scott Blvd. in North Decatur, the menu features sharables (deviled eggs, poutine, cauliflower bites), soups, salads, burgers, fish tacos and more alongside a menu of signature cocktails, draft beers, wines, and spirits. For more, visit wheelhousepubdecatur.com.
Atlanta’s first food truck has opened its second brick-and-mortar location at 2907 N. Druid Hills Road, in Toco Hills with a 700-square-foot patio and a larger menu of its AsianMexian fusion available for takeout, dining in or delivery. Visit yumbii.com for more.
The newly opened Grant Park bistro has indoor and outdoor dining as well as take out at Larkin on Memorial, 519 Memorial Drive, across from Oakland Cemetery. The menu from Chef Dan Brown is “approachable, American cuisine with international influence” including steak frites, burgers, Korean Pork Philly, vegan options. and large cocktail and wine menu Woodward & Park’s menu will feature the finest and freshest ingredients along with an innovative wine and cocktail program for all tastes. Visit woodwardandparkatl.com for more.
The team behind Root Baking Co has opened Pizza Jeans on the second floor of Ponce City Market’s Central Food Hall. Originally founded as a pop-up, Pizza Jeans serves pizza by the slice and pie, drinks, dessert and more for walk-up takeout and delivery on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m. Pizza Jeans offers diners a choice of two red pizzas and two white pizzas each day alongside breadsticks, subs, salads and desserts, like Italian lemon ice, sourdough doughnuts, a cookie jar with six freshly baked cookies and New York-style cheesecake. Visit toasttab.com/pizzajeans for more.
The Westside barbecue joint plans to open a second location in the old Harp Transmission building next door to Oakland Cemetery in Grant Park in November. There will be indoor and outdoor seating, a full bar, and a large smoker for brisket, pulled pork, sausage and pork rib racks. Check out dasbbq.com for updates.
The James Bond-inspired cocktail bar, owned by former Polaris Lounge bartenders Damien McGee and Jon Tilley, is named after Vesper Lynd in “Casino Royale” and features drinks named after “Bond Girls” that 007 concocted with gin and vodka, as well as bites such as a lobster quesadilla, smoked trout deviled eggs, and cheese plates. The bar is located at 924 Garrett Street in Glenwood Park next door to Gunshow. Find out more at vesperatl.com.
Classical style mansions owned by wealthy business and civic leaders lined major thoroughfares in Atlanta, such as Peachtree Street, from the 1850s thru the early 1900s. Commercial development and freeway construction in subsequent years spurred the demolition of these structures. Built in 1900, the Victor H. Kriegshaber House has withstood commercial development along Moreland Avenue contributing distinctive architectural presence and history to Inman Park and in the entire city.
business, civic, philanthropic, and cultural organizations in Atlanta.
Architect Willis F. Denny II designed this four-bedroom, one-anda-half-bathroom residence and other remarkable projects, such as St. Mark’s Methodist Church (c. 1903) and Rhodes Hall (c.1905) in Midtown Atlanta, before his death at age 31 in 1905. The stately, ornate style of Beaux Arts Classical Revival architecture for this residence fitted the debonair Kriegshaber. As Founder and President of the Atlanta Terra Cotta Company, he led numerous, local
Melody Harclerode, FAIA enjoys connecting the public to wondrous places as an award-winning architect, author, and Executive Director of Blue Heron Nature Preserve in Atlanta.
Following the 1924 death of Kriegshaber and commercial transformation of Moreland Avenue, the house changed ownership and use serving as the Centenary Methodist Church, a dance school, and the Wrecking Bar, an architectural salvage business owned by Wilma Stone from 1970 to 2005. Store closure of the Wrecking Bar precipitated years of building neglect until Bob and Kristine Sandage and Stevenson Rosslow lovingly restored and converted the structure into the Wrecking Bar Brewpub starting in 2011.
The dramatic, semicircular porch and oval-shaped foyer still invite visitors to the creamy, yellow brick mansion partially covered with wood siding at the rear section. Classical columns support a conical slate roof once capped with a wood balustrade and a covered porte cochere entry for the building. Terra cotta shell motifs over double-hung windows adds striking
elegance to the exterior. Finely crafted fireplaces, cabinetry, and stain glass designs embellish fourteen-foot interior spaces.
Rosslow has been resolute to sustain the brewery and restaurant despite the pandemic. Most recently used for formal private events including parties and weddings, the main section of the building gives abundant space for dine-in customers to appreciate delicious meals and drinks. Mature trees along the edge of the property allow ample shading to customers with a preference for outdoor dining. The biergarten space in a rear building added by Wilma Stone reopens this fall.
Reflecting on the extraordinary commitment to rehabilitate this National Register of Historic Places landmark, Rosslow explains, “They don’t build buildings like this anymore.” With noteworthy experiences at the historic mansion, he and the current partners of the Wrecking Bar Brewpub continue the legacy of the Kriegshabers over a century ago by offering a “welcoming, gracious, and kind” place for gatherings.
Adair Park Today has announced its annual festival, Porches and Pies, will have a new format for 2020. Organizers have launched an online bake sale with curbside pickup on Saturday, Oct. 10 from noon to 3 p.m. The bake sale features assorted pie boxes. Each includes four to five mini pies from some of Atlanta’s best bakers. Customers can opt for gluten free and vegan options as well as an “original” box. Boxes are available for $25 and include complimentary drink tickets for Monday Night Garage, Golda Kombucha at Cultured South, and Urban Tree Cidery. “The annual fundraiser is more important now than ever,” says J. Lawrence Miller, president of Adair Park Today. “As the pandemic hit, we’ve ramped up our outreach to youth, seniors, and families in need. We’re connecting them to resources, delivering meals and groceries, and ensuring we support those most vulnerable in our community.” For more information, visit porchesandpies.com.
►Lucy’s Market in Buckhead has partnered with restaurateurs Chef Linton and Gina Hopkins (Holeman and Finch, Restaurant Eugene, and Hop’s Chicken) to launch their new product line, The Buttery ATL. The
line, which is currently available at Lucy’s Market and Holeman & Finch Bottle Shop, includes fresh breads, condiments, drink mixes, and other accoutrements that have become signature staples at their restaurants throughout the years. Lucy’s Market is located at 56 E. Andrews Drive and items can also be ordered online at LucysMarket.com
Good Food for Thought (gfft. georgiaorganics.org) will serve as Georgia Organic’s new educational initiative offering opportunities for continued learning and convening, year-round, through panel discussions and webinars along with video resources, digital toolkits, podcast episodes, and more. One of the primary goals of Good Food for Thought programming is to address the question: “What is ‘good food’?”
Ride-sharing service Lyft has helped nonprofit ATLFamilyMeal to deliver 26,000 meals to low-income seniors, families, and children during the coronavirus pandemic. ATLFamilyMeal is focused on
feeding and providing resources/support for Metro Atlanta hospitality workers experiencing economic distress and food insecurity and has also worked with Lyft to provide families with discounted rides to participating grocery stores. ATLFamilyMeal also recently received an anonymous $2 million donation which will enable the organization to develop and roll out its long-range strategic plan to build a community-oriented food and hospitality hub centered around a public-facing market, cafe, and catering kitchen. For more, visit ATLFamilyMeal.org.
Georgia’s Own Credit Union donated $15,575 to Smart Kid, Smart Lunch, Action Ministries’ annual initiative to battle food insecurity for children and their families across the metro Atlanta area during the summer.
Georgia Power in partnership with Truist Atlanta Open recently provided a donation of $10,000 to The Giving Kitchen, the Atlanta organization dedicated to supporting restaurant owners and food service workers during crisis. The funds will be used to continue to support local workers during the COVID-19 pandemic including financial and legal services, employment, housing and utilities, family services, and physical and mental wellness. Find out more at thegivingkitchen.org.
October is usually bustling with art, festivals, and events, but the ongoing pandemic has cancelled many (Oakhurst Porch Fest and the Fall Festival on Ponce, to name two) and forced others to go virtual or adopt strict social distancing measures.
But it’s not all gloom and doom on the arts and culture scene. As we reported last month, the Alliance Theatre is returning to live productions, while the Atlanta Symphony will offer virtual concerts. For October, you’ll see that more live theatre and music is making a comeback and Halloween is mask season, so read on to find out what’s happening around Intown.
This fall, the High Museum will present “Julie Mehretu,” a major traveling exhibition for the celebrated Ethiopian artist from Oct. 23 to Jan. 31. This is the first comprehensive survey of the artist’s career, covering more than two decades of her work, from 1996 to the present, and uniting nearly 40 drawings and prints and 35 paintings predominantly monumental in size and scale. Mehretu’s process involves compiling a vast and diverse archive of sources, including diagrams and maps, cave markings, Chinese calligraphy, architectural renderings, graffiti, photojournalism and texts. For more information, visit high.org.
The company has announced that its 2020-2021 season, which opens Oct. 5, will feature both live and virtual performances.
“In the Theatre” performances will have a live, physicallydistanced small salon audience for a limited run at Synchronicity’s Midtown space. Each production will be recorded and available to view digitally at home via an “On the Screen” ticket option for up to three-weeks after the performance opens. Some of the season’s highlights will include “4×4” (Oct. 5-Nov. 8); “Stiff” (Oct. 7-11); “Chorus of Bears” (Oct. 14-18); “RIP” (Oct. 21-25); “A Year With Frog and Toad” (Dec. 11-Jan.
3); “Mirandy and Brother Wind” (Jan. 29-Feb. 21); “Blue Angel’s Weekend” (March 12-April 4); and an adaptation of Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” (June 4-27) For tickets or more information, visit synchrotheatre.com.
Due to the pandemic, this year’s celebration of the LGBTQ+ community will be virtual Oct. 9-11. Details were still be worked out at press time so be sure to visit atlantapride. org for updates.
The Opera will return to live performances in October in a large open-air tent on the Oglethorpe University campus in Brookhaven. To adhere to COVID-19 safety precautions, Atlanta Opera is hosting the “Molly Blank Big Tent Series,” which will include six productions. The tent will be set up on the field at Oglethorpe’s Hermance Stadium, 4462 Peachtree Road. The series will start with Ruggero Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” and Viktor Ullman’s “The Kaiser of Atlantis,” which will run from Oct. 22 to Nov. 14. The tent has the capacity for 240 audience members and has no walls in order to promote air flow. Tickets and safety information can be found at atlantaopera.org.
The public art festival returns virtually Oct. 4-10 to examine issues of inequity and injustice while inspiring community building, activism, and hope in West End. With a theme of “Equity, Activism, Engagement,” some of this year’s events include a mural installation honoring civil rights leader Rev. James Orange and Black women activists from the West End community; a conversation between bestselling authors Tayari Jones and Pearl Cleage; a conversation between the executive directors of Atlanta Contemporary and Les Abattoirs/Toulouse to discuss challenges of promoting art during COVID-19, gender equality, and racism; a screening of the “John Lewis: Good Trouble”; an Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performance of Lazarus created by acclaimed hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris; a public art
This year’s parade is going virtual with participants having submitted videos wearing their spooky and gory finest. The virtual grand marshal will be that melancholy clown, Puddles Pity Party. The virtual parade is set for Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. and can be watched online at facebook.com/L5PHalloween.
initiative featuring renowned artist Carrie Mae Weems, in collaboration with SCAD, to raise critical heath awareness; and musical performances by Kebbi Williams and The Wolf Pack, The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra, Gritz and Jelly Butter, Tony Hightower, and Julie Dexter. For the full schedule, visit elevateart.com.
Voices Carry
The 16th annual poetry reading presented by Poetry Atlanta and Georgia Center for the Book will be virtual this year on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. This year’s reading will feature work by award-winning poets Cecilia Woloch, Theresa Davis, Karen Head, Julie E. Bloemeke, and Gustavo Hernandez. Visit georgiacenterforthebook.org for more information.
Netherworld
Named one of the scariest haunted houses in the world year after year, Netherworld will be scaring the pants off visitors at its new Stone Mountain home, but in fewer numbers and with social distancing. Timed tickets purchased online will be required, while all guests are required to wear masks and get a temperature check. At press time, exact dates and times had not been announced, so visit fearworld.com for the latest updates.
The annual “Scarecrows in the Garden” returns starting Oct. 1-Nov. 1 with more than 100 kooky and creative characters perched throughout the Midtown greenspace. They’re all the creative handiwork of area schools, businesses, organizations and individuals. On Oct. 25, kids are invited to dress up in their best costumes and participate in socially-distanced activities during “Goblins in the Garden” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit atlantabg.org.
Come October, ghost tours seem thick as pumpkins around metro Atlanta. So many pop up that it can feel like about every metro community is haunted by that spectral someone just waiting to tell his or her story or produces an eager tour guide willing to tell the living about the dead.
This year is different, of course. Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, many tours are being cancelled, while some have moved online. Participants in others are being asked to don masks and socially distance themselves for in-person strolls through their haunted hometowns.
Here are few tours that, as of mid-September, organizers were planning to present this year. If you want to join one, check the company’s website to make sure the tour still is on and that tickets still are available.
Oakland Cemetery’s popular tour, a major fundraiser for the cemetery, returns Oct. 15-Nov.1. Visitors who take the tours meet ghosts who inhabit the historic cemetery and retell the tales of their lives. Due to the pandemic, fewer tickets are being sold for
each night this year than in the past to allow for greater spacing between people on the tours. Participants will be required to wear masks. The cemetery will offer hand-sanitizing stations, not use paper tickets for the tours, and require payment by credit or debit card. Tickets cost $40, $28 for children aged 4 to 12. On VIP night, Oct. 16, admission includes a threecourse meal and tickets cost $150. A virtual ghost is available for $15.For more, visit oaklandcemetery.com.
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is hosting this tour of the 1904 “Castle on Peachtree” in Midtown to hear some of the spine-chilling experiences and encounters that have been reported by guests and staff. Wrap up the evening with socially distanced spirits on the front porch. Spaces are limited. Ages 21+. $35 per person. Masks required indoors. For more information, visit georgiatrust.org.
This guided walking tour covers a little more than a mile as participants stroll around downtown Decatur and visit sites such as the DeKalb County Courthouse, High House and the city cemetery. Tour guides retell the stories, both historical and paranormal, of some the city’s haunted spots. Masks are recommended, but not required, and tour groups will be limited to
25 to allow for social distancing. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for children 10 and younger. For more information, visit decaturghosttour.com.
Roswell Ghost Tour
Owner David Wood said his company shut down its tours for several months this year because of COVID-19, but now is back in operation. They started back in June, he said, because people kept calling and saying they wanted to take part in outside activities again. Guides lead groups of up to 40 or so tourists at a time on a 1.5-mile walking tour and share local ghost stories as they pass local landmarks such as Bulloch Hall or the founder’s cemetery. Masks are recommended, but not required. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $10 for children 12 and younger. For more information, visit roswellghosttour.com.
Tour of Southern Ghosts
For its 35th anniversary, ART Station’s ghost tour is going online. In the past, the tour was presented in Stone Mountain Park, but this year it moves to cyberspace to allow greater distancing between participants. A link to this year’s tour, presented Oct. 15-31, will be available at artstation.org, includes ghost stories from across the South. Tickets cost $17. For details, visit artstation.org/current-events.
It’s been a long, dark spring and summer for Atlanta’s theaters. Metro playhouses turned out the lights months ago to slow the spread of Covid-19. Unable to gather audiences in their theaters, actors, directors and playwrights were left to wait out the pandemic and hope for the safe return of live theater someday.
Several Atlanta theatres are trying or planning new ways to reach audiences. Some are going digital and streaming shows online. Others propose new ways of staging: The Atlanta Opera plans to perform Pagliacci this month in an open-sided tent with masked audience members clustered in small groups; The Alliance Theatre wants to start its 52nd season in November with shows staged in several different ways, including a drive-in version of “A
Playwright. Essayist. Novelist. Poet. Political Activist. With so many titles next to her name, it’s a wonder that Pearl Cleage can recall specific details about her first night in Atlanta back in 1969.
She went to see Black Image Theater put on a play. Cleage remembers the actors wore jeans and black turtlenecks. They talked about the Black community and what needed to be done in the post-Civil Rights Era.
“And I thought to myself, ‘I’m home!’” Cleage said. “’This is exactly the kind of theater I love.’”
The new city welcomed her with open arms. Cleage credits the encouragement, as well as Atlanta’s lively political and artistic scene, for much of her creativity.
“People wanted me to write what I know. And that’s the best gift that a place can give you,” Cleage said. “To make you feel like you’re able to be deeply rooted in that place and reflective of that place. And I hope that’s what I’ve been able to do in Atlanta.”
She would go on to write many plays and books – love letters to the community that fascinates her the most: Black women.
“Because I’m a Black woman. I know myself, so I feel that I know those characters and I want to see women like the women that I know, like the women that I see, on the stage. Because their lives are so interesting,” Cleage said. “I could write those stories forever.”
Though her stories center around women of color, Cleage believes the themes are universal and relatable. But to address gender, race, sexual preference, and economic disparity in American society, she had to learn what it means to be a brave storyteller. Especially after an editor excoriated her debut novel.
“To tell the truth, fearlessly,” Cleage said. “To not always feel that as an African American writer, I have to write noble women who are always correct, who are longsuffering matriarchs. Those are not the only stories we have to tell.”
The book that the editor criticized was 1997’s “What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day” – the story of a young Black woman diagnosed with HIV. It went on to be featured in Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club and it became a New York Times bestseller.
Cleage’s play, “Blues for an Alabama Sky” (1995), was directed by Kenny Leon and starred her Howard University classmate, Phylicia Rashad. The Cosby Show actress gave such a believable performance, an audience member reached out to catch her as she portrayed a staggering, drunken 1930s nightclub singer.
Her play “Flyin’ West” (1992), was featured at The Kennedy Center. It told the story of African American pioneers, starred the late Ruby Dee, and became the most produced new play in the country in 1994. But Cleage calls it all icing on the cake.
“The moment I will always treasure is the first time we had an audience of 200 people at the Alliance Theater,” she said. “And people went crazy. They gave it a standing ovation. They laughed at all of the stuff I hoped they would laugh at.”
Cleage also remembers her critical father praising the performance, and it brought tears to her eyes.
More than 50 years have passed since Cleage made Georgia her home. She still sees America battling some of its same social demons, including in the theater community, where there is still room for diversity.
Christmas Carol.”
We thought this [presumably brief] pause before curtains start to rise again across the metro area would be a good time to meet some of the people who create Atlanta theater.
On the following pages, we present a half-dozen metro Atlantans who have devoted their careers to building theatrical groups and bringing stirring performances to the community. Their paths to Atlanta’s stages have varied widely – from writing plays to acting in plays to building an audience by staging Shakespeare year-round.
Let’s hope they will be able to turn on the lights in their theaters soon.
“There’s a lot of holding these theaters’ feet to the fire and to say, ‘Okay, we love the rhetoric, but what are you going to do about it?’” Cleage said there needs to be voices for women and people of color on every level of a production. “These are great American theaters, and they need to be about the business of telling great American stories.”
Even as the coronavirus has stalled the theater community, Cleage says she’s inspired to write faster. “All of us, by doing the best work we can possibly do, we make those audiences hungry for more good work,” Cleage said. “It’s very important to me that this theatre community thrive. And I’m always grateful to be a part of it.”
Among the shows put on hold by the pandemic is Cleage’s latest work, “Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous” (2019) – a hilarious and poignant story about getting older, as told by an aging actress. And with age, Cleage hasn’t lost any of her spunk either. She’s currently exploring film noir.
“It’s been fun for me to see if I can write a bad girl.”
Lisa Adler left the vibrant theater scene in Chicago and came to Atlanta. But in the early ‘80s, she noticed something was missing: contemporary theater. She believed Atlanta was missing performances that addressed current issues in modern times with relatable characters.
It was a dream both Adler and her husband, Jeff, were willing to bet on.
“The first play we did we used $1,000 of our wedding money,” she said with a laugh.
With the help of a producer who also wanted to create original work, the seeds for the Horizon Theatre were planted. The show that started it all was “Bonjour, La, Bonjour” by Michel Tremblay – a French-Canadian play Adler had first seen at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. “At the time we were growing up, the Steppenwolf Theatre was the hot, young place with all the great young talent that people wanted to be part of,” Adler said.
— Tiffany GriffithThe couple received heavy praise for their efforts. A second performance soon followed – “Top Girls,” a 1982 play by Caryl Churchill about women in the workplace. “Caryl Churchill was a very cutting edge, popular writer at the time,” Adler noted.
Adler was inspired to run the show because she was determined to showcase plays by
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and about women.
“Both of those plays had never been done in Atlanta,” Adler said. “And we were looking to bring fresh voices to Atlanta.”
From there, multiple plays snowballed into a season. Atlanta’s theater community showed its support as 300 season tickets were sold that first year. Adler now holds the title of co-founder and Co-Artistic/Producing Director of Horizon Theatre.
The troupe sought original works. In Horizon’s early days, Adler saw the potential in a story submitted to her on onion skin paper by a local college student. The notes detailed the young Black woman’s experience of being raised by the many women in her life during the 1960s in the segregated South.
“It wasn’t really a play, but I was like. ‘You’ve got something.’ This girl can write,” Adler recalls.
With a little work, that heartwarming story, “Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery” by Shay Youngblood, premiered on the Horizon stage in 1988, and had two additional runs at the theater. It thrilled and entertained audiences and was performed nationwide. Youngblood continues to have a thriving career. This and people waiting in the rain for Horizon performances, are memories Adler holds close to her heart.
In addition to laugh-out-loud comedies, such as Avenue Q, Horizon also has addressed sober topics, such as the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, sexual abuse, human trafficking, gentrification, and autism. Adler said the variety in their programming reflects Horizon’s mission.
“To connect people, inspire hope, and promote positive change through the stories of our times,” Adler said.
Being a contemporary community theater means reflecting the community the Horizon Theatre is in, Adler said. “It’s a goal of ours to put different races, different ages on stage together,” she said.
Adler has seen Horizon’s audiences grow from being mostly white viewers, to a 60
Jeff Watkins learned early to play to the crowd. When he was very young, his father worked as a professional magician and ran a magic shop in Texas. Young Jeff would watch his dad perform close-up magic (the kind with card tricks and disappearing balls) at magicians’ conventions and other gatherings.
After college, Jeff took up street magic for a while himself. With a freshly minted college degree, including a minor in theater, he moved from Texas to New York to make his fortune in show business. He auditioned for acting jobs and paid for groceries by doing sidewalk shows. “Washington Square was the most fun,” he said. “Wall Street is where I made the most money.”
Like most starting actors, he spent much of his time just looking for work. He landed a job with a six-actor company that toured the northeast in a van and a car and staged shows in schools and community centers about various literary figures. In the early 1980s, he headed west to Chicago to join some college friends who were organizing a theater group there.
A couple of years later, as Watkins was driving from Texas to New York for yet another audition, he stopped off to visit a friend in Atlanta. She ran a group that staged readings of Shakespeare’s plays in local bars. When his friend decided to move to New York herself and leave the Atlanta Shakespeare Association behind, “I said can I have it?” Watkins said. Watkins became the group’s artistic director. In 1984, the group staged a production of “As You Like It” in a back room at Manuel’s Tavern, a storied Atlanta watering hole where politicians, cops and journalists gathered. One early show, Watkins said, was a political fundraiser.
Playing Shakespeare in a barroom turned out to be a revelation. Watkins saw what he thought his productions should be – directed to the audience and, for lack of a better word, entertaining. “I had been a street performer,” the 64-year-old said. “I know in my stomach – I know in my gut – when it’s working with an audience. I cannot be dissuaded from that.”
He calls his style of presentation “Original Practice,” meaning he stages plays as he believes they originally would have been performed. Productions follow the text, employ no dramatic modern sets or updated sound effects, and use only fabrics and clothing from the period. His actors don’t pretend there’s not an audience sitting just a few feet away. “At Manuel’s, I said this is the vibe I’m after,” he said.
Atlanta actor Tom Key has never been one to shy from a difficult topic, conversation, decision or role.
At 70, he’s still at it. After retiring in June as artistic director of the Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta, Key is auditioning for film and TV work, has gotten involved in social causes and is hopeful he’ll be back on stage in Atlanta again by the spring of 2021.
percent white audience and 40 percent people of color. That number grows to 85 percent when an African American focused show is performed. But Adler said the Black Lives Matter movement is holding them to a higher standard.
“Black Lives Matter has also hit our community really, really hard. That has been very stressful and emotionally draining for everybody in the community,” she said. “There’s been a lot of accusation of theater being too white, nationally. Locally a lot of anger and frustration coming out over many, many years of what people feel like is racism. Even though there’s a lot of diversity in the work in Atlanta, a lot of the producers are mostly white people.”
Adler said the current power dynamic and culture in theater is under debate about how to make it better. New tools are being utilized, anti-racism plans are being created, meetings and trainings are being held.
The pandemic has also stalled live theater. “This is the longest time in my entire adult life that I haven’t done a play. And it’s very strange,” Adler said.
The Horizon Theater has weathered the storm with a July furlough, a Paycheck Protection Program Loan, and money in reserves. But she fears layoffs might be unavoidable.
Adler hopes the shutdown will teach people about the value of live theater.
“With the pandemic, people realize what it brings to the community. When you can’t go, suddenly they realize this arts community thing is kind of important,” she said.
In the meantime, the Horizon Theatre is experimenting with new ways to present entertainment– streaming performances and interactive programs. Adler is optimistically commissioning work for a return to safe, in-person acting in January.
“What’s exciting to me is the opportunity to create a world. People walk into an environment, and you create everything that happens to them,” Adler said.
“You’re responsible. You take them on a journey. And the ability to create that world and impact people is addictive.”
— Tiffany GriffithAt first, his plays weren’t always popular with critics who thought Shakespeare should be treated seriously and updated to reflect modern times, he said. But his shows found an audience. Watkins’ company has staged Shakespeare for more than 35 years. It has presented more than 230 productions of Shakespeare’s plays, he said, and twice preformed the full “canon” -- 39 plays attributed fully or in some form to Shakespeare.
“I’ve done more Shakespeare than anybody else on the North American continent,” he said one recent afternoon as he sat on the porch of his Decatur home, “and maybe more than just five or six people in the U.K.”
In 1990, the company moved into the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse at 499 Peachtree St. in Midtown Atlanta. The 200-seat Tavern staged more than a dozen plays a year until the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to close in March.
Watkins doesn’t know when his troupe will return to live performances – mid-next year, he guesses – but he has plans to expand so he can someday do even more of the kind of plays his fans have nicknamed “Shakespeare for NASCAR fans.”
And he’s convinced that sitting back with a draft Guinness and watching a sword fight from your bar table as you dine on shepherd’s pie is the best way to see Shakespeare. “What I’ve created connects to the audience,” he said. “If you think Shakespeare isn’t your playwright, you need to spend more time at the Shakespeare Tavern … and this beer will help.”
— Joe EarleThe author of the “Cotton Patch Gospel,” a show that reimagines the story of Jesus set in the rural South of the mid-20th Century, also is contemplating writing another play. “I am working to develop a writing habit,” he said. “I’m about two months into it. I want to get to the point where I’m writing every day, because the times are so challenging.”
He wants his new project “to show that what unites us is greater than what divides us, and that we all belong to each other.”
Key grew up in Birmingham. In 1963, when he was only about 13, the bombing
of the 16th Street Baptist Church in his hometown and the deaths of four young girls in the bombing showed him powerful, horrifying lessons about race and the need for community. “My whole view of reality was changed,” he said. “It was a formative experience.”
Fast forward to 1968. Key made friends with a roommate who was a young man of color and made plans to bring him home at Thanksgiving. No, said his shocked parents. If you do that, we’ll stop paying for your tuition and your car.
“So, I took them up on it,” he said simply. “We maintained a civil relationship, but there was a real gap or wound that was just there.”
After moving to Knoxville, he emerged from the University of Tennessee in the late 1970s with an undergraduate degree in English literature and a graduate degree in theater.
“Cotton Patch” followed. It started as a one-man show and flowered into an offBroadway musical. Key toured with it, eventually landing in Dallas for a two-year stint with a theater company there.
In 1986, Key and his family moved back to Atlanta. About a year later, he was offered a job as artistic director an off-Broadway theater in New York. He decided to stick with Atlanta, his “home place in the South,” he said, because he felt it offered a better environment for broadening his directing and writing skills and perhaps starting a small theater company. “New York theater is like the state fair where the tomatoes are judged,” he said. “But the tomatoes are not grown in the soil of the midway.”
He carved out his reputation through extensive work at the Alliance Theatre and through touring “Cotton Patch” and “C.S. Lewis on Stage,” a one-man show based on the British writer. Film and TV opportunities came along.
An artistic director’s job came calling again in 1995, this time with the Theatrical Outfit. It encompassed a grab bag of duties from picking out, casting and occasionally acting in and directing plays to forming and encouraging creative teams. Key also functioned as a public advocate and money-raiser for the theater.
The theater’s plays ran the gamut, but more than a few tackled thorny questions related to race, sexual orientation or faith. “I always ask the question, ‘What do we need to have a conversation about right now?’ And sometimes the answer was, ‘We really need is to have a good time right now.’”
The longtime Atlanta theater veteran recounted how presenting envelope-pushing productions sometimes occasioned pushback.
In some places where ‘Cotton Patch” was being staged, fundamentalists took out ads in local newspapers calling it “blasphemous” and urging people to stay home.
And Key remembered how a 1982 run of the play at the Alliance Theater featured a live discussion following each performance.
One night got especially ticklish. “A woman in the front row asked, without any hesitation or apology, why I made the [Ku Klux] Klan a bad force in the story because [she said] it was an organization founded to protect Christian women and children,” he recalled. Key said he paused for what seemed a long time, then -- “in the same way that bombs are defused-slowly and carefully.” -- he explained why he had the KKK play a role in the lynching of Jesus in his play.
The longtime Atlanta actor said over the years he was asked to join productions that espoused a stance or an opinion and sought to demonize those who deviated from it. He always politely refused, he said.
“I turned down a play about the Holocaust because with it came a vision that we are animals just surviving and humanity has no moral basis. It wasn’t just that I disagreed with the idea, I literally would not know how to play that role.”
Now he returns to writing. “I plan to write about the human condition,” he said. “I believe fundamentally in the core of my being that we are part of a story that’s going to end well, even when we’re in the worst of times.”
— Mark WoolseyEach January, we feature students from Intown’s public schools, private schools and colleges who have given back to their community in a significant way. Over the last ten years, we’ve featured students who have created their own nonprofits, have given up summer vacation to work domestically and abroad to help the less fortunate and one even helped build a library by collecting books.
The 13th annual 20 Under 20 will appear in our January 2021 issue and we are now seeking nominations of students ages 19 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 information)
• 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 Nov. 6. Please email your nominations to editor Collin Kelley at collin@atlantaintownpaper.com.
By Collin Kelley
If you’re looking for a socially-distanced weekend outing this fall, a drive through the North Georgia mountains or North Carolina to see the leaves changing color couldn’t be more perfect.
According to the Fall Foliage Prediction Map at smokymountains.com, Oct. 12-19 will be optimum for peak color in North Carolina, while Oct. 19-26 will offer the brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows in North Georgia.
At this writing, Georgia State Parks were still limiting access if parks become too overcrowded to maintain social distancing during the pandemic. Some activities in the parks have also been limited or cancelled, so check with the individual park before you go at gastateparks.org.
According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, these are the parks
to check out the best leaf color along with some recommended activities.
Amicalola Falls State Park & Lodge –Dawsonville
Just an hour north of Atlanta you’ll find the Southeast’s tallest cascading waterfall. A short, flat path leads to a boardwalk offering the most spectacular views. There’s also an easy-to-reach overlook at the top. For a tougher challenge, start from the bottom of the falls and hike up the steep staircase. Black Rock Mountain State Park –Clayton
At an altitude of 3,640 feet, Black Rock Mountain is Georgia’s highest state park. (Brasstown Bald is the state’s highest peak.) Roadside overlooks and the summit Visitor Center offer sweeping views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The 2.2-mile Tennessee Rock Trail is a good choice for a short, moderate hike. For an all-day challenge,
take the 7.2-mile James E. Edmonds Backcountry Trail.
►Cloudland Canyon State Park –Rising Fawn
One of Georgia’s most beautiful parks offers easyto-reach rim overlooks and challenging trails. A favorite hike takes you down a staircase to the bottom of the canyon, where you’ll find two waterfalls. (Remember, you have to hike back up, but it’s worth it.) The 5-mile West Rim Loop is moderately difficult and offers great views of the canyon.
Many people are surprised to find hardwood forests and rolling mountains south of Atlanta. The 6.7-mile Wolf Den Loop is a favorite section of the longer Pine Mountain Trail. For a touch of history, drive to Dowdell’s Knob to see a life-size bronze sculpture of President F.D. Roosevelt and views of the forested valley. Ga. Hwy. 190 is a pretty driving route.
Georgia’s smallest state park sits on the shore of a gorgeous deep-green lake. Guests can choose from the 2-mile Hemlock Falls Trail or 1-mile Non-Game Trail with a wildlife observation tower. Hwy. 197 is a particularly pretty road, passing Mark of the Potter and other popular attractions.
Smithgall Woods State Park – Helen
Protecting more than 6,000 acres around Dukes Creek, this is the perfect spot for fly fishing while enjoying fall color. Day visitors can picnic near the creek, and overnight guests can hike a private trail to Dukes Creek Falls. A 1.6mile loop climbs to Laurel Ridge and provides a view of Mt. Yonah once most leaves are off the trees. Smithgall Woods has some of the park system’s most soughtafter cabins and is near wineries and Helen’s Oktoberfest.
Tallulah Gorge State Park –Near Clayton
Tallulah Gorge is one of the most spectacular canyons in the Southeast, and you can choose from easy or difficult trails. Hike along the rim to several overlooks with waterfall views, but hikes to the bottom of the gorge and climbing permits were still not being offered at press time.
Unicoi State Park & Lodge – Helen
Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival
At press time, the annual Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival at Village Green in downtown Cashiers was still on for Oct. 9-11. Artisans, food, entertainment and more are staples of the event, which will be happening just as the leaves are at their peak in western North Carolina. Visit Cahsiers411.com for more information.
cancelled, Highlands still offers great shopping, dining, and the chance to explore the scenic surroundings. According to the experts, the second week of October will be peak color for the leaves. Visit highlandschamber.org for more information.
This park is best known for a mysterious rock wall along the mountain top, plus a variety of trails. For the easiest walk, take the 1.2-mile loop around the park’s green lake. For a challenging, allday hike, choose the 8-mile Gahuti Trail. Mountain bikers have more than 14 miles to explore. Hwy. 52 has beautiful mountain scenery and overlooks worth stopping to see.
Ziplines take you high above the forest canopy for a unique view of leaves. If you’re up for a steep hike, take the 4.8mile Smith Creek Trail up to Anna Ruby Falls. Unicoi offers a lodge and restaurant.
Vogel State Park – Blairsville
The 4-mile Bear Hair Gap Trail makes a nice day trip for experienced hikers, offering a birds-eye view of the park’s lake. For an easier walk, follow the Lake Loop to a small waterfall below the dam. The twisting roads around Vogel, particularly Wolf Pen Gap Road, offer some of north Georgia’s prettiest fall scenery.
While most of the events planned for the fall (including the annual Highlands Food and Wine Festival) have been
There’s always something to do in Asheville, and while the pandemic has cancelled many annual events in and around the city, you can still enjoy dining, shops, visit the Biltmore Estate, take a ride on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, or have a drink at one of the breweries or distilleries. The leaves will be at their peak in Asheville during the fourth week of October. Visit romanticasheville.com for more.
Thanks to a new project led by the Sautee Nacoochee Community Association (SNCA), visitors can now discover sites of historic and cultural significance throughout White County using a new, free mobile phone app.
Explore Helen Sautee GA provides maps, directions using your location, and a talking guide to direct you to nearby key points of interest. It covers landmarks and landforms from the 19th century county courthouse in Cleveland to the Stovall Covered Bridge and the ancient trail that became the Unicoi Turnpike.
Information about folk potters and pottery shops and collections are identified by the app as well as picturesque “view-sheds” sought-out by plein air artists, while further links provide a wealth of additional information for the curious traveler.
The app is free and available to download in iPhone and Android versions or pick up a brochure at hotels or tourist offices across the region, or at the Sautee Nacoochee Center, the starting point for all tours.
These tours reveal both ancient and modern stories of Sautee Nacoochee. Two millennia of Native American life were followed by two centuries of rapid change – people growing food, mining gold, lumbering forests, enduring slavery, the Civil War, reviving agricultural wealth, weathering the Great Depression and more war, and lately, developing tourism.
The app and brochure were produced by SNCA, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, which is located at 283 Highway 255 N, Sautee Nacoochee, GA 30571.
Offices are open business hours Monday to Friday. The galleries and museums are open 7 days a week except certain holidays. Visit snca. org for more information on hours and special events.
– INtown Staff
Asheville is the sort of place that you never tire of visiting—at least I never do. No matter your age, interests or style, there is always something cool and new to do in this funky, walkable, artsy, good-eating, brewery-rich, city—just a 3.5-hour drive north of Atlanta. The cool mountain air is an added bonus.
On a recent visit, we appreciated the COVID-19 protocols, including the statewide requirement that masks be worn at all inside public places and outdoors where social distancing isn’t possible; the restrictions minimally affected our favorite activities.
►The Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar, located in The Grove Arcade, is always one of our first destinations— after checking in to a B&B or Airbnb within walking distance of downtown. Used books (in excellent condition, including first editions), fine wine or beer, and bistro-style bites are available in the comfortable space. On the dogfriendly patio, you can order larger meals. Information: batteryparkbookexchange.com.
▲Second only to Portland, Maine—on the breweries-per-capita list—Asheville is considered one of the fifteen best beer cities in the world. The city’s walkability makes brewery touring easier and safer. Our favorite is The Green Man Brewery, located in the South Slope District near interesting art galleries and restaurants; it’s one of several dozen breweries with socially-distanced, outdoor seating. An IPA-lover, my draft pick is always the Wayfarer. Information: greenmanbrewery.com.
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▲If the weather is nice, head to the Blue Ridge Parkway, a popular unit of the national park system; the BRP’s visitor center is just a 12-minute drive from downtown Asheville (Milepost 384). From there, it’s a half an hour drive to a 360-degree mountain view at Craggy Pinnacle (Milepost 364). The 1.4-mile, round-trip hike to the top of the 5,892’ peak can be crowded, so try to go early. Additional hiking opportunities are available on nearby Craggy Gardens Trail with its mile-high bald and panoramic views. Sections of the Parkway typically close in the winter. Information: nps.gov/blri/indx.htm.
◄Locally known as Foodtopia, Asheville has more than 100 full-service restaurants in a five-square-mile area. Jettie Rae’s Oyster House, a sustainable seafood restaurant with tented, outdoor seating, is just a five-minute walk from the North Asheville B&B where we stayed and we’ll definitely be back. My Jumbo Lump Crab Louie Salad was delicious and my companion thoroughly enjoyed his Oyster Po Boy. Information: jettieraes.com.
▼On our way out of town, we visited the 434-acre North Carolina Arboretum on the Blue Ridge Parkway to walk the forested hiking (and biking) trails along Bent Creek, a tributary to the French Broad River, and tour the cultivated gardens and extraordinary bonsai exhibit. An unexpected surprise was the Nature Connects®: Art with Lego Bricks traveling exhibit, featuring larger-than-life-size sculptures, which runs through Nov. 1. Information: ncarboretum.org.
Annie Boland has been selling properties in the area for 16 years and is now a full-time Blue Ridge resident. Whether you are looking for a cozy little cabin, a mountaintop lodge or a turn-key investment property, North Georgia has something to offer for everyone. Let Annie put her knowledge of the area to work for you!
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"America's Best New Golf Course" 2020
The centerpiece of the GlenCove development near Cashiers, NC is 12-hole parthree golf course designed by Beau Welling, but the links are just a taster of what this new community has to offer for the entire family.
The 160-acre development from Old Edwards Hospitality Group is embracing a “multigenerational” approach to its amenities and residences. Comprised of 33 cottages and 17 estate lots, GlenCove truly does have something for all ages to enjoy.
According to operations director Jerry West, 21 of the cottages and four of the five-acre estate lots were already sold by late September. Prices range from $1.3 to $2.3 for the cottages, which come in three different styles, and the estate lots are selling for between $500,000 and $900,000.
“Our first residents moved into their homes in September and we’re expecting six more to move in by the end of the year,” West said.
Once families settle in, they will find that there are activities for three generations to enjoy – at the same time or separately. Strengthening familial bonds and bringing families together is a prime directive of GlenCove.
West said the golf course, called The Saddle, was designed by Welling with all ages and skill levels in mind. “We wanted to make the course fun and inclusive, so everyone can enjoy it.”
Another big feature of GlenCove is an internal hiking trail system that runs for six miles – from flat areas around the lake to “severely strenuous” in the mountains on the property.
Those who enjoy gardening and farming, will be drawn to the three-acre organic farm, which will have a CSA program available for growers to sell their produce.
Kids will have plenty to keep them entertained year-round, including an event lawn for games of kickball, soccer, croquet or foursquare.
The Entertainment Barn has a bowling alley, pool tables, ping-pong tables, video arcade, carnival games, a large dining room and kitchen, and the golf lounge and shop.
Back outside there are two pickleball courts, hard surface courts for basketball, bocce ball area, a playground, four lane lap pool, and a splash pad. Those enjoying the outdoor amenities can enjoy food from onsite food trucks and dine under a pavilion adjacent to the pool area.
Copper Lake is stocked with fish, plus there’s a beach area and a boat house where paddle boats are available.
West said a wellness and fitness center is under construction and will include state-of-the-art equipment, yoga and meditation areas, and more.
For more information, visit glencovelifestyle.com.
If you’re looking for a different kind of mountain and outdoor getaway, head south. While that might seem counterintuitive, North Georgia hasn’t cornered the market on mountain views and activities.
Home to Pine Mountain and Calloway Resort & Gardens, the Harris County Chamber of Commerce has unveiled a new tourism brand identity with the launch of an a new marketing campaign and tagline, “A Tradition of Outdoors.”
“We believe a unified brand identity will grow our market awareness, but also benefit Harris County as a whole. We can be a competitive destination and this is the first step to getting there,” says Kim Tharp, President and CEO of the Harris County Chamber of Commerce. “Especially now, with social distancing
efforts and practices, Harris County is well-positioned as an outdoor destination where travelers and locals can seek solitude.”
The new Harris County Tourism brand is intended to improve Harris County’s visibility as an outdoor recreation destination.
“Our plan with this initiative is to
develop the marketing infrastructure to effectively promote the deep history and abundance of outdoor experiences Harris County has to offer,” said Andy Fritchley, Certified Brand Strategist of Kelsey Advertising & Design. “Travelers love to explore hidden gems and tucked away experiences. Harris County presents those in abundance.”
Part of the initiative includes a website rollout with easy-to-navigate pages allowing visitors access to Harris County’s events and offerings. Follow the ‘Explore Harris County, GA’ Facebook page and @ExploreHarrisCountyGeorgia on Instagram.
Besides the aforementioned Pine Mountain and Calloway Gardens, Harris County is also home to F.D. Roosevelt State Park, Pine Mountain Trail, Lake Harding, Blanton Creek Park, and Wild Animal Safari. If you’re looking to get back to nature this fall as well as maintain social distancing, Harris County has plenty to offer.
Collin Kelley by Old Edwards by Old Edwards
While the big main event at Helen Festhalle has been cancelled because of social distancing required by the pandemic, the 50th annual Oktoberfest continues daily throughout the month with local businesses and restaurants serving up music, food, and plenty of beer. See the details, band schedule, where to stay, and more at gamountainguide.com.
Whether it’s observing, firsthand, how a Gentoo Penguin’s feathers trap air or feeling the rough, tooth-like rasp of an Epaulette Shark’s skin, or check out the new Turtles of the World gallery, the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga is open for visitors once again. In accordance with local health mandates, all guests ages 12 and older are required to wear a face covering during their visit. All tickets are timed-entry to ensure proper physical distancing within the Aquarium’s buildings. Visit tnaqua.org for tickets and details.
Dolly Parton’s theme park in Pigeon Forge, TN is open in October with its annual Harvest Fest events. The rides, games, and entertainment are open during the day, before the park transforms for the Great Pumpkin LumiNights with whimsical, eye-catching displays of lighted jack-o-lanterns and other harvest them illuminations. Visit Dollywood.com for more details.
A perfect way to see the changing fall colors is by train, and the Tennessee Valley Railroad based in Chattanooga is running weekend trips all month long on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. There are several routes to choose from and there’s even a dinner option to enjoy a meal in the dining car. Visit tvrail.com for information, reservations, and to see COVID-19 safety information.
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will headline this year’s air show, Oct. 2-25, at the Richard B. Russell Regional Airport in Rome, GA. The event will be held 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and will utilize a drive-in format offering spectators the perfect mix of social distancing while watching some of the top military and civilian aviation performers. Visit wingsovernorthgeorgia.com for more information.
