4 The Wisdom of Trees: Atlanta Wood Foundation 8 Age Friendly Tucker: Building Community for All Ages 13 How Can Buyers and Sellers Succeed in the Current Market?
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IN THIS ISSUE
4 The Wisdom of Trees: Atlanta Wood Foundation 6 Mothers 7 Wellness In-Sight: Begin to Be 8 Age Friendly Tucker: Building Community for All Ages 9 Common Sen$e: Tapping Your Home for Cash 10 Food for Thought: Mom Mom’s Carrot Salad 11 Back Talk: Spring has Sprung – How’s Your Back? 13 How Can Buyers and Sellers Succeed in the Current Market? 14 Blue Ribbon Grill to Host Tucker Non-Profits in May 16 Local Hampton Inn Supports Decatur Women’s Shelter 18 Tucker Rec to Host Adult Field Day in May 18 Tucker Adds Concerts to TKR Summer of Fun
ON THE COVER: Atlanta Wood Foundation founders Chris Tappan, Ali Syed and Kelly Syed with the trunk of a Swamp Oak harvested from a Tucker resident.
Latawsha Little-Hill Steven R Ashby 4500 Hugh Howell Road Suite 600 Heritage Place Tucker, GA 30084 770.493.4924 www.gwaplaw.com
Call for free consultation OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022 3
COVER STORY
The
Wisdom L. A. DISON
I
of Trees
n the Fall of 2020, Hurricane Sally followed by Hurricane Zeta delivered a onetwo punch to metro Atlanta, causing hundreds of trees to fall, and millions of dollars in damage and utility service outages. As crews rushed to get utilities back in service, most of these trees ended up getting cut up, hauled off to landfills, or were left to rot in the urban landscape. During this time, the supply of lumber plummeted and the price soared at most retail locations because of the COVID-19 crisis. Woodworkers, craftsmen, and artisans found themselves with little to no available options to work their trades. Two friends, Chris Tappan and Ali Syed, began to brainstorm on how to quickly and efficiently harvest and recycle these old-growth trees for the betterment of the environment and the neighborhoods of Atlanta. Tappen and Syed worked together for DeKalb County government, but were also both avid woodworkers, with experience in carpentry, construction and furniture making. Syed’s wife Kelly worked as a manager of a fine arts gallery, but also grew up as the daughter of a home builder. Using their combined talents and experience, and inspired by their shared respect and love of trees, the three founded Atlanta Wood Foundation, an Atlanta-based Urban Forestry Non-Profit that takes fallen or downed trees and mills them into usable, affordable lumber and live edge slabs. The foundation was granted 501(c)(3) status in April 2021. Hurricanes Sally and Zeta may have provided the impetus for the founding of Atlanta Wood Foundation, but the new organization wasn’t immediately able to realize its mission and begin harvesting wood. The three founders had to watch sadly as two record hurricane seasons and an uptick in local land development provided literally tons of prime hardwood, which they were at that time unable to harvest and process. “We had the idea, now we needed a space large enough to dry and store wood, and an outdoor area large enough for the tree company’s trucks to deliver logs to us,” explained Kelly. Finally, in late 2021, the foundation leased a 4,000 sq. ft. warehouse space in downtown Atlanta, where they built and installed a dehumidification kiln. They customized a nineteen-foot logging trailer, acquired a forklift and a Woodmizer sawmill, and recently began building a custom band sawmill. Atlanta Wood Foundation is now fully operational, with its third load of wood in the kiln and the first two loads of about one hundred slabs ready for sale. “It was a slow process to get to that point,” said Ali. “We have to receive or recover donated logs, mill them, stack and sticker them, load into the kiln and then wait until the readings are the right percentage of moisture to have them come out. That could be anywhere from a month to two months depending on the species of
Atlanta Wood Foundation
wood and how thick we cut the slabs.” The kiln can hold 15,000 to 20,000 pounds of wood in a load. Since its founding, Atlanta Wood Foundation has harvested over fifty tons of hardwood, keeping it out of landfills, reducing waste, and saving the environment. The foundation offers a variety of species; however, inventory is typically limited to species that are naturally occurring in the metro Atlanta area, which is in line with its public mission. This would include hickory, pecan, poplar, maple, red oak, white oak, cherry, and pine. Trees are harvested all around the metro Atlanta area, although most comes from Fulton and DeKalb counties. Atlanta Wood Foundation also accepts private tree donations, most recently from Tucker, Smoke Rise, Stone Mountain, Acworth, and Roswell. “We recently had a Tucker homeowner who needed to take down an old-growth Swamp Oak on their property,” said Chris. “They called us, and we worked it out with the tree removal company to bring us the logs, which we then processed here into live edge slabs. Someone can purchase those to use for furniture making or other woodworking projects.” Woodworkers have been the bulk of Atlanta Wood Foundation customers, turning the reclaimed wood into tables, cutting boards and other furniture items. Even though there are a lot of old-growth trees currently being cleared in Tucker, Atlanta Wood Foundation isn’t able to secure much of the available wood - at least not yet. “We are hopeful to do so as we grow, but we are just currently too small to take that many at one time,” said Kelly. “A lot like the 27-acre lot on Idlewood could have easily produced over 1,000 logs, and depending on the height of the tree, it could have produced three to five sixteen-foot logs. It was hard to drive by it every day and see what we could have saved!” Where do the three wood enthusiasts see Atlanta Wood Foundation in five or ten years? “We are taking this one day at a time, and finding out what works best for us from an operational and marketing standpoint,” said Chris. “We want to be able to expand our current operations, and cultivate partnerships with neighbors, businesses, and governments to recover their fallen or downed trees. We want to produce quality products while providing local, high-paying employment. But most importantly, we want to utilize and preserve our natural resource and Atlanta’s Green Canopy by saving fallen trees from landfills or mulching, to be a useful resource and not waste.”
Atlanta Wood Foundation is headquartered in Tucker, with its warehouse located in Atlanta at 1081 Memorial Drive SE. Inventory can be viewed and ordered on its website at atlantawoodfoundation.org/shop, and picked up at the warehouse. All inventory contains kiln-dried live edge slabs and dimensional lumber that have been brought to a moisture content of 6-8%, which is suitable for furniture grade use. Questions or inquiries on tree and monetary donations can be directed to info@atlantawoodfoundation.org. 4 OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022
“…we want to utilize and preserve our natural resource and Atlanta’s Green Canopy by saving fallen trees from landfills or mulching” KELLY SYED
(Above) Live edge slabs and dimensional lumber currently in inventory at the warehouse. (Right) Kelly operating the Woodmizer sawmill. (Far right) Chris, Kelly and Ali pose in front of the fully-loaded kiln.
OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022 5
Mothers Some of us were raised by biological mothers, adopted families nurtured others, or family members and women from the neighborhood gave you loving attention whenever they could. It takes a village, the saying goes, to raise a child, and heaven knows it is the most difficult job you will ever undertake, and is impossible to do without mistake. Mothers warn their children of life’s problems before they arise, yet it is very hard to see the world through your mother’s eyes. A woman’s intuition can be very strong, a mother’s intuition is rarely wrong. No one likes to hear the words ‘I told you so’ but there will be times you’ll realize that she was right, you know. Once you are a mother you will understand that your mother did the best she could with the knowledge at hand. There are no degrees in motherhood, by trial and error most mothers learn. To raise an emotionally healthy child is the doctorate that you earn. © Copyright 2013 Victoria R. Crosby All Rights Reserved
British-born poet and writer Victoria Crosby has been Poet Laureate of the City of Glen Cove in New York for more than twenty-five years; her work has been published in magazines and newspapers as well as featured on radio shows. Now residing in Smoke Rise, Victoria will create a unique gift with a custom poem for an anniversary, engagement, wedding, birthday, retirement or any other special occasion. You can contact Victoria at poeticvic@aol.com.
6 OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022
Wellness In-Sight: Begin to Be CINDY E. FARRAR
P
icking up where we left off last month, intention put into practice becomes habit. The habit over time becomes our way of being. Each moment of being we manifest and become who we really are. Five years ago, as I was anticipating the upcoming Life Coaching Certification program I had enrolled in, I stumbled upon an E.E. Cummings quote. “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” The quote defined my intention for the work with my then future clients (and their businesses) who would be seeking coaching. It also precisely stated what I believe to be our life’s quest, to become who we really are. What does that mean? An expanded understanding would be “to come into existence as the individual we authentically are in this present moment.” It is not as heavy as it sounds. In the beginning of the quote, Cummings prepares us right off. First and foremost, “It takes courage.” It takes literal strength of heart. Etymologically, courage and heart share the same Latin root, ‘cor.’ Author and professor Brene Brown writes, “In one of its earliest forms, the word courage had a very different definition than it does today. Courage originally meant, ‘to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’” Over time, this definition has changed; courage is now often synonymous with bravery. We may experience fear and we can still persevere. Next in the quote is “to grow up.” There is more to it than developing from child to adulthood. As Merriam-Webster states, “to grow toward or arrive at full stature or physical or mental maturity; to begin to exist and develop as time passes.” It infers a progressive maturation to holistic development. There’s a reason that it doesn’t happen all at once. It’s like when we were learning to walk. Sure, sometimes we would fall. We might then crawl a little before clumsily getting back up. Once on our feet, we took a step or two, then steadied ourselves, finding our balance. Until we were finally walking with a sense of stability and our own unique stride. Ultimately, we developed the confidence and physical ability to run (staying upright most of the time). So, it is with growing up. At each stage, again we are just beginning. The process happens differently for each of us. It doesn’t happen overnight. We cannot be anyone other than who we are. No one else can get us to the point of existence. It is for each of us to find our grounding at each new beginning of our coming to be. And to tell all of our heart, even if our voice trembles. Who you really are awaits.
Me. A little girl aged five Is asked, What do you want to be When you grow up? Proudly exposing her missing front teeth She smiles widely and says I want to be a mommy just like my mommy.
At thirteen years old she is asked Now that you are a teenager What do you think you want to be? She shrugs avoiding the questioning eyes I guess I’ll be a nurse So I can help people. At her high school graduation Again she is asked Now what are you going to be? Her head swimming from all the possibilities She replies, I’m not sure. Some years later, Speaking to the woman making eye contact with the woman looking back from the mirror She winks and declares I think I will just be me. C. Farrar
CINDY E. FARRAR, LMT, BCTMB, CLC is a licensed massage therapist, certified life coach and the owner of Massage Associates of Atlanta, LLC (Lavista Road in Tucker). In addition, she is a certified Qi Gong instructor and a nationally approved continuing education provider for massage therapy and bodywork. Cindy enjoys sharing insights on wellness and personal and community development as a speaker and writer.
OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022 7
Age Friendly Tucker: Building Community for All Ages LOIS RICCI
A
lifelong, age friendly community benefits people of all ages and abilities. When Tucker became a Lifelong Community in 2013 and then an Age Friendly City in 2018, Tucker Civic Association’s Lifelong Community Committee (TCALCC) wrote an action plan to maintain those designations. In that plan, eight domains were identified: housing, transportation, social and economic benefits, diversity, parks and city infrastructure, communications, health, and community services. Over the past year, the committee has been developing its own programs to maintain the designations, as well as actively supporting the efforts of the city and other organizations. Managing to these domains is vital to creating a community where residents can grow up and grow old. It has to have safe and accessible public transportation options. It has to have affordable, accessible, and safe housing. Numerous parks and outdoor spaces must be pleasant and safe environments. Quality community and health services must be easily accessible to all. Sufficient employment and volunteer opportunities help residents maintain a meaningful and purposeful life. A diversity of social activities and events keep people of all ages engaged in their communities. Creating an age-friendly community makes good sense, socially and economically. Maintaining an age-friendly environment is difficult but essential for the success of the entire community. We are all aging, and TCALCC recognizes the factors that will improve everyone’s lives across the aging spectrum for years to come. Making a city age friendly doesn’t happen overnight and some of the steps are daunting, especially as it relates to infrastructure. Tucker is meeting that challenge. Road improvement and new and repaired sidewalks are seen all over the city. Business is booming, with many new businesses are locating to Tucker. Community activities continue to prosper and grow. Diversity is being addressed, too. City Council has planned a Juneteenth Celebration and is addressing the Non-Discrimination Ordinance. Housing in Tucker is limited for many; home costs both to buy and to rent are higher than many can afford. The TCALCC Age Friendly project is involved in finding a solution to the problem, looking at innovative projects in other cities, such as Tiny Home Communities and repurposing commercial space. Transportation is also being addressed. DeKalb County has several transportation options available,
including I CARE, a volunteer program which provides rides for people over 60 to appointments and grocery stores. And we still hope one day to have a trolley in Tucker. There are plenty of activities to connect residents to their community. Tucker and local businesses sponsor many Main Street events, including a First Friday Concert Series, monthly car shows, and annual festivals like Tucker Day and Taste of Tucker. Cofer Library has a busy schedule of events, and The Recreation Center offers a plethora of activities but is home to Main Street Theater, Tucker’s community theatre. TCALCC has partnered with the city to roll out “Tucker Welcomes You Home,” to welcome new residents to the city with bags of gifts and information. Tucker Walks project will be launched in June, with organized routes and groups to encourage everyone to get out and walk. A lifelong, age friendly community will benefit people of all ages and abilities, and encourage residents to remain there their entire life span. What we do now to make our communities good places to grow up and grow old will yield returns not only for today’s residents but also tomorrow’s, that is, for all of us DR. LOIS RICCI is a longtime resident of Tucker, where she chairs the Tucker Civic Association Lifelong Community Committee. She serves as an adjunct faculty member at Kennesaw State University, where she teaches gerontology courses and the Professional Development in Gerontology Certificate Class. Ricci also serves as an official representative for American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), co-facilitator for the Rosalyn Carter CareNet, and on the board of the Atlanta Regional Commission Advisory Committee on Aging. Contact Dr. Ricci at loisricci@ bellsouth.net.
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Common Sen$e: Tapping Your Home for Cash ART WOOD
H
ome values are crazy right now. This can be both good and bad depending on what you are trying to achieve. It’s great if you are looking to sell and downsize. It’s not if you are a first-time homebuyer. The upswing in values has endowed trillions of dollars to American homeowners, but if you aren’t selling, how do you tap into that newfound wealth? There are three main reasons people look to take cash out of their home: paying for home improvements, paying off high interest debt, or perhaps to invest. I am often asked, “What is the best way to take cash out of my home?” There are only three options: a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC), a Home Equity Loan (HEL), or a full refinance of your first mortgage. Each has pros and cons, so let’s take a moment to examine each. With the recent surge in interest rates, I am recommending HELOCs more and more. The cost to open a HELOC is considerably less than that of a full refinance, and the payment on a HELOC is typically cheaper than the other two options, due to the first ten years (varying by lender) of interestonly payments. One big benefit of a HELOC is you only pay interest on what you borrow; you can have a $100,000 line of credit but if you don’t borrow against it, you don’t owe any interest payments. You have the security of knowing the money is there if you need it without having to pay large monthly payments. The one negative of HELOCs is that the rate is not fixed, and every time the Feds increase interest rates, your HELOC rate goes up, too. The rate is tied to the Prime Rate which is 3.5% now, but projected to go up at least 2% in the next six months. Some lenders will allow you to lock in a rate for a balance owed and turn it into more of a loan vs. a line of credit. The second option is a Home Equity Loan. A HEL is like a HELOC in that it is relatively cheap to open, but it is different in that it is a fixed rate and you pay an amortized payment immediately. If you want to pay off a chunk of the debt, your payment still stays the same vs. a HELOC, where the payment goes down as you pay it down. These are good for people who have a great rate on their first mortgage, but the idea of having a variable rate on a loan makes them very nervous. Rates on HELs are typical higher than either HELOCs or current first mortgage rates. Finally, you can always pull cash out by refinancing your first mortgage. In 2020 and 2021, I did a lot of client refinances because rates were so low. Now that rates are solidly above 5%, it may not make sense to refinance a first mortgage that has a rate of 3%. Also, a refinance of your first mortgage will cost thousands of dollars. When I am helping a client make the decision on whether to pull money out using a first mortgage, I look at their current rate, plus I also look at how much they want to pull out. If it is a small amount as compared to their current first, I recommend a HELOC or HEL. If they want an amount that is a large percentage of their mortgage debt, I recommend a first mortgage refinance to mitigate the risks of a variable rate. As always, there is not a “one size fits all” approach to lending, so I hope this information helped decipher which options are best for you. I believe a HELOC is a wonderful tool and security blanket and think every homeowner should have one. Notice, I didn’t say you should use it, but they are great assets if you do need them. There are a couple of great HELOC/HEL providers in Tucker. Feel free to reach out to me if you would like an introduction to one, or if you have any questions in general.
ART WOOD (NMLS #118234) is the branch manager of The Art Wood Mortgage Team of Goldwater Bank, located at 2341 Main Street in downtown Tucker. “Tucker’s Mortgage Guy” for sixteen years, he is a former Tucker Tiger (Class of ’92), and co-founder and organizer of Taste of Tucker. Family guy, community guy, and definitely not your typical mortgage guy - it’s all that he does that makes Art Wood who he is. Contact him at 678.534.5834 or art.wood@goldwaterbank.com.
OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022 9
Food for Thought: Mom Mom’s Carrot Salad DOUG REYNICS
I
was a pretty mischievous young boy; I couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble. My mom had a designated chair in the kitchen, where I was often sat down under her watchful eye. This was before the advent of hand-held games or cell phones, so seated in that chair, my only entertainment was to watch the goings-on in the kitchen. As an overly active boy, I wasn’t happy confined to that chair, but it was where I learned how she canned, cooked, and prepared our food, as well as life lessons I still treasure as an adult. My French Mom has always been a foodie, and some years ago, she gave me an extraordinary gift - a handwritten cookbook, filled with some of her favorite recipes. I’m not sure I appreciated the gift as much at the time, but I admit I have gone back to the cookbook a million times over the years. Growing up, I can remember our meals including things like escargot, artichokes, kielbasa soup, and a staple of side dishes, including carrot salad. No holiday meal was without it. It has just the right balance of savory and tart, and I still like to serve it as a perfect spring complement. Mom Mom’s Carrot Salad Can be made the day before serving. Keep refrigerated. 2 pounds carrots, peeled, tops and roots cut off 2 serving spoons (¼ cup) red wine vinegar 1 heaping teaspoon French mustard (she always uses Grey Poupon) 2 cloves garlic 4 serving spoons oil (Crisco or a Wesson type) Cracked fresh black pepper Salt (start with ¼ tsp) Shred carrots using a rotary blade (such as a Mouli or KitchenAid or the fine disk on a Cuisinart). Set aside. In a bowl put vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard, and garlic pressed through a garlic press. Stir vigorously until mustard is dissolved. Add oil and beat until well mixed. Add carrots and toss thoroughly. Taste. Add salt if necessary. I asked Mom how this recipe came to be. She learned to make it on her mother’s knee (my grandmother, or Mom Mom). They had this dish often as her Mom grew her own carrots and garlic. My Mom was delighted to hear that I am sharing this dish with you all. DOUG REYNICS is a longtime Tucker resident and self-described “foodie.” Many know him as “Doug the Driver,” who provides rides to and from both the domestic and international airport terminals. (To date, his service has provided almost 2,300 airport rides!) If you have a food story or question you would like to see him write about (or if you need a ride!), email him at dougthedriver1@gmail.com or call him at 770.842.4261.
10 OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022
Back Talk: Spring has Sprung – How’s Your Back? KARL SCHWARTZ, D.C.
I
have several patients who love to garden. Gardening is such a great hobby because not only is it a physical workout, it is also very emotionally healing. Some of these patients have come in for adjustments related to pain or soreness from simply gardening. So, this month, I want to discuss how you can continue to be active in the garden, but not have to endure pain or muscle soreness afterward. Gardening requires that we work several hours at a time, in awkward postures for extended periods of time, as we weed, edge, rake, or plant. This prolonged, forwardbending posture requires spinal muscles to contract to hold your body in that prolonged position. Maintaining a forward flexion position for several minutes or hours requires a conditioning endurance of your spinal muscles. Last month, we recommended several steps to begin conditioning your body and spine for such activities. Now, take the following steps to continue that conditioning. First, stretching the muscles of the spine is a necessity for gardeners. I highly endorse yoga, which understands the anatomy of the spine and the relationship between the muscle groups and how they work together. If you are new to yoga, begin with a simple restorative yoga class, which is especially good for the less flexible but uses bolsters and pillows to support you while you stretch so that you don’t overstretch. It is often mixed with a gentle meditation or relaxation period toward the end of the class. Second, begin with regular muscle resistance training. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go to the gym. All muscles of the body can be strengthened by simply using resistance bands. Use the stretchy bands for smaller muscle groups and the less flexible bands for larger groups. Always start with slow repetitions. (I like a four-second positive contraction and a four-second negative muscle relaxation.) Start with a few reps with good form, and increase reps every workout. Work up to twelve reps on upper body, and fifteen reps on the lower body. Third, begin core strengthening exercises. Your core muscles are used for most body movements, but especially for the forward-bending, leaning postures. These can be done at home with a simple floor mat. Start with easy exercises, and progress to more challenging ones. The longer you can hold these poses, the stronger the core muscle group gets. This is directly related to maximizing the endurance of postural muscles so that you can garden for longer periods of time, with little or no post gardening soreness. In summary, in order to stay in the garden longer with less repercussions, stretch, strengthen your postural muscles, and strengthen your core. Your body will be glad you did! DR. KARL SCHWARTZ is a graduate of Life University in Marietta, Georgia; he has been practicing chiropractic in Tucker for twenty-one years and a resident here for fifteen years. His office specializes in preventing sports injuries and maximizing performance by analyzing posture, weight bearing, and gait. If you have a question you would like addressed in a future column, please email karlschwartzdc@gmail.com. Note “Back Talk” in the subject line.
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OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022 11
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How Can Buyers and Sellers Succeed in the Current Market? LISA BILY
R
ight now, it really is like the Wild, Wild West in real estate; however, there are things both buyers and sellers can do to improve their chances of getting the most from a transaction. For buyers, it is imperative to have some sort of an advantage in order to win a bid on a home, especially if you are not a cash buyer. Buyers are giving up their due diligence periods, rights to inspect, and also finance and appraisal contingencies, in addition to paying some cash out of pocket over appraisal, if there is one. Don’t give up all your rights! There are certain things you can do to protect yourself and still buy a home you love. For example, there is a way to safely remove your financing contingency without jeopardizing your earnest money. I work with a few lenders regularly who can help you do this. To help make your offer on any new home more competitive, you could have your loan reviewed and approved by the underwriting department of your lender prior to making an offer. This process takes ten to fourteen days; however, it would let any seller and sellers’ agents know your loan has already been approved. This can give you an edge over other offers when competing for the same home as it is as if you are making a “cash offer” on a home. There would be no finance contingency required. You are already FULLY approved. Your lender may still require an appraisal contingency but some lenders can get this done now in ten days or less. There are some additional documents you will need to submit to your lender, but it is totally worth the time and energy it may take. Once your loan has been approved by underwriting, your lender will send you a new letter stating you are now formally approved by underwriting and the finance contingency can be waived at your discretion. For sellers, it very important to have your home prepared for sale in order to maximize your profit, and not just cosmetically! If you are made aware about a potential problem before you are under contract with a buyer, you can choose to have it fixed, repaired, or replaced, which may prove less expensive than contributing thousands to the buyer’s closing costs. (Ask me about a pre-market
inspection as this is something I offer my clients.) Other than the price, here are six things sellers should consider when reviewing an offer: the amount of earnest money; the contingencies (financing, appraisal, etc.); how large the down payment is; all-cash offers; the closing date; and whether the buyers are amenable to a temporary occupancy agreement after closing (if you need one The professional life of Tucker resident Lisa Bily includes over twenty-five years of sales and marketing experience in different fields, including real estate, the music industry, commercial and public media, and product marketing. She is currently a Realtor with Palmer House Properties, where she guides her clients through the real estate process from first consult all the way to closing. You can contact her at 404.326.5007, or through her Facebook page. OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022 13
Blue Ribbon Grill to Host Tucker Non-Profits in May OUR TOWN DEKALB STAFF
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he Blue Ribbon Grill is hosting a Tucker Community Day at the restaurant on Saturday, May 21, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Participating Tucker organizations and nonprofits will promote their groups and recruit new members. Confirmed participants at press time include Rotary Club of Tucker, Tucker Lavista Lions Club, Main Street Theatre, Tucker Citizens for Family Activities, and disABILITY LINK. Space is still available for other organizations to exhibit, and there is no cost to participate. For details and registration, contact Jennifer Green, 770.491.1570 or jenovelle@gmail.com. Blue Ribbon Grill is located at 4006 Lavista Road, next to Michael’s.
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Local Hampton Inn Supports Decatur Women’s Shelter OUR TOWN DEKALB STAFF
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ecognizing a real shortage of basic supplies for a Decatur women’s shelter, the staff of the Atlanta/Stone Mountain Hampton Inn & Suites recently held a donation drive, raising $1,000, which was used to purchase cleaning supplies, diapers, baby wipes, towels and washcloths for the International Women’s House in Decatur – a safe haven for women who are suffering from domestic abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking. The hotel is located at 1737 Mountain Industrial Boulevard, and the staff often bands together to sponsor community support programs. Dawn Murray, general manager of Hampton Inn Atlanta/Stone Mountain (left) presented the supplies to Lynn Tarnow, volunteer and outreach coordinator at International Women’s House in Decatur.
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OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022 17
Tucker Rec to Host Adult Field Day in May
Tucker Adds Concerts to TKR Summer of Fun
OUR TOWN DEKALB STAFF
OUR TOWN DEKALB STAFF
T
ucker Parks and Rec is holding its Third Annual Adult Field Day at Tucker Rec Center on Saturday, May 14. Games this year will include a cornhole tournament, a tug-ofwar, gaga ball and a Big Wheel race. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., and the event begins at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $25 per person and will include dinner and beverages courtesy of Tucker Brewing Company. All attendees must be 21 or over to participate. Free childcare will also be included in the cost of admission. Details and registration available at tucker.recdesk.com/Community/ Program/Detail; tickets are also available at Tucker Day on May 7.
18 OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022
T
he City of Tucker is expanding its TKR Summer of Fun to span May through September, and adding a First Friday Concert Series to the schedule of events. The recent addition of the greenspace on Church Street allows for the city to now host more events without the disruption of shutting down Main Street. The concert series kicks off on May 6 with The Nathan Angelo Band kicks off the First Friday the Nathan Angelo Band; the first 100 Concert Series on May 6. guests will receive a free t-shirt. There will also be a food truck onsite. The public is welcome at the Church Street Greenspace starting at 6:30 p.m. Picnic baskets and chairs are encouraged, but pets will not be permitted. Note road closure will start at 6:00 p.m. on Main Street Friday evening in preparation for Tucker Day on May 7; please try alternate parking areas. The TKR Summer of Fun will be sponsored by Discover DeKalb, Jacobs Engineering and Emory Healthcare. A full schedule for TKR Summer of Fun is available at tuckerga.gov/summer.
OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022 19
20 OUR TOWN DEKALB | May 2022
