Blue Sky Concerts - Wednesdays

Enjoy a mid-week lunchtime music break every Wednesday in September at the Community Bandstand on the square in downtown Decatur. Free. Bring your lunch or purchase a special to-go lunch from a nearby restaurant and enjoy live performances from a variety of artists. Brought to you by Decatur Business Association and SunTrust Bank.

Sept. 16
Ernie Quarles & Shaun Anderson, Soul/R&B
Co-sponsors: Kaiser Permanente and Web TECHEASE

Sept. 23
The Rosin Sisters, Fiddling
Co-sponsors: Kaiser Permanente and Zucca Pizza Bar & Restaurant

Sept. 30
The Conundrums, Women's African drumming group
Co-sponsors: Kaiser Permanente


http://decaturga.com/events.aspx

Decatur Time Machine - From Auto Shop to Relics & Rarities Ice Cream Shop

409 N. McDonough St.
Decatur, GA

The Jay Leno Show Premieres Tomorrow Night

Jay's Mini Movie: The Road Trip

Come Fly with Me @ The Alliance Theatre

Come Fly with Me @ The Alliance Theatre
Vocals by Frank Sinatra - Listen
and my favorite
Sept. 15 - Oct. 11

Updated photo on The Decatur High School Auditorium

Decatur High School
Decatur, GA

CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

Atlanta Arts Festival this weekend

The 2009 Atlanta Arts Festival will take place Sept 12 and 13 in Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA.

We are grateful to be allowed to utilize Piedmont Park again this year, in spite of the severe drought that has affected the region and limited the park’s usage.

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009
10am - 7pm.
Free to the Public
Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009
10am - 6pm.
Free to the Public

Decatur replacing old public housing; most tenants staying put

Allen Wilson Terrace, named for a minister, houses 200 families. When it is rebuilt, there will be public housing for 190.
ajc photo
by Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


Decatur, GA
The heavy equipment parked along one of Decatur’s main streets will soon tear into the city’s biggest public housing project.
Allen Wilson Terrace along Commerce Drive has sheltered some of Decatur’s poorest residents since 1941. City housing officials say they’ve done their best to maintain the buildings but that now must be replaced.

The destruction of old public housing is nothing new. For years, the Atlanta Housing Authority has garnered national attention for its policy of razing old projects and replacing them with higher-end private condos. Many of the old tenants were dispersed into neighborhoods across metro Atlanta using Section 8 vouchers, in an effort to eliminate concentrations of poverty.

But Decatur is bucking that trend. The little city — it’s only four square miles — has promised a home in the rebuilt project for every tenant.

ajc story

RELICS & RARITIES on Fox 5 This Morning

HAIR @ 7 Stages Theatre Starting Sept. 12

ABOUT THE PLAY
Join us as we open our 30th season with Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, revitalized from its successful run in 1984 during 7 Stages’ 5th Season. With a score including some of the greatest songs in theater such as "Aquarius," "Hair" and "Let the Sunshine In," Hair illuminates the gripping cultural movement of the 60's and 70's that transformed a generation. Saturday, Sept 12 – 8pm (Opening Night Celebration!)

7 Stages Theatre, 1105 Euclid Avenue, Atlanta, GA, 30307
404-523-7647 (box office, open for walk ups one hour prior to each performance and for phone sales during normal business hours)
404-522-0911 (administration)
Website: www.7stages.org

Relic & Rarities on FOX5 Tomorrow Morning 6:30 AM

Relics & Rarities will be featured on FOX5 morning show at 6:30 AM.
All Decatur is invited.


Relics & Rarities
409 N. McDonough St.
Decatur, Ga

Across from Decatur High School

Stevi B's Pizza to have 50 Stores by the end of 2010

Stevi B’s expects to have about 50 stores by the end of 2010, Loney said. In addition to Gainesville, a restaurant will open near Northlake Mall in Atlanta in late October.

Much of the expansion will come outside metro Atlanta, with Florida and California key growth markets, Loney said.

Stevi B’s faces challenges. Same-store sales have dropped about 5 percent so far this year, Loney said. It’s core customers, families with incomes of $68,000 a year, have been hit by the recession, he said.

Some pizza buffet chains also have lowered prices to as low as $2.99, pulling away traffic, Loney said. Stevi B’s emphasis on quality will pay off, he said, bringing back price-sensitive customers as the economy recovers but also drawing higher-income families.

ajc story

Flu-Symptons shuts Down Margaret Harris School

The AJC reports on this school.
A spokeeswoman for the School district said 23 of Margaret Harris School's 50 students were out sick.
AJC story

Carribean Harry's Out & Pharm House Restaurant In.

According to Dave over at the inDECATUR Pharm House Restaurant has taken over Carribean Harry's space. You can read all about it over at his site with pictures of some food, and menu.
I thought something was going on because I did not see the Carribean Harry's sign over the week-end.

Here for the Beer spotlights The Brick Store Pub

Decatur Metro found this video at Hereforthebeer.com that spotlights The Brick Store Pub

Vintage Hollywood Cartoon

The Iberian Pig Giving Samples at The Decatur Book Festival

The 2009 DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL

These photos are from Sunday Sept 6, 2009

More photos on Flickr

Jon Scieszka author of "KNUCKLEHEAD"

Decatur, GA. Sept. 5, 2009

Jon Scieszka at The Decatur Book Festival telling one of his storys from his book "KNUCKLEHEAD" The story he told was the Car Trip:
Chapter 33: Car Trip

Of all the Scieszka brother memories, I believe it was a family car trip that gave us our finest moment of brotherhood. We were driving cross-country from Michigan to Florida, all of us, including the family cat (a guy cat, naturally), in the family station wagon. Somewhere mid-trip we stopped at one of those Stuckey's rest-stop restaurants to eat and load up on Stuckey's candy.

We ate lunch, ran around like maniacs in the warm sun, then packed back into the station wagon—Mom and Dad up front, Jim, Jon, Tom, Gregg, Brian, Jeff, and the cat in back. Somebody dropped his Stuckey's Pecan Log Roll on the floor. The cat found it and must have scarfed every bit of it, because two minutes later we heard that awful ack ack ack sound of a cat getting ready to barf.

The cat puked up the pecan nut log. Jeff, the youngest and smallest (and closest to the floor) was the first to go. He got one look and whiff of the pecan-nut cat yack and blew his own sticky lunch all over the cat. The puke-covered cat jumped on Brian. Brian barfed on Gregg. Gregg upchucked on Tom. Tom burped a bit of Stuckey lunch back on Gregg. Jim and I rolled down the windows and hung out as far as we could, yelling in group-puke horror.

Dad didn't know what had hit the back of the car. No time to ask questions. He just pulled off to the side of the road. All of the brothers—Jim, Jon, Tom, Gregg, Brian, and Jeff—spilled out of the puke wagon and fell in the grass, gagging and yelling and laughing until we couldn't laugh anymore.

What does it all mean? What essential guy wisdom did I learn from this?

Stick with your brothers. Stick up for your brothers. And if you ever drop a pecan nut log in a car with your five brothers and the cat . . . you will probably stick to your brothers.

That was a funny story.

Kristian Bush of Sugarland at The 2009 Decatur Book Festival

Decatur, GA. Sept. 5, 2009
Here fans of Sugarland get a photo with Kristian Bush

The 2009 DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL is SEPT. 4-6 2009

Decatur, GA. Sept.5, 2009
Above are some Decatur Blog fans who stoppped by the AJC's Bloggers tent.
This was the first year they had a tent for bloggers.


-----------------------------------------------------

Decatur,GA. The 2009 Book Festival
Here a crowd is front of The Iberian Pig which will be located in the old Smith's Shoe building getting free samples. (It was good) The Iberian Pig is due to open in two weeks.

DECATUR ROLLS OVER HENRY COUNTY 21-13

EASY LIVING PEDICABS at The Decatur Book Festival

CALL 920-371-2227 TO BE PICKED UP.
MICHAEL GERKE - OWNER



THE PHONE NO. IS 920-371-2227 Sorry it was cut off video.

The 2009 DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL STARTS TODAY

The Decatur Book Festival runs through Sunday Sept. 6, 2009
Decatur, GA

BOOKZILLA ! Is Here, Run for Your Books at The 2009 Decatur Book Festival

click to enlarge

The 2009 Decatur Book Festival starts tomorrow and runs through Sunday.

The Iberian Pig Soft Opening Coming Soon

The Iberian Pig will be located in The old Smith's Shoes building on the square.

Whit's End Sale

Dear Whit’s End Shoppers,


Fall is fast approaching, and so is the delivery of our Fall merchandise that we need to make room for. We are adding Woolrich this year! So, summer clearance is in full gear. Here are the savings going on right now for your benefit.

20% off Dockers Chinos and Slacks

30% off Prana and Kuhl Shorts and Short Sleeve Shirts

40% off Columbia Shorts/Swimwear and Short Sleeve Shirts, Toms Shoes, Rafters Shoes, Clearance Columbia and Patagonia Shoes. New Fall Patagonia Shoes are already in and are 10% off.
Bimini Bay Sunglasses were $20, now $10!

Sale may end at any time, so come on in! All clearance sales are final.

See you in soon.



Jeff and Greg


Whit's End, LLC
431 W. Ponce DeLeon Ave, #2
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 377-3310
(404) 377-8335 Fax
whitsenddecatur@bellsouth.net
www.whitsenddecatur.com

Your Art Work is on the Line

Wear sports gear, get a free Chick-fil-A sandwich

By Joe Guy Collier

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution



Chick-fil-A will offer a free chicken sandwich to any customer wearing sports-related apparel to its stores this Labor Day.
The promotion is tied to the second-annual Chick-fil-A Kickoff football game being played Saturday between Alabama and Virginia Tech at the Georgia Dome.

Chick-fil-A restaurants nationwide will follow Monday with the chicken sandwich offer from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Appropriate attire includes any article of clothing with a sports team logo from a little league uniform to a favorite professional or collegiate jersey, hat, T-shirt, socks or other accessory.
AJC story

Remembering The Glenwood Drive-In

Image sent in by Tommy Holcombe.
Tommy standing in front of the marquee at the Glenwood Drive-In from early 1978.


Thanks Tommy Holcombe for some great memories.
---------------------------------------
See my Glenwood Drive-In site for more pictures.

Things to know before going to AJC Decatur Book Festival

Nextstopdecatur.com file photo.


by Jamie Gumbrecht


In four years, the AJC Decatur Book Festival has grown into one of the largest gatherings of lit lovers in the United States. Some 70,000 people attended last year and with more scheduled authors and events at this weekend’s festival, expect even more.

The whole operation runs on the passion of readers and logistical wizardry, which means it’s easy to be overwhelmed, whether you’re dropping by to get a book signed or moving in Friday to stay the whole weekend. Use this guide to help you get started. Meanwhile, if any DBF veterans in the crowd have tips or recommendations, share in the comments!
AJC STORY

All About Steve - Starts Friday 9/4/09

Decatur Book Festival seeks stylish moms for fashion show

ajc
by Jamie Gumbrecht

Hey, mom — you, who does everything for everyone else and can’t quite remember how to socialize with grown-ups beyond the Momania comments section — the Decatur Book Festival just added a fashion show contest for “hipster moms” to its Saturday lineup.
Author Amy Sohn, who wrote the Park Slope mama book, “Prospect Park West,” and Kaleidoscope owner Camille Wright will judge stylishness, and dole out prizes like an autographed first edition of Sohn’s book and gift certificates to Decatur boutiques Kaleidoscope and Squash Blossom.

Organizers are still looking for stylish moms to participate. Register by emailing
stylemom@decaturbookfestival.com.
AJC STORY

Piece of Cake Opens a Decatur Location

Welcome to Piece of Cake.

Since 1985, Piece of Cake has been baking gourmet cakes from scratch, wrapping them beautifully, and delivering them to our customers' doors.

Over the years, we've delivered tens of thousands of mouth-watering cakes all across the country. We've delivered to birthday parties, office parties and holiday parties. We've baked for clients, family and friends. And each cake is carefully made from scratch with only the finest, all-natural ingredients, just like you'd use at home.

And that's when we got to thinking. If we can make delicious homemade cakes, what about delicious homemade cookies? And sumptuous cheese straws? And what about a great bag of coffee to go with them?
The rest is baking history.

Location: Across from Old Depot
Trackside strip stores.

Books, Bags, Bollywood, Baubles, Bangles ... @ Mingei World Arts

New Reading Figures from La Union!

La Union Library project featured in AJC article!

Yes-- we have new reading figures, but they are going fast!

The Atlanta Journal Constitution featured the story of our reading figures and La Union on Monday, August 31, and the reposnse has been tremendous.

Read the article here. These carvings of animals, mermaids and angels with books that benefit the library we helped open last summer in one of our favorite artisan villages are leaving almost as quickly as we can unpack them-- but never fear! Ellen and Ann are headed back to Mexico on September 18 for more. And remember-- you can order readers especially for you. Want to give Uncle Whit a donkey reading a detective novel? Does your sister need a cat reading Jane Austen? We can do that. Please let us know your deepest desires and we'll see what we can do for you. Or-- watch your email to learn when the newest figures are available.
----------------------------------------------------

Decatur Banner Bags are here!

In early August, the Decatur City Commission voted to donate their used festival banners to another Mingei project-- banner bags! These eco-friendly totes are made from banners that have flown over Decatur during the Olympics, the Millenium celebrations and more. Maria Cristina Giraldo Echeverria (pictured with the bags above), a refugee from Colombia resettled by the International Rescue Committee with a great talent for sewing and design, works her magic to transform the banners. She just brought in a stack of these one-of-a-kind totes. Come on in and see! $35 each

----------------------------------------------------------
Remember
Night Life of Trees?

The most popular book we have ever carried, the fabulous hand-made Night Life of Trees
featuring Gond tribal artists from India,
looks to be on its way back to us by October! We have a list of people waiting for copies, and if you'd like to be added to the list, please let us know so we can order accordingly!
In the meantime, we have two other wonderful titles by Tara Books in India, I Like Cats and The Flight of the Mermaid. They are certainly worth a look while you are waiting !
-------------------------------------------------------------

Bollywood posters are back

Orginal, vintage posters from Bollywood are back at Mingei.
We have a great collection from our spring buying trip to India.

$40 each

Come see us soon--
and remember to let us know any special requests for Mexico!
Mingei will be open while we are shopping in Mexico, September 18- 29.

Ellen and Ann
Mingei World Arts
427 Church Street
Decatur, Georgia 30030

Oakhurst Arts Run 5K Oct 10th 2009

Saturday, October 10

A Run Georgia Premier Event
Oakhurst Arts Run 5K
Decatur
Contact: Ed Williams (404) 327-7738.

http://www.rungeorgia.com/calendar.html

Free Seminar at The Decatur Library Sept 8th @ 7PM

This fall, Renewal and the Decatur Library are hosting free seminar series on green remodeling. The first seminar is next Tuesday, Sept. 8th at 7PM.


September 1, 2009 - This fall, the Decatur Library will host a free seminar series focused on green remodeling. Topics discussed will be: The Homeowner’s Guide to Green Remodeling, Show Me the Money:Why Green makes Sense for Your Wallet, and Creating a Healthy Home. The library is even featuring local green experts as speakers. Peter Michelson, CEO of Decatur’s Renewal Design-Build, and Joe Thomas, certified Home Performance Consultant for Renewal System Solutions, will be speaking from their extensive experience with green renovations. Renewal Design-Build is an EarthCraft Renovator of the Year and was even featured on a green remodeling show last summer. “Our hope is that this series will meet the needs of Decatur and Atlanta homeowners, who are interested in going green but may not know where to begin,” says Karen Skellie, coordinator for the Library. “By bringing in green experts who are also local residents, we feel as if the community will really benefit from the speakers’ knowledge on greening homes that are similar to their own.”


The date and description of each seminar are as follows:



· Tuesday, September 8, 7:00PM: The Homeowner’s Guide to Green Remodeling

Thinking of going green but don’t know where to begin? This seminar will discuss the typical Decatur home’s inefficiencies, some possible solutions, and how incorporating “green” into your home will benefit your wallet, health, and peace of mind.



· Saturday, October 17, 10:00AM: Show Me the Money:Why Green Makes Sense for Your Wallet

This seminar will discuss how certain green improvements to your home will increase energy efficiency and save you money. In addition, you will learn how the most recent green tax credits and rebates will put even more money in your pocket.



· Saturday, November 14, 10:00AM: Creating a Healthy Home

Recent EPA studies have shown that the air in your home may be even more harmful than the air outside. In this seminar, you’ll learn how to improve the indoor air quality of your home and protect your family from indoor air pollutants like gases, chemicals, pests, radon, and carbon monoxide.


Renewal Design-Build, 124 S. Columbia Dr. in Decatur, an EarthCraft Renovator of the Year, provides complete solutions for renovations, additions, kitchens, baths, porches, decks, small projects and repairs.


For more information, call 404.378.6962 or visit the Decatur Library’s website at www.dekalblibrary.org/branches/decatur.html.


Kelly Cheek

Marketing Manager
Renewal Design-Build
124 S. Columbia Dr., Decatur, GA 30030
t. 404-378-6962
f. 404-378-6963

Kelly@RenewalDesignBuild.com
http://www.RenewalDesignBuild.com

Will The Varsity Drive-In Think Twice about Building a Decatur Location ?

A question I would like to ask The Varsity, Will you ever decide to build a Decatur location.?
Back in the 70's you almost built a location at the corner of N. Decatur Rd. & Dekalb Industrial Way, and for some reason you changed your mind.
If today you decided to build a Decatur location, I think a good location would be at Suburban Plaza Shopping center in the closed gorcery store location.

What location in the Decatur area would you like to see The Varsity Drive-In build another location ?

JOLOMO SAID:
I can't think of a great place in Decatur (somewhere along Commerce, maybe?) but it got me thinking where the old drive-ins were in Atlanta in the 1950's so I looked them up in the only directory I had handy. More than 30 of them in 1956.

Over at the fabulous Next Stop...Decatur blog they were asking about where a good spot would be for a new Varsity location. I couldn't think of one but I wondered just how many drive-ins Atlanta used to have. Not sure where it falls in the spectrum, but 1956 had a whole bunch! I counted 33 that had "Drive In" or "Drive Inn" in their name in the city directory. Most of them had pretty unimaginative names so I guess they just had to find a spot with lots of auto traffic and wait for the business to roll in.... except for the Pigmy Drive-In. Wonder what their gimmick was?

A&W 450 Flat Shoals av SE
Barron's 3260 Bankhead hwy NW
Berry's 1155 Memorial dr SE
Big Wheel 29 Moreland av SE
Blue Jacket 820 Lee SW
Buddy's 1179 Spring NW
Butch's 1905 Simpson rd NW
Carroll's 1350 Gordon SW
Center 2496 Stewart av, SW
Cotton Joe 805 W. Whitehall SW
Diner Drive-In 851 Memorial dr SE
Gabe's 30 Moreland av SE
Gene's 2110 Campbellton rd SW
Ideal 1953 Lakewood av SE
Idle Hour 1571 Moreland av SE
Lefty's 300 Candler rd SE
Mark's 585 Stewart av SW
McMichael's 483 Peters SW
Minit 2721 Stewart av SW
Mobley's 690 Bankhead av NW
Murray's 1010 Pryor SW
Piedmont Drive In Club 2115 Piedmont rd NE
Pigmy 261 Hunter SE
Pitch 'N Putt Drive In Restaurant 2349 Glenwood av SE (right across from East Lake Country Club! Related to the package store on Johnson?)
Poncey 767 Ponce de Leon av NE
Ruben's 439 Marietta NW
Rusty's 2225 Ptree rd NW
Smitty's 11 Irby av NW
South Side 359 Memorial dr SE
Tara 2653 Bankhead hwy NW
Twin Oaks 1400 Northside dr NW
Two Point 371 Flat Shoals av SE
Wilson Two Spot 2001 Chicago av NW (didn't know we had a Chicago av, but we do)

While I was in there couldn't help but notice a few other things. We also had:
Doo-Drop Inn 845 McDaniel SW
Duffie's Tavern 698 West Ptree NW (Duffie ain't here)
Tasty Town was already there
Niether the Varsity nor the Yellow Jacket say "Drive In", but we know they were!
Zesto's hadn't started yet, I guess

Drive-ins of the 1950s

http://atlhistory.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=26&func=view&id=377&catid=8

Thanks JOLOMO for this great list, I can remember some of them.

Decatur Book Festival This Coming Weekend

Cakes & Ale Garden

photo: Jeremy Jones Photography
Billy and Kristin Allin, owners of Cakes & Ale, have a garden in their Decatur Back Yard to provide fruits and vegetables for their restaurant.


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By JOHN KESSLER



Billy and Kristin Allin’s home seems like any other on its Decatur street — quaint and well-tended, with a mini patch of green lawn and neighboring houses crowding either side.
Read full AJC story