The Rolling Stones...LIVE - CLASSIC

Under my thumb
The girl who once had me down
Under my thumb
The girl who pushed me around

It's down to me oh yea
The way she talks when she's spoken to.
Down to me, the change has come,
She's under my thumb

Say it's alright

Under my thumb
The squirmin' dog who's just had her day
Under my thumb
The girl who has just changed her ways

It's down to me, oh yea
The way she talks when she's spoken to.
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb
Say it's alright

Under my thumb
A siamese cat of a girl
Under my thumb
She's the sweetest, pet in the world

It's down to me oh yeah
The way she does just what she's told
Down to me, the change has come,
She's under my thumb
Ah say it's alright
Easy babe

It's down to me, oh yeah
The way she talks when she's spoken to
Down to me, the change has come,
She's under my thumb
Yeah, it's alright

Under my thumb
Her eyes are often kept to herself
Under my thumb, well I
I can still look at someone else

It's down to me, oh yeah
The way she talks when she's spoken to
Down to me, the change has come,
She's under my thumb
Say, it's alright.

Say it's alright
take it easy babe
Say it's alright

Take it easy babe
Take it easy babe
Feels alright
Take it, take it easy babe.

Vintage Sinclair Filling Station -715 East Lake Dr.

Painstaking restoration brings landmark back to life

Have you ever wondered about the former Sinclair service station at 715 East Lake Drive, just off the square at Harmony Park? You're not alone. A lot of people stop by the attractive art deco building when owner Wayne Allen is there to ask about it. It turns out, the station has been around since 1939. Over the years, it's gone through many owners and has been a car repair shop, a fruit stand and a rib shack in addition to a gas station. Wayne bought it and painstakingly restored it with his friends David Funderburk and Lisa Tenerovich. But the building now doesn't have anything to do with pumping gas or barbecuing ribs. These days, it's mostly a hangout. It's a place where Wayne gets together with buddies who collect vintage cars and motorcycles like he does. He also uses it as an office. And David uses it as a studio to pursue his hobby, photography.

The car club is known as the Georgia Outsiders. Some days, you might notice some of the lovingly preserved and polished cars from decades past around the station, and a gang of Wayne's friends inside. "Mostly, we just eat hamburgers and tell lies," he says. Only a few of Wayne's vehicles are at the station at any one time. There isn't enough room for all. He's got a 1933 Ford Roadster, a 1937 Ford Coupe, a 1957 Chevy, 1962 Corvette and a 1963 Comet Fastback as well as 1941 Indian and 1947 Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

When the building was a real gas station, Oakhurst had more of a commercial feel to it. There was a drug store, a hardware store, a shoe store and a supermarket in the square. The station was built in a design that typified Sinclair stations in those days, called the castle style. When he was restoring the building, Wayne examined pictures of Sinclair stations on old road maps that he's collected, to be as authentic as possible.

At first, the station was known as Tarpley's Service Station. A number of different owners and names followed. Wayne discovered advertisements from some of them in old Decatur High School yearbooks. A common pitch in the ads was, "Personal Attention to Washing and Greasing." That slogan now adorns a large window in the station's front room, along with an old phone number, PR3-3739. An artist friend of Wayne's painted them.

When Wayne bought the building for $200,000 in December of 2001, it had seen better days. In fact, it's safe to say it was a true eyesore. The concrete driveway was crumbling, there were abandoned vehicles in the back, an old phone booth out front, trash inside and the pungent smell of grease and garbage throughout. Wayne had been working for years in a Harley-Davidson dealership. He was thinking of retiring and doing something fun. Fixing the station up and turning it into a hangout seemed to fit the bill. He sold his share in the dealership, bought the building and got to work.

When he's not playing amateur photographer, David is a general contractor at the Schoppman Freese Co. of Marietta, experience that proved a big asset in the restoring the 140,000-square-foot building. He, Wayne and Lisa poured concrete, installed new ceiling beams, put in electrical wiring and lights, painted everything and looked around in antique shops for old service station signs to adorn their work. They also enclosed the front, where cars used to drive through, under a canopy.

We should note that local authorities at first were skeptical about what the three had in mind. It took months before they could get all the necessary permits. Today, an old sign inside again boasts about "clean rest rooms." There's an ancient coke machine in the office, along with an early television set. A display case features old maps and other service station paraphernalia, along with a few pictures of a much-younger Wayne, from when he used to race motorcycles.

In addition to getting a hangout, Wayne also got a sense of pride in his work and the contribution he's made to his community. "It was cool to do it. I was born and raised here, and I'd hate to see this area fall apart, " he says. "I think the community liked seeing how we changed this place." Wayne lives in Winnona Park with his wife, Laura Lee.
The energetic three friends aren't done yet. They plan to add a two-story addition to the back of the building, to yield more room for Wayne's cars and David's photography.
Part of the fun, though, is just hanging out and explaining what the building is to quizzical people who stop by. As if to prove the point, one woman who was walking her dog poked her head in the door while Wayne was being interviewed for this article. "Can I ask you a question? What is this place?" she said. Those same questions are repeated, almost word-for-word, quite often.

Perhaps this article has answered all your questions about the place. But even so, be sure to poke your head in too, or wave hello, next time you pass by.

Music sets the Beat in Macon GA. (One Tank Trip)

Here is a nice one day & one tank trip)
if you like Rock & Roll

Little Richards says he is the architect of rock ‘n’ roll.



By WILLIAM SCHEMMEL
Photo:Leah Yetter/Ga Music Hall Of Fame.

For the Journal-Constitution



Macon — Behind its genteel Old South skirts, this city of 100,000 cherishes its old-time blues and rock ‘n’ roll heritage.

The recorded voice of “Little Richard” Penniman “answers” the visitors bureau’s phone. “Hi, this is Little Richard, architect of rock ‘n’ roll, coming to you from my hometown of Macon, Georgia, the song and soul of the South,” says the flamboyant native son, who shouted “Tutti-Frutti,” “Lucille,” “The Girl Can’t Help It” and other blockbusters to the top of the R&R heap in the 1950s and ’60s.

A bootlegger’s son, Little Richard (born Richard Wayne Penniman) cut his musical teeth in churches and Ann’s Tic Toc, a downtown gay bar. It’s now the Tic Toc Room, an upscale restaurant, with a New Southern/American menu, martini and wine lists, a piano bar and a booth where the budding superstar’s stage once stood.

The 76-year-old charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame lives in Los Angeles and occasionally makes unannounced visits to his Macon family and friends. Little Richard Penniman Boulevard is a renamed section of Mercer University Boulevard.

You’ll find signs of other famous sons, from the Allman Brothers to Otis Redding, all over town.

Don’t miss

Georgia Music Hall of Fame: On a tune-filled stroll through the downtown Hall of Fame, visitors sit in small theaters and watch videos of gospel, pop and rock performers and listen to their favorites on headphones placed around the galleries. The Music Factory is a kid-oriented learning space with hands-on exhibits in musical composition, style, instrument families and more.

You’ll find tributes to the Allman Brothers Band, which reached the rock music pinnacle in the 1970s. It lives on, even though it has disbanded several times and Duane Allman, one of the Southern rock band’s founding artists, has rested 37 years at Rose Hill Cemetery.

“I’ve Got Dreams to Remember” is a six-month tribute to blues icon Otis Redding, ([Sittin’ On] The Dock of the Bay,” “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” “Try A Little Tenderness”) who died at age 26 in a 1967 plane crash in Wisconsin. It winds down on Wednesday at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

If you miss the special exhibit, the “Indoor Musical Village’s” year-round collection holds plenty of Redding’s memorabilia, along with that of the other Macon artists, and more than 100 other Peach State stars, from Alan Jackson and Trisha Yearwood to Ray Charles, Lena Horne, bandleader Harry James, lyricist Johnny Mercer and opera diva Jessye Norman. The Georgia Music Hall of Fame, 200 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 1-888-427-6257, www.georgiamusic.org.

Rose Hill Cemetery: Allman Brothers lead guitarist Duane Allman and bassist/vocalist Berry Oakley, who died in separate motorcycle accidents in 1971 and ‘72 near the same Macon intersection, rest side by side in historic Rose Hill Cemetery. The cemetery, 1091 Riverside Drive, is open daily, daylight hours. Contact the Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1-800-768-3401, www.maconga.org.

As in life, the duo seldom want for company. So many people left beer bottles, smokes and other tributes several years ago, a relative wrapped the grave site in chain-link fence, topped with razor wire, to the horror of cemetery sextons, who pulled it down.

The band disbanded and reunited twice during the 1970s. Back together again in 1989, with founding brother Gregg Allman, the group was nominated for Grammys in 2003 and 2004. They still record and perform concert gigs. Next spring, the Allman Brothers Band Museum will open in the Tudor mansion where band members lived and wrote their music.

If you’d like to hear live music, Whiskey River, 4570 Pio Nono Ave., has country and rock bands and a big dance floor, Wednesdays-Saturdays. Hummingbird Stage & Tap Room, 430 Cherry St., has a variety of live music Tuesdays-Saturdays, and 550 Blues, 550 Riverside Drive, offers blues and other music Wednesdays-Sundays.

If you like history and architecture, stop by the opulent Italian Renaissance Hay House, a 24-room treasure of stained glass, statuary, European and American furnishings, silver, crystal, and silk and damask draperies and wall coverings. More than a century before air conditioning, a cleverly concealed ventilation system kept the high-ceilinged rooms cool, even on midsummer days. The Hay House, 934 Georgia Ave., 478-742-8155, www.hayhouse.org.

Around the corner, the Cannonball House achieved lasting notoriety in 1864, when a 12-pound Union shell crashed through the Greek Revival facade and landed in the front hallway. Cannonball House and Macon Confederate Museum, 865 Mulberry St., 478-745-5982, www.cannonballhouse.org.

Decatur eLIFE Magazine video about The New Stadium

TV crew takes over Old Courthouse in Decatur

Lifetime network’s ‘Drop Dead Diva’ to shoot scenes this week

By DONNA WILLIAMS LEWIS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Monday, September 15, 2008

A television crew is taking over the historic Old Courthouse on the Decatur Square for the next couple of days to shoot courtroom scenes for a pilot series “Drop Dead Diva.”
The show is a Sony Pictures Television production for the Lifetime network. The Josh Berman creation is about a model in training who dies and finds her soul entering the body of an overweight attorney.

The film crew was at work Monday and is expected to be at the courthouse through Tuesday, said Leslie Stumpff, heritage education coordinator/rental coordinator at the DeKalb History Center, which is housed in the neoclassical granite building.

The circa 1898 building, whose interior was rebuilt after a 1916 fire, is a popular rental spot for weddings, parties and meetings.

The courtroom scene is being shot in what was once the Superior Courtroom, now an empty ballroom with 14 arched windows and terrazzo floors. It was redressed to look like a courtroom for the film shoot, Stumpff said.

Updated photos of The Decatur High School Stadium

Well, they have 5 days to fine tune The New Decatur High School Stadium for the First Game in the stadium this Friday night.
I will be there taking plenty of pictures.

CLICK on pictures to enlarge.

These Are The Days

Please note: the Standard Oil Co. gas station on the corner of E.Court Sq. and E. Ponce de Leon. not to be confused with the Gas Station one block down on Church St. & E. Ponce de Leon which was a Sinclair Gas Station at one time, and that building is still there, and will soon be the future home of "Leon's Full Service Pub"


In the mid-1940's Jack Benny and Fred Allen were playing at the Dekalb THeatre, where you could buy Dr. Pepper brought by the truck parked out front. F.W. Woolworth was called "the five and dime" and there was a Piggly Wiggly grocery store next to the Fulton National Bank. You could see the Hotel Candler in the distance. The bank building and connected shops are still there.
You can also see a Standard Oil gas station across from Woolworth's on the corner of E. Court Sq. and E. Ponce de Leon..
I can't help but wonder why they had Gas stations so close, just down one block towards Church
St. which will be the future home of Leon's Full Service Pub.
Was the Sinclair Gas station down on Church St. built after this photo ?????
This is something I am going to research.
To be continued.....

Small City of Decatur License Plates at Whit's End

Jeff at Whit's End wants you to know about his new Decatur License Plates and new DHS Spirit Wear.

GO DECATUR !

NEW! Small City of Decatur license plates for scooters, bikes,trikes, strollers, big wheels, wagons etc. New/redesigned DHS Spirit Wear hats justin time for the Stadium Opening next Friday. Thanks, Jeff 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

Ink & Dagger Tattoo in Decatur

Jim Beam made this short documentary film about Ink & Dagger’s owner Russ Abbott. The film and corresponding print ads are all part of Jim Beam’s ongoing ad campaign. To learn more about Abbott, please visit www.thestuffinside.com. There’s a place where you can leave him a message on there and let him know what you think of all this.

Click on Postcard for more photos.


Ink & Dagger Tattoo Parlour
1036 West College Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 373-6655

www.inkanddaggertattoo.com

Saturday is the 2nd Annual 5k fun run "Beat the Street for Little Feet"

Decatur High Homecoming Band

It is an exciting year for Decatur High especially with our new stadium. The Alumni
Committee is hoping to see you all there on September 19th. After the opening
game comes Homecoming on October 4th. Will Henderson, our DHS Band Director, is
hoping to turn Homecoming in to an Alumni event as well as a great time for the
students.

With that in mind, in addition to all the Alumni we hope will attend the game, Will
would love to have an Alumni Band for the Homecoming Game and start a tradition
in the coming years. There is now a Decatur Band website which includes a link
to an Alumni Band page as well. The Alumni Band page will have a place for you
to register as well as a place for you to download your music. If you are interested
in participating, please following the link, http://www.decaturband.org/index.php/alumni/13-alumniband/15-alumni-band-2008-sign-up,
and register. We will follow up in the next few weeks to let you know when you
can download your music and provide more information about your participation.
If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail Melinda Mobley at mmobley596@comcast.net
or call her at (404) 354-1421. We look forward to seeing you all.

To e-mail this to a friend
http://www.dhsaa.org/signup.shtml?__cmd=sendToFriend&__recipientId=686509&__messageId=31974
To unsubscribe from this list, visit
http://www.dhsaa.org/unsubscribe.shtml?__sid=34319&__lid=368

The Decatur Theatre in the ArtWorld.

Fun Town Friday Entertainment Presents Video No. 16

FYI. Eddie Murphy is doing another Beverly Hills Cop Movie.

Funny Bud Light Commercial

Belinda Carlisle - Mad About You

Decatur to form exercise and fitness panel

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Thursday, September 11, 2008

The city of Decatur is seeking residents to serve on a new advisory board that encourages exercise and fitness.

The city’s Active Living Division wants to encourage walking, cycling and other activities, and will design programs for a range of residents.
The city needs volunteers with backgrounds in fitness, healthy living concepts, seniors and healthy aging, bicycling, walking, athletics, parks, recreation, gardening and other active pursuits.

To volunteer for the new Active Living Advisory Board, fill out an application and drop it off at the Decatur Rec Center, 231 Sycamore St., or at City Hall, attention Lyn Menne. The form can also be mailed to Menne at Decatur City Hall, P.O. Box 220, Decatur, GA 30031, or faxed to 404-370-4130.

The form is available from this address:

http://www.decaturga.com/client_resources/CGS/CityGov/cgs_citygov_statementofinterest.pdf

For more information, contact active living director Dan Magee at Dan.Magee@decaturga.com, or call 678-553-6541.

BiRDi'S to Close in late September.

The owner of BiRDi'S has decided to move on to the next chapter in her life.
They will have a party on the 20th Sponsored by Labrys magazine and a final closing party the night of the 26th.


What will be next for that building.
Maybe a good Music store would do good in that spot.
You never know until you try.

"JAZZ NIGHT" Thursdays in Sept. at Historical Scottish Rite

Free Jazz on Thursdays in Sept.
at Historic Scottish Rite. 7pm to 9pm

ROSE 2 Frame Shop & Gallery is having a Grand Opening this Saturday Sept 13th

Have you visited JD Isaacs' new Frame Shop & Gallery called Rose 2 or ( Rose Squared) if not you need to, it opened a couple of months ago in a small retail space on the backside of the Masonic Lodge Building on Clairemont Ave. next to Emile Baran's Music Show Room. This is the same frame shop that was inside the Rue de Leon before it closed.
Welcome to your new location Rose Squared.

I had a chance to visit with JD at his new location recently and he is having a Grand Opening (open house) for all to come and visit this Saturday Sept 13th.



JD Isaacs owns and operates Rose Squared Custom Framing, a full service framing shop.

In addition to the finest of hand finished European moldings, Rose Squared offers high quality archival framing for original art, fine art prints, diplomas, posters and all framing needs, including shadow boxing. JD Isaacs takes great pride in his sense of design and helping his customers make the right choices for their artwork. He believes that a person’s choice in artwork should reflect their personality and that should continue with their framing choices. Isaacs strongly believes that, ‘you should frame for the piece, not for the room.’ In other words don’t try to match mat colors to sofa cushions and the like. ‘A well framed piece will go anywhere,’ he believes, and ‘should stand the test of time.’

Isaacs also offers watercolor classes on Sundays at his new location (he now has the room to do that in the new location) and has samples of his portraiture by commission in the gallery space. His environmental children’s stories on CD, written for airing on NPR are also available for purchase .


For examples of JD Isaacs artwork and children’s stories:
www.rainrider.com
Rose Squared
111 Clairemont Ave.
Decatur, GA.
Store hours: wed thru Sat 10am to 5pm
Phone: 404 377-1414

Indigo Girls find hometown shows exciting, nerve-racking

Indigo Girls find hometown shows exciting, nerve-racking

photo: http://www.rueplumet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/indigo_girls.jpg
By JON WATERHOUSE

For accessAtlanta

Thursday, September 11, 2008

For Emily Saliers, one-half of the locally-based folk-rock duo Indigo Girls, performing in Atlanta means a lot of things. Among them: guest lists, hitting the mark in front of the hometown folks; and making sure a stop at Decatur eatery Watershed (Saliers is co-owner) is on the itinerary.
A hometown guest list has to be challenging.

It is a bit. There are only so many tickets you can have, and it’s obviously our largest guest list in the country. Sometimes phone calls come in at the last minute, but I think at this point after all of these years, it’s just to be expected. The most important thing is that our family and friends are there, and that always feels good. It works out.

Describe the dynamic of an Atlanta show.

There’s a certain excitement about being home, for sure, no matter what the venue is in Atlanta. Playing in Atlanta is exciting, because we spend so much time playing in other cities. Playing at home is such a unique feeling. There’s that, but in other ways it’s a little more nerve-racking, because it’s more hyped up and special because you are home, and all of your family and friends are there. .

Some artists have an issue with Chastain’s wine-and-cheese audience.

Mostly our shows have been good there. I know what you’re talking about, because I’ve been to shows there where people talk through the show. I’ve actually left shows before, because I couldn’t believe people were talking through it. But our fans are so good, and I think they really come to hear the music. It’s a very, very good experience overall. If it were a negative thing, we wouldn’t continue to go back and play there. It’s just such a beautiful venue.

The band recruits a green team at certain venues. How’s that going?

It’s going great. We don’t do it in every town, but we work out a way to stagger it so that it’s most effective. We have green teams come in and get tickets to the show, T-shirts or whatever they want. And they come and make sure the recycling is taken to its proper recycling place. It’s all a part of our whole effort to reduce our carbon imprint. We run the bus on biodiesel, and we’re trying to switch over to large containers of water instead of individual bottles. We’re trying not to waste and make sure there are recycling at all of our venues. It’s just part of our effort. And it’s fun for fans. We meet the green team and say hi. And that way we know the recycling is going to where it’s meant to go instead of maybe being dumped at the end of the night after we leave town.

How much do you miss your restaurant Watershed on the road?

I miss it terribly. I love that restaurant, and I’m really proud of the food. Even if I weren’t an owner and an affiliate, I’d eat at that restaurant regularly just because of the vibe and the excellent food. We’re getting ready to celebrate our 10th year this year. So through tough times and good times, we’ve been able to stand through.

What’s your go-to entree?

The cheeseburger. It’s one of the top three burgers I’ve ever had. [Chef Scott Peacock’s] approach is all about fresh ingredients, locally grown whenever possible and organic. It’s just about simplicity and goodness, and that’s what that burger is.

CHASTAIN PARK: INDIGO GIRLS, SEPT. 13

• THE 411: $30-$55. 8 p.m. Sept. 13. Chastain Park Amphitheatre, Stella Drive and Poole Road, Atlanta. 404-249-6400, www.ticketmaster.com.

Will Decatur Be Lucky and get A Johnny Rockets

More than 12 metro Johnny Rockets to open in next five years.

By JOE GUY COLLIER
Photo by Flickr: ElissaSCA

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Monday, September 08, 2008

Johnny Rockets plans to add more than a dozen restaurants in metro Atlanta in the next five years, according to a recently announced expansion initiative.

Johnny Rockets, a California-based burger and fries chain, held the grand opening this past weekend for its fourth Atlanta location, a restaurant in the Luckie Marietta district near the Georgia Aquarium.

The Atlanta expansion plans are part of a broader company goal to more than triple Johnny Rockets’ U.S. presence to 1,000 locations.

The Decatur Venetian Blind Co.

The Decatur Ventian Blind Co. was located on E. Ponce de Leon Ave.
these type building were used as Army Bakkacks during World War II.
Here is a little history on them:

A little history on this design … As part of the World War II war effort, In 1941 the United States government commissioned George A. Fuller Construction Company to design and engineer a cheap, portable shelter intended for housing troops, MASH units, storing large machinery, aircraft hangars and warehousing supplies. The government had instructed them to comply with only two conditions: the new huts had to be arch shaped, for strength and deflection of shell fragments, and able to be quickly and simply assembled by unskilled labor. Over 170,000 were produced during WWII. After the war ended these buildings proved too good a resource to simply discard, The military sold them to civilians who turned them into serviceable single-family homes. Even Churches and small businesses took up residence in them. The rest … is history. Today, that wonderful structure is even better and stronger and has proven to withstand the harshest weather conditions on earth including heavy snow, hurricanes, tornadoes and even earthquakes. The best news is ….. this building is remarkably affordable and delivered ready to assemble.



● The arch design was developed by the US Military during World War II. It was used as barracks for housing troops, medical facilities, motor pools for vehicle repairs, and warehousing of vehicles and supplies.

● This design provides superior strength to withstand harshest weather conditions on earth, including heavy snow, hurricanes, tornadoes even earthquakes.

● The most versatile building design. Ideal for a numerous applications, such grain and commodity storage, hay shelters, livestock shelters, industrial shops, warehousing, aircraft hangars, skating rinks, workshops, boat, automobile and truck storage, retail outlets, distribution centers, indoor riding arenas, indoor softball stadiums and even alternative housing!

Now let's see how good you are, can anyone tell me where the above photo of this type of building is located in The Decatur Area.

comments are welcome .



jolomo said:
Isn't that across from Mellow Mushroom on LaVista? BTW, I love your blog!

Joe

Atlanta History

September 9, 2008 5:07 PM

whitefield said:
Yes, you are correct.
Good Job.

Phil Whitefield said :
Dennis,
I used to sleep in these while in school at Redstone Arsenal.
These are widely known as "Quonset Huts". See below link.
The name of our sleeping quarters was "Tin City" ( We had at least 25-30 of these for all the Army Troops in Missile Training School.
They were very warm in the Cold Winter at Huntsville, Al

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quonset_hut

FAMOUS PUB @ TOCO HILLS SHOPPING CENTER

HERE ARE SOME REVIEWS
Reason to Come Back: hot bartenders!
"but the bartenders don't stay long"
Nice Hangout Place

Reason to Come Back: Drinks and food are cheap. It's a nice hangout spot for 21+
"I like this place because it's a nice place to hang out if you live in the area. The drinks and food are really cheap. The servers are nice and they remember you when you come often. It a really good place to watch football and basketball."



FAMOUS PUB
2747 N. Druid Hills Rd. NE
Atlanta, GA. 30327
404-633-3555
In the Toco Hills Shopping Center
Just outside Decatur City Limits.

Comment From Rusty:

The best part about Famous Pub is it has obscure PPV football games that often don't seem to be on anywhere else. It's the only place I know of where I can watch my Tennessee Vols play some of the lesser games on its schedule.

September 8, 2008 10:59 AM

Decatur ‘Green Home’ Renovation Featured on TV show

Renewal Construction updates a historic house with environmentally friendly materials.
Read 601 Third Ave. Home owners Blog.

The Boyce-Frost residence at 601 Third Ave., Oakhurst, is currently being renovated by Renewal Construction, Inc., using green buildig principles, practices and materials. The project will be featured on the Discovery Network’s new "Renovation Nation" TV show, which will debut in 2008.
Renewal’s project was recommended for the Green Home show by Southface, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable homes, workplaces and communities through education, research, advocacy and technical assistance. “We are excited about being chosen to serve as an example of what green building is all about,” says Renewal CEO Peter Michelson. “We are committed to these principles and practices and pleased to be a part of the effort to increase public awareness of environmentally safe and affordable renovation options.”

The show will be hosted by Emmy-award-winning television personality Steve Thomas, formerly of “This Old House.” Filming will begin in Oakhurst this fall and will follow Renewal’s progress in incorporating environmentally sound features into the Prairie-style home: Energy Star-rated windows, dual flush toilets, recycled glass countertops, low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, SIPs (structural insulated panels), geothermal heating and cooling, a tankless water heater, cisterns for rain water harvesting and on-site materials recycling. All materials are carefully selected for recycled content and minimal travel distance from the supplier to the job site.

Renewal and Rawlings – a Winning Team

Design plans for the renovation were created by local architect Eric Rawlings, AIA. “The enthusiasm of the homeowners, K.C. Boyce and Michelle Frost, for sustainable design made this a dream project for all of us involved,” he says. “Their willingness to make an example of their home for the whole community to learn from is more than admirable.”

The residence is in a neighborhood of older homes, many of them Craftsman style. “The historic fabric of the neighborhood compelled us to provide a compatible design solution,” he says. “At the same time we felt that an advanced architectural style was also appropriate. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style was a natural inspiration as it influenced the Craftsman style yet is more advanced in appearance and better suited for passive solar design.”
Buddhist-style Rain Chains – a Unique Feature

The design seamlessly integrates several above-ground cisterns into the architecture, bringing the water playfully down Buddhist-style rain chains into a cluster of river stones at the top of the stone-clad cistern vaults. The captured rain water is available for landscape watering or car washing. The excess water spills out of the cistern vault down a cascade of stone and into a French drain trench that looks much like a Japanese-style dry riverbed.

Another important feature is the geothermal system, which provides temperate air using the Earth’s constant temperature as a heat source and heat sink. “The Boyce-Frost residence exemplifies the idea of living in harmony with, rather than living off of, the land,” says Rawlings. His firm, Rawlings Design, Inc., is at 108 Fifth Ave, Decatur, 404-488-2273.
Reducing Energy Consumption – a Practical Benefit

“Incorporating green elements into a renovation project saves the homeowner money in the long run,” says Renewal CEO Michelson. “Replacing inefficient equipment with high-efficiency equipment and materials can significantly reduce home energy bills, in addition to helping the environment.”

Watch the progress of this house here.

PARK RENEWAL DAY IN DECATUR SPONSORED BY RENEWAL CONSTRUCTION INC

Hello,I thought you might find the news below interesting and relevant to NextStop... Decatur. We're cleaning up Decatur's parks!Renewal Construction Sponsors Inaugural Park Renewal Day in DecaturSeptember 4, 2008 - Decatur-based Renewal Construction has partnered withthe City of Decatur and DeKalb County Parks and Recreation Dept. to designan annual event based on keeping our community's parks free from invasiveplant species, such as kudzu and English ivy. The event, planned for Saturday November 15 at Dearborn Park in Decatur,will feature teams competing to clear and uproot invasive plants for thechance to win big prize money. Officials from DeKalb County and Decatur,along with other prominent community figures, will judge the quality andquantity of work done to each team's designated plot. Prize money will beallocated to the top four teams ($1,000, $500, $350, and $250,respectively). "This is an exciting opportunity to demonstrate how thepublic and private sectors can work
together to make our community a betterplace," said Peter Michelson, CEO of Renewal Construction. "Everyone atRenewal, the City of Decatur, and DeKalb County has a shared vision forkeeping our parks clean, healthy, and accessible to residents. Our businesshas always been centered on green principles, and we feel that this isRenewal's chance to help educate our community about preserving our greenspaces." Park Renewal Day takes place on Saturday, November 15. The competition isfrom 9am to 1pm and is followed by judging, food, live entertainment and anaward ceremony.For more information on Park Renewal Day, or to register your team, visitwww.ParkRenewalDay.com. Renewal Construction, 124 S. Columbia Dr., Decatur, is an award-winning,full-service general contractor for major renovations, kitchens and baths,and small projects. For information, call 404.378.6962 or visitwww.RenewalConstruction.com .Thank you,Kelly CheekMarketing ManagerRenewal Construction124 S. Columbia
Dr.Decatur, GA 30030t. 404-378-6962f. 404-378-6963www.RenewalConstruction.com See Renewal on TV!The Discovery Network has selected Renewal to befeatured on a new show called "Renovation Nation"that will air in 2008. Learn more... http://www.renewalconstruction.com/discovery.php Attachment: winmail.dat (69.93KB)
Renewal Construction Is Ranked in Atlanta's Top Ten, Number One in Decatur

August 18, 2008 - Decatur-based Renewal Construction has been named one of Atlanta's Top Ten residential remodelers in the Atlanta Business Chronicle's "Book of Lists." The list, revised and published annually, surveys and ranks the top companies in a variety of industries across the 20-county metro area.

Ranked number seven for the entire metro area, Renewal beat out all other Decatur-based competitors, including companies established long before Renewal opened its doors in 2001. "We are honored to be ranked as one of Atlanta's top ten remodelers." said founder and CEO Peter Michelson. He notes that growth for the company, which works primarily in Decatur, Avondale and intown Atlanta neighborhoods, has been steady. Renewal President David Michelson added, "The local community is tremendously supportive of Renewal. Homeowners in the area really embrace the energy-efficient and 'green' renovation principles we've promoted for so long."



Renewal Construction
124 S. Columbia Dr.
Decatur, GA.
404-378-6962
www.renalconstruction.com

Special note from this Blogger: This building/house was the house my Mom grew up in.
I thought is was interesting that they emailed me.

THE GRANGE PUBLIC HOUSE (PUB) NOW OPEN

We’re from Dublin, Ireland. Naming our pub The Grange connects our Irish heritage with our current home, Atlanta.

Inside photos here.

In medieval Ireland, the Grange, located in the monastery, was the center for food and beverage production for the monks and local town’s people. Just like the kitchen of the modern home, The Grange became the hub of social activity in the community – especially when all the hops and barley (and of course beer) was stored there. There are many Granges in Ireland, and now there will be one in Decatur, Georgia – a gathering place that will offer excellent food, beverage and conversation – the social hub of the community. And just like those of us who have made the move to Atlanta, The Grange in Decatur will stay true to its Irish heritage while being contemporary and progressive.

Another incredible connection is that one of the most famous Granges in Ireland, in County Meath, supplied the Hill of Tara, which was not only the capital of Medieval Ireland, but also the inspiration for the family home of the O’Haras in “Gone with the Wind.”

The Grange Public House
426 West Ponce De Leon Ave
Decatur,GA.30330
Phone 404-270-9950

30330

Decatur High School Stadium Update

Decatur eLIFE Video about the Decatur Bulldogs Quarterback.

DECATUR BULLDOGS LOSE TO HENRY COUNTY WARHAWKS

The Decatur Bulldogs lost last night to The Henry County Warhawks 7 - 16

New fire chief wanted in Decatur

New fire chief wanted in Decatur

Decatur is looking for a new Fire Department chief.

Applications are being taken until Sept. 12 for the job overseeing 36 staffers in two stations. The city plans to interview top candidates once applications are in and fill the post —- which pays between $72,000 and $83,800 annually —- by January 2009.

AJC.

Decatur Bulldogs vs Henry County Warhawks Tonight

Fun Town Friday Entertainment Presents Video No. 15 - Jake & Ellwood

The First Waffle House was in Decatur.

Note: the reason you see chick-fil-a on the sign at the first Waffle House is the founder of CHICK-FIL-A Cathy Truitt out sourced his famous sandwich to them and it got so popular Waffle House had to stop it, because customers kept buying the chick-fil-a sandwich and not the Waffle House Food.
And now you know the rest of the story.



By JIM AUCHMUTEY

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution



There are no waffles at the original Waffle House — at least none you can eat.

When Unit 1 reopens this week near Avondale Estates, the only food on hand will be fake. The little restaurant that started the big chain has become a museum, a faithful re-creation of the morning when hash browns first hit the griddle on Labor Day 1955.
The 13-stool diner and a next-door storefront have been restored with vintage equipment, displays of old uniforms, exhibits of memorabilia and place settings with plastic eggs and shellacked waffles. The jukebox is stocked with oldies and a selection of homespun Waffle House songs, one of which, “Waffle House Family — Part One,” talks about the company’s humble beginnings:

Long ago, Tom and Joe

Planted little yellow seeds

And watched ‘em grow.

One day last week, a van pulled up in front of the restaurant on East College Avenue near the Avondale MARTA station, and two elderly men climbed out a bit slowly and stiffly. It was the little yellow seed-planters themselves — Tom Forkner and Joe Rogers Sr. — stopping by to check on their baby.

Rogers — “call me Joe” — is 88 and almost as bald as an uncracked egg. He grinned as he took in the modest structure that spawned more than 1,550 Waffle Houses in 25 states.

“This was the cheapest building we could build,” he said. “We just put a shoebox around our equipment. Cost us $14,000. We didn’t want it to look expensive because we wanted it to look like you could come right in and be comfortable.”

Forkner — “Tom” — is 90 and still has some wavy white hair on top. He walked inside the museum half of the building and paused in front of an enlarged photo showing him pouring coffee for his partner.

Rogers couldn’t resist a jab. “I think that’s the only time I’ve ever saw him pour coffee.”

‘We need a restaurant’

Unlike the museum dedication on Wednesday, when there will be speeches and a ceremony, there was no hoopla when the first Waffle House opened in 1955. That made planning the exhibits a challenge.

“They didn’t save much of anything,” said Waffle House communications director Pat Warner. “When we had our 50th anniversary, I was like: ‘Didn’t you take any pictures? Didn’t you have a ribbon-cutting? Work with me here.’ “

It just didn’t seem like that big a deal at the time. The two founders figured they’d open a few restaurants and then go fishing.

Rogers had come from Tennessee, where he was a regional manager for Toddle House, a chain of diners based in Memphis. When the company moved him to Atlanta in 1949, he bought a house from Forkner, a real estate man whose father had helped develop Avondale Estates. They lived two doors apart and became close friends.

“What started all this is that I tried to get Joe to build a Toddle House in Avondale,” Forkner recalled. “He said Avondale wasn’t right for Toddle House, and I said, ‘Well, we still need a restaurant.’ And he said, ‘You build it and I’ll show you how to run it.’ “

Within a week, Forkner had found a location on College Avenue — U.S. 278 — the main route east out of Atlanta before I-20. The new partners had a house moved and erected their cheap building where it had stood.

David Skinner, a banker who later helped finance the company’s expansion, was there when the first Waffle House opened. He had stopped by this morning to see his friends and their shrine.

“People were just so anxious to get a restaurant,” he said. “Once it opened, there was seldom an empty stool.”

Rogers laughed and quoted the opening day’s take: $142. “Maybe we weren’t charging enough.”

Creative borrowing

Restaurant companies these days like to talk about dining concepts. If the waffle fathers had one, they wouldn’t admit it.

“We didn’t have an idea, really,” Rogers said. “I just copied everything I’d been doing for years at Toddle House. I even brought the recipes with me. I couldn’t see fooling with something that was successful.”

Fair enough. But why waffles?

Rogers again: “That was the year McDonald’s and all the hamburger chains started doing takeout. We wanted to do sit-down, and we knew you couldn’t take out a waffle or it’d become flimsy.”

What about those signs? The first Waffle House sign used those familiar school bus colors — black on yellow — but the reproduction in front of Unit 1 looks different from the Scrabble board design that has become such a feature of the Southern roadscape. For one thing, it has an arrow.

Another case of creative borrowing, Rogers explained. “All we did was turn the old Holiday Inn sign upside down. Their arrow went over the top. Ours went under the bottom.”

“We had one sign that was a flop,” Forkner chimed in. “It looked like syrup was dripping over the letters. Kind of kerflooey.”

Rogers ambled over to the window. “This one’s kind of like that.” He squinted. “Yeah, it’s drippin’.”

Mayo and Aunt Maggie

After a while, the two wandered next door for a closer look at the restaurant itself. Unit 1 remained open until 1973, when the company sold it to a manager who ran it as an independent grill. For most of the past 20 years, it was a Chinese restaurant operated by an immigrant couple.

“I’d stop by every now and then and take a look,” Rogers said, taking a seat on one of the stools.

On the counter was a stack of replica menus with 1955 prices: pecan waffle (50 cents), cheese omelet (65 cents), chopped sirloin ($1). Against the wall was a cardboard stand-up of Waffle House servers, circa 1960, with the faces cut out so visitors can pose for pictures.

Forkner headed to the back of the restaurant and peeked into the 6-by-8-foot room he once used as an office. It had just enough room for a desk, a box and an orange crate.

“They’d call me at all hours,” he said. “They called one night: ‘Tom, we need some help. The cook ran off with the waitress and I’m the only man in here.’ “

Rogers stepped into the commissary at the rear of the eatery, where sacks of potatoes, Dixie Crystals sugar and White Lily flour were slumped on the floor.

“We made everything ourselves in the beginning, even mayonnaise,” he said. “Aunt Maggie ran our commissary. She always had that cigarette hanging out of her mouth.”

Another early employee at the first Waffle House was Rogers’ son, Joe Rogers Jr., who started out washing dishes as a teenager in this back room. He eventually became CEO and presided over the company’s great period of expansion from a new headquarters in Norcross, where the founders have considerably larger offices.

From No. 1 to 1,000

It was lunchtime, and the little yellow seed-planters were getting hungry. So they climbed back into the van and rode a few hundred yards up the road to Unit 1,000, a newer, roomier Waffle House that replaced the original after it closed. It may lack the retro charm of Unit 1, but it has one distinct advantage: real, edible waffles.

Forkner and Rogers — pardon: Tom and Joe — settled into a back booth like they had done it a few thousand times. They didn’t need a menu.

Want more, click here.

More Crossing Guards for downtown Decatur

Two More Crossing Guards for Decatur

Decatur’s push for more people to walk and bicycle its streets has worked so well that the city is hiring two more crossing guards. The city commission Tuesday approved spending $11,000 out of Decatur’s savings to hire the safety officers at two intersections that have seen a significant increase in bike and foot traffic.

One guard will work on East Trinity Street near the city’s fire station, and the other at Commerce Drive and Sycamore Place.

The new hires bring the total number of crossing guards in the city to 18.

OK All you Bond Fans, Get ready for Nov. 7th or should I say Nov. 007

Funny TV Commercial

Decatur's Organic Farmers Market Every Wednesday

Decatur Organic Farmers Market offers locally grown fresh organic produce, flowers, and other organic food products such as bread, jam, and sauces. It is a market that supports local farmers by offering them an in town location to sell their products.
Dates & Times

Wednesday's
4 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Open Year-Round Location
We have moved to the
Bank of America parking lot
163 Clairemont Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030
at the corner of Commerce Dr. and Church St. Google Map Decatur Organic Farmers Market

Decatur Organic Farmers Market
Contact Information
Please note: The market is only accepting organic farmers and organic food producers at this time.
info@decaturfarmersmarket.com
Please join the yahoo group to get email updates
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decaturfarmersmarket/
Send an email to:
decaturfarmersmarket-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
to join the email list

Participating Farmers

Whippoorwill Hollow Farm
Andy & Hilda Byrd 678-625-3272
Grower
www.whippoorwillhollowfarm.com

Magnolia Bread Company Inc.
Dianne Reinhard
European-style breads baked in a wood-fired brick oven
www.magnoliabread.com
magnoliabread@gmail.com

Denton Flower Farm
Mary Denton 770-464-3900
Grower

Omar's Lake Oconee Garden
Omar Rasheed 404-377-0104
Grower
oconee@earthlink.net
Riverdale Chicken Ranch

Keith Poole's Grass Fed Eggs
Keith Poole 770-997-1968

Oakhurst Community Gardens & Youth Garden
Grower
Kyla 404-371-1920.

Organic Garden Essentials
Grower
Bobby Britt 404-288-6972

Organic Muffins
Organic Baked Goods
Barbara Pearson 770-322-1373

MICU'S
Grower and Organic Baked Goods
lmicu@bellsouth.net
706-625-1639

Terri Jagger Blincoe
Grower
ladybug@bellsouth.net
404-403-1129

Greenleaf Farms, LLC
Greg Brown
Grower
678-596-6803

Pearl River Vineyards
Paul
Jelly
1-800-773-6531

Antico Mercante
Franco Bess
Cheese (Local organic and imported artisan Italian)
Forest Park 404-644-4876

Steve Miller
Sustainably grown produce
404-788-6598

Dulce Vegan
vegan sweets and can prepare goodies for lots of dietary needs.
678-362-2207
dulcevegan@gmail.com

Pine Hill Nursery
Organic Plants
1101 Durdan Rd.
Rutledge, GA 300663
Pat Jarvis
770-597-0816


Related Information

For other organic markets in the area see: Georgia Organics Directory

City of Decatur
To Find out about more events that are happening in the city of Decatur, please visit the city website at http://www.decatur-ga.com/

Georgia Organics
If you are interested in finding more information about organic farming, please go to http://www.georgiaorganics.org/

Decatur Farmers Market Membership Policies
2008 Decatur Farmers Market Membership Application



http://www.decaturfarmersmarket.com/

Update on The Decatur High School Stadium

New lights are going up around the stadium plaza area and the new Score Board is up.

Garden & Gun magazine hunts for well-heeled

Lock, stock and barrel, magazine devoted to Southern way of life

By JIM AUCHMUTEY

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution



Susan Bridges had dueling reactions when she first encountered Garden & Gun, a lavish new magazine about Southern culture and lifestyle. While the name made her smile, it also stirred up some prickly memories.

Charleston, S.C.-based magazine is about more than the name implies. It targets well-heeled Southerners.

“It made me think of my ex-husband and all the guns he had,” she said, allowing that she owns no guns herself — just a machete. “But I love the magazine. We have a lot of cool things in the South.”
Bridges was sipping a cocktail at a rolling-out party for the publication in Atlanta. Her gallery, Whitespace, is featured in a 10-page spread about the city in the new issue. She and a few dozen others were mingling with the editor and publisher at Repast, a chic Midtown restaurant known for a menu item with its own shotgun-marriage name: foie gras hot dogs. The banner out front proclaiming “Garden & Gun” looked a bit out of place in an intown neighborhood where guns are usually not considered good news.

Garden & Gun is trying to take root in some hard soil. Outside of Southern Living, few magazines targeted at the South have ever been commercially successful.

No one would confuse G&G with Southern Living.

For one thing, editor Sid Evans said, “We don’t have pictures of cakes on the cover.”
Based in Charleston, S.C., the bimonthly magazine appeals to well-heeled Southerners with a mix of articles about music, art, literature, food, the land and, of course, hunting and fishing. It’s printed on glossy paper and features sumptuous photography and evocative writing from big-name authors like Reynolds Price, Clyde Egerton, Winston Groom and Roy Blount Jr.

The total effect is sort of Oxford American meets Town & Country.

“With some Vanity Fair, Texas Monthly and Gray’s Sporting Journal thrown in,” Evans added. “We’re a difficult magazine to pigeonhole.”

‘A gutsy name’

Samir Husni, a University of Mississippi journalism professor who studies magazines, has been impressed. He named Garden & Gun one of the hottest launches of last year, despite his initial reservations about the name.

“It usually isn’t a good idea to make people wonder what your publication is about,” Husni said. “But they’ve managed to turn it to their advantage. Once you get past the name, it’s a great magazine.”

Publisher Rebecca Darwin admitted that she “gulped” the first time she saw the proposed title. It was coined by the founding editor, John Wilson, who knew that Garden & Gun had been the name of a popular disco in Charleston.

“It’s a gutsy name,” Darwin said. “But if we had called it something like The South Today, it would have been such a snore.”

G&G was something of a homecoming for Darwin. Raised in Columbia, she went to New York after college and made it big in the magazine world, with high-level posts at GQ, Mirabella, Fortune and The New Yorker, where she became its first female publisher.

She stepped away from magazines when her husband, an actor and TV producer, decided to change careers and become a minister. The couple moved to Princeton, N.J., where he attended seminary, and then to South Carolina when he was called to pastor a Presbyterian church in Charleston.

As she settled into her new home, Darwin met Pierre Manigault, the chairman of the privately held company that publishes Charleston’s daily newspaper, The Post and Courier. He had been thinking about diversifying into niche magazine publishing.

“We need a New Yorker in the South,” Darwin remembers him telling her.

She wasn’t sure about that. But she did think there was an opening for an upscale magazine about the cultural treasures and sporting traditions of the South.

A plan to expand

Only nine issues into the venture, G&G is progressing nicely. The magazine has a paid circulation of 60,000, with a total distribution approaching 200,000. While it has subscribers in all 50 states, most of them are in the Southeast. One in eight is in Georgia.

With profitability in sight, the corporate parent is planning to launch more niche publications. “We’re building a national magazine company that happens to be in Charleston,” Darwin said.

One of the publisher’s key moves was to hire a new editor, Sid Evans, a Memphis native who had spent a decade and a half guiding magazines in New York. He was editor of Men’s Journal and Field & Stream, which received seven nominations for National Magazine Awards during his tenure.

Evans is an outdoorsman who likes to hunt and fish and shoot skeet. While he enjoyed New York, he always felt a bit like a deer who had wandered in from the woods.

“Any notion of the outdoors is foreign to a lot of New Yorkers,” he said. “I would tell friends about going duck hunting in Louisiana, and they had no idea what I meant. They didn’t understand the social aspects of it and how important that sort of thing is to Southern culture.”

When he first heard the name Garden & Gun, Evans remembered, he smiled and got it immediately. “I thought it must be a magazine about the South.”

At issue: Atlanta ‘secrets’

A magazine is known by its cover. The September-October issue of Garden & Gun touts articles about Miranda Lambert (“The Next Loretta Lynn”), the best of the New South (“50 People, Places and Things We Love”), the Lost Confederados (“Why They’re Singing ‘Dixie’ in Brazil”), an oyster roast, “the perfect Bloody Mary” and a memoir of Bo Diddley by Jimmy Buffett. In a rarity for the magazine, there’s no cover line about hunting or fishing.

The cover also teases to the magazine’s 10-page package of articles about “Charming Atlanta: Secrets of the City.” The pieces (which include some reporting by AJC food writer John Kessler) offer G&G readers a sampling of Atlanta culture and cuisine ranging from the Ghetto Burger at Ann’s Snack Bar to the sandwiches at Star Provisions.

Candice Dyer’s portrait of Atlanta, titled “The Brazen City,” offers this summation of the city’s sometimes contradictory character: “[Its] relentless boosterism, shellacked in social conscience, has never dimmed and, some dark days notwithstanding, has shaped Atlanta’s peculiar character as a boomtown where wheeler-dealers substitute gumption for bigotry (which is bad for bidniss).”

— Jim Auchmutey

2008 Decatur SpiritFest Pep Rally

Join us as we make history in Decatur on September 19th!

It seems like only yesterday that we said farewell to our old stadium at Decatur High School. On Friday evening September 19th, the city of Decatur will celebrate the opening of Decatur High School’s brand new, state-of-the-art Sports Stadium (DHS) with an old-fashioned, crowd-pleasing SPIRITFEST.

Join us as we gather on the new Stadium Plaza at 5:30 pm for a variety of festivities that will bring together students, parents, residents, teachers, administrators, and DHS Alumni for a celebration our town hasn’t seen in 50 years. Our world-traveling marching band, our cheerleaders, our current and former student athletes will also help mark the opening of this long-awaited facility in grand style.

Come and be part of our historic SPIRITFEST 2008 and then watch our Bulldog Football Team play their first home game on our new field. Remember: SPIRITFEST starts at 5:30 pm; Kick-off is 7:30 pm. We’re making history in Decatur on September 19th and we want you to be a part of it!

SpiritFest FREE
Game Ticket Prices
Students $5.00 General $7.00 Reserved $10.00
Free Parking Courthouse Deck Trinity & Commerce

This is one hometown event you won't want to miss. If you have questions or would like more information, call Barbara Nettles, 404-377-0880 or send her an e-mail message.
hat tip: eLIFE Magazine

Scooter sales zooming as gas prices stay high

Metro Atlanta scooter stores seeing inventory quickly disappear

By JAMIE GUMBRECHT
Top photo: Dennis Whitefield
Bottom Photo : Joey Ivansco/jivansco@ajc.com


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution



Scoot over, drivers.

More motor scooters are hitting metro Atlanta streets, flaunting how far they go on a gallon of gas. Sellers say scooter sales have at least tripled since gas hit $4 a gallon this spring. At Twist ‘n’ Scoot on Piedmont Avenue, shoppers used to have about 50 to browse and test drive. Lately, the store has about a dozen in stock, and manufacturers and distributors are just beginning to fill months of back orders.

“Some shoppers were panic-stricken, over the top, buying these thinking it was going to be the best solution,” said owner Bill Gortno, who recently opened a Twist ‘n’ Scoot store in Decatur, too.

About 191,000 motorcycles have been registered so far this year, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue. (The figure includes scooters with engines large enough to require a tag, but not smaller scooters on the road.) Already, this year’s figure is a jump from the 2007 total of 174,000 registrations.

Christie Hall, 36, of Decatur, recently bought a sage green Buddy-brand scooter to run errands and commute to work in Inman Park. Its 150 cubic centimeter engine gets 85 miles per gallon of gas, so its fuel bills are lower than her Toyota Rav4’s. The scooter is more fun to drive, too, she says.

“I get tons of smiles and waves. When I stop, people in cars start chatting me up,” Hall says of her scoot commute. “The first time a motorcycle guy waved to me, I felt really tough.”

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF A SCOOTER IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

What’s the attraction?

Scooters can feel cute, sporty, even a little “Roman Holiday”-Audrey-Hepburn hip. But consider the cost: Scooters can get up to 90 miles per gallon of gas, and with prices at $2,000 to $4,000 new, they cost far less than a car.

Who can drive a scooter?

If a scooter’s engine is larger than 51 cubic centimeters, it is considered a motorcycle and requires the driver to have a motorcycle operator’s license. Drivers must be at least 16 to get an instructional permit or 17 to get a license. (Drivers younger than 18 need a parent’s consent.) Motorcycle licensing information is available at www.dds.ga.gov. If a scooter’s engine is 50cc or less, drivers must be at least 15 and have a valid driver’s license, instructional permit or learner’s permit. Those bikes don’t require a tag, but they can’t travel where the minimum speed is higher than 35 mph, either.

Can a scooter handle the open road?

“People scoot in front of me on Ponce all day long,” says Joe Nieberding, manager of ATLscooters on Ponce De Leon Avenue. A scooter can easily handle neighborhood streets or a commute from nearby suburbs, but drivers shouldn’t take them on an expressway, or even a busy road if they’re inexperienced. People use them year-round in Atlanta, but they are tougher to handle on wet winter roads.

Where can you park a scooter?

It depends: bike racks, car spaces and sidewalks might be your parking lot. If there’s no designated scooter space, try to pick a safe, out-of-the-way spot. Scooter parking “is something we can look into more, and should,” says Angie Laurie, vice president of transportation for Central Atlanta Progress. She suggests scouting out parking lots and bike racks on the map at www.atlantadowntown.com/parking/index.html.

The University of Georgia has installed scooter corrals, and Decatur added free scooter parking in three locations: downtown, on East Ponce De Leon Avenue near Wachovia Bank and West Ponce de Leon Avenue near Taqueria del Sol. The city split three car spaces into five scooter spaces, and might add security racks. “We try to encourage alternative transportation. This seemed simple,” says Lyn Menne, community and economic development director.

What does scooting cost?

Aside from the cost of a scooter, consider helmets, which the state requires, and other safety gear like boots, jackets and gloves; motorcycle education classes and licensing fees; cleaning and maintenance, like oil changes; parking and traffic tickets; insurance. Despite the savings at the gas station, a gas-powered scooter will still require some cash.

What’s the downside?

Theft can be a problem for the small vehicles, so store them away from the street, and lock them up when parked in public. Accidents can be disastrous, too, when the small two-wheelers tangle with four-wheeled cars and trucks. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says there were 35 scooter accident deaths in 2006, and the number is expected to rise as popularity increases.

Hall, the new scooter owner, says she feels more vulnerable on her scooter, but it made her into a safer driver. She plans to take a motorcycle education course in November, too. “It made me aware of how much I was on autopilot in my car,” Hall says. “Now I try to pay more attention.”