Archived News

Callanwolde to hold Costume Tango Night

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center is offering an opportunity to learn about the rhythm and movement of authentic Argentine tango Friday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. Dancers of all skill levels are welcome and no partner is necessary. The evening begins at 8 p.m. with an introductory lesson from  expert instructors of Tango Rio. After the introductory lesson, participants can try out their new moves with an open costume tango dance party beginning at 9:15 p.m. Soft drinks and light snacks will be provided. Tickets, sold at the door, are $15 for the lesson and the party or $10 for the party only. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center is located at 980 Briarcliff Road, NE, Atlanta. For more information, visit www.callanwolde.org. 

School to host Information Night

Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School will host an Information Night for the parents of prospective students on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m.  This is an informal evening giving parents an opportunity to learn more about the school. The Immaculate Heart of Mary School is a Catholic school that serves 500 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is located at 2855 Briarcliff Road, NE. Atlanta. For more information, call (404) 636-4488 or visit www.ihmschool.org.

Natasha Trethewey to give free reading at Emory

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey gives the Phillis Wheatley Reading as part of the Creative Writing Program Reading Series at Emory University, Monday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Jones Room, 311 Woodruff Library. The reading will be followed by a reception and book signing. 

Trethewey is the author of three collections of poetry: Domestic Work, Bellocq’s Ophelia and Native Guard, for which she was awarded the 2007 Pulitzer Prize. Her fourth collection of poetry, Thrall, is forthcoming in fall 2012.

She is also the author of the creative non-fiction work Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

In 2008, Trethewey was named Georgia Woman of the Year, and in 2011 she was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame. Trethewey is currently the Charles Howard Candler Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University.

This event is free and open to the public. For more details visit www.arts.emory.edu, or call (404) 727-4638.

Church to hold community festival

The community is invited to share in the celebration of Family Month on Friday, Oct. 28, 6 – 10 p.m. on the grounds of Bethesda Cathedral, 1989 Austin Drive, Decatur.

The Community Family Festival will include free food, inflatables, games and activities, education and health-related information, vendors, entertainment by DJ Sir Charles, a community playground, and a community garden. Highlights include a pie-eating competition, pumpkin decoration competition and ‘70s costumes. The festival is free and open to the public.  For more information, call (404) 289-3751.

Church announces Fall Festival

Gresham Park Christian Church in Decatur will hold a Fall Festival for all ages on Monday, Oct. 31, 5:30- 7:30 p.m. The festival will be an evening of safe and wholesome family fun, according to church officials. The event is free and open to the public and will feature games, face painting, treats and more. Gresham Park Christian Church is located at 2819 Flat Shoals Road, Decatur. For more information, call (404) 241-4511. 

History Center to host book signing

The public is invited to meet local authors of two new books based on Stone Mountain at the DeKalb History Center’s book signing on Monday, Nov. 7, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Paul Hudson and Lora Mirza will sign copies of their new book Atlanta’s Stone Mountain: A Multicultural History, along with George Coletti, according to the history center  author of Stone Mountain: The Granite Sentinel. 

Stone Mountain: The Granite Sentinel is a historical novel that gives a fictional account of life in Stone Mountain during the 1850s and 1860s, and the author’s extensive research of the subject matter is apparent in the story. Hudson and Mirza’s Atlanta’s Stone Mountain: A Multicultural History includes history from the formation of Stone Mountain almost 300 million years ago to the contemporary park of today.

The event is free and will take place at the Old Courthouse on the Square, 101 East Court Square, Decatur.  Call (404) 373-1088, extension 20, or e-mail dhs@dekalbhistory.org for information. 

Library to host authors

Atlanta mystery writer Grant Jerkins returns to the Decatur Library on Tuesday, Nov. 1, with a new novel, At the End of the Road. This will be the official launch party for the novel, and the library invites area residents to join in celebrating this author’s new work. It’s the story of a young boy coming to grips with a genuine evil, where no place is safe.  Jerkins’ first novel was the well-received mystery A Very Simple Crime. 

On Wednesday, Nov. 2, the Decatur Library will host first-time novelist Adrienne McDonnell to talk about her book of romantic obsession, The Doctor and the Diva. The tale, set in 1903, is about a Boston opera singer struggling to become pregnant. The novel brings the story to a passionate climax as the woman is forced to choose between the child she has always wanted and the career she cannot live without. “Lovers of romantic fiction and those who simply enjoy a well-told story will find this novel much to their liking,” states the library’s announcement. Both events are at 7:15 p.m.  The Decatur Library is located at 215 Sycamore St. 

Operation Pill Drop returns

The Dunwoody Police Department is teaming up with the Drug Enforcement Agency and Safe Kids Georgia to conduct Operation Pill Drop again. This is a prescription drug take-back event where the public can dispose of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications to keep them out of the wrong hands. 

The police department invites Dunwoody residents to bring their unwanted medication on Oct. 29 to the front lobby of the police station, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., 41 Perimeter Center East, Suite 100. The department cannot accept needles/sharps, syringes with needles, thermometers, IV bags, bloody or infectious waste, personal care products, empty containers, inhalers, medical equipment and hydrogen peroxide. 

Through Operation Pill Drop the Dunwoody Police Department on April 30 collected a total of 10-15 pounds of pills. For more information, contact Sgt. Mike Carlson at (678) 382-6907.

Dogtoberfest returns

An annual tradition returns when Dogtoberfest comes to Oakhurst Sunday, Oct. 30, noon – 4 p.m. at Taj Ma-Hound and the grassy lot across the street. There will be  a costume contest, Howloween Party, Karaoke for a Cause, hot dogs, treats a marketplace and a microchip clinic to benefit Animal Action Rescue. Taj Ma-Hound is located at 707 D East Lake Drive, Decatur. 

PRISM meeting to focus on proposed Walmart

There is a proposal to bring a second Walmart to the Memorial Drive corridor at Memorial Drive and North Hairston Road. Pride Rings In Stone Mountain (PRISM) has invited representatives from Walmart to its November meeting so that area residents can hear firsthand about the opportunities and impact to the community, and the creation of approximately 300 jobs.  The PRISM meeting will be Thursday, Nov. 10, 7 – 9 p.m. at St. Timothy United Methodist Church, 5365 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain. For further information, contact State Rep. Michele Henson, program chair at (404) 296-1442 or michelehenson@earthlink.net. 

Youth town hall meeting announced

State Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler (D-Lithonia), in partnership with the East Suburban Atlanta Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc., will host a Youth Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. at the Lou Walker Senior Center.  This event will give young people in DeKalb County an opportunity to meet their elected officials, voice their concerns, and engage in the political process.  DeKalb County residents between grades five and 12 are strongly encouraged to attend.