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Archive for January, 2011

The City's New Website Goes Live Tomorrow!

Posted in Community on January 31, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Can you feel the excitement in the air? Are you eager to see the brand new City of Decatur website?

Have you completely forgotten that we’re revealing the new website?

Ah well, either way, when you go to www.decaturga.com on Tuesday, Feb. 1, you will not only being seeing a new website design, you’ll also be exploring around on a brand-new website platform. The site should be easier to navigate and more robust all the way around.

The city staff has been hard at work for the past few months making sure all the information from the old site is updated and transferred. However, we’ll still be working out the kinks during the next few weeks and would love your feedback. Either leave a comment here, on our Decatur Facebook page or on our Open City Hall program.

And if all of this wasn’t enough to get you excited, on Tuesday we’ll also be revealing the brand-new City of Decatur Tourism website! Decatur is such a great place to visit, we figured it was about time to have a dedicated site to brag about our city. The Tourism site can be found at www.visitdecaturgeorgia.com.

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Strategic Plan Open House – This Monday!

Posted in Community on January 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

For the past year, more than 1,000 of you participated in meetings or on the website offering your visions and ideas. The planning team is now hard at work incorporating comments into a refined set of principles and goals and identifying specific projects and action steps from all of your suggestions to help us achieve these goals over the next decade. Stop by Monday night to review the first draft of the plan and offer your comments to help us produce a document that keeps our city moving forward in the right direction. Visit www.decaturnext.com for more information.

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The 2nd annual Farm to School Dine Out – Monday, January 31st,, 2011

Posted in Events, Retail & Restaurants on January 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

I almost forgot that this is happening on Monday. You can be sure I won’t be fixing dinner for my family on Monday night…

The second annual Farm to School Dine Out is set for Monday, January 31st,, 2011!  This is a great night to bring the whole family out to dinner, or grab your friends for dinner to promote healthy foods in our schools.  Participating restaurants are Farm Burger, Iberian Pig, Watershed, Cakes & Ale, Brick Store Pub, Leon’s Full Service, Universal Joint, Steinbeck’s Ale House and Farmstead 303.  So come out, support our schools and enjoy Decatur’s restaurants!

The Farm to School Dine Out hopes to create more awareness of ongoing efforts, raise money and encourage parents and students to participate in the school lunch program.  Each restaurant will have a unique “Farm to School” menu or menu options and will donate 10% of sales to Decatur Farm to School.

The 2010 Farm to School Dine Out was a huge success and raised nearly $3,000 to help put healthy foods in the Decatur schools.   The funds were used to purchase kitchen equipment and knives for the employees to make some food items from scratch and helped to fund training and school gardens.

 Decatur Farm to School is a branch of the Oakhurst Community Garden.

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What came first? The chicken or the egg…

Posted in Events on January 28, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Urban Chickens Symposium in Downtown Decatur February 26

 On the wings of Oakhurst Community Garden Project’s wildly popular “Chicks in the City” classes comes a full day of urban poultry-keeping. On February 26 the Chicks in the City Symposium offers attendees a full plate of essentials on backyard chickens. Taught by local experts, the five sessions highlight how-tos from coop design to breeds and from chicken first aid to getting started with backyard poultry.

 With urban farming on the rise, and as concerns about how food is made increase, this timely full day of workshops will engage and enlighten both the committed “locavore” and the merely curious alike. New topics this year are Chickens as food, predator proofing your coop and first aid.  This year we will also have a silent auction to familiarize you with the best local chicken care products.

 The Chicks in the City Symposium runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30pm on Saturday, February 26 and will be held at the Decatur Recreation Center, 231 Sycamore St., Decatur, 30030. Cost is $65. Oakhurst Community Garden Project members and City of Decatur residents pay just $50. Pre-registration is requested and limited to the first 100 registrants.  Register at www. Oakhurstgarden.org. Contact Andrea.zoppo@ yahoo.com for questions or to volunteer.

 About the Oakhurst Community Garden Project

Founded in 1997, and located on two acres at the corner of McDonough and Oakview in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Decatur, the Oakhurst Community Garden Project works to preserve community greenspace and cultivate the next generation of environmental stewards. We seek to engage young people to take charge of their own health and environment through hands-on gardening and outdoor education programs. Adult classes also offer community members opportunities to enhance their own green spaces and sustainable living skills. Visit www.oakhurstgarden.org.

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6th Annual Pet Celebration of Life

Posted in Community on January 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Sunday, Jan. 30 • 2-4 p.m.
Maloof Auditorium

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An event put on by the local pet crematory might sound a little glum, but this actually sounds like a great event. Plus, there are so many pet lovers in Decatur that it deserves a mention on The Decatur Minute:

Paws, Whiskers and Wags, the premier pet crematory serving the greater Metro Atlanta and surrounding area, proudly announces their 6th Annual Pet Celebration of Life.  The event will be held Sunday, January 30th, 2011 from 2-4pm at Maloof Auditorium in Decatur.  Friends and families that we had the privilege to help when their beloved pets passed away in 2010 (over 3,500) are invited to reflect, remember, and celebrate the lives of their pets.  Christine Hunsaker, owner and founder, along with her team will host the event.  The keynote speaker this year is Maureen McNamara, past Delta Society officer and social worker specializing in working with animals to assist humans in growth and healing.  The event will conclude with a candle lighting ceremony and pet photo tribute.

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The Publix Georgia Marathon is coming through Decatur

Posted in Events on January 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

The Publix Georgia Marathon (formerly the ING Marathon) will be coming through Decatur again this year on the morning of Sunday, March 20th. We are holding a Community Information Meeting on Thursday, February 3rd  at 7 pm at the Decatur Rec Center.

All members of the community are invited to attend the meeting. This is a great time to sign up to volunteer, get information about the cheering section and water stations, and have your questions answered by the Marathon staff.

The City of Decatur is once again competing for the best cheering section! We will be cheering all along the sidewalks at Ponce de Leon in front of the Old Courthouse. The City will also have  water stations as in the past and would love to have as many volunteers as possible. 

If you would like to participate and cannot attend the meeting, please contact Katie Abel at 678-553-6573 or email katie.abel at decaturga.com

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We Need Your Feedback: Take a 5-Question Survey About Plastic

Posted in Sustainability on January 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Hello Decatur Residents, 

We are volunteers working with the City’s Environmental Sustainability Board, as well as Decatur residents who care about the quality of life in our city.   We are helping the City evaluate ways to reduce negative environmental impacts that may be caused by our residents, visitors, and businesses.

One way to lessen the harmful effects we have on the planet is to reduce the waste we generate as we go about our daily routines.  To help facilitate this, the Environmental Sustainability Board is considering different options that have been implemented in other cities and countries who have adopted measures that reduce the use of disposable items such as plastic bags and polystyrene (Styrofoam) takeout containers. 

Why these two types of containers?

Estimates are that in the U.S. 60,000 plastic bags are used every 5 seconds.  Less than 10% of these are recycled.

Polystyrene foam adds to the waste stream and presents a hazard for birds and other wildlife as it breaks up into indigestible pellets. The market now provides products that serve the same commercial purpose, are readily available and are less harmful for the environment.

We have studied policies established by other cities and countries, and have gathered several options we can explore for helping reduce waste that range from taxes to incentives.  As we consider these options, we would like to hear from the residential and business community.

How can you help?

Please provide your opinion on this issue by clicking on the link below and filling out a brief, 5-question survey. If you have any other questions, please contact Lena Stevens with the City of Decatur at lena.stevens@decaturga.com or 678-553-6577.

Click the link to take the survey: 
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z7HLL6V

We appreciate your input!

Thanks,
Decatur Environmental Sustainability Board

 

 

 

 

 



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What to do This Weekend and Beyond

Posted in Events, Retail & Restaurants on January 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »


See DecaturDoc’s Hey Boo this Saturday evening at Decatur High School (image)

Friday, Jan. 21 • 7-9 p.m. – Join HomeGrown in celebrating the works of six 2D artists: Holle Black, Penny Treese, Dawn Kinney Martin, Nick Madden, Helen Ferguson Crawford and Martha Ebener. Meet the artists and see their latest works while enjoying complimentary small bites and beverages.

Saturday, Jan. 22 • 8 – 10:30 p.m. – View the third film of the Decatur Docs series, Hey Boo: Harper Lee & To Kill A Mocking Bird. The documentary explores the impact of Lee’s novel in depth with interviews and readings by Tom Brokaw, Andrew Young, James Patterson, Oprah Winfrey and Mary Bedham.

Tuesday, Jan. 25 • 7-9 p.m. – The Iberian Pig will be hosting its first wine dinner with Jesus de Madrazo of CVNE in Rioja, Spain. Managing Partner and Chef Chad Crete will be preparing a five course chef’s tasting with eight wines. Jesus de Madrazo will be present to discuss the wines of CVNE as well as three wines from its sister winery Cotino.

Thursday, Jan. 27 • 7 p.m. – Sign up to attend Parker’s on Ponce’s Scotch Dinner featuring nine different scotches and five small plates. For reservations call 404-924-2230.
Noon – Lunchtime in the Studio at Core Studios. The first 40 guests can enjoy a complimentary lunch so make sure to come early!

On-Going – Sign up to go on a backstage tour of Decatur’s Chick-fil-A. Learn about the history of Chick-fil-A, see firsthand how they hand-bread each piece of chicken, freshly squeeze lemonade daily and much more. Call the store at 404-371-1466 and speak to any manager to schedule your tour.

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Calling All Fine Artists!

Posted in Community on January 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

The deadline for the Artist Market of the 23rd Annual Decatur Arts Festival is Saturday, January 22nd.  All interested artists should apply for the show using through zapplication.org If you have questions, please call the Decatur Arts Alliance at 404-371-9583 or email at info@decaturartsalliance.org

 

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MLK Service Project Recap

Posted in Community on January 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

City of Decatur Volunteer Coordinator, Lee Ann Harvey, sent this over to everyone at the City yesterday and I wanted to share it with our readers:

We entered the week leading into the 2011 Martin Luther King Jr. Service Project with much trepidation following the snow and ice event that had virtually brought the metropolitan area to a standstill. On Saturday morning, ice still covered the streets, sidewalks and parking lots and ice-coated snow blanketed yards. We were concerned whether we would have enough volunteers to make repairs at the homes. If yard work volunteers came, we wondered if they would even be able to rake and to do other yard work. Thankfully, the weather began looking up. On Saturday, a small army of volunteers went to homes to make repairs. Other volunteers who had come to rake yards worked instead to remove snow and ice from walkways and ramps at senior citizens’ home. By Sunday and Monday, the project was back on track. A miracle occurred in Decatur. A total of 1,234 volunteers came over the three-day project and many of them worked multiple shifts throughout the weekend. Unbelievably, this was slightly more volunteers than there were last year. Even more unbelievably, we were able to surpass the number of homes worked on last year. This year, we did repairs on a total of 16 homes. Yard work was done on these homes plus another 48 homes. This brought us to a record number of 64 senior citizens’ homes that were worked on by volunteers!

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