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Archive for the ‘Community’ Category

 

ken-will-morton1Ken Will Morton will be performing a free show at Twain’s on Thursday, February 5th at 8:30 p.m.

With four releases under his belt, his music has been praised by No Depression, Harp, Paste Magazine, An Honest Tune, American Songwriter, Stomp & Stammer, Southeast Performer, Performing Songwriter, Relix and more. 

In June of 2008, Ken Will released two records on the newly formed Rara Avis Records:  Devil In Me is a straight-out rock record, while Kickin’ Out The Rungs is more acoustic based and includes a song he co-wrote with Kristen Hall (ex-Sugarland).    CD reviews have already been secured for Southeast Performer, Georgia Music Magazine, Vintage Guitar, and American Songwriter.

 

Ken was recently reviewed in Creative Loafing:

“He’s a little bit country and little bit rock’n’roll, a fact reflected on his new releases, Kickin’ Out The Rungs and Devil In Me.   The former works an acoustic vibe that runs from folksy Dylanesque ballads to ambling backwoods roots rock, and the latter mines Morton’s hell-bound predilections with barroom stomps and garagabilly grime and rumble.”

 

 

Check out this video for the song “Muscadine Wine” off Kickin’ Out The Rungs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3gbVsEPGto

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budget-mtgThe community is invited to participate in the City of Decatur Budget Focus Group kick-off meeting on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Commission Conference Room on the first floor of City Hall at 509 N. McDonough Street.  This will be the first of three focus group meetings regarding the fiscal year 2009-2010 budget.  Subsequent meetings are scheduled for April 14, 2009 and May 12, 2009. 

 

The budget focus group meetings were first held in 2002.  Because of the success and contribution of the focus groups to the budget process, the City continues to invite active citizen participation in the budget process through these focus groups.

 

The goal of the focus group meetings is to provide relevant budget and financial information in an informal environment so that participants can better understand the City’s budget process including how revenue and expenditure recommendations are made.  The first meeting will provide an opportunity to ask questions and share concerns  about the City’s budget and tax rates as well as providing citizen insight into what should be the City’s financial priorities for the coming year.  City staff will be available to respond to questions and provide an overview of the budget process. 

 

In preparation for the first meeting, you may want to review the current fiscal year 2008-2009 budget on the City’s website at http://www.decaturga.com/cgs_citysvcs_atr_budget.aspx

 

Please notify Andrea Arnold by March 9th at (404) 370-4102 or andrea.arnold@decaturga.com if you will be attending.  Feel free to contact Andrea if you have any questions prior to the meeting. 

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boudreauxblackwaterThe Seen Gallery has relocated to downtown Decatur.  Conveniently located at 415 Church Street, the new space is two doors down from Java Monkey coffee and wine bar and one door down from Mingei World Arts, directly across from the Decatur Marta train station. 

 

Plan to attend the sneak preview this Friday, January 23,  7-10 PM

 

From Bill Bibb: “We, and our talented artists, are tremendously excited about the new space and the opportunity to more efficiently serve the art community.  We plan to resume regular, expanded business hours in mid February.  We have been working hard to open for business as soon as possible.  More than a few fresh coats of paint and we are almost there. We invite you to plan to attend our sneak preview, have a glass of wine with us, and talk with us about our plans for the new venue. The open house is presented in association with ATLart09, 18 days of city wide gallery openings, museum exhibitions, and lectures.”

 

Mark your calendars!

The Seen “Grand Reopening” will be on Saturday, March 7, 7-10 PM

 

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Some of the city employess group that volunteered

Some of the city employee group that volunteered

Decatur’s 7th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Project held in partnership with the Decatur Preservation Alliance was a resounding success! Approximately 1,040 volunteers worked throughout the weekend, including around 30 City of Decatur employees. There were 200 more volunteers this year than in 2008! Volunteers were eager to pitch in wherever they were needed and many worked multiple shifts.

Thirteen seniors’ homes were on the repair list, and an additional 17 homes received yard work. Volunteers also did yard work for the people with disabilities that live behind the Solarium. There were a total of 1200 bags of yard waste collected!

 

 

Volunteers enjoying their Chick-fil-a lunch

Volunteers enjoying their Chick-fil-a lunch

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Volunteers and several of the seniors came to the celebration dinner hosted by the Community Center of South Decatur that was held on Monday evening. It was wonderful to talk with them and hear how much it meant for them  to be helped by the volunteers. There were lots of hugs all around!

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Thanks to everyone in the community that came out to help.

 

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Photos are by Marcia Lampe.

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Photo from www.inggeorgiamarathon.com

Photo from www.inggeorgiamarathon.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ING Georgia Marathon is coming through the City of Decatur on March 29th and volunteers are needed for the two Hydration Stations located in the city. To volunteer, please go to the ING GA Marathon website www.inggeorgiamarathon.com and click on the Volunteer link on the left. The City has two groups: Hydration Station #11 located in Oakhurst and Hydration Station #13 located in downtown Decatur. The password you will need to sign in is cod. Volunteers will receive an ING Georgia Marathon t-shirt. For more information, please email Cheryl at cheryl.burnette@decaturga.com.

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Karen Skelli, from the Decatur Branch of the DeKalb Library, sends information about FREE concerts to be held at the Decatur Library:

Photo from Kevin's MySpace page
Photo from Kevin’s MySpace page

Kevin “Kalimbaman” Spears

Thursday, January 22

Kevin is a gifted artist on the African instrument called Kalimba/Mbira. The exotic sounds he evokes from this instrument cause you to hear distant echoes of Africa, Egypt, Duke Ellington, Blues and Gospel. Kevin not only designs his own instruments but also has raised the standard for playing this simple instrument utilizing electronics and effects creating a fusion of Jazz, Rock and African music.

Photo from newmuses.com

Photo from newmuses.com

 

The Muses

Thursday, February 5th

 Returning for the third year from Colorado, The Muses, featuring Tanya Brody and Matthew Guernsey, each play a plethora of exotic instruments ranging from bohdran and concertina to harp and  hammered dulcimer; psaltery, pennywhistle, fiddle and bones to name a few.  They perform with a ferocity and strength of heart that embodies the Celtic music they love so dearly. 

 

 

 

Neshima Jazz Quartet

Thursday, February 26

 Neshima, which means “breath” in Greek, has a sound that is the result of blending classical, jazz, rock and gospel styles. Each of the performers brings something different to the “groove”. Whether jazz standards, R & B, or adult contemporary, Neshima’a arrangements put a fresh spin on tunes both old and new.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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agneswrites1

Agnes Scott College debuts “Agnes Writes” on February 2 and you are invited!  This new series of writing classes, taught by several of Atlanta’s most accomplished authors and hosted by Agnes Scott College, allows all area writers the opportunity to hear from professionals and develop your craft at the same time.

What better way to spend the cold winter evenings than hear from David Fulmer (teaching his popular Fiction Shop – an intense study of the art and craft of storytelling), Hollis Gillespie (The Shocking Real-Life Personal Essay Clinic – Your Crazy Family), Chelsea Rathburn (a poetry workshop aimed at developing poets’ voices), and Terra Elan McVoy (“Writing Like a Grown-Up, But Thinking Like a Kid” a class on writing chapter books for children).

The series is led by Daren Wang (most recently of AJC Decatur Book Festival fame but also Verb and The Spoken Word) with the collaboration of Tom Bell (also of Book Festival fame, the Duck & Herring Pocket Field Guide and Creative Loafing) and David Fulmer (Shamus Award winning author of six novels).

Most classes will meet weekly, 6 -8 p.m., for eight weeks.  Visit www.agneswrites.com for details.

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ing-logoThe 3rd annual ING Georgia Marathon will be coming through the City of Decatur on Sunday, March 29th. The City of Decatur and the organizers of the marathon are holding a Community Meeting on Thursday, February 5th from 6 until 7pm in the Commission Room of Decatur City Hall. The meeting will inform citizens of route details, volunteer opportunities, and the Neighborhood Challenge. The first year of the marathon Decatur won first place for the best cheering section and a donation of $10,000 to youth sports programs. The second year Decatur won second place and a donation of $5000 to youth programs. No reason why we can’t win again and make it three in a row!

Part of our effort both years included a series of “Burma Shave” type signs posted along the route. We continue to expand the effort and need your help. Submit your ideas for Burma Shave rhymes to lyn.menne@decaturga.com.

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For those who cannot attend the meeting, but would like to stay informed, send your email address to cheryl.burnette@decaturga.com for updates and volunteer opportunites. We look forward to seeing a lot of Decaturites at our official cheering station in front of Fellini’s Pizza on March 29th.

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It was such a beautiful afternoon, that I went for a walk around the Square to see what was going on in Decatur. If the weather stays this nice, it will be a great weekend to get out of the house and walk around downtown. There are some sales going on that you may not want to miss. Unfortunately, the 50% off sale at Squash Blossom is over, but they have another special going on. Buy one item and get another of equal value free- what a deal!

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Another store you may want to visit is Vivid, who has items at most every price point, plus has a sale going on!

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cod-plate-at-poterry-paceIf you are looking for something fun to do with your family or friends, stop by That Pottery Place on Church Street and paint a one of a kind pottery item. They have a lot of pottery items to choose from. I especially like the City of Decatur logo platter that is on display there. That Pottery Place is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 am until 7 pm, Thursday through Saturday until 8pm and open noon until 6 pm on Sunday. Check out the website www.potteryplacedecatur.com.

Walking down Church Street, I noticed that The Seen Gallery has begun to move in the space next to Two Stix. They are having a “Sneak Preview” of the new space  on Friday, January 23 beginning at 7 pm. I am eager to see the new space and welcome them to the downtown area.

seen

For those of you who will walk to the square and have your pets with you, stop by Worthmore Jewelers. The owners offer free treats for both pets and people, plus have a great inventory of unique jewelry and watches. If you don’t see what you want, they would be happy to order it for you.

pets-welcome

Enjoy your weekend in Decatur!

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chief_dixon_w_mayorfloyd6552

The City Commission had its first meeting of 2009 and officially confirmed, welcomed and swore in Decatur’s new Fire Chief Toni Tolbert Dixon.  Chief Dixon brought her entire family – husband, daughter, mom, dad, brothers, sisters, neices, nephews and they filled up most of the seats in the room.  

Chief Dixon comes to Decatur from East Point where she was most recently the Deputy Chief, Administrative Services.  She joins Chief Jerry Malone who plans to retire in July after 30+ years of service.   They will work together as Decatur’s Dynamic Duo for the next six months.

Welcome Toni – and thanks for the support of all of your family.  We look forward to your being a part of the community.

chief_dixon_w_family6545

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