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The weather was great in Decatur this past weekend and crowds of people joined Bill and Amy at The Seen Gallery to celebrate their “Grand Re-opening” party. The gallery moved to Church Street in downtown Decatur next to Mingie World Arts and Java  Monkey. Several of the artists represented attended and seemed excited about the new space.

Glass and Ceramics on Display

Glass and Ceramics on Display

 Bill and Amy have done a great job of displaying the artwork and seemed very excited about the space. Bill mentioned that they would be cexpanding their hours to include more time during the day, so be sure to stop by, say hello, and support your local artists!

 

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Commissioner Cunningham and Mayor Emerita Elizabeth Wilson

Commissioner Cunningham and Mayor Emerita Elizabeth Wilson

Mayor Emerita Elizabeth Wilson was honored on Thurday, February 26 at “A Salute to Civil Rights Leaders” held at the Old Courthouse on the Square. The event, put on by the Dekalb History Center, honored Ms. Wilson, along with Thurbert E. Baker, Dr. Eugene Walker, and the Reverand Hosea and Mrs. Juanita Williams. Commissioner Michael Thurmond presented the awards.

Ms. Wilson, who came to Decatur in 1949, has always been a civil rights activist in Decatur and has distinguished herself in community service. Mayor Wilson founded the Oakhurst Community Health Center in South Decatur and also served as Executive Director. In 1984 Ms. Wilson became the first African-Amercian to serve on the Decatur City Commission and in 1992 was elected by the commission as Mayor Pro-Tem; in 1993 she became Mayor, serving until 1998.

Elizabeth Wilson has been an integral part of the Decatur community, and remains active today. In 2008, Agnes Scott College honored her with a Doctor of Laws degree. Ms. Wilson considers herself retired, but her community involvement continues unabated.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Wilson!

Ms. Wilson and Commissioner Kemp

Ms. Wilson and Commissioner Kemp

 

The James C. Ward Classical Arts Chorale Performs at the Celebration

The James C. Ward Classical Arts Chorale Performs at the Celebration

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Georgia Rides to the Capitol was held this morning, and a large group of riders joined Mayor Floyd and Commissioner Boykin at the East Lake MARTA Station for the ride.  Mayors from a number of cities met them here for the ride, and bicyclists from Glennwood Academy joined in as well. I talked to Fred Boykin this afternoon and he was very pleased with the number or bikers and with the attention they received at the Capitol. They were invited onto the floor of the Senate for the reading of a resolution.

Commissioner Boykin and Mayor Floyd

Commissioner Boykin and Mayor Floyd

Denny Shortal, Mayor ProTem, City of Dunwoody

Denny Shortal, Mayor ProTem, City of Dunwoody

Mayor Floyd with Senator Eric Johnson

Mayor Floyd with Senator Eric Johnson

Glennwood Students Join the Ride

Glennwood Students Join the Ride

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Read the March Focus Online

march2009_cover150The March 2009 issue of The Decatur Focus is now online. And remember, you can always look at past issues by visiting the Focus archives webpage.

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ga-rides-logo1Join Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd, Commissioner Fred Boykin, Roswell Mayor Jere Wood and other elected officials from the region as they ride their bikes to the Capitol on Tuesday, March 3.  Georgia Rides to the Capitol is designed to raise support for improved conditions for bicycling in Georgia. For those of you who don’t ride, come out to the East Lake MARTA Station to cheer on the riders as they gather. They will be leaving the station at 10:45am to head downtown. Last years event drew hundreds of riders from Decatur, including students from the local schools.

For more information on Georgia Rides, visit www.GeorgiaRidesToTheCapitol.org.

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 children-contest-poster

The Decatur Arts Festival is holding the first ever poster competition for the Children’s Arts Festival. The winning entrant will have their art reproduced for the Children’s Arts Festival poster. Entries will be accepted through March 7 from City of Decatur residents at Hoopla on Church Street. Get out those art supplies and start your design!

For more information, please visit www.decaturartsfestival.com or call the Arts Alliance office at 404-371-9583.

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The Decatur Book Festival is trying to recruit Neil Gaiman as the keynote speaker for this year’s festival (Aug. 29-31). Believe it or not, the book festival is on its fourth year. Past keynotes include Arianna Huffington, Charles Frazier, Kinky Freidman and Billy Collins. Gaiman is a sci-fi and fantasy writer and, according to his Wikipedia entry, fans consider him a literary rock star. I’ve never read any of his works, but he sounds like a great fit for the festival – and his headshot would look especially nice on the 2009 AJC Decatur Book Festival promotional poster. 

dbf_homepage

If you’d like to help the book festival convince Neil Gaiman to come to this year’s festival, visit  www.decaturbookfestival.com and click on the “Demand it!” button on the homepage. If you’re an avid Gaiman fan you can even add the Demand It widget to your MySpace, Facebook or blog to help spread the word.

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What fun to walk around Decatur on such a beautiful morning. I was out checking out some more gift ideas for Valentine’s Day. I stopped in By Hand South and saw a lot items that would make great gifts. In addition to the great one of a kind handmade jewelry selection, By Hand South also has great gift items such as glassware, carved wood, metal and more.

Glassware at By Hand South

Glassware at By Hand South

Mingei has a lot of unique gifts as well. I bought myself a lovely pendant that states I am the “Queen of Everything”! How fun is that? I was tempted by the freshwater pearls, earrings and bracelets as well, but decided one gift for myself was enough.  Mingei has merchandise at all price points, so you are sure to find something that you cannot live without.
Freshwater Pearls at Mingei

Freshwater Pearls at Mingei

The Seventeen Steps has a nice selection of Valentine gifts. They always have great displays which makes it easy to locate the new items.

Valentine Display at the Seventeen Steps

Valentine Display at the Seventeen Steps

And because it is Valentine’s weekend I could not resist adding a photo of our Valentine Couple in front of the Old Courthouse.
Have a great weekend!
Valentine Couple on the Square

Valentine Couple on the Square

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websitechanges

We are currently working on a website audit, which will result in a complete revamping of the City’s site. This process will take some time, so we decided to spruce up the current site just a little bit with the hopes that it’ll be easier to navigate. Recent changes include:

1.) Replacing the “Quick Links” in the top bar with “Residents,”  “Visitors” and “Businesses” drop down menus (see image above).

2.) Expanding the links on the left sidebar on interior pages (see image below).

3.) Changing the color scheme slightly to more earthy tones (see images above and below). These are the same colors that we use on the Shopping, Dining and Services map and the maps on the outdoor kiosks.

websitesidebar

These minor changes won’t revolutionize the way you use the site, but hopefully they’ll make it a little more user-friendly. Feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think.

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When you think of Valentine’s Day, what comes to mind? Why a big red heart filled with chocolates, of course! Greene’s on Trinity has some of the prettiest and biggest hearts I have seen. greenesheartsThey offer custom packed heart boxes from $7.50 to $150 in all styles and sizes filled with chocolate, nuts, fudge or even gummies.

 

Decatur CD is stocked up with a  lot of new releases in case your sweetie is not a candy lover. They will assist you with your selections if you are undecided. Check out their blog http://decaturcd.blogspot.com/ for new releases and concert information.

 

wild-seed

 Wild Seed Boutique on Ponce de Leon is having a Valentine’s Day Sale that lasts through Monday. Entering “Wild Seed” is like entering a New York Boutique. You will be sure to find some unique clothing for yourself or your Valentine.

 

 sweet relief!

Mingei World Arts located on Church Street is carrying “Sweeties Sugar Scrub”, an all natual skin slougher concocted by a former nutritionist and chef who is a friend of Ann, the owner. The scrub contains argan oil from a bedouin women’s co-op in Morocco. Mingei also has a new selection of jewelry and silk that has just arrived from Thailand. Stop in to find some unique gifts for yourself or loved ones.

 

Little Shop of Stories had a good selection of Valentine-themed books for the child in all of us!

Little Shop of Stories has a good selection of Valentine-themed books for the child in all of us!

 

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