Sadly, tonight’s Concert on the Square has been cancelled due to rain and impending thunderstorms. Please join us again next Saturday onhe Square!
I was in a nosy mood last week and decided to stick my head into the former-Decatur-Diner-soon-to-be-Hola!-Mexican-Cantina space at the corner of Church Street and East Ponce de Leon Avenue. The owner was kind enough to give me an unofficial tour and allowed me to take a few photos.
Although it might have appeared that not much has been going on with the space in the past few months, nothing could be further from the truth. The kitchen was gutted and all new plumbing was installed. When I stopped by, the construction crew was installing new windows on the Church Street side:
The bar will be the focal point when you first walk in. Just imagine the bar here (a speak easy table will be just off to the right):
The owner discovered this amazing wooden ceiling after two layers of dropped ceiling were pulled back. I was so happy to hear that it was going to be left exposed:
The orange tile is going in the restrooms and the green tile is going behind the bar:
The faux marble will be painted over and the metal railing will be replaced with planters.
The contractor is anticipating a November opening – just in time for perfect patio dining weather!
Posted in Retail & Restaurants | 4 Comments »
Dine out at a participating Decatur restaurant on Tuesday, Sept. 18, and support Restaurants for Repairs, benefiting the Decatur Martin Luther King Jr. Service Project. The service project will hold its 11th annual service weekend in January 2013 to provide home repairs and yard work for some of Decatur’s low- and fixed-income senior citizens.
Choose from a wide variety of cuisines at price ranges for every budget and help support Decatur’s senior citizens – while also supporting Decatur’s Keep It Indie-Catur (shop local) campaign. Here is an updated list of Decatur restaurants that have signed on to participate in this fund-raising event:
Posted in Community, Events, Retail & Restaurants, Sustainability | Leave a Comment »
Tomorrow is the first Wednesday of September so we’ll be testing the tornado outdoor warning sirens at 5:00 p.m. The test should last approximately one minute. Should the weather become inclement tomorrow, the test will be postponed until Thursday, 6 September 2012.
If you have questions or want more information about the siren system, check out the Siren page on the City’s website or contact Assistant City Manager Tony Parker at 404-370-4102. 
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Decatur welcomes the return of the Decatur Business Association’s Concerts on the Square and Blue Sky Concerts! Concerts on the Square, sponsored by Wells Fargo, and co-sponsored by Start:Code are presented every Saturday night in September beginning at 7 pm and feature an eclectic mix of music. Due to construction around the Community Bandstand, all of our bands will perform on the Marta Plaza. This year, the first Concert will be held on Saturday night, May 8th. Frankie’s Blues Mission will be playing blues, jazz, and R & B at the show. Other exciting acts include local favorites, the Bitteroots on Saturday, September 15th and the Morgan Rowe Band on September 22nd. 7 Day Fool wraps up the concert series on September 29th with blues and R & B. Bring your picnic dinner or visit one of our many restaurants for either take out, or dining in before the concert.
Blue Sky Concerts are held every Wednesday in September from noon until 1pm on the Square and are sponsored by the Decatur Tourism Bureau and the Decatur Downtown Development Authority and co-sponsored by Lotus of Life Chiropractic, Costco Wholesale, Jazzercise Decatur Fitness Center, and Timothy Martin & Associates/ New York Life. The bands will perform on the stage under a tent on the Marta Plaza while we finish construction around the Community Bandstand. The band HERO kicks off the series on Wednesday, Sept. 5th, Tommy Talton plays Americana and blues on Sept. 12th, Jake Rathburn plays September 19th, and the series culminates with the wildly popular Conundrums on September 26th.
It will be sunny and warm on the plaza for these shows, so remember to bring your lunch and some sunscreen to the show!
For more information, visit www.decaturdba.com. See you on the Square!
Posted in Events | Leave a Comment »
I posted this photo on Downtown Decatur’s wall yesterday, which resulted in a handful of people asking questions about the new courthouse lawn. So here’s what you need to know:
Construction started in July to refurbish the lawn south of the old courthouse. The ground was so compacted that it was flooding every time it rained and the grassy lawn had turned into a collection of giant dirt patches (see Google image below). Over the past month construction crews removed the compacted soil, installed a liner, new irrigation system and drain lines, filled the area with an organic soil mixture that resists compaction and installed new turf.
Work was completed this week, but the fence will be left up for the remainder of the year to allow the grass to root and prosper before next year’s event season begins.
The blue lines give you a rough idea of where the fence is for this weekend – so you can better plan out your treks between author venues. Almost all the sidewalks are open except for the center one that connects the bandstand to the MARTA plaza and the new path on the west side. Bottom line? You’ll be able to walk all around the bandstand and square, just not on the new grass.
We added bunting and bad poetry banners to the fence for a bit of flare.
Here’s a peek through the fence at the new path and new landscaping on the west side:
The east side was re-mulched just in time for the Kudzu reading room to be set up:
Have a safe weekend and make sure you read all eight poems from the Bad Poetry Corner hanging up along the fence!
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
We are gearing up for the AJC Decatur Book Festival. Lenz Marketing has done a fantastic job of getting the word out about the festival so if you haven’t heard about it, seen the schedule, seen the articles and blogs, let us know!
We want to highlight the Little Free Libraries here at TheDecaturMinute because they are a really cool idea and look absolutely amazing. Little Free Libraries let you share your surplus books and adorn your yard (or business) with a unique work of art. They are designed to provide weather-resistant outdoor storage of books where neighbors can pick up or drop off reading material.
There are 12 Little Free Libraries available for auction. They were designed and built by Michael Montgomery of Revisioned Furniture and decorated by a variety of well-known local artists, illustrators, and more (including Michael himself). Come and bid on one (or more) of these unique works of art. Your dollars go to support the AJC Decatur Book Festival which is offered free to the community. Plus, you will join a national movement to suppplement our public libraries through sharing books in the community.
Come see Catlanta’s mark, Elizabeth Dulemba’s fanciful creation, Mike Luckovich’s cartoons, and, of course James Dean’s Pete the Cat. They join libraries from Anita Arliss, C. Flux Sing, David Laufer, Greg Farley, Kyle Brooks, Lenz Marketing, and Nell Ruby. AJC Decatur Book Festival board members will be on hand at the Little Free Library tent on the MARTA Plaza to explain the project and to encourage you to bid.
Posted in Art & Culture, Community, Events, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
2012 AJC Decatur Book Festival weekend forecast – hot and humid with slight chance of thunderstorms.
In the event that a major storm does make an appearance, festival goers should look for the “Storm Shelter Area” signs designating safe places to seek cover from the elements. 
You will find them at City Hall (509 N. McDonough Street) and the Old Courthouse on the Square (101 E. Court Square). And if you’re not close to either of those places, you can also pop in to any of the other author venues to seek shelter.
If you have any questions about storm shelters, contact the Decatur Fire Department at 404-373-5092 or visit the First Aid tent on the MARTA plaza during the festival.
Posted in Community, emergency management, Events | Leave a Comment »
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
7:00-9:00 PM
Decatur City Hall
509 North McDonough Street
The Zoning Task Force has been hard at work researching and crafting new city ordinances to help implement the 2010 Strategic Plan. You are invited to learn about the proposed changes to encourage Accessory Dwellings (e.g. garage apartments or granny flats) and define appropriate transitions between residential and commercial properties in downtown Decatur. From 7:00-9:00 PM city staff, task force members and PlaceMakers, LLC will be available to present the proposed changes, facilitate discussion and collect your comments. We need your input! The City Commission will consider the proposed changes in late October, 2012.
The following 2010 Strategic Plan tasks will be up for review and comment:
- Task 3A: Adopt new transitional design standard to integrate commercial, mixed use and residential districts – In recent decades, Decatur has used buffers and height limits to transition between existing single-family neighborhoods and new developments in existing commercial and mixed-use zoning districts. These have focused on separating such areas, rather than unifying them. As an alternative, new design techniques should be explored to provide appropriate connection between new development and existing neighborhoods, such as improved architectural design, scale and massing and landscaping.
- Task 3E: Improve the predictability and efficiency of the process for new development approval by establishing development standards and requirements that are consistent with the goals of the strategic plan
- Task 15B: Adopt ordinance changes that allow smaller homes, support accessory dwellings and encourage other creative housing options that provide affordable housing in single family neighborhoods. Educate the public about their characteristics and benefits.
For more information contact Amanda Thompson, Planning Director at Amanda.Thompson@decaturga.com
Posted in Community, Meetings | Leave a Comment »
It’s seems like only yesterday that we were hearing about the giant wood burning stove being shipped over from Naples for a brother-owned Italian restaurant opening on Church Street. Believe it or not, Sapori di Napoli has been open for a full year and Daniele and Ambrogio Florio are starting the celebrations this Wednesday.
Wednesday, Aug 29: Free mimosa cake and champagne
Thursday, Aug. 30: Free appetizer, meatball and Italian olives
Friday, Aug. 31: $1 Peroni and a free peroni glass
Saturday, Sept.1: Italian digestivo and almond cookies
Happy birthday guys!
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
-
Recent Posts
-
Authors
-
Archives
Past Posts
