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What’s happening this week: capital projects open house, Pan African Festival, concert series

Avondale Estates Clarkston Decatur Kirkwood and East Lake Metro ATL Stone Mountain Trending Tucker

What’s happening this week: capital projects open house, Pan African Festival, concert series

Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights Co-Chair Mawuli Davis, his wife, City Schools of Decatur Board member Jana Johnson-Davis and others in the crowd react to the music of John Boy & Surround Sound during the first installment of the Beacon Hill Concert Series in Decatur on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo by Dean Hesse.
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DeKalb County, GA — Various events are happening this week in and around DeKalb County, including a capital projects open house in Avondale Estates, the Pan African Festival in Decatur and the Beacon Hill concert series in Decatur. Several local government meetings are also scheduled for this week.

Here’s what’s happening this week:

Indigo Prayers: A Creation Story

“Indigo Prayers: A Creation Story” is a series of paintings by Atlanta artist Charmaine Minniefield. She was inspired by her time in Gambia, West Africa searching for her grandmother’s ancestral lines. The work explores indigenous pigments like indigo, crushed oyster shells and mahogany bark as evidence of cultural preservation through time and across the Midde Passage. “Indigo Prayers: A Creation Story” is being presented in conjunction with Minniefield’s Praise Houses, which recreate the small, single-room structures in which enslaved people gathered to worship. The exhibition is on view at the Michael C. Carlos Museum until Sept. 11.

For more information, click here.

Event listing provided by a community supporter.

“Collective Strength” Exhibition

The “Collective Strength” exhibition showcases work from professional artists in the Paint Love community, as well as youth pieces from featured programs. Youth artwork was created during Paint Love’s 2022 inaugural summer camp at Legacy Park, as well as during Camp Peace, New American Pathways and residencies at Talley Street and Fifth Avenue Upper Elementary schools in partnership with Zara’s Fund through the Decatur Education Foundation. Participating professional artists are offering a portion of their sales to benefit Paint Love’s programming. Videos of students contemplating ‘why art matters’ and ‘how we can make our community a better place’ will play during the exhibition, sharing their insight and inspiration. The exhibition will run through Sept. 11 and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Decatur Arts Alliance gallery, 113 Clairemont Ave.

For more information, click here.

Avondale Estates Capital Projects Open House

The city of Avondale Estates is hosting a capital projects open house on Tuesday, Aug. 16, from 5-7 p.m. at Avondale Estates City Hall, 21 N. Avondale Plaza. City staff and representatives from Pond Engineering will be at the open house to review concept designs for road improvements to Laredo Drive. The city is seeking to make the road more pedestrian-friendly and connect to the PATH Foundation’s Stone Mountain Trail. The open house will also include opportunities to learn about several additional capital projects, such as the U.S. 278 complete streets project and the North Woods project.

For more information, click here.

Hops at the History Center: Olmsted’s Linear Park

The DeKalb History Center is hosting Hops at the History Center on Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 6 p.m. The event will feature Jennifer J. Richardson and Spencer Tunnell II, authors of “Olmsted’s Linear Park.” In 1892, entrepreneur Joel Hurt invited Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. to Atlanta to design “an ideal suburb.” Olmsted and his firm began designs and were in regular communication with Hurt. Members of the firm came to Atlanta during design and construction. Even with changing ownership, Olmsted’s vision and plans were followed. The design became the last residential suburb designed by Olmsted—the only one in the Deep South. The centerpiece of the neighborhood is its segmented park.

For more information, click here.

Coffee with a Cop in Avondale Estates

Join neighbors and Avondale Estates police officers for coffee and conversation on Wednesday, Aug. 17, from 7-9 a.m. at Banjo Coffee, 38 N. Avondale Road. Coffee will be provided courtesy of Travis Gilday State Farm, while supplies last.

For more information, click here.

Decatur Farmers Market

The Decatur Farmers Market will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 17, from 4-7 p.m. on the lawn of First Baptist Church of Decatur, 308 Clairemont Avenue. There will be new vendors plus returning favorites, including hot meals from Strada Napoli Pizza, Aleppo Kitchen, and Mrs. Rosa. Every week, educational chef Katie Kriner will show you how to prepare easy meals with fresh produce and market items.

For more information, click here.

Leila Ross Wilburn and the MAK Historic District Virtual Walking Tour

The DeKalb History Center will hold an historic walking tour of the architectural designs of Leila Ross Wilburn, the second registered female architect in Georgia. Ross Wilburn created hundreds of house plans, institutional buildings and residences. Her designs are featured all over Atlanta and Decatur, with the epicenter being the MAK neighborhood. The tour will focus on the MAK district, which features several of Ross Wilburn’s early home designs, and will also discuss her designs in detail, what makes them unique, Wilburn as a female architect, what that meant and how it influenced her design choices. The tour will be held on Thursday, Aug. 18, at 9 a.m. and again at 7 p.m. Tickets are $3 for DeKalb History Center members and $5 for non-members.

For more information, click here.

Tucker Farmers Market 

The Tucker Farmers Market will be open on Thursday, Aug. 18, from 4-7 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 4882 Lavista Road in Tucker. The market features over 35 vendors which include a diverse group of local farmers, bakers, growers, and producers from Tucker, metro Atlanta, and Georgia. The market is accepting online orders. The online store opens on Thursday afternoons and closes at 3 p.m. on Wednesdays.

For more information, click here.

Candlelight Concerts

Enjoy a night of jazz renditions of favorite classic R&B songs in a venue bathed in candlelight, hosted on Friday, Aug. 19, at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the chapel located at 318 Sycamore Drive in Decatur. This performance will feature songs from Marvin Gaye, Maxwell, D’Angelo and much more. The glow of the candlelight will transport you to new heights, as the harmonic melodies of PureSoul Atlanta serenade you with renditions of these timeless songs.

For more information, click here.

Oakhurst Farmers Market 

The Oakhurst Farmers Market will be open on Saturday, Aug. 20, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sceptre Brewing Arts, 630 East Lake Drive in Decatur. Find all of your freshest produce, meat, delicious baked treats, and more among the weekly vendors. Additional offerings include live music and chef demonstrations featuring seasonal recipes.

For more information, click here.

Bee Habitat Ribbon Cutting

Friends of Tucker Parks, the city of Tucker and DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson will do a ribbon cutting for the bee habitat at Tucker Nature Preserve on Saturday, Aug. 20 from 10-11 a.m. The Tucker Nature Preserve is located at 4440 Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker.

For more information, click here.

New Americans Festival

The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Lambda Epsilon Omega chapter, the Forever Pink Foundation and the city of Clarkston are hosting the New Americans Festival on Saturday, Aug. 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Clarkston Community Center, 3701 College Ave. in Clarkston. The festival will feature food, giveaways, entertainment, health screenings, voter registration and educational resources.

For more information, click here.

Pan African Festival 

The Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights is hosting the Pan African Festival on Saturday, Aug. 20, from 2-10 p.m. on the Decatur Square. This year the festival is focusing on uplifting voters’ rights, culture and cooperative economics. The community will celebrate with music, culture, youth art activities and more. On Friday night there will be a teen kick back from 4:30-6:30 p.m. On Saturday there will be a film and panel discussion from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Following that, there will be a children’s village from 2-9 p.m. and a VIP experience from 4-10 p.m. VIP tickets are available for purchase for the festival.

For more information, click here.

Annual Backyard BBQ

The Stone Mountain Historical Society is putting on the annual backyard BBQ on Saturday, Aug. 20, from 6-8 p.m. at the Wells Brown House at the Historical Society, 1036 Ridge Ave. Tickets at the door will be $20 for adults and $10 for children. The BBQ plate will feature meat, Brunswick stew, pickles, bread, cole slaw, banana pudding and beverages.

For more information, click here.

Comedy Night at SQ/FT

Comedian Damon Sumner will host a comedy night on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 9 p.m. at SQ/FT in Decatur, located at 149 Sycamore Street. Sumner will host a lineup of comedians who will perform standup There is limited seating and tickets are available for purchase to reserve a spot.

For more information, click here.

Avondale Estates Farmers Market 

Join neighbors, visitors and vendors on Sunday, Aug. 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the Avondale Estates Farmers Market, located in the parking lot of My Parents’ Basement, 22 N Avondale Road. Browse a colorful array of locally sourced food and goods. Items offered include baked goods, cheeses, eggs, homemade jellies, meats and produce.

For more information, click here.

Beacon Hill Concert Series

The Beacon Hill Concert Series, presented by Mayor Emerita Elizabeth Wilson, returns Sunday, Aug. 21, from 3-5 p.m. on the Ebster lawn of the Beacon Municipal Center, 20 W. Trinity Place. Atlanta-based R&B singer-songwriter Anthony David will perform. This series, featuring live music by Black and Indigenous artists, is held on the site of Decatur’s historic Beacon Hill neighborhood, a once-thriving Black community.

For more information, click here.

Upcoming Local Government Meetings​​

The Decatur City Commission meets on Monday, Aug. 15, at 5:15 p.m. and 6 p.m. for two work sessions, followed by the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, and via Zoom.

The DeKalb County Committee of the Whole will meet on Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 9 a.m. via Zoom and DCTV.

The Stone Mountain City Council meets on Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 6:30 p.m. at Stone Mountain City Hall, 875 Main Street.

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