By Lucas Hill, contributor

For more community events, visit “How Do You Atlanta?” To add an event to the calendar, click here. 

DeKalb County, GA — Various events are happening this week in and around DeKalb County, including the SUDS beer festival at Legacy Park, a mobile food pantry at Clarkston High School, and a Rivers Alive cleanup in Tucker. Several local government meetings are also scheduled for this week.

Here’s what’s happening this week:

Fairies in the Garden at Woodlands Garden

Fairies in the Garden features artistic “fairy” houses, hidden throughout the Garden’s eight-acre forest for young nature-lovers to find. Skyland Trail artists will create intricate tiny houses in the woods, just for you to uncover. They could be tucked away below an old tree, under a bridge or right along the trails. Discover tiny fairy dwellings built from bark, twigs, branches, seed heads, leaves and other natural materials, tucked in sheltered nooks along the garden’s paths. Colonies will include root fairies, stump fairies, fortress fairies, moss fairies … and of course trolls under the bridge. The fairy houses will be on display until Oct. 22. Guests may arrive any time during the garden’s regular daylight hours, and admission is free. Wear a costume for a fun plus!

For more information, click here.

The Book As Art V.10: Transformation

How is the world, society, nature, and even humanity transformed by reading, literature, and art? What is the driving force that causes the transformation, and what emerges on the other side? This year’s annual Book As Art exhibition explores these questions visually through beautifully made volumes, sculptural and conceptual interpretations, and one-of-a-kind approaches to the book format. With over 60 pieces, this year’s exhibition is expected to be one of the best yet. The exhibition will be on display at the Dekalb County Public Library Decatur Branch until Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is free to the public. On Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m., there will be a virtual talk with some of the artists involved with the gallery. 

For more information, click here.

Kelly’s Market X Fleet Feet Tuesday Morning Run Series in Celebration of Placita Latina

Join Fleet Feet at Kelly’s Market for part of their Placita Latina Tuesday morning run series on Tuesday, Oct. 11, from 6:30-8 a.m. Placita Latina is a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and runs from Sept 15 to Oct. 15. Kelly’s Market will be providing free coffee and will have a breakfast menu that includes Mexican-ish El Burrito and El Don (jalapeño egg with chorizo). Upon arrival, please find the Fleet Feet table in front of Kelly’s Market. Please sign in, acknowledge the waiver, and grab a map. A key box will be available. Water will be available, but not on the course, so please plan accordingly. Fleet Feet is offering a 5K route for this series. Parking is available behind the market and along E Howard Ave.

For more information, click here.

Tyke Hike at Woodlands Garden

During this 6-week series, Woodlands Garden will explore the outdoors and build connections with nature and other families interested in being outside and exploring this magical world we live in. This week’s Tyke Hike will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 9:30 a.m. Spots for this event must be booked ahead of time.

For more information, click here.

Student Guide Tours for Emory International Students at the Carlos Museum

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 3-4 p.m., come take a tour of the “Making an Impression: The Art and Craft of Ancient Engraved Gemstones” exhibition with Ruby Vickers, a classics and English major who is graduating in spring 2023, and explore the meanings behind a variety of images represented on the gemstones. The tour will also focus on the similarities and differences between mythological, historical, and functional imagery represented on the gemstones, and how this relates to their different purposes. Student Guide tours are free but space is limited and registration is required. 

The museum is hosting another student guide tours this week. On Friday, Oct. 14, from 2-3 p.m., have a look at the wonderful medicinal gemstones in the exhibition “Making an Impression: The Art and Craft of Ancient Engraved Gemstones” with Ivan Zhu, a third year student majoring in art history.

For more information, click here.

Event listing provided by a community supporter. 

Carlie Sorosiak Live at Little Shop

Come on down to Little Shop on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 5 p.m. for an event with Carlie Sorosiak to talk about “Always, Clementine and Books Aren’t for Eating.” Admission is free. However, attendees will need to “purchase” one ticket for every person in their group (ex: a family of four needs four tickets). Pre-order a copy of Always, “Clementine” for $17.99. Pre-order a copy of “Books Aren’t for Eating” for $17.99. You must purchase at least one book from Little Shop of Stories to enter the signing line.

For more information, click here.

Clarkston High School Mobile Food Pantry

Join Clarkston United on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 3:30 p.m. for a mobile food pantry in partnership with the Communities In Schools and the Atlanta Community Food Bank. There will be free food while quantities last, with first coming being first served. No documentation is required. Please note that each box contains around 30-50 pounds of non-perishable food, and that adults 18 and over will have to be present to receive a box.

For more information, click here.

Tucker Farmers Market 

The Tucker Farmers Market will be open on Thursday, Oct. 13, 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.

The Geopolitical Landscape of Gems and Their Sources in the Classical World

On Thursday, Oct. 13, from 7:30-8:30 p.m., join the Carlos Museum for a lecture titled “The Geopolitical Landscape of Gems and Their Sources in the Classical World,” in which independent scholar Lisbet Thorenson will discuss the ways in which gem minerals of classical antiquity reflect the shifting dynamics of an increasingly globalized world that emerged in the Hellenistic era and evolved rapidly during the early centuries of the Roman empire. This shift began to occur in the late fourth century BCE, when a greater variety and quality of gemstones became available to western gem cutters than had been known previously, a direct result of the military campaigns of Alexander of Macedon, which introduced western gem cutters to new gems from eastern sources for the first time. Three later geopolitical milestones were even more consequential: Ptolemaic rule in Egypt, beginning in 305 BCE; long distance maritime trade established for the first time, around 120 BCE, which enabled western seafaring merchants to engage directly with their counterparts at ports of call along India’s western seaboard; and the ascent of the Roman empire, beginning with Roman rule over Egypt, which brought an end to the Ptolemaic dynasty, in 30 BCE. Guests can also attend the event via Zoom. 

For more information, click here. 

Event listing provided by a community supporter. 

Cooke Noontime Concert at the Carlos Museum

On Friday, Oct. 14, from 12-1 p.m., the Carlos Museum and the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta welcome pianist Alex Chien for a performance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and more works for solo piano. The ECMSA Cooke Noontime Series is free but space is limited and registration is required. 

For more information, click here.

Event listing provided by a community supporter.  

“Celebrating Our Collective Culture” Exhibition

A celebration of Latinx culture in its distinct and diverse collectivity, the second annual Placita Latina exhibition will be hosted in the Decatur Arts Alliance gallery until Oct. 14. The gallery is free and open to the public daily between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Join us for a closing reception on Oct. 14 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Commemorate the end of Hispanic Heritage Month with Latinx food and music, plus a small mercado with Hispanic/Latinx visual artists.

For more information, click here.

Capoeira Maculelê Brazilian Arts Festival

Capoeira Maculelê is pleased to announce its 20th Brazilian Arts Festival (belt ceremony) on Friday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. This event is an important milestone for the school as they celebrate 20 years of Capoeira Maculelê in Atlanta. Preview what’s on the schedule and start planning your trip to Decatur for a weekend filled with Capoeira Rodas, workshops and performances. Over 20 high-level guests Capoeristas from USA, Brazil, Colombia and Puerto Rico under one roof come together to celebrate the students’ progress.

For more information, click here.

Decatur Ghost Tour

Decatur Ghost Tours will host a tour on Friday, Oct. 14, at 8 p.m. Discover Decatur’s spirit community with tales of murder, passion, vice, war and tragedy. The tour begins in the heart of the Decatur Square, a diverse enclave of quaint shops and restaurants that share common space with the ghosts of Decatur’s exciting past. You will never forget the twilight visit to Old Decatur Cemetery. Don’t be surprised if you capture orbs and apparitions with a camera – Decatur’s dead are pretty restless. Meet for the tour in Decatur Square at the bandstand. Tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for children 10 and under. Other dates for tours this week include Saturday, Oct. 15, and Sunday, Oct. 16, both at 8 p.m. as well.

For more information, click here.

Rivers Alive Cleanup

Tucker Civic Association (TCA) is a proud participant in Georgia’s annual volunteer waterway cleanup event, Rivers Alive. To date, TCA has removed over 80,000 pounds of trash from Tucker’s South Fork Peachtree Creek and is preparing for their 13th cleanup event on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 8 a.m. to noon. The event will be at Twin Brothers Lake in Johns Homestead Park, which is in the South Fork Peachtree Creek Watershed. This event will include invasive plant species removal, and trash pick-up on the land and in the water.

For more information, click here.

Hazardous Waste Recycling Event

The DeKalb County Sanitation Division is hosting a hazardous waste recycling event on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 8 a.m. to noon. Event staff and residents are required to wear masks for everyone’s protection. Acceptable items include: Mercury, aerosols, batteries, adhesives (glue, etc.), flammable substances, photo chemical, lawn care products, fluorescent light bulbs, hobby and artist supplies, paint & paint-related products, household cleaning supplies, swimming pool chemicals (strippers, solvents, etc.), propane gas cylinders (1-20 lbs.; limited to 3 per vehicle).

For more information, click here.

GoGreen: A Community Environmental Event

DeKalb County’s Department of Planning & Sustainability, in collaboration with the Department of Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Affairs and with DHL Express, is excited to announce GoGreen. This participatory event on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 9 a.m. to noon at Wade Walker Park, Stone Mountain is free and aspires to raise awareness and appreciation of sustainability with the community. Various partners engaged in environmental/conservation work shall also be in attendance to share an overview of their organization and programs.

For more information, click here.

Oakhurst Farmers Market 

The Oakhurst Farmers Market will be open on Saturday, Oct. 15, 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.

Get Out the Vote with the Avondale Alliance for Racial Justice

On Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to noon, join the Avondale Alliance for Racial Justice at North Avondale Road and Clarendon Avenue for a voting rally. AARJ will be handing out voting plan guides, early voting information, bumper stickers and buttons. There will also be signs held in support of candidates and voting blue the whole ballot. Please bring positive energy and posters to spread the word to passing neighbors about the upcoming elections. Please also join AARJ at Arepa Mia afterwards for some lunch and social time.

For more information, click here.

Artful Stories at the Carlos Museum

A golden goose demonstrates the wealth of kindness. A rabbit learns not to believe everything he hears. On Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10-11 a.m., families are invited to gather around the golden figure of Shakyamuni Buddha in the Asian galleries, learn about the teachings of the Buddha through the retellings of some of the famous Jataka tales in the book “Buddha Stories” and then make a work of art in the same hues of gold and blue seen in the statue and the book. For children ages 3-6 with an accompanying adult. This program is free, but registration is required. 

For more information, click here.

Event listing provided by a community supporter. 

11th Annual Madison Avenue Derby

Don’t miss out on one of Decatur’s most iconic neighborhood events – the 11th Annual Madison Avenue Derby on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 11 a.m. Both kids and adults alike can experience the thrill of Decatur’s favorite non-motorized racing event. Design, build and race a human-powered soapbox derby car down one of the neighborhood’s most iconic streets. Proceeds from this year’s event go to support the Friends of Refugees family literacy program. Register now to secure your spot to race or save the date to attend this free, family-friendly event as a spectator. 

For more information, click here.

SUDS Craft Beer Festival

On Saturday, Oct. 15, at 12 p.m., Simply Us Doing Our Share, formerly known as the Decatur Craft Beer Festival, will feature hundreds of the finest local and international beers, live music and food at Legacy Park. The entry fee includes a special tasting glass. Proceeds benefit community projects. Entry is limited to 2,000 people. No one under 21 years of age or animals will be allowed inside the festival area. No exceptions. 

For more information, click here.

Taste of Tucker

On Saturday, Oct. 15, from 1-6 p.m. on Main Street, Taste of Tucker will hold a fundraising event. Their mission is to bring together local cuisine, sponsors, volunteers, the people of Tucker and other nearby communities for one awesome afternoon of fundraising. Great eats, super entertainment, activities for the kids, and so much more. All of the proceeds go back to the community, benefitting NETWorks Cooperative Ministry, Camp Kudzu for kids with type 1 diabetes and Old Town Tucker Merchants Association. Dozens of local restaurants provide menu “tastes” for you to try, craft vendors to shop, live music, and local breweries providing beer choices – all in a fun way to help people in the community. 

For more information, click here.

Pumpkin Patch at the Avondale Estates Town Green

Celebrate fall at the Town Green with Traditions Trees’ Pumpkin Truck Saturday, Oct. 15 from 3-6 p.m. There will be a huge variety of pumpkins and gourds, hay bales, cornstalks, a kids pumpkin painting station and a “Pumpkin Wall” for photos. King of Pops will also have pops for sale. 

For more information, click here.

Tucker High School Foundation’s Casino Night

The Tucker High School Foundation’s second annual Casino Night on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at the Tucker Recreation Center will feature games of chance including blackjack, craps and Texas Hold ’em poker, as well as a silent auction with some fantastic gift baskets and other prizes. There will also be a 50/50 raffle for $5 per ticket. Each ticket gets you $1000 in Casino Tiger Bucks, 2 drink tickets, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and, most importantly, a fun-filled night out on the town celebrating and supporting Tucker High School.

For more information, click here.

Southeast Woodlands Stickball Panel at the Carlos Museum

The “Southeast Woodlands Stickball Summit” will conclude on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 7-9 p.m., with an evening panel discussion about one of the oldest sports in North America, historically played by multiple Indigenous Nations. Both men and women enjoyed the game for sportsmanship, mental health, medicine and even political resolution. Gameplay and stickball sticks have been handed down from generation to generation, and the game continues to be played by native nations around the country. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Natalie M. Welch, Ph.D. (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), sport management professor. Guests can attend the event in person and via Zoom. 

For more information, click here.

Event listing provided by a community supporter. 

Avondale Estates Farmers Market 

Join neighbors, visitors and vendors on Sunday, Oct. 16, 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.

Carlos Museum Workshop for Children

On Sunday, Oct. 16, from 2-4 p.m., explore toads, snakes and salamanders in the Art of the Americas galleries, interpreted by ancient artists who paid close attention to the natural world around them. Educators from the Amphibian Foundation will bring amphibians for children to view and handle, and share information about the rich ecology of our own backyards where these same creatures live. Children will visit the studio to create their own amphibious creature in clay. The fee is $20 for Carlos Museum members, $30 for nonmembers. Registration is required.

For more information, click here.

Event listing provided by a community supporter. 

Upcoming Local Government Meetings​​

The Stone Mountain Downtown Development Authority will meet on Monday, Oct. 10, at 6:30 p.m.

The Kirkwood Neighbors Organization will meet on Monday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. over Zoom.

The Tucker City Council will meet on Monday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. at the Tucker City Hall, 1975 Lakeside Parkway.

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 9 a.m. via Zoom and DCTV. 

The Avondale Estates Downtown Development Authority will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 5:30 p.m. at Avondale Estates City Hall, 21 N. Avondale Plaza. 

The Tucker Economic Development Strategic Plan Community will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 6 p.m. at Tucker City Hall, 1975 Lakeside Parkway.

The City Schools of Decatur School Board will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 6:30 p.m at the Wilson Center, 125 Electric Ave.

The Decatur Planning Commission will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m. at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, and via Zoom. 

The Avondale Estates Board of Mayors and Commissioners will meet on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 5:30 p.m. at Avondale Estates City Hall, 21 N. Avondale Plaza. 

The Decatur Downtown Development Authority meets on Friday, Oct. 14, at 8 a.m. at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, and via Zoom.

The Tucker Observer is a community news website owned by Decaturish.com. We provide locally sourced news about Tucker, Clarkston and Stone Mountain.

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