This story has been updated. 

By Lucas Hill, contributor

DeKalb County, GA — Various events are happening this week in and around DeKalb County, including Soldiers’ Angels’ Third Food Distribution for Veterans, the Decatur Lunar New Year Festival, and Ibram X Kendi and Nic Stone will discuss their new book, “How to Be a (Young) Antiracist” Brave and Kind Books. Several local government meetings are also scheduled for this week.

Here’s what’s happening this week:

Black History Month Student Visual Arts Competition

The Avondale Alliance for Racial Justice is holding its third annual visual arts competition in celebration of Black History Month. This year’s theme is “Fighting Black Oppression: Celebrating Change-Makers.” Cash prizes will be awarded to elementary school, middle school and high school participants. All submissions will be due Feb. 15. The art contest awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 4, at 2 p.m. at Little Tree Art Studios, 2834 Franklin Street in Avondale Estates.

For more information, click here.  

Lunch and Learn: A.S. Turner & Sons

Cy Hume, president and general manager of A. S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home and Crematory, will speak on the 120-year history of A. S. Turner & Sons, as well as funerary practices and history on Tuesday, Jan. 24, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Downtown Decatur Courtyard Marriott, 130 Clairemont Ave. This event is free to attend, and participants are asked to bring their own lunch.

For more information, click here.

Inside Out: Glass Art by Lisa Schnellinger and Charlie Holden at GSU Perimeter College

Georgia State University Perimeter College will host an art installation of kiln-formed glass by Lisa Schnellinger and Charlie Holden at its Clarkston campus through April 2. On Thursday, Jan. 26, there will be an Artist’s Talk and reception from 4-7 p.m. 

For more information, click here.

Event listing provided by a community supporter. 

Soldiers’ Angels Food Distribution for Veterans

Lorraine Cochran-Johnson’s third mobile food distribution will take place on Friday, Jan. 27, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Atlanta VA Arcadia Clinic, 250 N. Arcadia Ave. Each recipient will receive a box containing approximately 75 pounds of food packed by volunteers and loaded into cars, pushcarts or backpacks of registered veterans. Soldiers’ Angels is a non-profit organization that supports military families, deployed service members, wounded heroes and veterans of all eras with aid, comfort, programs and resources. Veterans interested in the Jan. 27 food assistance distribution must preregister.

For more information, click here.

Bradley Observatory Open House Series at Agnes Scott

Bradley Observatory’s open house events focus on a topic in physics or astronomy with lectures given by Agnes Scott College faculty, students, alumni or local scientists, followed by a planetarium show and telescope viewings if weather permits. Guests of these events must be vaccinated against COVID-19 with a booster. Attendees are strongly encouraged to wear a mask to indoor events. This open house will take place on Friday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.

For more information, click here.

Oakhurst Farmers Market 

The Oakhurst Farmers Market will be open on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sceptre Brewing Arts, 630 E. 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.

Decatur Lunar New Year Festival

The Decatur Lunar New Year Festival is a Pan-Asian New Year celebration, featuring the diverse customs of several different Asian countries, including Vietnam, South Korea, China, and the Philippines. It will also kick off the city of Decatur’s bicentennial celebrations. The Lunar New Year Festival will take place on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 1-5 p.m. at Legacy Park,  500 S. Columbia Drive. Lunar New Year is about spending time with loved ones and engaging in traditions that bring good luck and health. Founded by Asian American families who have made their home in Decatur, it is a chance to honor the diverse heritage and cultures and to celebrate the new year with the greater Decatur community. The hope is also to promote inclusivity and education in a safe environment. For most Asians, the year 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit. But for Vietnam, it’s the Year of the Cat. And because in Decatur we honor our unique diversity, we have created our own Lunar New Year Spirit Animal: the Cabbit. There will be a contest for who can illustrate the most auspicious Cabbit among all young Decatur artists, and the winner will have their art featured at the festival.

For more information, click here.

Lanta Gras Parade

The Lanta Gras Parade and Festival will take place on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 1-5 p.m. in Kirkwood. This community celebration is to raise funds for Lanta Gras’s Student Music Scholarships. There will be live music, Sweetwater beer and plenty of food trucks.

For more information, click here.

The Frank Hamilton School presents “Frank Hamilton and the American Folk Revival”

The Frank Hamilton School, located at Legacy Park Decatur, will be presenting the documentary “Frank Hamilton and the American Folk Revival.” This program is a live pre-broadcast public screening and panel discussion involving Hamilton, the producers and humanities scholars. The public is invited to enjoy the production, which brings to light the life and influence of Frank Hamilton on the folk music world, including shaping the song “We Shall Overcome” into a Civil Rights anthem. A discussion of the film and the folk movement will take place immediately afterwards. The program will take place at the Legacy Park Auditorium in Decatur on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. It is free to the public, but reservations are required because seating is limited.

For more information, click here.

Avondale Estates Farmers Market 

Join neighbors, visitors and vendors on Sunday, Jan. 29, 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.

Andy Rotman of Smith College on “The Vow that Began the Buddha’s Path to Awakening” at the Carlos Museum

The Buddha’s life story is generally said to begin at a moment other than his birth as Prince Gautama. Instead, it began many eons ago, during a previous lifetime, when as a learned Brahman he vowed before the Buddha Dipankara that he, too, would one day become a Buddha. This story is one of the most famous in the Buddhist world, immortalized in Buddhist literature and art, especially in sculptures from the first centuries CE from the northwest region of the Indian subcontinent then known as Gandhara. In a lecture titled “The Vow that Began the Buddha’s Path to Awakening,” Andy Rotman, religion professor at Smith College, will discuss the reasons that this story was so popular and what it tells us about the Buddha’s biography. This event will take place on Sunday, Jan. 29, from 2-3 p.m. This lecture is also available via Zoom.

For more information, click here.

Event listing provided by a community supporter. 

Ibram X Kendi and Nic Stone with Brave and Kind Books: How to Be a (Young) Antiracist

In partnership with Decatur Education Foundation, Brave and Kind Books will host authors Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m. in the Decatur High School Auditorium. The organizers invite the community, teachers, educators, students and families to this powerful discourse. Be one of the first to dive into “How to be a (Young) Antiracist” before the book releases.

For more information, click here. 

Upcoming Local Government Meetings​​

The Stone Mountain Downtown Development Authority will meet on Monday, Jan. 23, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 922 Main Street, Stone Mountain.

The Tucker City Council will meet on Monday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. at Tucker City Hall, 1975 Lakeside Parkway, suite 350.

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 9 a.m. at the Manuel Maloof Center, 1300 Commerce Drive, and over DCTV.

The City Schools of Decatur School Board will meet for a work session on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 3 p.m. at the Wilson School Support center, 125 Electric Ave., and via Zoom.

The Decatur Business Association will host the State of the City address on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 5:30 p.m. at the Chapel on Sycamore, 318 Sycamore Street.

The Stone Mountain Planning Commission will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at Stone Mountain City Hall, 875 Main Street.

The Avondale Estates Board of Mayor and Commissioners will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 5:30 p.m. at Avondale Estates City Hall, 21 N. Avondale Plaza, and over Zoom. 

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners will meet for a zoning meeting on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 5:30 p.m. at the Manuel Maloof Center, 1300 Commerce Drive, and over DCTV.

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