Oak Groove Music, Arts & Food Festival Brings Communities Together

May 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Hundreds of festival goes braved the sporadic rain and drizzle to enjoy the fun at the first annual Oak Groove Music, Arts and Food Festival held on Sunday, May 19, 2013 at the Vista Grove Plaza on Lavista Road in the Oak Grove Community.

A little rain every now and then wasn’t going to spoil anyone’s fun. The turnout was excellent considering the weather and there were plenty of activities for everyone at this family-friendly festival.

The festival featured local businesses, artists, entertainers from the areas of Sagamore Hills, Oak Grove, Leafmore-Creek Park, Briarlake, Shallowford, Hawthorne and North Briarcliff and surrounding areas.

We arrived around 3:30 p.m. while Bradley Cole Smith and Nelson Nolan were beginning their musical set. Nelson’s popularity stems from his years old playing with “The Tommy Thompson Band” and warmed up the crowd with a hopeful cover of the Beatle’s hit, “Here Comes the Sun.” The group played a great set of country inspired music that everyone seemed to enjoy.

Next up was the DejaBlue Grass Band, a 5-piece bluegrass instrument ensemble that served up a fresh song selection of “truegrass, piled high with pop and newgrass, and lightly salted with some soul-shaking gospel.”

The DejaBlue Grass Band featured Oak Grove’s own Rutland Walker on Mandolin, who put on a high-energy performance and expressed his pride in the Oak Grove community and surrounding neighborhoods for supporting the festival. The group was followed by a number of other local performers playing an eclectic mix of popular music.

The Oak Groove Music, Arts & Food Festival, presented by DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau, also included many vendors offering products and food/drink from area businesses.  On the other side of the Plaza, there was a smaller stage with live, musical performances for children along with games for families.

Overall, the festival was an absolute success and we really look forward to promoting and attending next year’s event. Here are some photos that we took at this year’s festival.

  • DejaBlue Grass Band DejaBlue Grass Band
  • DejaBlue Grass Band DejaBlue Grass Band
  • Oak Groove Festival Live Music Oak Groove Festival Live Music
  • Oak Grove Community at the Oak Groove Festival Oak Grove Community at the Oak Groove Festival
  • Oak Groove Music, Arts and Food Festival Oak Groove Music, Arts and Food Festival
  • Food and Drink Vendors at the Oak Groove Festival Food and Drink Vendors at the Oak Groove Festival
  • Bradley Cole Smith and Nelson Nolan Bradley Cole Smith and Nelson Nolan
  • Bradley Cole Smith and Nelson Nolan Bradley Cole Smith and Nelson Nolan
  • Booths at the 2013 Oak Groove Festival Booths at the 2013 Oak Groove Festival
  • Booths at the 2013 Oak Groove Festival Booths at the 2013 Oak Groove Festival
  • Booths at the 2013 Oak Groove Festival Booths at the 2013 Oak Groove Festival
  • Festival Goers at the 2013 Oak Groove Festival Festival Goers at the 2013 Oak Groove Festival
  • Festival Goers at the 2013 Oak Groove Festival Festival Goers at the 2013 Oak Groove Festival
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The Atlanta Jazz Festival Returns Memorial Day Weekend to Piedmont Park

May 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The 36th Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival returns to Piedmont Park over Memorial Day Weekend to shine the spotlight on new faces of Jazz.  The event will be held from May 25 – 27, 2013 and is free to the public.

This year’s festival will feature some of today’s most vibrant and innovative jazz artists including Cecile McLorin Salvant, Dominick Farinacci, Meshell Ndegeocello, Jose James, Tia Fuller, Aruan Ortiz, Gretchen Parlato and Rudresh Mahanthappa.

Piedmont Park is located in Midtown Atlanta and is a great setting for this outdoor festival. MARTA, Atlanta’s Rapid Transit System, is just blocks away.

The family-friendly atmosphere will include two KidZone areas with games, inflatables and activities. Shopping will be available in booths displaying unique art, clothing and jewelry. And of course, a wide range of food featuring BBQ, gyros, burgers and Caribbean foods will be available for purchase.

If you are visiting from out-of-town, DeKalb County offers many hotel options.  Click here to book your room.

For more information, visit Atlanta Jazz Festival.

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Celebrate the 4th of July in the City of Chamblee

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Come spend your 4th of July with the City of Chamblee. Festivities will kick off at 5 p.m. with a bike parade from Chamblee Middle School to the Keswick Park soccer fields. Following this will be a live musical performance by Mike Veal Band at 6 p.m. The night will end with fireworks at 9:15 p.m.

Concessions will be provided throughout the night. Come on out with the family for what promises to be a fun-filled night. For more information, visit Chamblee Parks and Recreation.

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Centennial Olympic Park’s Party in the Park Returns Saturday, May 18, 2013

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Party in the Park returns to Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta featuring Passion Pit, Ellie Goulding, Yeasayer, Grouplove and the Electric Sons in Atlanta’s most unique concert setting. Gates open at 3:00 p.m. and the concert will run until 11:00 p.m.

Tickets are required for entry and may be purchased in advance at www.ticketalternative.com or at the gate, subject to availability. General admission tickets are $35/advance, and will be $40 at the gate. VIP Experience tickets are $115/advance and will increase to $125 on the day of the show. All tickets on the day of the show are subject to availability, so buy in advance and make sure you don’t miss out. 

For more info, visit Party in the Park.

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Mike the Knight Charges into the Mall at Stonecrest on June 22, 2013

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Huzzah! On Saturday, June 22nd Mike the Knight™ and his friends are galloping into the Mall at Stonecrest for special live performances of Mike the Knight and the Mission for Hidden Treasure.  The free 20-minute interactive musical adventure will also feature Mike’s dragon, Squirt, from the beloved television series on Nick Jr., and includes meet & greets, photo opportunities, giveaways, and a preview of the first Mike the Knight toys from Fisher-Price debuting in Spring 2013.  Performances will be held at Noon and 2:00 pm, with special kids activities to run from Noon to 3:00 pm at the Mall at Stonecrest. 

 It’s time to be a knight, and do it right!  Mike the Knight and the Mission for Hidden Treasure follows Mike, Squirt, and friends, as they piece together clues to discover hidden treasure.  To help Mike accomplish his mission, audience members are invited to take on special fun-filled challenges alongside Mike and Squirt, and learn lessons in knightliness.  After the show, young knights in training will have the opportunity to tell Mike the Knight what knightly deeds they have done and participate in a special knighting ceremony. 

Each 20 minute show will be followed by a meet and greet with Mike. In addition to the two performances, guests are encouraged to come dressed in knight and princess attire and participate in all of the fun.

Mike the Knight is a new CG-animated preschool series that invites viewers into a fantastical world of castles, quests, dragons and trolls that centers on Mike, a young knight-in-training, with a bright future ahead of him.  The son of the King and Queen of Glendragon, he is determined to follow in his father’s footsteps to become a brave and noble knight.  Co-produced by HIT Entertainment and Nelvana, the series currently airs on Nick Jr., Monday-Saturday, from 7-8pm.  Additionally, a new line of book featuring Mike the Knight just released from Simon & Schuster and an all-new toy line from Fisher-Price will debut at retailers in May, and Mike’s first home entertainment title, Knight in Training, releases on DVD June 4th from NCircle Entertainment.

The Mall at Stonecrest features five major department stores including Dillard’s, JCPenney,  Kohl’s, Macy’s and Sears.  The center offers 130 specialty stores, a 16 screen AMC Theatre with stadium seating and the Pavilion Food Court.  The Mall at Stonecrest is located off I-20, exit 75 Turner Hill Road in Lithonia, Georgia.  For more information, please visit www.mallatstonecrest.com.

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What’s Happening in Atlanta’s DeKalb County This Weekend (May 17 – 19, 2013)

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

There’s always fun events and activities happening in DeKalb County. Come visit us and check out some of the exciting events happening during May.

Click Here to View or Download Events for this Weekend

DeKalb County is comprised of many cities and communities including Avondale Estates, Atlanta in DeKalb, Beacon Heights, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, Ellenwood, Lithonia, Lynwood Park, Oakhurst, Pine Lake, Scottdale, Shermantown, Stone Mountain, Toco Hill and Tucker.

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Brookhaven – Atlanta’s Newest City Inside The Perimeter

May 15, 2013 By

The City of Brookhaven is DeKalb County’s 11th city, located in the Northeast section of DeKalb County. With an estimated population of over 50,000, it became DeKalb County’s largest city on December 17, 2012.

Brookhaven is known for its upscale shopping, arts festivals, fine dining and the prestigious Oglethrope University. Brookhaven was developed as Atlanta’s first country club neighborhood. Its boundaries generally are Peachtree Road on the east, Peachtree-Dunwoody on the west and south and Windsor Parkway on the north.

In the 1980′s, the Brookhaven area was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the “first planned golf community in Georgia.”

  • Brookhaven Arts Festival Brookhaven Arts Festival The Arts Festival with a Musical Heart!
  • Minutes from Downtown Atlanta Minutes from Downtown Atlanta Brookhaven is just minutes from Downtown Atlanta attractions like the Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center, the Georgia Dome, Philips Arena and more!
  • Georgia Shakespeare Festival Georgia Shakespeare Festival Georgia Shakespeare creates thoughtful, bold and passionate interpretations of a diverse body of work rooted in Shakespeare and branching out to embrace the best writers and ideas of all eras.
  • Olglethorpe University Olglethorpe University Brookhaven is home to Olglethorpe University, a member of the Annapolis Group, an organization of America’s most selective liberal arts institutions.

     

The Goodwin House

Brookhaven is also home to the Goodwin House, the oldest building in DeKalb County. It is the remains of a 600-acre farm owned by Solomon Goodwin in the 1830′s. The current owners are his great-great-great-great-granddaughters.

It first became known for its hospitality to travelers heading to Marthasville, which was renamed Atlanta.

Town/Brookhaven is a state-of-the-art mixed-use development, conveniently situated on Peachtree Road, north of Lenox Square Mall and Phipps Plaza and adjacent to historic Oglethorpe University.

The Center is approximately 460,000 square feet featuring anchor retails stores, restaurants and boutiques. Dining options include Noche, The Flying Biscuit Café, Bua Thai and Sushi and many others.

Founded in 1835, Brookhaven’s Oglethorpe University enrolls over 1,000 students representing 34 states and 28 countries.

TOWN/Brookhaven

The university is a member of the Annapolis Group, an organization of America’s most selective liberal arts institutions.

Oglethorpe University is consistently listed among the best colleges in the Princeton Review and Forbes and has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll since 2006.

The university is home to Georgia Shakespeare, a professional theater group that offers a casual atmosphere while presenting some of the finest plays and the Oglethorpe Museum of Art.

Each year, Brookhaven presents a series of major festivals including the Brookhaven Arts Festival, Brookhaven Chili Cook-off and the Brookhaven Beer Festival that attracts travelers from all over Georgia.

If you’re thinking of relocating your business to Brookhaven, be sure to contact the Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce at 888-270-0686, ext. 101 or online at BrookhavenCommerce.org.

Brookhaven has a number of hotels to fit any budget while you enjoy your stay in the Atlanta area. Come experience the difference in Brookhaven.


BOOK A ROOM IN BROOKHAVEN:

(Click on the hotel’s photo to go directly to the hotel’s website)


  • Doubletree Hotel Atlanta North Druid Hills / Emory Area Doubletree Hotel Atlanta North Druid Hills / Emory Area The Doubletree North Druid Hills/Emory Area Atlanta hotel in the fashionable North Central Atlanta – suburban Buckhead area is conveniently located just off I-85, minutes from Emory University (four miles) and Downtown Atlanta (six miles) in Georgia.
  • Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Perimeter Center Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Perimeter Center The Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Perimeter Center hotel is just 5 miles north of Buckhead and 10 miles from downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The Hilton Garden Inn hotel is adjacent to Hewlett Packard and a convenient MARTA train station is within 1 mile.
  • Residence Inn Atlanta Buckhead/Lenox Park Residence Inn Atlanta Buckhead/Lenox Park Situated in a unique 22 acre park with a lake, walking and jogging paths, an expansive lawn & sculptural art garden within one mile of Phipps Plaza and Lenox Square shopping areas. 150 suites which include full kitchens.
  • Holiday Inn Perimeter Holiday Inn Perimeter Impeccable service and superior accommodations are what you will enjoy at the full-service Holiday Inn® Hotel Atlanta - Perimeter. Situated off of I-285, just north of downtown Atlanta, the hotel is in the heart of the business, shopping, entertainment and medical districts.
  • Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Atlanta/Buckhead Area Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Atlanta/Buckhead Area Welcome to the Microtel Inn and Suites hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. Our quality hotel is located perfectly near Downtown and Midtown Atlanta and offers the Buckhead areas most competitive discount hotel rates.
  • Hampton Inn Atlanta - North Druid Hills Hampton Inn Atlanta - North Druid Hills Conveniently located off I-85, the Hampton Inn Atlanta-North Druid Hills hotel welcomes you to Atlanta, Georgia. Our North Druid Hills hotel is only six miles from downtown Atlanta and 2 miles from Buckhead. Stay with us to enjoy easy highway access to Atlanta’s diverse attractions. Take an Inside CNN Studio Tour at CNN Center.
  • Red Roof Inn Atlanta - Buckhead Red Roof Inn Atlanta - Buckhead Tucked conveniently at the edge of the highrise, skyline area of the Buckhead business district, Red Roof Inn Atlanta - Buckhead offers guests easy access to a variety of both International and local business centers.
  • Holiday Inn Express Atlanta NE - I-85 Clairmont Holiday Inn Express Atlanta NE - I-85 Clairmont Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, the Holiday Inn Express Atlanta-I85 offers a place where you can kick back, relax, and be yourself. We are located 8 miles north of the center of Downtown Atlanta with easy access to all downtown attractions.
  • Extended Stay Deluxe - Atlanta - Lenox Extended Stay Deluxe - Atlanta - Lenox Welcome to Extended Stay Deluxe Atlanta - Lenox. Our hotel is designed especially for longer stays with studios featuring fully-equipped kitchens and plenty of work space… amenities you won't find in a typical hotel room.

     



Brookhaven Festivals and Attractions:


The Brookhaven Chili Cookoff is a free family friendly festival in heart of Brookhaven featuring live music and both an amateur and professional chili tasting competition.




At the Brookhaven Beer Festival, your taste buds will experience one on the largest samplings of beers in Atlanta!


Georgia Shakespeare creates thoughtful, bold and passionate interpretations of a diverse body of work rooted in Shakespeare and branching out to embrace the best writers and ideas of all eras.



The Annual Brookhaven Arts Festival showcases local artists, shops and musicians. If you love arts, you’ll be right at home here!




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Discover Avondale Estates – A City of Diverse Architectural Styles

May 15, 2013 By

Avondale Estates was founded in 1924 by George Francis Willis, who purchased the entire village of Ingleside to create a planned community. The City was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, birthplace of Shakespeare. Downtown buildings were designed in a Tudor style to reinforce this image, as were many of the houses in the City.

With the guidance of internationally known city planners, Willis proceeded to develop what would later be known as the only documented example of a “planned” city in the Southeast. Today it is named on the National Registrar of Historic Places.

Avondale Estates is located east of the City of Decatur and has approximately 2,960 residents. The City is known for its close-knit community, beautiful setting and diverse architectural styles. The City of Avondale Estates is featured as one of the “Best Old House Neighborhoods 2012″ in This Old House online magazine.

Waffle House Museum

On Labor Day 1955, Avondale Estates neighbors Joe Rogers, Sr. and Tom Forkner founded the first Waffle House restaurant. The name was inspired by the most popular item on the original menu.

As suburbs and the interstate highway system developed throughout the region and the nation, Waffle House grew to include over 1,600 locations nationwide, becoming an American cultural icon open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In 2004, Waffle House reacquired the original restaurant building located at 2719 East College Avenue in Avondale Estates and opened it as a museum, making you feel like you are stepping back into 1955.

The museum also features Waffle House memorabilia from the past 54 years.


RAD

RAD (Rail Arts District) boasts some of the city’s largest community art studios, relocated Buckhead galleries, and dozens of individual studios for visual and performing artists.

The action is takes place along a one-mile stretch of CSX rail line that passes through downtown Avondale Estates, into Decatur’s Laredo Drive industrial area, and along East Ponce De Leon Ave into Scottdale.

DeKalb School of the Arts

After touching the lives of over 1000 students for 14 years, as the DeKalb Center for Performing Arts (DCPA), the magnet program housed at Avondale High School was expanded to a stand-alone high school in 1999. In 2009, DSA moved back to the ¬¬¬-Avondale High School campus. The current enrollment is 340 students in grades 8-12. They present various performances throughout the year featuring the finest in theater and dance. For more information, visit www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/dsa or call (678) 676-2502.

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Adios Frida & Diego at the High Museum of Art

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

In celebration of the closing weekend of the “Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics, and Painting” exhibition, the High Museum of Art will be open for 31 straight hours from 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 11 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 12.  The High expects very large crowds in attendance for special activities and events including:

·      Frida-inspired fashion show
·      Salsa music and lessons with Sabor!
·      Lucha libre wrestling
·      Body-painted Fridas
·      Photo booth
·      DJ Speakerfoxxx & DJ SourceOne
·      Face Painting
·      Family Activities
·      Special Exhibition Tours

For more information, visit www.high.org.

The High Museum of Art is located at 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA  30309.


 

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What’s Happening in Atlanta’s DeKalb County This Weekend (May 10 – 12, 2013)

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

There’s always fun events and activities happening in DeKalb County. Come visit us and check out some of the exciting events happening during May.

Click Here to View or Download Events for this Weekend

DeKalb County is comprised of many cities and communities including Avondale Estates, Atlanta in DeKalb, Beacon Heights, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, Ellenwood, Lithonia, Lynwood Park, Oakhurst, Pine Lake, Scottdale, Shermantown, Stone Mountain, Toco Hill and Tucker.


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