Smyrna’s Birthday Celebration

Celebrate Smyna’s birthday on Saturday, August 7 at the Village Green with BBQ from Atkins Park Tavern, live music, a DJ after dark and carnival style rides!  This is a free event.  Hope to see you there!

Spend some of your “Summer at the Rock”

When was the last time you’ve been to Stone Mountain Park?  If it’s been a while, know that you’re missing out on a lot of fun.  Whether its with your family, a date or even just with friends, I guarantee that you will find something fun there to do.  And this is the time to do it.  Through August 8, they have Summer at the Rock, featuring a bunch of new shows and fun activities…

•The all-new Campfire at the Edge of the Universe live show is a highly interactive production that gets the whole audience involved in an outdoor adventure with a futuristic feeling of exploration.

•Don’t miss the all-new show, Ritmo at the Rock, a dynamic world percussion trio that brings to the stage a performance that is both educational and entertaining. With up to 100 instruments on stage, gathered from all over the world, this accomplished ensemble presents international drumming and songs the whole family can enjoy.

•Conclude the day with a visit with Rock Man as he slowly emerges from his igneous dwelling. The Rock Man metamorphoses between rock and man as he camouflages completely with his habitat.

And then, of course, there are the activities like the Sky Hike treetop adventure course and the Journey to the Center of the Earth 4D Adventure located in Crossroads®.  Tickets can be purchase online at their website.  If anyone is interested in getting a group from Tamarron together to go, drop a comment a let me know.

Smyrna Dog Walk, August 7

Because Tamarron is one of the most pet-friendly apartment communities in the Vinings area, I want to make sure that we don’t forget about them here in our community blog.  There is actually a really cool event that I found will be going on in Smyrna next month that you might want to take your pup too.  I’m sure he/she would appreciate the quality time.

Dog Days of Summer Dog Walk
Great Harvest Bread Co. (3246 Atlanta Road, Smyrna, 30080. 770-431-9743) and Atlanta Pet Rescue host the second annual Dog Days of Summer dog walk in Smyrna. All two and four-legged friends are invited to meet at the bakery and enjoy a leisurely stroll to nearby Taylor-Brawner Park, less than half a mile away. Dog trainer Amber Burckhalter from Atlanta’s K-9 Coach will greet participants at the park and dole out doggie advice.

How’s that for some quality canine time?  It’s for charity too.  Great Harvest Bread Co. will donante $2 from every loaf of bread sold during the event to Atlanta Pet Rescue.  It goes down on August 7 at 8:00 a.m. and it’s free to participate in.

(Photo Credit: SacramentoScoop)

Flicks on 5th in midtown Atlanta

Have you seen the movie Hot Tub Time Machine yet?  I haven’t, but I remember when it was being promoted and it looked very funny.  How cool would it be to watch it under the stars in the calm night air.  Well, you can…for free!  Next Wednesday on July 21, The Flicks on 5th summer movie series will be showing the movei outside at 5th and Spring Streets, underneath the picturesque Midtown skyline.

Seating opens at 7pm and movies start at 9pm. The best part: they will have free popcorn!  And if you don’t think that will be enough to satisfy your hunger, you can get there early and take advantage of one of the special movie deals offered by 5th Street restaurants…

RAY’S/CEDARS: 2 slices of cheese and a house salad for $6.99 or 1 specialty slice and a greek salad for $6.99

RIBS n’ BLUES: Enjoy a chopped sandwich and a drink for $6

TIN DRUM: Enjoy a small basil fried rice, fountain drink and a veggie spring roll for only $6

Music lovers come together for the ONE Music Fest

On Saturday, July 31, music lovers around Atlanta will unite at the King Plow Arts Center (887 W Marietta St NW, Atlanta, GA 30318) for the ONE Music Fest, an annual interactive indoor/outdoor live music and arts experience.  The one-day fest, known for showcasing a broad array (rock, hip-hop, funk and alternative), of musical talent, is expected to draw more than 5,000 attendees.  This will be the first time the fest will be held in Atlanta.

I just actually heard about the event last week through a friend but it sounds like something I’d definitely be down for.  The website shows they’ve got some great talent lined up, including a few of my faves: Common, De La Soul, Goapele and legendary mixtape DJ Mick Boogie.  There’s also a couple artists that I’m genuinely interested in hearing for the first time, like The Mad Violinist and the Symphony Crack Orchestra.

And it’s not just non-stop music that will be going on.  There will be lots of other fun stuff to do there, like a mini-putting green tournament, food stations with a bar (of course…what’s a festival without food and drink), video game stations (XBox & Wii), art/photography viewing, an art stroll and graffiti expo and even henna artists.

Tickets are available at a few locations around Atlanta, such as CenterStage on W. Peachtree and Marco’s Pita on Ponce De Leon.  Check the event webstite for details.

(Photo Credit: chosen1234)

The magic of “Miracle Fruit”

Imagine putting a dash or two of Tobasco sauce on your tounge, but instead of tasting firey pepper, you taste donut glaze.  How about mixing some lemon sorbet with Guinness…and tasting chocolate cake.  That’s exactly what “flavor trippers” who have ventured into the magical world of miracle fruit have experienced. 

“Flavor tripping” involves a tiny tic-tac sized berry that is indigenous to West Africa.  It’s called “miracle fruit” and according to a NY Times article, “the berry rewires the way the palate perceives sour flavors for an hour or so, rendering lemons as sweet as candy.” 

Basically, it completely alters your tastebuds.  Chew the miracle fruit and then for the next hour or so, goat cheese now tastes like cheesecake.  You get the picture. 

Sound interesting?  There’s a new lounge in Sandy Springs that is offering up the experience to the adventurous types.  On Wednesday evenings throughout the summer, and for a mere $20, Three Sheets (6017 Sandy Springs Circle, Sandy Springs, 404.303.8423) will set you up with your own miracle fruit berry and an assortment of food items to sample.  But don’t plan on it this week, or next, as their flavor tripping parties are selling out fast.  Your best bet is to make a reservation online.  Or if you’d like, hit up the Miracle Fruit Man and host your own party.

(Photo Credit: The Berry Fairy)

Where are you watching fireworks for the fourth?

What are you doing for the Fourth of July?  If you want to see fireworks, there’s really only one option in the area.  In case you didn’t know, Lenox Mall hosts one of the biggest fireworks displays and celebrations  in the country.  Annually they attract almost quarter-million people to its parking lot to view the display.

And if you’ve got kids with you, plan to come early as they will have a Kids Zone play area that opens at 12 p.m. for the younger ones to run around in. Musical celebration kicks off at 6 p.m. with City Heat, a versatile cover band that offers a variety of music from Motown hits to classic beach songs.  Headlining the evening will be Atlanta’s premiere cover band, Party on the Moon, another popular cover band that has played events like President Obama’s Inauguration Ball and Donald Trump’s New Year’s Eve party.  Fireworks follow the music at 9:40 p.m.

So if you’re in town for the 4th, make sure you plan to come on through and celebrate.  It’s absolutely free and open to the public.

(Photo: Beverly & Pack)

2010 Midsummer Music Festival at Candler Park

What are you doing this weekend?  You know its going to be like a bazillion degrees in Atlanta, don’t you?  As for me, there is no way that I’m wasting that time indoors running up my air conditioning.  Luckily, I have a plan!

The Red Stripe Light Midsummer Music Festival is going down this Saturday, June 19 at Candler Park.  Best part is that it’s free.  Confirmed music acts include legendary reggae band The Wailers (I shot the sherriff but I didn’t shoot the deputeeeee) and up and coming band Better Than Exra.

There will also be an artist’s market with everything from oil paintings, sculptures, photography, sauces, hats and everything else in between.  The soccer fields will be turned into the “Worlds Largest Hang Out Sports Area”  with games like bocce ball, hacky sack, volley ball and more.  And don’t worry about the kids, their fun will be covered with all kinds of activities like inflatable games, moon walks, face painters, arts and crafts, magicians and more.  See you there!

Follow the 2010 World Cup in Atlanta

Unless you’ve just come from living in a cave, you’re probably well aware that the 2010 World Cup kicks off (literally) this weekend.  And while soccer is still a growing sport in the USA compared to the rest of the planet, it is a HUGE deal that the American team is playing in it.  Are you familiar with international soccer?  If not, I’ll give you a crash course on how the World Cup operates.

Every four years, 32 teams from across the globe compete for the title at venues within the host nation (South Africa this year) over a period of about a month.  This phase is called the World Cup Finals.  A qualification phase for the World Cup Finals takes place over the preceding three years.

In the finals there are two stages: first “the group stage” is played, followed by “the knockout stage.”  In the group stage, teams compete within eight groups of four teams in a round-robin tournament.  Every team plays three games in this stage.  The top two teams from each group move on to the knockout stage, a seeded, single-elimination tournament in which teams play each other in one-off matches, similar to the NCAA basketball tournament.  Got it?  Good!

Team USA’s first match is tomorrow against the favored Team England.  The two key players, I believe, to watch on Team USA are Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore.  Both factor heavy into the team’s offense.  As for playing England, of course there is a nice little rivalry between the two countries that extends far beyond the soccer field (remember the little Revolutionary War thing a few years back?)  It’s the Old World vs the ambitious new kids and a Team USA victory will mark a huge step forward for USA Soccer.  The other teams in our group (“Group C” as it’s referred) are Algeria and Slovenia and we’re distinctly better than both of them.  I think we will have a good shot at advancing to the knockout stage.

If you can, watch the game live on ABC tomorrow (Saturday, June 12) at 2 pm ET and cheer them on.  Or if you’d really like to get into the international World Cup spirit, head over to the Brewhouse Cafe (401 Moreland Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30307) to catch the game.  It’s maybe a 20 minute car ride away from Tamarron but they’re going to be doing it really big for the World Cup all month!  They were actually ranked by GQ magazine as the 6th best location in the entire country for watching the World Cup. Also, Brewhuse is a big supporter of Soccer in the Streets; just another great reason to support their business. Need directions?  Here you go…

• Merge onto I-285 S (6.0 mi)
• Take exit 10A on the left to merge onto I-20 E toward Atlanta/Abernathy Fwy (8.9 mi)
• Take exit 60B for US-23 N/Moreland Ave (0.2 mi)
• Merge onto US-23 N/Moreland Ave SE (1.4 mi)
• Turn right at McLendon Ave NE and 401 Moreland Ave will be on the left

Summer Reading Program for Kids

The Cobb County Library system is kicking off their summer reading program with “Make a Splash…Read!” So swing by the Vinings branch (at 4290 Paces Ferry Road) to join up. All you’ll need to do is register each child and pick up their folder where they will record each book they read over the summer. Once fall rolls around, they will return their book record and receive their certificate and a cool sticker!

The Vinings branch has scheduled story-times and kids events throughout the summer as well as maintaining a suggested reading list for your child’s next school year. See their website for all the details.

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