Best of the best

Friday, Oct. 2 — Voting is underway for the 2026 Best of Georgia, and the Sandy Springs Farmers Market is hoping to snag its fourth title in a row for Produce Markets & Local Farms. You have until Oct. 31 to cast your votes.

🌧️ It looks like we have a rainy weekend in store, so it may be a good time to catch up on your to-watch list.

🗳️ Georgia voters have until Oct. 5 to register for this November’s midterm elections.

👻  The Springs Cinema and Taphouse is kicking off its spooky season with a Fright Night series throughout October.

💝 The Community Assistance Center raised $500,000 at its recent gala. The funds will help keep Sandy Springs and Dunwoody families housed, expand access to free, fresh, and nutritious food, and create pathways toward financial independence. 

♻️ Keep North Fulton Beautiful won the Recycling and Sustainability Award from the Solid Waste Association of North America – Georgia chapter.

Photo by Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Department

SANDY SPRINGS SNAPSHOT: Runners, walkers, and athletes of all abilities showed up for last weekend’s Blue Stone 5K-9.  Check out the highlights from the day.

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The Rough Draft team

🤝 The TOUR Championship is more than a week of great golf. Discover how Southern Company, alongside other Proud Partners and the surrounding community, is creating lasting impact, inspiring future generations, and making the championship one of Atlanta’s most meaningful summer traditions. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Photo by @360artsblvd Instagram

Act3 Playhouse launches collaborative arts venue with 360 Arts Blvd

🎭 Fourteen years after setting up shop in Sandy Springs, Act3 Playhouse is launching a collaborative arts venue with 360 Arts Blvd. The BLVD @ Act3 Playhouse held a grand opening this week. (pictured)

The new model brings together multiple production companies and a youth conservatory. It allows theater companies, performing arts organizations, and individual artists to offer a variety of entertainment options, while each bears only a fraction of the annual operating costs.

The intimate, 100-seat Act3 Playhouse is across the street from City Springs, in the heart of the city at the Sandy Springs Plaza Shopping Center. Ample free parking is available, and patrons can enter through the breezeway next to Five Guys.

📍 Read more about the collaboration and how it will impact local theater in Sandy Springs.

Photo from Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty

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Photo by Hayden Sumlin

New Morgan Falls dog park to open soon

🐶 The remodeled Morgan Falls Dog Park, which will include shade canopies and two fenced areas, opens this month, with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony set for 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Improvements to the existing dog park include two phases: regrading the 3.4-acre site to alleviate muddy conditions and installing new grass, benches, and a washing station.

🐾 Read more about the new dog park.

Photo by Hayden Sumlin

Fulton County Schools hit record graduation rate

🎓 For the sixth consecutive year, Fulton County Schools broke its four-year graduation rate record with 93.44%. The Georgia Department of Education reported official figures for the Class of 2026 at the end of September.

The district’s graduation rate has jumped by 7.9 percentage points after dropping to 85.5% in 2020, according to Fulton County Schools’ announcement. Graduation rates in Fulton County had been on the rise before declining in 2020, which was known nationwide as the “pandemic slump.” 

In Sandy Springs, Riverwood International Charter School posted a 0.2% increase to 97.3%. Riverwood has shown some of the strongest post-pandemic results, increasing from 89.9% in 2020, according to county-provided data.

North Springs High School (pictured), the city’s other public high school, saw its graduation rate drop by 2.9 percentage points to 92%.

✏️ Read more on Fulton’s high school graduation rates.

⛳ Learn how the TOUR Championship, a beloved summer Atlanta tradition at East Lake, is creating meaningful community impact, inspiring future generations, and making a difference beyond the leaderboard—with more than $71 million invested in local nonprofits. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Photo by Neighbors Bank

Sandy Springs’ neighbor is Neighbor of the Year

👏🏼 On Sept. 28, National Good Neighbor Day, Neighbors Bank announced Dunwoody’s Judi Carlson as the winner of the inaugural Neighbor of the Year contest, a nationwide search to find and celebrate the everyday people who make their communities better.

Carlson, the longtime director of Malachi’s Storehouse, who stepped down earlier this year, was selected by public vote from among 10 finalists across the nation and will receive a $20,000 grand prize, according to a release from the organization.

During her tenure at Malachi’s, Carlson led a team of more than 100 volunteers to provide food, clothing, and dignity to those facing hardship in the metro Atlanta area.

🤲🏼 Read more about Carlson and her achievements.

What’s doin’ around Sandy Springs

👸🏽 Oct. 2:Cinderella at Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center

🗄️ Oct. 6:Becoming the Minimalist Entrepreneur at Greater Perimeter Chamber

🌽 Oct. 6: Cornhole ATL at City Springs

🃏 Oct. 7:Atlanta Card Market at Pontoon Brewing Company

🍂 Oct. 8:Between the Leaves Nature Book Club at Lost Corner Preserve

The Sports Section

🏈 FOOTBALL

  • Holy Innocents’ (6-0): Friday vs. Lovett (4-1)
  • Lovett (4-1): Friday @ Holy Innocents’
  • Mt. Vernon (4-2): Friday vs. Fellowship Christian (2-2)
  • North Springs (1-4): Friday vs. Pace Academy (0-5)
  • Pace Academy (0-5): Friday vs. North Springs (1-4)
  • Riverwood (0-4): Friday @ Alpharetta (1-4)
  • Westminster (2-3): Oct. 9 vs. Pace Academy (0-5)

🥎 SOFTBALL

  • Holy Innocents’ (6-13): Monday @ Lovett (4-12); Tuesday @ Wesleyan (13-6)
  • Lovett (4-12): Monday vs. Holy Innocents’ (6-13); Wednesday vs. Therrell (9-11)
  • Mt. Vernon (17-5): Tuesday vs. Walker (1-16); Wednesday vs. Prince Avenue Christian (22-4)
  • North Springs (6-14): Thursday vs. Lovett (4-12)
  • Pace Academy (15-4): Saturday vs. Pope (21-6); Saturday vs. East Paulding (15-9); Monday @ Northside-Columbus (19-6)
  • Riverwood (12-6-1): Monday @ Centennial (10-15); Tuesday vs. Lanier (9-16)
  • Westminster (11-10): Monday @ St. Francis (9-8); Thursday @ North Atlanta (5-19)

🏐 VOLLEYBALL

  • Holy Innocents’ (22-8): Tuesday vs. North Cobb Christian (20-8); Tuesday vs. Lovett (27-6)
  • Lovett (27-6): Tuesday vs. North Cobb Christian (20-8); Tuesday @ Holy Innocents’ (22-8)
  • Mt. Vernon (18-19): TBD
  • North Springs (6-16): Tuesday vs. Galloway (20-8); Thursday @ Greater Atlanta Christian (13-14); Thursday vs. Douglass (3-20)
  • Pace Academy (12-13): Saturday @ Forsyth Central (16-8); Saturday vs. North Gwinnett (20-8); Saturday vs. North Forsyth (23-2); Saturday vs. East Forsyth (21-9)
  • Riverwood (26-8): TBD
  • Westminster (32-5): Tuesday vs. Midtown (24-8); Tuesday vs. Cartersville (32-3)

School records are as of Tuesday, Sept. 30.

This report was compiled and written by Rough Draft Atlanta's staff.