Tuesday takes
June 25 — City leaders and stakeholders will gather at 12:30 p.m. outside the MARTA Five Points station to rally against the transit agency’s renovation and closure plan.
🌞 Sunny and 97° today. There is a Code Orange Air Quality Alert in effect.
📌 Atlanta’s zoning review board deferred two controversial rezonings — the redevelopment of Amersterdam Walk and the razing of a historic building on The Galloway School campus — to get more information.
🚲 Ground was broken yesterday morning for the first segment of the Northwest Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine.
🚨 Chamblee Police officers uncovered stolen firearms and THC-laced candy during a narcotics investigation.
🗳️ The Georgia Recorder reports on President Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump’s efforts to woo Black voters before Thursday’s Atlanta debate.
➡ This morning, a new poll from The AJC (subscription required) shows Trump with a slight lead over Biden in Georgia.
⛪️ Kingswood Church in Dunwoody will welcome Rev. Dr. Dana Everhart as its new senior pastor on June 30.
ELSEWHERE
🇮🇱 Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that ultra-Orthodox seminary students must be drafted.
⚕️ U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said that gun violence is a public health crisis that is fueling national trauma.
➡ WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange reached a deal with the U.S. Justice Department, allowing him to return to Australia.
🏆 The Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Sundance in Atlanta?
• Entertainment districts rise
• Around the State: CDC Museum
AND
• Volunteer Opportunities
Have a good day, and drink a lot of water,
Collin & Sammie
Celebrate America’s birthday at Dunwoody’s annual 4th of July parade — the largest Independence Day parade in the state! Presented by the Dunwoody Homeowners Association and Rough Draft, the event features festive floats, marching bands, vintage cars, and local celebrities. Learn more here.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. City of Atlanta officially submits to host Sundance Film Festival
📽️ The City of Atlanta has officially entered the race to be considered as the new host of the Sundance Film Festival beginning in 2027.
The city announced it has officially submitted a Request for Proposal (RFP) to the Sundance Institute. Sundance announced a bidding process for a new city to potentially call home earlier this year. Atlanta Film Society Executive Director Chris Escobar announced the city’s intent to put its name in the running this April. The Sundance Institute asked selected cities, including Atlanta, to submit RFPs in early May. The deadline to submit RFPs was June 21.
“We are honored that Atlanta is being considered as a potential host for the Sundance Film Festival in 2027 and beyond. Atlanta is where the worlds of film, entertainment, economic development, diversity, and inclusion meet and grow cohesively, together,” said Mayor Andre Dickens. “We’re ready to show the Sundance Institute that Atlanta is the place where opportunities are endless, and Sundance can continue to shine.”
🎞️ Learn more about the city’s bid to host the festival here.
Red, White & YOU: Dunwoody’s 4th of July Parade
SPONSORED BY DUNWOODY HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
🇺🇸 Celebrate America’s birthday by attending the annual 4th of July parade in Dunwoody — the largest Independence Day parade in Georgia!
Presented by the Dunwoody Homeowners Association and Rough Draft, the event features festive floats, marching bands, vintage cars, and local celebrities.
📍 The 2024 Grand Marshal is David Abes of DASH Hospitality, who created a thriving entertainment district in the heart of Dunwoody.
The parade starts at 9 a.m. at the intersection of Mount Vernon Highway and Jett Ferry Road and ends at Dunwoody Village. Stick around for performances by the 116th United States Army Band and Dunwoody Idol Winner Lauren Schroder. There will also be Kona Ice, Slope’s BBQ, hot dogs, and more!
2. Entertainment districts a ‘social experiment’ for cities
🍻 Entertainment districts are profitable for businesses, boost socialization, and encourage walkability local municipalities claim. From Marietta to Decatur, open container districts offer live music, sports on a big screen, themed parties, and a place to run into friends.
Entertainment districts have been growing in popularity. In Alpharetta, a 2011 city ordinance established an open-container area that has been expanded to the mixed-use development Avalon while the city of Brookhaven launched the Dresden District just last month.
The City of Chamblee has committed to making its downtown a walkable, art- and food-driven district accessible by pedestrians, ride shares, and public transportation.
🍾 Check out more on this story here.
3. New exhibit at the CDC Museum provides artists’ perspectives on life during COVID-19
🎨 The land itself changed under the weight of COVID-19. The globe experienced a deadly pandemic, and most of us are still trying to wrap our minds around what happened, what we lost, and who we lost.
Photographic artist Sheila Pree Bright’s work considers (above) the land, globally, and fighting over the land about things like climate change. She considered the question, where do we go next?
The answers she found became the body of work included in the “Stand & Witness: Art in the Time of COVID-19” display at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s David J. Sencer Museum.
📷 Learn more about the CDC Museum exhibit at GPB.
Celebrate America’s birthday at Dunwoody’s annual 4th of July parade — the largest Independence Day parade in the state! Presented by the Dunwoody Homeowners Association and Rough Draft, the event features festive floats, marching bands, vintage cars, and local celebrities. Learn more here.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Volunteer Opportunities
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HANDS ON ATLANTA
👧 Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta in Mableton needs volunteers on Thursday starting at 10 a.m. You will help prep and pack kits containing over 1,000 activity items for Girl Scouts across the state of Georgia. Volunteers must be over the age of 18 to participate.
✍️ Help Star-C Programs with their summer camp enrichment at Springview in Atlanta on Friday starting at 9:30 a.m. You will have one-on-one or group interactions to assist with reading, math, arts and crafts activities, snack time, and field trips.
🚗 The 3rd Annual Red, White & Blue – Haven Car Show (pictured) is looking for volunteers on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. Volunteers are needed to register cars, collect payments, welcome guests, and direct cars to parking. For additional questions please send an email.
🥕 City of Atlanta Department of City Planning, Office of Housing and Community Development, and AgLanta Grows-A-Lot are looking for volunteers on Sunday morning for the new Five Points Farm and Community Garden. You will help transition the garden from the old space on top of the Five Points MARTA station to the new location directly across from the Greyhound station. Expect to pitch in with weeding, planting, watering, harvesting, and site beautification projects. Please be sure to read email instructions carefully after signing up, especially for map details.
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📧 Today’s newsletter was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
