Centenarian Tuesday
March 25 — Hello, Silver Streak readers!
Celebrations are in the air for 100th birthdays! Leadership Perimeter team honored community members who turned 100 years or older on March 19 in Sandy Springs. Bob Pepalis has more on that story below. And, for literary fans, today also marks the 100th birthday of Southern Gothic writer, Flannery O’Connor.
📖 Speaking of books – sci-fi, fantasy, and horror fans can also rejoice! Offbeat Books, an independent bookstore focused on these genres – and more! – is slated to open in Peoplestown this summer.
And, an Atlanta-themed poster – featuring a soccer ball inside of a peach along with the city skyline – has been revealed for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It is one of 16 that will be unveiled over the next month.
And now for a few headlines:
💰 Georgia taxpayers will receive one-time rebates of up to $500 after Gov. Brian Kemp signed two tax relief measures aimed at reducing the state income tax.
🏢 Developers want to transform a 600,000-square-foot office building into condos at Perimeter Center.
🗳 Georgia election officials are set to cancel approximately 455,000 inactive voter registrations this summer, one of the largest purges in U.S. history.
📎 City of Atlanta workers have been ordered back to the office starting next month.
🏠 Housing rights advocates are disappointed by the lack of progress on bills to protect Georgians from rising rents, problematic landlords, and eviction threats as the 2025 legislative session nears its end.
🕓 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter.
• Celebrating Centenarians
• Offbeat Books to open
• 2026 FIFA World Cup poster
AND
• Stories of Atlanta | Lance Russell
Enjoy!
Leadership Perimeter team honors community’s centenarians at special event
💯 A Leadership Perimeter team celebrated community members who are 100 years old or older on March 19 at the Dorothy C. Benson Senior Multipurpose Complex in Sandy Springs.
“We were able to choose any community service project of our preference,” said Kate Allen, one of the Leadership Perimeter team members. “And we wanted to honor our seniors, and specifically this special group of centenarians in our community. So today’s event is truly dedicated to celebrating our seniors and recognizing those who have reached the incredible milestone of 100 years of age.”
Seven honorees attended the Celebrating Centenarians event, which was the Leadership Perimeter team’s impact project. Another soon-to-be 100-year-old was also recognized. Three other centenarians scheduled to be honored, including a 109-year-old, were unable to attend.
Join us for the 2025 Mourning Glory Gala
IN SUPPORT OF KATE’S CLUB
💙 You’re invited to the 2025 Mourning Glory Gala, benefiting the kids, families, and young adults of Kate’s Club. On Sat., April 26, we will come together at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta Buckhead as a community of grievers and supporters, ready to embrace our vision of a world in which it’s okay to grieve – all while enjoying a fun and memorable evening!
✨ Guests will enjoy an inspiring program, live entertainment, and meaningful opportunities to support grieving children, their families, and young adults. Save me a seat!
Offbeat Books to open first location at Terminal South this summer
📚 Offbeat Books, a new locally-owned, independent bookstore, will open the doors to its inaugural location this summer at the Terminal South mixed-use development in Atlanta.
Founded by Lindsi Bollinger, Offbeat Books is a bookstore that has “love for the unconventional,” featuring a curated collection of reads across all genres, with a particular focus on sci-fi, fantasy, horror and strange-but-true history.
For Bollinger, the opening of Offbeat Books represents the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to offer literary works that devolve from the norm of conventional bookstores.
😱 Read more about the bookstore here.
RELATED
🎂 Today marks the 100th birthday of Georgia literary icon Flannery O’Connor. Georgia College in Milledgeville has events throughout the week to honor the milestone.
Atlanta-themed poster revealed for 2026 FIFA World Cup
⚽ The Atlanta World Cup Host Committee has unveiled a city-themed poster for FIFA World Cup 2026.
Designed by Atlanta artist Jose Hadathy, the poster is one of 16 to be unveiled over the next month.
The poster features a golden soccer ball inside a peach, the city skyline, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta Stadium, Krog Street Tunnel, Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home, Midtown’s Rainbow Crosswalk, and MARTA.
🏆 Check out more on this story here.
‘Waiting for a Train’: Stories of Atlanta by Lance Russell
VIA SAPORTAREPORT
🍑 The terminus for the Western and Atlantic railroad line had, in 1842, been moved from land lot #78 onto five acres of land donated to the state by Samuel Mitchell, the owner of land lot #77.
Former Governor Wilson Lumpkin, who negotiated the land deal with Mr. Mitchell – along with engineer F.C. Arms and others – helped Samuel Mitchell draw up plans to subdivide his land into lots, effectively creating the first plans for what would become Atlanta.
The first train in Atlanta, the locomotive “Florida,” had been hauled in by a team of mules and placed on Western and Atlantic’s tracks for first its run to Marietta, which took place in December of 1842. W&A Chief Engineer C.F.M. Garnett had constructed a plank depot and beside it, the area’s first two-story building. That W&W trial run to Marietta would be the only rail activity the community would see for quite a while to come.
Progress connecting three rail lines was painfully slow, leading some in the community to doubt the system would ever be built.
🛤️ Find out more on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
Explore more of our newsletters
💡 Did you know Silver Streak has other newsletters that go deeper into what’s happening across metro Atlanta?
➡ Stacks: Our newest newsletter covering Atlanta’s literary scene, author profiles, book reviews, and more comes out the second Sunday of each month.
➡ Sketchbook: All about Atlanta’s art scene. Artist profiles, art openings, museum events. Wednesdays.
➡ Side Dish: News about the food scene. Beyond just openings and closings, Side Dish includes recipes and a regular feature on pop-ups. Thursdays.
➡ Scene: The only newsletter focused on the movie world. Reviews, interviews, podcasts. Fridays.
📧 All of our newsletters are free, you can unsubscribe at any time, and we never sell your data. Subscribe here.
🖋️ Today’s Silver Streak was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
