Tapping into Tuesday
June 10 — Hello, Silver Streak readers!
With June gaining momentum, summer events calendars are filling up. This weekend marks the Beltline BikeFest – a 3-5 mile community ride culminating in a festival with music, food vendors, and bike safety lessons. And, if you are looking for ways to celebrate Pride Month, we have a lineup featuring everything from pub crawls and concerts to theatre productions, drag shows, and arts events. Plus, we have more details on Atlanta’s strides to reduce homelessness, an ongoing effort that has resulted in a nine percent drop in unhoused people since 2020.
But first a few headlines:
🏋️ Starting this week, Brookhaven Parks and Recreation is offering a 12-week Active Living Every Day program on Mondays from 6:30-7:30 at the Briarwood Recreation Community Center.
🚐 The Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority approved $1.75 million from its trust fund for a driverless shuttle pilot program connecting Atlanta University Center with the Atlanta Beltline.
🚲 Work has begun on the first phase of a multi-year effort to improve the 66 miles of trails across the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
🏓 Tucker City Council passed a 4-3 motion on Monday to reopen the bid process for a controversial proposed pickleball court complex.
🎗️ Atlanta’s hip-hop community is mourning the passing of D.R.E.S. Tha Beatnik (Andre Lett), who died Monday.
🕓 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Best LGBTQ+ events in June
• Combatting homelessness
• Beltline BikeFest
AND
• Stories of Atlanta | Lance Russell
Enjoy!
The best LGBTQ+ events happening in June
🏳️🌈 From theatrical productions to festivals, June is chock-full of LGBTQ+ events to attend.
Interested in sampling cocktails or a new IPA? My Sister’s Room celebrates on June 14-15 with their 15th annual Rainbow Pub Crawl. Or check out the O4W Pride Crawl on June 29, which includes Pieces, Lore, Sister Louisa’s, and more.
Curious about music-centered options? Consider Disney Pride in Concert with The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus at Atlanta Symphony Hall on June 21.
🌈 For the full list and more details visit here.
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Atlanta’s efforts to combat homelessness show promising results
🤝 Chronic homelessness has dropped nine percent, thanks in part to the City of Atlanta and local agencies’ dedication to rehoming people, a new report states.
Partners for HOME (Housing Opportunities Made for Everyone) found that pandemic-related homelessness is stabilizing. “We are at a critical inflection point — on the cusp of decreasing homelessness in Atlanta,” the 2025 Point In Time Count report states.
In January 2020, more than 3,240 people were experiencing homelessness in the City of Atlanta. In January 2025, the numbers are down to 2,867 people.
“We need the right types of housing at the right affordability with the right complement of supportive services to ensure [vulnerable] folks have access to housing and can stabilize in housing and not return to homelessness,” said Partners for HOME CEO Cathryn Vassell.
🏠 Read more about the efforts to reduce homelessness here.
Beltline BikeFest comes to Southwest Trail on June 14
🚲 On Sat., June 14, from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Atlanta Beltline will partner once again with V-103 DJ Big Tigger and his Big Tigger Foundation to present the 3rd annual Big Tigger’s Beltline BikeFest.
The family-friendly event will take place, for the first time, along the Beltline’s Southwest Trail. Tigger and his celebrity friends will lead participants on a 3- to 5-mile community ride beginning and ending at Lee + White in West End. Participation is free, but registration is required.
As part of the event, the Big Tigger Foundation will continue its tradition of donating more than 200 bikes and helmets to students from neighboring communities and schools.
‘Life-threatening Politics’: Stories of Atlanta by Lance Russell
VIA SAPORTAREPORT
🗡️ In this episode of Stories of Atlanta, part of our Atlanta history series “Iron and Ambition,” we travel back to 1848 – a time when political insults came with real consequences.
When Georgia Superior Court Justice Francis Cone called Alexander Stephens a “traitor,” it wasn’t taken lightly. Stephens, known as “Little Alex,” days earlier, had publicly told bystanders he would slap Cone in the face for insulting him. Days later, at an Atlanta hotel, Cone and Stephens had a chance encounter and, true to his word, Stephens, armed with a cane, did indeed strike Cone. Cone didn’t have a cane, but he did have a knife. What happened next nearly changed Georgia’s political history forever.
👉 Find out what happens when politics turn personal 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.
