Sandy Springs art scene
Oct. 3 — There’s just a few days left to submit questions for the WSB-TV/Rough Draft Atlanta Sandy Springs Mayoral Forum. Learn more about the forum and how to watch it here.
Rough Draft will also host a virtual candidate forum for all City Council races on Monday, Oct. 6, from noon to 3 p.m. The public can register to attend via Zoom at this link.
🦌 Sandy Springs police got an unexpected surprise while searching for suspects breaking into cars.
🚨 A man wanted for making terrorists threats in Sandy Springs was arrested in South Georgia.
👩🏼🎨 The Gallery at Sandy Springs City Hall is showcasing the work of international impressionistic artist and instructor Kathy Rennell Forbes.
📚 Check out the latest issue of our print paper Sandy Springs Reporter that includes all you need to know for the upcoming Book Festival of the MJCCA, which kicks off Oct. 22 with bestselling author John Grisham.
PICTURE THIS:Three children who are fighting or have fought childhood cancer represented Sandy Springs-based Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research at the White House this week as President Trump signed a childhood cancer executive order.
📧 Send us your cool pictures on events impacting Sandy Springs and its residents.
Thanks for reading!
The Rough Draft Team
🍷 The 3rd Annual Sandy Springs Wine Festival is Sun., Oct 5, starting with a reserve tasting at 2 p.m. featuring exclusive $90+ wines. General Tasting is from 3-5 p.m. and offers 100+ wines, local restaurant bites & live music. Benefiting Solidarity Sandy Springs. Get tickets here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
North Springs and Riverwood boast high graduation rates
🎓 North Springs and Riverwood International Charter high schools in Sandy Springs had impressive graduation rates last year in Georgia as Fulton County Schools reached its highest level in the district’s history.
North Springs four-year graduation rate was 94.9 percent and Riverwood attained a 97.1 percent graduation rate for the 2024-2025 school year, according to the Georgia Department of Education’s Inspire website.
The school district attained a 91.9 percent overall rate, according to a news release. It was the fifth year in a row that Fulton County Schools (FCS) broke graduation records.
Cut costs, not comfort. Your Rapid Ride seat is waiting.
SPONSORED BY PERIMETER COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS
🚙 Driving to Perimeter doesn’t have to be a hassle. With Rapid Ride, you and your coworkers can share the ride, set your own schedule and pick-up points, and commute stress-free for just $75/month. That flat fee covers everything: Express Lane access, gas, insurance, and maintenance. With flexible schedules and direct routes, your ride is always reliable.
✔️ Commuting from Conyers or the Sugarloaf Mills/Duluth area? Routes in your area are starting soon—sign up now to save your seat!
Chattahoochee River Park trails remain accessible despite government shutdown
🌳 The official friends’ group of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area said that although the federal government shutdown means the park is officially closed, it will remain accessible to the public.
Brittany Jones, executive director of the Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy, said in a new release that residents may still visit the park, but all park operations are suspended. The visitor center is closed, and park programming has been cancelled.
According to Jones, trash collection will be limited. Bathrooms will remain open. However, they will not be cleaned or restocked on a regular schedule.
🥾 Read more to plan your visit.
Latin American artists exhibits come to Sandy Springs
🎨 This fall, the Gallery at Abernathy Arts Center presents “Caminos Compartidos” (“Shared Paths”), a Hispanic Heritage Month exhibition featuring nine artists of Latin American origin. On view through Oct. 30, the exhibition explores how heritage, ancestry, and migration influence art.
Curated by Brazilian-born, Atlanta-based artist Carol Santos, it includes painters, sculptors, and installation artists whose work speaks to personal histories and a broader Latino experience often overlooked in Atlanta.
Santos says the title points to the balance between the individual and the community. “Each artist approaches their practice in a distinct way and explores subjects unique to their own journey,” she explains. “Yet what unites them is a profound commitment to sharing their cultural heritage and personal experiences through their art.”
📌 Read more about the exhibits.
Baraonda’s butternut squash ravioli recipe
😋 Baraonda Ristorante and Bar in Sandy Springs shared its recipe for butternut squash ravioli with Rough Draft dining reporter Sarra Sedghi.
The recipe calls for Grana Padano cheese, a northern Italian hard cheese akin to Parmesan, and Mostarda Mantovana, an Italian condiment you can purchase at a specialty food shop like Tuscany at Your Table in Virginia-Highland or online. (Buon’Italia has a particularly good selection.) You can also make mostarda at home, using apples or quince.
Baraonda’s ravioli recipe involves, but does not require, a pasta maker.
🧑🏼🍳 Get the full recipe here and let us know if you give it a try!
IN OTHER RESTAURANT NEWS
🩷 Rough Draft’s Side Dish reports nearby Joey D’s is offering a pink martini as part of the annual Pink Kiss for the Cure campaign to raise funds for breast cancer research. Proceeds benefit nonprofit Living Beyond Breast Cancer.
🍽️ If you want more recipes and news on Atlanta’s food and dining scene, check out our Side Dish and Family Meal weekly newsletters.
🍷 The 3rd Annual Sandy Springs Wine Festival is Sun., Oct 5, starting with a reserve tasting at 2 p.m. featuring exclusive $90+ wines. General Tasting is from 3-5 p.m. and offers 100+ wines, local restaurant bites & live music. Benefiting Solidarity Sandy Springs. Get tickets here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
What’s doin’ around Sandy Springs
🍷 Oct. 5: The 3rd Annual Sandy Springs Wine Festival takes place this weekend. Get tickets here.
🏳️🌈 Oct 5:Fall Into Pride at La Dee Da!
🎻 Oct. 6: Bluegrass Monday at O’Reilly’s Public House.
🌞 Oct. 7:AM Crush Hour at City Springs.
🧘🏼♀️ Oct. 7:Yogaland Young Yogi at Hammond Park.
SAVE THE DATE
🎼 Oct. 18: Our Dunwoody neighbors host the Sounds of Dunwoody concert from 3 to 10 p.m.
🌊 March 31, 2026: Tickets are on sale now for Billy Ocean, who will perform at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center.
🎟️ April 11, 2026: The creator of the “History that doesn’t suck!” podcast is coming to Sandy Springs. Tickets are on sale now.
The Sports Section
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCORE ATLANTA
🏈 FOOTBALL
- Holy Innocents’ (5-1): Friday vs. Hapeville Charter (1-4)
- Lovett (4-2): Friday vs. Therrell (1-5)
- Mt. Vernon (2-4): Friday vs. Wesleyan (4-2)
- North Springs (1-5): Friday @ Marist (4-1)
- Pace Academy (2-4): Friday @ Creekside (6-0)
- Riverwood (1-5): Friday vs. River Ridge (5-1)
- Westminster (2-4): Friday vs. Cambridge (5-1)
🥎 SOFTBALL
- Holy Innocents’ (10-6-1): Tuesday vs. Woodward Academy (6-10)
- Lovett (6-10): Monday vs. North Springs (7-12)
- Mt. Vernon (18-5): Saturday vs. Whitefield Academy (11-6-1)
- North Springs (7-12): Monday @ Lovett (6-10)
- Pace Academy (10-7): Saturday @ Pope (15-10)
- Riverwood (11-9): Tuesday vs. River Ridge (11-10)
- Westminster (12-11): Monday vs. Hebron Christian (23-1)
🏐 VOLLEYBALL
- Holy Innocents’ (17-15): Tuesday vs. Coretta Scott King YWLA (5:30 p.m.); Tuesday vs. TBA (7:30 p.m.)
- Pace Academy (27-7): Saturday @ Pope (25-7)
- Riverwood (17-15): Tuesday @ Creekview (14-14)
- Westminster (33-9): Thursday vs. Kell (21-17)
🏈 Score Atlanta Game of the Week: Tonight’s matchup between the Class 6A fifth-ranked McEachern Indians (5-0) at the Harrison Hoyas (5-0) will be televised live at 8 p.m. on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and the Peachtree Sports Network (cable and YouTube TV), and streamed digitally on the Atlanta News First (ANF) website/app and the NFHS Network.
Tune in at 7:30 for the Georgia High School Countdown to Kickoff for pregame festivities and our guest picker, and stay tuned after the game for the Georgia High School Postgame Show.
☑️ We appreciate everyone who has been encouraging people to sign up for our newsletter. Here is the link. 👋 And here’s a link to subscribe to some of our other newsletters. SPONSOR MESSAGE