Why did the chicken cross the playground?*
Nov. 12 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Dunwoody. So much is going on this week in Dunwoody, with meetings, ceremonies, ribbon-cuttings, business openings, and author talks. And three flakes of snow.
📕 For starters, Prelude Bookstore, the city’s first independent bookstore, opened in Dunwoody Village this week, right next to Valor Coffee. The city dedicated its new veterans memorial, the council indicated that at least one of several chicken joints trying to roost in Dunwoody may not enter the coop, and Alton Brown came to town to discuss his new book and drink red wine at the MJCCA.
☃️ Thanks for reading,
Cathy
* To get to the other slide.
🚌 Dunwoody families: Now is the time to tour Greater Atlanta Christian School and see why your neighbors choose GAC for top-tier academics, Christian faith, and a caring Infant–12th grade community. AM & PM bus routes offer convenience for Dunwoody families. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Council calls fowl play
🐓 Members of the Dunwoody City Council, at its Nov. 10 meeting, voiced serious concerns about granting a Special Land Use Permit for a drive-through fast-food restaurant on Ashford Dunwoody Road.
Raising Cane’s is petitioning for the SLUP to construct a 2,900 square-foot restaurant with double-drive-through service lanes on a 1.56-acre site at 4570 Ashford Dunwoody Rd. The site formerly housed a bank and has been vacant for about two years.
The council had already approved the site for a zoning change from O-I (Office-Industrial) to PC-1 to allow for a restaurant as an accepted use. The public hearing drew a bunch of people who held up signs to indicate they were so-called “Caniacs,” but our mayor then asked how many of them lived or worked in Dunwoody. Cue the crickets.
🤔 Read more about the meeting here.
More Than a Classroom, Greater Learning
SPONSORED BY GREATER ATLANTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
📈 Greater Atlanta Christian School, serving Infant–12th grade, continues to lead in innovative Christian education in Atlanta. The new Tidwell Commons provides Middle and High School students with hands-on learning spaces, including media studios, a modern library, and the Center for Christian Life and Missions.
Plus, GAC’s new Business Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program lets students explore business with real-world learning. From mastering the basics of entrepreneurship to stepping into C-suite roles at the on-campus coffee shop, students gain unparalleled experience – all without leaving campus.
🎬 Watch the reveal video and schedule your GAC campus visit to tour our innovative learning spaces!
Honoring our heroes (quickly)
🥶 Attendees braved 40-degree temperatures and brisk winds to dedicate a new veterans installation at Brook Run Park during an abbreviated ceremony on Nov. 11. BTW, this weather is called “late spring” in Ohio.
Dunwoody Parks and Recreation began planning the memorial’s revitalization in 2022, and DeKalb County Commissioner Robert Patrick allocated $100,000 from his district’s discretionary funds for the design.
The memorial features marble plaques, service flags, an eternal flame, and a Soldier’s Cross – a symbolic tribute with a rifle, helmet, and boots representing the fallen. A small path connects the Veterans Memorial with the Vietnam War Memorial, which was dedicated last year.
The ceremony’s featured speaker was Captain Wayne Radloff, USN (Ret), a longtime Dunwoody resident who served more than 30 years of active duty as a Naval flight officer.
Radloff kicked off his remarks by saying, “It’s cold, we’re in the shade, and my wife is already giving me the high sign [to wrap it up], but it’s an honor to be here this morning.”
🇺🇸 Here’s a brief story about the day.
🚌 Dunwoody families: Now is the time to tour Greater Atlanta Christian School and see why your neighbors choose GAC for top-tier academics, Christian faith, and a caring Infant–12th grade community. AM & PM bus routes offer convenience for Dunwoody families. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Alton Brown says ‘AI can’t eat food’
🤖 Here are a few tidbits from Alton Brown’s appearance at the Book Festival of the MJCCA.
He owns 17,000 cookbooks. He likes to be invited to a “hard-core” seder so he can enjoy his favorite foods. He dresses “for the coffin” so he can look good “going out.” If he owned a restaurant, he would call it “Witch” after his wife (if you read the story, he somehow makes this statement a compliment.)
🌶️ The guy is an absolute quote machine. Here’s my story about the night.
Lace ’em up at High Street
❄️High Street will open its full line-up of holiday events, including Dunwoody’s first-ever outdoor ice skating rink, a holiday pop-up bar at Maya Speak Tiki in Agave Bandido, a complimentary Santa experience in High Street’s jewelbox space, and various festivities throughout the holiday season, according to a press release.
Holiday at High Street will kick off on Sunday, Nov. 23, with the opening of High Street Skate on The Green. The rink operates weather permitting, so check High Street’s social channels for real-time updates. Timed ticketing and safety protocols will be implemented. Hours: Mondays – Thursdays: 4–9 p.m., Fridays: 4 –10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
⛸ Skates are included with each $18 ticket purchase. A lineup of High Street holiday activities can be found here.
DNC celebrates restoration projects
🏞️Dunwoody leaders gathered to celebrate a new boardwalk and wetlands restoration at the Dunwoody Nature Center on a cold Monday, Nov. 10.
“This project has been a long time in the making, so it is incredibly rewarding to see it come to life,” said Dunwoody Nature Center Executive Director Nancy Longacre. “We are thrilled to invite the public to walk the new boardwalk, experience the restored wetlands, and see the transformation firsthand. It’s a meaningful step forward in our ability to connect people with nature in a sustainable, accessible way.”
The new boardwalk is higher, longer, and wider, providing ADA access to playgrounds. Along the way, there are outdoor classrooms for studying Dunwoody’s aquatic resources, plus seating and observation decks.
🦋 I couldn’t make it to the ceremony, but here’s a preview story I wrote last week.
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