Holiday happenings
Dec. 19 — The holiday season is in high gear, and this week’s newsletter is packed with information to ensure you’re making the most of it.
🛠️ Urbanize Atlanta reports Sandy Springs has approved construction of a condo building with 98 units to be built near Powers Ferry Road and the Cochran Shoals Trail at the Chattahoochee River.
🏡 Citizens On Patrol volunteers are partnering with the Sandy Springs Police Department to keep an eye on residents’ homes, yards, or businesses while they’re out of town for the holidays through Home Safe Home. Sign up here.
🎁 The Sandy Springs Holiday Gift Guide features items with a local connection for last-minute shoppers.
🍾 If you haven’t made your plans yet for New Year’s Eve, il Giallo in Sandy Springs Circle is featuring a special three-course menu as well as other options. And for the early birds, Vino Venue in Dunwoody will have sparkling wine and small bites from 6 to 8 p.m.
Check out additional suggestions from Rough Draft’s dining team.
Thanks for reading!
The Rough Draft Team
🏀 ATL – Celebrate the holidays with Hawks basketball! Big games vs. top opponents like the Spurs, Bulls, Heat, Knicks & Timberwolves await. Secure your seats today to be a part of the action. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Sandy Springs unites against antisemitism
💝 Sandy Springs officials stood in solidarity with victims and families from recent antisemitic events in Australia and at Brown University during a menorah lighting ceremony at City Springs on Dec. 16.
Mayor Rusty Paul spoke about how recent events like the attacks in Australia and Brown University bring the rise in antisemitism front and center, and that “we must not let those events hinder our light. We stand in solidarity with the victims and their families.”
A city spokesperson told Rough Draft that Council members Andy Bauman and Jody Reichel echoed the mayor’s sentiment. They said the recent events have “rocked” them, but they are proud to live in a community where they feel safe.
🫶🏼 Read more about the ceremony.
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Sandy Springs ends court battle over sidewalk project
🚸 The City Council voted on Dec. 16 to approve paying a settlement of $790,000 for a few thousand square feet of land for the second phase of the Roswell Road sidewalks project south of I-285.
City Attorney Dan Lee said during the council’s meeting that the settlement ends the condemnation of the property by the city. The property owner had appealed the condemnation, saying that the city’s proposed $423,000 payment was inadequate.
🏦 Also during the meeting, the council approved a drive-through for a bank branch in the shopping center north of Sandy Springs Circle on Roswell Road that used to be Cornerstone Bank.
👨🏽🚒 And the council gave approval to Sandy Springs Fire Chief Keith Sanders to apply for a Firehouse Subs grant to buy gear that firefighters can use to escape if trapped in a multi-story house.
🗞️ Read Bob Pepalis’ full City Council wrap up on these items.
Sandy Springs @ 20
SPONSORED BYMWT WINDOWS
👏🏼 Eva Galambos: The Mother of Sandy Springs — It’s been 10 years since the passing of Mayor Eva Galambos, who was known locally as the mother of Sandy Springs. Flags flew at half mast when she lost a battle with cancer at age 87 in April 2015.
As Sandy Springs celebrates 20 years of cityhood, Rough Draft is taking a look back in time at the city’s first mayor, who has been called tenacious, engaging, and enduring.
Galambos spent endless hours volunteering with Sandy Springs Revitalization, Sandy Springs Clean and Beautiful, Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods, and the Fulton County Public Housing Authority.
From 1975 to 2005, Galambos was the president of the Committee for Sandy Springs – the group that fought to incorporate Sandy Springs.
“She had that gift of bringing people onto her side, of coming to the table with you, explaining an idea to you and when she left you thought it was your idea because now she put you in charge of implementing it,” Sandy Springs City Council Member Tibby DeJulio said.
📍 Read more about the impact Eva Galambos made.
ALSO
🏙️ When Sandy Springs became a city in 2005, it provided the impetus for nearby areas to do the same, changing the landscape of the North Atlanta metro area. Now, on the 20th anniversary of its incorporation, mayors from nearby cities reflect on the influence Sandy Springs had on their journeys to cityhood.
Online coverage of Sandy Springs @ 20 is sponsored byMWT Windows.Get a free consultation today!
‘The Wizard of Oz’ brings heart to Sandy Springs
🌈 The 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” is nothing if not a tough act to follow. Starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, a young Kansas girl who wakes up after a tornado to find herself in the magical land of Oz, the film’s legacy spans generations. It’s beloved by moviegoers, young and old. It’s filled with indelible performances and fantastic technical achievements. It is, to put it bluntly, singular.
But while following in the footsteps of one of the best movies ever made seems like an impossible task, the City Springs Theatre Company’s production of “The Wizard of Oz” — directed by Baayork Lee and running at the Byers Theatre through Dec. 28— is a worthy, if not perfect, successor.
🦁 Read Sammie Purcell’s full review.
🏀 ATL – Celebrate the holidays with Hawks basketball! Big games vs. top opponents like the Spurs, Bulls, Heat, Knicks & Timberwolves await. Secure your seats today to be a part of the action. SPONSOR MESSAGE
What’s doin’ around Sandy Springs
🕎 Dec. 19: Hanukkah latke dinner and Hanukiyah lighting at Congregation Or Hadash
🎤 Dec. 19:Poetry open mic night at Phoenix & Dragon Bookstore
🎶 Dec. 19: The Kudzu Players: A Christmas Carol at Georgia Ensemble Theatre
🎅🏼 Dec. 20:Breakfast with Santa at Egg Harbor Café
⛸️ Dec. 20: Grinchmas Glide Night at Skate Sandy Springs
🦞 Dec. 21:Cousins Main Lobster at Lowe’s Home Improvement
🍸 Dec. 22:Bourbon Brothers Holiday Brunch at O’Reilly’s Public House
🗓️ Add your event to our free, online event calendar.
The Sports Section
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCORE ATLANTA
🏀 BOYSBASKETBALL
- Holy Innocents’ (8-2): Dec. 29 vs. Northside Christian, FL. (8-2)
- Lovett (7-3): Friday vs. Christian Heritage (6-1); Saturday vs. Midtown (4-5)
- Mt. Vernon (10-0): Monday vs. Lake Highland Prep, FL. (6-1)
- North Springs (4-8): Friday vs. Clarkston (2-12); Saturday vs. Riverwood (4-6)
- Pace Academy (3-5): Dec. 26-30, Les Schwab Invitational (Portland, OR.)
- Riverwood (4-6): Saturday @ North Springs (4-8)
- Westminster (10-0): Dec. 29 vs. IC Imagine, NC. (8-1)
🏀 GIRLS BASKETBALL
- Holy Innocents’ (6-3): Saturday vs. Fleming, VA. (2-2)
- Lovett (5-3): Friday vs. Rumson-Fair Haven (2-0); Saturday vs. Georgetown Day, DC. (1-5)
- Mt. Vernon (0-7): Jan. 6 @ Wesleyan (1-6)
- North Springs (1-9): Friday vs. Clarkston (1-10); Saturday vs. Riverwood (4-8)
- Pace Academy (2-4): Saturday @ Wesleyan (1-6)
- Riverwood (4-8): Saturday @ North Springs (1-9); Monday @ Centennial (1-7)
- Westminster (8-2): Dec. 27 vs. Lucy Beckham, SC. (3-2)
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