The Dunwoody Homeowners Association announced the theme of its annual Fourth of July Parade and this year’s grand marshals, the Dunwoody Preservation Trust.
The theme for the parade, “Honoring the Past, Marching into the Future,” reflects the 50th year of the parade, and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, said Matt Weber, parade co-chair.
“Thank you so much – we are so honored,” said Kristin Simons, the organization’s executive director, after the announcement. “Rekindling our relationship with the DHA has been a huge blessing.”
The parade is the largest Independence Day parade in the state of Georgia, drawing 2,000 participants and 25,000 spectators along the 2.7-mile route. Rough Draft Atlanta is a presenting sponsor of the parade.
The Dunwoody Preservation Trust was founded by two longtime Dunwoody icons, Joyce Amacher and Lynne Byrd, spurred by the overnight demolition of two 1880 railroad section houses.
“Of the three buildings that once housed the workers who laid the tracks for Old Buck, also called The Dinky, the little train that connected the farms of 19th-Century Dunwoody to the world beyond, only one remained,” the DPT website said. “With developers closing in on a more significant property, the 1906 Cheek-Spruill House, the two concerned women, both experienced historic preservationists, founded the Dunwoody Preservation Trust, a 501(c)(3), with seed money from the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, the de facto Dunwoody government at the time.”
Since its inception, the DPT has saved some of the most iconic historical properties in Dunwoody, including the Cheek-Spruill house at the corner of Mt. Vernon and Chamblee Dunwoody roads.
In addition, the DPT played an integral role in the years-long renovation of the Donaldson-Bannister Farm, which is located at the corner of Chamblee Dunwoody and Vermack Roads.
The DPT is also the driving force behind one of Dunwoody’s favorite annual events – Lemonade Days – which started in response to the 1998 tornado that displaced 1,500 families along with 750 acres of land and totaling $150 million in destruction.
2025 highlights
In other action, DHA President Tim Brown recapped the year’s highlights, including updating the organization’s branding, logo, website, and social media presence. He also discussed the success of Light-Up Dunwoody’s relocation to the Donaldson-Bannister Farm.
“The challenge is 2026 is that we’ve done all these things, so this is the year we have to capitalize on all the things we did in 2025,” Brown said. “This year, we are going to focus on marketing – creating a marketing strategy and executing it.”
That will include pursuing new sponsor opportunities for DHA-driven events, like the weekly farmer’s market and Food Truck Thursdays at Brook Run Park, he said.
New board members
Brown announced former Dunwoody City Council candidate David Ziskind, as well as Denise Dudley have been appointed to the at-large board.
Bob Fiscella, the former DHA President before Brown, will roll off the executive board, but remain on the at-large board. Longtime DHA member and former Dunwoody Council Member Robert Wittenstein will also roll off the at-large board, as will Caren Morrison.
Brown presented two candidates to serve on the executive board, Jeannie Posner and Bob Dallas, whom the board approved unanimously.