AI is dumb, part two
March 4 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Dunwoody. After last week’s newsletter diatribe about the AI-generated email soliciting a bid to clean Rough Draft’s U.S. Post Office box, it seems that this company is now doubling down in a follow-up email to help us with our perceived slovenliness:
🐷 “Just a reminder that other newspapers in the Atlanta area trust us to keep their workspaces clean and maintain a welcoming environment for their staff and readers,” the missive reads. The rep is apparently giving us one more chance to rectify our terrible working conditions. I’ll keep you posted.
Lots of things are popping up in Dunwoody right now. Here are a few newsy items for you to pencil into your desk calendar.
🚚 Here’s a fun way to help with fundraising and have a great night out at the same time. The Bring it Home campaign to raise funds for additions to the Dunwoody High School football stadium is having a party on March 7 at (where else?) Bar{n}, which, as a reminder, is pronounced “barn.” The campaign is still $300K short of its $1.5 million goal. Tickets, which are $30, can be bought in advance or at the event. Family Truckster is the headliner.
💮 Stage Door Theatre’s next production is a great classic, “Steel Magnolias,” which will run from April 4-19. You can buy tickets here.
🍋 Speaking of great traditions, Lemonade Days is fast approaching. For those who haven’t been around forever, Lemonade Days began in 1999 as a relief effort for families affected by the 1998 tornado that destroyed entire Dunwoody neighborhoods. It runs from Wed., April 22 to Sun. April 26. I’m still hanging on to hope that someday I will be selected queen of the event, but I think the criteria is that you actually have to have done something great for the city. That’s not me. Penny Forman, who runs many city events without enough recognition, would be a great selection, IMO.
🍷 Finally, speaking of past newsletters, after saying that nothing is happening at the soon-to-never-open Shallowford Road wine store, I saw a dumpster and actual people working there. Stay alert.
🌤️ Have a great Wednesday,
Cathy
🎉 Team Hidi 2026 is the culinary event you don’t want to miss. Celebrate food service workers on Sun., March 15, at Truist Park, with nearly 100 food and beverage partners supporting Giving Kitchen’s mission. Get details and tickets here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
(Exactly) one month later, Archer is home
🐩 Stylist Douglas Nitcher, whose dog Archer disappeared after slipping out of Dunwoody’s Balance Salon and Boutique at Park Place on Jan. 28 – and was thought to have fallen into the wrong hands – was ready to go on with his life after a month of searching in vain for his beloved pet.
“I had finally decided that I couldn’t be sad all the time and I needed to live in gratitude,” Nitcher said. “Gratitude for the community and the work, which was the only thing that was getting me through this.”
🥲 Then Nitcher got the phone call for which he had been desperately hoping. Read about the tearful reunion here.
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That got out of hand in a hurry
😡 Emotions ran high on Feb. 26 at Cross Keys High School in Brookhaven as hundreds of people attended a feedback session regarding the DeKalb County School’s proposal to close or repurpose 27 schools throughout the county.
In mid-February, the school revealed a list of schools that could be closed or repurposed based on a recommendation in the Student Assignment Project (SAP) as part of an effort to address the district’s ongoing declining enrollment. The list targeted low-population schools and those with smaller capacities. Kingsley, Vanderlyn, and Ashford Park are three elementary schools on that list.
The Cross Keys meeting was one of several throughout the county that gave interested parties a chance to ask questions about the first phase of the project, which identified buildings targeted for closure or repurposing.
🤬 Despite the moderators’ efforts keep the narrative to that topic, the tone of the attendees’ questions was more accusatory than inquisitive. Read more about it here.
Dan & Company ribbon-cutting
🩰 The city celebrated the renovation of a beloved institution, Dan & Company dance studio in Dunwoody Village, on March 2. The studio has been in existence for 56 years under the tutelage of Ronda and Dan Youmans, who died in 2022.
Their daughter, Tina Youmans Hidalgo, who is carrying on her parents’ legacy, recently celebrated the new space next to Good Vibes Ice Cream shop.
“My parents started this studio 56 years ago, and they would be so incredibly proud of where we are now,” Hidalgo said. “Everyone has made this so beautiful, and we can’t thank you enough. We’re ready for another 50 years.”
Dan & Company dancers have been a staple at many Dunwoody traditions, including celebrations at Light Up Dunwoody and its annual Fourth of July Parade. The studio offers a variety of programs for ages three and up, including ballet, hip hop, jazz, contemporary, and tap dancing.
🎉 Team Hidi 2026 is the culinary event you don’t want to miss. Celebrate food service workers on Sun., March 15, at Truist Park, with nearly 100 food and beverage partners supporting Giving Kitchen’s mission. Get details and tickets here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Picture this: Village Crossing Open House
🍕 More than 150 people came to Vintage Pizza on March 3 to view proposed plans for the Village Crossing path plan, which is in the planning stages.
Proposed features include a second northbound left‑turn lane at the intersection of Chamblee Dunwoody and Mount Vernon roads; separated, one‑way cycle tracks (five-feet wide) on both sides of the roadway; wider sidewalks (six- to eight-feet) with trees, decorative lighting, benches, and bus shelters; raised and landscaped medians in select locations; and Intersection upgrades at Roberts Drive.
The city has received $6 million in federal funding for construction and $1.85 million for design, with the project anticipated to begin in winter 2029.
📈 If you missed the session, it’s not too late to weigh in. You can complete a survey about your preferences using this link.
