Election destination
Mar. 13 — Welcome back to Rough Draft Sandy Springs! As promised last week, Hayden compiled a comprehensive guide for the 2026 Sandy Springs elections, which we highlight below. And get ready to impress your friends and family with all the knowledge you’ll gain from Rough Draft’s 2026 Election Guide
🌤️ We have another pretty weekend in store with temperatures reaching the 70s Saturday and Sunday before dropping back to near freezing to start next week. Hold off on your spring planting for just a while longer.
🤝 Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul and other leaders in the North Fulton Municipal Association are preparing for negotiations with Fulton County to determine how the local governments will share responsibility for service delivery and its cost.
“It’s a great law in the state that requires the counties and the cities to get together to make sure that there’s no double taxation and there’s no duplication of services,” Paul said. “The carrot is that you get to make those decisions yourself. The stick is that if you don’t reach that conclusion, then you become ineligible for state and federal grants.” Read more here.
👨🚒 The Sandy Springs FD has the first fire department-led drone program in the state. It uses advanced technology so crews can respond to situations more quickly and effectively. Check out this video to see how it works.
🛋️ For those of you who enjoy the hunt for a good deal, this is your weekend. Tossed Out Treasures returns to Sandy Springs from Friday through Sunday. Items for sale include designer clothing and handbags, children’s apparel and toys, fine silver and china, artwork, and more.
🔬 The Sandy Springs Education Force will hold its annual STEAM Showcase on Tuesday, March 17 at North Springs High School. Attendees will learn how innovation in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math is shaping the community.
🙅🏼♀️ Sandy Springs Police are offering a Women’s Self Defense Class from 6 – 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 19. You can register here.
SANDY SPRINGS SNAPSHOT: Congratulations to Pace boys and Holy Innocents’ girls and boys (pictured) varsity basketball teams for making it to the finals in the GHSA Basketball State Championships this week. While our city teams didn’t come away with the win, you’re still champions to us!
⬇️ Check out more Sandy Springs sports in the sports section below.
Thanks for reading,
Hayden and the Rough Draft team
‘Sandy Springs’ to become default address for city ZIP codes
📭 After nearly 20 years, the United States Postal Service approved Sandy Springs’ recent request to acknowledge the city’s name on the default Preferred Last Line for municipal ZIP codes.
Sandy Springs officials said the Postal Service’s AMS Office is working to make the changes expeditiously, but the process may take weeks to complete. Residents and businesses with Atlanta as their default address can expect a change this year.
In a letter to Mayor Rusty Paul, the U.S. Postal Service confirmed that it will update its address database to reflect the default mailing name of Sandy Springs for municipal addresses in ZIP Codes 30319, 30327, 30328, 30338, 30339, 30342, and 30350.
➡ Read more about the new default ZIP code.
Pictures at an Exhibition & Symphonie fantastique
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
🎼 The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra presents Delta Classical Concerts that transport you beyond Symphony Hall – take an artistic stroll in the crowd-favorite, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, or a wild adventure in Berlioz’s surreal Symphonie fantastique and percussive Roman Carnival Overture.
The Orchestra takes you on a ride through Kodály’s Dances of Galánta and Rachmaninoff’s galloping First Symphony, and welcomes violinists Isabelle Faust, Jennifer Koh, and pianist Bertrand Chamayou in concertos from Bartók (Violin Concerto No. 2), Philip Glass (Violin Concerto No. 1), and Saint-Saëns (Concerto No. 5, “Egyptian”).
✨ Visit the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra this March and April in concerts where virtuosic music and imagination run wild.
Sandy Springs election HQ
🗳️ The 2026 election season gives Sandy Springs voters the chance to determine who leads the state at every level of government, from the governor’s office to Capitol Hill, and the statewide officials who oversee voting, public safety, and the legal system.
The election cycle begins with party primaries on May 19, followed by June runoffs where necessary, and the general election on Nov. 3.
Georgia does not permit voting in more than one party’s primary, so voters wishing to participate in the primary election must choose either the Democratic or the Republican Party ballot.
✅ Read Hayden’s full Sandy Springs election guide.
💡 Tip: Visit My Voter Page to make sure you’re registered to vote and to see which candidates will be on your ballot. The deadline to register to vote in the May 19 primary is April 20.
Historian shares 200-year-old story of Sandy Springs’ Lost Corner Preserve
🌳 Melissa Swindell, historian on the Friends of Lost Corner Board of Directors, shared the unique story of the city’s neighborhood nature preserve with Sandy Springs residents at the park’s main cottage on March 10.
Lost Corner Preserve is a 24-acre passive park with nature trails, a community garden, and a restored cottage at 7300 Brandon Mill Road. It’s in west-central Sandy Springs near Riverside Drive and the Chattahoochee River.
The Friends of Lost Corner, a nonprofit that manages the park’s community garden, invited Swindell to kick off its spring programming.
👉🏼 Learn how Lost Corner got its name.
What’s it Worth?
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA FINE HOMES SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
🏔️ Ever dreamed of running a charming mountain inn? The iconic Blue Ridge Inn offers nine guest suites, Victorian charm, and the opportunity to own a beloved downtown destination.
❓ Guess the price below!
What’s doin’ around Sandy Springs
🕺🏽 March 13:The Springs Social Club grand opening at The Dorothy C. Benson Senior Multipurpose Complex
🥋 March 14:Youth and Adult Karate at Hammond Park
🧢 March 14:Opening day for baseball and softball at Sandy Springs Youth Sports
🃏 March 15:Family Board Game Day at Battle & Brew
☘️ March 15:Northside ICA’s Saint Patrick’s Festival at Heritage Sandy Springs Museum & Park
🎤 March 15:Gotta Sing Events: Broadway at Hudson Grill
SAVE THE DATE
🦕 The Sandy Springs Dino Egg Hunt returns to Morgan Falls Overlook Park on April 11, offering an inclusive celebration designed for individuals with physical and developmental disabilities. Now in its sixth year, the Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Department’s dinosaur-themed Egg Hunt creates a safe, sensory-considerate, and accessible environment where participants can enjoy a prehistoric adventure tailored to their needs.
🗓️ Add your event to our free, online event calendar.
The Sports Section
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCORE ATLANTA
🏀 BASKETBALL
- Holy Innocents’ (26-4): Season Completed
- Lovett (16-15): Season Completed
- Mt. Vernon (28-4): Season Completed
- North Springs (9-15): Season Completed
- Pace Academy (24-8): Season Completed
- Riverwood (13-14): Season Completed
- Westminster (22-5): Season Completed
🏀 GIRLS BASKETBALL
- Holy Innocents’ (24-7): Season Completed
- Lovett (13-11): Season Completed
- Mt. Vernon (1-19): Season Completed
- North Springs (4-17): Season Completed
- Pace Academy (13-11): Season Completed
- Riverwood (5-20): Season Completed
- Westminster (19-8): Season Completed
⚾️ BOYS BASEBALL
- Holy Innocents’ (5-5): Saturday @ North Paulding (13-2); Monday vs. Washington (0-4)
- Lovett (6-5): Friday @ Newnan (10-5); Monday vs. Hapeville Charter (5-1)
- Mt. Vernon (5-3): Friday vs. St. Francis (4-9); Saturday @ Piedmont Academy (5-1)
- North Springs (4-11): Friday @ Northview (1-10); Monday @ Marist (4-7)
- Pace Academy (3-4): Friday vs. Mays (4-4-1); Monday @ Mays (4-4-1)
- Riverwood (7-8): Friday @ Creekview (3-10)
- Westminster (3-8): Tuesday vs. Blessed Trinity (8-5)
🥍 BOYS LACROSSE
- Holy Innocents’ (2-3): Mar. 19 vs. Pace Academy (3-2)
- Lovett (7-0): Saturday vs. Vestavia Hills (4-0)
- Mt. Vernon (4-1): Monday vs. Kell (0-6)
- Pace Academy (3-2): Friday vs. North Atlanta (3-4)
- Riverwood (5-4): Tuesday vs. Whitefield Academy (2-3)
- Westminster (1-2): Saturday vs. Blessed Trinity (6-4)
🥍 GIRLS LACROSSE
- Holy Innocents’ (3-2): Mar. 19 @ Lovett (5-2)
- Lovett (5-2): Tuesday vs. Fellowship Christian (3-1)
- North Springs (1-5): Tuesday @ Norcross (0-5)
- Pace Academy (5-2): Friday vs. McIntosh (2-3)
- Riverwood (4-2): Friday @ Calvary Day (1-2); Saturday @ May River, SC. (4-1)
- Westminster (1-3): Saturday vs. Pensacola Catholic, FL. (8-3); Monday vs. Mt. Paran Christian (4-3)
⚽️ BOYS SOCCER
- Holy Innocents’ (3-2): Friday @ Walnut Grove (7-3)
- Lovett (4-3): Tuesday vs. Hapeville Charter (1-3)
- Mt. Vernon (1-2): Tuesday vs. Providence Christian (5-2)
- North Springs (4-4): Friday vs. Clarkston (4-0)
- Pace Academy (2-4): Friday vs. Northgate (4-3)
- Riverwood (4-4): Friday vs. Whitefield Academy (6-1-1)
- Westminster (2-4): Friday vs. Cambridge (4-2)
⚽️ GIRLS SOCCER
- Holy Innocents’ (4-0): Friday @ Walnut Grove (5-5); Monday vs. Oconee County (7-1)
- Lovett (5-1): Tuesday vs. Hapeville Charter (0-5)
- Mt. Vernon (1-2): Tuesday vs. Providence Christian (7-1)
- North Springs (3-3): Friday vs. Clarkston (0-5)
- Pace Academy (3-3): Friday vs. Northgate (7-0)
- Riverwood (7-0): Friday vs. Whitefield Academy (3-3)
- Westminster (6-1): Friday @ Mill Creek (4-2)
Note: Most records do not reflect Thursday, March 12 matches.
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