Tucker’s brush with greatness
March 20 — It’s Cathy, Katie, and Stephanie with our weekly newsletter. Last week, Amy Madigan, 75, won an Oscar for her portrayal of a deranged great aunt in “Weapons,” which was filmed, in part, in Tucker.
🫢 The movie’s plot surrounds the mysterious disappearance of dozens of children from an elementary school, with the teacher, played by Julia Garner, as the scapegoat.
Although Cathy hates horror movies, she carefully watched “Weapons” to catch glimpses of Brockett Elementary School and familiar neighborhoods. Were the resulting nightmares worth it? Time will tell.
Let’s get to a few items before our recap.
❓Tomorrow, the Tucker City Council meets for a strategic planning session in Chamblee, which seems strange, but maybe it’s just a good time to get (slightly) out of town. We will catch up to this meeting in next week’s edition.
🌱 Every year, Tucker First UMC hosts a plant sale to raise funds for its mission garden. Throughout the year, more than 1,000 pounds of fresh produce are grown and donated to the Food Pantry at NETWorks Cooperative Ministries in Tucker. You can help by buying the most popular varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash, and herbs on April 18, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the church. Most plants are $3.
🍅 The Tucker Farmers Market opens for the 2026 season on April 16, and runs weekly on Thursdays from 4 -7 p.m. through October at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church (4882 Lavista Road), featuring local produce, artisans, and food trucks.
🎉 Have a great weekend,
Cathy, Katie, and Stephanie
🐟 Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Men’s Group Lenten Fish Fry. Fridays only: Now through March 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary School, 2855 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30329. Menu and Pre-orders here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
The heart of the matter
💓 Adrian Johnson, a senior at Tucker High School, fought for his life before he was even born.
Adrian and his twin brother Adarian were born prematurely after their mother Tonney underwent an emergency surgery due to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
The rare and life-threatening condition, which causes the blood exchange between the twins within the placenta to be imbalanced, left Adrian with a weak heart. After 45 days in NICU, doctors discovered a complete heart blockage, and by 15 months, Adrian had his first pacemaker.
For nearly 15 years, Adrian kept his pacemaker a secret, hiding his scar from his peers. But in 2022, he hit a major growth spurt, reaching more than six feet tall, and the fast growth caused his pacemaker lead to snap.
💪🏾 Read about his journey to wellness here.
DeKalb County Celebrating Women’s History Month
SPONSORED BY DEKALB CEO LORAINE COCHRAN-JOHNSON
🤝 This Women’s History Month, DeKalb County invites you to a powerful evening of leadership and inspiration on Wed., March 25 at the Fernbank Museum.
CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson will join chairwomen from Cobb, Clayton, Gwinnett, and Henry counties, five leaders representing more than 3 million Metro Atlanta residents. This dynamic conversation will explore leadership, service, and the future of our communities.
➞ Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, but space is limited. Reserve your spot today and be part of this historic moment.
Dance studio opens on Fellowship Road
💃🏾 In line with their mission of making quality dance accessible to all people, Whitney and Khanan Teyf of Expressions in Motion (EIM) Dance have opened a new studio space in downtown Tucker on Fellowship Road.
The award-winning studio brings dance directly to families. Kids ages two and up can learn pre-ballet, ballet, tap, hip hop, creative movement, and jazz at school – EIM teaches classes at nearly 50 schools, preschools, and daycare centers across Metro Atlanta – or at home. For the last nine years, EIM has also partnered with the Tucker Recreation Center to offer classes throughout the week.
🎀 EIM staff and Tucker city officials celebrated the ribbon-cutting of the new studio at 4195 Fellowship Road on March 6. Read about it here.
🐟 Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Men’s Group Lenten Fish Fry. Fridays only: Now through March 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary School, 2855 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30329. Menu and Pre-orders here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Going for the Sixth Star
🏃🏼♀️ The Abbott World Marathon Majors is a series of six of the world’s most renowned marathons – soon to be seven with the addition of the Sydney Marathon. Completing the majors will get a runner the coveted Six Star Medal, considered the holy grail among the running community.
As of 2025, only around 23,000 people are Six Star finishers. This spring, Tucker resident Rebecca Ludwig will become one of them.
Ludwig began running in 2012 solely for exercise, but when she moved to the U.S. from Germany in 2017, she found community in the Tucker Running Club and Atlanta Track Club. As she made friends with other runners, her interest in long-distance running grew. In 2018, Ludwig completed her first Peachtree Road Race; in 2019, her first half-marathon; and in 2020, her first marathon.
🇺🇸 Read about her journey and fundraising efforts here
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