Electronic elimination
Wednesday, April 8 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Dunwoody. The yellow haze is receding, so we have a clearer view of what’s happening in our growing city.
🔌 Dunwoody’s next electronics recycling event will be held on Sat., April 11, from 9 a.m.-noon in the back parking lot at Saint Luke’s Presbyterian Church, located at 1978 Mt. Vernon Road. I’ve got a toaster on deck for that day, and my hoard of charging cables. Check the acceptable items list here.
🌽 Beth McKibben published a list of Atlanta-area farmers markets that are opening for the season. As I was looking at the lineup, I felt very grateful that our Dunwoody Homeowners Association market at Brook Run is open all year, including this Saturday.
💝 In 2025, a group of women gathered in a local church in Dunwoody with one question: How to shower breast cancer patients with love? From that conversation, Pink Box Partners Inc. was born. Want to find more? Join their Mahjong for a Mission party on April 30 at Dunwoody United Methodist Church.
Let’s get to the main stage,
Cathy
🦋 Join the Dunwoody Nature Center for our 20th annual Monarchs & Margaritas, a fundraising evening under the stars with dinner, cocktails, live music, and nature-inspired fun. Support environmental education while exploring our new Wildcat Creek Learning Lab and boardwalk. SPONSOR MESSAGE
A powerful performance at Stage Door
🥹 Last weekend, I attended the opening night of “Steel Magnolias” at Stage Door Theatre. The all-woman production team pulled off an absolute gem.
Directed by Jaclyn Hofmann Faircloth and adapted from the 1989 movie, the play tells the story of a group of women who bond together over shared weekly blow-outs and the gossip that takes place in both the salon and their lives.
“It’s a show that reminds us how poignant and powerful laughter is in times of great sorrow,” said SDT Producing Artistic Director Justin Ball in a release from SDT. “With a story like ‘Steel Magnolias’ that focuses on the incredible resilience that specifically comes from female friendship and community, it felt important to find a woman-led team of brilliant artists to bring this story to life.”
A Night of Nature, Fun & Margaritas
SPONSORED BY DUNWOODY NATURE CENTER
🦋 Celebrate 20 years of Monarchs & Margaritas at the Dunwoody Nature Center on May 2, 6-9 p.m.
Enjoy dinner, an open bar, live music, and interactive nature experiences. Guests will explore the new Wildcat Creek Learning Lab and boardwalk while supporting environmental education and conservation. This signature event brings the community together for an unforgettable evening with a meaningful impact.
Espinoza certifications surrendered
🚔 Former Dunwoody Police Lt. Fidel Espinoza, the target of an investigation by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) for conduct unbecoming of an officer and sexual harassment, surrendered nine officer certifications, including one that would allow him to act as an instructor.
The surrenders mean he can no longer be employed as a law enforcement officer in the state, according to POST officials.
A POST certification is a state-mandated license confirming a law enforcement officer has completed training, passed exams, and met minimum requirements to work. The POST Council also “has discretionary authority, by law, to discipline officers,” according to its website.
📫 Read the conclusions of the POST report here.
Not-so-shabby chic
♻️ The cover story for our April print issue about sustainable clothing trends featured several Dunwoody area stores, as well as those just over the Dunwoody/Sandy Springs border.
Our reporter, Logan C. Ritchie, revealed some disturbing stats. Studies show that the average American generates approximately 81 to 82 pounds of textile waste per year, including clothing, shoes, and linens. Roughly 85% of all textiles thrown away are either sent to landfills or burned, according to Earth.org.
Let this sink in: That totals approximately 11.3 million to 17 million tons of textile waste generated in the U.S. annually. Because fast-fashion items are made quickly and inexpensively, they are thrown away more often than they are repurposed.
👗 Read how business owners and customers are bucking the trend by repurposing or repurchasing clothing.
🦋 Join the Dunwoody Nature Center for our 20th annual Monarchs & Margaritas, a fundraising evening under the stars with dinner, cocktails, live music, and nature-inspired fun. Support environmental education while exploring our new Wildcat Creek Learning Lab and boardwalk. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Picture this: Maximo’s
🔐 A venerable institution in the Winter’s Chapel Road area abruptly shut its doors around the end of March, leaving its decades-long customers distraught. There was speculation that the closure was just temporary, so I swung by to investigate.
Sure enough, the place was quiet, and it appeared to be a permanent thing. However, I did see a sign on the door that only deepened the mystery: “Sorry, we are close [sic].” You can read that in a bunch of different ways.
🤙🏽 Meanwhile, the restaurant’s website is still up, and Google says it’s “temporarily closed.”
