Music, mahjong, and Juneteenth
Tuesday, June 16 — Today is the final day to vote in several primary runoff elections, including closely watched GOP races for governor and U.S. Senate and the Democratic contests for lieutenant governor. Confirm your voting location at My Voter Page and follow our live blog for updates throughout the day and for results after the polls close.
🎊 This week we have details on a June 20 event that unites mahjong aficionados with adoptable pets, more on a potential drive-thru medical practice slated for Dunwoody, and a roundup of Friday and Saturday celebrations around the Metro for Juneteenth.
Let’s jump in for a few headlines:
🇨🇻 In a major upset, Cabo Verde held Spain, a favorite to win the whole tournament, to a 0-0 draw during their World Cup match in Atlanta yesterday. Here’s today’s schedule of matches, and a list of watch parties and other FIFA events and festivals around the city.
🎨 Spruill Studios, which provides workspace for 16 emerging and established artists, held its grand opening on Saturday in the former Chamblee City Hall.
💵 The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation awarded its 2026 Wade and Mary Lu Mitchell African American Heritage Preservation Grant to the Herndon Home Museum.
🎗️ Norcross City Council Member Marshall Cheek passed away on June 14 after a battle with cancer.
🤝 Senior Services North Fulton (SSNF) received a donation of $39,104.75 from the Daughters of the British Empire (DBE), Oglethorpe and Runnymede Chapters of Georgia, to support programs and services for older adults throughout North Fulton, including Meals on Wheels, transportation services, senior center activities, homelessness prevention, and in-home assistance.
🕓 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter.
• Puppy Love Mahjong
• SmartMED drive-thru
• Juneteenth events guide
AND
• Stories of Atlanta | Lance Russell
Mahjong and adoptable pets unite for a cause at Puppy Love Mahjong
🀄️ Mahjong players have the opportunity to go to the dogs on June 20 (or rather, the dogs will go to Mahjong players).
Puppy Love Mahjong, an afternoon that combines open mahjong play with adoptable pets, will take place at the Brookhaven City Centre from noon to 4 p.m. Explore Brookhaven and Two Sparrows Mahjong are organizing the event.
“Guests will enjoy games, community connections, pet-friendly vendors, local organizations, and opportunities to support animal adoption efforts,” the announcement said. “While players can purchase individual seats or tables, pet lovers are welcome to attend free of charge to meet the animals and enjoy the festivities.”
🐕 Learn more about Puppy Love Mahjong here.
RELATED
🐾 PAWS Atlanta animal shelter has partnered with Wild Tunes, a national nonprofit that encourages volunteers to play instruments or sing to comfort, desensitize, and befriend local shelter animals.
Seniors Helping Seniors® In-Home Care Services Expands in Georgia
SPONSORED BY SENIORS HELPING SENIORS
❤️ Lara Smith, a former Publix pharmacist and longtime Brookhaven resident, has expanded Seniors Helping Seniors to serve Buckhead, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Decatur, Dunwoody, Stone Mountain, and Tucker. Her mission is to provide compassionate, relationship-focused care that helps local seniors remain independent and engaged at home.
Seniors Helping Seniors® provides non-medical in-home care services with a unique peer-to-peer caregiving approach. By hiring active older adults as caregivers, the company fosters meaningful connections, companionship, and trusted support between seniors and the people caring for them.
Medical practice takes a run at 125 Perimeter Center West drive-thru permit
🚘 After a protracted attempt to rezone land for a Zaxby’s restaurant with double-drive-thru lanes was denied by the Dunwoody City Council in a close 2025 vote, another attempt is afoot, this time from a medical practice with a request for a drive-thru service.
SmartMED, LLC is holding a community meeting on June 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the site of the former PNC Bank location at Ashford Lane, according to a published announcement, “to discuss the scope of services/project.”
“SmartMED, LLC is seeking a Special Use Land Permit from the City of Dunwoody for a medical practice with a drive-thru care component,” the announcement said. According to its website, SmartMED advertises itself as a location where patients can “drive up, see a provider, get treated, and keep moving.”
🩺 Read more about SmartMED’s plans here.
Where to celebrate Juneteenth in Metro Atlanta
🎆 Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, will be celebrated with parades and celebrations on Fri., June 19, and into the weekend.
It’s also a federal and state holiday, so expect government offices, post offices, and banks to be closed.
From poetry readings and musical performances to summer cookouts and dance parties, we’ve gathered an event guide to help you plan your celebrations.
🔉 Take a peek at the full list here.
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‘The Rise and Fall of the Peachtree Arcade’: Stories of Atlanta by Lance RussellVIA SAPORTAREPORT
🍑 For nearly fifty years, Atlantans passed through a grand archway and entered a world unlike anything else the city had ever known.
Beneath a soaring skylight, shoppers wandered marble corridors, entrepreneurs launched businesses, friends met for lunch, and generations of Atlantans gathered in what was once one of downtown’s most remarkable destinations.
Known as the Peachtree Arcade, it was more than a building. It was a vision. A place where shopping, socializing, and city life came together under one roof.
Today, almost nothing remains of it. It’s the tale of Atlanta’s forgotten Main Street under glass … and how one of the city’s most beloved places disappeared.
🛍️ Read more about the legacy of the Peachtree Arcade in this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
🖋️ Today’s Silver Streak was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
