🕷️ Apparently, they aren’t welcome here
Wednesday, Sept. 2 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Dunwoody. From the look of my front and back porch, it’s joro spider season. These spiders apparently migrated from Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan (illegally?) and are spinning huge, strong, three-layered golden-hued webs all over the United States.
Once a spider got into my daughter’s car (and appeared on her dog’s nose) while we were driving somewhere in the pouring rain in North Carolina, but a CSI-sweep of the car convinced all of us that the dog had probably eaten her. Au contraire, Pierre. When she got into the car the next day after a three-hour drive home, a strong, three-layered golden-hued web stretched from the floor to the ceiling. First thought: sell the car, as-is, where-is.
Fun fact from Google: Females are “large and brightly colored with vibrant stripes of yellow, dark blue, and red on the abdomen, plus long black legs banded with yellow.” Males are tiny (about 0.25 inches long) and a dull, drab brown. That tracks.
Let’s get to a few news items before we dive into this week’s happenings.
🗳 As the DeKalb County School District relaunches its Student Assignment Project, everyone is invited to participate in an engagement survey to help determine community priorities as it deals with overcrowding in the northern portion of the county. There is also a community meeting at Chamblee High School tomorrow, from 6-8 p.m. I will be there and have a report on the gathering. Should be interesting.
🍿 Pics in the Park, a free movie series, will feature goodies and “Fantastic Four: First Steps” on Sept. 4 at dusk at the always-unpronounceable Pernoshal Park on Shallowford Road. The free popcorn cart opens 30 minutes before showtime and remains available until halfway through the movie. I’m sure this movie is even better than “Fantastic Four: Second Steps.”
🚃 Applications for Dunwoody 101: All Aboard, a free program that gives residents a behind-the-scenes look at the roles and responsibilities of different city departments, will close Sept. 4. I can’t guarantee it, but I bet you can find out Community Development Director Richard McLeod’s hot take on “Fantastic Four: First Steps” during the tour.
➡️ Teens, parents, and community members are invited to the Dunwoody High School auditorium tonight as Dunwoody Strong welcomes Ben Pargman of Manny’s Band Foundation. Ben will share his son Manny’s story and help teens and families recognize warning signs, start meaningful conversations, and better support the mental health of teens.
Thanks for reading,
Cathy
🌱 Come spend a day on the farm! Love is Love’s Fall Plant Sale & Family Day is Sept. 12 in Mansfield. Shop certified organic plants, enjoy FREE gardening and foraging workshops, farm tours, local food, artisans, kids’ activities, and more. Pre-order plants by Sept. 6! Details here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Farmhouse, model trains, live art
🚋 Dunwoody Woman’s Club’s 53rd Annual Home Tour will be held on Oct. 2, featuring three exceptional private homes – two in Sandy Springs and one in Dunwoody, each offering a unique architectural style, beautiful interiors and inspiring landscaping.
One of this year’s highlights, according to a release from the organization, is a home in Sandy Springs that has been completely transformed into a stunning modern farmhouse. The property features award-winning gardens, a fine art collection, and a model railroad room with winding tracks, miniature towns, bridges, and intricate scenery.
The Dunwoody Woman’s Club, in existence since 1971, is partnering with the Dunwoody Fine Art Association, bringing “en plein air” [or in the open air] artists to paint in the gardens of two of the featured homes. Guests can watch the artists and purchase original artwork directly from the easel or browse additional pieces in a boutique gallery.
🖼️ Here are the details about the tour and information on the good work of the DWC.
What’s it Worth?
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA FINE HOMES SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
🏡 Located in Sherwood Forest, this 6,000±-square-foot modern home features four bedrooms, a renovated media room, a dedicated gym, and a refreshed pool with a pool house. Recent upgrades include a new roof, HVAC systems, updated bathrooms, flooring, and custom built-in bookshelves.
❓ Guess the price below!
ICYMI – dining version
🍣 Each month, Rough Draft’s dining team, Beth McKibben and Sarra Sedghi, share their favorite restaurant dishes to try, along with a few new discoveries and cool pop-ups to put on your radar.
Several of this month’s prize picks are in and around the Dunwoody area, including the tuna sando from Ticket to Tokyo, which has a booth at the Saturday DHA Farmer’s Market.
🥣 Also, for adventurous people who don’t mind driving all of 10 minutes to Chamblee or Doraville, there are tons of options. Read more about our dining reporters’ picks here.
🌱 Come spend a day on the farm! Love is Love’s Fall Plant Sale & Family Day is Sept. 12 in Mansfield. Shop certified organic plants, enjoy FREE gardening and foraging workshops, farm tours, local food, artisans, kids’ activities, and more. Pre-order plants by Sept. 6! Details here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
A new home on High Street for Discover Dunwoody
🔎 Discover Dunwoody, the official destination marketing organization for the city, has signed a new lease for office space at High Street, a mixed-use development in the heart of the Perimeter.
The move places the organization alongside the restaurants, retail, and the experiences it works to promote, according to a release from the organization.
High Street’s first phase includes approximately 150,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, 600 apartments, 90,000 square feet of loft office space, and 222,000 square feet of existing office space connected by a central park.
🫛 Discover Dunwoody’s new office will be steps from High Street tenants and will include a dedicated podcast studio, home to Dunwoody Dialogues, Discover Dunwoody’s community broadcast program. Read more about it here.
Stage Door announces season 53 lineup
🎭 Stage Door Theatre has announced its main stage lineup, including “Ripcord” by David Lindsay-Abaire (Oct. 3-18), “The Winter Wonderettes” by Roger Bean (Dec. 5-20), “Proof” by David Auburn (Feb. 6-21, 2027), “Little Shop of Horrors” by Alan Menken & Howard Ashman (April 3-18, 2027), and “Every Brilliant Thing” by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe (Aug. 14-29 of 2027).
“We want to impact as many segments of our community as possible,” said SDT Producing Artistic Director Justin Ball. “From senior groups to young audiences, I believe these shows will appeal to a wide range of theatre-goers. What excites me most is the broad spectrum of human experience that is explored through these stories.”
🎟️ Tickets and memberships are available online by contacting the box office at 770-396-1726 ext. 1.
