Hey, October
Thursday, Oct. 1 — A two-out homer in the 10th inning lifted the Phillies past the Braves 4-3 yesterday, forcing a decisive Game 3 in the NL Wild Card Series tonight at 8 p.m. at Truist Park (93.7 FM; NBC/Peacock). The Dream beat the Mystics 93-75 last night to advance to the WNBA semifinals for the first time since 2018. Atlanta hosts the New York Liberty in Game 1 on Sunday (tickets).
🌤️ Partly sunny with a high of 85° today.
⚖️ A federal judge yesterday dismissed the U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger regarding access to sensitive voter data. 💉 Georgia health officials confirmed five measles cases among unvaccinated or under-vaccinated siblings in Jasper County yesterday, pushing the state’s 2026 total to 21, more than double last year’s count.
🎃 According to the AJC, Chastain Park neighbors are pushing to move Steve Lacy’s newly added Halloween concert at Synovus Bank Amphitheater to Sun., Nov. 1, citing safety concerns for trick-or-treaters.
🏞️ DeKalb County wants residents’ input on the future of its parks and recreation at public meetings tonight and on Sat., Oct. 10.
🫂 Dunwoody’s Judi Carlson won Neighbors Bank’s inaugural Neighbor of the Year contest, a nationwide search to celebrate the everyday people making their communities better.
🏳️🌈 Cities across Georgia celebrate Pride in October. Check out our list of celebrations around the state.
ELSEWHERE
🇮🇱 Passengers and crew subdued a Flydubai co-pilot who stabbed the captain and sent a Tel Aviv-bound jet plunging thousands of feet yesterday in what Israeli officials say was an attempted terror attack.
🎖️ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to shrink Pentagon bureaucracy yesterday, then announced a new drone command and a future-of-war commission including Elon Musk and Newt Gingrich.
⚖️ Christa Pike, Tennessee’s only woman on death row, remains hospitalized after surviving two lethal injections last night, the state’s second failed execution this year. The Supreme Court had cleared the way hours earlier. Gov. Bill Lee halted all others through 2026.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• ‘Reel Portraits’
• Goat Farm SITE festival
• Upcoming Events
• ATL Airport Recycling
AND
• Quick Bites
🎈 A hundred years of art in Atlanta calls for more than one party. Expect special exhibitions, collection favorites returning to the galleries, music, family programs, and one-of-a-kind events that honor the past and look toward the next 100 years. See what’s planned. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. ‘Reel Portraits’ from Michael Kalish at Atlanta Art Fai
r🎞️ Artist Michael Kalish is getting back to his roots with his newest venture, “Reel Portraits,” which will be unveiled at the Atlanta Art Fair today and run through Oct. 4.
Kalish is an Atlanta native who now resides in Los Angeles, and as an artist, his interests lie in pop culture, Americana, and working with materials you might not always expect. His newest work is a series of portraits of famous faces like James Dean and Audrey Hepburn, fashioned out of actual film reels from the stars’ most iconic movies.
Ahead of the opening, Sammie Purcell spoke with Kalish about his passion for film, how he decided which stars to include, and how it all came together.
🌟 Check out their conversation here.
RELATED
🗓️ Atlanta Fashion Week also starts today and will showcase independent designers.
The High Centennial Block Party
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
🎉 100 years of art in Atlanta calls for more than one party. Free to attend on Oct. 18, the Centennial Block Party pairs live music and DJs with art-making, food vendors, and special surprises as we take over Peachtree Street. Bring your family, your friends, your neighbor, or your work bestie.
2. Goat Farm SITE festival brings one night of experimental art to Atlanta
VIA SKETCHBOOK, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER ABOUT ART | SUBSCRIBE
🐐 SITE’s art is meant to be temporary. The annual experimental art festival returns to Goat Farm’s 12-acre West Midtown campus Sat., Oct. 3, with six hours of installations, live performances and music for one night.
Then much of the work is gone. But the festival’s fleeting nature is part of its appeal.
Goat Farm developed SITE with Atlanta curator Jacob O’Kelley in 2024. The multidisciplinary cultural center had just reopened after years of construction, and its team wanted in on Atlanta Art Week and the first Atlanta Art Fair. Three years in, SITE has found its footing.
🎨 Read the full story from Sherri Daye Scott here.
🍽️ Elise, Lyla Lila, Miller Union, Madeira Park, Heirloom Market BBQ, Mujō, and Koshu Club: their chefs are cooking from the same 1981 cookbook whose sales supported the High Museum. At Recipe Revival, chefs discuss their picks, then everyone gets to taste each dish. Get Tickets Here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
3. Upcoming Events
🖼️ The Other Art Fair; tonight at 6 p.m. at Enspire Mercantile in Grant Park.
🎤 Indigo Girls; tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
🛩️ Art30: The Landing; today from 3-5 p.m. in the Domestic Atrium at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
🍻 Oktoberfest; Oct. 2-4 at Round Trip Brewing Co.
🍅 Piedmont Park Green Market; Sat., Oct. 3 at 9 a.m.
🌲 Pine Lake Fest; Pine Lake, GA; Sat. & Sun., Oct. 3-4, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
🫧 Splish Splash Doggie Bash; Piedmont Park Aquatic Center; Sat. & Sun., Oct. 3-4, sign up for scheduled times.
📧 Find out how you can get your event featured in Rough Draft.
🗓️ For more events, visit RoughDraftAtlanta.com/events.
4. Using AI to boost recycling at the world’s busiest airport
♻️ Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport sees more than 100 million passengers each year, most of them doing a bit of dining, drinking, or shopping. The stakes are high for the environment, and for the airport’s own sustainability goals.
The airport has tried over the years to find a solution for mass recycling, but has had some trouble. But now a solution has emerged that could tackle the problem at the source through education, technology, and a little bit of gamification – all powered by artificial intelligence.
➡ Read the whole story from Hypepotamus here.
🎂 Our 100th birthday gets its own edition of UPS Second Sunday. On the second Sunday of each month, admission is free, and the museum fills with art-making and family-friendly programming. This one includes a fun outdoor activation with UPS. Save the date; this one’s going to be special. SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Quick Bites
VIA SIDE DISH, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE HERE
🎷 In this week’s Quick Bites, catch up on Atlanta restaurant news – including a historic jazz bar’s revival in Decatur, upcoming openings in South Downtown, EAV, and Woodstock, and a local restaurant group’s fundraiser for flood victims in Thailand. We’ve also rounded up a number of Atlanta dining events like a pasta-making class at the Epicurean Theatre, a pop-up Thai night market in Buckhead, and a series of food-related workshops in the West End.
MORE DINING NEWS
🍽️ Mule Train, the first restaurant from husband-and-wife duo Mike and Shyretha Sheats, opened to the public yesterday in Downtown Atlanta, offering a Southern-leaning menu.
🔤 Play News Word Atlanta, our daily word game.
💡 Help support independent local media by becoming a Rough Draft member today. Pick up some cool swag, including our new, limited-edition LOCAL hoodie.
📤 Have a friend or colleague who would enjoy getting this newsletter? Forward them this link to subscribe.
