🫢 More lame excuses
Wednesday, Nov. 4 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Dunwoody. This week’s reason for a brief newsletter: Elections. More on that later. Let’s do some headlines first.
Dunwoody Parks and Recreation has unveiled Forest Forms: Woodland Wonders, a public art exhibit at Dunwoody Nature Center featuring 21 larger-than-life sculptures of woodland animals and plants, created by renowned artist Huelani Mei.
🧸 The Community Assistance Center is inviting individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to help local families in Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and parts of Doraville facing financial hardship celebrate the holidays through its annual Hope for the Holidays program. Unlike traditional toy drives, the program allows sponsors to purchase gifts from each participating child’s personal wish list.
🪷 Create Dunwoody invites the community to celebrate the Festival of Lights at Diwali in Dunwoody on Sat., Nov. 7, at Dunwoody Nature Center, 5343 Roberts Drive. The family-friendly event features Indian dance performances and The Story of Diwali, a theatrical production inspired by the Ramayana, adapted and directed by Amee Vyas in partnership with Stage Door Theatre, East by Southeast, and the Dunwoody Nature Center.
📸 You all know that I hate to hop over holidays – and Thanksgiving isn’t in my top 10 (or top 100) – but here’s something coming up too soon to ignore: holiday photos on Fri., Nov. 13, from 5-8 p.m. Reserve a time slot for a festive holiday mini-photo session at the North Shallowford Annex. For $25, families will receive professional digital photos. Santa will be available for photos upon request. Advance registration required.
🏟️ Before we move on to the news: Did anyone notice that all the headlines in last week’s newsletter were classic quotes from “Gladiator,” my favorite movie of all time? Of course you didn’t.
💪🏻 Strength and honor,
Cathy
🏈 Join the City of Chamblee for the last 3rd Spot Watch Party of the season between UGA and Ole Miss on Sat., Nov. 7. Wear your team colors, bring your friends, and make Chamblee your destination for college football. SPONSOR MESSAGE
A ‘blue-nami’?
🌊 Definition – more than a blue wave. I didn’t make this term up, but it sums up what happened last night. There are implications on a national, state, and local level, with many offices flipping Democratic or remaining that way.
It’s going to be a while until the dust settles, but let’s hope that cooler heads will prevail, and we respect each other, as we’ve tried to do for 250 years.
Our elections team did a bang-up job covering these elections on our rolling blog and with our Associated Press partners.
🗳️ Read more about the results here.
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Veterans Day celebrations around Atlanta
🇺🇸 In advance of the Nov. 11 holiday, many cities, including Dunwoody, will honor veterans with celebrations, parades, and memorial services. The city will hold a ceremony Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Plaza at Brook Run Park, hosted by Dunwoody Parks and Recreation with support from the Dunwoody/Sandy Springs VFW Post 10822 and Dunwoody Woman’s Club.
The featured speaker will be Arthur “Art” Katz, a Dunwoody resident and Vietnam War veteran. After graduating with honors from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1963, Katz served as commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Point Cypress during the Vietnam War, leading a newly assembled crew through combat operations after the vessel was rapidly converted from a search-and-rescue cutter to a wartime patrol boat.
His service earned him the Bronze Star with combat designation, the Navy Commendation Medal, and multiple Republic of Vietnam medals. In 2010, Katz was inducted into the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Hall of Heroes. He has continued a lifelong commitment to service through veterans’ organizations, local nonprofit boards, food-rescue efforts with Second Helpings Atlanta, interfaith outreach, and volunteer service for the city.
➡️Here is more information about other ceremonies around the Metro Atlanta area.
Investigative reporting?
🎥 This week, I heard that a film crew was congregating at the Funwoody complex off Chamblee Dunwoody Road, so I launched an undercover recon mission so our arts and entertainment reporter Sammie Purcell could write a hard-hitting piece about it.
Well, it took some digging – meaning I drove by and saw a truck that clearly said “Murdaugh Props,” circled around the parking lot, took a few photos from the comfort of my car, and headed home.
💪 Sammie did all the heavy lifting – Here’s her story.
🏈 Join the City of Chamblee for the last 3rd Spot Watch Party of the season between UGA and Ole Miss on Sat., Nov. 7. Wear your team colors, bring your friends, and make Chamblee your destination for college football. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Light Up Dunwoody returns to Donaldson-Bannister
💡 After a successful relocation to a new venue in 2025, the Dunwoody Homeowners Association will again open the holiday season on the lawn of the Donaldson-Bannister House at the corner of Chamblee Dunwoody and Vermack Road on Nov. 15.
The Light Up Dunwoody event, from 2-6 p.m., will include live music, photos with Santa, crafts for children, dance performances, and food trucks offering dinner and desserts, followed by the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree and menorah.
The event was relocated to the farm for the first time in 2025, after the crowd outgrew its previous venue at the Shops of Dunwoody. Organizers estimated last year’s crowd at 3,500 attendees.
🎅🏻+🕎 Read more about it here.
‘Mahjong Madness’ certainly describes my game
🀄️ The Dunwoody Woman’s Club has opened ticket sales for a mahjong fundraiser on Jan. 18, 2027, that will benefit local non-profits like the Dunwoody Library and DeKalb’s animal shelters.
The Mahjong Madness event, which will be held from 1-4 p.m. at Vintage Pizzeria in the Shops of Dunwoody, costs $200 for a table of four, according to organizers. Single players can contact agabbigorra@gmail.com to register.
Cosmetics company Estée Lauder, the event’s presenting sponsor, will provide a gift to the first 100 guests to register.
🀦 Here is more about the event and the good work the DWC does.
PICTURE THIS: AUTHOR TALK AT MJCCA
Shameless self-promotion: I will be in conversation with Dr. Barak Benaryeh, author of “The Vet Will See You Now: What Every Pet Owner Needs to Know (But Doesn’t)” on Nov. 11 at noon at the Book Festival of the MJCCA. The book is hilarious, and I can’t wait to hear “the rest of the story” behind several of his spicy vignettes.
Attendees are encouraged to bring new pet supplies (leashes, collars, beds, puppy pads, toys, and more) and unopened food for donation to local animal shelters. We’d love to see you there.
