Yellow Daisy Festival At Stone Mountain Park September 9-12, 2010

Celebrating your 42nd birthday is a true accomplishment, especially when you’re the Southeast’s number one arts & craft show!

Exclusively at Stone Mountain Park, the Yellow Daisy Festival hosts more than 500 artists and crafters from all over the United States.

Gather your friends for four days of shopping, live entertainment, children’s activities and mouth-watering festival foods.

For more info, visit Stone Mountain Park.

September Blue Sky Concerts In The City Of Decatur

September 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Blue Sky Concerts are held every Wednesday in September from noon until 1 pm at the Bandstand on the Square and sponsored by SunTrust. The Dammages play on September 1, The Jim Pearce Band on September 8, Angela Easterling plays on September 15, Wendy Jans on September 22 and the series culminates with the all women’s African drumming group The Conundrums. Bring your lunch or pick up a sandwich from one of the many restaurants.

For more info, visit the City of Decatur.

Fernbank Adds Latin Sizzle to Martinis & IMAX® With Hot And Spicy “Salsa Nights”

Everyone in Atlanta has been feeling a little hot lately, but the temperature has nothing to do with it on Salsa Night Fridays at Fernbank Museum. Always a popular special occasion, Martinis & IMAX® will now feature Salsa Night on the third Friday of every month.

Although Martinis & IMAX hibernates for winter during the entire month of December, Fernbank has shaken things up with one bonus Salsa Night on December 17, 2010.

Salsa Nights bring Salsambo Dance Studio to Martinis & IMAX, offering incredible opportunities to enjoy Latin dancing (or appreciating the dance skills of others) with early-evening lessons for those who want a little practice before they heat up the dance floor. A special guest DJ provides the rhythmic beats.

Traditional Martinis & IMAX nights always feature cocktails, dinner, IMAX films and music every Friday from 6:30 to 11 p.m. Hip, cool and fun new jazz bands have been added to the regular line-up.

For more information, visit Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

Caribbean Cook-Off Brings A Taste Of The Islands To Lithonia On September 18, 2010

The 3rd Annual Caribbean Cook-Off will take place on September 18, 2010 at the New Birth Athletic Field in Lithonia, Georgia.

Enjoy a great combination of culture, sumptuous food, entertainment and great music. Professionals and amateurs will try their hand at three dishes from a variety of Caribbean countries. Each dish will be judged on taste, presentation, and creativity. A cash prize will be awarded to each category.

New Birth Athletic Field is located at 6400 Woodrow Road, Lithonia, Georgia 30038. For more information, visit Caribbean Cook-Off.

Geckos: Tails To Toepads Exhbit At Fernbank Museum Through September 5, 2010

Explore the amazing world of geckos in this collection of more than 18 live gecko species, from shadowy nighttime hunters with unbelievable camouflage to neon-colored nectar eaters that scamper around in daylight.

Learn about their night vision, magnify gecko toepads, listen to gecko voices, watch video clips of geckos in action, try to spot camouflaged geckos and build a custom gecko for various environments.

The exhibit runs through September 5, 2010 at Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

For more information, visit Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

Tango Night At Callanwolde August 27, 2010

Learn to appreciate authentic Argentine tango at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. You will learn about the rhythm and movement of Argentine Tango and how to focus on connecting with the music and your partner.

Learn how two bodies can move as one! Dancers of all skill levels are welcome and no partner is necessary. The evening begins at 8:00 pm with an introductory lesson from the expert instructors of Tango Rio. After the introductory lesson, you will be ready to try out your new moves with an open tango dance party, beginning at 9:15 pm.

For more information, visit Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.

A Tour Of Southern Ghosts Returns To Stone Mountain Park From October 14 - 31, 2010

Atlanta’s favorite Halloween event, the 25th annual “A Tour of Southern Ghosts” will be presented by ART Station at Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park October 14 – 31. Join the Atlanta family tradition and meet professional storytellers weaving their tales of famous (and not-so-famous) Southern Ghosts along the lantern-lit paths of the Antebellum Plantation at Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park.

“A Tour of Southern Ghosts” is held during the Halloween season so the stories are a little scary, many times humorous, but never too frightening and always appropriate for young children.

For more information, visit the ART Station.

Christmas at Callanwolde Returns December 1-12, 2010

From December 1 through 12 enjoy celebration, design and holiday splendor with the return of Christmas at Callanwolde, a 27-year Atlanta tradition.

You’ll be transported into a magical world the minute you enter the historic Gothic-Tudor mansion. Awaken your holiday memories of Christmases past and create new ones as you experience all that Christmas at Callanwolde has to offer.

Browse and enjoy the splendor of the Callanwolde mansion, elaborately decorated for the holidays to reflect this year’s Roaring 20's Christmas theme. Special events for families and children, and live entertainment throughout the day, will pull you into the magic of Christmas at Callanwolde!

For ticket information, visit Christmas at Callanwolde.

Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain Park September 9 - 12, 2010

September 9 - 12
42nd Annual Yellow Daisy Festival

Location: Stone Mountain Park
Address: Take Exit 39B off I-285 and Travel East on Hwy 78 to Exit 8

Celebrating your 42nd birthday is a true accomplishment, especially when you’re the Southeast’s number one arts & craft show!

It's never to early to shop for that holiday gift or for home decorations. Exclusively at Stone Mountain Park, the Yellow Daisy Festival hosts more than 500 artists and crafters from all over the United States. Gather your friends for four days of shopping, live entertainment, children’s activities and mouth-watering festival foods. Pick up your yellow bag and let's go shopping.

Family & Back To School Expo Saturday August 14, 2010 At The Mall At Stonecrest

Families are invited for a fun day featuring a number of vendors along with family oriented events at the Family & Back-to-School Expo at the Mall at Stonecrest on Saturday August 14, 2010.

DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau will be on site to answer questions about our free family reunion workshops and services for local families.

PBS Kids starts Buddy and Theo will be present to meet fans at the Expo. Twenty-six family-friend exhibitors will offer information for expo visitors, who will also have the opportunity to enter to win a $250 shopping spree at the Mall at Stonecrest.

The Mall at Stonecrest is located at 2929 Turner Hill Road Lithonia, Georgia 30038 - off I-20, Exit 75, at Turner Hill Road in Lithonia.

Salvador Dali: New Addition to the OUMA Permanent Collection at Oglethorpe University Museum Through September 5, 2010

On Display Through September 5, 2010
(Tuesdays through Sundays)
Salvador Dali: New Additions to the OUMA Permanent Collection

The Oglethorpe Museum of Art recently received a gift of 14 original Salvador Dali lithographs (including 12 four-color prints).

These lithographs by the surrealist Spanish master (1904-1989) are now part of the museum’s permanent collection and have never before been exhibited to the public.

Location: Oglethorpe University Museum
Address: 4484 Peachtree Road, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30319

Stone Mountain Highland Games at Stone Mountain Park on October 16 & 17, 2010

Families across the Southeast will don their colorful kilts and regale in the spirit of Scotland at the Stone Mountain Highland Games. This is one of the largest events of its kind in the Southeast and attracts visitors from all over. There are different events occurring on each day of the weekend festival with the colorful Parade of the Tartans on Sunday wrapping up the festival.

Highlights include the Highland Athletic Events where athletes demonstrate their strength and skill in a number of traditional sporting activities.

The Highland Games have also added some new musical guests this year including Rathkeltair and Vintage Voices as well as past favorites Alex Beaton and Celtic Kudzu.

Guests will enjoy the Scottish country dancing demonstrations, Kirking of the Tartans and many other activities. See the Clan and Tartan information tents along with many colorful Scottish shops selling all types of items including jewelry, books, t-shirts and kilts.

Everyone is welcome to enjoy a weekend of traditional Scottish games, music, dance and food.

To get to Stone Mountain Park, take Exit 39B off I-285 and Travel East on Hwy 78 to Exit 8
For more information about 2010 events and activities, visit www.smhg.org

News from the AJC Decatur Book Festival - Featured Author

During the following weeks, we will be featuring various authors who will appear during the AJC Decatur Book festival (September 3-5, 2010 in the City of Decatur)

Featured Author of the Week

This week’s featured author is Susan Rebecca White, author of the critically acclaimed novel, Bound South. White will discuss “Settling Into Your Setting: Place and Fiction,” at 1:15 p.m. Sunday, at Decatur High School. Her new novel, A Soft Place to Land, tells the story of two sisters coming to terms with their parents’ will after their parents are killed in a plane crash.

Spanning nearly two decades, the sisters’ journeys take them from their familiar home in Atlanta to sophisticated bohemian San Francisco, a mountain town in Virginia, the campus of Berkeley, and lofts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As they heal from loss, search for love, and begin careers, their sisterhood, once an oasis, becomes complicated by resentment, anger, and jealousy. It seems as though the echoes of their parents’ deaths will never stop reverberating until another shocking accident changes everything once again.

For more information about the festival, click here.

ART Station Celebrates its 25th Anniversary

ART Station is proud to announce its 25th anniversary this year. On August 28th, from 7-9, ART Station will be having a celebration party. The celebration will be held at ART Station located at 5384 Manor Drive in Stone Mountain Village.

The "Good Witches of East Mountain Street" are hosting the evening's event which includes an old fashioned pig pickin' with all the trimmings (hog killin' cake too), live music from the Centennial Jazz Trio, a caricature artist, a drawing for $2,500 cash, food, a cash bar and of course lots of fun! Admission for the event is $25 or the donation of a silent auction item for the 2011 "Raising of the Green." ART Station has created gift registries at Macy's, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target and Wal-Mart for this event.

You can donate items purchased from one of these registries or an item not on the registry valued at $25 or more. Donations of gift cards/gift certificates (especially Home Depot and Lowe’s) are greatly appreciated. Tickets to the event may be purchased at ART Station or on line at www.artstation.org. Dress is casual.

Salvador Dali Fever in Atlanta During Opening Festivities for New Exhibit

The High Museum of Art hosted an opening party on Saturday, August 7, 2010 to celebrate the new exhibit, Dali: The Late Work. This exciting new collection is the first major exhibition of Salvador Dali's late work presented exclusively at the High Museum of Art.

The event was held on opening day from 8:00 p.m. to Midnight. I arrived just before 8:00 and there was already a long line of people waiting to get in. There was a genuine excitement in the air of the new exhibit showing from August 7, 2010 to January 9, 2011 at the High Museum in Atlanta.

The opening event was entitled "So Real…Surreal Soiree" and included a number of fun activities including a wearable art fashion show, local artists, flamenco guitarist, Witold Tulodziecki and a jewelry trunk show by Ashley Buchanan.

Of course, the main attraction was the exhibit itself. Upon entering the galleries, one of the first paintings you encounter is the dramatic "Santiago El Grande," which has not left Canada since 1959. It is a painting of enormous size and scale. It is the first of a number of gigantic works created by Dali including the monumental, "Christ of St. John of the Cross." The collection contains more than 100 works, including 40 paintings. There are also a large number of drawings, lithographs and other mediums on display.

I was impressed with the sheer number of works and the wide range of themes featured. Two of the major themes repeated in a number of these works are the blending of Catholic mysticism and physics. However, there are a number of works incorporating surrealism, optical effects or illusionism that Dali was known for as well.

In addition to the paintings, there also a number of profound videos, photographs and articles on display that showed Dali's influence on artists such as Warhol, Litchenstein and de Kooning. Dali: The Late Work is a major, cultural event for the Atlanta area that will captivate, astound and inspire.

For more information, click here.