July 4th Pied Piper Parade, Concert & Fireworks In The City Of Decatur

Celebrate the 4th of July in the City of Decatur. Decorate your bicycle, skateboard, or wagon and join the Pied Piper Parade as it winds through downtown Decatur. Parade line-up is at the First Baptist Church of Decatur at 5:30 p.m.

The parade begins at 6 p.m. It ends at the Community Bandstand on the square with a presentation of colors and the Star Spangled Banner. The concert, featuring the Callanwolde Concert Band, begins at 7 p.m. in the Community Bandstand. Fireworks begin at dark (approximately 9 p.m.) and are shot from the top of the DeKalb County parking deck.

For more info, visit City of Decatur.

July 4th Hotel Special At The University Inn At Emory

University Inn at Emory
July 4th Special!

4th of July - $65 (July 2-4)

Main Inn, 2 double beds, microwave/refrigerator, continental breakfast, wireless internet & freshly baked cookies. Pet friendly!

The University Inn at Emory is a convenient walk to Emory University's Campus & Hospital, Michael C. Carlos Museum, Donna & Marvin Schwartz Center for the Arts, and restaurants.

The hotel is near CDC, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, American Cancer Society and VA Hospital and conveniently located for easy access to Decatur, Downtown Atlanta, Stone Mountain Park, shopping, sporting events, theater and museums. Public transportation is just steps from their door. The University Inn at Emory is only 15 miles from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

For more information, visit University Inn at Emory.

Fernbank Tips the Scales with Lizards, Snakes And Turtles On Reptile Day

Fernbank Museum’s annual Reptile Day will give visitors an opportunity to get up-close with dozens of lizards, snake and turtles on Saturday, July 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A variety of reptiles—both exotic and native to Georgia—will be on display in the Museum’s Great Hall. Members of the Georgia Herpetological Society will be on hand to answer questions and educate visitors about the importance of these exceptional animals. Some reptiles and amphibians will also be out with handlers for closer encounters.

Reptile Day coincides with Fernbank’s current special exhibition, Geckos: Tails to Toepads, where even more live animal encounters await. As visitors explore species from around the world, they can test their ability to spot some of these well-camouflaged lizards in their habitats. Geckos: Tails to Toepads is on view through Labor Day.

For more info, visit Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

Decatur Community Concert With The DeKalb Symphony Orchestra On June 29, 2010

The DeKalb Symphony Orchestra will be performing a Decatur Community Concert with Joseph Conyers, double bass, on Tuesday June 29, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. The Orchestra will perform works by Koussevitsky, Borodin, Griffes and Grieg.

The concert will be held at the First Baptist Church of Decatur located at 308 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur. Admission is free.

For more information, call 678-891-3565 or visit DeKalb Symphony Orchestra.

The Story of Wild African Lions Roars Back into Fernbank Museum’s IMAX® Theatre by Popular Demand

Fernbank Museum’s IMAX® Theatre presents Roar: Lions of the Kalahari, returning by popular demand on July 30, 2010. Roar closely follows a lion pride in Botswana’s Kalahari Desert and will show daily through September 30, 2010.

Roar is an ambitious tale of a true lion king. Filmmaker Tim Liversedge enters the lions’ world unlike any other filmmaker and rarely misses an exciting moment in Botswana’s Kalahari Desert as he follows a king and his lionesses. From a heart racing giraffe chase to leisurely rolling around with the cubs, Roar: Lions of the Kalahari keeps audiences of all ages awe-inspiringly engaged.

With daring footage, Roar tells the invigorating story of the animal kingdom. In the vast and arid Kalahari Desert, a lion and his lionesses reign over the only water hole within 100 miles, until a young nomadic lion begins to challenge the king for his territory. With the dry season approaching, dominating the region near the water hole becomes increasingly important as other animals dare to quench their thirst in the heart of their predator’s land.

For more info, visit Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

Free Reunion Planning Workshop on July 10, 2010

DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau will host a free Family Reunion Planning Workshop on Saturday, July 10, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Select Perimeter to assist families in planning and organizing their reunions in DeKalb County.

DCVB offers a variety of free services to enhance family reunions, including providing free Welcome Bags for the entire family. Visit AtlantasDeKalb.org for more details.

The workshop will be held at the Holiday Inn Select Perimeter located at 4386 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30341. We hope to see you there!

The Atomic Rockets Live At The Earl On Wed. June 30, 2010

The Atomic Rockets were formed back in 2006 as an after school, basement band by Tyler, Kaleb & Adam after falling in love with Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins & the like. After a good year spent writing the Rockets soon derived their own form of rock n' roll they've since titled "Rocketbilly".

With the addition of Hellcat Willy on doghouse bass, The Atomic Rockets have been playing tirelessly and have generated a fan base in a short period of time. Taking the boppy sounds of early charting, rockabilly and breaking the mold on 1-4-5 progressions, without neglecting the minor, dark side of Cramps-esque rockabilly, its no doubt why. After playing with non-stop, recording with rockabilly legend Roland Janes, and evolving their sound, The Atomic Rockets have definitely crafted a live show worth seeing and a sound worth hearing.

The Earl is located at 488 Flat Shoals Avenue Southeast, Atlanta, GA 30316-1900
For ticket info and directions, visit the Earl.

Click for a video preview of the Atomic Rockets

Chamblee Farmers Market Offers Healthy Locally-Produced Food To The Community

The Chamblee Farmers Market celebrated its debut on Saturday, June 19th with live music, chef demonstrations and raffle tickets.

The Market will be selling goods from a number of vendors on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. from June through December, rain or shine.

According the their website, the Market's mission is "is to provide healthy, locally-produced food and products to our community; cultivating a sustainable connection between producers and consumers which will support the local economy and enhance the overall health of the local people and their environment."

Chamblee Farmers Market is located at The Frosty Caboose parking lot, 5435 Peachtree Road, Chamblee, GA 30341 (Additional parking available at Vintage Pizzeria across the street)

For more info, visit Chamblee Farmers Market.

Celebrate the 4th of July At Stone Mountain Park

July 3 – 5
43rd Annual Fantastic Fourth Celebration

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

Celebrate in red, white and blue at the only place in Atlanta to see fireworks three nights in a row. Atlanta’s largest Fourth of July celebration explodes with excitement at Stone Mountain Park with the Fantastic Fourth Celebration.

The thrills begin with the Lasershow Spectacular™ and culminate with a breathtaking fireworks display. On the 4th of July, bursts of light will illuminate the sky as fireworks are shot from both the base and the top of Stone Mountain. Please come early and prepare for large crowds.

The Phantom Of The Opera At The Fox Theatre

With some of the most lavish sets, costumes and special effects ever to have been created for the stage, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Harold Prince, traces the tragic love story of a beautiful opera singer and a young composer shamed by his physical appearance into a shadowy existence beneath the majestic Paris Opera House.

Tuesday, June 29 through Sunday, July 18
(Full Engagement)

Performances will be held at the Fox Theatre located at 660 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 in downtown Atlanta.

Fourth Saturday Family Fun Days At Centennial Olympic Park

Great Outdoors - Fourth Saturday Family Fun Days
Noon - 4 p.m.

Enjoy an afternoon of FREE, themed family fun once a month from spring to fall at Centennial Olympic Park's Fourth Saturday Family Fun Day! The event is full of interactive, entertaining and educational activities for children and each Saturday features a different theme.

Activities include educational programming, specialty workshops, touring shows, street performers, family-friendly performances, children’s crafts, life-size chess games, appearances by on-air personalities, local sports mascots, contests, prizes and more.

Centennial Olympic Park, 265 Park Avenue West, NW, Atlanta, GA 30313
For more information, call 404.222.PARK or visit Centennial Olympic Park.

Click on the video below for a preview of Fourth Saturday Family Days

Upcoming Highlights during Fernbank’s 97 Days (and ways) to Play!

This summer, Fernbank Museum of Natural History invites you to turn your vacation, stay-cation or day-cation into a PLAYcation at during the summer-long 97 Days (and ways) to Play from June 1 through September 5, 2010.

Friday 6/25

· Naturalist Center Learning: Amazing Amphibians Lab

Saturday 6/26

· Show & Tail Weekend (Geckos theme!)

· Naturalist Center Learning: Weekend Wonders (Geckos theme!)

· Naturalist Center Learning: Live Animal Encounters

Sunday 6/27

· Show & Tail Weekend (Geckos theme!)

· Naturalist Center Learning: Weekend Wonders (Geckos theme!)

· Naturalist Center Learning: Live Animal Encounters

For more info, visit Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

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

Location: Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Address: 767 Clifton Road Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30307
Web Site: www.fernbankmuseum.org

Explore the amazing world of geckos in this collection of more than 15 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.

Center Theatre Presents RENT - School Edition From July 27 Through August 1, 2010

Center Theatre at the MJCCA presents RENT - School Edition, an adaptation of Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer-prize winning Broadway musical, RENT, based loosely on Puccini's opera La Bohème, running July 27 – August 1, 2010.

The stage production is brought to life in Center Theatre’s beautiful Morris & Rae Frank Theatre (located at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody). RENT - School Edition is recommended for ages 13 to adult **.

Center Theatre’s Teen Summer Stock Production of RENT - School Edition follows a year in the lives of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians living the disappearing Bohemian lifestyle in New York's East Village, living under the shadow of AIDS, with both its physical and emotional complications. RENT - School Edition is about a community of people, each with their own quirks and problems, finding a way to live together. They are individuals who support each other’s differences while striving to become successful members of society by doing something they believe in.

For show times and tickets, visit Center Theatre.

Capitol City Opera At Callanwolde On July 25, 2010

July 24
Capitol City Opera “On the Light Side”

Capitol City Opera singers presented in a themed night of lighter music has become a 20-year tradition for many Atlanta residents. Pack your dinner and beverages, a-la-Chastain style, and come enjoy live music at its best in the cool comfort of the beautiful Callanwolde surroundings.

Silent auction goods will be available to further support the Company's year-long commitment to performances by resident Atlanta artists, and bringing opera to children throughout the state of Georgia year-round.

Location: Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
Address: 980 Briarcliff Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30306
Web Site: www.callanwolde.org