Up until now, county-by-county water restrictions have made residents of Fulton and Cobb quite envious of DeKalb’s more lenient 3 days a week schedule. Well all that changed yesterday! Residents of Fulton and Cobb rejoice! We are now all in the same metaphorical, dry-docked boat.

According to this morning’s AJC, Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division has banned all outdoor water use in rain deprived North Georgia.

To be honest, I’m surprised it’s taken this long. As we’ve heard over the past couple weeks, this drought is now termed “exceptional” by state officials, which means it should only come around once a century. For now, commercial business water use hasn’t been curtailed. However, rumblings around the state suggest that the situation has become so dire that even businesses that rely on a steady flow from the tap may also soon be facing restrictions.

Yet another stark reminder that we are still very much dependent on Mother Nature to provide us with all the things that we normally take for granted.

Here’s a list of 49 ways to save water indoors too. One we’ve struggled with over the past few months is trying to breakout of the habit of prewashing our dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. If you can’t stand the smell, use the quick rinse cycle on most dishwashers, it still uses less water than “prewashing”.

The question is never whether Decatur will make CL’s extensive, annual “Best of Atlanta” list, but where the city’s institutions will show up.

This year our city itself rated as Atlanta’s best suburb! In your face big, squared-off chicken! (Did anyone else see the Atlanta mag article pitting Michael Stipe against the Big Chicken? It was odd even without the comic rendering that went along with it)

No stranger to rave reviews, The Brick Store usually shows up in one form or another. This year the Decatur staple was highlighted for having the best beer selection, while its neighbor, Zocalo, rose above the competition to be rated as the top Mexican restaurant. The Decatur Book Festival and Books Again also made the list, highlighting our successful new festival and a favorite used book shop. Decatur also received art-related mentions for East Decatur Station’s Foundation One Gallery and local photographer Suellen Parker. Our blogging friends over at Decatur CD even picked up a nod for the best locale to buy used CDs.

Congrats again to all Decaturites who made or helped make this rather fickle and arbitrary, yet highly-addictive list!

For the third straight year, Decatur High School’s Carpe Diem Newsmagazine has won the prestigious George H. Gallup award for journalism. The school’s press release quotes a Quill and Scroll judge saying “You chose great topics to cover, you write extremely well, and you really seem to have a great grasp of contemporary magazine design. . . . I think your publication ‘flows’ remarkably well considering the wide variety of topics and approaches you take to your stories.”

Atlanta’s Grady High School was the only other Georgia high school to make the cut.

Though fellow high school students receive the publication for free, members of the community can also receive a subscription for $10 (electronic) or $15 (hard copy). These subscription fees help offset production costs. Call 404/370-4420 ext. 161 or email carpediem@csdecatur.edu to subscribe.

The very entertaining Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband will be performing this Friday night at 8p at Eddie’s Attic. Always a blast to see live, check out their “Banjo Boy” video above to get an idea of their style and humor. I guess you could categorize them as “Newgrass”, but that’s about as descriptive as “Adult Alternative” these days.

Buy your will call “tickets” here.

Though keeping your yard alive this year has been a monumental task for anyone living in GA (ask my dried out, bug-infested Hybiscus), 14 amazing gardens around Decatur are still slated to put on a fabulous show for the public this weekend.

Now in its 19th year, the Decatur Garden Tour is cosponsored by the Oakhurst Community Garden and the Decatur Preservation Alliance. As such, you’d except to see the Oakhurst Community Garden, the Woodlands, and Decatur Cemetary (two of DPA’s achievements) on the list. Other highlights include renown gardener, Ryan Gainey’s awe-inspiring property on Emerson Ave and Cozart Smith’s Bonsai garden.

In addition to tours of 10 private and 4 public gardens there will also be scheduled talks/walks with some gardeners, music, cooking demonstrations and a scavenger hunt for the kids! A full schedule of events can be found on the official Decatur Garden Tour website.

Tickets are $15 in advance for Adults and $20 day of. Children are $7 and Seniors (who buy their tickets in advance) pay only $10.

The answer is being actively pursued by CSD (City Schools of Decatur), ever since Georgia’s Charter Systems Act went into effect on July 1st. Go DeKalb has a summary.

Public hearings will be held at the central offices at Westchester (758 Scott Blvd) Wednesday, October 3rd at 6:30p and Monday, October 8th at 6:30p.

For a more substantive look at Decatur’s plan, check out the CSD website, which provides links to the city’s grant application, an FAQ and a PowerPoint presentation.

Welcome to Blogging Decatur! – a website dedicated to covering the events and creativity that make up the fast-paced life in Decatur, GA. Over the following months, this site will grow to include resources that help keep readers up-to-date on events and news around Decatur.

The site will also often delve into the Decatur’s past, discussing often forgotten elements of its history, which may give new light and dimension to a city that often struggles to remember its past while focusing on the future.

Cheers and welcome!