Here are all the details for the annual Pine LakeFest coming up in October.  If you’ve never been to Pine Lake, I would definitely recommend checking it out.  It’s one of the most unique neighborhoods inside outside the Perimeter…

Pine LakeFest–two days of art, live music, food and family fun—is held each October, on the shores of beautiful Pine Lake, Georgia. Pine Lake is located between Decatur and Stone Mountain, 4620 Lakeshore Drive, Pine Lake 30072. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 7, and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 8. Admission and parking are free.

This festival brings together some of the region’s most talented artists and artisans, for a marketplace offering fine handmade art and crafts. Eight Decatur artists are among those featured at LakeFest this year. Jennifer Montgomery (aka Jen Monty) creates whimsical mixed-media sculptures at Jen Monty Studios in Decatur. Ruby Bock recently retired from careers as an art teacher and garden designer; her mixed-media pieces reflect her interest in garden design. Heather Muse of “Musefire Art” is a woodworker, and Luz Wright is a photographer who lived in five different countries before making Decatur her home.

Leslie Deveaux-Christian, owner of “Natural Chic” and Gretchen Wyatt-Scott of “Ronita Designs,” specialize in handmade apparel. Phil Ross, owner of the Ross Candle Company, will be a health and wellness vendor.

The DeKalb History Center, Quantum Mechanics and Signarama of Decatur are three of the generous sponsors that have made LakeFest 2017 possible.

Activities at LakeFest include live music, chalk art and sand sculpture contests on the beach, a tour of the lake and park, and a wild water parade, “Floatzilla!” Leased pets are welcome; owners and pets may join a pet parade led by the “Seed and Feed Marching Abominables.” A complete schedule is available at www.pinelakefest.com

Here’s the latest update from the City of Decatur…

Today, the City of Decatur started out with 73 out of 110 issues resolved, leaving 37 on the list.  By 3:30 p.m., the list was down to 10.  With the exception of the Early Childhood Learning Center, which should have power this afternoon, all of the CSD schools have power.  Transportation of Westchester Elementary students to Decatur High went great and the students enjoyed the adventure.

All of the large power outages have been resolved.  There are spot and smaller scale areas that are still without power.  The Oakland/Fairview and Oldfield/McKinnon neighbors are the main smaller areas that are still without power.  The city is working with Georgia Power to get those addressed as soon as possible.  Lucerne/Geneva has a tree and pole down, but the wires never lost power.  In order to repair the pole and remove the tree, the power will have to be shut off for some period of time.  Regretfully this will have to be done in order to get the repair completed.

Grounds crews are working to get to the larger piles of debris left during the power restoration process and will continue to get to those through the end of the week. We are targeting the Safe Routes to School and School Crossings.

Tomorrow (Friday) we will provide specific information on collecting yard debris and sanitation collection. We expect that debris collection will take several weeks, if not much longer.

Here’s the latest on the power outages still plaguing Decatur, from the city…

The City of Decatur experienced over 100 tree issues during the period when Tropical Storm Irma came through on Monday.  Beginning yesterday (Tuesday) morning our priorities were to clear major transportation routes of downed trees and to work with Georgia Power to assist them in getting power on for as many residents and businesses as possible.

Today (Wednesday) our priorities are to work with Georgia Power to get power restored in areas where school facilities are located, including Westchester and Clairemont Elementary Schools and College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center.

It is possible that the area in the western part of the City along West Ponce de Leon and East and West Parkwood area will not be addressed any sooner than tomorrow.

We will continue to clear major transportation corridors and then begin moving later today to secondary streets.  It is likely that our work on streets will continue through the rest of this week.

We know that power outages are disruptive and cause major problems.  Many of our own staff do not have power at their homes in the City so we have first-hand experience with the challenges and frustrations felt by residents and businesses.  While patience is running thin, please know that we are working to get things back to normal as soon as possible.

Photo courtesy of City of Decatur – Government Facebook page

The City of Decatur sent out this announcement today…

As Hurricane Irma is slated to make its way to the metro Atlanta area early next week, Decatur is preparing residents for potential heavy rains and strong winds that may cause downed trees and loss of power.

Currently, all city buildings are scheduled to be open as normal on Monday and Tuesday.

The city has provided the following reminders to all residents:

Important phone numbers

• If you see hazardous or unsafe conditions in Decatur that are not life threatening, call the non-emergency number 404-373-6551.
• If you are in a life-threatening situation, call 911.
• Power outages or trees on power lines should be reported directly to Georgia Power: 1-888-891-0938.

Reminders

• Register now or update your Smart911 profile at Smart911.com. You can opt-in for severe weather and other notifications as well as create or update your Smart911 profile with any special medical concerns (such as a household member who uses medical equipment that requires electricity).
• Make sure you have at least a three-day supply of necessities, including food, water, batteries, medicines and special things like diapers and pet food.

• If you live in the Northeastern corner of the City please delay setting out your recycling bins until next week if at all possible so that bins don’t blow away or become hazards.
• If we begin to experience heavy rain, the potential for flooding and downed trees greatly increases. We ask that you please do not park on the street if you have off street parking available, in order to keep the roadways clear for emergency vehicles.
• Charge all cell phones and put fresh batteries in emergency radios. When contacting loved ones, a text message is more likely to get through than a phone call.
• Secure patio and lawn furniture.
• Download the FEMA smartphone app for additional tips and emergency information.
• And do not forget to be neighborly and take a few minutes to check on the seniors in your neighborhood and bring all pets inside.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Now you can swim away those winter blues!

Decatur Active Living sent along this pic and press release about the opening of the brand new indoor pool in Oakhurst.

Join Mayor Patti Garrett and City Manager Peggy Merriss on Monday, September 11 at 4pm for the opening of the city’s first indoor pool at the Samuel L. Johnson Boys and Girls Club in Oakhurst. City of Decatur staff, Boys and Girls Club staff, Dynamo Pools and DPR Contractors will be on hand to answer questions.

The pool is a partnership between the Boys and Girls Club, Decatur Active Living and Dynamo Swim. Oakhurst pool is located at 450 East Lake Dr. and the entrance is on the right side of the building.

Beginning September 11 until September 30, lap swim will be available during open hours with the exception of 4 – 6 pm and free swim will be held on Saturdays and Sundays from noon until 4 pm. The lap ropes will be removed during free swim time to allow families a place to play.

Pool hours for September are 6 am until 9 pm Monday through Friday, 7 am until 4 pm on Saturdays and noon until 4 pm on Sundays. Programming will begin in October and there will be designated hours for lap swim beginning at that time.

Swim passes will be available at Glenlake Tennis Center. Adult swim passes will be available for the month of September for $30/$60 for non-residents; children swim passes are $20/$40 for non-residents.  Beginning in October, monthly adult passes will be $50/$100 for non-residents; children passes will be $30/ $60 for non-residents.

I’ve been avoiding these intersections already on the off-chance that they had already closed.  But apparently not.  Here we go!

From the Extreme Makeover: Downtown Decatur website…

As tentatively announced in this previous post, effective the morning of Monday, June 19, CSX will begin rebuilding their crossings at Candler and McDonough Streets.

Site work will continue uninterrupted until its completion which is projected to take roughly seven days. Both intersections will be closed and will remain closed for the duration.

Completion could be delayed due to rain. Stay tuned here for updates if an extension proves necessary.

You probably don’t want to get caught up in the detour…

…better to just use an alternative crossing point elsewhere in the city.

Photo courtesy of Joel

Calling all durable outdoor media artists!  The Decatur Arts Alliance is seeking artists for new Artway Sculptures!

The Decatur Arts Alliance seeks sculptures to be placed in five locations within walking distance of downtown Decatur as part of the ongoing Decatur Artway celebration of public art.  The sculptures are on view for two years and easily accessible to hundreds of people each month who come to Decatur to shop, dine, work, or attend the year-round calendar of events and festivals.  In addition, the art and artists are featured on the Otocast App.  Selected artists will receive an honorarium of $2,000, and in addition, the artwork may be available for sale.

All submissions should be professionally constructed of durable materials that will withstand the elements.  All durable outdoor media are encouraged.

Deadline for submission is July 15 and the jury will make the selection of sculptures in August, 2017.  Submit your application through callforentry.com (CaFE).

The Decatur Artway is a partnership among the Decatur Arts Alliance, the Decatur Tourism Bureau, and the City of Decatur.  Once installed the show will feature a special Gallery Opening with a walking tour of the sculptures and an artist talk by the selected artist(s) at his/her specific sculpture.

The Decatur Artway began in September 2015 with five temporary sculptures in downtown Decatur and continued in 2016 with the placement of five more sculptures in Oakhurst.  The new sculptures will be on display in downtown Decatur from October, 2017 through September, 2019.

Photo of “Prairie Vane”by Dan Perry at 4th Ave. and Oakview Rd. / F.AVE courtesy of Decatur Arts Alliance