Going into tonight, Zach reports that they’ve raised near 60% of the money needed to keep Wordsmiths open.

The two night fund-raising event begins this evening with Jack Pendarvis and Sealions and concludes tomorrow with a special appearance by Kodac Harrison.  See the full schedule here.

Best of luck to ya guys!

Oh no…

Andy sends along a link to the Deal Watch Blog, which is reporting that the sagging economy hasn’t been good to Crescent Moon…

“Now the problems have spread to the local restaurant business. Crescent Moon, a popular diner that features retro décor and comfort food fare, has filed for bankruptcy. Crescent Moon has three locations – in the One West Court Square building on Ponce de Leon Avenue in downtown Decatur, Ga.; in Northlake Mall in north DeKalb County; and near the Mall of Georgia in Gwinnett County.

…Although Crescent Moon continues to operate its restaurants, the landlord of its downtown Decatur property has sought the bankruptcy court’s permission to start eviction proceedings on Crescent Moon. The landlord claims in a court document that Crescent Moon did not pay its June rent.”

Oh no…the possibility of no more biscuits, no more Usual…that just makes me sad.

Sorry everyone. What a crappy way to end the week.

UPDATE: Perhaps not as unexpected as first thought. Lots of great comments from residents explain why. While its a sad story about what once used to be a great restaurant, its kind of reassuring to know that there are specific and expected reasons for its troubles.

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the 8th Annual BBQ, Blues and Bluegrass Festival at Harmony Park in Oakhurst! Weather is lookin’ good, so pack your appetite and head on over!

Here are the details straight from the festival’s website…

Mark your calendar for August 16, 2008, and don’t miss the 8th Annual Decatur Barbeque Blues & Bluegrass Festival, at Harmony Park in Decatur. The gates open at 4:00pm and there will be live music until 10:00pm. Tickets are $5 per person with kids 10 and under admitted free. Please note that no outside coolers will be permitted on the site.

Decatur’s 8th Annual BBQ, Blues & Bluegrass Festival is brought to you by three non-profit groups: the Community Center of South Decatur, the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association and the Decatur Recreation Department. All proceeds of the festival will be invested directly into the Decatur community.

When: Saturday, August 16 – 4pm-10pm

Location: Harmony Park in Oakhurst, south of downtown Decatur >> map

Scrumptious Food : Barbeque with all the fixin’s provided by OB’s in McDonough, Georgia

Cold Beer: Peroni, Sierra Nevada, and Miller LiteEntry Fee: Adults $5, children under 10 admitted FREE!

No Coolers Allowed!

So I broke into The Grange last night…

Just kidding…I couldn’t even jimmy the door open.

OK, let’s start over. The Grange’s owners, Darren, Jen and Colin, were nice enough to invite my wife and me over to the old Angel space last night in preparation of their early September open. Over a few glasses of wine, we discussed the new space and plans for the future. For those that loved the old Angel layout with all that great woodwork, there’s good news….its not going anywhere. As Darren has said, they love the interior and just want to brighten it up a bit. That includes a new, much lighter wall color above the wood paneling, and hardwoods in place of the old dark, red rugs. (No worries…all that great tile flooring around the bar remains).

Rumors about The Grange using the courtyard out back have some merit, as both Darren and Colin especially would love to use what is now the Gypsy Camp’s outdoor storage space on big celebration nights (St. Patty’s Day in particular). But for right now the landlord isn’t on board. We’ll just have to see if they can wear him down as foot traffic picks up.

Ultimately, what seems most important to our city’s newest pub owners is the “feel” of The Grange. All three owners reiterated over the course of a very enjoyable evening that success for them is creating a great gathering place for the community, similar to the public houses they grew up around in their native Ireland. That means you will be seeing the owners on-site all the time (with Colin and Jen behind the bar, managing day-to-day operations), nightly events, and in general a much more jovial atmosphere.

In my personal opinion, this is sure to be yet another coup for Decatur. These aren’t folks that are looking to assert a new image on the city. They simply love how Decatur reminds them of home and want to become a part of the community, perhaps even strengthening our existing connections (and of course make a little cash doing it). With this sort of philosophy and high-interest from residents (I think around 10 people peered in the windows over the course of the evening), it has a great chance of becoming one of the top gathering spots in the city.

(I know I promised pictures, but decided that they would be more worth while closer to the opening, once most of the interior renovations are made. So hold tight and I should deliver in the days leading up to opening)