Join in on the best-named 5k in Atlanta!

The Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool’s second-annual Beat the Street for Little Feet 5k and Fun Run will take off from the starting line in Oakhurst’s Harmony Park on September 13th from at 9a.  The event runs until 1p, with a post-race children’s festival (to help wear out the kids one can only assume!).

Everyone that pre-registers by Sept 1st also gets a Pete the Cat race t-shirt (shown above).  Click here to see all registration fees, event details and awards info.  Or if you think that background info is totally over-rated, click here to go straight to the registation page.

Carl points out that Decatur’s CodeRED Weather Warning System is already up and running and that folks which have already opted in to the service received a call on Tuesday morning when DeKalb was under the tornado watch.

The CodeRED Weather Warning works much like the city’s relatively new CodeRED Emergency Notification System, calling residents when there’s an event to report.  However, unlike the Emergency Notification system, you must opt in to the Weather Warning system to receive a call.

Here are the details, straight off the city’s website…

Subscribers receive warning messages any time severe weather threatens the City of Decatur/DeKalb County area.  The CodeRED Weather Warning will not call everyone on the list, only the immediately affected areas. The information is based on instant satellite feeds and latitude/longitude coordinates and uses new polygon warning methodologies thus eliminating many false alarms associated with prior notification methods.

The City of Decatur does not initiate the call-outs – it is done automatically via the proactive Weather Warning system upon notification by the National Weather Service (NWS).

So, if you’re interested in avoiding tornados and other weather hazards, click here to register.

Over on Creative Loafing, Jennifer Zyman (of Blissful Glutton fame) gives a loving shout out to Decatur’s Las Brasas.

This chicken shack may be tiny and have limited seating, but it has big heart. It is owned and operated by a family originally from Lima, Peru, that is as friendly as it is skilled in the kitchen. The chicken is slow-cooked with charcoal that imparts a delightfully smoky flavor to the already flavorful deep brown skin and moist flesh.

I’m shamed to admit that we’ve yet to try out this little chicken hut next to Feast on E Howard, even though I keep hearing such great things.  And its not like there aren’t countless opportunities on evenings when we don’t want to cook!

The Decatur Book Festival is looking to attract 75,000 attendees this year.  That’s at least 15,000 more than last year.

So far the weather is cooperating, though it will be hot again (low 90s).

Big News!  The AJC just reported that Trader Joe’s will be opening a 6th Atlanta store!

What quirky locale did the alt-grocery store pick this time to go with its off-beat, Midtown, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Marietta, and Norcross locations?  Buckhead!

So, if you didn’t want to listen to me before, maybe you might turn an ear my way this time: Decatur, Trader Joe’s ain’t interested.

For all of its funky marketing, organic hummus and insane bell-ringing, Trader Joe’s has little desire to stray outside of the flatout rich, predominantly WASP areas of Atlanta, where they can open a huge store in a sea of parking and be the only funky outlet for millions of decidedly un-funky people.  For those more diversified masses who just want a decent frozen meal, we’ll have to drive to the Midtown location, comfortably bouyed between Ansley Park and Virginia-Highland.

That’s tough love for ya’.