At it’s most recent meeting, the Decatur School Board unanimously approved the extensive Farm-to-School action plan.  In an email to the community, CSD explains what committing to this plan will mean when you get down to brass tacks.

Initial plans for the Decatur Farm to School Program include:

• Edible school gardens, planted and maintained by students, teachers, parents, school staff and community members
• An increase in the number and types of fresh, local foods served in schools
• Integrated curriculum resources to leverage learning around nutrition, science, biology, math, social sciences, and local community resources
• Farm field trips and farm education that explore local economics, biological systems, local environmental issues and the holistic connection that links food, health, and the environment
• Hands on food preparation and taste-tests featuring fresh, local foods and local chefs

On its blog, Little Shop of Stories announces that with the help of a bunch of local sponsors, the bookstore is bringing the Decatur Christmas Tree back to the Square!

The tree will sit on top of our building, so you’ll be able to see it from the square and from Ponce all holiday long. And what would a tree be with out a tree-lighting party? So come out and join us as we kick off the season (and my favorite time of year) on Thursday, December 3 at 7 pm.

Click over to the Shop’s blog for more details!

Disclaimer: YankeeMetro is insanely jealous of Kodac Harrison’s accent, and would eagerly sit through a Toyota Mall of Georgia commercial if he provided the voiceover.  “All Camrys and Corrollas on sale…everything must go…”  Ah…pure music.

Anyway, check out this great video intro to Decatur, the Brick Store Pub and “Love at the Pub”, narrated by Kodac, with great insight by Dave and Mike.

h/t: InDecatur

UPDATE: Due to weather, the Love at the Pub street party and book-signing has been moved to Thursday, December 10th. Here’s Mary Jane’s note…

Hello everyone

Due to inclement weather and a host of other factors, the Book Signing Block Party in and around Brick Store Pub has been postponed from this Sunday to:

Thursday December 10

5:00 – 10:00 PM

I am also mindful that too many Decatur folks cannot make it on short notice and that weekends are precious. Now we can make this a REALLY Terrific Thursday.

The AJC reports this morning that GDOT is considering trying to spend the $87 million “use-it-or-lose-it” federal funding for the Lovejoy rail line to help construct the much talked-about Grand Central Terminal in downtown Atlanta’s under-utilized “Gulch”.

The proposed terminal hub would be located just northwest of the current Five Points MARTA station – here’s an excellent map that shows all of Atlanta’s past, present and proposal rail stations – and would serve not just MARTA, but high-speed passenger rail, AMTRAK and commuter lines for the entire metro area.

Of course, any costly infrastructure improvement requires taking on some risk.  If high-speed rail and commuter lines never find their way out of the Northeast, and all rail becomes as difficult to execute as the Lovejoy line, an giant Atlanta hub might only echo with the footsteps of lovely MARTA riders lost in an underground world of unused tracks.

However, if the alternative is allowing the $87 million to go unused and thrown back into the federal pile only to be snatched up by some other competing second-tier city, I say “If you can determine its legality, build away!”

P.S.  In writing this post, I discovered the great Track Twenty Nine blog out of D.C., which did some exciting renderings of what Atlanta’s hub might look like, with high-speed, MARTA and commuter lines stretching in all directions from the city’s core.  Pretty cool stuff if you’re into rail porn.

Walking past the 335 building yesterday, with a dog intent on finding fans to slobber on, I noticed that signs of life in the old Eviva space had already morphed into tall metal tables and a couple clothing racks.

Do we have a new clothing store in town?