Dara sends in this press release…

• 5^th Annual Urban Coop Tour
• Saturday and Sunday October 6^th and 7^th, 2012
• 12 noon – 5 p.m., rain or shine

Backyard chickens are popping up across intown Atlanta neighborhoods, with families, community gardens and neighborhood co-ops getting in on the action. The dual benefits of farm fresh eggs and reclaiming ownership of the food chain have inspired hundreds of people to get involved. You can’t get any more local than walking outside to gather your own eggs….and the chickens are pretty cute, too!

The Wylde Center and Georgia Organics are teaming up to present the 5^th annual tour of urban coops, traveling through some of Atlanta’s funkiest neighborhoods: Decatur/Oakhurst, Candler Park, East Atlanta, Reynoldstown and Grant Park.

From chicken McMansions to jewel box coops in tiny spaces, the tour highlights the variety of ways these new urban farmers are raising their girls. The coops are often living works of art, situated in organic gardens as part of wider sustainability and permaculture efforts (what else are you going to do with all that chicken poop?).

Coop owners will guide the tours and discuss their chicken-raising experiences. If you are thinking about keeping chickens in your own backyard, you’ll get some great ideas.

Tickets (good both days) are $25 day of the tour, $20 in advance ($15 for Wylde Center and Georgia Organics members).

For tickets/information please see our website: http://urbancooptour.com/ and “Like” us on Facebook.

Another tidbit from the September Decatur Focus…

Yes, you read that correctly. Thanks to our creative Active Living staff, Glenlake Park and McKoy Park will soon have new playground equipment designed for adults. This equipment offers fun, outdoor exercise options, proving that park fitness equipment isn’t just for kids. The department plans to add this type of equipment to other city parks in the future as part of our annual playground maintenance and replacement budget.

The Active Living staff has expanded the “Walk There Decatur” campaign with new signs located at key activity centers around the city listing the walking distances and number of steps to other activities in the city. It’s just one more way to get people to try walking to the post office from the square or to consider walking from downtown to Oakhurst.

• Oak Grove Beer Growler Shop Opens Today [Patch]
• Thomas Wheatley investigates “The Stadium Effect” on Atlanta neighborhoods [CL]
• Kensington MARTA station reopens after shooting [AJC]
• The Nest on Clairmont closes, reopens as Scorecards [TNT]
• Photo circa 1942 of the Decatur Theater [GSU]
• Lenox Square’s planned new front entrance [Next Stop]
• Europeans own more passenger vehicles than Americans? [Atlantic Cities]

Photo courtesy of wallyg via Flickr