Month: October 2014

MM: Halloween Pics, Annexation Ruling, and a Brief History of the Halloween Pop-Up Store

  • Photos: More Halloween Houses! [Next Stop…Decatur]
  • Ruling Suggests Annexation By Legislative Referendum Trumps Annexation by Petition [Decaturish]
  • DeKalb Firefighters battle blaze at Old Atlanta Prison Farm [AJC]
  • Atlanta counted among U.S. cities “most radically altered” by gentrification [CL]
  • 12 Great Georgia Hikes [Atlanta Magazine]
  • The Death and Life of the Great Halloween Pop Up Store [CityLab]

Photo courtesy of Next Stop…Decatur

Free-For-All Friday – Halloween 2014!

Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local topics not discussed here over the past week.

MM: Tesla Dealership Opening Soon, Will Marbar Reopen?, and Halloween Chills

  • Decatur Tesla dealership reported to open November 4th [ABC]
  • Will Marbar reopen? [AJC]
  • Photos: King’s Highway house: “A Halloween Treat” [Next Stop…Decatur]
  • Planning new transit for Atlanta’s Westside [ATL Urbanist]
  • Ponce City Market offering shuttle service to MARTA [Curbed]
  • A Halloween snow storm for the East Coast looks likely [Slate]

Westside transit rendering courtesy of ATL Urbanist

Will This Be the Worst Winter In Years for the South?

It was cold this morning.

That likely means many people are discussing the cold and the coming winter. And one of the thing I keep hearing again and again about this winter is about how bad it will be.  Last year’s multiple “snow events” and last frigid temps?  Nothing compared to what’s coming.

Am I the only one who is wondering “who are these people and why are they saying this?”

Well, after a grueling moment of Google searching, I seem to have uncovered an answer.  I should have known. From our friends at The Farmer’s Almanac…

According to the 2015 edition of the Farmers’ Almanac, the winter of 2014–15 will see below-normal temperatures for about three-quarters of the nation. A large zone of very cold temperatures will be found from east of the Continental Divide east to the Appalachians…The coldest outbreak of the season will come during the final week of January into the beginning of February, when frigid arctic air drops temperatures across the Northern Plains to perhaps 40 below zero.

…Over the eastern third of the country, we are expecting an active storm track with a number of storms delivering copious amounts of snow and rain. Near-normal precipitation is expected for the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest States, and Northern Plains, while below-normal precipitation values are forecast for the Southwest States as well as the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes. The Central and Southern Plains are expected to receive above-average precipitation.

Even though I now know this is coming from a well-known source, I’m not sure what to do with the info.  Buy driveway salt?  A shovel?  Canned food items?  A warmer winter coat? Throw a Winter Preparedness Festival and ask Intown Ace to sponsor?

But seriously, perhaps one way to utilize this info is to take some time the next few days and go through your gentry used coats and donate them to someone who might need one this winter.  It looks like Brooks Brothers and a realty company in Virginia Highlands are accepting donations for “One Warm Coat” right now.  Comment if you know of other local options. Also, if any local non-profit or business wants to join in a become a donation drop off location, get everything set up I’m happy to provide the free publicity.

Map courtesy of Farmer’s Almanac

Decatur Makers Surpass Fundraising Goal

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From the Decatur Makers…

All the Decatur Makers are hootin’ and hollerin’ because our Kickstarter campaign has surpassed the initial goal of raising $15,000. Close to 200 people from all over the world (yes we have international backers) have come together to support your friendly neighborhood makerspace.

This means we’re closer to being operational and officially opening the doors. Now we can build out a starter workshop, add some AV capabilities, and install an RFID security system to better control access to the building and tools.

This is a huge milestone for Decatur Makers, but we’re not done yet! There is still one day left to help us reach the stretch goal which would open the side of the building (allows for larger projects, improves access for wheelchairs, handtrucks, etc.) and install some virtualization servers for programming classes and other open source projects.

“Decatur Makers is thrilled to see hundreds of supporters come together to help us open our all ages makerspace.  We’re so excited we may extend the age range to include embryos and the walking dead!” says Lew Lefton, Executive Director.  Appropriate, as the Kickstarter campaign http://bit.ly/dmks will close at midnight on Thursday, Oct 30, the eve of Halloween.

You can still back us at any level from $1 on up.  We have many new backer rewards!  Another way to support the organization is by sharing the following link with your networks:

http://bit.ly/dmks

Thanks to everyone who has been supporting us as we create this awesome community and facility.