Did you see all five Decatur mayors together this past Saturday in Oakhurst Village?  It was all part of the very successful Fifth Avenue 5k and Mayor’s Mile on Saturday morning.  Kelly writes in…

It was a fantastic turnout with perfect weather on Saturday morning in Oakhurst at the Fifth Avenue 5K and the Mayor’s Mile. With 647 participants crossing the line in the 5K and 304 finishing the Mayor’s Mile it was a big success. Former mayors Elizabeth Wilson, Walt Drake, Bill Floyd, Jim Baskett, and our current Mayor Patti Garrett were reunited and either ran, walked, or cheered on the participants. Commissioner Brian Smith ran with his third grader and Commissioner Scott Drake was spotted cheering at the 5K finish line for his 4th grader. Proceeds benefit the F.Ave PTO and the Decatur Education Foundation. One fourth grade and fifth grade class will each receive a recess activity bag as the prize for having the most students registered. A healthy day was had by all.

Results and event photos here: www.oakhurst5a5K.com

Photo courtesy of Kelly Walsh

Downtown Decatur is getting another fitness studio at the end of October.

[solidcore] has announced that as part of expansion to Georgia, it will be opening a fitness studio at 150 East Ponce de Leon Avenue in the One Decatur Town Center building on October 29th.

According to a press release, “The [solidcore] method emphasizes slow and controlled full-body movements with constant tension, working muscles to failure – yes, failure – and then forcing muscles to rebuild in a stronger and more sculpted way.”  There are currently [solidcore] studios in 4 states (VA, PA, MD, MN) and in Washington DC.  The release notes that First Lady Michelle Obama is a client of [solidcore].

Fitness options have exploded for area residents in the last year.  [solidcore] joins Orange Theory and PureBarre as the third fitness studio to open in Downtown Decatur in the past year.  And then there’s the new LA Fitness up at Suburban Plaza.  Long-time, local gym COREBODY Decatur closed at the end of 2015.

Asst. Director of Decatur Active Living Cheryl Burnette sends along this cool announcement…

The City of Decatur was selected as a finalist in the Play Everywhere Challenge, a $1 million national competition that will award outside-the-box ideas to make play easy, available, and fun for kids and families in cities across the U.S. The Challenge is hosted by KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all children, particularly those growing up in poverty in America.

The City of Decatur created an innovative plan for a Pedal to School Bike Bus and a renewal of the bus stop on Trinity Place into a play space. The project was selected as a finalist out of a pool of more than 1,000 applications nationwide. Winners will be announced in early fall, 2016.

The Challenge, developed in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Target, Playworld, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Endowment for the Arts, attracted an outpouring of creative ideas to spark kids’ imaginations and get their bodies moving. Decatur’s idea came from a passion for getting kids more involved in Safe Routes to School.

Read the rest of this entry »

Big news for the new city of Brookhaven.  The city of Brookhaven sent out this release yesterday afternoon…

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club and Emory Healthcare today announced plans to partner as well as build a first-of-its-kind training and sports medicine center in Brookhaven’s Executive Park, which will serve as the team’s official practice site.

The 90,000-square-foot facility will be located on about five acres at 22 Executive Park Drive, and is expected to bring at least 200 permanent jobs to the city. The development of the Brookhaven site will not require any rezoning action by the city’s planning commission.

“The City of Brookhaven is proud to be home to the Atlanta Hawks and Emory Healthcare,” Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst said. “This innovative training and sports medical facility fits within our City’s vision for smart growth and a high quality of life. Bringing an elite athletic franchise and world class healthcare to Brookhaven fosters investment, visibility and well-being for our vibrant community. We welcome the Atlanta Hawks, Emory Healthcare and their visitors to Brookhaven.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Are you all ready for Tour deCatur this Saturday?

No?  We’ll attempt to help…

The event kicks off Saturday morning with the 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk at 8:30a, followed by the 5k at 9a and the “Tot Trot” at 10am. Staging area is Decatur High School at 310 N. McDonough.  On-site, race day registration will begin at 7:45am.

You can view the map for this year’s 5k HERE.  The Tour deCatur benefits the Decatur Education Foundation.

But there’s more!  There are two pre-race locations to pick up your race number and t-shirt ahead of time.

First, on Thursday March 10th you can pick up your number and shirt at Fleet Feet at 421 West Ponce from 4p-7p.

Second, you can pick up your number and shirt at the “Tour deCatur EXPO” at Ebster Recreation Center at 404 W. Trinity on Friday, March 11 from 4p-7:30p.  If you show up for this event, you will also be able to watch a bunch of good-sport CSD teachers take a pie in the face.  You can find more pre-race info and the full list of teachers HERE.

Though race #s and shirts will be available on Saturday, due to the expected high turnout, they are strongly urging everyone to pick up their race # in advance if at all possible.  According to the DEF website, “Picking up your number and shirt in advance will allow you to bypass the lines on Saturday morning and go straight to the football field at Decatur High School, which will be the waiting area for both the 1-mile and 5k races.”

As we all begin to dig into the Decatur budget for the coming year, the AJC notes that a majority of the capital improvements slated for the coming year are slated for two southside parks – Oakhurst and McKoy.

The AJC checked in with Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon, who told them that if all goes according to plan “bathrooms, pavilions and concession stands at each park will get extensive renovations or completely rebuilt”.

Photo of baseball field at McKoy Park courtesy of Be Active Decatur

The Publix Marathon runs through Decatur again this Sunday, so prepare your driving/cheering plans accordingly.

According to the schedule posted on the marathon’s website, you will see road closures around Decatur between 7:30a-11a.  This is similar to previous years.

Also, remember to get out there and cheer for the marathon runners.  The top 2 cheering zones this year win $1,500 and $1,000, respectively.  In year’s past, the winnings have gone to support Decatur Active Living programs.

The Decatur Minute says that city staff “will be there with plenty of noisemakers, pom-poms, and doughnuts to share.”  They also note the official groups will be located ” in front of Felini’s , the Old Courthouse, or near the Eastlake Marta Station.”