Ever since the Morse family handed over 7.2 acres of land over to the Decatur Preservation Alliance in 2002, the endgame for what would soon be called “Woodlands Garden” was to become it’s own independent entity.   This year, that goal became a reality.

According to a note from DPA Board Chair Stephan Swicegood, Woodlands Garden was granted non-profit status and on September 30th the Decatur Preservation Alliance transfered title of the Woodlands property to Woodlands Garden of Decatur, Inc.

Asked about the future of the DPA, Mr. Swicegood told DM…

DPA will live on. For many years now, we have produced (with help) the MLK Service Project that happens around the MLK holiday each January. DPA is the legal and financial entity responsible for the event. With Woodlands on their own, we’re excited about being able to put more time and resources into making MLK an even more successful event.

…our plan going forward is to operate as an all-volunteer organization, which means the maximum amount of our financial resources can go to those we are serving through the MLK project.

For those new to Decatur, the DPA was created back in 2001 to help save the old Decatur Depot from demolition.  (In fact, I just found their old “Help Us Restore the Decatur Depot” website if you’re looking for a blast from the past)  With help from city staff, the org raised over $100,000 to move the Depot just a few feet away from the railroad tracks and took possession of the building from CSX.

Every year Decatur residents team up on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend to help the area’s elderly make needed repairs to their homes and help with necessary yard work. (Photo courtesy of the city’s website)

This year the shifts are as follows:

Saturday, January 16: 9am to 1pm and 1pm to 5pm

Sunday, January 17: 1pm to 5pm

Monday, January 18: 9am to 1pm and 1pm to 5pm

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From Lee Ann Harvey at the city…

I know that everyone is busy with the holidays, but we are now only 9 days away from the Tour and there are still lots of volunteer positions to fill. We would appreciate your help. As we approach Thanksgiving and look at what we are thankful for, I think about the hundreds of you who respond to my requests for volunteers at our many events and service projects in Decatur. I am thankful for knowing so many wonderful, caring people.

Volunteers receive a complementary ticket to take the Tour, which benefits the Decatur Youth Fund and the Decatur Preservation Alliance.

Descriptions of the homes are available at http://decaturtourofhomes.com. To sign up, just let me know your name, day & evening phone numbers and email address. Also please let me know which shift you prefer and whether there is a home you prefer (the first shift on Friday is nearly filled):

• Friday, December 4, 5:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
• Friday, December 4, 7:15 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
• Saturday, December 5, 5:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
• Saturday, December 5, 7:15 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

You may either email this information or call me at 678-553-6548. Please forward this email to anyone that you think might be interested in volunteering on the Tour.

Over at The Decatur Minute, Cheryl hopes folks will gobble up Decatur Tour of Homes tickets as fast as Beer Fest tix.  This year’s legal trespassing event takes place on December 4th and 5th from 5:30pm-9:30pm.

This year’s tour features 8 Homes and 2 Points of Interest in the Clairemont/Great Lakes area of Decatur. The Tour of Homes committee has planned the tour so attendees could walk from home to home. There will also be a shuttle available, compliments of Decatur Active Living. You can park your car at the Decatur First Baptist Church on Clairemont and ride the shuttle to all the homes.

Tickets are $20 in advance and are being sold at The Seen Gallery on Church Street, The Seventeen Steps on Ponce de Leon Place, Bicycle South on North Decatur Road and Intown Ace Hardware on Scott Boulevard. Tickets will also be available during the Tour at each home for $25.

Proceeds from the Tour of Homes go to the Decatur Youth Fund and the Decatur Preservation Alliance.

For more details on the homes and places on the tour, check out the Decatur Tour of Homes website.

Susan at the Decatur Preservation Alliance forwards this announcement…

You are invited to the annual Veterans Day Memorial Service next Wednesday, November 11, at 11 a.m. in Decatur Cemetery presented by Friends of Decatur Cemetery (FODC) and Harold Byrd American Legion Post 66. The service will take place in front of the American Legion Memorial at the Bell Street entrance to the cemetery off Commerce Drive.

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I really want to call this event “Get Soused With Walter”, but I’ll refrain…except for that one time.

From the Decatur Business Association newsletter…

Join Decatur Preservation Alliance for Woodlands, Walter and Wine featuring Georgia’s Favorite Gardener Walter Reeves on Great Garden Disasters!

Sunday, September 20 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Woodlands Garden, 920 Scott Blvd., Decatur 30030

Wine tasting and light hors d’oeuvres, $45/per person ($30 tax-deductible)

Purchase event and raffle tickets by September 15 online, by mail, with check payable to Decatur Preservation Alliance (designate “WG Event”), P. O. Box 1764, Decatur, GA 30031 and pay at the door with advance reservation required, call 404-371-4444.

Parking is available at “The Brownstones at Decatur” town homes across from Woodlands on Scott Blvd.

Purchase a chance to win a consultation with Walter at your metro-Atlanta home garden, a hands-on plant propagation class for you and a few friends at Woodlands with “plant whisperer” George de Man, and gift bags with Woodlands t-shirts and note cards plus a bottle of wine.

Raffle tickets are $5 (no limit) and you do not have to be present to win. Sponsored by Decatur Package Store and The Cook’s Warehouse and Sherlock’s Wine Merchant.

Tickets are available online HERE.

Photo Courtesy of Decatur Garden Tour.

Allison sends in the press release announcing this year’s Decatur Garden Tour. For the list of gardens on the tour, click here.  It doesn’t look like tickets are available yet, but once they are I’ll make sure to let everyone know.

DECATUR, GA — Step into autumn with the twenty-first annual Decatur Garden Tour, September 26 and 27. Explore 12 gardens, both private and public, across this charmingly eclectic intown community. From the stately and formal to the artsy and whimsical, the tour blooms with ideas to feed gardening inspiration all year. The gardens present unexpected plant combinations in vivid fall colors, sustainable and edible plantings, innovative outdoor living areas and serene water features.

Tour-goers will enjoy “art in the garden,” as the creations of local artists further enhance the outdoor environments. Other highlights include a Japanese-style garden featured in Backyard Living magazine and the renowned “garden rooms” of noted author and designer Ryan Gainey’s private home. The tour features Saturday evening hours, during which visitors can explore two gardens along with live music and wine.

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