October 2017
Features
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A new generation of Atlanta artists takes center stage
Atlanta has a vibrant arts community determined to have a say in the city’s future. Just look at the collaborations among local artists, institutions, and even the city.
Home between the hedges: Tour Mary Beth and Kirby Smart’s Athens house
As head coach of a college football team, Kirby Smart has a wide spectrum of duties; apparently, so does his house. The Smarts’ newly remodeled Athens home not only accommodates day-to-day family life, but it also serves as a place to entertain potential players and other VIPs integral to the University of Georgia football machine.
Friday Night at the Colonnade
Many of the Colonnade’s existing customers—gay, gray, or neither—come here for comfort of two kinds: a good meal and good company. “You know, customers will go visit these new places that open up, and they might go a time or two,” says bartender Rhea Merritt. “But you know where they come back to? They come back to the Colonnade.”
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The Connector
Don’t Miss List: Our top 5 Atlanta event picks for October
Check out the cool costumes at the Little Five Points Halloween Festival, watch Oakhurst porches transform into stages at Porchfest, and join the South’s largest LGBTQ celebration at the Atlanta Pride Festival.
Atlanta style icons Sid and Ann Mashburn host this year’s Atlanta Celebrates Photography gala
On October 7 Sid and Ann Mashburn will serve as honorary chairs of Atlanta Celebrates Photography’s 12th annual gala. Held at the Porsche Experience Center, the event will include a silent and live auction of works by Parish Kohanim, Builder Levy, and Carl Martin, among others, to support the ACP, the largest annual community-based photo festival in the United States.
There’s something about Mary Norwood
Unstoppable? Yes. But is she unbeatable? The implausible and inevitable rise of the woman who could be Atlanta mayor.
Flashback: Rocky Horror Picture Show at Northlake Mall, 1993
Gay, straight, old, young, white, black, whatever—actors and audience members could be themselves or someone else entirely.
Meet Willie Watkins: Atlanta’s mortuary mogul
Nearly 40 years since Watkins turned a former Confederate general’s Victorian house in the West End into a funeral home, he has built a multimillion dollar empire that lays to rest roughly 1,500 people each year. Watkins organized the funerals of Coretta Scott King, Lillian Miles Lewis (Congressman John Lewis’s wife of 50 years), and family members of Usher and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Phaedra Parks.
The Agenda
6 things to know about The Ghastly Dreadfuls
When the Center for Puppetry Arts’ Jon Ludwig and Jason Hines were dreaming up a new Halloween show in 2005, they read dozens of spooky stories ranging from classic Victorian horror to Mark Twain’s satire. The resulting The Ghastly Dreadfuls features eight of those tales, each with its own puppets and live band mixed with song-and-dance.
The Bite
Cook like an American: Two new books address how we eat
Two new cookbooks out this month, America the Great Cookbook: The Food We Make for the People We Love (Weldon Owen) and America: The Cookbook (Phaidon), address how Americans—and Georgians—eat.
Montane water is Atlanta’s local LaCroix
Although it’s been around for decades, LaCroix sparkling water has only recently become the “it” beverage, part of a national trend away from soft drinks. Now say hello to a local alternative to the soda alternative: Montane Sparkling Spring Water.
Home for Dinner: Atlanta artist Joseph Guay and Terminus ballet co-founder Tara Lee
Since painter Joseph Guay and his girlfriend, Tara Lee, met almost four years ago, they’ve fine-tuned their meal plan. Lee dances late hours as co-founder of the new modern ballet company Terminus, so she’s on breakfast duty. Guay handles dinner.
The Christiane Chronicles: Want the best restaurant meal ever? Go. Early.
After more than 40 years of professional dining experience, I can safely say this: The later you eat, the worse you are likely to eat.
The Goods
3 Atlanta workouts that (literally) pack a punch
Want a workout that literally packs a punch? Channel your frustration from that long commute, annoying coworker, or impossible workload into these high-intensity boxing and kickboxing workouts.
Get your Halloween on with these creepy antiques at Freeman and Fugate Oddities
Freeman and Fugate Oddities Co., run by Pine Lake’s James Freeman, sells creepy antiques via Instagram and his booth at Scott’s Antique Market. Here are a few of his favorite finds.
Room Envy: This blue bunk room is kid-friendly without being childish
With four school-age children, the Lott family needs room to play. Designer Kathryn McAdams turned the terrace level of their West Cobb home into a space for poolside entertaining, including a bunk room for the kids. “There’s a lot of rambunctiousness going on, and they’re always having sleepovers.”
This is Costumes Etc, Atlanta’s 17,000-square-foot dress-up box
Despite several relocations, the ascendance of Amazon, and the yearly pop-up Halloween superstores, Costumes Etc has been an Atlanta mainstay for more than 25 years. Its formula? A massive inventory (55,000 items) and solid customer service.
My Style: Gabi Lee, co-owner of the Sentimentalist
Gabi Lee’s Atlanta roots run deep: Her indie bridal shop, the Sentimentalist, sits on Westside land that was part of her family’s dairy farm in the 1870s. The shop stocks vintage and handmade gowns that buck bridal norms: capes, watercolor hues, and modern separates.
This resort hotel in Helen, Georgia, wants to take you to Valhalla
The pet-friendly resort, which also offers a rooftop bar, spa, and wine cellar, sits on five acres. All 25 rooms, which start at $395 a night, are king suites with mountain views, mini bars, and 24/7 room service.
Miscellaneous
Editor’s Note: Why I owe Elvis for my new job
My first assignment for Atlanta magazine was about throwing a houseboat party on Lake Lanier. Back then I’d never been on a houseboat, let alone Lake Lanier. And the story was due in February, when no one’s out cruising. But I would’ve accepted almost any job to get a byline in Atlanta.
