October 2016
Features
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Meet the Kirkland quad squad
“Everything is different now,” Matt says, just two days after the quadruplets mashed pudding into their own faces at their first birthday party. “Honey, do you even remember what it was like when we didn’t have kids? Do you remember any of that at all?”
Georgia Backroad Escapes
Changing leaves, cooler temps, and farm harvests mean it’s time to hit the road. We’ve compiled four jam-packed itineraries highlighting the best of Georgia’s backroads, whether you’re an outdoor adventurer, a locavore, an arts buff—or just want to get away.
Each summer, faithful flock to Covington, Georgia for one of the country’s oldest Christian revivals
Salem Camp Ground in Covington, site of one of the country’s oldest Christian revivals, started out as a brush arbor—a few poles draped with tree branches to give worshipers shade from the summer sun. That was in 1835. The Civil War was still a generation away. Covington was a new town with a fledgling square a few miles down the road from Salem.
Will Georgia’s Plant Vogtle lead to a U.S. renaissance of nuclear energy?
However you look at it, Vogtle represents an expensive gamble—both for the Georgia Power and its customers. But customers aren’t simply paying for a bigger power plant. They’re bankrolling a grand experiment that, if successful, could revive the country’s languishing nuclear power industry and usher in a bright new era of reliable, relatively carbon-free energy.
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The Connector
5 things to know about the Westside Stockyards
Westbridge Partners, the developer behind Westside Provisions District, is creating a mixed-use project called Stockyards from the last three unclaimed buildings in the historic Miller Union Stockyards, all tucked along Brady Avenue, west of Midtown.
At Porchfest, Oakhurst residents say, “Get on my lawn.”
A resident of Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood for 20 years, Scott Doyon founded Oakhurst Porchfest in 2015 as a weekend afternoon when local stoops can become music stages and neighbors can walk around, listen to music, and sip a beer.
Welcome to Inman Park, home of the “Squirrel Census”
When Inman Park resident Jamie Allen was writing a short story about a dog obsessed with squirrels, it got him wondering how many of the fluffy-tailed rodents lived nearby. Of course, no one was keeping track, so he recruited some friends to help him take a count.
After he escaped prison, Emmett Bass spent 27 years on the run
Emmett Bass is a gambling man. In 1975 he and another man were arrested in Henry County for armed robbery of a package store. Bass was convicted and given a 15-year sentence. Three years later, on April 3, 1978, Bass was on a work detail near Highway 16 in Griffin when he went to relieve himself in the trees. Instead of returning to where his fellow inmates were cleaning ditches in the hot sun, he continued deeper into the woods.
North Georgia welcomes a new type of retiree—chimpanzees
Soon, as many as 300 chimpanzees will climb trees, drink smoothies, and play with toy trucks and stuffed bears in their version of retirement on a 236-acre spread about 10 miles from the town of Blue Ridge.
The Agenda
Carol Burnett is ready for your questions
For 11 years, each episode of The Carol Burnett Show kicked off with an unscripted audience Q&A. And every week, Burnett managed to wring guffaws out of even the most humdrum queries. Burnett continues the tradition in her live tour, which stops by Cobb Energy Centre this month. She talked to us about her groundbreaking show, that infamous curtain-rod dress, and the Hollywood parodies she wishes she could do today.
At the High Museum’s Ronald Lockett exhibition, outsider art has insider status
Ronald Lockett, a little-known self-taught artist, used found materials and barn metal scraps to create pieces about everything from the Holocaust to his own experience as a black man in the post–civil rights era South. Preserving—and putting a spotlight on—this legacy, and that of other so-called “outsider” artists, has been a priority for the High for more than 20 years.
Atlanta Pride marches on
In 1971 about 100 gay activists marched down Peachtree Street. That day marked one of the first pride parades in the country’s history. Since then the city’s LGBTQ community and the annual procession, now the largest parade in Atlanta, have been transformed.
Ahab takes to the air in Alliance Theatre’s acrobatic adaptation of Moby Dick
Adapting the 135-chapter Moby Dick—a novel that’s equally famous for being a literary masterpiece and one of the most difficult-to-read books of all time—for the stage is an epic task on par with killing the white whale itself. But that doesn’t stop writers from trying.
How Netherworld became a haunted house juggernaut
From the start, Netherworld creators Ben Armstrong, who has a background in TV production, and Billy Messina, a former Hollywood special effects artist, wanted to build a new model of haunted house.
The Bite
Cooking duck breast is tricky. Noble Fin’s Jeb Aldrich shares how to get it perfect every time.
No one wants to mess up a pricey cut of meat, but duck breast can be tricky: dry when overcooked and gummy when undercooked. But when done just right—medium with perfectly rendered fat and crispy skin—it’s beautiful.
Review: Storico Fresco needs to bring its store to the table
While Storico Fresco is a brilliant store, it’s not much of a restaurant. I had two meals from the menu and two others that sampled from takeout cases, and almost every single dish from the brown paper packages and plastic containers was better than the ones on the restaurant menu.
Asha Gomez’s new cookbook draws parallels between Southern India and the American South
Southern India and the American South are thousands of miles apart, but Spice to Table chef Asha Gomez sees an abundance of similarities between her family home in Kerala and her adopted home, both hot and humid places where hospitality reigns.
The Brand Man: Meet Atlanta restaurateurs’ best-kept secret
Alvin Diec is arguably the most in-demand brand guru on Atlanta’s dining scene, and you’ve never heard of him. The unassuming graphic designer with thick-framed glasses is the quirky brain behind the websites, menus, trucker hats, and souvenir postcards of more than 44 Atlanta restaurants and retailers.
The Christiane Chronicles: Stop futzing around with my Manhattan
I worry the classic Manhattan is going the way of the martini: another opportunity for barkeeps to futz around with annoying techniques and show-offish ingredients. Plus: In previous decades, chefs had to be Japanese if they wanted customers to take their sushi seriously. They had to be born in Spain to attempt paella. This attitude seems quaint in an era when scholarly approach trumps birthright.
The Goods
Local Find: BeBella has probiotics for your face
You’ve probably heard that consuming probiotics—naturally occurring “good” bacteria—can help improve digestive health. But would you apply the friendly bacteria directly to your face?
State has a line of hipster-approved smocks (yes, smocks)
Made of denim, canvas, and other durable materials, the button-down smocks feature giant pockets that owner Adrienne Antonson says are a hit with fashion-loving moms—and with those who want to carry, say, a bottle of wine.
My Style: Thomas Wages
In his earlier career, Wages helped launch Turner Classic Movies and even founded a record label, but he’s always been interested in clothes.
Room Envy: This glass garden house in Marietta is a relaxing retreat
When Laura Gaby wants to take a mental health day (or hour), she need only step into her wooded backyard. There, her glass garden house serves as a year-round retreat for reading, napping, and enjoying nature.
Local Find: Ink and Alloy’s globally inspired accessories
There are oodles of local companies touting handmade accessories, but Ink and Alloy—a line of globally inspired jewelry, scarves, and bags—stands out because of the veteran pros behind it.
The Atlanta Yoga Guide
Namaste, y’all! Where to find yoga fusion classes, unique yoga for every mindset, yoga retreats, and more.
Miscellaneous
Editor’s Note: A welcome tonic
The knock against journalists—well, one of the knocks against journalists—is that they’re cynical. Too focused on what’s wrong, not near enough focused on what’s right. For most of my career, my reaction to the criticism was pretty standard.
One Square Mile: The volunteer firefighters of Meriwether County
Along a red dirt road, where smoke is creeping like fog through the nearby pines, 32-year-old Dustin Owens waves a fire hose to tamp down a one-acre brush fire.
